London, United Kingdom – Queen Elizabeth II on March 11 will ratify the new Commonwealth Charter, governing terms of association between England and the states that were once its former colonies.
The Charter unequivocally embraces the ideal of universal human rights for all Commonwealth citizens. Yet, more than 40 of the member states criminalize lesbian, gay, bi and trans people for who they are and who they love. All Out, the world’s largest movement for LGBT equality, launched a global petition today calling on the leaders of all Commonwealth countries to respect the new charter and work to immediately remove laws that make it a crime to be gay—many of them painful relics from the era of British colonization.
“The new Commonwealth Charter is a positive step forward. Now it is time to truly shake off the colonial hangover and remove anti-gay laws from the books that violate the Charter and leave many Commonwealth nations stuck in the past,” said Andre Banks, Executive Director and Co-founder of All Out, “We are calling on the leaders of the Commonwealth to push for full decriminalisation of homosexuality in every country bound by the Charter.”
Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth and the Church of England, will sign the Charter today at a ceremony to mark Commonwealth Day.
Section 377, as it is known in many Commonwealth countries, is a law outlawing homosexuality and remains from the time when the Commonwealth countries were British colonies. As each country gained independence, these laws remained.
Banks added, “The United Kingdom can take the lead and use public and diplomatic pressure to ensure that the initial wrong done by these laws is not visited upon the children of this generation”.
All Out members are leading the fight against criminalisation in countries around the world, including in places where it is most dangerous to be who you are and love who you choose.
To see the live signature totals from All Out’s petition visit: www.allout.org/commonwealth.
News about the Queen’s forthcoming statement:
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2290824/Queen-fights-gay-rights-Monarch-makes-historic-pledge-discrimination-hints-Kate-DOES-girl-means-equal-rights-throne.html.