Page 6 - aruba-today-20220901

A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 1 sepTember 2022
UN expert: U.S. progress on LGBT rights but equality lacking

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Council in June 2023.
Enormous progress has “The conclusion of my visit
been achieved in the last in this preliminary moment
50 years for lesbian, gay, is that there are significant
bisexual and transgender efforts being deployed by
people in the United States the current administration
but unfortunately “equality to dismantle systems of so-
is not yet within reach and cial exclusion,” Madrigal-
in many cases not within Borloz said. But there is also
sight” for LGBT communi- “a significant risk that LGBT
ties, the independent U.N. persons will be caught in
expert on sexual orienta- what I have described as
tion and gender identity a riptide created by all of
said Tuesday. these actions at local lev-
Victor Madrigal-Borloz told el.” He said NGOs and hu-
a U.N. press conference af- man rights defenders have
ter a 10-day visit to the Unit- found at least 280 current
ed States that he applauds legislative attempts at the
President Joe Biden for local level that would lead
“very powerful” executive to a regression of LGBT
actions during his first days Flags fly outside the United Nations headquarters during the 74th session of the United Nations rights, “and which also cre-
in office seeking to eradi- General Assembly on Sept. 28, 2019. ate a terribly polarizing nar-
cate discrimination and Associated Press rative that exacerbates al-
violence against the LGBT ready high and worrisome
community. But he said he coverage, and in a recent cantly disproportionate to based U.N. Human Rights risks of violence and dis-
is “extremely concerned” study 43% of lesbian, gay the LGBT population in the Council, wrapped up visits crimination.”
about a concerted series and bisexual participants U.S., which he said is usu- to Washington, Birming- As examples, Madrigal-Bor-
of actions at the state and reported having suffered at ally estimated at between ham, Alabama, Miami and loz cited legislation in Ala-
local level based “on preju- least one act of discrimina- 5% and 8%. He also cited a San Diego at the invitation bama making it a felony to
dice and stigma, to attack tion or harassment, he said. Centers for Disease Control of the U.S. government. provide gender-affirming
and to rollback the rights of Madrigal-Borloz, a Costa and Prevention study that He said he met with over medical treatment to trans-
LGBT persons.” Rican lawyer and human found that bisexual women 70 federal, state and local gender youth and legisla-
Madrigal-Borloz said that in rights advocate, also ex- encountered intimate part- representatives, more than tion in Florida nicknamed
access to health, employ- pressed serious concern at ner violence at higher rates 100 civil society represen- “don’t say gay” by oppo-
ment, education and hous- the disproportionate im- than other populations, tatives, and people with nents that bans teachers
ing, the LGBT community pact of violence against with 46% reporting having “lived experience” in the from talking about sexual
suffers. the LGBT community. been raped and 74.9% re- LGBT community. orientation or gender iden-
Among young adults aged He cited the National porting being victims of He stressed that his com- tity through the third grade.
18 to 25, for example, LGBT Crime Victimization Survey sexual violence other than ments Tuesday reflected his He also cited limits on com-
people have a 2.2 times that found that 20.3% of rape, which he called “ex- preliminary observations, prehensive sexual and gen-
greater risk of homeless- hate crimes were related tremely worrying.” and his final report with rec- der education, and on par-
ness, 23% of LGBT adults to sexual orientation or Madrigal-Borloz, who was ommendations will be pre- ticipation in sports for trans-
of color have no health gender identity bias, signifi- appointed by the Geneva- sented to the Human Rights gender people.q

Political crisis continues in Baghdad after bloody clashes

By SAMYA KULLAB cleric were laid to rest on 24 hours when the support- pable and a way out of tensions are still simmering.
Associated Press Wednesday as Iraq’s parlia- ers of populist Shiite cleric Iraq’s 10-month political The statement came in re-
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi ment speaker announced Muqtada al-Sadr clashed vacuum does not appear sponse to an earlier plea
paramilitary forces killed in three days of mourning. with Iraqi security forces within reach. from the Framework call-
heavy clashes with the sup- Normal life crept back in inside the heavily fortified Both camps disagree over ing on the parliament to
porters of a powerful Shiite Baghdad after a bloody Green Zone, the seat of the appropriate mecha- convene, a move al-Sadr’s
Iraq’s government. nism to dissolve parliament supporters prevented by
At least 30 people, both and hold early elections, storming the legislative as-
al-Sadr’s loyalists and Iraqi key demands of al-Sadr. His sembly in July.
security forces, were killed, party won the 2021 federal A funeral procession for
and over 400 people were election but was not able four members of the Popu-
wounded after trading fire to reach the legislative lar Mobilization Forces, a
for hours this week. Al-Sadr quorum to vote in a gov- state-sanctioned umbrella
later called on his support- ernment that excluded his of paramilitaries among
ers to withdraw on Tuesday, Iran-friendly rivals. which Iran-backed Shiite
spurring a de-escalation of Al-Sadr’s representative, militias are the most pow-
hostilities. who goes by the Twitter erful, was held in Bagh-
Still, the threat of more moniker Mohammed Saleh dad. Key leaders from the
clashes looms as the po- al-Iraqi, called on Iran to Framework attended.
litical rivalry between al- “rein in her camel” in Iraq Iraq’s Parliament Speak-

Sadr and his Iran-backed a reference to the Frame- er Mohammed Halbousi
Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, makes a speech calling rivals in the Coordination work or face the conse- declared three days of
on his supporters to withdraw from the capital’s government Framework have not been quences. The strong lan- mourning for those killed in
quarter, from his house in Najaf, Iraq, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. settled. Tensions between guage was unusual from the clashes, according to a
Associated Press the two camps are still pal- al-Sadr’s camp, indicating statement from his office.q