Dylan Lang
U.S. Adviser for the Third Committee
New York, New York
October 26, 2023
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Mr. Independent Expert, for your latest report. We thank you for your valuable reporting over the last six years and the indelible mark you leave on this important mandate. You have been a voice, role model, and inspiration for so many LGBTQI+ persons around the world, especially those that may not have had an advocate otherwise.
We are also pleased to welcome Graeme Reid as the new Independent Expert and look forward to him carrying forward your legacy for this critical mandate.
Many people in this room and around the world, myself included, are proud to identify as part of the LGBTQI+ community. This is something to be embraced and celebrated. As President Biden said during his Pride Month remarks this year, “I want to send a message to the entire community, especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You are understood. And you belong!”
The emerging patterns of anti-LGBTQI+ violence and discrimination underscore the importance of this mandate more than ever. There are LGBTQI+ persons in every corner of the globe, despite the efforts of some Member States to deny their existence or deny them their human rights and dignity. Instead, they are forcing LGBTQI+ persons to suffer, often in silence.
We must work together in the United Nations to amplify all voices and ensure that no one is subjected to violence or discrimination, no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, especially persons facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.
I thank you.
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