m******1 发帖数: 19713 | 1 UN Council: Gay Rights are Human Rights
By Andrew Harmon
UNITED NATIONS BUILDING NEW YORK X390 (FAIR) | ADVOCATE.COM
The United Nations' Human Rights Council has approved for the first time a
resolution condemning discrimination and violence against LGBT individuals.
In the resolution, passed Friday in Geneva, the council “[expresses] 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[.]”
By a 23-19 vote with three abstentions, the resolution calls for the UN's
High Commissioner to initiate a worldwide study on "discriminatory laws and
practices and acts of violence" — research that would be reviewed by the
Human Rights Council in a session next year. The measure was introduced by
South Africa, one of 12 African nations on the council.
“The fact that South Africa broke with the rest of the Africa block at the
UN to lead this resolution helps tremendously in dispelling the notion that
LGBT rights are imposed Western constructs,” Council for Global Equality
chair Mark Bromley told The Advocate via e-mail. “This should help the
debate significantly in Africa and elsewhere, where the laws and the
violence have been pronounced.”
South Africa and Mauritius were the only nations of the African Group on the
council to vote in favor of the resolution, however, with Nigeria the most
vocal opponent (Note: a previous version of this post reported that South
Africa had been the sole nation in the group to vote in favor). But Zambia,
where LGBT people can be imprisoned for up to 10 years for "unnatural"
sexual acts, and Burkino Faso were among the abstentions — "a positive sign
that the African block is not as unified in opposition as they have been in
the past," Bromley said.
Bromley’s organization stressed in a Friday statement the need for “
ongoing U.S. leadership at the UN to address the human rights of LGBT people
in any meaningful way.”
“[W]e hope the U.S. government will work in partnership with South Africa
and the other co-sponsors as this dialogue unfolds so that these words can
be transformed into actual human rights protections on the ground," Bromley
said in the statement. | g********d 发帖数: 4174 | 2 The resolution passed with 23 votes in favor and 19 against, with 3
abstentions, including that of China. Backers included the United States,
the European Union, Brazil and other Latin American countries. | o****g 发帖数: 657 | 3 that is, to a certain extent, ironically stupid, considering how civil
rights are basic human rights, which shall never be subject to a public
ballot.
【在 g********d 的大作中提到】 : The resolution passed with 23 votes in favor and 19 against, with 3 : abstentions, including that of China. Backers included the United States, : the European Union, Brazil and other Latin American countries.
| D**S 发帖数: 24887 | 4 The caveat is: many homophobes do not really agree that gay rights are
actually an inalienable part of civil rights. So, at least this "agreement"
is an effective "reminder" to these dumb-headed.
【在 o****g 的大作中提到】 : that is, to a certain extent, ironically stupid, considering how civil : rights are basic human rights, which shall never be subject to a public : ballot.
|
|