Some time ago I wrote about a successful effort by African and Muslim nations to strip "sexual orientation" from a United Nations resolution condemning violence against and/or the execution of members of minority groups. Today, led by a U.S. effort, the United Nations did an about face and added sexual orientation to the scope of the resolution - no doubt to the angst of anti-gay Muslim and African Christian haters. Thank goodness that hate did not prevail. The Advocate has coverage and here are some highlights:
*
Following weeks of intense lobbying by gay activists, member states of the United Nations voted Tuesday evening to restore "sexual orientation" to a resolution that condemns extrajudicial killings.
*
The assembly voted 93 in favor of the United States' proposal to restore the previous language, with 55 countries against and 27 abstaining. The assembly then approved the amended resolution with 122 in favor, zero votes against, and 59 abstentions.
*
In a speech on Human Rights Day less than two weeks ago, Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said she was “incensed” about the vote in the Third Committee and vowed that the U.S. would work to restore the reference to sexual orientation in the resolution. Her remarks followed a speech by U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in which he spoke forcefully against the criminalization of homosexuality.
No comments:
Post a Comment