Statement by the UN LGBTI Core Group
Chairperson,
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the 41 members of the UN LGBTI Core Group.
We welcome the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Mr. Graeme Reid, to NY, and we commend the recent renewal of the Independent Expert’s mandate by the Human Rights Council. We take this opportunity to reiterate our strong support for the work carried out by you and by all mandate holders since the establishment of this Special Procedure in 2016. We remain convinced that your collective work has made positive contributions to the protection of individuals who face violence and discrimination because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The LGBTI Core Group welcomes the Independent Expert’s latest report, which examines the barriers to the right to education faced by individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, and emphasizes that International human rights law is clear: prohibits discrimination in education on all grounds.
Schools and other educational institutions should be safe and inclusive environments that foster dignity, learning, self-confidence and emotional wellbeing. Your report, however, shows a very different and disconcerting reality: in every region of the world, students continue to face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identities, which are compounded by, inter alia, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, age, geographic origin, and migration status, both online and offline.
It is completely unacceptable that many LGBTI students, as well as those who support their rights, continue to experience physical, sexual, emotional and psychological violence and abuse, including bullying, harassment and intimidation, by educational staff, fellow students and even parents. As highlighted in your report, these experiences undermine a learner’s engagement , lead to higher drop-out rates, poor academic performance and adverse mental health outcomes, including suicidal thoughts and attempts. Taken together, these developments clearly infringe on the right to education. As such, we welcome the recommendations noted in the report and call on all states to take appropriate measures to uphold the right to education for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Chair,
Education plays a key role in promoting understanding and tolerance. In that regard, we recognize the growing number of States and educational institutions that are adopting inclusive curricula and anti-bullying policies. These positive examples show that progress is possible when political will, data, and participation of affected communities converge.
There is ample evidence-based guidance from relevant UN Entities and numerous professional associations of physicians that consistently affirm that it is safe and appropriate to teach children and young people about gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights, in an age-responsive manner. This is an integral part of the right to education, and a means to fulfil other interrelated rights, including the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, to bodily autonomy and freedom from violence and discrimination.
Finally, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the universality of human rights, and to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and we reiterate our group’s full support to your mandate.
Thank you.