UN to consider 'global decriminalization of homosexuality' declaration on 60th Human Rights Day

Tomorrow (December 10) the United Nations celebrates Human Rights Day, the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And, for the first time in its history, the UN General Assembly will consider the issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) human rights.

Peter Tatchell's editorial A watershed for gay rights at guardian.co.uk is a must-read for understanding the significance and international context of this declaration calling for the global decriminalization of homosexuality.

As Tatchell grimly notes, "86 countries (nearly half the nations on Earth) still have a total ban on male homosexuality and a smaller number also ban sex between women. The penalties in these countries range from a few years jail to life imprisonment. In at least seven countries or regions of countries (all under Islamist jurisdiction), the sentence is death: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria and Pakistan."

The draft declaration has the support of all 27 member states in the European Union, and condemns "discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

Tatchell is keeping score: In addition to the 27 EU nations, the declaration has the support of Canada, New Zealand, Israel, Japan; non-EU European nations Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Ukraine, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Macedonia; the Latin American states of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay; and African nations Gabon, Cape Verde, and Guinea-Bissau.

The US is not yet committed to the declaration. Australia, India, and China are also among the uncommitted nations. As Tatchell details, the Vatican has been the most outspoken opponent of the declaration. With less than 50 member nations committed to the declaration and more than 150 still uncommitted, passage of the declaration appears unlikely. Still, it is hugely symbolic and the unanimous EU support marks a dramatic turning point for international gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender human rights.