The Bahamas backs removing protection for gay people in UN resolution

[Swede]

Source: The Tribune

THE Bahamas has voted in favour of removing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons from a United Nations resolution that would condemn their extra-judicial or arbitrary execution because of their sexual orientation.

Along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and 75 other mostly African and Muslim countries, the Bahamas helped see the amendment approved 79 to 70, with 17 countries abstaining from the vote, and another 26 being absent.

The United States and Britain, with most of Europe and South America, voted against removing protection from gays.



Read more: http://www.tribune242.com/news/11242010_Bahamas-UN-vote_news_page-1

[DesertFlower]

1. well screw them. i'll make

sure we never take another vacation there.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

2. Guess it's not better in the Bahamas...

at least for gay people. Vacation dollars can go elsewhere...

[jancantor]

3. It's a no brainer

I'm not vacationing there

[MadMaddie]

4. They will not get a dime from me. Screw them.

[RKP5637]

5. Their loss - better places to vacation. n/t

[DeSwiss]

6. -K&R - F.U.C.K. - THE Bahamas n/t

[sarcasmo]

7. The UN needs to be kicked out of this country for even allowing this to be voted on.

[Swamp Rat]

8. I thought I might go there someday.

Now I am sure I will not.

[davidinalameda]

9. it's stuff like this that shows how useless the UN actually is

[Forkboy]

10. Proving that people suck worldwide.

[donco6]

11. The Western Caribbean in general is not safe for gays.

It's a hotbed of fundie Christianity mixed with vestiges of gang affiliation and other stuff. Best to be avoided. Even in St. Thomas there have been a few scattered incidents of gay bashing. But it's not as bad. Belize is on the list, too.

[Swede]

12. Here is the whole list.

Yep,lots of Caribbean countries on the list.

The votes to amend the resolution were as follows:

In favor of the amendment to remove sexual orientation from the resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (79):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brunei Dar-Sala, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, China, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Opposed to the amendment to remove sexual orientation from the resolution on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (70):

Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Micronesia (FS), Monaco, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela

Abstain (17):

Antigua-Barbuda, Barbados, Belarus, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Colombia, Fiji, Mauritius, Mongolia, Papau New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Absent (26):

Albania, Bolivia, Central African Republic, Chad, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Marshall Island, Mauritania, Nauru, Nicaragua, Palau, Sao Tome Principe, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Turkmenistan

[donco6]

14. Russian Federation, South Africa, China -

Let's not overlook them either.

[dsc]

17. South Africa is a true stunner

their current, post apartheid, constitution legalized marriage equality and they have full equal rights for gays as well. I just don't know what they were thinking.

[stevenleser]

16. Hooray for Panama at least. I'm there right now.

Glad to see my $$$ is not supporting a bigoted country but a more enlightened one, at least as far as the LGBT community is concerned.

[No Elephants]

19. Nations that abstained or were "absent" are no better--and maybe a bit worse--than those who voted

to throw gays to the murderers.

[Bluenorthwest]

13. Island of hate

Fuck them.

[pleah]

15. The hate just keeps spreading. :( n/t

[jberryhill]

18. Jamaica too. No surprise there

"One Love", unless you are gay, in which case it is hate as usual.

[No Elephants]

20. Three questions that seem to me to be important:

1/ Why does the story and/or headline single out the Bahamas?


Among the nations voting the wrong way that seem neither African nor Muslim (or majority Muslim) were:


Bahamas, Belize, China, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Myanmar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname and Viet Nam.



As I posted upthread, nations abstaining or absenting themselves are at least as bad as those affirmatively voting the wrong way.

Among the nations abstaining that seem neither African nor Muslim (or majority Muslim) were:

Antigua-Barbuda, Barbados, Belarus, Cambodia, Cape Verde (arguably African), Colombia, Fiji, Mauritius (arguably African), Mongolia, Papau New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Vanuatu


Among the nations absenting themselves that seem neither African nor Muslim (or majority Muslim) were:

Bolivia, Dominica, Honduras, Kiribati, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nicaragua, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga

(Most or all of the above nations were either overwhelmingly Christian or overwhelmingly Buddhist.)


2/ Shouldn't decent nations "condemn" ALL " extra-judicial or arbitrary execution{s}?"


3/ Is the UN an idea whose time has gone?

[Hippo_Tron]

21. Probably because we don't think of the Bahamas as anything but a vacation spot for Americans

So it's kind of stunning when you read that they have extreme political views.