Despite having transpeople such as Sass Rogando Sasot and Miss Major testify in front of UN commissions about the discrimination and violence we face around the world, when it came time for the UN to stand and deliver on a resolution on unjustified killings, guess who was left in the cold again?
Every two years the UN General Assembly passes resolutions condemning extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions and other killings. The resolution condemns killings for racial, national, ethnic, religious or linguistic reasons and killings of refugees, indigenous people and other groups. In 2008 an explicit reference condemning killing based on the victim's sexual orientation was inserted into the resolution. .
Last month there was a resolution sponsored by Muslim, Caribbean and African nations in the UN General Assembly's Human Rights Committee to delete the sexual orientation reference in that extrajudicial killings resolution . The successful action by the Bloc of Haters to remove it triggered a firestorm of criticism from Western nations, human rights organizations and activists around the world.It led to a resolution sponsored by the United States to restore the 'sexual orientation' reference that was removed last month with the main opposition coming from the same nations that led the push to remove it.
The resolution to restore the language passed in committee with 93 votes in favor, 55 against and 27 abstentions. It then went to the 192 nation member UN General Assembly and passed with 122 YES votes, none against and 59 abstentions.
"Today, the United Nations General Assembly has sent a clear and resounding message that justice and human rights apply to all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation," said US Ambassador to the UN Dr. Susan Rice in a statement.Boris Dittrich of Human Rights Watch echoed Dr. Rice. "We are relieved by the result of the vote," he said in a statement "Countries that tried to roll back crucial protections for gay and lesbian people have been defeated."
Congratulations* GL community. While once again you've had your human rights affirmed and this time in an international arena, the human rights of the trans people around the world who are taking the brunt of the hate casualties are left hanging.
It's days like this that make me wonder does anybody give a damn or even care that our humanity as transpeople is under attack? Did y'all forget this and the fact that transpeople around the world are being brutally murdered in extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions and other killings when the UN General Assembly had this vote?
Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Do justice and human rights apply to trans people as well? Because the 'all peoples of all nations' part of the UN Declaration of Human Rights we submit includes trans people as well.
Oh well, maybe in 2012 we transpeople will qualify for inclusion in this UN resolution
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