Us votes against resolution condemning death penalty for gays

On September 29, the United States joined Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in opposing a Human Rights Council resolution that specifically condemned the use of the death penalty as a punishment for consensual same sex relations.

Although the vote passed, America joined countries such as. But it did note that poor people and minorities are disproportionately subject to it. By voting no on a UN resolution with a provision condemning the death penalty as a punishment for LGBT individuals, the Trump administration has moved further away from the cause of human rights.

The US is one of just 13 countries to have voted against a United Nations resolution condemning the death penalty for having gay sex. To be sure death penalty is legal in the United States, but so too is same sex marriage. For years the Bush administration joined countries like Egypt and Russia to prevent an international gay rights organization from obtaining its credential.

This was part of an overall approach to these issues that sought to block UN resolutions that advanced LGBT rights and equalities. Many are perplexed as to why the United States would join these illiberal countries in voting against this resolution.

During the George W. Bush era, the United States routinely sided with socially conservative countries to stall global progress on LGBT rights. To underscore the importance the new administration placed on advancing LGBT rights at the UN, President Obama himself released a statement after the vote.

Mark Leon Goldberg October 4, Type to search or hit ESC to close. Indeed, in its last weeks of the Bush administration, the United States voted against a General Assembly resolution calling for the universal decriminalization of homosexuality.

This manifest itself in nearly every forum in the UN system. Homepage grid. T. Porter, WHY DID THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION VOTE AGAINST U.N. MOTION CONDEMNING GAY DEATH PENALTY?, Newsweek, October 4, ; C. D’Angelo, US Rejects UN Resolution Condemning Death Penalty For LGBTQ People, Other Groups, Huffington Post, October 3, ; S.

Peters, Trump Administration Explains Vote Against United Nations Resolution, Human Rights Campaign, October 3, ; T. Mohn, Death. The last big showdown came two weeks after the election, when a resolution at the General Assembly affirmed the mandate of a new UN official whose job is specifically focused on protecting LGBT rights worldwide.

Now, with its action at the human rights council, it would seem the Trump administration is poised to revert to the George W. This is not correct on two counts. That the White House released such a public statement about an organization receiving the functional equivalent of a grounds pass to the UN was a harbinger of things to come.

US votes against UN

See all results. Remember Me. "We voted against that resolution because of broader concerns with the resolution’s approach in condemning the death penalty in all circumstances," Nauert said. The non-binding resolution passed anyway, with overwhelming support from.

About Contact. Search for:. Despite opposition from conservative countries, the resolution passed and LGBT rights became human rights in the eyes of the UN system.

Trump Administration Explains Vote

Second, the USA did not vote against that resolution. Rather, it abstained. First, the Human Rights Council resolution did not specifically mention the execution of gay people. The non-binding resolution passed anyway, with overwhelming support from Europe, Latin America and other democracies around the world.