Action Needed on UN Declaration Calling for Global Decriminalization of Homosexuality

The declaration to make imprisonment and the death penalty illegal for homosexuality will be put before the UN General Assembly this coming Wednesday, which coincidentally is Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While every country in the European Union has signed on and Canada is a sponsor.

The United States of America has not signaled support for the declaration.

Homosexuality is still illegal in 85 countries, and a handful of countries will give imprisonment sentences of life and/or the death penalty.

Please head over to the Mike Tidmus blog for a detailed list of actions we can take, we must act quick.

Catholic Church Against Making Gay Death Penalty Illegal

The Catholic Church a body that has been staunchly opposed to the death penalty does not want to include international protections by the United Nations for gay people who face death penalty charges in countries where homosexuality is illegal. The Vatican is voicing opposition and plan to go against the French proposal that is introducing this piece of human rights resolution.

"This week the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations, said the Holy See would oppose a resolution that would protect gays from being killed, just because they are gay because it would "add new categories of those protected from discrimination" and could lead to reverse discrimination against traditional heterosexual marriage.

The French resolution, scheduled to be proposed this week, recommends protecting Gays and Lesbians from being jailed or killed because of their sexual orientation and is being introduced to the UN on behalf of the European Union.

But Archbishop Celestino Migliore said, if adopted, the resolution would create “new and implacable discriminations," and also said that states which do not recognize same-sex unions as 'matrimony' will be pilloried and made an objects of pressure.

However, the French resolution, which is supported by all 27 members of the European Union, says absolutely nothing about gay marriage; it is about ending jail and death penalty sentences gays yet face in more than 85 countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen where you can still be killed for being gay."(LGR)

This is so disgusting and hypocritical of the Church. They are against the death penalty but don't want to be on the record opposing it for gays and lesbians?

Permanent Observer Mission of the
Holy See to the United Nations

25 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016-0903

Tel: (212) 370-7885
Fax: (212) 370-9622