Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office

[Date]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
U.S. Department of State 
2201 C Street NW 
Washington, DC 20520 

Dear Madame Secretary,

         Thank you for your strong LGBT Pride Month statement issued on June 1, 2009. No other US Secretary of State has gone so far to make eliminating human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity around the world a priority. Unitarian Universalists like me have long been concerned about sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) human rights. We continue to be the only faith-based organization at the United Nations with a full-time program promoting SOGI human rights. Over the last five years it has come to my attention that amid the chaos of post-invasion Iraq, hundreds of Iraqis have been tortured and murdered because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

         Since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the lives of all Iraqis have become more dangerous, with non-state actors directing militias to commit horrific acts of brutality and violence, while state actors have been unwilling or unable to enforce the law. What has been missing from the discourse, however, is targeted violence against Iraqis because of their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. This is not incidental homophobic violence as we are accustomed to here in the United States; it is a widespread and systematic pattern of torture and murder. This situation is particularly alarming because sexual and gender minorities experienced remarkable freedom in Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein. 

In a Department of State briefing on June 10, 2009, the “US condemn[ed] acts of violence and human rights violations against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.” Your Department reported that it had, “urged [Iraqi officials] to respond appropriately to all credible reports of violence against gay and lesbian Iraqis,” and that the US, “will continue to raise the issue with senior Iraqi officials.” Unfortunately, that is not enough. This appalling campaign against sexuality and gender diversity in Iraq is still in its infancy. Hundreds of innocent lives have been destroyed with impunity, and many thousands more are left to mourn without hope. I am writing to you as an American and as a person of faith to call upon you to do everything possible to end this violence. The US government may not have moral credibility with Iraqis, but this new administration was voted into office based on its opposition to continued US occupation of Iraq. I call upon you to: 

˜     Acknowledge the role the US invasion played in creating systemic SOGI-targeted violence in Iraq;

˜     Insist that religious freedom does not excuse violations of the human rights of Iraqis because of their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression;

˜     Cooperate with the international community at the United Nations to find means to eliminate it; and

˜     Ensure that Iraqi refugees fleeing threats based on their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity or expression are prioritized for protection and resettlement through US government or United Nations channels.

Thank you very much for your continued focus on this unresolved issue.