KENILWORTH, 27 MARCH 2004 — The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) today condemned the Vatican for allying itself with murderous, oppressive and undemocratic states in order to block a United Nations motion which would have given protection from discrimination to gay people.
The Vatican, along with several Islamic nations, including Egypt, Pakistan and Malaysia, persuaded Brazil – which had proposed the motion – to withdraw it. This is the second year in succession that religious interests have intervened to prevent the change.
As many as one third of the UN’s 191 member states outlaw homosexual acts and gays who live openly as homosexuals can face persecution and even death.
GALHA’s secretary, George Broadhead, said: “We expect this sort of bigoted behaviour from undemocratic Islamic nations that persecute and murder gay people as a matter of course. The Vatican, however, trumpets itself as a champion of human rights and a model of compassion. This continued barbaric contempt for gay people shows that it is prepared to go to any lengths to promote its nasty dogmas. It has now thrown in its lot with states that imprison and kill their gay citizens – as it has itself done in its own history.
“The Vatican has a special observer status at the United Nations and it is seeking to gain full status that would give it even more power to impose its will on an unwilling world. We call on the United Nations to strip the Vatican of its observer status immediately as it has shown itself completely unworthy of having it.”