LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
PAST Out |
by Rawley Grau |
How Did Gays & Lesbians Lose Official Status at the U.N.?
When the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) received consultative status at the United Nations in 1993, it seemed cause for celebration. For the first time, gays and lesbians would have an official voice among the nations of the world. But the joy was short-lived. Soon homophobic groups in the United States were saying that ILGA promoted pedophilia. These charges resulted not only in ILGA losing its status at the U.N.; they nearly tore the group apart. Founded in 1978 and based in Brussels, ILGA is an umbrella association comprising more than 350 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender organizations from all over the world. Among other activities, ILGA organizes regional conferences for activists and lobbies governments and international agencies on gay-rights issues. Its membership represents an immense range of concerns, from lesbian sports groups, to struggling gay organizations in Africa, to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. It would seem logical that ILGA should have consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the principal U.N. body responsible for promoting human rights. More than 2,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) enjoy such status, including such groups as the Salvation Army, the Nature Conservancy, and the Federation of European Motorcyclists. Consultative status allows these organizations to submit reports to ECOSOC and participate in its conferences. But until 1993, there had been no NGO that specifically represented sexual minorities. ILGA first applied for consultative status in 1990, but it wasn't until March 1993 that the Committee on Non- Governmental Organizations recommended the application be approvedover strenuous objections from Muslim delegates. When the matter came up at ECOSOC's meeting in Geneva on July 30, 1993, feelings were so heated the council departed from its usual consensus procedure and called for a roll-call vote. Twenty-two countries, including the United States, voted in favor of ILGA's accreditation; four countriesSyria, Malaysia, Swaziland, and Togoopposed it. Cuba's favorable vote was a surprise; its delegates said Cuba had "learned from its mistakes." Seventeen countries abstained, some on procedural grounds. ILGA hailed the vote as a milestone. "The world community has recognized...that lesbian and gay rights are human rights," declared ILGA Secretary-General Hans Hjerpekjon. But anti-gay groups in the United States were not going to let the U.N. bestow its imprimatur on homosexuals without a fight. In September 1993, the Lambda Report, a right-wing newsletter that claims to "monitor the homosexual agenda," published an article under the headline "U.N. Grants Voice to Gay Group with Pedophile Ties." The article pointed out that ILGA counted among its members the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA), which supports men who desire sex with adolescent and pre-adolescent boys, as well as sadomasochist clubs. The implication was clear: perverts now had a seat at the U.N. Republican Sen. Jesse Helms, a long-time anti-gay crusader, took up the cause. He introduced an amendment to withhold nearly $119 million from the U.N. until the State Department could certify that no U.N.-accredited NGO "promotes, condones, or seeks the legalization of pedophilia, or...includes as a subsidiary or member any such organization." "The notion that the United Nations should be consulting with child molesters on how to spend American taxpayers' money is outrageous," Helms argued. His amendment passed unanimously. Not only the United States, but even loyal supporters like Canada and Australia began to question ILGA's accreditation. In response, at its world conference in New York in June 1994, ILGA voted to expel NAMBLA and two other similar groups, but it was a highly controversial decision. Many accused the group of caving in to right-wing, anti-sex views, and NAMBLA supportersincluding writers Pat Califia and Camille Paglia and pioneering gay-rights activist Harry Haystaged a march against ILGA. Nor was the United States happy. In August, the State Department learned that a German ILGA organization had an association with a pedophile group; consequently, it could not certify that the U.N. was free of child-molesters. Since ILGA couldn't guarantee that none of its members had any connection whatsoever with offending groups, ECOSOC suspended its consultative status at a behind-closed-doors meeting in September 1994. This was the first time since the 1950s that an NGO's U.N. status had been revoked. The fall-out continued. In its effort to appease the U.N., ILGA demanded that members sign a statement saying they do not condone pedophilia. Many refused on principle, and onethe Toronto-based Pink Triangle Press, which publishes three Canadian gay newspaperswas so outraged by the ultimatum it resigned. This was especially painful, because just two years earlier Pink Triangle had come to ILGA's aid with a $10,000 donation. By July 1996, less than half of its membership had signed the anti-pedophilia statement, and ILGA announced it would rescind the requirement. Financial concerns were a likely factor; from 1995 to 1996, revenueslargely from members' dues and donationshad dropped from about $215,000 to about $50,000. Pink Triangle Press rejoined in 1997. ILGA has since dropped efforts to restore its position at the U.N. Currently, the only specifically queer NGO at ECOSOC is the Australian Coalition of Activist Lesbians, which gained consultative status in 1999. Rawley Grau has won four Vice Versa Awards for his writing on gay and lesbian culture. He can be reached at GayNestor@aol.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 10, July 27, 2001. |