UN chief denounces attacks on LGBT people

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, second from left, opens the IOC’s general assembly at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, second from left, opens the IOC’s general assembly at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Lesbian and Gay Rights activists take part in a demonstration aimed to coincide with the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, against laws aimed at stifling Gay Rights in Russia, opposite Downing Street in London, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. In London, about 150 people rallying outside Prime Minister David Cameron’s office in London urged McDonald’s and the IOC’s other sponsors to speak out. The activists there said they plan to deliver a petition signed by more than 100,000 people to a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

A Lesbian and Gay Rights activist holds up a tablet with a picture of a placard, during a demonstration aimed to coincide with the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, against laws aimed at stifling Gay Rights in Russia, opposite Downing Street in London, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. In London, about 150 people rallying outside Prime Minister David Cameron’s office in London urged McDonald’s and the IOC’s other sponsors to speak out. The activists there said they plan to deliver a petition signed by more than 100,000 people to a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Buy AP Photo Reprints

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned attacks and discrimination against homosexuals on Thursday, touching on the gay rights issue in Russia that has overshadowed preparations for the Sochi Olympics.

In a speech to the IOC a day before the opening of the games, Ban also reiterated his call for warring parties around the world to lay down their arms during the Olympics.

Ban said many professional athletes, gay and straight, are speaking out against prejudice and discrimination.

“We must all raise our voices against attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people,” he said. “We must oppose the arrests, imprisonments and discriminatory restrictions they face.”

Ban’s remarks came at a time when activists and protesters have stepped up their campaign against Russia’s law restricting gay rights activities.

Human Rights Watch posted a video this week on YouTube of gay people in Russia being bullied, chased and beaten, compiled from footage the group said was uploaded by perpetrators.

“Hatred of any kind must have no place in the 21st century,” Ban said.

The U.N. chief noted that Principle 6 of the Olympic Charter enshrines the IOC’s opposition to any form of discrimination.

“The Olympics show the power of sport to bring together individuals regardless of age, race, class, religion, ability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity,” Ban said.

Protesters in cities around the world targeted major Olympic sponsors Wednesday, urging them to speak out against the Russian law.

The law, signed in July by President Vladimir Putin, outlaws pro-gay “propaganda” that could be accessible to minors. Critics say it is so restrictive and vague that it deters almost any public expression of support for gay rights.

IOC President Thomas Bach has repeatedly said that Putin has given assurances that there will be no discrimination of any kind at the games.

“I can assure you the International Olympic Committee has undertook everything and we have all the assurances that the Olympic Charter will be fully applied in this Olympic Games, including the fundamentals of Principle 6, because this is what sport is standing for,” Bach said to Ban.

“It is standing for respect and it is standing against any form of discrimination.”

In his speech, Ban commended Putin for his “commitment to peace, unity and development through sport.”

Ban’s visit to Sochi comes after several world leaders decided to skip the games, including U.S. President Barack Obama, German President Joachim Gauck and French President Francois Hollande.

Ban reiterated his call for observance of an “Olympic Truce” during the Sochi Games.

“I repeat my call for all warring parties to lay down their weapons during the games – and to lift their sights to the promise of peace,” he said.

Ban cited conflicts in Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

He said a truce “can enable life-saving humanitarian relief to reach suffering people and create an opening to lasting peace.”

Athletes, he said, send a message that people and nations can put aside their differences.

“If they can do that in Sochi’s sporting arenas, leaders of fighters should do the same in the world’s combat areas,” he said.

The U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution in November calling for a global truce during the Olympics, which run until Feb. 23, and the Paralympics from March 7-16.

The resolution cites ancient Greece’s traditional Olympic truce period that allowed free passage of athletes and spectators from often-warring city-states to the original games every four years.

The 193-member world body has passed resolutions since 1993 calling for an Olympic truce, but countries continue fighting wars whether the Olympics are on or not.

___

Follow Stephen Wilson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stevewilsonap

Associated Press

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Top Headlines

UN chief denounces attacks on LGBT people

Indian LGBT activists protest against gay sex ban

At A Political Statement, the privacy of our visitors is of extreme importance to us (See this article to learn more about Privacy Policies.). This privacy policy document outlines the types of personal information is received and collected by A Political Statement and how it is used.

Log Files

Like many other Web sites, A Political Statement makes use of log files. The information inside the log files includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, type of browser, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date/time stamp, referring/exit pages, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user"s movement around the site, and gather demographic information. IP addresses, and other such information are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable.

Cookies and Web Beacons

A Political Statement does use cookies to store information about visitors preferences, record user-specific information on which pages the user access or visit, customize Web page content based on visitors browser type or other information that the visitor sends via their browser.

DoubleClick DART Cookie

• Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on A Political Statement.
• Google"s use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to users based on their visit to A Political Statement and other sites on the Internet.
• Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at the following URL - http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html.

These third-party ad servers or ad networks use technology to the advertisements and links that appear on A Political Statement send directly to your browsers. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. Other technologies ( such as cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons ) may also be used by the third-party ad networks to measure the effectiveness of their advertisements and / or to personalize the advertising content that you see.

A Political Statement has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.

You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information on their practices as well as for instructions about how to opt-out of certain practices. A Political Statement"s privacy policy does not apply to, and we cannot control the activities of, such other advertisers or web sites.

If you wish to disable cookies, you may do so through your individual browser options. More detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers can be found at the browser"s respective websites.

Indian LGBT activists protest against gay sex ban

India’s LGBT Community is Not Alone in Protesting Court’s Anti-Gay Sex Ruling

India’s LGBT Community is Not Alone in Protesting Court’s Anti-Gay Sex Ruling
http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif

The Diplomat‘s Sanjay Kumar reports from New Delhi.

Raveena and Rohit stood quietly at one corner of the protest venue, unlike their other friends who shouted slogans. Some of Rohit’s friends tried to coax them to join the chorus but they were not keen to join them. Their mood on Wednesday evening was completely transformed from that morning when they were on the Supreme Court’s lawn in New Delhi, where they were involved in an animated conversation with other gay and lesbian activists waiting for the landmark verdict from the apex court on whether Section 377 criminalizes same sex alliances or not.

But the highest court’s judgement on Wednesday morning, that gay sex would remain illegal in India, came as a huge setback for Raveena and Rohit who were planning to legalize their relationship. The Supreme Court overturned a four-year-old judgement of the Delhi High Court that legalized same-sex marriage in 2009. With new decision India has once again criminalized gay sex under Section 377. The verdict means that Raveena and Rohit as well as many others cannot think of settling down as a couple and if they do so they might be sent to jail for ten years and possibly for life in some cases.

The court left the decision to abolish or alter Section 377 to the wisdom of India’s legislators.

“With the verdict, our relationship not only becomes suspect but criminal in the eyes of the law. Suddenly the apex court, which is the guardian of freedom of expression and liberty, has made our existence illegal and taken away whatever liberty and freedom we used to have. It’s a very sad day in my life. I didn’t feel that devastated when my family threw me out  for my orientation few years ago. The court has really orphaned me and deeply saddened me,” says Raveena.

Immediately after the verdict the gay community in Delhi held a press conference and condemned the “inhuman” and “unconstitutional” decision of the court.

Speaking with The Diplomat, Anand Grover, senior counsel who fought the case on behalf of the sexual minority said that “the judgement is very disappointing. It took the Supreme Court 21 months to tell the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community that they are criminals in the eyes of the law. The movement for LGBT equality is unstoppable. We will be filing a review of the decision soon in the court.”

The anger and frustration spilled over onto the streets by the evening. Not only did the LGBT community turn up in substantial numbers but also several women right’s activists came to express solidarity with the  community.

“The judgement has taken us several decades back. The feminist movement is fighting against exclusion, patriarchy,  discrimination and violence. The judgement exposes the LGBT to that,” feels Shehla Rashid, a young activist who came alone all the way from Jawaharlal Nehru University to express solidarity with the disenchanted community. Speaking with The Diplomat she further adds that “the apex court cannot shy away from deciding issues related to fundamental rights. Leaving such a crucial question to the goodwill of parliamentarians, many of whom are not trained in human rights, exposes the gay community to the immense risk of discrimination.”

Despite the broad criticisms, the religious leaders who were petitioners in the case welcomed the verdict.

In an interview with The Diplomat, the yoga guru, Ramdev, who has been a vocal critic of the High Court order in 2009, said that “same sex unions are unethical,unscientific, unsocial and unconstitutional and by criminalizing it the court has taken a historical decision.”

But if one goes by media reports and reactions, the overwhelming majority of Indians have been very critical of the court’s ruling. The ruling has been dominating the headlines and a majority of editorials have questioned the wisdom of the Supreme Court in this landmark judgement. Calling the ruling a “betrayal,” the Indian Express writes that the “Supreme Court has thrown away the opportunity to defend sexual freedom, uphold human rights. It is simply the refusal to extend constitutional protections to some Indian citizens, on the basis of their sexual activity.”

The Hindu called it “a retrograde decision” and writes that the verdict has “enthroned medieval prejudice and dealt a body blow to liberal values and human rights.”

For the first time, some political parties have come out in support of gay rights in India. The ruling Congress has decried the SC’s mandate and termed the decision unfortunate. The top leadership of the party, led by its president Sonia Gandhi, said that “Parliament will address the issue and uphold the Constitutional guarantee of life and liberty to all citizens.” Similar sentiments have been expressed by Rahul Gandhi, the Vice President and prime ministerial candidate of the party. Criticizing the judgement, he said that “the country is known for freedom of expression.”

Some news reports suggest that the government is planning to bring an ordinance soon to abrogate Section 377, a colonial-era law passed in 1860. But in a fractured polity, where the Hindu right-wing Bhartiya Janata Party is on an upswing, gaining parliamentary approval to reverse this landmark change will not be that easy.

Ravenna and Rohit are concerned about their future, but they are not afraid. ”It was not possible to get public support on this issue with the same vigour as is happening now. We don’t intend to go underground. We will defy the system and live together,” says Rohit.

The Diplomat

Read more about India’s LGBT Community is Not Alone in Protesting Court’s Anti-Gay Sex Ruling and other interesting subjects concerning Asia at TheDailyNewsReport.com

VIDEO: Selena Gomez Forced To Cancel Shows In Russia

Selena Gomez is the latest performer to be persona-non-grata in Russia. Gomez had been scheduled to perform in St. Petersburg and in Moscow, but she’s been forced to cancel her concerts after the country denied her visa. The Moscow Times reports that Russian authorities have decided to make entry into the country more difficult for performers who support gay rights. Selena is not the only pop artist that’s been banned. Lady Gaga slammed the Russian government for its criminal stance on gay citizens, and Madonna is being sued for her support of the LGBT community there.

Thanks for checking us out. Please take a look at the rest of our videos and articles.

To stay in the loop, bookmark our homepage.

VIDEO: Selena Gomez Forced To Cancel Shows In Russia

Justice Department Says Use of Husband and Wife is Considered Hate Speech

GiGi Erneta
Infowars.com
May 31, 2013

Given the Department of Justice’s current track record – the IRS Scandal, Fast and Furious, subpoenaing the press, and other law bending activities – it is not surprising that it would reach inside its own organization and blatantly overstep the First Amendment rights of employees.