November 20, 2017
Still Silent on Chechnya, Tillerson Issues Statement on Transgender Day of Remembrance
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
In a surprising move, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson issued a statement on Monday acknowledging the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
At 125 words, Tillerson's statement was a little over half the length of his predecessor John Kerry's 2016 acknowledgment of the event.
The former Exxon Mobile CEO's statement read:
On Transgender Day of Remembrance, the United States honors the memory of the many transgender individuals who have lost their lives to acts of violence.
Transgender individuals and their advocates, along with lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex persons, are facing increasing physical attacks and arbitrary arrests in many parts of the world. Often these attacks are perpetrated by government officials, undermining the rule of law.
Transgender persons should not be subjected to violence or discrimination, and the human rights they share with all persons should be respected.
On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, the United States remains committed to advancing the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons. These principles are inherent in our own Constitution and drive the diplomacy of the United States.
Tillerson's statement Monday came two weeks after the Human Rights Campaign released a letter from HRC President Chad Griffin to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about the growing attacks against the LGBTQ community around the world.
In the letter, Griffin calls on Secretary Tillerson to speak out against the anti-LGBTQ human rights abuses occurring in Egypt, Chechnya, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Georgia, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.
Although the violence has been in some cases formerly condemned by Congress to date, neither President Trump nor Secretary Tillerson has officially addressed the atrocities.
Last Friday, HRC released a report that calculated that 102 transgender people have been killed in the U.S. over the past five years - including a record 25 this year alone.
