The United States said the nations of the world should do more than just condemn the massacre in a Florida gay nightclub on Sunday, telling the United Nations on Monday that it's about time to fight for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
Being gay is a crime in at least 74 countries, the U.N. has said, according to Charisma News.
In a statement, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. David Pressman told the world body that "if we are united in our outrage by the killing of so many – and we are – let us be equally united around the basic premise of upholding the universal dignity of all persons regardless of who they love, not just around condemning the terrorists who kill them."
A 29-year-old Afghan-American pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) carried out the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history on Sunday at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
The ISIS has gained added notoriety with its practice of killing homosexuals by throwing them from buildings or stoning them.
Pressman pointed out that there is just one General Assembly resolution referring to "sexual orientation" and "gender identity"—a resolution that urges U.N. member states to protect the right to life of all persons and investigate killings.
The U.S. ambassador noted that every year "there is a pitched fight over whether it is appropriate to include sexual orientation in that protection."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has long championed the cause of gay rights but has faced stiff opposition from African, Arab and Muslim states backed up Russia and China. On Sunday Ban was among leaders who condemned the Orlando mass shooting.
In 2014, Ban announced that the United Nations would recognise all same-sex marriages of U.N. staff, allowing them to receive benefits. Russia spearheaded a move to overturn it with support from 43 states including Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, India, Egypt, Pakistan, and Syria. However, the Russian-led campaign failed to override Ban's order.
Last February, a large coalition of African and Middle East countries protested the launch of six U.N. stamps promoting LGBT equality.
Just last week, a group of 51 Muslim states blocked 11 gay and transgender organisations from officially attending a high-level U.N. meeting on ending AIDS, sparking a protest by the United States, Canada and the European Union, according to Charisma News.
