On Friday, the UN Human Rights Council adopted the first ever UN resolution on the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The resolution was passed by a 23-19 vote with three abstentions (Nigeria, Zambia and Burkina Faso), and was led by South Africa with support from the US. The resolution calls for the UN to initiate its first ever worldwide study examining "discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence," and will hopefully further an international discussion about how to promote and protect these rights. I recently read an article in an LGBT magazine about Hillary Clinton's work within the State Department to prioritize raising international awareness of LGBT issues. Hills was the first First Lady to march in a pride parade, and she also successfully lobbied Obama to sign an executive order affording equal benefits to same-sex partners of State Department employees. Last year, she declared, "Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights." I think the support Hills has given to gay rights has played a significant role in catalyzing this resolution being enacted, and her stand that human rights are universal, and sexual preference and gender identification should not preclude anyone from being afforded these rights, is certainly a step forward. Now let's hope it's not too much longer before she openly declares her (long suspected) support for gay marriage.
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