Newsletter - July 2010
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression
In June 2010 the Department of
International Law made a presentation on new
perspectives for the advancement of the rights of
LGBTI (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and
intersex) within the context of the Organization of
American States and participation of civil society,
within the framework of the fourth workshop on
incidence of LGBTTTI on the OAS system of the OAS.
In this regard, the coalition participated in the
OAS General Assembly, which was held in Lima, Peru.
The workshop was organized by Global Rights Partners
for Justice, the International Gay and Lesbian Human
Rights Commission (IGLHRC), and the Latin American
Space for Sexualities and Rights (Mulabi). About 20
persons took part in the workshop and the department
explained the content of the latest resolutions on
the subject by the OAS General Assembly, as well as
potential future developments in the field. It also
compared these resolutions with the declaration on
sexual orientation and gender identity presented to
the United Nations General Assembly in 2008.
In these resolutions, the General
Assembly has expressed its concern and condemnation
of acts of violence and human rights violations
committed against persons because of their sexual
orientation and gender identity. It urged states to
investigate these acts and violations and to ensure
that their perpetrators are brought to justice. The
General Assembly also encouraged member states to
take all necessary measures to ensure that acts of
violence and related human rights violations are not
committed against persons because of their sexual
orientation or gender identity, and to ensure that
the victims are given access to justice on an equal
footing with all other persons, inviting member
states to consider ways to combat discrimination
against persons. The General Assembly also requested
the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and
other organs of the inter-American system to
continue to pay due attention to this issue, and
requested that the Commission to consider the
possibility of conducting a thematic study on the
matter at the hemispheric level. Lastly, it
instructed the Committee on Juridical and Political
Affairs of the Permanent Council to include the
subject on its agenda.
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