HIV infection/AIDS”, posed a terrible threat to humankind. The panic

28 noembers Statebi STabeWdilebebiT savsem da
Tanasworobis ralis samkerde niSniT guldamSvenebulma
davtove. vicodi, or kviraSi isev momiwevda
dabruneba, amjerad im jgufTan erTad, romelic lobirebas
gauwevda sxvadasxva qveynebis mTavrobis warmomadgenlebs,
xeli moeweraT gaeros deklaraciaze
seqsualuri orientaciisa da genderuli identobis
Sesaxeb (SO/GI Declaration). lgbt adamianebis uflebebze
saubarma kvlav SeiZina azri. es aqtivizmis sxva
done iyo.
generalurma mdivanma ban-ki-munma gverdiT maSin
Cagviara, rodesac gaeros Stab-binaSi im post-sabWoTa
qveynis mTavrobis warmomadgenels vesaubrebodiT,
romelTa delegaciebsac davugzavneT werilebi
deklaraciaze xelmoweris TxovniT.
saqarTvelosa da somxeTis warmomadgenlebma
deklaracias xeli moawers, sxva post-sabWoTa qveynebis
warmomadgenlebma ki bundovani dapirebebiT
gamogvistumres. mizezad is moiSvelies, rom pasuxs
dedaqalaqidan elodnen. zogi qveynis warmomadgenelma
ironiisaTvisac gamonaxa dro _ `xom gesmiT Cven qveyanas
Tavisi tradiciebi aqvs~. yazaxeTma da TurqmeneTma
imdeni moaxerxes, rom xeli islamuri konferenciis
organizaciis mier iyo wamowyebul Semxvedr iniciativas
moaweres xeli. sapirispiro deklaracia mouwodebda
gaeros sistemis yvela saxelmwifos da arasam-
Tavrobo organizaciebs gansakuTrebuli yuradReba
da resursi miemarTaT ojaxisadmi, rogorc `sazogadoebis
bunebrivi da fundamenturi jgufuri erTeulisadmi
gaeros adamianis uflebebis sayovelTao
deklaraciis 16-e muxlis Sesabamisad~.
sawinaaRmdego deklaraciis ritorika Zalian meniSna.
igive ritorika ismoda samxreT Statebis TiTqmis yvela
universitetSi, romelic `Tanasworobis turis~ dros
movinaxuleT. gansakuTrebuli yuradReba ojaxebs da
ara maT, vinc SeiZleba sikvdiliT dasajon, da TviTmkvlelobiT
daasrulon sicocxle quCaSi mxo-lod imis
gamo, rom maTi identoba maT rwmenasTan SeuTavsebelia.
sogi-s deklaracia ki msoflios homoseqsualobis
dekriminalizaciisa da imis aRiarebisken mouwodebda,
rom seqsualuri orientaciisa da genderuli identobis
gamo adamianis uflebebi irRveva. Zalian gagvixarda,
roca gavigeT, rom deklaracias xeli 66 saxelmwifos
warmomadgenelma moawera xeli. Tumca, gzis didi nawili
jer kidev win aris. me ki, Segnebulad mivyvebi am rTul
gzas da mSvidad viReb monawileobas dialogSi iseT martiv
WeSmaritebaze, rom lgbt jgufis warmomadgenlebi
adamianebi arian da maT adamianis uflebebi aqvT.
ana kirei
legislation through. I also understand why there are so
few eff orts in the USA to be part of the international
LGBT movement. There is a lot to work to do at home.
I left the USA on 28 November full of impressions,
wearing my Equality Ride button proudly. I knew I
would be returning in two weeks to be part of a mission
of LGBT activists to lobby various governments to
sign a UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity (SO/GI Declaration). All of a sudden, the
struggles at the UN over language about the human
rights of LGBT people started making sense. It was a
different level of activism.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon passed by when we
were sitting in the lobby of the UN Headquarters in
New York. I’d been talking to post-Soviet governments
for days, sending them the text of declaration and asking
them to sign it, explaining over and over why their
support is crucial. Georgia and Armenia signed the
declaration.
A half dozen other post-Soviet countries gave me ambiguous
“we are waiting for a response from the capital”type
responses. Some people from post-Soviet missions
expressed their sympathy: “well, you understand that
our country has its traditions”. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan
ended up signing a counter-declaration prepared
by the Organization of Islamic Conference. The counterdeclaration
urged “all Member States, the United Nations
system, and non-governmental organizations to
continue to devote special attention and resources to
protect the family as ‘the natural and fundamental group
unit of society’ in accordance with article 16 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.”
The rhetoric of the statement sounded so familiar. I
had heard it at every campus we visited on the Equality
Ride. Special attention to families, but no special
attention to people who may be sentenced to death
or attacked on the street or take their own life because
they cannot reconcile their faith with their identity.
The SO/GI Declaration called for decriminalization of
same-sex relations and recognition that people’s human
rights are violated because of their sexual orientation
and/or gender identity. It was inspiring that
sixty-six countries signed it, yet there is a long way to
go. I want to continue down this path peacefully and
persistently, engaging in dialogue and raising awareness
of the fact that LGBT people are human beings
and are entitled to human rights.
Anna Kirey
uflebebi / RIGHTS
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