Homosexual, bisexual & transgendered persons

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International declarations on
the rights of sexual minorities

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Rights for homosexual/bisexual/transgendered people worldwide:

The United Nations' UN General Assembly proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on 1948-DEC-10._1,2 This document was published at a time when homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness by most therapists, as a criminal act by governments, and as the ultimate sin by many faith groups. Understanding of transgendered/transsexual persons was then in its infancy.

Since then, at least in North America and western Europe, there have been enormous changes in the acceptance of homosexuality and bisexuality by therapists and the general public -- with the exception of social and religious conservatives. Transgendered and transsexual persons appear to be the next groups surfacing to seek human rights.

There have been many laws at the municipal, state/province, and country level that have guaranteed equal rights for persons of all sexual orientations. There have even been a few for transgendered persons and transsexuals. Unfortunately the UDHR has never been updated accordingly. ₃ In fact, as 2008 drew to a close,

"... not a single international human rights convention explicitly acknowledges the human rights of [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered/transsexual] LGBT people." ₄

This section will discuss deficiencies in the UDHR and new attempts to establish an international convention that includes all sexual minorities.

This is not a simple task where the reactions of the world's governments towards sexual minorities range from:

	Selling them a marriage license and congratulating them on their upcoming marriage, to
	Arresting, charging, trying them in court, and executing them.

So far, all the world has been able to accomplish is a single, non-binding UN resolution passed by a minority of the countries of the world. Still, a non-binding resolution is better than no resolution at all. It is a major accomplishment and gives hope for the future.

Topics covered in this section:

	Deficiencies in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
	Map showing the worldwide status of laws protecting, recognizing, persecuting and in some countries, executing LGBTI persons
	Absence of past global conventions. Homophobia in former colonies.
	Early attempts to propose a UN declaration on GLBT rights 2002 to 2006
	Organization of American States & United Nations declarations: 2008
	UN Declaration for the global decriminalization of GLBT activity passed
	The U.S. vote on the UN 2008 declaration

References used:

The following information source was used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlink is not necessarily still active today.

1. The UDHR text is at: http://www.un.org/
2. The UDHR text is available in other languages at: http://www.unhchr.ch/
3. "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the most universal document in the world," Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, at: http://www.unhchr.ch/
4. Peter Tatchell, "A watershed for gay rights," Guardian (UK), 2008-DEC-08, at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/