Obama, Clinton praise U.N. gay resolution

UNITED NATIONS, June 17 (UPI) -- The U.N. Human Rights Council Friday adopted a resolution seeking a study to document discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons.

It's the first-ever U.N. resolution on the human rights of homosexuals and bisexual and transgender individuals.

The council requested the high commissioner initiate a study to be finished by December "to document discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, in all regions of the world, and how international human rights law could be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity," the United Nations said in a statement.

U.S. President Barack Obama called the action "a significant milestone in the long struggle for equality, and the beginning of a universal recognition that LGBT persons are endowed with the same inalienable rights -- and entitled to the same protections -- as all human beings."

He said in a statement released by the White House that the United States "stands proudly with those nations that are standing up to intolerance, discrimination, and homophobia."

"LGBT persons are entitled to equal treatment, equal protection, and the dignity that comes with being full members of our diverse societies," he said. "As the United Nations begins to codify and enshrine the promise of equality for LGBT persons, the world becomes a safer, more respectful, and more humane place for all people."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also lauded the action, calling it "a historic moment."

"All over the world, people face human rights abuses and violations because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, including torture, rape, criminal sanctions, and killing," Clinton said in a statement. "Today's landmark resolution affirms that human rights are universal.

"People cannot be excluded from protection simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The United States will continue to stand up for human rights wherever there is inequality and we will seek more commitments from countries to join this important resolution."