Oh honey, did you really think we were done fighting for human rights just because rainbow crosswalks exist? Bless your heart. 

While the West was busy congratulating itself for same-sex marriage and gender-neutral bathroom signs, a darker shift crept in. And it’s putting queer lives—particularly those outside the Global North—at serious risk.

The New Human Rights Battlefield (It’s Not Twitter)

According to Seth D. Kaplan in his 2021 study, “The New Geopolitics of Human Rights,” the once-powerful idea of universal human rights is losing its global influence, diluted by political agendas and what Kaplan calls “rights inflation.” That means more rights are being claimed, but with less legitimacy and traction on the global stage. 

So while Western NGOs expand their focus to include everything from internet access to employment counseling as rights (worthy causes, sure), authoritarian regimes like China and Russia are exploiting this confusion. They paint the entire human rights agenda as imperialist overreach—and they’re gaining traction.

From Pride Parades to Propaganda Bans

We’re not talking hypotheticals here. Russia’s “gay propaganda” laws effectively criminalize public expressions of queer identity, and China has erased LGBTQ+ university groups from social media and censored queer content in film and literature. It’s not just censorship. It’s ideological warfare. Queerness becomes a threat to “traditional values” and therefore a target.

And as these countries expand their global influence—through economic investments, trade, and political alliances—their anti-rights attitudes go global too. That means queer people in the Global South often find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place: Western promises of protection that don’t materialize, and domestic crackdowns that do.

Kaplan argues that when everything becomes a right, nothing sticks. When the list of rights balloons to include every individual and collective want, the core essentials—freedom from torture, arbitrary arrest, the right to life—get buried. The result? A weaker global consensus and easier pickings for authoritarian leaders looking to undermine the very concept.

And who suffers most when that consensus breaks down? You guessed it: those already at the margins. Queer people. Trans folks. Ethnic minorities. Dissidents. We become the expendable edge cases.

China: The Powerhouse with a Closet Full of Skeletons

Let’s not mince words: China is a human rights nightmare. From the internment of Uighur Muslims to the erasure of LGBTQ+ voices online, the Chinese Communist Party is reshaping the global discourse by exporting a rights-optional governance model. Even Muslim-majority countries remain mum about Uighur abuses, afraid to challenge the hand that funds them.

Here’s a grim stat: China trades more with 128 World Trade Organization countries than the U.S. does – that economic leverage buys a lot of silence.

Russia, meanwhile, has pivoted from communism to conservative crusading. Its 2013 “gay propaganda” law paved the way for a broader cultural clampdown, framing LGBTQ+ identity as a Western import meant to weaken national sovereignty. This narrative now echoes in Poland, Hungary, and parts of Africa.

It’s no longer just about bombs and borders. It’s about whose values will shape the world.

The West’s Waning Influence (And How It Got Here)

Remember when the West led the charge for human rights during the Cold War? Reagan standing at the Berlin Wall? The Helsinki Accords? Those moments mattered because they combined military strength with moral authority.

Today, the West is divided, distracted, and disillusioned. While internal battles over racism, trans rights, and inequality rage on (validly so), external coherence has frayed. Human rights are now filtered through partisanship, with one side often skeptical of even mentioning them.

But, can human rights make a comeback?

Kaplan thinks so—but only if we get back to basics. That means:

• Focusing on a core set of “unalienable” rights (think: freedom from torture, freedom of speech, due process)
• Building coalitions that respect cultural contexts without surrendering to them
• Centering grassroots activism that pushes from below rather than elite diplomacy that floats above

Why is our community at the forefront of all this?

Because we are always the first to be erased. When regimes look to tighten control, LGBTQ+ people are often the first target—painted as symbols of decadence, foreign influence, or moral decay. The rollback of queer rights is not just a social issue. It’s a warning sign. A society that cannot tolerate a kiss, a pronoun, a parade, will not hesitate to censor, imprison, or erase other inconvenient truths.

Visibility Is Not Enough

Western countries love a visibility moment. A trans flag on a consulate. A drag queen reading hour. But visibility without infrastructure is performative. It’s time to go beyond symbolic gestures and fight for tangible protection—globally.

Because queer liberation isn’t just about being seen. It’s about being safe.

What are you doing to keep us strong?

Let us know in the comments below?