In December 2006, the discussions expanded to include gender identity, when Norway presented a joint statement on human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the Commission on Human Rights on behalf of 54 states. This was followed by a joint statement presented at the General Assembly by Argentina on behalf of 66 states in December 2008. The 2008 statement in support of LGBT rights in the General Assembly prompted a statement backed by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in opposition to LGBT rights. Both statements remain open for signature, and neither has been officially adopted by the General Assembly.
On 17 June 2011, South Africa led a resolution at the UNHRC requesting that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) draft a report "documenting discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity" to follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.[5] The resolution passed with 23 votes in favour to 19 against, with 3 abstentions. It was the first such resolution and was hailed as "historic".[6]
The report, which came out in December 2011, documented human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including hate crimes, criminalization of homosexuality, and discrimination. High Commissioner Navi Pillay called for equitable ages of consent; comprehensive laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation; prompt investigation and recording of hate crime incidents; the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality; and other measures to ensure the protection of the rights of LGBT persons.[7] The text of the report from the UNHRC is dated on 17 November 2011.[8]
In July 2014, the United Nations (as an employer) announced it would extend equal benefits to employees in same-sex unions entered into in jurisdictions where they are legal.[9]
In September 2014, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay led on a follow-up resolution at the UNHRC. This second resolution on "human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity"[10] passed with an increased vote margin (25 to 14, 7 abstentions), reflecting the trend for increased support by member states to address these issues at the international level.[11] It requested the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to update the 2011 report "with a view to sharing good practices and ways to overcome violence and discrimination, in application of existing international human rights law and standards". The update was presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2015.
In 2016, the UNHRC passed a resolution to appoint an Independent Expert to find the causes of violence and discrimination against people due to their gender identity and sexual orientation, and discuss with governments about how to protect those people. This long-term OHCHR-based mandate has been seen as the UN's "most overt expression of gay rights as human rights".[12]
Also in 2016, the UN Security Council condemned the Orlando nightclub shooting; this statement marked the first time the U.N. Security Council used language recognizing violence targeting the LGBT community.[13]
Restrictions of association with arrests or detention
No imprisonment in the past three years or moratorium on law. Marriage not available locally. Some jurisdictions may perform other types of partnerships.
In the 1980s, early United Nations reports on the HIV/AIDS pandemic made some reference to homosexuality.
In September 1995, sexual orientation became a topic of debate in the negotiations on the Draft of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action[15][16][17][18] at the 4th World Conference on Women. While the proposed language on "sexual orientation" was eventually dropped from the text, it was the first time governments took a public and explicit stance for or against the inclusion and recognition of sexual orientation as part of women's right to control their sexuality. At this conference, Beverley Palesa Ditsie became the first openly lesbian person to address the United Nations regarding LGBT issues, calling for States to adopt resolutions that recognized sexual diversity.
In 2003, Brazil tabled a Resolution at the UN Commission on Human Rights, stressing that human rights apply to all human beings regardless of sexual orientation. The resolution was indefinitely deferred (the Commission itself ceased in 2006 when the UN replaced it with the Human Rights Council). Since 2008, the 34 member countries of the Organization of American States have unanimously approved a series of resolutions affirming that human rights protections extend to sexual orientation and gender identity.[14] Since 2002, the UN General Assembly has included a reference to sexual orientation in its biennial resolutions on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, as did the former Commission on Human Rights in the year 2000 and from 2002 to 2005.[19][20] The latter had also addressed the use of the death penalty for sexual relations between consenting adults in its annual resolutions on the death penalty between 2002 and 2005.[11]
In recent years, the General Assembly resolution on executions also covered gender identity as a ground for protection.[11]
Joint statements
A series of joint statements on sexual orientation and gender identity by Member States at the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council between 2006 and 2011 provides evidence of increasing support for the issues among UN Member States.[22]
Following meetings between international advocacy leader Louis-Georges Tin and French Minister of Human Rights and Foreign Affairs Rama Yade in early 2008, Yade announced that she would appeal at the UN for the universal decriminalization of homosexuality; the appeal was quickly taken up as an international concern.[23] Co-sponsored by France (which then held the rotating presidency of the EU) and the Netherlands on behalf of the EU, the declaration had been intended as a resolution; it was decided to use the format of a declaration of a limited group of states because there was not enough support for the adoption of an official resolution by the General Assembly as a whole. The declaration was read out into the General Assembly Record by Ambassador Jorge Argüello of Argentina on 18 December 2008—the first declaration concerning gay rights read in the General Assembly.[24][25] The statement includes a condemnation of violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization, and prejudice based on sexual orientation and gender identity that undermine personal integrity and dignity. It also includes condemnation of killings and executions, torture, arbitrary arrest, and deprivation of economic, social, and cultural rights on those grounds. The statement asserts: "we recall the statement in 2006 before the Human Rights Council by fifty four countries requesting the President of the Council to provide an opportunity, at an appropriate future session of the Council, for discussing these violations". Additionally, it says "we commend the attention paid to those issues by special procedures of the Human Rights Council and treaty bodies and encourage them to continue to integrate consideration of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity within their relevant mandate", indicating the Yogyakarta Principles, which provide definitions in detail on sexual orientation and on gender identity as a document on international human rights law.[26]
Support
Several speakers addressing a conference on the declaration noted that in many countries laws against homosexuality stemmed as much from the British colonial past as from alleged religious or tradition reasons.[24] Voicing France's support for the draft declaration, Rama Yade asked: "How can we tolerate the fact that people are stoned, hanged, decapitated and tortured only because of their sexual orientation?"[24]UK-based activist Peter Tatchell said of the declaration:
96 member-states of the United Nations have sponsored the declaration in support of LGBTQ+ rights in the General Assembly, in the UNHRC, or in both. Sponsoring nations are listed below.[23][28][29][30]
Among the first to voice opposition for the declaration, in early December 2008, was the Holy See's Permanent Observer at the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, who claimed that the declaration could be used to force countries to recognise same-sex marriage: "If adopted, they would create new and implacable discriminations. For example, states which do not recognise same-sex unions as 'matrimony' will be pilloried and made an object of pressure."[32] A key part of the Vatican opposition to the draft Declaration relates to the concept of gender identity. In a statement on 19 December,[33] Archbishop Migliore noted: "In particular, the categories 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity', used in the text, find no recognition or clear and agreed definition in international law. If they had to be taken into consideration in the proclaiming and implementing of fundamental rights, these would create serious uncertainty in the law as well as undermine the ability of States to enter into and enforce new and existing human rights conventions and standards."[33] However, Archbishop Migliore also made clear the Vatican's opposition to legal discrimination against homosexuals: "The Holy See continues to advocate that every sign of unjust discrimination towards homosexual persons should be avoided and urges States to do away with criminal penalties against them."[33] In an editorial response, the Italian newspaper La Stampa called the Vatican's reasoning "grotesque", claiming that the Vatican feared a "chain reaction in favour of legally recognised homosexual unions in countries, like Italy, where there is currently no legislation."[34]
The United States, citing conflicts with US law,[21] originally opposed the adoption of the nonbinding measure, as did Russia, China, the Holy See, and members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).[24] The Obama administration changed the US position to support the measure in February 2009.[35] An alternative statement, supported by 57 member nations, was read by the Syrian representative in the General Assembly.[36] The OIC-led statement rejected the idea that sexual orientation is a matter of genetic coding and claimed that the declaration threatened to undermine the international framework of human rights,[24] adding that the statement "delves into matters which fall essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of states" and could lead to "the social normalization, and possibly the legitimization, of many deplorable acts including paedophilia".[21]
The OIC failed in a related attempt to delete the phrase "sexual orientation" from a Swedish-backed formal resolution condemning summary executions.[24] Recently, though, the phrase was removed (with 79 votes to 70)[37] and then subsequently restored (by a vote of 93 to 55).[38]
Signatories
In 2008, 57 UN member nations initially co-sponsored the opposing statement.[39] Three countries (Fiji, Rwanda and Sierra Leone) later switched their position to support the original resolution backing LGBTQ+ rights in 2011, leaving 54 countries as continued sponsors of the statement opposing LGBTQ+ rights. The countries that removed themselves as co-sponsors of the statement opposing LGBTQ+ rights are specifically noted below (all subsequently sponsored the statement supporting LGBTQ+ rights).
41 member-states of the United Nations have sponsored the declaration in abstention of LGBTQ+ rights in the General Assembly, in the UNHRC, or in both. Sponsoring nations are listed below.[23][28][29][30]
An informal group of United Nations Member States was established in 2008 to focus on LGBTI rights intergovernmentally—by (most notably) ongoing collaboration between Global South and Global North state diplomats. As of 2022[update], the UN LGBTI Core Group is co-chaired by Argentina and the Netherlands and includes Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Nepal, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Peru, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, the European Union (as an observer), as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN executive agency) and two non-governmental organizations: Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International.[40][41]
Unclassified discussions open to the public at UNHQ occur once or twice a year and an RSVP is regularly announced on Twitter. An event held on 10 December 2015 looked at The Economic Cost of LGBT Exclusion and offered fiscal effects from exclusionary practices from the World Bank who estimated it to be 5% of GDP and included the companion video released by the UN's Free & Equal campaign. UNDP announced the launch of their LGBTI Inclusions Index, a global collection of data which they hope will help sway minds and move countries toward as extreme hunger or clean water supplies could be remedied if this 5% of GDP was reallocated. At that meeting, the United Nations Development Pro brighter future for LGBTQ+ citizens. Another topic speaker on that day was the CEO of Out & Equal who recounted her 20-year efforts working with Fortune 500 and 1000 companies watching them move from 5% inclusion in 1995 to 90% inclusion by 2015. On 20 September 2017, the Group held an event entitled Ending Violence and Discrimination against LGBTI Persons. This included firsthand reports of Human Rights violations. For 17 May 2018, on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, the UN LGBTI Core Group Special Event Celebrating our Allies opened with remarks by the UK Ambassador.
More than 70 countries criminalise consensual same-sex relationships, and also criminalise transgender people based on their appearance. These laws subject LGBTQ+ people to long prison sentences, and in some cases physical punishment. They also implicitly encourage prejudice, hatred and violence. But laws can change … we need to see more countries taking steps to bring their laws and practices in line with the fundamental equality of all their people. It is essential that we defend and protect the LGBTI community, from every kind of violence and discrimination. There should be nothing 'controversial' about stopping people being murdered, or executed by agents of the State, simply because of who they are or whom they love. Tackling extreme violence does not require new norms.
UN Human Rights Council
A resolution submitted by South Africa requesting a study on discrimination and sexual orientation (A/HRC/RES/17/19) passed, 23 to 19, with 3 abstentions, in the UNHRC on 17 June 2011.[46] This is the first time that any United Nations body approved a resolution affirming the rights of LGBTQ+ people.[47] The resolution called on the office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsNavi Pillay to draw up the first UN report "documenting discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity". The votes on this resolution were as follows:
The High Commissioner's report, released December 2011, found that violence against LGBTQ+ persons remains common, and confirmed that "Seventy-six countries retain laws that are used to criminalize people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity" (para. 40), and that "In at least five countries the death penalty may be applied to those found guilty of offences relating to consensual, adult homosexual conduct" (para. 45).[48]
The High Commissioner's report led to a panel discussion by the Human Rights Council in March 2012. The divided nature of the UN (and the Council in particular) was again evident. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation as "a monumental tragedy for those affected and a stain on the collective consciousness" (para. 3), and many others voiced similar concerns. However, "A number of states had signaled their opposition to any discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity by leaving the Council chamber at the start of the meeting", and "A number voiced their opposition on cultural or religious grounds, or argued that sexual orientation and gender identity were new concepts that lay outside the framework of international human rights law" (para. 11)[49]
The UNHRC adopted a second resolution related to sexual orientation and gender identity on 26 September 2014 (A/HRC/RES/27/32).[50][51] Among other things, the resolution calls a report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on best practices for combating discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It passed by a vote of 25 to 14, marking the first time the UNHRC adopted a resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity with the majority of its members.[50][51] The second resolution voting was as follows:
In 2016, the UNHRC passed a resolution to appoint an independent expert to find the causes of violence and discrimination against people due to their gender identity and sexual orientation, and discuss with governments about how to protect those people.[52][12] Accordingly, Vitit Muntarbhorn, a Thai international law professor experienced in UN fieldwork, was the first UN Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (IE-SOGI). Victor Madrigal-Borloz, a Costa Rican jurist experienced in human rights internationally, started 1 January 2018 as the second and current mandate-holder.[53] On 12 July 2019, a vote to renew this position for another three years was passed by the Human Rights Council.[54]
In March 2019, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted without a vote a resolution brought by South Africa on the rights of intersex people that "expresses concerns about existing discriminatory regulations, rules and practices that require some women and girl athletes to medically reduce their blood testosterone levels by undergoing unnecessary, humiliating and harmful medical procedures or hormone therapy in order to participate in women's events in competitive sports". The resolution also requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights to prepare a report on the intersections between race and gender discrimination in sports. It recognises the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination that women and girls face in sports settings, because of their race and sex, and the right to bodily integrity and autonomy, among other things.[55]
In April 2024, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted resolution with a broader scope, titled "Combating discrimination, violence and harmful practices against intersex persons."[56] The resolution was led by Australia, Chile, Finland and South Africa. It was adopted by a vote of 24 in favor, none opposed and 23 abstaining.[57] The resolution "Express[es] grave concern about the violence and harmful practices that persons with innate variations in sex characteristics, including children, face in all regions of the world, including medically unnecessary or deferrable interventions, which may be irreversible, with respect to sex characteristics, performed without the full, free and informed consent of the person, and in the case of children without complying with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child."[56] It also requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report and decides to convene a panel discussion in September 2025.[56]
UN Secretary-General and Secretariat
On 25 September 2018, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed support for a move towards greater respect for LGBTQ+ rights. In a pre-recorded speech, he addressed members of the UN LGBTI Core Group. He also praised India for legalising gay sex after the repeal of Section 377. He told attendees: "The United Nations stands up for the rights of the LGBTI community. Many of its members are imprisoned, abused and even killed simply for who they are or whom they love." He added: "Progress has been made in recent years, including this month with the decision by the Supreme Court of India. But so long as people face criminalisation, bias and violence based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics, we must redouble our efforts to end these violations. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, let me underscore that the United Nations will never give up the fight until everyone can live free and equal in dignity and rights."[58][59][60] His speech was well received by LGBTQ+ activists, who praised it as an encouraging step.[61][62]
Treatment of UN staff
In July 2014, it was announced that the United Nations (as an employer) would extend equal benefits to its employees who have entered into same-sex unions in jurisdictions where they are legal. Under the new policy, staff who have married a same-sex spouse in a jurisdiction will receive the same benefits and recognition as those in heterosexual marriages, regardless of whether same-sex marriage is legal in their country of citizenship. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon supported a move towards greater respect for gay rights. He stated: "Human rights are at the core of the mission of the United Nations. I am proud to stand for greater equality for all staff, and I call on all members of our UN family to unite in rejecting homophobia as discrimination that can never be tolerated at our workplace."[63]
UN agencies and entities
Agencies and entities in the UN system have increasingly addressed human rights issues relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status in recent years.[11] An early and important milestone was in 1994 when the World Health Organisation clarified that homosexuality was neither a disorder nor a disease when it removed sexual orientation from the International Classification of Diseases.[11]
In 2014, the OHCHR, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO, the World Bank and UNAIDS issued a joint report providing a snapshot of the work of UN bodies in combating discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and related work in support of LGBTI communities around the world, together with a contact list of focal points in each UN entity and links and references to documents, reports and other materials that can be consulted for further information.[11]
In 2015, the ILO, OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC, UN Women, WFP and WHO issued a joint statement calling on states to act urgently to end violence and discrimination against LGBTI adults, adolescents and children.[11]
Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN's first Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN's second Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
Related Research Articles
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) is a LGBTQ+ rights organization.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Gabon face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Except for a period between July 2019 and June 2020, same-sex sexual activity has generally been legal in Gabon.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Cambodia face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Although same-sex sexual activity is legal in Cambodia, it provides no anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people, nor does it prohibit hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Kenya face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Sodomy is a felony per Section 162 of the Kenyan Penal Code, punishable by 21 years' imprisonment, and any sexual practices are a felony under section 165 of the same statute, punishable by five years' imprisonment. On 24 May 2019, the High Court of Kenya refused an order to declare sections 162 and 165 unconstitutional. The state does not recognise any relationships between persons of the same sex; same-sex marriage is banned under the Kenyan Constitution since 2010. There are no explicit protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Adoption is restricted to heterosexual couples only.
OutRight International (OutRight) is an LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. OutRight International documents human rights discrimination and abuses based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics in partnership with activists, advocates, media, NGOs and allies on a local, regional, national and international level. OutRight International holds consultative status with ECOSOC.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Albania face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, although LGBT people are protected under comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Both male and female same-gender sexual activities have been legal in Albania since 1995, but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-gender couples, with same-sex unions not being recognized in the country in any form.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Armenia face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, due in part to the lack of laws prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity and in part to prevailing negative attitudes about LGBT persons throughout society.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Malawi face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female expressions of same-sex sexual activity are illegal within the nation. The Penal Code prohibits "carnal knowledge against the order of nature", attempts to commit "carnal knowledge against the order of nature", and acts of "gross indecency". Homosexuality among men is punishable by up to 14 years in prison in the country, while homosexuality among women is also punishable by up to five years in prison. There are no protections for LGBT rights in the country.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people are generally discriminated against in the Maldives.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Vanuatu may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal, but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Mongolia face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT people, though there have been substantial improvements since the 1990s. Homosexuality was criminalised in Mongolia in 1961 through its Criminal Code. Following the Mongolian Revolution of 1990 and the peaceful transition to a democracy, homosexuality was legalised and awareness about LGBT people has become more prevalent. Hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity result in additional legal penalties. Hate speech based on these two categories has been outlawed in the country since 1 July 2017. Households headed by same-sex couples are, however, not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in East Timor face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in East Timor, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Lesotho face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Lesotho does not recognise same-sex marriages or civil unions, nor does it ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Sierra Leone face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Male same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Sierra Leone and carries a possible penalty of life imprisonment, although this law is seldom enforced.
The Brazilian resolution was presented to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in 2003. The resolution covered human rights and sexual orientation. It came under the Commission on Human Rights, fifty-ninth session, item 17 on the agenda.
The Yogyakarta Principles is a document about human rights in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity that was published as the outcome of an international meeting of human rights groups in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in November 2006. The principles were supplemented and expanded in 2017 to include new grounds of gender expression and sex characteristics and a number of new principles. However, the Principles have never been accepted by the United Nations (UN) and the attempt to make gender identity and sexual orientation new categories of non-discrimination has been repeatedly rejected by the General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council and other UN bodies.
The right to sexuality incorporates the right to express one's sexuality and to be free from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Although it is equally applicable to heterosexuality, it also encompasses human rights of people of diverse sexual orientations, including lesbian, gay, asexual and bisexual people, and the protection of those rights. The inalienable nature of rights belonging to every person by virtue of being human.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:
Intersex people are born with sex characteristics that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) than endosex people. According to a study done in Australia of Australian citizens with intersex conditions, participants labeled 'heterosexual' as the most popular single label with the rest being scattered among various other labels. According to another study, an estimated 8.5% to 20% experiencing gender dysphoria. Although many intersex people are heterosexual and cisgender, this overlap and "shared experiences of harm arising from dominant societal sex and gender norms" has led to intersex people often being included under the LGBT umbrella, with the acronym sometimes expanded to LGBTI. Some intersex activists and organisations have criticised this inclusion as distracting from intersex-specific issues such as involuntary medical interventions.
Victor Madrigal-Borloz is a Costa Rican lawyer. Since 2018, he has served as the United Nations Independent Experton protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity . During his tenure at the U.N., Madrigal-Borloz has been noted for focusing his Human Rights Council mandate on investigating a broad and intersectional range of issues facing LGBT communities around the world, including conversion therapy, criminalization, socio-cultural exclusion, anti-trans rhetoric, and the outsized impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable LGBT and gender-diverse populations.
↑ United Nations Human Rights CouncilSession Organizational Session for 12th Cycle Agenda itemOS12.President's letter proposing candidate for vacancy of the mandate of Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Joaquin Alexander Maza Martelli, President(in English). 20 November 2017.
Xavier Colin (3 February 2013). "Droit à l'homosexualité: un monde de différences?"(video). Geopolitis (in French). Geneva, Switzerland: Radio télévision suisse. «La planète gay» «Homosexualité et évolution». Retrieved 5 February 2013. Quel est l'état des droits des homosexuels dans le monde? Quelles sont les tendances régionales vers plus – ou moins – de respect des homosexuels? Geopolitis décrypte la géopolitique du droit à l'homosexualité. À partir du minutage 07:35, interview de John Fisher, codirecteur de l'ONG ARC International, une organisation qui cherche à promouvoir et défendre le droit des homosexuels dans le monde.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
![LGBTQI+ rights at the United Nations
.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" * ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}
.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}
v
t
e
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Neither
States which did not support either declaration
Non-member states
States that are not voting members of the United Nations
Oppose
States which supported an opposing declaration in 2008 and continued their opposition in 2011
Subsequent member
South Sudan, did not exist in 2008
Support
States which supported the LGBT rights declaration in the General Assembly or on the Human Rights Council in 2008 or 2011 LGBT rights at the UN (2011).svg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/LGBT_rights_at_the_UN_%282011%29.svg/530px-LGBT_rights_at_the_UN_%282011%29.svg.png)
