The Trump administration on Tuesday
announced a global campaign to end the criminalization of
homosexuality.
The effort will be helmed by U.S.
Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-ranking openly gay
person in the Trump administration.
According to NBC
News, the effort is a response to the recently reported execution
of a gay man in Iran.
Grenell called the execution “a
wake-up call for anyone who supports basic human rights.”
Consensual sex between two people of
the same sex is illegal in dozens of Middle Eastern, African and
Caribbean nations.
A spokesperson for Vice President Mike
Pence said that Pence, who has a history opposing LGBT rights, backs
the initiative.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday,
President Donald Trump seemed unaware of his administration's push to
end such laws.
“I don't know which report you're
talking about,” Trump answered a reporter's question. “We have
many reports.”