ALDE Policy: LGBTI Rights

As part of my work as a member of the Party's delegation to ALDE Council, I passed the original version of this motion to LGBT+ Liberal Democrats for their thoughts. They quite liked the original, and I hope that they like the final version as much...

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Party convening in Dublin, Ireland on 8-10 November 2012

Notes that

• the Universal  Declaration of Human  Rights affirms  that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, should be entitled to all the rights and freedoms in the declaration;
• crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity lead to abuse in the form of discrimination, violence, imprisonment, torture or even execution, every day somewhere in the world;
• 78 countries out of 193 still have legislation criminalising  same-sex consensual acts between adults;
• among the 113 countries where homosexuality is legal, 55 countries have legislation against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the work place. 

Welcomes

• the United Nations Human Rights Council adoption  in 2011 of a resolution on violence and  discrimination against lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTI) people.
• the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s request at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva 2012 asking for countries around the world to “decriminalize same-sex relationships and  end discrimination against  LGBTI people,” and his  exhortation: “When individuals are attacked, abused or imprisoned because of their sexual orientation, we must speak out.”
• the message of Hillary Clinton’s speech on International Human Rights Day, in Geneva 2011, saying that “Human beings are born free and given bestowed equality and dignity, who have a right to claim that, which is now one of the remaining human rights challenges of our time  ...  Gay rights are human rights. …To the leaders in those countries where people are jailed, beaten or even executed for being gay, I ask you to consider this: Leadership, by definition, means being in front of your people when it is called for. It means standing up for the dignity of all your citizens and persuading your people to do the same. Be on the right side of history.”

Expresses concerns

• about countries where the right of freedom of opinion and expression are under threat when it comes to  LGBTI individuals and where LGBTI individuals are being abused because of  their sexual orientation;

Calls on all governments and member parties

• to recognise the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people as human rights
• to push for the adoption by the European Commission of an EU roadmap on the rights of  LGBTI people, in order to systematically identify the policy areas of EU competence where action can be undertaken to advance LGBTI equality, and propose relevant policy measures.
• to stress the importance of highlighting instances of abuse against LGBTI individuals and the importance of every person’s equal rights, including the rights of LGBTI people.
• to stress the importance of LGBTI rights in the negotiations during the accession procedure of candidate countries for EU membership.
• to recognise the rights of same-sex relationships;  LGBTI parenting; non-discrimination in military service obligations; anti-discrimination laws; aggravating circumstances in criminal law regarding violence against  LGBTI people; the repeal of sodomy laws; expedient legal gender recognition and publicly funded healthcare for trans people; the right to bodily integrity for intersex people.
• to urge states to ensure adequate protection for human rights defenders who work on this issue,  and to guarantee their rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of assembly.