Human Rights Day

December 10, 2011 will mark the 63rd anniversary of the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I think this anniversary will also mark many accomplishments in the 63 years since its inception. I could use this opportunity to mark all of the injustices that are still going on and the obstacles that are still stalling human rights legislation/action to end these injustices, but...well yeah I guess I am going to talk about that as well. 


Since the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, treaties, conventions, NGOs, resolutions, court cases and military action have been used to end the infringement of our basic human rights.  


We had NATO ignore the Security Council to intervene during the Bosnian genocide. 
We had  "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed AND New York was added to the list of states that allow same-sex marriage, plus D.C. 
We had the Arab Spring blow up in the Middle East.
We have had the majority of the European Council abolish capital punishment in all cases.


The list goes one. There have been many triumphs for human rights over the years and I think it is something to be celebrated.


63 years of a document inspiring more and more social, economic, cultural and political change. 


However there is still so much to do! 


U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been promoting gay rights recently when she stated that "gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights." 

Photo from The Moderate Voice

"No practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us, and this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people," she said. "It is a violation of human rights when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation, or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and women should look or behave."

In March a document passed in the United Nations supporting rights for everyone, regardless of sexual identity or orientation. 85 states are now parties to this change. Laws are not only created by legislation but also by jus cogens, customary law.  Legislation such as the ICCPR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is viewed as a living document, meaning that as societal changes occur, so do the interpretations of the laws set forth in the document. It's plain to see that gay rights are becoming a prominent topic in the ever-evolving human rights discussion.

Hillary said it best: 

"Gay people are born into -- and belong to -- every society in the world. They are all ages, all races, all faiths. They are doctors, and teachers, farmers and bankers, soldiers and athletes...Being gay is not a Western invention. It is a human reality."

President Obama has also been taking action by sending a memo to U.S. government agencies that deal with foreign aid to help those being targeted for being gay or lesbian. 

Now if only more LGBT changes were made within the U.S. although I think there are many nations that make life completely unbearable and torturous if identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. 

Check this out:

The High Commissioner for Human Rights will host a global conversation on human rights through social media on Friday, 9 December at 9:30 a.m. New York time.