The statement, delivered by Humanists International’s Advocacy Officer, Leon Langdon, outlined the ways in which the rights of LGBTI+ people are under attack around the world. Recent crackdowns in Uganda, Indonesia, and Iraq bring the number of countries in which same sex marriage is criminalized to 62. In Europe and the United States, anti-trans rhetoric is clearing the path for policies and legislation which restrict the rights of trans persons.
The statement also drew attention to the misuse and instrumentalization of other rights against LGBTI+ individuals, including the rights of children and the right to freedom of religion or belief. These rights, the statement continued, are used to undermine the rights of LGBTI+ individuals to freedom of expression and to access education and healthcare, as well as compromising their physical safety.
Humanists International’s intervention came in the context of the Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI). This was the first Interactive Dialogue with the new Independent Expert, Dr. Graeme Reid. This also came after the Expert’s first thematic report. Humanists International welcomed him into the role and promised the organization’s continued productive and proactive engagement with the mandate.
This statement marks the continued engagement of Humanists International on LGBTI+ issues. At the last session of the Human Rights Council, Humanists International’s Director of Advocacy, Elizabeth O’Casey, spoke in support of the first Resolution at the Council on the rights of intersex persons. In 2023, the organization condemned the anti-LGBTI+ bill in Uganda, spoke on the previous Independent Expert’s report on the connection between freedom of religion or belief and LGBTI+ rights, and highlighted the demonization of LGBTI+ persons through education across the world.
Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash.
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