Dec 20, 2011
The ICJ welcomes the release of the first ever United Nations report on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity.
The mandate for the report came from a UN Human Rights Council resolution introduced by South Africa last June. The report documents widespread discrimination and violence faced by LGBT people worldwide, and calls on States to apply the international legal framework to end these human rights violations. The findings of the report are due to be presented and discussed by governments at an expert-led panel at the Human Rights Council in March 2012.
laws acts individuals-UN report-2011 (download the UN report in English, PDF)
Dec 5, 2011 | News
The ICJ Condemns Nigeria’s “Same-Sex Marriage” bill and urges house, president to reject it.
Nigeria-same-sex bill-press release-2011 (full text in English, PDF)
Sep 16, 2011
In Ladele & McFarlane v. United Kingdom, the applicants argue that the failure of their employers to grant them a religious exemption from serving same-sex couples is a violation of their rights under Article 9 of the European Convention. Ladele, whose case was profiled in Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Justice: A Comparative Law Casebook, was a town registrar who claimed a religious objection to performing civil unions for same-sex couples. McFarlane was a relationships counsellor who objected to providing psycho-sexual therapy for same-sex couples on religious grounds. In its Submission, the ICJ argues that comparative law and practice demonstrate no support for exemptions from non-discrimination and equality laws for religiously motivated individuals. In fact, the laws and judicial decisions of States both within and outside the Council of Europe demonstrate the overriding importance attached to the objective of eradicating sexual orientation discrimination.
Sep 16, 2011
The Thai military will no longer categorize transgender draftees as “permanently insane.” The ICJ submitted this amicus brief in the case of Samart Meecharoen v. Defense Ministerlast year.
Thailand-courtroom victory-analysis brief-2011 (full text, PDF)
Sep 6, 2011
Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Justice: A Comparative Law Casebook is a collection of domestic court cases addressing legal issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.
