In turnaround, U.S. signs U.N. gay rights document
Wed Mar 18, 2009 2:21pm EDT
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States, in a reversal of Bush administration
policy, has decided to sign on to a U.N. declaration that calls for the decriminalization
of homosexuality, the State Department said on Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the Obama administration, which took
office eight weeks ago, would now join 66 other U.N. member states who supported a
U.N. statement in December that condemned human rights violations based on sexual
orientation and gender identity.
"The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human
rights abuses around the world," Wood told reporters.
"As such, we join with other supporters of this statement, and we will continue to
remind countries of the importance of respecting the human rights of all people in all
appropriate international fora."
Gay rights groups immediately welcomed the move.
"The administration's leadership on this issue will be a powerful rebuke of an
earlier Bush administration position that sought to deny the universal application
of human rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals,"
said Mark Bromley, who chairs the Council for Global Equality.
The U.N. General Assembly had been split over the issue of gay rights, with many
Muslim countries refusing to sign on to the statement because of opposition to
international attempts to legalize homosexuality.
A rival statement read out by Syria at the time gathered about 60 signatures from
the 192-nation assembly.
The United States was the only western state not to sign on to the gay rights
document. All European Union member states endorsed it, as did Canada, Australia
and Japan.
In a move that angered U.S. gay rights groups, the Bush administration argued
that the broad framing of the language in the statement created conflict with
U.S. laws.
The rationale was that favoring gay rights in a U.N. document might be
interpreted as an attempt by the U.S. federal government to override individual
states' rights on issues like gay marriage.
Pressed on this issue, Wood said a "careful" interagency review by the Obama
administration found that signing on to the U.N. document "commits us to no
legal obligations."
Division in the General Assembly over the U.N. declaration reflects conflicting
laws worldwide on the issue.
According to the sponsors of the Franco-Dutch text of the document, homosexuality
is illegal in 77 countries, seven of which punish it by death.
Wed Mar 18, 2009 2:21pm EDT
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States, in a reversal of Bush administration
policy, has decided to sign on to a U.N. declaration that calls for the decriminalization
of homosexuality, the State Department said on Wednesday.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the Obama administration, which took
office eight weeks ago, would now join 66 other U.N. member states who supported a
U.N. statement in December that condemned human rights violations based on sexual
orientation and gender identity.
"The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human
rights abuses around the world," Wood told reporters.
"As such, we join with other supporters of this statement, and we will continue to
remind countries of the importance of respecting the human rights of all people in all
appropriate international fora."
Gay rights groups immediately welcomed the move.
"The administration's leadership on this issue will be a powerful rebuke of an
earlier Bush administration position that sought to deny the universal application
of human rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals,"
said Mark Bromley, who chairs the Council for Global Equality.
The U.N. General Assembly had been split over the issue of gay rights, with many
Muslim countries refusing to sign on to the statement because of opposition to
international attempts to legalize homosexuality.
A rival statement read out by Syria at the time gathered about 60 signatures from
the 192-nation assembly.
The United States was the only western state not to sign on to the gay rights
document. All European Union member states endorsed it, as did Canada, Australia
and Japan.
In a move that angered U.S. gay rights groups, the Bush administration argued
that the broad framing of the language in the statement created conflict with
U.S. laws.
The rationale was that favoring gay rights in a U.N. document might be
interpreted as an attempt by the U.S. federal government to override individual
states' rights on issues like gay marriage.
Pressed on this issue, Wood said a "careful" interagency review by the Obama
administration found that signing on to the U.N. document "commits us to no
legal obligations."
Division in the General Assembly over the U.N. declaration reflects conflicting
laws worldwide on the issue.
According to the sponsors of the Franco-Dutch text of the document, homosexuality
is illegal in 77 countries, seven of which punish it by death.
