This erosion of the U.S. global standing on human rights issues poses an initial challenge for President Joe Biden, who is expected to pursue robust LGBTQ+ rights advocacy. Biden is likely to face resistance from conservative lawmakers and judges, but his commitment to using executive powers evident in the signing of an executive order on his first day in office to protect LGBTQ+ Americans from discrimination bodes well for the restoration of the United States’ standing as a global leader in the defense of such rights.
Progress and Pitfalls in Global Rights
Civil society organizations have lobbied the United Nations for recognition of human rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity since the body’s founding in 1945. However, it was not until the 1994