Lesbian Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth made a statement in the Senate yesterday on the UN resolution vote to remove sexual orientation from the proscription on summary, arbitrary and extrajudicial killings. She urged her fellow senators to examine their travel plans based on this vote.
Hon Nancy Ruth: I stand today to tell honourable senators that the United Nations has decided that it is okay to kill gays. The United Nations General Assembly, at the Third Committee on Nov 16, decided to remove a reference to sexual orientation from a resolution on extrajudicial arbitrary and summary executions. For 11 years, the resolution has included sexual orientation as one of the discriminatory reasons that killings have been committed and that warranted investigation. Other groups identified at risk include persons belonging to ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities.
AdvertisementHowever, an amendment jointly proposed by the African Group, the Arab Group and the Organization of the Islamic Conference to remove a reference to sexual orientation was adopted. The amendment means that the resolution no longer urges states to protect against, and investigate, gay killings.
All extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary executions must be condemned, no matter what their basis. However, certain groups are especially vulnerable, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT, community is particularly at risk.
Therefore, if honourable senators are travelling south in January to Cuba, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Barbados, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines, they should remember that those countries voted against, or abstained from, protecting gays, and they will let gays be killed. If honourable senators want to change their travel plans, they should head for Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic or Mexico.
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