Homosexual punishments unacceptable: United Nations
International support for gay and lesbian inclusion received a boost from the United Nations just days after the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sixty-six nations in the UN General Assembly signed a non-binding statement condemning criminal penalties against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
However, a second bloc of 60 nations, led by Syria and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, opposed the attempt to focus on the rights of certain persons.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanetham (Navi) Pillay supported the UN statement in a video message.
Those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, those who are transgender, transsexual or intersex, are full and equal members of the human family and are entitled to be treated as such, she said.
The ageless cliche that everyone is equal but some are more equal than others is not acceptable.
Both the statement and Pillay condemned violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatisation and prejudice directed against GLBT people in all countries, and particularly the continued threat of the death penalty or torture in several countries.
The stigma attached to these issues means that violence and discrimination often go unpunished as victims dare not report their cases and the authorities do not pay sufficient attention to those who do, she said.
Ironically many of these laws, like apartheid laws that criminalised sexual relations between consenting adults of different races, are relics of the colonial era and are increasingly recognised as anachronistic and as inconsistent both with international law and with traditional values of dignity, inclusion and respect for all.
Several international GLBT rights organisations praised the cross-regional group of countries supporting the motion, including six from the African continent, in a joint statement.
According to the International LGBTI Association (ILGA), more than 70 countries still have laws against consensual sex between adults of the same sex. Several other human rights watch groups said sodomy laws in many African countries were criminalising HIV outreach.
Human Rights Watch accused Egypt -” which actively opposed the UN statement -” of a crackdown of suspected homosexual conduct between 2001-2004, in which hundreds or thousands of men were arrested and tortured.
The Vatican sent mixed messages, initially campaigning against the UN statement because it claimed the terms sexual orientation and gender idenity had no agreed definition, but issued its own statement on the day urging governments to decriminalise homosexuality and remove unjust discrimination.
The Holy See continues to advocate that every sign of unjust discrimination towards homosexual persons should be avoided and urges States to do away with criminal penalties against them, the Vatican published on its website.
Later the Pope was reported to have compared gender diversity to climate change Â-” a threat that needed confronting -” which upset many European GLBT groups.
I think it’s important to point out that rogue Centrelink employees revealing clients’ personal information to pursue private vendettas or out gay people out of malice would be breaching both the terms of their employment and Australia’s privacy laws and would not only face the sack but would be opening themselves and their employer up to significant legal action and civil damages. The chances of such an incident actually happening are slim in the extreme.
So the suicide rate amongst gay and lesiban teens is so high because they’ve all got broken bones????
Get real Brendan. People who have been bashed to within an inch of their life would still agree with me that the psychological component of homophobia is still far worse.
that is why they are constantly looking over their shoulder and shuddering at the thought of having to confront groups of unknown people, for years after they have recovered from their injuries.
And Jason,
Since when has trust the public has in a government system never been abused???
The majority of Centrelink employees may not be malicious, but it only takes one to make a person’s life hell. That’s why so many civil libertarians don’t like lots of data on people being held by authorities in one place.
Because someone will ALWAYS abuse their authority. Just because it’s no you or me, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be speaking up about it.
“The worst thing about homophobia isn’t bashings but social isolation and ostracism”, John?
I wonder how many people who have been bashed within an inch of their life would agree with you.
Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me?
John – Dont be offended but I think your slightly overacting, your thinking of the worst what could happen which would probably never happen. Im in no place to judge you but be proud of who you are !!!
You don’t need to have a pillow pressed to your face to be a victim of homophobia.
The worst thing about homophobia, isn’t bashings, but social isolation and ostracism.
The pyschological effects have a much higher toll. Broken bones heal, but being spat at, humiliated and having your life turned into hell by your neighbours is alot more difficult to recover from.
John, you worry Centrelink employees will be “looking up the details of their elderly Uncle they are looking to get a huge inheritance from” and then “ostracize you because they feel cheated from a sure thing [the inheritance]”.
Maybe the greedy relative in Centrelink will be less inclined to press a pillow against old Uncle Wally’s face if they discover it ain’t gonna fast track any inheritance.
Jason,
Do you really think that the data is secure? I’ve known people who worked at Telstra who looked up my details. Plenty of cops have been busted looking up car registration details of celebrities.
What’s to stop a Centrelink employee looking up the details of their elderly uncle (who they are looking to get a huge inheritance from) – or their neighbour that they think complains about their noisy disruptive bogan kids too much?
The problem with the law is that it is only a band aid solution that can’t undo the damage that has been done to a victim once someone breaks the rules.
Homophobia is still very real – despite the government making these half hearted changes – and can have devastating effects on people, particularly elderly people who are already vulnerable.
It’ll be little consolation that the employee was “disciplined” when your neighbours give you grief over being gay, or your family ostracizes you or your partner because they feel cheated from a sure thing.
Jo – In regards to elderly gay pensioners being forced out, the only person they need to out themselves to is some stranger in a call centre who probably takes hundreds of calls a day, You can declare your relationship over the telephone or if there’s paperwork that needs signing centerlink can send that out and you can mail it back, so its not like you actually have to go in to centrelink as a couple – but you can if you want.
Its about time.
I realise this was focussed on criminal laws, but one wonders what the UN and UN focussed organisations would make of the forced outing of elderly gay pensioners at threat of prosecution.
One also wonders what they would make of the definition of same sex couple in the new Act being scrapped where Centrelink and DSS is concerned – have your own definition DSS that’s fine says the govt.
Abuse of human rights.
Happy New Year……with grandfathering arrangements, I hope so.
No wonder why I am an activist! All 86 countries that treat LGBT people like that, should be punished and have all trade deals with them boycotted and halted!