Logo                                                                  May 17, 2012
  IDAHO May 17, 2013
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)

Today we join with the worldwide LGBT community in celebrating IDAHO - the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.  Celebrated on May 17 - the 1990 date when the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its International Classification of Diseases - IDAHO is a call to conscience that the rights of LGBT people around the world remain under attack. 
 
 
Visit the official website of IDAHO to learn more about global events

Human Rights Report Trends 2012

Council Tracks Trends in Annual State Department Human Rights Report

 

With the recent release of the State Department's Human Rights Report for 2012 (released in April 2013), the Council has compiled information from the report on nine problematic areas, ranging from police/state violence to transgender- and lesbian-specific incidents and cases of reparative therapy. The trends that emerge reveal common patterns of abuse that are targeted against LGBT communities in all regions of the world. 

 

Read more here.



White House

Second Term Obama Agenda Limited by Confirmation Backlog

 

The Council joins other advocacy groups in Washington in expressing concern at the delay in nominating and confirming senior-level officials for the State Department and other foreign affairs agencies.  The backlog is slowing our efforts to advance an LGBT-inclusive U.S. human rights policy at a time when policy-level advances are most feasible.  

 

Read more on the backlog in a recent New York Times article here.

 

View an org chart of vacant positions at the U.S. Department of State


United Nations
Council Participates in Regional Meetings to Advance LGBT Issues at UN

A new UN process ended in Oslo in April with a conclusions document that calls for ongoing UN attention to human rights abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Oslo meeting represented the culmination of a process that included regional meetings earlier this year in Latin America, Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa. The Council participated in two regional pre-meetings, together with two of our member organizations, the National Center for Transgender Equality as well as the National Center for Lesbian Rights. At the regional dialogues, we drew attention to the many issues here in the United States that stand in the way of full equality for LGBT Americans. We also worked with our colleagues from other regions to ensure that a broad array of LGBT human rights concerns will be addressed in ongoing discussions at the UN Human Rights Council this June. 


Verkhovna Rada
Pressure Builds on Ukraine to Reject Anti-LGBT Legislation

The Council applauds the bipartisan group of 62 members of the U.S. Congress who wrote to Ukraine's parliament in March to urge that the country not pass pending anti-gay laws. These so-called "homosexual propaganda" laws clearly violate basic freedoms of assembly, speech, and press, with criminal sanctions of up to six years in prison for positive media portrayals of same-sex relationships or public gatherings for LGBT rights.  


God Loves Uganda Movie Poster

Washington Screening of "God Loves Uganda"


In April, the Council co-sponsored a panel discussion and private screening of the new documentary film "God Loves Uganda."  This documentary by Roger Ross Williams follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting what the religious leaders call, "sexual immorality." The panel discussion was led by Bishop Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop.  It also included Rev. Kapya Kaoma, who has conducted research on the inhumane treatment of LGBT peoples in Uganda; and Santiago Canton, Director of Robert F. Kennedy Partners for Human Rights.

Read more about how "American Christian zealots are fighting back against gay rights" in Uganda and elsewhere in The Economist.


More News: The Riddle

The UN human rights office released a new 2-minute video/public service announcement (PSA) highlighting the impact of homophobic and transphobic violence and discrimination worldwide.


U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
Secretary of State John Kerry will keynote this year's "Pride at State" event in the Dean Acheson Auditorium at the State Department on June 19. Look to us for highlights next month of Kerry's first major LGBT policy speech as Secretary of State.
STAY CONNECTED

     Twitter   Sign up to receive updates from our blog