In its first-ever official report on the issue, the United Nations is calling for governments to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, prosecute all serious violations and repeal discriminatory laws. "Homophobic and transphobic violence has been recorded in all regions. Such violence may be physical (including murder, beatings, kidnappings, rape and sexual assault) or psychological (including threats, coercion and arbitrary deprivations of liberty)," says the report by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. The UN Human Rights Council commissioned the report in June when it recognised the equal rights of lgbt people and said there should be no discrimination or violence based on sexual orientation. Western countries called the vote historic but Islamic states firmly rejected it. It says in addition to spontaneous "street" violence, people perceived as being lgbt may be targets of more organised abuse, "including by religious extremists, paramilitary groups, neo-Nazis and extreme nationalists." Violence against LGBT people tends to be especially vicious, with "a high degree of cruelty" including mutilation and castration, it adds. They are also victims of so-called "honour killings" carried out by relatives or community members who believe shame has been brought on the family. It says gay men have been murdered in Sweden and the Netherlands, while a homeless transgender woman was killed in Portugal. Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in El Salvador, Kyrgyzstan and South Africa have experienced gang rapes, family violence and murder. It cited allegations that in a police station in Indonesia, a man and his male partner were severely beaten and sexually assaulted a day after having been attacked by civilians. A lesbian couple in Brazil were allegedly beaten at a police station and forced to perform oral sex. The report calls for the repeal of laws that are used to criminalise behaviour on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in 76 nations. "Such laws, including so-called 'sodomy laws', are often relics of colonial-era legislation ... Penalties range from short-term to life imprisonment and even the death penalty. "In at least five countries, the death penalty may be applied to those found guilty of offences relating to consensual, adult homosexual conduct."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 16th December 2011 - 8:49pm