The Biden administration has renewed a range of priorities from the Obama years, expanding engagement worldwide to include conditioning U.S. foreign aid on protections for gays and lesbians. On Feb. 2, President Joe Biden announced to African leaders in a virtual summit conference on Zoom that the United States was “promoting” the rights of LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex) individuals. Biden emphasized to the African Union that diplomacy would stress multilateral agreements, shared interests in democracy, health security against COVID-19, and helping nations adapt to climate impacts. Two days later, Biden told State Department employees, “America is back, Diplomacy is back,” as he indicated he would be halting or reversing a wide range of foreign policy initiatives by former President Donald Trump. An executive memorandum issued that same day spelled out his administration’s broader vision, including the protections for LGBTQI individuals. “Agencies involved with foreign aid, assistance, and development programs should consider …