USAID announces new LGBTQ+ policy office

USAID runs development and humanitarian aid programs abroad
The office is the first specifically dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community
The goal is to help ensure inclusive development programming

Updated: Aug 2, 2023 / 11:16 AM CDT

FILE – The LGBTQ+ pride flag flies beneath the American flag at the Stonewall National Monument, Oct. 11, 2017, in New York. Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough has authorized flying of the LGBTQ+ pride flag at all VA facilities throughout Pride Month, VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

(NewsNation) — The United States Agency for International Development announced the creation of the first LGBTQ+ policy office.

The office will help the agency and local partners promote LGBTQ+-inclusive development programs and help guide USAID’s response to emergencies affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

Created in 1961, USAID provides development assistance and humanitarian aid abroad in an effort to further America’s foreign policy goals.

In a press release, the agency said the office “advances USAID’s commitment to supporting protection, inclusion, and human rights for all so that LGBTQI+ individuals are able to live with dignity and free from all forms of violence, discrimination, stigma, and criminalization.”