Obama Addresses Global Gay Rights in UN Speech

Speaking before the UN General Assembly Wednesday, President Obama called for nations to "stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere."

The LGBT mention in his 35-minute address follows a June statement from the White House commending a UN Human Rights Council resolution that expressed "grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity."

"No country should deny people their rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but also no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere," Obama said Wednesday.

NYT has coverage of the president's address here.

Update: Mark Bromley, chair of the Council for Global Equality, issued the following statement to The Advocate Wednesday on the president's address:

"The President's remarks today at the UN General Assembly, where he called for the world to 'stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere,' were historic. Never before has a sitting U.S. President spoken so clearly about LGBT rights in a formal address to the full General Assembly. It shows how far we have come.

"In his last months in office, President Bush refused to join a UN statement calling on countries to decriminalize homosexual relations and relationships. Today, President Obama stood before that same institution and pledged U.S. support for LGBT rights globally. This is the next frontier of the human rights struggle at the UN, and the arc of justice is clearly bending toward equality."