U.N. Secretary-Gen. Urges Global Gay Rights

The United Nations secretary-general issued a special message to the world's LGBT population during the U.N.'s first hearing to discuss discrimination and violence against LGBT people.

Ban-Ki Moon said that many other world leaders are hesitant to talk about gay rights because it simply was not something discussed in the past. However, he said he "learned to speak out because lives are at stake, and because it is our duty, under the United Nations charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to protect the rights of everyone everywhere."

Watch the full statement below: