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NEW YORK - MAY 18 -Pope Benedict XVI, US President George W.
Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have undermined
human rights by actively promoting prejudice against lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender people, Human Rights Watch said today in its
annual "hall of shame" to mark the International Day Against
Homophobia.
On May 17, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups in more than 50
countries will commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia,
an initiative launched in 2005 that commemorates the day in 1990 when
the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its roster of
disorders.
At the same time, Human Rights Watch also pointed to four areas where
advances in human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
have given reason for hope.
"This 'hall of shame' does not claim to include the worst offenders, but it
highlights leaders who have lent their authority to denying basic human
rights," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "Bush and Pope
Benedict both speak of human dignity, but their homophobic words and
actions undermine families and endanger health."
Leaders named to the "Hall of Shame" for their actions in the past year
are:
* Pope Benedict XVI: for undermining families. The leader of the
Holy See has gone well beyond expressing the Church's
theological views on homosexuality. The Pope has intervened in
politics in many other countries to condemn and threaten figures
who support equal rights or any form of recognition for lesbian and
gay families. After Spain legalized same-sex marriage in 2005,
Pope Benedict's Pontifical Council on the Family commanded
Spanish officials to refuse to marry same-sex couples or even to
process the paperwork if they tried to adopt a child.
* US President George W. Bush: for jeopardizing public health.
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
requires that one-third of HIV-prevention spending go to so-called
"abstinence-until-marriage" programs. These programs threaten
the health of LGBT people by sending a message that there is no
safe way for them to have sex, and by denying them life-saving
information. In some countries, such as Uganda, grants from the
$15 billion PEPFAR program have funded groups that actively
promote homophobia; in others, they have drastically reduced
condom provision.
* Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: for creating public
and private scandals. President Ahmadinejad has overseen a
widening campaign to "counter public immorality," arbitrarily
arresting thousands of Iranians for dressing or behaving differently.
In recent weeks, for example, thousands of women have been
detained for not conforming to "correct" Islamic dress. In Iran's
surveillance society, Ahmadinejad also uses religious vigilantes to
raid homes and other private places in search of "deviant" behavior
– including homosexual conduct. The Iranian regime polices
public behavior and violates the right to privacy on a massive
scale.
* Roman Giertych, Polish Minister of Education and Deputy
Prime Minister: for endangering children. Part of a right-wing
government that has made homophobia a centerpiece of policy,
Giertych's education ministry has proposed a law to fine or
imprison teachers, school officials, or student human rights
defenders who even mention homosexuality. Vital facts about safer
sex and protection against HIV/AIDS could be banned from
schools under the new law.
* Bienvenido Abante, Member of the Philippine House of
Representatives and Chair of the House Committee on Civil,
Political and Human Rights: for trying to force his sexual
orientation on others. Representative Abante has urged that
homosexuals be "cured" and turned into heterosexuals. He has
repeatedly blocked a landmark bill that would ban discrimination
based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the Philippines.
He has also suggested that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
people are excluded from the "definition" of human rights.
"Homophobia endangers basic human rights, and we should all be
concerned by it," said Long. "Governments devalue families when they
deny any family recognition. They endanger children when they silence
any child."
Human Rights Watch also pointed to large and small gains that give
reason for hope:
* In Nepal, after years of abuse directed at lesbians, gays, and
transgender people during a violent civil war, the authorities in
February gave a meti (transgender person) in February an official
citizenship ID with a gender listed as neither male nor female. This
was first time that a government in South Asia has given
transgender identity full state recognition.
* In Denmark, Parliament in June extended equal access to
reproductive technologies to lesbians and single women. Denmark
in 1989 became the first country in the world to create civil unions
for same-sex partners, but such unions have still discriminated
against same-sex couples in many areas, including reproduction.
The Danish decision marked a recognition of women's equal worth
as parents, and a further step toward full equality.
* In Mexico, Mexico City and the northeastern state of Coahuila
passed civil-union laws opening recognition to same-sex couples.
Unions solemnized in Coahuila must be recognized as valid across
Mexico. These moves come after the 2003 passage of a sweeping
federal antidiscrimination law offering protection against unequal
treatment based on sexual orientation.
* Internationally, the Yogyakarta Principles on the Application of
International Law in Relation to Issues of Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identity were launched during the March session of
the United Nations Human Rights Council. Adopted in November
at a meeting of international legal experts in the Indonesian city of
Yogyakarta, these groundbreaking principles spell out the
international legal standards under which governments and other
actors should end violence, abuse and discrimination against
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and ensure full
equality.
To view the annual "Hall of Shame" that Human Rights Watch publishes
of world leaders actively promoting prejudice against lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, please visit:
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/16/global15955.htm
Please help support the research that made this bulletin possible. In order to protect our objectivity, Human Rights Watch does not accept funding from any government. We depend entirely on the generosity of people like you. To make a contribution, please visit http://hrw.kintera.org/donate3
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