Advocates from across the Asia Pacific and beyond have called for “human rights for all” at regional lgbti dialogue held in Bangkok. Labour MP Louisa Wall was among the guest speakers, and she stated that the first priority must be to eradicate state discrimination: “To repeal all laws that discriminate against lgbti people. Our objective must be homosexual law reform in the Asia-Pacific region as a collective priority.” In a video from UN headquarters in New York, Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who is now a UNDP Administrator, stated that equal rights are not special rights. “The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights promised a world that is just and inclusive of all, including lgbti people,” she said. “At UNDP we are committed to reducing inequality and ending exclusion.” Picture: Warren Field Around 200 people from over 30 countries gathered for the three-day dialogue. Participants reflected on advances achieved in recent years and persistent challenges in regards to lgbti rights and access to health, education, employment and social protection. “This dialogue presents a great opportunity not only for open discussion but for a country like Bhutan, it is ground breaking,” said Karma, a community participant from the Kingdom of Bhutan. “Asian culture and society in general have a very traditional take on issues like this and the discussions we've had are exactly what we need.” Organisers say lgbti people suffer from social stigma and marginalization that is often reinforced through repressive legal and policy frameworks in many countries. They say these frameworks can cast them as criminals or deviants. The dialogue identified an urgent need to tackle discrimination and remove punitive laws to enable access to health and social services. The rapid and devastating spread of HIV among men who have sex with men and transgender women, particularly in urban areas of Asia and the Pacific, was raised as a stark reminder of the urgency of the situation. The dialogue featured a session on legal gender recognition, which noted progressive advances in India where the courts have clearly articulated the human rights of transgender people as a result of the efforts of communities and allies. In Bangladesh, transgender and hijra communities held their first pride event in November 2014 to mark one year since the legal recognition of hijras as third gender.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 2nd March 2015 - 9:02am