The Senior State Department Official today announced that the Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will discuss LGBT rights as part of universal human rights in Geneva.
“December 10th is Human Rights Day, which is the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And this was a document that Eleanor Roosevelt, as the first chair of the Human Rights Commission, really led.” – Senior State Department Official
Senior State Department Official said it was Eleanor Roosevelt’s driving ambition to have a global statement coming out of World War II of what human rights were.
Senior State Department Official reported that Secretary Clinton is going to speak at the UN about that universal declaration and focus in particular on the issue of LGBT rights as part of universal human rights.
“One broad theme is that LGBT rights are human rights. This is something that this Administration has pressed for the last three years, and this is an effort to raise the issue in a broad international setting.” – Senior State Department Official
Senior State Department Official stressed that it’s an effort to reinforce what the U.S. government tried to do globally both in bilateral policies with governments that criminalize LGBT status or conduct but also to get the United Nations and the Human Rights Council to pass a resolution addressing the issue.
“We led the effort, along with South Africa, some of the Latin American states and European states, in June, to pass the first ever resolution at the UN which addresses violence against LGBT people. That resolution calls for a report which will come out in January.” -Senior State Department Official
