Visitig US Under Secretary calls for Indian Government to change Discriminatory Laws on LGBT. 13 November 2014 at 20:19 <https://www.facebook.com/notes/aditya-bondyopadhyay/visiting-us-under-secretary-calls-for-indian-government-to-change-discriminatory/10154822220600384>
<https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=864790296885305&id=743261785704824&aymt_tip=1&placement=aymt_hot_post_notif#> PublicFriendsFriends except acquaintancesOnly MeCustomClose FriendsMSMGFSee all lists...LGBT CBO/NGO IndiaBoys of Bangladesh (BoB)Naz Male Health AllianceCREANew Delhi, India AreaFamilyAcquaintancesGo Back US Under Secretary calls for Indian Government to change discriminatory Laws on LGBT. Excerpts from a speech by visiting United States Under Secretary Sarah Sewall, delivered at American Centre, New Delhi, on Thursday, November 13th, 2014: - *At the State Department, I am responsible for human rights, democracy, law enforcement, counter-terrorism, stabilizing conflict situations, addressing the challenges of refugees and migrants, and combating sex trafficking and forced labor. There is a common thread running through them -- they all rely on just, transparent, and accountable rule of law, without which all of these goals are undermined. * - *Let me be clear—strengthening the rule of law does not mean giving people in power additional tools to enforce their will. The rule of law must be built on laws and institutions to protect rights for all and, where protection fails, giving citizens the ability to access and pursue justice to help make the situation right again. It is the antidote to discriminatory traditions and customs, which undermine overall progress toward peace, stability and growth.* - *Some citizens face challenges that require special attention, and I would like to speak for a few moments about some of those challenges. * - *The rule of law also needs to extend to the protection of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. As the United States has repeatedly raised our voice about this concern around the world, we sometimes hear the response that LGBT issues must be subordinated to cultural and historical preferences. But we are not talking about cultural issues—we are talking about people. People should not be subjected to violence, abuse, or discrimination simply because of the peaceful expression of who they are.* - *That was as true, say, for African Americans in the United States during the Civil Rights movement as it is for LGBT persons in the U.S. and around the world now. My country’s most searing human rights struggles have involved ending baseless discrimination around dearly-held issues of identity. That is why combating discrimination and violence against vulerable minorities, including ethnic and religious minorities, has become a core tenet of our diplomacy.* - *As you might expect, then, we—along with many others in the international community and your own civil society —are closely following the developments around the criminal status of homosexuality in India and urging that laws must not discriminate against members of the LGBT community or perpetuate a climate that risks fueling violence toward them.* Like <https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=864790296885305&id=743261785704824&aymt_tip=1&placement=aymt_hot_post_notif#> <https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=864790296885305&id=743261785704824&aymt_tip=1&placement=aymt_hot_post_notif#>
