McAleese joins interfaith group to call for change in same-sex laws

Almost 400 global religious leaders have signed a declaration calling for countries to overturn bans on same-sex relations, according to Reuters.

A report this week from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association notes that sixty-nine United Nations member states have laws against same-sex sexual relations.

The declaration also calls for an end to so-called “conversion therapy” and reportedly has been signed by faith leaders from 35 countries and several different religions, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Sikh figures.

An announcement regarding the declaration is set to mark the launch of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives, at a virtual conference funded by the British foreign ministry.

The former President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, joined the religious leaders in signing the document. She called the joint statement “a small step,” but said it is “a necessary step to remind the faith systems of the world and people of faith that they have an obligation to their fellow citizens who are also entitled to the full dignity of their humanity and their full equal human rights.”