The European Parliament Votes in Favor of Protecting LGBT Rights Abroad

The United Left (GUE/NGL) and the Greens (VERT/ALE) had submitted amendments on the initiative of LSVD and ILGA-Europe about the situation in Jamaica (homophobia and sodomy law) . They were supported by the Socialists (PSE) and Liberals (ALDE) and the amendment (in the version
Amendment 25 below) has passed!

A general amendment on LGBT rights (not country specific) that calls on countries to abolish sodomy laws was tabled by the Socialists and United Left and (in the version Amendment 26) also passed with a large majority that also included the Christian Democrats (PPE-DE).

"210a Calls on the Council and the Commission to address and take concrete measures in respect of those countries that have laws that discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation; calls on those countries that have laws making same-sex consensual relationships between adults a criminal offence to abolish them"

We can now ask the Commission and Council to take action to combat homophobia.

I want to thank the members of the Lesbian and Gay Intergroup in the European Parliament and the staff of ILGA-Europe for their hard work lobbying on these amendments.

Philipp Braun
LSVD

THE TEXTS APPORVED BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT:

Amendment 25

by Members: Vittorio Emanuele Agnoletto and Kyriacos Triantaphyllides on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group

Rapporteur: Simon Coveney

Title: Human rights in the world and the EU's policy

Paragraph 79

79. Calls on the Government of Jamaica to take effective action to stop the extra-judicial killing of people by security forces; also
calls on the Government of Jamaica to repeal sections 76, 77 and 79 of the Offences Against the Person Act, which criminalise sex between consenting adult men and are used as justification for unacceptable harassment, notably against HIV/AIDS educators; asks the Government of Jamaica to actively fight widespread homophobia;

Amendment 26

by Members: Vittorio Emanuele Agnoletto and Kyriacos Triantaphyllides on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group

Rapporteur: Simon Coveney

Title: Human rights in the world and the EU's policy

Paragraph 210a

210a Calls on the Council and the Commission to address and take concrete measures in respect of those countries that have laws that discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation; calls on those countries that have laws making same-sex consensual relationships between adults a criminal offence to abolish them.