LGBTQ rights – sexual freedoms in a world that isn’t free

What is the scope of protection for LGBTQ rights under international law? Let’s explore.

Reading

Background reading:

“Historic decision at the United Nations: Human Rights Council Passes First-Ever Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.” Human Rights Watch (17 June 2011).
United Nations “Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity” Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights proved controversial. Read the following reactions to this report.
A critique of the report by Family Watch International: Report on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Also, UN Member States who are also members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a group comprising states with a majority Islamic population, decided to walk out of a UN discussion convened in the wake of the High Commissioner’s report. The OIC’s opposition to UN action on this issue were set out most recently in this 2016 statement (at pp. 19-22).

In June 2016, the UN Human Rights Council appointed (by a vote of 23 in favour, 18 against and 6 abstentions) an Independent Expert on protection from violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This post is one of the ‘Special Procedures’ – a form of UN scrutiny of states’ human rights practice that we will look at in Module 5. His first report was presented to the UN General Assembly in October 2017.

Browse this Interactive Map to view different cases of human rights violations within LBGTQ communities around the world.

Module 4

LGBTQ rights – sexual freedoms in a world that isn’t free

Reading