Dear Friends & Supporters,

UN member states have restored protection for LGBT people to a resolution regarding minority groups that need special protection from extrajudicial and other unjustified killings of minorites. Soulforce was part of the UN Coalition that produced a public statement insisting on restoration of the language protecting LGBT people.

The assembly on Tuesday voted 93 in favor of a US proposal to restore the language including LGBT people with 55 contries against and 27 abstaining.

We want to thank Soulforce donors, volunteers and staff who made it possible for us to join the coalition and work to right this injustice that would have opened the door to genocide in more than 75 nations where murder of LGBT people is allowed by law.  We encourage you to send a note of thanks to Ambassador Susan Rice and members of the Coalition.

We are so grateful for this historic moment of peace and reason.

Now we will press on to decriminalization of our lives in our own country and throughout the world until there are no more laws that deny us basic human rights.

Peace,
Rev. Dr. Cindi Love

Resolution of the UN Faith Coalition for LGBT Human Rights
December 2010

Whereas, the international Yogyakarta Principles of 2006 state, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral to every person’s dignity and humanity and must not be the basis for discrimination or abuse.”

Whereas, many faith traditions support human rights, including freedom from imprisonment and execution for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

Whereas, more than 70 countries criminalize sexual orientation and seven allow the death penalty based on sexual orientation;

Whereas, countries in Eastern Africa are increasingly treating gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people as criminals;

Whereas, fundamentalist Christians and Muslims are promoting discrimination and persecution of LGBT people;

Whereas, basic human rights such as the right to marry and maintain custody of children and inheritances upon death are just a few of the civil liberties denied to LGBT people in many areas of the United States of America;

Whereas, all of these realities create a climate of lies and fear that promotes hatred and violence against gender non-conforming people and against those who love someone of the same gender;

Therefore, Be It Resolved, this 18^th Day of December, 2010, that the UN Faith Coalition for LGBT Human Rights fully affirms and supports the proposed action by Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations to amend the Resolution by the Third Committee on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions which excludes protection of people who are vulnerable due to sexual orientation.

Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations has publicly stated her intention to propose an amendment to the Resolution by the Third Committee on or before December 20 to the General Assembly to restore the prohibition of the violent targeting and extrajudicial killing of people who are vulnerable because of their sexual orientation.

While we understand and respect that there will always be differences in understanding of human sexuality within society, we unequivocally assert that laws that criminalize people for sexual orientation and gender identity do not just violate human rights, they hinder social cohesion, economic development and public health. These laws diminish the trust and cooperation among nations, among communities, among families and co-workers that is fundamental to progress in all human endeavors.

Be It Further Resolved, that the UN Faith supports the member nations of the United Nation who determine to vote affirmatively to include sexual orientation and respectfully call for those members who cannot vote affirmatively to abstain.

Be It Further Resolved, that we call upon the United Nations to adopt and affirm the Yogyakarta Principles to bind international legal standards with which all States must comply. We call upon faith leaders and institutions to support these principles and internationally agreed standards of human rights.

Be It Further Resolved, that we call for the United States of America to work with its fellow Core Group Members of the United Nations to urge Countries which still have laws criminalizing sexual orientation or gender identity to repeal them and to develop a sustained and serious plan of action to decriminalize LGBT people around the world.

Be It Further Resolved, that we call for a model similar to that of the Responsibility to Protect to apply to the lives of LGBT people.

The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) represents an important step forward in the long historical struggle to save lives and guard the wellbeing of people endangered by conflict.  It holds that states have the responsibilities as well as interests and duty to shield their own populations from murder.  This approach is bold and important.

Repeatedly, our consciences have been seared by the horrors of genocide and today we are challenged again by that possibility when protections are publicly and officially removed from a class of people

We are reminded of our shared responsibility for the international community’s failure to act in the face of genocide in the 20^th century.  Our new century can and must be better than the last—more deeply rooted in humane values, more committed to universal rights.

The Responsibility to Protect was adopted by all 192 UN member states at the world summit in 2005; the Security Council reaffirmed the commitment and the related principle of protection in Resolution 1674.

Be It Further Resolved, that we call for preventative diplomacy and internal mediation which prevents anti-LGBT violence.  We call for strengthening of the United States and the United Nations to engagement in the internal human rights architecture and specific intervention in any country where fines, imprisonment and the death penalty are in place or being considered for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies.

We must not wait for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity or ethnic cleansing before we act.  The decision to implicitly and explicitly give a license to States to tolerate or implement atrocities against gay and lesbian people is a craven decision which disregards the dignity and worth of all persons.

Humanitarian policy concerns must build up the institutions that make a society resilient in the hour of crisis; including communities, churches, mosques, synagogues, temples, schools, independent media, civil society organizations and governments.  These institutions must not sponsor discrimination, persecution and genocide.

Friends & Supporters,

As we informed you earlier today, the House of Representatives passed a stand-alone version of Don’t Ask, Don’t repeal last night 250-175! We also forwarded you an alert from our partners at SLDN on how you can help ensure that the Senate takes up and passes the repeal bill. Three senators have indicated they have joined the “Yes on repeal” camp and we now have more up to date information from SLDN to share with you. Please read their brief and then take action now!

***

So where do we go from here? Back to the Senate, which is still mired in other business like START, the omnibus bill, and – most recently – a watered-down version (doesn’t include DADT repeal) of the NDAA, agreed upon by Levin and McCain.  Now we need to make sure we get the DADT stand-alone bill scheduled and passed on the Senate floor before the Senate goes home for the holidays.

The bill passed in the House was “privileged,” meaning Reid can bring it up first, before other business. What remains to be seen is how the timing willactually play out. Lieberman told CNN last night that he expects a Sunday or Monday vote. Once Reid brings the bill to the floor, it can be immediately debated (no 60 votes needed to proceed to debate). But, we will need 60 votes to get OFF the bill and vote on final passage. Then, the bill will be sent to the President’s desk.

So, about getting involved! We released an action alert to our list last evening (below) asking for calls to senators, to build on the momentum from the House vote. Once we have a Senate vote scheduled, we’ll be ready with another ask for calls. The target list has changed from the one in the action alert, in light of recent statements from Snowe, Murkowski, and Brown. The messaging can also shift slightly to tell the Senate to pass the House bill (not just to pass repeal). The targets list is now:

–John Ensign (R-NV);
–George LeMieux (R-FL);
–Richard Lugar (R-IN);
–Judd Gregg (R-NH);
–George Voinovich (R-OH);
–Kit Bond (R-MO);
–Mark Kirk (R-IL);
–And the sole unpersuaded Democrat: Joe Manchin (D-WV)

Thank you again for all of your support – on to the Senate we go!!

-Elizabeth

Dear Friends & Supporters,

Our partners at Servicemembers Legal Defense Network asked us to relay this import call to action to you. Please join us in demanding that gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers be able to serve openly.

***

This evening, the full House voted on a stand-alone bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This is a notable victory that helps build momentum as we push the Senate to take immediate action before the lame-duck session ends. We are grateful for the extraordinary leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA).

Now, we turn our attention back to the Senate. We’ll still need 60 votes to complete the bill and send it directly to the President’s desk.

We cannot underestimate Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who will do everything they can to kill repeal. We need to fight back on any amendments, which would change the bill language and cause further delay.

Call both your senators and tell them to vote with Majority Leader Reid, Chairman Levin, and Senator Lieberman on the Senate floor.

Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Here’s a sample script for your call:

“Hello, my name is ______ and I’m a constituent from __________ (city, state).

I’m calling to tell Senator _______ to stand with Majority Leader Reid, Chairman Levin, and Senator Lieberman and vote for ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal. Fight back against Senators John McCain and Mitch McConnell’s obstructionism and pass repeal this year.

Thank you.”

Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Calls to the following senators are particularly needed. Please call these key senators now!

–Olympia Snowe (R-ME): 202-224-5344
–Richard Lugar (R-IN): 202-224-4814
–Judd Gregg (R-NH): 202-224-3324
–Scott Brown (R-MA): 202-224-4543
–George Voinovich (R-OH): 202-224-3353
–Kit Bond (R-MO): 202-224-5721
–Lisa Murkowski (R-AK): 202-224-6665
–Mark Kirk (R-IL): 202-224-2854
–Joe Manchin (D-WV): 202-224-3954

Thank you for your calls. We are so close to repeal, and you can help us get there!

Aubrey Sarvis
Army veteran and SLDN Executive Director

December 1, 2010 is World AIDS Day.  At Soulforce, our focus for this day of remembrance is on solidarity with people who are stigmatized by the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS.  We want to invite you to  join us in an action on World AIDS Day that you can do all by yourself and with people in your community.

Here are the steps:

Take out a plain t-shirt and a big magic marker and print “HIV+” on the shirt.  Then wear it to the coffee shop or work or to school, to the store or the gym.  Encourage people to ask you about it and then tell them “I am standing in solidarity today with people who are living with HIV and AIDS around the world.  As long as one person has HIV, I have HIV and my t-shirt is designed to say exactly that—no one is immune, all of us are in the fight to stop AIDS together.”

This suggestion for an action on World AIDS Day comes from a highly effective campaign originally conducted first by Zackie Achmat, a South African activist, most widely known as founder and chairperson of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and for his work on behalf of people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS in South Africa. Achmat publicly refused to take AIDS medications until all who needed them had access to them which drew former President Nelson Mandela to plead with Achmat at his home to start drug therapy.  He held out until the government announced it would make antiretrovirals available in the public sector. Zackie’s techniques are familiar to Soulforce volunteers who have studied similar methods used by Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and our own founder, Mel White.

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