Iran
Zimbabwe
China
Cameroon
The United States of America

What you might ask do these five nations have in common?
Certainly it's not democracy...since Zimbabwe and China don't even pretend to have one. Not religious freedom...not equal rights for women...not high education standards...

Other than the death penalty--which they all have--these are the five states who voted to exclude LGBT-affilited NGO's (non-governmental organizations) from having affiliate/consultative status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Over one thousand NGO's have that status with the council--including the World Women's Christian Temperance Union (and 24 other groups with "Christian" in their name), the World Evangelical Fellowship, and the International Council of Catholic Men (and about 50 other international Catholic-affiliated organizations).

Last week, The International Gay and Lesbian Association and the Danish Association of Gays and Lesbians were denied consulting status with the council (aka ECOSOC) because these five member states (out of 19) of the committee on NGO's voted to deny the applications and to deny a hearing on the applications. Among those nations who voted FOR the applications: India, Rumania, Turkey, Ivory Coast, Germany, Chile & Columbia.

To be fair, there are two lesbian-affiliated organizations that have consultative status--one based in Australia and one international group which works for fair pay for women. (They got in during the Clinton Administration.) Otherwise, on the major consuting body in the UN on social issues, there are no LGBT NGO's who have power of voice in meetings and conferences of ECOSOC, though dozens upon dozens of groups which oppose GLBT rights and protections HAVE such status, including Focus on the Family and the American Family Association, who were granted consultative status in 2003.

By the way..it takes 5 votes to do what happened last week, so any one of the 5 constituted the deciding vote.

I marvel at the fact that over and over again, the current administration alligns itself with the most oppressive regimes in the world to block issues of international justice related to women, children, and the lgbt community...

and no one seems to pay any attention at all. I'm wondering...did any of you know of this very recent act of homophobia by the Bush Administration before you read it here?