‘Let Us Reclaim the Rights of All People as We Are Born — Free and Equal’, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Core Group

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Core Group annual Human Rights Day event, “Love is a Family Value:  Supporting All Families”, in New York today:

Dear friends, I am honoured to be here with all of you today.

First of all, let me tell you that the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, is in Lima, Peru, for a very important international meeting on climate change.  He would very much have liked to attend today’s event here in New York.

He is proud to stand up for equality for all people — regardless of who they are, regardless of whom they love.

The Secretary-General is an assertive champion of the LGBT cause.  I stand with him in the belief in the dignity and worth of every human being and in their equal rights.

December 10 is one of the most important dates on the United Nations calendar.  Today we celebrate the proclamation by the General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.  With just 30 succinct articles, this document has had a profound and far-reaching impact on the world during the last 66 years.

The Declaration is the most widely translated text in history.  It is the foundation of the modern human rights movement.  It anchors into international law principles and values that transcend national, linguistic, cultural, sexual and indeed all other barriers.

Article 1 opens with the simple observation and truth that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.  I underline free and equal in dignity and rights, and I underline all human beings.

Protecting and promoting human rights is at the heart of what we do in this Organization.  These words — Free and Equal — form the name of the ongoing campaign to end homophobia and transphobia and to defend the rights of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people around the world.

The Secretary-General is committed to leading by example.  That is why earlier this year he changed the way the UN recognizes partners and families of our staff members.  Now, all UN staff are entitled to claim the same benefits and entitlements for their spouses, whether their partner is of the same or of a different sex.

Last month in Vienna, the Secretary-General met with the first staff member there to receive full marital recognition for her same-sex partner.  As he said at the time, her twin daughters deserve just as much love and security as all children.

This may seem obvious.  But for far too long, LGBT people have been made to feel like lesser human beings, as if their lives were not as valuable as everybody else’s.  Such discrimination, and the silence around it, was and is a disgrace.

We at the United Nations loudly and clearly denounce the flagrant injustice of millions of people who face discrimination and abuse because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Today’s central theme is fundamental:  family.

There are those who loudly, falsely and dangerously claim that LGBT people threaten family life or family values.  We know the truth.  Love is a family value.

Families come in all shapes and sizes.  This makes up the beautiful fabric of our diverse societies.  Ultimately, family is about belonging.  What matters is whether families love and care for other family members.

If we are faithful to our values and to our ideals, love and care in families must naturally extend to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex.

I know many LGBT people are rightly cherished and supported through life’s different challenges by their families.  Many go on to realize their dream of having their own families.  But we cannot be complacent.  We have to think of, and see in front of us, the gay son, the lesbian daughter and the trans child who are drastically rejected by their parents.

Too often, they are in the end found in the streets, in the underpasses, in the shelters and, tragically, in the morgues of towns and cities around the world.  Far too many of these young people experience homelessness, isolation, mental and physical abuse — and suicide.  This is a public health emergency and a stain on our global conscience.

Here in New York, around 40 per cent of all homeless youth identify as LGBT.  Such a high figure in itself should shock us into action.  But what is the main reason they are homeless?  They were thrown out of home by parents, when they said: “Mom, Dad, I’m gay” or “I’m trans”.

No matter what your views on sexuality or gender identity may be, there is only one humane response to such an honest declaration from a young person — namely a warm and comforting embrace, a promise, “that although discrimination may persist in our world, it will not be tolerated in our family”.

The United Nations has collected chilling reports of so-called honour killings, forced marriages, kidnappings and confinement — all experienced by LGBT youth at the hands of their own families.

We must stand up to this intolerance.  More than that, we have to actively foster genuine acceptance.  Humanity’s hope for a peaceful and equitable future very much lies in practicing of inclusivity and diversity — in families as well as across societies.

I am honoured that we have here today Jane Clementi.  Jane and her husband had to endure the horror of losing their son, Tyler — a brilliant young man of talent and promise.  They have chosen to speak about what happened to him.  After Tyler’s suicide in 2010, Jane and the family created a foundation to raise awareness and push for an anti-bullying agenda.  Thank you, Jane, for being here today, for speaking out and for your passion and compassion.  Although your son’s life was cut short, his legacy will continue to inspire many, many people.

I also want to welcome Mary Lambert, who is one of our panellists and who will perform for us later in the programme.  Many of you will know Mary as the voice on the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis track, “Same Love”.  This song has probably done more to promote acceptance of gay people in the US [United States] than any other piece of music in the past 20 years.  Mary, thanks for bringing your extraordinary talent to the United Nations.

Thanks also to all our speakers — Rev. Dr. Kapya Kaoma from Zambia, Theresa Sparks from the US, and Kenita Placide from Saint Lucia — all of whom bring outstanding expertise and experience to our discussions today.

In closing, when the Universal Declaration was first adopted, in 1948, the world was scarred and marred by massive poverty and under development, racial segregation and rigid gender inequalities.  People with disabilities were invisible, and in most of the world, gays and lesbians were treated as criminals.  What we have seen in the intervening years is nothing short of a human rights revolution — an unfinished one, perhaps — but still spectacular in its advances.

With your support and the support of millions of others around the world, we can build the world that the drafters of the Universal Declaration promised.

I want to thank you all for standing up for the fundamental family values of love and respect, and the universal values of equality and dignity for all on this International Human Rights Day.

And on today’s theme, let us remember — petty bigotry is no match for human solidarity.  Hate cannot withstand the force of love.  Together, we can and let us reclaim the rights of all people as we are born — free and equal.

Thank you very much.