- Homosexual-rights groups are mobilizing support for a
landmark United Nations resolution that would classify abuse on the basis
of sexual orientation as a human rights violation.
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- Last year, when the resolution first was introduced to
the U.N. Human Rights Commission, the San Francisco-based International
Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, or IGLHRC, called it "a historic
opportunity to advance [homosexual] issues in international human-rights
law."
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- The IGLHRC said the U.N. Commission on Human Rights Resolution
on Sexual Orientation and Human Rights is the "first one in the history
of the United Nations that specifically, and unambiguously, spells out
that abuses on the basis of sexual orientation are human rights violations."
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- The Human Rights Commission is scheduled to meet March
15 to April 25 in Geneva, Switzerland.
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- "This resolution would be the first United Nations
Commission on Human Rights resolution to connect the full range of human
rights to sexual orientation, and to condemn discrimination on its basis,"
said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director said.
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- IGLHRC called last April's introduction of the resolution
by Brazil "unexpected."
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- After prolonged debate, the 53-member commission, chaired
by Libya, voted to postpone further discussion on the resolution to this
year's session.
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- At the 2003 session, Pakistan distributed a memo to commission
members on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference which stated
the "resolution directly contradicts the tenets of Islam and other
religions," and its approval would be "a direct insult to the
1.2 billion Muslims around the world."
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- Last year's resolution, according to the IGLHRC, had
the support of Canada, New Zealand and several European Union countries.
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- This year, key countries the homosexual-rights groups
are urged to lobby include South Africa, India, Costa Rica and the United
States.
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- Susana Fried, IGLHRC program director, says the resolution
is "a key building block in the global understanding of human rights."
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- "It could be invoked to call on states to end all
discrimination based on sexual orientation in economic and social rights,
such as access to health, education and housing," she said.
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- The resolution, IGLHRC asserted, also would "encourage
governments to take a more active role to prevent discrimination and violence
based on sexual orientation such as murder, torture and arbitrary arrest
and detention. It would help to ensure the protection of victims and help
bring perpetrators of violence against sexual minorities to justice."
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- The group also said it would "provide activists
with another tool to hold states accountable to respect, protect and fulfill
the human rights of LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered] people."
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- However, some opponents contend the remedy proposed by
the resolution will have worse societal implications than the alleged disease,
"homophobia."
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- "It is highly likely that gay-rights advocates will
use this resolution, if it passes, to advance their agenda to legalize
gay marriage and to create hate-crimes legislation," contended A.
Scott Loveless, associate professor of law at the World Family Policy Center
at Brigham Young University.
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- "In their quest to legitimize homosexuality, many
of these countries have actually limited some of our most fundamental freedoms,
including freedom of speech," Loveless said.
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- In Canada, provincial human-rights commissions already
have penalized people for discrimination based on sexual orientation. A
court in Saskatchewan upheld a 2001 ruling that fined a man for submitting
a newspaper ad containing citations of four Bible verses that address homosexuality.
Three years ago, the Ontario Human Rights Commission penalized printer
Scott Brockie $5,000 for refusing to print letterhead for a homosexual
advocacy group. Brockie argued that his Christian beliefs compelled him
to reject the group's request.
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- Last year, Peoria, Ill., traditionally seen as America's
bellwether town, joined a growing list of Illinois cities banning discrimination
based on sexual orientation. The city council voted 8-3 Tuesday to amend
its human-rights ordinance to protect homosexuals against discrimination
in employment, housing and public accommodations. Similar ordinances have
been adopted in Bloomington, Champaign, Decatur, Normal and Springfield.
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- Also last year, the California state Assembly approved
a bill outlawing discrimination against job applicants and renters based
on their "perceived gender." The measure broadened California's
housing and employment laws to cover transsexuals, transvestites and others
who do not fit traditional male or female "stereotypes."
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- 'Changing attitudes and behavior'
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- The draft resolution presented last year by Brazil, titled,
"Human Rights and Sexual Orientation," began by appealing to
a number of international human rights conventions. It concludes with:
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- "Reaffirming that the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of discrimination and
proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and
rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set
forth therein without distinction of any kind, "Affirming that human
rights education is a key to changing attitudes and behavior and to promoting
respect for diversity in societies, [the Human Rights Commission],
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- "1. Expresses deep concern at the occurrence of
violations of human rights in the world against persons on the grounds
of their sexual orientation;
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- "2. Stresses that human rights and fundamental freedoms
are the birthright of all human beings, that the universal nature of these
rights and freedoms is beyond question and that the enjoyment of such rights
and freedoms should not be hindered in any way on the grounds of sexual
orientation;
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- "3. Calls upon all States to promote and protect
the human rights of all persons regardless of their sexual orientation;
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- "4. Notes the attention given to human rights violations
on the grounds of sexual orientation by the special procedures in their
reports to the Commission on Human Rights, as well as by the treaty monitoring
bodies, and encourages all special procedures of the Commission, within
their mandates, to give due attention to the subject;
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- "5. Requests the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights to pay due attention to the violation of human rights
on the grounds of sexual orientation;
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- "6. Decides to continue consideration of the matter
at its sixtieth session under the same agenda item."
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- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36916
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