Practicing Pink Diplomacy

Pink Diplomacy. Noun.  The practice of using a state's international heft to fight for equal rights for LGBT people around the globe.  Example: The UK's Foreign Ministry office is is championing a controversial drive to fund equal-rights activists in homophobic regimes, known as 'pink diplomacy.'

And if we do say so ourselves, it's a pretty cool new term to make its way into the geopolitical dictionary.

The London Times is reporting that UK Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant, who himself is openly gay, is pushing British consulates around the world to establish programs and/or help fund local organizations that push for equal rights in places where LGBT rights are minimized or non-existent.

Places like Jamaica, where LGBT people are regularly tortured and assaulted by people, where homophobia pervades the reggae culture, and where suspected LGBT people (especially gay men) are regularly detained or arrested for purposes of extortion or blackmail.

Or places like Lithuania, where activists have blasted efforts by the government to censor homosexuality from the media.  In fact, bans on publicizing information about homosexuality were lumped in with bans on publicizing how to make a bomb, and glorifying drug use.

Or even places like Iran, where LGBT people are not only prosecuted, they're hung and killed.

Yup, it certainly does seem time for a little pink diplomacy.  Foreign Minister Bryant said that any efforts by the British government to combat global homophobia would be done with the intention of tackling discrimination and to help stave off the type of brutality that many LGBT activists face in repressive countries.

"It is completely up to staff in our embassies and consulates around the world to decide the most appropriate and effective way of making our case," Bryant told the London Times.  "But we do encourage this important work because British values are based on fair play and the protection of the individual’s freedom. We are not naive about this work. In some places oppressive regimes make it some of the toughest work we do."

That's a sentiment that was similarly expressed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this year, during a swing trip through Europe.  While the U.S. (to the best of our knowledge) hasn't pledged any financial support to root out global homophobia, Secretary of State Clinton clearly had international LGBT rights on her radar screen when she addressed a crowd at the European Parliament in March.  Clinton told the crowd, "Human rights is and always will be one of the pillars of our foreign policy. And in particular, the persecution and discrimination against gays and lesbians is something that we take very seriously. It is terribly unfortunate that right now in unfortunately many places in the world violence against gays and lesbians, certainly discrimination and prejudice are not just occurring but condoned and protected."

That's a great comment from Clinton.  But eventually, it needs to be backed up with action.  Both because it's the right thing to do, and because the UK shouldn't be the only country engaging in some pink diplomacy.