Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Vigil held at UN


The New York Blade reports on a vigil held at U.N. to support LGBT human rights. Trenton Straub reports:
Like many gays and lesbians across the globe, Brendan Fay would sit at his computer daily and read grim news about suffering and inequality, tales of blood in the streets, of discrimination, hatred, torture and executions.

When Russian activists were attacked earlier this summer simply for asking to have a Pride march, reports and images from Moscow reached Fay’s computer as the events unfolded. The reports marked a turning point for the Irish activist living in New York City, and Fay decided to take action.

Fay joined other activists across the globe to plan a weekend of international vigils that would focus on LGBT human rights. In New York, a vigil took place Friday afternoon at the United Nations’ Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza. Religious leaders, U.N. officials and other activists joined the vigil.

“We refuse to be silent in the face of torture, discrimination and executions in Iran, of beatings on the streets of Moscow, of Lithuanian authorities preventing the rainbow flag from being carried on the streets of Vilnius. We refuse to be silent when many LGBT and HIV positive refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants arrive on the shores of the U.S. only to encounter discrimination and closed doors,” Fay said.


NY clergy participated in the vigil

Read it all here

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