This article was originally published by the
Texas Observer
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A coalition of four nonprofit organizations is asking the United Nations to take action to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ Texans.
A Jan. 22 letter sent from Equality Texas, ACLU of Texas, GLAAD, and Human Rights Campaign to over a dozen independent experts, working groups, and special rapporteurs at the U.N. asks the international body to intercede in what the nonprofits called a “human rights crisis” in our state. The letter specifically highlights seven laws passed during the last legislative session which infringe on the rights of trans and queer residents, which the authors argue violate human rights treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), originally adopted in 1966.
“Right now, queer people in Texas are dealing with a lot ,” said Jonathan Gooch, director of communications at Equality Texas . “Technically, the ICCPR and other human rights treaties are the law of the land, and they should supplant any Texas law that violates them.”