UN Restores Sexual Orientation Reference To Violence Measure

The United States has successfully persuaded the United Nations to include "sexual orientation" as a category of vulnerable populations whose targeted killings the world body condemns.

Controversy broke out after African and Arab states successfully stripped the resolution of a reference to killings for reasons of "sexual orientation," which was included along with killings for racial, national, ethnic, religious, or linguistic reasons, and killings of refugees, indigenous people, and other groups.
(http://www.rferl.org/content/un_sexual_orientation_gays_lesbians_transgender_violence/2255644.html)

It is reassuring to see the UN stepping-up and acknowledging the rights of minority groups, no matter how controversial the subject matter. There has been a polarization in the past few years when it comes to "sexual orientation" rights. While some countries, such as those in Latin America are passing same sex marriage and civil unions, other countries are condemning their gay citizens through lengthy prison sentences and execution.

Each of us is born with a unique set of identities: ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., and as Hilary Clinton sums it up, "no one should be killed for who they are."