The Obama administration will sign the UN Declaration on Gay Rights that the Bush administration opposed in 2008.
The declaration is a “resolution for a universal decriminalization of homosexuality” that calls for the UN Human Rights Council “to request a universal abolition of the so-called ‘crime of homosexuality’, of all ‘sodomy laws’, and laws against so-called ‘unnatural acts’ in all the countries where they still exist.”
Acting State Department Spokesman Robert Wood said in a statement: “The United States supports the UN Statement on ‘Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity,’ and is pleased to join the other 66 UN member states who have declared their support of this Statement that condemns human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity wherever they occur. The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and critic of human rights abuses around the world. As such, we join with the other supporters of this Statement and we will continue to remind countries of the importance of respecting the human rights of all people in all appropriate international fora.”
