UN General Assembly Joint Statement – Letter to The Honorable Condoleeza Rice

17th December, 2008 - Posted by nwilsonadmin - No Comments

12 December 2008

The Honorable Condoleeza Rice
United States Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC  20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

During the current United Nations General Assembly session, 55 member states will present a Joint Statement on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and another 5 have indicated that they are willing to sign on to the statement .  The Statement reaffirms the universality of human rights and specifically voices concern about the treatment so consistently suffered by those whose sexual orientation or gender identity are the basis for torture, violence, discrimination, stigmatization and death.

Metropolitan Community Churches, with its global witness to human equality and its long-standing commitment to the kinds of faith-based initiatives that recognize and honor all life, is troubled that the United States has not yet joined this non-binding call for basic human rights.  As a nation that prides itself on inclusivity and equality as founding values, our churches find this reticence lacking in integrity and inappropriate.  We write to ask you to sign onto the Joint Statement and take on the leadership of urging others to join as well.

The widespread incidents of human rights violations against lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender people, and all sexual minorities are indisputable.  They have been documented thoroughly by NGOs around the world and the U.N., and reported with great frequency in the international press.  The U.S. State Department itself reports yearly on a variety of violations documented by Embassies around the world.  And, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that both laws criminalizing homosexuality and government action that targets LGBT people for discrimination are unconstitutional.

As you yourself so accurately stated on the eve of the 60^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration “transcends political and ethnic differences and national boundaries, even as it embraces humanity in all of its diversity.”

The countries that have signed onto the Statement include:  Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Chile, Cuba, Cyprus, Ecuador, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, San Marino, Sao Tome et Principe, Serbia, Switzerland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Uruguay, and Venezuela.  All 27 member states of the European Union are also signatories.  Word continues to be received of additional countries that have agreed to sign on.

Shouldn’t the United States join this call for universal human rights and against the continued mistreatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world?  We eagerly await your response.

Sincerely,

The Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, Presiding Bishop
Metropolitan Community Churches

The Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Global Justice Ministries
Metropolitan Community Churches

cc:  His Excellency Mr. Zalmay Khalilzad, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
       United State Mission to the United Nations
       140 East 45^th Street
       New York, NY  10017 

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Founded in 1968 by The Rev. Troy Perry,

Metropolitan Community Churches serve 

growing and diverse communities in 28 countries

around the globe.  We are a movement that faithfully

 proclaims God’s inclusive love for all people and proudly

 bears witness to the holy integration of spirituality and sexuality.

  Known as the “Human Rights Church” in many parts of the world,

 Metropolitan Community Churches is committed to the works

 of compassion and justice.  For more information, please visit:

www.mccchurch.org