Gay Congressman Robert Garcia has reintroduced a bill that would require the US’s State Department to defend LGBTQ+ rights around the world. The bill, titled the International Human Rights Defense Act, orders the department to establish a Special Envoy to create “a United States global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI+ people internationally.” In a statement, Garcia said: “The fact that same-sex marriage was challenged here in the United States shows that equality is never something we can take for granted.” There are 64 countries worldwide that criminalise same-sex relations, with 12 allowing the death penalty for the act. “LGBTQ+ people here at home and around the world continue to face escalating violence, discrimination, and rollbacks of their rights, and we must act now,” Garcia continued. “This bill will stand up for LGBTQ+ communities at home and abroad, and show the world that our nation can be a leader when it c...