LGBTQIA+ and disability rights organisations across the globe — including ILGA World, ILGA Oceania, and Oceania Pride — have united to condemn the United Nations General Assembly for removing references to sexual orientation and gender identity from a major resolution on the rights of persons with disabilities.
The resolution, adopted last week, had originally acknowledged the unique barriers faced by LGBTQIA+ people living with disabilities. However, an amendment led by Egypt, speaking on behalf of several member states from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, succeeded in removing that language.
The amendment passed with 81 votes in favour, 77 against, and 15 abstentions — despite efforts from human rights advocates to protect inclusive language.
“A Violent Act of Erasure”
The move has been labelled as discriminatory, exclusionary, and a betrayal of human rights principles.
“This vote forces millions of people to choose between different parts of their identity and who they are,” said Jasmine Kaur, Chair of ILGA Oceania’s Disability Subcommittee.
“They are told to deny their disability to claim their sexuality — or hide their identity to access disability rights.
It is a violent act of erasure. As a queer woman with disability, I am not half a person. My disability and my sexuality are inseparable. The UN told me and my community that our intersectional reality is politically inconvenient.”
“We Have Been Erased — Again”
Margherita Coppolino, Co-chair of ILGA Oceania and ILGA World Board Member, said the decision disregards a key part of her lived experience.
“I have lived as a proud lesbian with disability for the past 65 years.
To omit LGBTIQA+ people with disabilities from this resolution is discriminatory. It denies our right to be included in decisions that affect our lives.”
Organisations say the removal of SOGIESC (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics) language not only contradicts existing international law, but also undermines the principles of inclusion in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
It also ignores the Yogyakarta Principles, which affirm that all human rights apply to all people, without exception.
A Dangerous Precedent for International Human Rights
In a joint statement, ILGA World and its regional partners warned that the vote sets a dangerous precedent:
“States chose to adopt a discriminatory and exclusionary framework — even within a largely positive resolution — leaving millions vulnerable by design.
The precedent this sets is deeply alarming. It signals that the rights of marginalised groups within marginalised groups are expendable. It emboldens global efforts to roll back inclusive language and threatens decades of hard-won progress.”
Call to Action: “We Will Not Be Erased”
The coalition has called on all UN Member States to:
- Reaffirm a strong commitment to intersectional human rights
- Support inclusive language on SOGIESC in all UN documents
- Implement domestic laws that protect LGBTQIA+ persons with disabilities from all forms of discrimination
“Human rights are indivisible,” the statement reads. “States cannot protect a person while denying the fullness of who they are.
By choosing to exclude LGBTQIA+ people, many UN member states failed a fundamental moral test. Our coalition will intensify advocacy in every place of power to ensure one message is heard loud and clear: we will not be erased.”
