U.N. panel cuts gay reference from violence measure

biko

http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE6AG0BM20101117

Arab and African nations succeeded Tuesday in getting a U.N. General Assembly panel to delete from a resolution condemning unjustified executions a specific reference to killings due to sexual orientation.

"It's a step backwards and it's extremely disappointing that some countries felt the need to remove the reference to sexual orientation, when sexual orientation is the very reason why so many people around the world have been subjected to violence," said Philippe Bolopion of Human Rights Watch.

United Nations: It's Okay to Kill the Gay

Countries for removing the resolution.
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameron, China, Comoros, Congo, Ivory coast, Cuba, North korea, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda, UAE, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Those against the amendment include every European nation present, all Scandinavian countries, India, Korea, most of Latin America, all of North America, and only one Middle Eastern nation: Israel.

But who is behind this vote? And just what is generating this animus toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Africa?
Since the 1980s, massive numbers of Christian fundamentalist missionaries, many if not most from the United States, have flooded the African continent in search of new converts to their retrogressive and narrow beliefs. The Roman Catholic Church, decidedly anti-gay, and the Mormons, known as the Latter Days Saints, who condemn homosexuality, both proselytize throughout Africa. Africa is also a Muslim continent. During a period of rising fundamentalism within many Muslim sects throughout the world, Islam shapes the cultural and religious life of people who live in Northern, Western, Eastern and some Central African countries. Of 53 African countries, 26 countries are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIS).
http://www.awid.org/Issues-and-Analysis/Library/UN-Vote-Allowing-Gays-To-Be-Executed-Result-Of-Political-Religious-Fundamentalism

Chuchoter

Technically, we are still in there under 'any discriminatory reason' but its still disappointing. Just kind of proves we're the last acceptable prejudice, especially considering this basically half-condones what Uganda (one of the countries on the list) is trying to do at the moment. This means they aren't going to stand up.

L.Jenkins

The UN of all organisations, like what the fúck!!! Shít like this usually brings out my more evil or nastier side, but I'll zip. I still would like to call horse shít on there decision.

cgcsb

Doesn't surprise me at all, the United Nations is a completely spineless organisation. It won't stand up against power and money, we seen them ignore Northern Ireland entirely and we now see how they bow down to christian/muslim fundamentalists, if the agressors of a situation are wealthy/powerful, then the UN is about as useful as a cock flavoured lolipop.

L.Jenkins

Sure you seen the UN in Rwanda, stood idly by as innocent civilians were butchered and hid behind peace keeping policy. That situation should have been redesignated Peace enforcement with a shoot to kill policy, but as you said, they are a bunch of spineless bástards and people will die needlessly for it.

Quentinkrisp

ItsThatManAgain wrote: »

Sure you seen the UN in Rwanda, stood idly by as innocent civilians were butchered and hid behind peace keeping policy. That situation should have been redesignated Peace enforcement with a shoot to kill policy, but as you said, they are a bunch of spineless bástards and people will die needlessly for it.

not to mention allowing the srebrenice massacre happen in bosnia in 1995, and failing to prevent the iraq war in 2003. Needles to say, the UN have become exactly like their predecessor the league of nations in that they re completely useless!:mad: just like the league of nations failed to stand up to hitler in the 1930s, the UN are failing to stand up to fundamentalist christianity/islam today:mad::(

Quentinkrisp

cgcsb wrote: »

then the UN is about as useful as a cock flavoured lolipop.

Or a marzipan dildo

ninty9er

biko wrote: »

http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE6AG0BM20101117

Arab and African nations succeeded Tuesday in getting a U.N. General Assembly panel to delete from a resolution condemning unjustified executions a specific reference to killings due to sexual orientation.

"It's a step backwards and it's extremely disappointing that some countries felt the need to remove the reference to sexual orientation, when sexual orientation is the very reason why so many people around the world have been subjected to violence," said Philippe Bolopion of Human Rights Watch.

United Nations: It's Okay to Kill the Gay

Countries for removing the resolution.
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameron, China, Comoros, Congo, Ivory coast, Cuba, North korea, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda, UAE, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Those against the amendment include every European nation present, all Scandinavian countries, India, Korea, most of Latin America, all of North America, and only one Middle Eastern nation: Israel.

But who is behind this vote? And just what is generating this animus toward gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in Africa?
Since the 1980s, massive numbers of Christian fundamentalist missionaries, many if not most from the United States, have flooded the African continent in search of new converts to their retrogressive and narrow beliefs. The Roman Catholic Church, decidedly anti-gay, and the Mormons, known as the Latter Days Saints, who condemn homosexuality, both proselytize throughout Africa. Africa is also a Muslim continent. During a period of rising fundamentalism within many Muslim sects throughout the world, Islam shapes the cultural and religious life of people who live in Northern, Western, Eastern and some Central African countries. Of 53 African countries, 26 countries are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIS).
http://www.awid.org/Issues-and-Analysis/Library/UN-Vote-Allowing-Gays-To-Be-Executed-Result-Of-Political-Religious-Fundamentalism

Some I would have considered more progressive, socially if not economically. Also notable in absence from the anti group are South Korea and Timor Leste.

Also worth noting that the Catholic Church condems the sin and not the sinner, so I don't think it can be blamed in this case.

Chuchoter

ninty9er wrote: »

Some I would have considered more progressive, socially if not economically. Also notable in absence from the anti group are South Korea and Timor Leste.

Also worth noting that the Catholic Church condems the sin and not the sinner, so I don't think it can be blamed in this case.

Russia? Progressive? You must be joking. Their first gay rights march was last week and there was violence.

The catholic church has never been known for protecting gay people in my own memory tbh.

ninty9er

crayolastereo wrote: »

Russia? Progressive? You must be joking. Their first gay rights march was last week and there was violence.

The catholic church has never been known for protecting gay people in my own memory tbh.

When you consider how far Russia has come socially in such a short space of time I was surprised that it has not yet come this far.

Protecting no, but that's entirely different from supporting what has happened at the UN.

DS333

We're deal with oil here and other vital resources. No human rights signify in comparison.

Don't be overly harsh on the Catholic Church. No, they don't do enough, but they're not advocating executions. There must be some reason why Oscar Wilde, Bosie, Tenessee Williams, etc. all joined before they died. Was the RC the only church willing to accept them?... Makes you wonder...

Fundamentalist religions still have a huge say in this world, and maybe always will. I've even heard a high-ranking muslim state categorically that there are no homosexuals in Islam, that "the problem" doesn't exist.

Christ said, Blessed are the persecuted. Fundamentalist Christians would do well to meditate on that.

Mark27

Why should'nt the UN delete the resolution? The gays on this thread and in Ireland think this is a wrong action because they believe its ok to be gay.
The people in those countries mentioned below believe that homosexuality is not natural and unacceptable, so therefore dont they have the right to prosecute homosexuals just as Ireland has the right to tolerate them?

Annasopra

Mark - a lot of us on here believe in the concept of global human rights - There is no such thing as toleration rights or prosecution rights.

I don't have time to discuss at length why your arguments dont hold up but maybe its because they are just discriminatory.

Mark27 wrote: »

Why should'nt the UN delete the resolution? The blacks on this thread and in Ireland think this is a wrong action because they believe its ok to be black.
The people in those countries mentioned below believe that being black is not natural and unacceptable, so therefore dont they have the right to prosecute black people just as Ireland has the right to tolerate them?

cgcsb

Mark27 wrote: »

Why should'nt the UN delete the resolution? The gays on this thread and in Ireland think this is a wrong action because they believe its ok to be gay.
The people in those countries mentioned below believe that homosexuality is not natural and unacceptable, so therefore dont they have the right to prosecute homosexuals just as Ireland has the right to tolerate them?

:eek:

the resolution in question is actually about violence, and how it's unacceptable. Deleting the reference to sexual orientation is basically saying that violence is ok if it's against gay people. And no, NOBODY has the right to persecute homosexuals. Hitler had no right to persecute the homosexuals and Saudi Arabia has no right to persecute homosexuals.

The British State had no right to persecute Irish Catholics, they done it anyway, without the UN batting an eyelid, but they had no right to. Just because Hitler thought it was ok to execute the jews didnt make it ok.

biko

As a followup to my OP (it's 2 years old, hope a bump is ok?)

Delegates from Arab and African countries staged a massive walkout on Wednesday during an historic UN Human Rights Council debate on gay rights, saying they refused to legitimize same-sex relations.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, addressing the 47-member, Geneva-based council during its first-ever session on sexual orientation-based discrimination and violence, said, “We see a pattern of violence and discrimination directed at people just because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.”

The UN’s human rights high commissioner, Navi Pillay, told the gathered diplomats that LGBT persons should be protected by all governments.

Islamic nations and most of the African countries have long kept discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity along with LGBT equality off the Council’s agenda, but an effort by the United States and South Africa brought it onto the agenda last year.

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/03/arab-african-delegates-walk-out-on-u-n-lgbt-rights-conference/

It is terrible that in some parts of the world it's now finally ok to marry or at least co-habit with a same-sex partner but in many parts even the highest educated officials won't even touch the subject. These nations walking out is in my opinion just children putting their fingers in their ears shouting "I can't hear you, lalalala!!"

It's more than a gay issue, it's an equality issue or simply a human rights issue and they are denying a certain percentage of their own population the right to be who they want to be.

Phenomenally Phrank

biko wrote: »

As a followup to my OP (it's 2 years old, hope a bump is ok?)


http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/03/arab-african-delegates-walk-out-on-u-n-lgbt-rights-conference/

It is terrible that in some parts of the world it's now finally ok to marry or at least co-habit with a same-sex partner but in many parts even the highest educated officials won't even touch the subject. These nations walking out is in my opinion just children putting their fingers in their ears shouting "I can't hear you, lalalala!!"

It's more than a gay issue, it's an equality issue or simply a human rights issue and they are denying a certain percentage of their own population the right to be who they want to be.

Excellent point, but the UN is completely ineffective on matters of human rights abuses, as I said on this very same thread in 2010-The Diplomats who walked out of the conference are the exact same people who will run crying to the UN when people start criticizing their precious religion. They can't grasp that human rights doesn't only just apply to them. Such sickening hypocrisy.