World must unite to end LGBT discrimination, says UN expert Vitit
The United Nation’s newly appointed LGBT expert Vitit Muntarbhorn Thursday urged for a global partnership to end violence and discrimination against the group at an international conference in Bangkok.
In his keynote speech at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), the UN’s first independent expert on Protection against Violence and Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) discussed five key steps deemed pivotal in ending the discrimination and violence faced by the LGBT community.
These are decriminalisation, depathologisation, recognition of gender identity, cultural inclusion and emphathisation.
Eradicating all criminal laws affecting LGBT people is essential for the community to no longer be seen as suffering from a disorder, Vitit said.
Providing the right for all people to have their gender identity recognised in official documents is a milestone much needed to improve the global situation, he added.
Vitit said ensuring the children grow up with the ability to empathise with people of varying sexual identities could be accomplished by working with different cultures and religions through inclusive practices.
