Trump Admin. Votes Against Condemning Death Penalty for Gay Sex – joining Iraq and Saudi Arabia

By: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer

NEW YORK — The Trump administration has once again slapped the faces of the LGBTQ community for joining with Iraq and Saudi Arabia on voting against a UN resolution which condemns the death penalty for gay sex.

Human rights advocates and LGBT activists have condemned the Trump administration as it became one of only 13 countries including China, to refuse to condemn the “imposition of the death penalty as a sanction for specific forms of conduct, such as apostasy, blasphemy, adultery and consensual same-sex relations”.

The resolution without the United States support, passed by a vote of 27 in favor, 13 voted against it and 7 abstentions.

Shame on US! I was proud to lead U.S. efforts at UN to protect LGBTQ people, back in the day when America stood for human rights for all ?? https://t.co/3Y403bP7Wh

— Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) October 3, 2017

The UN ruling also condemned the use of the death penalty on people who suffer from “mental or intellectual disabilities, persons below 18 years of age at the time of the commission of the crime and pregnant women”.

This resolution turns out to be the first on the death penalty to pass with the LGBTQ community embedded and it also expressed serious concern “that the application of the death penalty for adultery is disproportionately imposed on women”.

Throughout the history of the United Nations, the USA has never supported any measure that condemns the death penalty.

Currently there are six countries Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia, that impose the death penalty for same-sex relationships.

Director of Human Rights Campaign Global, Ty Cobb, issued the following statement; “Ambassador Haley has failed the LGBT community by not standing up against the barbaric use of the death penalty to punish individuals in same-sex relationships.” said Cobb. “While the UN Human Rights Council took this crucially important step, the Trump/Pence administration failed to show leadership on the world stage by not championing this critical measure. This administration’s blatant disregard for human rights and LGBTQ lives around the world is beyond disgraceful.”

RELATED: LGBT politics