UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday warned countries that criminalize homosexuality they were “bucking the tide of history,” during the first UN high-level meeting on LGBT rights. Held on the sidelines of the General Assembly, the meeting was attended by US Vice President Joe Biden and leaders from some 20 countries defending the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people worldwide. Biden, the first high-ranking US official to endorse same-sex marriage, said ensuring the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people was “the civil rights issue of our time”. “I ask those who use religious or cultural arguments to deprive LGBT people of their human rights: what do you gain by making others less equal?” Ban asked. In another breakthrough, the UN Human Rights Council has appointed the first-ever independent expert to report on LGBT violations worldwide.

Source: Manila Times September 21, 2016 22:41 UTC