Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell is leading the push for what he called “basic human rights” in an interview this week with The New York Times.

“We can’t just simply make the moral argument and expect others to respond in kind because telling others that it’s the right thing to do doesn’t always work,” he told The Times.

Around 69 countries still criminalize homosexuality, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kenya with whom the U.S. shares intelligence.

“If a country that we worked in as the United States intelligence community was arresting women because of their gender, we would absolutely do something about it,” Grenell added. “Ultimately, the United States is safer when our partners respect basic human rights.”