The Council for Global Equality Applauds Vote Conferring UN Status on the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)

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July 19, 2010 -- In a contentious vote, the UN today granted consultative status to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), despite strong objections from states that stand opposed to the recognition of LGBT rights at the UN. IGLHRC, a founding member of the Council, is the first LGBT group from the United States to secure this special status, and one of only a handful of LGBT groups in the world that has successfully navigated this hostile process. The Council congratulates IGLHRC and recognizes the strong leadership in support of this vote that came from the White House, the State Department, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and from leading members of Congress.

 

The Council for Global Equality Submits Shadow Report to U.S. Department of State

This week, the Council for Global Equality, together with Global Rights, Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights First, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Immigration Equality submitted a shadow report to the U.S. Department of State on how the United States could do a better job adhering to its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The report covered a variety of issues that impact the LGBT populations in the United States, and suggests recommendations for how the United States can more fully adhere to its promises under that international treaty. This report complements an earlier submission for the Universal Periodic Review – another mechanism that the United Nations utilizes to regularly monitor the human rights records of all its member nations.

Read full ICCPR report

 
Terms:United States of America
 

U.S. Department of State Announces Change Regarding Gender on Passports

U.S. Department of State announced that beginning on June 10 transgender individuals will only need to present certification from an attending physician that the applicant has "undergone appropriate clinical treatment for gender transition” in order to declare a new gender on the passport. Under the previous rules, the individual applying for the passport change was required to have completed sexual reassignment surgeries  The new rules also allow for an individual to obtain a limited-validity passport if the physician’s statement shows the applicant is in the process of gender transition.

Read the full State Department Press Release.

 
Terms:United States of America
 

"Thank You for Being Part of History's Great Moments"

Hilary Clinton June 2010June 22, 2010 -- In honor of LGBT Pride month, Secretary of State Clinton delivered a moving speech today to to a packed auditorium in the State Department. She highlighted the State Department's ongoing commitment to LGBT rights and emphatically declared that "human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights - once and for all!" She also made a number of policy announcements, including the addition of gender identity to the State Department's equal opportunity employment statement, and issued directives to all regional bureaus to expand their work on LGBT issues. During the address, she personally welcomed four visiting LGBTI activists from Uganda, Cameroon, South Africa, and Malawi, who attended the speech before settling into a working meeting with the State Department's Africa Bureau. She concluded by making a personal plea to do more for LGBT youth, and she thanked everyone for "being a part of history's great moments."

The event was co-sponsored by GLIFFA, and also included comments by USAID Administer Shaw and Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, Eric Schwartz. A brief panel discussion followed the remarks and included Deputy Assistant Secretary Dan Baer, as well as the Council's Chair, Mark Bromley, and IGLHRC's Executive Director, Cary Alan Johnson.

Watch the full U.S. State Department Pride Celebration here

 
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