Note: During Pride Month, SIS is highlighting the work of several alumni whose professional roles feature advocacy for policies that protect and advance the goals of the LGTBQ+ community.

The US employs nearly 200 ambassadors to serve as the heads of diplomatic missions worldwide. While serving the US abroad, these ambassadors uphold US policy and interests while advancing diplomatic relations and initiatives with the host country. Host nations, however, may have specific views or laws with which the US disagrees, often in the area of personal liberty or expression. This sometimes includes laws governing the rights, behavior—and even existence—of the LGBTQ+ community. According to Human Rights Watch, over 67 countries have laws criminalizing same-sex relationships or activity, and nine countries have laws targeting transgender and non-binary expression.

To better understand how the US and its embassies promote human rights and LGBTQ rights while maintaining diplomatic relations abroad, we talked with Ambassador Michael Gonzales, SIS/MA ’98, who currently serves as the US Ambassador to Zambia.

Entering the Foreign Service

As a student in the SIS International Development program, Gonzales developed many skills that would become highly applicable to his foreign service career. With courses such as Micropolitics of Development, and more, SIS provided Gonzales with multifaceted opportunities to aid the growth of his academic and career interests.

After Gonzales took and passed the Foreign Service Officer Test in his final year of graduate school at SIS, he began his career in the foreign service. To date, he has been assigned to 11 positions in Washington and seven countries, including postings in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Uganda, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

“The International Development program helped prepare me by particularly focusing on some of the least developed countries—those that are among normally the bottom quarter of the world's development index—which is where I’ve focused my career,” Gonzales said. “The program and courses provided a useful framework for understanding and analyzing the situations in the countries where I've been assigned.”

LGBTQ Rights as an International Priority

Advancing and advocating for human rights is not only an important priority in the US; it’s also an important part of US foreign policy and diplomatic relations. In 2021, the Biden administration issued a presidential memorandum that highlighted the importance and policy prioritization of promoting the human rights and respect for LGBTQ+ people around the world. Implementing this memorandum and advocating for the human rights of the LGBTQ community in countries where LGBTQ+ identities and behavior are criminalized is often difficult, but ambassadors like Gonzales are working to create more inclusive environments.

“I have seen firsthand that no country or community is going to fully thrive if they don't leverage the contributions of all members of their society. So, in my roles, I have prioritized inclusion at large, and in places like Zambia, that means ethnic inclusion, gender inclusion, and rural-urban inclusion—but absolutely, it also means inclusion, equitable rights, and promoting the human rights of LGBT communities,” Gonzales said.

LGBTQ Rights in Zambia

In Zambia, Ambassador Gonzales and the US embassy are focused on promoting equal rights for LGBTQ persons because the community is one of the most vocally marginalized in the country. One of the ways that the embassy is working toward equality is through the deconstruction of myths, stereotypes, and misinformation. With this approach, Gonzales hopes to increase understanding of exactly what LGBTQ and LGBTQ rights mean and help people understand the role that the community plays in society.

Another way that the embassy is working to help the LGBTQ community in Zambia is by clarifying misunderstandings about the law, which criminalizes same-sex sexual relations, but does not criminalize simply being LGBTQ. The embassy also highlights that the right to freedom of expression and freedom of privacy as encoded in the Zambian constitution.

“Our approach starts with identifying the outcome we want to achieve in very close consultation with the LGBT community themselves. This isn't about America imposing our values and our desires, but being guided by the concept of ‘first, do no harm’,” said Gonzales. “We consult broadly with various stakeholders, including people in government, so that things we do are not a surprise and won't have too many unintended consequences in how they reverberate.”

Creating a More Equal World for the Global LGBTQ Community

In Zambia and around the world, governments and embassies work in tandem with NGOs and other international groups to advance equality and human rights for the LGBTQ community. Through his experience working in the foreign service, Gonzales has witnessed and used many tools and partnerships to aid in advocacy efforts.

“We partner with the LGBT community to identify desired changes in policy law or practice,” said Gonzales. “We directly engage one-on-one with representatives from the government, and I've done that here with representatives from the police, representatives from Home Ministry, and even the president.”

Another way that embassies and other international groups can help the LGBTQ community is by providing legal aid for those who find themselves directly in harm’s way and are targeted in extreme situations due to their sexuality. Protecting the community takes on many forms beyond just legal protection; another initiative is providing healthcare because many LGBTQ people lack access or are dissuaded from accessing public health services.

“One of every three dollars spent in the health care system in Zambia is provided by the American people through our foreign assistance, and we are serving to make sure that health care services are provided to all people, including to LGBT folk,” said Gonzales.

Finally, Gonzales says the best way to ensure a more equal and equitable future that is safe for the LGBTQ community is to empower the community. When a community is lifted up and supported, they can better care for themselves and those around them. In Zambia—and around the world—the US supports organizations helping the LGBTQ community to meet their needs, reach their goals, and continue the fight for equal rights.

“We are empowering and funding LGBT-oriented and allied civil society organizations and building their capacity so that they can provide those kinds of health services to their communities and beyond,” said Gonzales. “Through that capacity building, they are also gaining capacity in organizational skills and organizational management, and those skills will empower and strengthen those organizations for the advocacy work that they may also do,” said Gonzales.