"No human being should be denied their human rights simply because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. No human being should be subject to discrimination, violence, criminal sanctions or abuse simply because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
"Ironically many of these laws, like Apartheid laws that criminalized sexual relations between consenting adults of different races, are relics of the colonial [era] and are increasingly recognized as anachronistic and as inconsistent both with international law and with traditional values of dignity, inclusion and respect for all."
US Treatment of Sexual Minorities
Not surprisingly, the United States refused to sign the Resolution condemning human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, along with all Arab nations, China, and most African nations. Under President Clinton, the US enacted federal policy banning same sex marriage, prompting a spate of similar laws at the state level. Today, same sex marriage is legally sanctioned only in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
General minister and president of the United Church of Christ, the Rev. John H. Thomas, admonished the US:
"The decision of the United States to oppose a U.N. resolution that would call for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide is appalling. The fact that we were the only major western country to refuse to do so, and on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is especially reprehensible.
"It should come as no surprise, however, that an administration that condoned the use of torture and that turned the relationships of gay and lesbian people into a wedge issue for partisan political gain would take this action."Â
State-sanctioned violence against the LGBT community is widely known and reported in the U.S., and sparked the 1969 Stonewall riots, among others. Sexual minorities in the US learn early to hide their "differentness" as easily as women (in our rape-prone society) learn to be aware of their surroundings at all times. Where queers assemble, police harass and brutalize. In 2005, Amnesty International issued a 158-page report, STONEWALLED: Police Abuse and Misconduct Against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People in the U.S.
"AI documents serious patterns of police misconduct and brutality--including abuses that amount to torture and ill-treatment against LGBT individuals. Profiling of LGBT individuals as criminal; selective enforcement of laws; sexual, physical and verbal abuse; inappropriate searches and mistreatment in detention remain commonplace, as does a lack of accountability for perpetrators."
Global Treatment of Sexual Minorities
Pope Benedict XVI, a former Nazi, initially rejected the Resolution, following his unholy alliance with the Islamic Conference of States in 2004 refusing to oppose homophobic violence and discrimination. UK Guardian journalist, Peter Tatchell, wrote, "The Holy See is so viciously homophobic that it opposed the UN condemnation of the murder of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people."
The Vatican's opposition prompted severe criticism by human rights defenders worldwide. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Intersex Association reports, "In a significant reversal, however, the Holy See indicated to the General Assembly (on Dec. 19) that it called for repeal of criminal penalties for homosexual conduct."
Over 70 nations criminalize the existence of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered and intersexed people. In at least ten, homosexuals are executed by the state. Last month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued its landmark study tracing homophobic legislation to British Imperialism. In This Alien Legacy: The Origins of "Sodomy" Laws in British Colonialism, HRW traced the laws in over three dozen countries to "a single law on homosexual conduct that British colonial rulers imposed on India in 1860."
HRW reports, "Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, who had campaigned against LGBT people's rights for a decade, called homosexuality 'a decadent culture ... being passed by Western nations,' warning: 'It is a danger not only to the [Christian] believers but to the whole of Africa.'"Â Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe called lesbians and gays "un-African" and "worse than dogs and pigs."Â Kenya President Daniel Arap Moi called homosexuality "against African tradition."Â A Zambia spokesman proclaimed that it was "un-African and an abomination to society."Â
Yet, African leaders forget their history. HRW points out that: "Colonizers saw indigenous cultures as sexually corrupt. A bent toward homosexuality supposedly formed part of their corruption. Where pre-colonial peoples had been permissive, sodomy laws would cure them-and defend their new, white masters against moral contagion." Before colonialism, homosexuality in African nations was a non-issue. British Imperialism infected these cultures with hatred toward sexual minorities that persists to this day.
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