Iraq and Violence Against LGBT

A group of Iraqi gay men -- calling itself Iraqi LGBT, basing out of London -- has been out in the UK gay news stating that a large amount of individuals are about to be put to death under the Shi'ite government for the crime of homosexuality.

From the UK Gay News Story:

LONDON, March 30, 2009 – More than 100 prisoners in Iraq are facing execution – and many of them are believed to have been convicted of the ‘crime’ of being gay, the UK-based Iraqi-LGBT group revealed this afternoon.

According to Ali Hili of Iraqi-LGBT, the Iraqi authorities plan to start executing them in batches of 20 from this week. There is, said Mr. Hili, at least one member of Iraqi-LGBT who are among those to be put to death.

And the London-based group, which believes that a total of 128 executions are imminent, is calling on the UK Government, international human rights groups and the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva to intervene “with due speed” to prevent “this tragic miscarriage of justice” from going ahead.

“We have information and reports on members of our community whom been arrested and waiting for execution for the crimes of homosexuality,” Mr Hili told UK Gay News.

The problem? The information cannot be confirmed. Even Andrew Sullivan cannot independently confirm the information, and the public face of the organization -- their website -- is poorly updated and even worse designed. They are in London, which makes me believe this isn't just another case of "does not have access to."

If it's true, it's awful, and I think it demands a full and complete intervention on the part of the nations who signed the UN Declaration on Decriminalization of Homosexuality. In fact, it's garnering enough chatter that someone with the capabilities to investigate in the country, should (like, say, the UN Human Rights Council? Or, perhaps, the US?).

If it's not true, well, they're asking for money on the front page. I'm sure some nice gentleman in London will thank you.

And even if it isn't true, it's good to remember that Iraqi law -- as with most Islamic countries -- dictates extreme punishments for homosexuality, which is a travesty in and of itself. And there is extreme violence against LGBT-identified persons in that area of the world requiring LGBT individuals to use an Underground Railroad like system to get out. At the very least, this will get some focus on the rights abuses of homosexuals in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Southern Asia (INDIA), etc.

Vermont and UN

Two quick follow ups to former blogs:

• On Vermont's gay marriage bill: The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee may vote today on sending an equal marriage bill to the full State Senate. Four of the officials were in office in 2000 when the civil unions law was put through, thus making Vermont the first state (I believe) to recognize same-sex couples, thanks to Howard Dean. New Hampshire, though, cast a deadlocked vote, effectively freezing it. 
• On the UN Statement to Decriminalize Homosexuality: The United States has officially signed it. Thanks be to jeebus.

Just in case you wanted more information. 

Obama to UN: Decriminalize Sodomy!!!!

In the long list of things Pres. Obama is doing to bring the country into the 21st century, supporting international. universal decriminalization of homosexuality is one of them. (This is on top of ending the global gag rule on abortion and re-allowing the cultivation of stem cells for research.)

From the Associated Press:

The Obama administration will endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that then-President George W. Bush had refused to sign, The Associated Press has learned.

U.S. officials said Tuesday they had notified the declaration's French sponsors that the administration wants to be added as a supporter. The Bush administration was criticized in December when it was the only western government that refused to sign on.

The move was made after an interagency review of the Bush administration's position on the nonbinding document, which was signed by all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries, the officials said.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Congress was still being notified of the decision. They said the administration had decided to sign the declaration to demonstrate that the United States supports human rights for all.

"The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human rights abuses around the world," said one official.

"As such, we join with the 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," the official said.

Little steps at a time. I think it's fantastic we are starting to see movement on progressive issues. And, hopefully, the economy will continue to improve ever so slightly...

...in short, I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, how about you?

Thank you, President Obama.

Internationally Queer

Three exciting steps on the international front for LGBT persons...

• Bolivia, of all places, has created protections in their new constitution for GLBT individuals -- specifying both gender identity and sexual orientation. Bolivia, mind you, is one of the more "Westernized" South American countries, as it was colonized by England. English colonies tend to have done better in the long run in terms of development (think Australia, US, South Africa) over other colonial powers including France (Sierra Leone, Vietnam), Italy (Ethiopia), and Spain (the rest of South America). Former English colonies, it appears, also appear to be more LGBT friendly (with the notable exception being India). 
• In that same article, Hungary moves forward towards some level of marriage equality. I need to do more research on it, though, seeing as how the Hungarian Constitution actually deals specifically with marriage.
• While Bolivia is entering the 21st century, protecting LGBT individuals, our own country (which does not) finally joined on with the rest of the developed world and now supports a UN declaration calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality. It would be, officially, the first thing that Barack Obama has done for our community since he entered office. Not a bad first step. :-)

Queer citizens of the world, we.

9 Jailed for Homosexuality

Well, at least they aren't stoning them to death or other such nonsense African and Middle Eastern countries like to do to gay people... From the NYTimes...

Nine men were handed harsh sentences of eight years in prison after being tried on charges of conspiracy and “unnatural acts,” a term used to criminalize homosexuality, according to their lawyers and gay rights groups here on Thursday.

The men were arrested on Dec. 19 at the home of Diadji Diouf, a prominent gay activist who works with AIDS organizations to prevent the spread of the disease in the largely clandestine gay community in Senegal, according to Jöel Nana, a program associate for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

Mr. Diouf, who was among those arrested and sentenced, runs an organization that provides condoms and counseling to gay men in Senegal, a largely Muslim country that has become increasingly intolerant of homosexuality in recent years despite its reputation for liberalism and openness. The arrests took place just a few weeks after a conference on AIDS in Africa was held in Dakar.

But, no, LGBT issues are not human rights issues, per the U.S. This is completely normal and OK for people to be doing.

Make sure you look into the International Lesbian and Gay Association, the only UN-recognized LGBT organization, that is working so hard to monitor and respond to international abuses of human rights.

USA does not support LGBT Human Rights

As you've probably heard, the USA has refused to sign the UN's declaration on human rights for gay people.

This is an excellent video that was put out on YouTube (and Facebook) that talks about what you can do...



I like the UN flag in rainbow... I think we should adopt it as a symbol for international LGBT rights.

UN Calls for an End to Criminalization of Homosexuality

From Joe. My. God.

From the article from the Edge...

The US government is one of the only Western democratic nations that has declined to support a United Nations Declaration calling for the global decriminalisation of homosexuality. 

The Declaration will be put before the UN General Assembly this Wednesday, 10 December, which is Human Rights Day and the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

"It will be the first time in its history that the UN General Assembly has ever considered the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) human rights," noted British gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of the London-based LGBT rights group OutRage! 

Although not be binding on the member states, the declaration will have immense symbolic value, given the six decades in which homophobic persecution has been ignored by the UN. 

For a summary of the countries supporting the Declaration, see below. 

"Even today, not a single international human rights convention explicitly acknowledges the human rights of LGBT people. The right to physically love the person of one’s choice is nowhere enshrined in any global humanitarian law. No convention recognises sexual rights as human rights. None offer explicit protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity," Tatchell added. 

Eighty-six countries (nearly half the nations on Earth) still have a total ban on male homosexuality and a smaller number also ban sex between women. The penalties in these countries range from a few years jail to life imprisonment. In at least seven countries or regions of countries (all under Islamist jurisdiction), the sentence is death: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria and Pakistan:

Apparently, it's all about the Pope with United States. Really? The Pope?