GAY AND LESBIAN GROUP WINS U.N. ACCREDITATION

The International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA) has finally won United Nations accreditation.

The group, which is one of the oldest international organisations fighting for gay rights, has been trying to gain recognition at the UN for years.

Yesterday, countries voted 30-16 to grant the group consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

ILGA gained consultative status in 1993 but lost it a year later.

Co-secretary general Renato Sabbadini said: “This is a historic day for our organisation, which heals a 17-year-old wound and we want to thank all, really all UN Members who voted in our favour.”

Countries which voted in favour: India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary.

Countries which voted against: Iraq, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Egypt, Ghana.

Abstentions: Guatemala, Mauritius, Philipines, Rwanda, Bahamas, Ivory Coast

Joint Statement on the Rights of LGBT Persons at the Human Rights Council (US DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

At the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva 85 countries joined a Joint Statement entitled “Ending Acts of Violence and Related Human Rights Violations Based On Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.” This follows previous statements on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons issued at the United Nations, including a 2006 statement by 54 countries at the Human Rights Council, and a 2008 statement that has garnered 67 countries’ support at the General Assembly. The United States is amongst the signatory states to both previous efforts. The United States co-chaired the core group of countries that have worked to submit this statement, along with Colombia and Slovenia.

Key facts about the new statement:

• A core group of over 30 countries engaged in discussions and sought signatures from other UN member states for the statement. In many places, United States diplomats joined diplomats from other states for these conversations.
• This statement adds new references not seen in previous LGBT statements at the UN, including: welcoming attention to LGBT issues as a part of the Universal Periodic Review process, noting the increased attention to LGBT issues in regional human rights fora, encouraging the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue addressing LGBT issues, and calls for states to end criminal sanctions based on LGBT status.
• 20 countries joined this statement that were neither signatory to the 2006 or 2008 statements.
• The statement garnered support from every region of the world, including 21 signatories from the Western Hemisphere, 43 from Europe, 5 from Africa, and 16 from the Asia/Pacific region.

The full list of signatories and text of the statement follows:

Joint statement on ending acts of violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation 

& gender identity

Delivered by Colombia on behalf of: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, the Central African Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the former-Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ukraine, Uruguay, Vanuatu, and Venezuela

1. We recall the previous joint statement on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, presented at the Human Rights Council in 2006;

2. We express concern at continued evidence in every region of acts of violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity brought to the Council’s attention by Special Procedures since that time, including killings, rape, torture and criminal sanctions;

3. We recall the joint statement in the General Assembly on December 18, 2008 on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, supported by States from all five regional groups, and encourage States to consider joining the statement;

4. We commend the attention paid to these issues by international human rights mechanisms including relevant Special Procedures and treaty bodies and welcome continued attention to human rights issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity within the context of the Universal Periodic Review. As the United Nations Secretary General reminded us in his address to this Council at its Special Sitting of 25 January 2011, the Universal Declaration guarantees all human beings their basic rights without exception, and when individuals are attacked, abused or imprisoned because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, the international community has an obligation to respond;

5. We welcome the positive developments on these issues in every region in recent years, such as the resolutions on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity adopted by consensus in each of the past three years by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, the initiative of the Asia-Pacific Forum on National Human Rights Institutions to integrate these issues within the work of national human rights institutions in the region, the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the increasing attention being paid to these issues by the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, and the many positive legislative and policy initiatives adopted by States at the national level in diverse regions;

6. We note that the Human Rights Council must also play its part in accordance with its mandate to “promote universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without discrimination of any kind, and in a fair and equal manner” (GA 60/251, OP 2);

7. We acknowledge that these are sensitive issues for many, including in our own societies. We affirm the importance of respectful dialogue, and trust that there is common ground in our shared recognition that no-one should face stigmatisation, violence or abuse on any ground. In dealing with sensitive issues, the Council must be guided by the principles of universality and non-discrimination;

8. We encourage the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to address human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity and to explore opportunities for outreach and constructive dialogue to enhance understanding and awareness of these issues within a human rights framework;

9. We recognise our broader responsibility to end human rights violations against all those who are marginalised and take this opportunity to renew our commitment to addressing discrimination in all its forms;

10. We call on States to take steps to end acts of violence, criminal sanctions and related human rights violations committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, encourage Special Procedures, treaty bodies and other stakeholders to continue to integrate these issues within their relevant mandates, and urge the Council to address these important human rights issues.

UN Issues Historic Resolution on Gay Rights Protection

GENEVA -- The United Nations endorsed the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people for the first time ever Friday, passing a resolution hailed as historic by the U.S. and other backers and decried by some African and Muslim countries. The declaration was cautiously worded, expressing "grave concern" about abuses because of sexual orientation and commissioning a global report on discrimination against gays.

But activists called it an important shift on an issue that has divided the global body for decades, and they credited the Obama administration's push for gay rights at home and abroad.

"This represents a historic moment to highlight the human rights abuses and violations that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face around the world based solely on who they are and whom they love," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement.

Following tense negotiations, members of the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council narrowly voted in favor of the declaration put forward by South Africa, with 23 votes in favor and 19 against.

Backers included the U.S., the European Union, Brazil and other Latin American countries. Those against included Russia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Pakistan. China, Burkina Faso and Zambia abstained, Kyrgyzstan didn't vote and Libya was suspended from the rights body earlier.

The resolution expressed "grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity."

More important, activists said, it also established a formal U.N. process to document human rights abuses against gays, including discriminatory laws and acts of violence. According to Amnesty International, consensual same-sex relations are illegal in 76 countries worldwide, while harassment and discrimination are common in many more.

"Today's resolution breaks the silence that has been maintained for far too long," said John Fisher of the gay rights advocacy group ARC International.

The resolution calls for a panel discussion next spring with "constructive, informed and transparent dialogue on the issue of discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against" gays, lesbians and transgender people.

The prospect of having their laws scrutinized in this way went too far for many of the council's 47-member states.

"We are seriously concerned at the attempt to introduce to the United Nations some notions that have no legal foundation," said Zamir Akram, Pakistan's envoy to the U.N. in Geneva, speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Nigeria claimed the proposal went against the wishes of most Africans. A diplomat from the northwest African state of Mauritania called the resolution "an attempt to replace the natural rights of a human being with an unnatural right."

Boris Dittrich of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights program at Human Rights Watch said it was important for the U.S. and Western Europe to persuade South Africa to take the lead on the resolution so that other non-Western countries would be less able to claim the West was imposing its values.

At the same time, he noted that the U.N. has no enforcement mechanism to back up the resolution. "It's up to civil society to name and shame those governments that continue abuses," Dittrich said.

The Obama administration has been pushing for gay rights both domestically and internationally.

In March, the U.S. issued a nonbinding declaration in favor of gay rights that gained the support of more than 80 countries at the U.N. In addition, Congress recently repealed the ban on gays openly serving in the military, and the Obama administration said it would no longer defend the constitutionality of the U.S. law that bars federal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The vote in Geneva came at a momentous time for the gay rights debate in the U.S. Activists across the political spectrum were on edge Friday as New York legislators considered a bill that would make the state the sixth – and by far the biggest – to allow same-sex marriage.

Asked what good the U.N. resolution would do for gays and lesbians in countries that opposed the resolution, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Daniel Baer said it was a signal "that there are many people in the international community who stand with them and who support them, and that change will come."

"It's a historic method of tyranny to make you feel that you are alone," he said. "One of the things that this resolution does for people everywhere, particularly LGBT people everywhere, is remind them that they are not alone."

~ Huffington Post

Gay advocates victorious at UN

United Nations - Gay rights advocates scored a hard-fought victory at the UN on Tuesday when member states restored a reference to sexual orientation, dropped last month from a resolution opposing the unjustified killing of minority groups.

South Africa and Colombia were among the countries they persuaded to approve the amendment.

The removal of the reference, at the urging of African and Arab countries last month, alarmed human rights advocates who said gay people are among minority groups that need special protection from extrajudicial and other unjustified slayings. 

US Ambassador Susan Rice at the time said she was "incensed" by the change and announced she would sponsor the measure to restore the language.

The battle underscores the divide between UN members with their diverse religious and cultural sensibilities on gay rights issues and sparked something of a culture war at the international body.

Belgium, Finland and other Western nations spoke in favour of including sexual orientation. A coalition of African countries said it was "greatly alarmed" that the direct reference to sexual orientation was included, and called it an attempt "to create new rights, new standards or new groups".

Justice for gays

Boris Dittrich, director of the gay rights programme at Human Rights Watch, said he was "relieved" by the vote, and credited Rice with introducing the new amendment.

"The resolution does justice to gays, lesbians and transgender people in countries where they are targeted for assaults and killings," Dittrich said. "Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity must be countered just like hate crimes on the basis of race or religion."

Mark Bromley, of the Washington-based Council for Global Equality, called the vote "an important victory".

Rights groups worked ahead of the vote to lobby countries that had abstained earlier in hopes of getting them to approve a US-sponsored amendment to restore the words "sexual orientation". 

"The council applauds the principled leadership of the United States and other like-minded countries in restoring the language and staking out a clear claim for gay men and lesbians at the United nations," said Bromley, whose council aims to advance gay rights in American foreign policy.

General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, but rather reflect the views of the majority of the world's nations.

Important moment

The assembly on Tuesday voted 93 in favour of the United States' proposal to restore the previous language, with 55 countries against and 27 abstaining. The assembly then approved the amended resolution 122 in favour, with 0 votes against, and 59 abstentions.

President Obama said the vote "marks an important moment in the struggle for civil and human rights".

"The time has come for all nations to redouble our efforts to end discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people," he said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US reintroduced the language to send an unequivocal message that "No one should be killed for who they are."

"Sadly, many people around the world continue to be targeted and killed because of their sexual orientation," she said. "These heinous crimes must be condemned and investigated wherever they occur."

The call came after the UN General Assembly today endorsed a resolution on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, the third since 2007.- ASSOCIATED PRESS

BREAKING NEWS: U.N. says it’s not OK to kill people because they are gay

NEW YORK – The United Nations General Assembly just voted on a crucial resolution on extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings that, for the first time, includes explicit language protecting LGBT people.

This resolution urges member states to thoroughly and promptly investigate all killings committed for any discriminatory reason, even on the basis of sexual orientation.

The vote was 93-55 with 27 abstentions.

The opposition mostly came from Arab and African nations where human rights are limited.

Last month, a General Assembly resolution opposed the unjustified killing of minority groups, including the LGBT community. It drew widespread criticism, and the United States lead the effort to amend the resolution.

MY TAKE:

I wish they could publish the countries who voted against the resolution so we may know.

Gay Zimbabweans Face Corrective Rape

By Julie Bolcer, www,advocate.com

Some gay men and lesbians in Zimbabwe have been raped and forced into heterosexual marriages by people who seek to “convert” them from homosexuality, said an official from the U.S. State Department during a discussion about the agency’s annual human rights report.

According to the Associated Press, “Gay men were forced into heterosexual acts and lesbian women were raped, sometimes by male relatives, to teach them to change their ways, said Amanda Porter, political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare and compiler of the report.”

“Hate speech by politicians against the nation's small gay community fueled social pressures on families, Porter said,” according to the AP. “And crimes against human rights and sexual abuse against gays were rarely reported to police.”

President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai both have expressed personal abhorrence of gay people. Mugabe said gay rights would not be protected in a new Zimbabwe constitution, but Tsvangirai called for tolerance, the AP reports.

Urgent appeal for Anwar

Press statement
For immediate use
6 April 2010

Urgent appeal for Anwar

Iraqi LGBT is appealing for help from people in Paris, France or people with contacts in France for Anwar Basim Saleh.

Anwar is a 21-year old Iraqi gay activist from Baghdad who was the coordinator of a safe house for LGBT people for the Iraqi LGBT organisation.

He has been ordered to leave Holland, where he had applied for asylum and been detained, for France.

Anwar was arrested in February 2009 by members of the Iraqi Interior Ministry (Badr Corps) for his role in Iraqi LGBT. He was badly beaten up, tortured and he suffered a serious trauma after the long period of detention and the abuse he was subjected to.

He was put under investigation and interrogated over and over again about his role as an LGBT activist and his involvement in the running of the safe house.

During his detention he met five other members of Iraqi LGBT who have been sentenced to death for the same reason. During a visit to the jail by an Iraqi LGBT volunteer, Anwar handed over a letter with a desperate appeal: “save me from the death penalty".

Iraqi LGBT immediately paid the authorities 5,000 dollars in bail to obtain Anwar's release.

As soon as he was released from jail on 14 April 2009 Anwar immediately got on a plane to Lebanon and then to Paris fearing an unjust trial and being sentenced to death.

After a few months without any help from the French institutions, associations and authorities (while begging on the streets and living as a tramp), Anwar (who speaks no other languages than Arabic) left France, and on 22 June entered Dutch territory.

He approached the police authorities in Rotterdam of his own accord and, after telling them his story, they sent him to the local refugee office which gave him shelter at Terabil asylum centre on 24 June.

On 2 September 2009 Anwar was sent for by the Justice Ministry to discuss his asylum application and was informed that according to the EU's Dublin Regulation regarding asylum it is up to France to decide whether or not to grant him refugee status.

Anwar begged them to reconsider his application in the Netherlands (where he knew he had support) to avoid having to make yet another traumatic move and long wait before he learns his fate.

Anwar now has to go back to France.

Iraqi LGBT is appealing for support or housing in Paris, France for this brave and heroic man.

If you can help please call Iraqi LGBT on ++44 (0) 7981 9594 53 or email iraqilgbt@gmail.com

UN Sec General Ban Ki-moon Says End the Criminalization of Homosexuality

by Michael A. Jones of www.gayrights.change.org

In more than 80 countries around the globe, folks can be thrown in jail, arrested, beaten, tortured or executed simply because of who they love. That fact, according to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, is not only detrimental to the worldwide struggle against epidemics like HIV/AIDS, it's also a blatant violation of human rights.

In a statement marking World AIDS Day yesterday, Ban Ki-moon urged for an end to the criminalization of homosexuality, which he argued made it more difficult to fight HIV/AIDS. The epidemic, it turns out, finds a breeding ground where the closet door meets the stiff arm of government oppression.

"I urge all countries to remove punitive laws, policies and practices that hamper the AIDS response," the Secretary General said, referencing laws that criminalize homosexuality. "That means countering any form of HIV-related stigma and discrimination."

A similar message was championed by UNAIDS yesterday, which tipped its hat to the international LGBT community for making HIV/AIDS not only a global health issue, but an issue of justice, equality and fairness, too.

"As a social movement, the gay community changed AIDS from simply another disease to an issue of justice, dignity, security and human rights," said Michael Sidibe, the director of UNAIDS.

Decriminalizing homosexuality has become hot stuff within the UN system these days. Earlier this year, a statement put forward by France calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality garnered more than 60 signatures, including the United States (albeit after a certain 44th President was elected. Turns out #43 favored the way that places like Sudan and Iran treated the issue of homosexuality).

 And last month, a number of UN folks have come out like gangbusters to denounce a proposed set of anti-LGBT laws in Uganda. One of those folks is Stephen Lewis, the former UN Special Envoy for HIV and AIDS in Africa, who said that Uganda's hard right turn on the issue of human rights for LGBT people is nothing short of a war against sexual minorities.

"[Uganda's bill is] an omnibus violation of the human rights of sexual minorities... a veritable charter of malice," Lewis said. No mincing words there, that's for sure.

Bottom line? Laws that criminalize homosexuality not only make the protection of global health that much harder, they often are an impetus to human rights violations. Ban Ki-moon gets it. Sadly, at least 80 countries still don't.