The International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) is today, May 17th. It marks the day in 1990 that the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its roster of disorders.
To mark the day, Human Rights Watch has published their 2007 “Hall of Shame” A featuring leaders who have undermined human rights through homophobia.
Says the group's director Scott Long: “This ‘hall of shame' does not claim to include the worst offenders, but it highlights leaders who have lent their authority to denying basic human rights. Bush and Pope Benedict both speak of human dignity, but their homophobic words and actions undermine families and endanger health.”
This year's losers are Pope Benedict XVI, US President George W. Bush, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Polish Minister of Education Roman Giertych, and Philippine Chair of the House Committee on Civil, Political and Human Rights Bienvenido Abante.
More from Human Rights Watch on the reasons for their inclusion after the jump…
Pope Benedict XVI: for undermining families. The leader of the Holy See has gone well beyond expressing the Church's theological views on homosexuality. The Pope has intervened in politics in many other countries to condemn and threaten figures who support equal rights or any form of recognition for lesbian and gay families. After Spain legalized same-sex marriage in 2005, Pope Benedict's Pontifical Council on the Family commanded Spanish officials to refuse to marry same-sex couples or even to process the paperwork if they tried to adopt a child.
US President George W. Bush: for jeopardizing public health. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) requires that one-third of HIV-prevention spending go to so-called “abstinence-until-marriage” programs. These programs threaten the health of LGBT people by sending a message that there is no safe way for them to have sex, and by denying them life-saving information. In some countries, such as Uganda, grants from the $15 billion PEPFAR program have funded groups that actively promote homophobia; in others, they have drastically reduced condom provision.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: for creating public and private scandals. President Ahmadinejad has overseen a widening campaign to “counter public immorality,” arbitrarily arresting thousands of Iranians for dressing or behaving differently. In recent weeks, for example, thousands of women have been detained for not conforming to “correct” Islamic dress. In Iran's surveillance society, Ahmadinejad also uses religious vigilantes to raid homes and other private places in search of “deviant” behavior – including homosexual conduct. The Iranian regime polices public behavior and violates the right to privacy on a massive scale.
Roman Giertych, Polish Minister of Education and Deputy Prime Minister: for endangering children. Part of a right-wing government that has made homophobia a centerpiece of policy, Giertych's education ministry has proposed a law to fine or imprison teachers, school officials, or student human rights defenders who even mention homosexuality. Vital facts about safer sex and protection against HIV/AIDS could be banned from schools under the new law.
Bienvenido Abante, Member of the Philippine House of Representatives and Chair of the House Committee on Civil, Political and Human Rights: for trying to force his sexual orientation on others. Representative Abante has urged that homosexuals be “cured” and turned into heterosexuals. He has repeatedly blocked a landmark bill that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the Philippines. He has also suggested that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are excluded from the “definition” of human rights.
