A United Nations (U.N.) body has affirmed homosexual and transgender rights for the first time, proponents of a recently adopted resolution say.
The action came from the U.N. Human Rights Council, which approved in a 23–19 vote in Geneva, Switzerland, a resolution calling for a study later this year regarding discrimination and violence against people based on “their sexual orientation and gender identity,” the U.N. News Service reported.
The study requested by the resolution’s language would encompass homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people.
The United States worked for approval of the resolution, Obama administration officials said, and President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton applauded its passage.
The June 17 resolution “marks a significant milestone in the long struggle for equality,” Obama said in a written statement. “The United States stands proudly with those nations that are standing up to intolerance, discrimination and homophobia.
Describing the vote as a “historic moment,” Clinton said in a written release the United States would “continue to stand up for human rights wherever there is inequality and we will seek more commitments from countries to join this important resolution.”
South Africa sponsored the resolution, which gained support from not only the United States but several European and Latin American countries. Among those voting for the measure were Britain, France, Poland, Spain, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. Japan and South Korea also backed it. (Baptist Press)
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