The United Nations has removed a plea for lesbians, gays and bisexuals not to be executed in a narrow vote.

For the last 10 years sexual orientation has been included in a list of discriminatory grounds for executions – gay rights activists say the vote to remove that listing is “dangerous and disturbing.”

The UN resolution urges countries to protect the right to life of all people, calling on them to investigate killings based on discriminatory grounds. Sexual orientation was previously listed as one of these forms of discrimination, alongside ethnicity, religious belief and linguistic minorities.

Others protected by the resolution were human rights defenders (like journalists, lawyers and demonstrators), street children and members of indigenous communities.

But now sexual orientation has been taken out of the list. The amendment was supported by Benin in Africa on behalf of the African Group in the UN General Assembly. It passed on a narrow vote of 79 for, 70 against , 17 abstentions and 26 absent.

Some of those voting to remove sexual orientation were countries where gays are known to be or thought to be executed or summarily killed including Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iraq.

The UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and many European countries voted in favour of gays.

Cary Alan Johnson, Executive Director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, said: “This vote is a dangerous and disturbing development. It essentially removes the important recognition of the particular vulnerability faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people – a recognition that is crucial at a time when 76 countries around the world criminalise homosexuality, five consider it a capital crime and countries like Uganda are considering adding the death penalty to their laws criminalising homosexuality.”


In favor of the amendment to remove sexual orientation from the resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (79):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brunei Dar-Sala, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

South Africa voted for this, where Gay Marriage is legal and Gays are protected in their constitution.


links

http://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory/4319/18/11/2010/countries-vote-to-accept-execution-of-gays.aspx

http://tinyurl.com/2aegdzk

aussiefree2ride wrote on Nov 26^th, 2010 at 8:59am:




I don't base my humanity on what I can get out of it personally.

If a person I new, who disliked gays, were in trouble and fleeing, I would assist any way I could.
Gays have won over a large chunk of Christians by showing that we are not a threat, or evil. Gays in time will win others groups over in the same way in time.

... wrote on Nov 26^th, 2010 at 10:41am:



Incorrect ... many countries Abstained or where Absent when the vote was taken.

79 governments are not a majority.

... wrote on Nov 26^th, 2010 at 11:19am:



Were as, my view is there is plenty of potential to get this vote reversed.

____ wrote on Nov 26^th, 2010 at 9:05am:



You just grew 1o ft tall Woody. 

JC Denton wrote on Nov 26^th, 2010 at 1:42pm:


Actually, if you think about it: sexual intercourse is an inherently 'disgusting' act, in terms of the risk of direct disease transmission - since it involves intimate physical contact and the almost certain exchange of a range of bodily droplets, fluids and micro-organisms...

Do not kid yourselves, folks: the very same micro-organisms that are found in the bowel are typically found on male and female genitalia, as well as on the hands, etc...

Similarly, the micro-organisms found in the nose and mouth are not determined by sexual preference...

The aversion to homosexual sex is probably more a social construct, than it is an inherent source of fear or disgust...

JC Denton wrote on Nov 26^th, 2010 at 2:14pm:


Settle down, Imp - cos I have it on good authority that many generations of Catholic men and women would have disproved that last premise...

BTW I never claimed that I am not personally put off by the thought of engaging in (or watching) homosexual sex - I too am a victim of insidious social constructs - just trying to get some context around your earlier irrational statement...

JC Denton wrote on Nov 26^th, 2010 at 2:22pm:


As I understand it, anal sex has been practised by successive generations, as a reliable method of birth control - especially amongst those who take the Church's irrational rejection of barrier methods seriously...