UN General Assembly: Summary execution of queers okay

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by dreadgeek

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people were once again subject to the whims of homophobia and religious and cultural extremism this week, thanks to a United Nations vote that removed “sexual orientation” from a resolution that protects people from arbitrary executions. In other words, the UN General Assembly this week voted to allow LGBT people to be executed without cause.

According to the International Gay and Lesbians Human Rights Commission, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on Social, Cultural and Humanitarian issues removed “sexual orientation” from a resolution addressing extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions this past week in a vote that was overwhelming represented by a majority of African, Middle East and Carribean nations. For a UN committee that addresses human rights questions that affect people all over the world, by removing protections for LGBT persons from a category of arbitrary executions, belies the objective and purpose of a committee whose focus this year is “on the examination of human rights questions,” according to its website.

Whole article here

I think that any and all discussions of cultural relativism should be filtered through the above. Imagine, if you will, that you are an Ugandan queer. Which do you think would be more important to you, the cultural integrity of your nation (e.g. if the way they interpret Christianity is that queers should be killed, that's the culture) or your right to exist? Can we all, at minimum, agree that whatever we might think of the death penalty as punishment for crime (not a discussion I want to have right now) that people should not be subject to summary execution merely for being queer?

What's more, we cannot look to the West or the North or the First World as the problem here. The arguments made by the nation's themselves are that homosexuality is a violation of their local culture or an imposition of the West. Neither colonialism nor imperialism can explain this. This one has to be laid, firmly, at the feet of the nations that voted in favor of executing queer people.

Cheers
Aj

Yes, this would be where I have to kick cultural relatism to the curb (actually have some other areas in which I feel this way). I think your putting this at the feet of these nations is right on.

This is so very disturbing. Things like "without cause" or "at will" (such as in employment contracts) really mean "without rights" as far as I am concerned.

Now, given the how far the obsessional right-wing religious fanatics have worked their way into US culture at large (can only speak from this vantage point, but know others can from other countries), I see this as something they will use as further rationalization of their bigotry, fear and hatred of queer communities to romove any and all of the legal gains (though certainly not enough) that have been fought for for decades by activists.

I read this and see so much more loss for us in the future if we don't get a handle on just how serious this is and build coalitions politically and align as one unified force. This is from the United Nations!!