United States Mission to the United Nations
Office of Press and Public Diplomacy
For Immediate Release
March 31, 2021
Statement by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on International Transgender Day of Visibility
As we mark International Transgender Day of Visibility, the United States celebrates the contributions, progress, and empowerment of transgender and gender non-binary people. Today, we also acknowledge and reflect upon the continued struggle faced by transgender and non-binary people to be safe, equal, and free in every part of our globe.
Around the world, including in the United States, transgender and gender non-binary individuals have experienced alarming increases in discrimination and violence – a problem that has grown worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, transgender women have faced disproportionately higher rates of intimate partner violence during pandemic lockdowns. In the United States, 2020 was the deadliest year on record for transgender people, particularly for Black transgender women and other women of color.
No person should be deprived of their human rights because of their gender identity or expression.
The United States Mission to the United Nations is committed to promoting and protecting the human rights of all LGBTQI+ persons through our active participation and leadership in the United Nations LGBTI Core Group and engagement with the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. We were particularly proud that the U.S. delegation to the 65th Session on the Commission of the Status of Women for the first time represented women and girls in all their diversity. We join the UN LGBTI Core Group today in amplifying the voices of transgender activists from around the world.
Watch: The UNLGBTI Core Group Marks International Transgender Day of Visibility
The United States will continue to bring attention to the importance of combating discrimination and violence against LGBTQI+ persons, including the transgender and gender non-binary community, throughout the UN system. And we will continue to work with civil society and human rights defenders, like-minded governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders to promote and protect the human rights of transgender persons and all LGBTQI+ persons around the globe.
Together, we believe we can create a world where transgender persons are free to live openly, visibly, without fear of discrimination and violence. A world where their fundamental dignity and human rights are both recognized and respected.
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