by Stefano Gennarini JD, C-Fam
In a historic victory for pro-family nations and the Trump administration, the General Assembly voted to remove “sexual orientation and gender identity” from a UN resolution for the first time on Wednesday this week.
The amendment to remove the offending language was sponsored by Egypt on behalf of the 57 states that make up the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and enjoyed wide support from Asia and Africa. Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay also supported the amendment.
The European Union opposed the amendment. A representative of Denmark speaking on behalf of all EU member states said that the amendment was “regrettable” and that homosexual and transgender issues that were being deleted were “core principle of non-discrimination.”
No EU member state broke position with Brussels. Even Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and other EU member states with purportedly pro-family governments also voted with the European Union in favor of homosexual and transgender rights.
The German President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, did everything she could to delay pounding the gavel on the final result, something the Russian Federation noted was unusual and showed the “biased position of the President on this subject.” A vote that normally takes less than a minute took almost three minutes. At one point, the vote tally on the screen showed the amendment succeeding by a single vote, 78 to 77. In a desperate attempt to get more votes against the controversial amendment, Baerbock called again on countries to check their votes. This was a fatal calculation as the final vote tally produced three more votes in favor.
While the vote was taking place, the German Baerbock showed disbelief, even more so when applause broke out in the General Assembly Hall. Her voice cracked with emotion as she fought to keep composed while declaring the final outcome. The amendment to delete the controversial terms passed by 81 votes in favor and 77 against.
The Trump administration’s position against gender ideology and DEI greatly influenced the dramatic vote. European delegates exiting the General Assembly Hall denigrated the amendment as “The Trump amendment.”