Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 2013

On Monday January 21st, 2013, we celebrate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and we reflect upon the civil rights we have earned since his time. 2013 will mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" Speech and his March on Washington.


People still have big dreams for the United States, and for our children. The King Center allows all of us to add our dreams to their website using this simple form. Take a look at the collection of dreams here.

According to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service website:

" Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live—creating the Beloved Community. 

"The MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems. That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through service projects that strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers, and create solutions."

If you are interested in participating in Day of Service activities, visit this website for more information.

If you would like to get involved in social justice and community engagement more than one day out of the year, there is an open position on the St. Cloud Regional Area Human Rights Commission. You may fill out the following online application or email Mike Williams at michael.williams@ci.stcloud.mn.us
for a print application.

Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité

July 14th is Bastille Day.  It is hard to name another national holiday that truly commemorates the fight for human rights. 

Bastille Day, also called "French National Day" in English speaking countries, is known in its native France as La Féte Nationale, or "The National Celebration".  The holiday not only commemorates the French Revolution, but more specifically, the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.  The Bastille was a fortress prison that held people jailed on the whims of the king, as well as political prisoners whose writings offended the royal government.  Even though only seven prisoners inhabited the Bastille at that time, the prison was a symbol of everything wrong with the French monarchy--autocracy, censorship, terror, and unquestioned power based on class.  The revolutionaries, with the held of the crowd and household troops of the French Army, took over the Bastille and freed the prisoners. 

In 1790,  La Féte Nationale was celebrated for the first time.  For four days, Parisians of all classes feasted, drank fine wine, and ran naked in the streets together to celebrate their freedom, equality, and common humanity.  In 1880, the French Republic voted to have Bastille Day as a one day national holiday that would include a military parade.  To this day, the French military parade is the oldest and largest military parade in Europe. 

For a short time, the President used Bastille Day to pardon criminals who commit minor offenses; in 2007 President Sarkozy abandoned the practice.  This break with tradition may be one reason why Sarkozy lost the recent election.

Today Bastille Day is celebrated in Belgium, Hungary, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and 50 cities in the United States...including the Twin Cities. 

Bersih Minneapolis

On Saturday April 28, Malaysians living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, and elsewhere gathered at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden for a peaceful demonstration to support the Bersih 3.0 movement.  In spite of the cold, rainy day, over 60 people showed up to support free, clean elections in Malaysia.

Why is this significant?  In most American papers, Malaysian affairs do not get top billing.  Perhaps they should.  For quite some time, Malaysia has been the Southeast Asian country with the most stable democracy in the region.  Due to a widening class divide rising from corruption and laws favoring Muslim Malays, and institutionalized racism against Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent, this former model of democracy and tolerance is disintegrating.  Many of the nation's intellectuals leave Malaysia for opportunities elsewhere.

Amnesty International has published a report about the Malaysian government's increasing repression of the Malaysian people here.

It was not so long ago that some people in the United States questioned Dubya's presidential election victories, and wondered if his brother Jeb in Florida had something to do with rigging things.  It was also not long ago that the state of Minnesota decided to put a Voter ID bill up for public vote in November.  American patriots should follow what is happening in Malaysia to make sure that we are not fooled into following the same path.

Easter and Human Rights

Easter is an ancient holiday.  The word "Easter" comes from the Anglo-Saxon Eastre, goddess of spring.  Early Christians celebrated Passover, just like the Jewish people, for some time after Christ.  The development of Easter as a distinctly Christian holiday probably took place after the fall of the Roman Empire, when Christian missionaries traveled to Northern Europe.  Celebration of the arrival of spring and fertility became associated with the rebirth of Jesus Christ, which is why Easter in many European cultures is associated with Easter eggs, rabbits, pastel colors, and baby animals. 

Every year, the Pope delivers a message on Easter Sunday which is usually a call for peace.  This year, Pope Benedict XVI did the honors, naming particular countries and his hopes that they resolve their troubles.  If Easter is a time to celebrate rebirth and new starts, perhaps it is the day we should reflect, forgive, and try to see our neighbors in a positive light.  We have a long way to go on this planet together, as it is everyone's home, and we need to work together to keep it green, fertile, and fair.  They say that the main reason for the Arab Spring rebellion was rising food prices due to climate change around the world.  Without food, without sustainable agriculture and a renewal of the land, all humankind will sink to barbarism.  How can we smile at our neighbors with empty bellies, while theirs are full?  How can a prosperous, well-watered nation exploit the poor, parched ones?  And how can a handful of corporations monopolize agriculture around the world?

What will change this spring? 

Passover: A Celebration of Freedom

In the Western world, most people today would agree that the enslavement of fellow human beings is a human rights violation, even though slavery was permissible in the Old and New Testaments.  In Judaism, the Passover holiday commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt and their exodus to the Holy Land as given to them by their god.

On the first night of Passover, observant Jewish families have a ritual meal called the seder.  During the seder, the Jewish family (often led by the male head of the household) reads from the Haggadah, a special book which explains the reasons that Jewish people celebrate Passover, and why they eat and drink what they do in what sequence during the holiday, through question-and-answer, narrative, prayer, rituals, and games.  What is not explained very well, however, is how the Jews became slaves in Egypt in the first place.

Respected sources state that the ancient Hebrews migrated to Egypt in order to escape famine.  The Pharaoh at that time allowed them to stay in Egypt, where they prospered, became fruitful and multiplied.  A later Pharaoh saw this Jewish baby boom as a threat to the kingdom (although this too is never explained), and he decided to enslave those of working age and kill off male infants.  Moses would have been one of those infants, if his mother Jochebed did not send him down the Nile in a basket, to be adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter.

As the infant Moses would not nurse from the Pharaoh's daughter, it was suggested that she find a Hebrew wet nurse for him.  Moses' older sister Miriam went to fetch Jochebed, who was allowed to care for Moses in the Pharaoh's custody.  This meant that Moses never lost his connection to the Hebrew people, and therefore was not corrupted by Egyptian ways.  He was selected by the god of his people to lead the ancient Hebrews out of Egypt into the Promised Land.

Freedom for the ancient Hebrews came at a cost.  Their god told them that, if they wanted to live as free people, they had to follow many rules to prove that they were civilized and of a higher moral caliber than the Egyptians, as well as rules that would simply appease their god.  During the Jewish Diaspora, where Jews migrated frequently and were rarely given equal rights in the countries where they settled, they took the definition of freedom very seriously.  All humans have the right to freedom of movement, the right to personal safety, the right to work, the right to believe what they wish, and the right to pursue their happiness.  It is said that the most spiritual of the Jewish people fight for social justice for everyone, in memory of every period of persecution that they have faced. 

How the Presidential Candidates Swing on LGBT Civil Rights Issues

And remember...LGBT civil rights are human rights.

If Corporations Can Be Tried in Court as Individuals...

Then they can also be tried for human rights abuses and genocide.  On February 28, the US Supreme Court will determine whether or not US and global corporations can be held liable for genocide and other violations of international law.

The court case--Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum (aka "Shell")--involves a class action lawsuit filed by the Ogoni people of southern Nigeria, who claim that Shell committed human rights abuses in cooperation with the Nigerian government to terrorize the Ogoni off of their land in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Kudos to The Guardian for covering this story.

The State of Bullying in Minnesota

Students have the right to receive an education in a safe environment.  This is a human right.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Minnesota receives the lowest marks for the lack of scope and definition in its state anti-bullying legislation.

Minnesota sets the record for the SHORTEST anti-bullying law in the nation--at 37 words.  Here is the text:

121A.0695 SCHOOL BOARD POLICY; PROHIBITING INTIMIDATION AND BULLYING.

Each school board shall adopt a written policy prohibiting intimidation and bullying of any student. The policy shall address intimidation and bullying in all forms, including, but not limited to, electronic forms and forms involving Internet use.

History: 1Sp2005 c 5 art 2 s 28; 2007 c 53 s 1

This policy does not define bullying, nor does it state that the bullying policy must address protected classes defined by the Minnesota Human Rights Act.  

To help address the issue, Governor Dayton has created the Task Force on the Prevention of School Bullying. Members of the task force and their affiliations include:

• Brenda Cassellius, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Education
  
• Kevin Lindsey, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Human Rights
  
• Willie Bridges, Senior Planning Manager, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
  
• Vangie Castro, Youth Education Program Manager, Rochester Public Schools
  
• Phil Duran, Legal Director, OutFront Minnesota
  
• Alana Friedman, Teacher
  
• Julie Hertzog, Director, PACER National Bullying Prevention Center
  
• Lyn Mitchell, Co-Founder, AMAZE
  
• Jacob Reitan, Founder, Equality Ride
  
• Walter Roberts, Councilor, Minnesota State University, Mankato
  
• Dr. Thomas Scott, Pediatrician
  
• Senator Scott Dibble
  
• Representative Jim Davnie
  
• Two Republican legislators have been invited and are yet to be announced by leadership
  

Is Castration a Human Rights Violation?

Doctors in Germany still practice surgical castration of sex offenders, a practice which a human rights report identifies as "degrading". The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) acknowledges that it is rarely used but questions its effectiveness and whether each patient's consent is freely obtained. The Czech Republic, where the operation is used slightly more frequently, is the only other EU state to continue with the procedure.

The German doctors claim that surgical castration prevents chronic sex offenders from committing sex offenses; 46% of those who do not have the surgery continue the inappropriate behavior.

What this article does not do is provide a German definition of "sex offender".  In the United States, the "sex offender" usually corresponds with "child molester", and so an American reading this report might agree wholeheartedly with the German decision to castrate.   

Obama Stands Up to China and Gets Slapped Down

Obama gets slammed for human rights abuses by CounterPunch.
So seriously, China has never committed human rights abuses?  Does TIBET ring a bell?  What about all of their political prisoners, including the famous Ai Wei Wei case?  What about slave labor in the sweltering iPad factories?  What about the Chinese government having the right to drown entire villages for hydroelectric dam projects and moving people into new "housing", often substandard compared to what they had before?

Obama is the same man who met with the Dalai Lama, even though the Chinese asked him not to do so.

Rick Santorum, Humanitarian?

U2 lead singer Bono made some staggering comments about Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum during the Iowa caucus.  Bono said, "I would suggest that Rick Santorum has a kind of Tourette's disease; he will always say the most unpopular thing. But on our issues, he has been a defender of the most vulnerable."

What connection does Bono have with Rick Santorum to say "our" issues?  Well, since the 1980s, Bono has been actively involved with generating food aid for Africa.  In the 1990s Bono toured the United States to talk with Christian aid organizations--many supported by Republicans--about providing aid to Africa.  Rick Santorum sees a logic in the United States providing food aid, farm aid, and AIDS assistance to African countries; if the United States does not assist African nations, they will be "breeding grounds for radical Islamists".

In African nations, some of the most vulnerable people are LGBT populations.  The majority of African nations punish people who are openly homosexual, lesbian, or transgender, many times with torture or execution.  Heightened persecution of LGBT populations has taken place in African nations where faith-based organizations provided aid, especially Christian organizations funded by the United States and supported by Rick Santorum and Bono.  

What Bono does not talk about is U2's move from Ireland to the Netherlands to avoid paying their taxes, tax money that Ireland desperately needs for its own poor people.  Charity, indeed, begins at home.  Perhaps taxes is another area where Bono and Rick Santorum see eye to eye. 

"The Internet is Not a Human Right"

According to one of the inventors of the Internet, "Internet access is not a human right."

While it can be argued that someone in the 21st century could survive without the Internet, would they live as well as their Internet-surfing peers? 

Would someone be a hypocrite if they claimed that literacy is a human right, or freedom to access information is a human right, but stated that Internet access is not a human right?

Even Amish children who might not have electricity at home due to the religious beliefs of their community often go to public libraries where, with parental permission, they may use computers with Internet access.

The leaders of North Korea keep their people from having Internet access, in order to maintain their authority. 

The leaders of China continually try to censor and block what the Chinese can view over the Internet, but they see the value of all people having Internet access for commerce, education, and communication. 

Wireless Internet access in developing countries has the potential to make education more affordable and readily available for poor people in remote areas.  Internet access also makes it much easier for these same people to acquire free or low-cost EBooks, as well as free or low-cost means of communication or trade. 

If everyone had Internet access, would it level the playing field in some areas of human existence?  Is it possible that, in every case, those living without Internet access are at a disadvantage economically and educationally? 

Human Rights Issues of 2011

In 2011, people around the world fought for their human rights, and governments either helped or harmed the cause.  These are some of the major human rights issues that caught our attention in 2011:

World Hunger: Over 925 million people still do not have enough food to eat.  World hunger has been aggravated by climate change, growing more grain for ethanol, lack of money to buy food, seed, or farming implements to grow the food, war, HIV/AIDS, rising gas prices, lack of rights to use water sources, and the farm subsidies that wealthy farmers of Western countries receive to grow more and saturate the market, leaving poorer farmers in other countries unable to sell their harvests.  The economic depression of the United States has also increased the number of children who go to bed hungry at night.

Arab Spring: People across North Africa and the Middle East protested against their repressive governments, and some were successful in overthrowing them.  While the Western world believed that Arab Spring was all about establishing democracy, there is a growing fear that secular dictators will be replaced by Islamists, who have potential to take more freedoms away from the people--especially from women.

Occupy Wall Street: On September 17, 2011, the Occupy Wall Street movement (OWS) began in the United States.  Inspired by the popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, the Occupy Wall Street movement is a people's movement that protests against the increasing influence of corporations and financial institutions over the democratic process and the common good.  OWS gave birth to the slogan "We are the 99%!", calling attention to the fact that 1% of the nation holds most of the wealth and power.  For the most part, demonstrations have been non-violent, but police and National Guard have pepper sprayed, beaten, tear-gassed, and trampled demonstrators with horses, even though the police and military are also part of the 99%.  OWS has expanded to all states of the union, and if nothing else has made Americans reflect upon their attitudes toward work, wealth, power, and the right to demonstrate against the government.


"LGBT Rights are Human Rights":  A conversation about LGBT civil rights in the United States has begun, starting from the top.  

On February 23, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder delivered a memo to Congress which set out the Department Of Justice's position that classifications in laws and government policies based on sexual orientation should be subject to a heightened standard of constitutional review due to the long history of discrimination against LGBT people, among other factors.  The main purpose of this memo, to reconsider the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), started a conversation on the federal level but did not result in a repeal.

On April 6, 2011, Rep. Barney Frank introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA, H.R. 1397) to the 112th Congress House of Representatives to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  Various representatives have tried to get ENDA passed since 1994, without success; the Civil Rights Act still does not include sexual orientation or gender identity under their non-discrimination policy.

On September 20, 2011, the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell took effect. The repeal followed decades of research demonstrating that open service by LGBT people does not impair military readiness or cohesion.  While gay and lesbian people can now serve openly in the military if they so choose, many still do not feel comfortable doing so, and gay and lesbian enlisted people still will not receive federal or military benefits for their partners. 

On December 7, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a historic speech before the United Nations, stating that it is a violation of human rights to commit discrimination or violence against people because of their sexual orientation.  While the federal government of the United States still does not recognize same-sex marriage, and it allows the states to determine whether or not to include sexual orientation or gender identity in their anti-discrimination laws, as well as give each state the freedom to determine how they will address LGBT issues or not in K-12 environments, being LGBT is not a legal reason to imprison someone, stone them, or put them to death in the United States, as it is in many other countries in the world.  Thirty seven out of fifty three African nations have made it illegal for gays to exist.  The United Kingdom has threatened to cut their aid to African nations who do not abolish these laws.  Meanwhile, Russia and the former Soviet republics, many Middle Eastern nations, Latin American nations such as Ecuador, and southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia go uncriticized by the West for their anti-LGBT legislation.

Beating the System

In 2012, it may be a lot harder for college students, people with disabilities, minorities, and low-income citizens to vote.  Different states have proposed or already passed legislation that would keep the following folks from voting:

-- College students with a college issued student ID from that state (as opposed to a driver's license), simply because they could be paying out of state tuition;

-- Low-income urban minorities who do not drive, and therefore do not have driver's licenses;

-- People with disabilities who do not drive, and therefore do not have driver's licenses;

-- People released from prison, whether or not they paid their taxes. 

You can read it all here: Voting Law Changes in 2012, a report published by the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.  It is rumored that Republican-dominated states are passing these laws to reduce the number of potentially Democratic voters in their districts.

Christmas and Children's Rights

Many people around the world are celebrating Christmas today.  Christmas is the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, although no one really knows exactly when He was born, and not all people of Christian faiths agree on the exact date. 

All we know is that a special child was born on that day, with the potential to change the world.  It had been prophesied that this child would be the next "King of the Jews".  The infant was in great danger, as King Herod of Judea had ordered his soldiers to kill all male infants so that Herod and his line could rule forever.  Only one man had the courage to give Mary and Joseph a place to hide and give birth to this special child.

Knowing the background of Christ's birth gives Christmas a brand new meaning.  To celebrate Christ's birth is not necessarily recognizing the birth of a new religion, or even recognizing Christ as the child of God.  Celebrating Christ's birth is recognizing that all children born on this Earth have the potential to change the world.  For this reason, all children deserve food, clothing, and shelter.  They deserve a loving family who will make them aware of their potential and help them achieve it.  They deserve the opportunity to express themselves and to be heard.  They deserve our protection, guidance, and support.

It has become a tradition to give children presents during Christmas.  No matter what the gift, it should be given with the intention of developing a child's potential, showing them love, and helping them bond with family and community.  Many people give donations to children's charities during the Christmas holidays, hoping that needy children will eventually have the opportunity to reach their potential. 

There are still many parts of the world where it seems that children are born to suffer.  This is especially the case in parts of the world where girls do not enjoy the same freedoms or safeties as boys, or where children are sold into slavery, prostitution, or rebel armies.  In the United States, there are nearly 500,000 children in foster care; many of these children suffer from severe emotional problems stemming from unstable living conditions, neglect, and abuse.  Around the world, more children are receiving autistic spectrum disorder diagnoses; without a supportive family and community, and without the right educational environment, many of these children will never reach their potential.  As more Americans lose their jobs, more children are seeing their lives downsized from a house to the back seat of a car. 

While we give our own children Christmas presents and holiday memories of favorite foods, movies, and games shared with family, we should not forget the children in our community who will not have those things.  On Christmas, if not more often, we should make the time to visit a child who needs to be reminded of their potential, and reminded that no matter how bad things get, good adults still exist who can set an example.

Hannukah and Human Rights

Hannukah (also spelled "Hanukkah" or "Chanukah") means "rededication" in Hebrew.  It is also known as "The Festival of Lights".  Hannukah commemorates the Jewish Maccabee rebels re-capturing a temple that once served as a Jewish temple, then was captured by the Greeks to worship Zeus.

The Maccabees did not care so much about what gods or goddesses the Greeks worshipped, but it seemed that the Greeks used this specific temple--a formerly Jewish temple--to practice rituals that would purposely insult the Jews living in Greek-occupied Jerusalem.  Those Greeks slaughtered pigs in the temple, and this was a purposeful display of disrespect and dishonor toward the Jews.  By fighting a battle with the Greeks to reclaim their temple, the Jewish Maccabees made a statement--that regardless of what culture, science, technology, and religion the Greeks brought to Jerusalem, the Jews would not allow their culture and religion to be ridiculed or destroyed.  In effect, the Jewish Maccabees told the Greeks that while they may be citizens of the Greek Empire, they would never stop being Jewish.

Hannukah lasts for eight nights; each night a candle is lit on the menorah to commemorate the lighting of candles in the reclaimed temple.  Many Jewish people place their menorah in a window or a public place. This is as much a display of pride in one's Jewish identity as the commemoration of an ancient battle to save a symbol of Jewish identity.

There is a Jewish population in Saint Cloud.  While the date of first Jewish settlement in Saint Cloud is unknown at this time, Jewish people have lived here long enough to raise children and grandchildren.  In many American cities, even ones which are not known for their Jewish communities, a menorah is placed next to the Christmas tree or nativity scene in public places to recognize that Christians and Jews are equal.  To this day, a menorah has not made an appearance next to any Christmas trees or Nativity scenes in public spaces in Saint Cloud, which implies to an outsider that a Jewish community does not exist, or is not to be seen or heard.

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012

The National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA 2012) was passed by the House and Senate this month.  Most of what the Act proposes will help our veterans and do positive things for the military, veterans, and United States defense and peacekeeping operations.  Certain parts of NDAA 2012 has caused an uproar across a wide swath of Americans, from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to Ron Paul.  It is possible, however, that certain parties want to see this bill fail for reasons other than what they say.

The majority of people enraged about NDAA 2012 have focused on "Sections 1031: Indefinite Detention" and "1032: Requirement for Military Custody". 

According to the NDAA text of Section 1031, the President will have the authority to allow the military to detain any person "who was part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces," under the law of war, "without trial, until the end of hostilities." The text also authorizes trial by military tribunal, or "transfer to the custody or control of the person's country of origin," or transfer to "any other foreign country, or any other foreign entity."  This would apply to US citizens and other legal residents of the United States as well as any other human being. 

According to the NDAA text of Section 1032, all persons arrested and detained according to the provisions of section 1031, including those detained on U.S. soil, whether detained indefinitely or not, are required to serve their time in military prisons run by the US Armed Forces.  Lawful resident aliens may or may not be required to be detained by the Armed Forces, "on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States."

Sections 1031 and 1032 could potentially put many innocent people at risk for persecution, incarceration, and deportation.

NDAA 2012 has redefined sexual assault and rape, and sets out to make punishments for the perpetrators more strict.  Marriage will no longer be a shield that perpetrators can use for abusing their spouses.  While this is a positive aspect to NDAA 2012 that should not go overlooked, NDAA 2012 provides no abortion services for women who were sexually assaulted or raped.  Military women have less access than civilian women in the United States to abortion services, but are the most at risk for rape.

What no one has mentioned about NDAA 2012, which is buried in the myriad of sections, definitions, and amendments, is that NDAA 2012 sets out to repeal the Sodomy Article--article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Repeal of the Sodomy Article will allow gay and lesbian soldiers to have consensual sexual intimacy in the same way that heterosexual soldiers do.  Repeal of the Sodomy Article also will help people in the Armed Forces report sexual assault or rape in a more accurate way that will not discriminate against gay or lesbian soldiers.  As the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" has already taken place, repeal of the Sodomy Article would drive the final nail in the coffin where discrimination against gay and lesbian servicepeople would be put to rest.

Government documents are long, laborious things to read.  They are written that way on purpose, to hide details that might get approved along with major points.  For this reason, it is worth the time to locate the original government documents and read them for yourself before reading what others have to say about them.  Saint Cloud State University has a great list of resources to help you find any state or federal government document; do not hesitate to contact a helpful librarian to learn how to use them.

Corporations Must Recognize Human Rights, Too

In June 2011, the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva formally endorsed the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.  The three principles are:

1. States have a responsibility to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, including corporations;
2. Companies have a responsibility to respect human rights;
3. Victims of human rights abuses must be free to access effective remedies.

It will be interesting to see whether or not the United States, or any of the individual fifty states, will reform its laws to comply with these principles. 

The First Official LGBT Report from the United Nations

The United Nations published its first report about discriminatory laws, practices, and acts of violence around the world directed against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.  While the report is only a summary of events, statistics, and proposed practices to reduce violence against LGBT and intersex people, it is a historic document. 

Only since 2006 has the UN identified LGBT and intersex people in studies, programs, and reports about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, sex education, the safety of children, women's health, and hate crimes.  While reasons for the lack of LGBT and intersex recognition by the UN for so long is unknown, the current UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern in a speech on Human Rights Day 2010, when he stated

"As men and women of conscience, we reject discrimination in general, and in particular discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity...Where there is a tension between cultural attitudes and universal human rights, rights must carry the day.  Together, we seek the repeal of laws that criminalize homosexuality, that permit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, that encourage violence."

People of the United States also struggle with a tension between cultural attitudes and universal human rights.  Recently Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a speech about LGBT rights being human rights.  At the same time, in the United States, there is still no federal protection specifically for LGBT people, and an LGBT asylum seeker abused or persecuted in his or her home country may suffer worse discrimination, abuse, and shame on American soil depending on where he or she settles.  Every state of our union has different laws in regard to the civil rights of LGBT people. 

To Clinton's credit, not once in her speech did she claim that the United States was a shining beacon of love and rainbows that would teach by example.  Every state in the union has its Matthew Shepards and Brandon Teenas, names upon names, souls upon souls, of people who could have made a difference in this world. 



 

What Are Human Rights?

For a great video explaining the history of human rights, click here!

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, human rights are the freedoms from unlawful imprisonment, torture, and execution that belong to all human beings. To be honest, that is only the tip of the iceberg.

In 1789, the National Assembly of France approved a document entitled "Declaration of the Rights of Man". This was the first detailed explanation of human rights (although women were not addressed in the document). According to this declaration, "the natural and imprescriptible" rights of man are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. Liberty is defined as

"the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law."

After the atrocities committed during World War Two, the United Nations penned a document entitled "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights" in 1948. The document includes 30 articles, each spelling out a defined human right. While this document addresses women, as well as people of all races, religions, and nationalities, it does not address rights for people of different sexual orientations or gender identities.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights serves as an international standard for human rights as defined by law. Although this is a great document, we have a long way to go.