Islamic States Fail to Bar Gay Group at UN Aids Conf

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Monday June 25 06:59 PM EDT (via Yahoo)

Muslim states fail to block gay group at U.N.

By Randy Dotinga, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network

SUMMARY: A representative of an international gay rights organization will
speak at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS
(UNGASS) this week, even though several Islamic nations made last-minute
attempts to ban her from the stage.

A representative of an international gay rights organization will speak at
the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS)
this week, even though several Islamic nations made last-minute attempts to
ban her from the stage.

A lengthy debate Monday over participation by the International Gay and
Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) cast a pall over the first day of
the unprecedented international conference on AIDS.

The debate delayed the opening of the AIDS session for hours. Several
Islamic nations -- led by Sudan, Syria, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Egypt
-- objected to the appearance of Karyn Kaplan, an AIDS specialist with
IGLHRC, at a "Round Table" event. Homophobia appears to explain their
actions, said IGLHRC spokesman Sydney Levy, although there is also a debate
in the U.N. over whether non-governmental organizations should be able to
speak at conferences.

By a vote of 62 in favor and 30 in abstention, the U.N.'s general assembly
agreed on Monday afternoon to allow Kaplan's speech. The U.S. supported the
motion. China, Cuba and Russia were among the nations that supported the
Islamic states.

While no nation voted in opposition, the motion nearly failed because as
many as 30 nations declined to vote, creating a lack of a quorum under
parliamentary procedure. But Harri Holkeri of Finland, president of the
General Assembly, ruled that the vote would count anyway.

San Francisco-based IGLHRC was the only gay organization invited to the
Round Table, part of a series of HIV/AIDS-related discussions and events
scheduled for this week's special session. IGLHRC monitors the human rights
of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and HIV-positive people around
the world. It also lobbies governmental leaders and assists persecuted GLBT
people in gaining asylum in other countries.

The objecting nations tried to convince the U.N. to forbid Kaplan's
appearance, but Canada, Norway and Sweden led the call for a vote on
allowing her to speak.

"We have friends and we have enemies. That's clear," Levy said. "We had 62
countries in favor of our inclusion who all understood that this is a matter
of homophobia and prejudice, and also a matter about the ability of
non-governmental organizations to participate at the U.N."
 
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