Report: U.S. not
doing enough to protect its gay citizens

A new report from a global human rights organization says the United States is not protecting its gay citizens--and the group hopes its findings might prompt questioning from the United Nations. The report, released Monday by Global Rights, came just hours before the United Nations Human Rights Committee's scheduled information session with the United States. The report cites what it calls "major gaps" in protections for gay Americans. According to Global Rights, "standardized nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression" are needed at the federal level. The report also criticizes the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and notes that 21 states do not have hate-crime statutes based on real or perceived sexual orientation. Global Rights said it had hoped the report might prompt the U.N. Human Rights Committee to question the United States about its treatment of gay Americans. But according to the United Nations Web site, much of the scheduled questioning was regarding "counterterrorism" measures and the rights of detainees. While several questions are scheduled dealing with equality and discrimination, sexual orientation is not specifically mentioned. Questioning is scheduled to run through Tuesday morning. (Sirius OutQ News)