A Seat at the Table: International LGBTQ Rights at the United Nations

There is at the present time no binding international law that protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, nor are there any key organs or agencies of the United Nations that are specifically committed to their protection. While the success of marriage equality campaigns in North America, Europe and elsewhere might be seen as an indication that further advances in LGBTQ rights and protections are inevitable, that a tipping point has been reached on LGBTQ equality, and that we are witnessing the rapid expansion of these rights throughout the world, empirical evidence of state-sponsored homophobia does not support these claims. There is a large divide between the rights and protections enjoyed by Western LGBTQ individuals and those who live in the Global South. Being LGBTQ is punishable under law in more than 75 countries; another eight allow the death …

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What are the different advocacies that the LGBTQ community fights for?

LGBTQ is the short form of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. These words are used to define a person’s gender identity and sexuality. The proper description is given below:

  • Lesbian: A woman whose physical, romantic and emotional attraction is towards other women.
  • Gay: This term is used for people who get physically, romantically and emotionally attracted to the same sex.
  • Bisexual: A person who gets attracted to both the same sexes as well as the opposite sexes are termed as bisexual.
  • Transgender: When a person is born, they are distinguished as a boy or girl based on the genitals they are born with. However, some people who are born male may feel they are actually a female and some born female may feel themselves a male. Such people fall under the category of transgender.
  • Queer: The adjective used for the people whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual. It also
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