City gives UN a kick

Sydney City has become the first Australian city to provide official support for the Declaration of Montreal and the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO).

City of Sydney councillors gave their unanimous support this week to becoming a signatory on the Declaration of Montreal -” a statement which declares the human rights of GLBT people across the globe and calls for the protection of same-sex relationship rights.

I think it is appropriate that we are doing this in the period of Mardi Gras, particularly with the theme of Nations United, Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

She pointed to the number of countries in which homosexuality is illegal and can be punishable by imprisonment or death.

It is a very important point of advocacy, a call to action which highlights the injustices that occur in the global environment… and this is just another way in which we can play a global role.

Cr Phillip Black said he hoped the declaration could be used as a starting point of discussion, within both the GLBT and wider communities and further cemented the city’s commitment to call on other cities and countries to recognise not only Montreal but IDAHO.

Greens councillor Irene Doutney expressed her disappointment over last year’s IDAHO efforts in Newtown, which attracted only a few dozen people.

It was disappointing to see such a lack of support from other groups, and to see such little organised support from both the gay and wider community, she said.

Noting how the Proposition 8 campaigns in the US had highlighted, more than ever, the need for ongoing vigilance, she added, we need to kick the UN up the butt a bit, to recognise that this really is a matter of human rights.

info: For more on the Declaration of Montreal visit declarationofmontreal.org. For more on IDAHO visit idahomophobia.org.