President Obama Welcomes Accreditation of International LGBT Organization by UN

Yesterday, the United Nations granted accreditation to the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission (ILGHRC), giving them official consultative status which allows the organization to formally participate in UN meetings and collaborate on human rights operations. Although ILGHRC initially applied for the status three years ago, the application became stuck in an NGO committee until the US threw its support behind it.  The United States Ambassador to the UN, Dr. Susan Rice, supported ILGHRC’s application and led calls for it to be put to a vote in both the committee and the UN’s Economic and Social Council. Ambassador Rice’s efforts were supported in an open letter signed by fourteen House members and four Senators, including the chairmen of both chamber’s Committees on Foreign Relations.

President Obama, who appointed Ambassador Rice, praised the vote.

"I welcome this important step forward for human rights, as the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission (ILGHRC) will take its rightful seat at the table of the United Nations," Obama said. "The UN was founded on the premise that only through mutual respect, diversity, and dialogue can the international community effectively pursue justice and equality.  Today, with the more full inclusion of the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission, the United Nations is closer to the ideals on which it was founded, and to values of inclusion and equality to which the United States is deeply committed."

NSD Executive Director Michael Mitchell commented that the President’s statement highlights another stark difference between Democratic and Republican stances on LGBT issues.

“The President’s thoughtful words regarding ILGHRC’s accreditation are especially meaningful because the accreditation could not have happened without US support.  Given the constant barrage of misinformation and even vitriol from the Republicans about LGBT rights, I can't imagine a statement like Obama's -- let alone the type of support his administration provided -- coming from a GOP administration.  Pro-equality voters in the United States are presented with a clear choice in the coming elections: the party that believes that LGBT rights and human rights are one and the same, and the party that simply doesn’t.”