The Importance Of The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

Roughly 600 years ago, Columbus came and “discovered” America although there were people currently living there. Europeans soon claimed the land as theirs and called themselves Americans. Today, although people have made a living in the United States, they are being sent back because of their race and where they came from. The ban of people from the Middle East entering the United States took the world by shock although Donald Trump has talked about it before his presidency. Many people believed that he was not going to be able to do it since it violates the United States Constitution. It also infringes with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and managed to still get away with it.

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” as Mark Twain is often reputed to have said explains with much rhetoric that in fact history is not repeated in a sense that the same events happen over and over again, instead events embrace similar themes. The same concept of Mr. Twain’s history comparison can be brought in support of why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) drafted in 1948 by the UN --an international agreement that dictates basic rights and undeniable freedoms in which all human beings are entitled to-- should be updated. After analyzing the Human Rights Treaty it was concluded that amending the UDHR should be considered because of advancements in the world, in main part due to globalization and

Although equal right for all may seem accomplished, specific group in the United States still feel restriction still present for them. The LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) community feels the restrictions they have against them, while some of the straight community feels they are all treated as equals and that LGBTQ people should not have laws that are directly in their favor. The Institute for Policy Studies is acknowledging the struggles LGBTQ people face in the United States like their right to the basic rights all citizens should possess. The Heritage Foundation claims SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) laws threaten other citizen’s freedoms like free speech and religious liberty.

Imagine a dog who is ill and suffering, they don’t speak nor do they voice their opinions yet you can tell that there in a world of pain and misery. You decide to put them down, put them at rest; knowing their not in pain and suffering. How can this be justified when a person who is terminally ill can’t make the decision on how they end their life. Through countless surgeries, chemotherapy and many vital medical treatments that were vital once in their life, that can now no longer be beneficial, a person cannot simply decide his or her fate.

The debate of whether to pass the bills and policies that promote equal treatment of lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, and the queer (LGBTQ) community has been trending across nations. People refer to fundamental human rights like the freedom of speech and association, liberty, and equal treatment in court as civil rights, because they are fundamental rights that each and every citizen should not be denied on the basis of their sex, race, or religious belief. Though it has been proven that homosexuality – the sexual desire for those of the same sex as oneself – has existed since humans have begun documenting human history, the framers of the Constitution did not include the unconstitutionality of discrimination against citizens on the basis of sexual preference, thus, making this discrimination entirely legal. It is, therefore, important to consider the varying views on this issue with an aim of constructing a genuine proposition to the policy makers.

People around the world face violence and inequality—and sometimes torture, even execution—because of who they love, how they look, or who they are (LGBT Rights). All people should be equal. It should not matter if a person is gay, straight, bisexual, or transgender. We should all have the right to get married and be treated equally. We should all be able to go into any business. Same-sex couples could help with adoptions and fostering children. No one should have to face violence because of their sexuality. Sexuality should not matter under any circumstance.

People may know a person who’s lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender or may have at least heard of LGBT community, but many don’t know about the bad side of the things that happens to these people. Many LGBTs experience limitation in their rights as Americans for being true to themselves. In the article, “LGBT Equality & Civil Rights”, it states, “Throughout its history, America has symbolized equality of opportunity for people of all races, origins, religions and creeds, serving as a beacon of hope for anyone seeking a better life. However, despite its founding principles of equality and acceptance, the United States also has a long history of denying basic rights to certain people.” Which is true in the rights of the LGBT community. Although

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” This is stated in the Declaration of Independence by our founding fathers it says that all men are created equal, but they’re not being treated equal and a change needs to occur. In the U.S. lesbians, gays, bisexual and transsexual students in schools are being denied the rights they constitutionally deserve such as equal protection from bullying and harassment, equal access to school programs and facilities and equal freedom of expression; these problems are still all too common and need to be addressed.

We all as humans have a sexual orientation and gender identity. This fact has stated discrimination against members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community, based on sexual orientation and gender identity is a major problem in the United States that affects many people. I believe that all people, regardless of their sexual preference or gender identification, should be able to have and enjoy their human rights.

As an American citizen we have many rights that are protected by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, along with laws that are enacted by each state and the federal government. A few of the rights that all American citizens have include the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to vote. The Equality Act also specifically provides each American citizen protection against discrimination based on qualities such as race, gender, age, and disabilities when applying for things such as employment, college, or housing. Furthermore, the Equality Act 2015 “Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation” (U.S. Congress, 2015). These rights are provided to American citizens because we are all viewed as equal and deserve to have equal rights and opportunities non-dependent of our race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. The fact that the Equality Act 2015

The Declaration of Independence states that “[all men have] certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...it is the Right of the People to alter [the government]...to effect their Safety and Happiness”. The rights of the LGBT community are vital to their life, pursuit of happiness, and safety; they should not be penalized for exercising their first amendment right: freedom of expression. Furthermore, the fourteenth amendment in the U.S. Constitution guarantees “any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”; studies have shown the LGBT community does not have equal protection in the workplace. To reinforce and uphold the founding beliefs of equality, liberty, and safety, it is apparent that there needs to be an alteration in legislation

LGBT rights are sometimes considered human rights, especially by the Amnesty International. Other people, legal or private person, consider these rights to be civil rights. There are a number of LGBT rights which are, however, not limited. One of the rights is allowing the gays to donate blood. There is also the recognition of same gender relationships which can be done by legalizing same sex marriages. Another one is allowing LGBT adoption and in the same breath recognizing LGBT parenting.

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people are discriminated against, terrorized, and protested against. They have barely any laws guarding their rights. All Americans are supposed to have all the rights needed for their pursuit of happiness, yet LGBTQ+ citizens do not. This needs to stop. And the U.S., while still quite far away, is slowly on its way to equity for all of its citizens. But good LGBT Americans are mostly treated unfairly.

The rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, and queers are often under attack from religious organizations as well as government policy. In the United States the constitution was meant to separate church and state, but in many instances the coexistence between the two greatly affects LGBTQ rights. The discrimination against the LGBTQ community causes many of their rights to be denied.

The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights stands as the current gold standard for every individual’s rights. Focusing on culture, one may see that cultural rights are not clearly defined and are oftentimes in conflict with other types of rights. In this paper, I will first discuss the United Nations’ use of ‘cultural’ in its universal human rights in relation to the concept of cultural relativism. Then, using South African and American practices, such as virginity testing and discriminatory criminal justice system respectively, I will describe and analyze practices violate the UN’s universal human rights in addition to the practices’ use for the community or society as a whole. Lastly, I will compare the American Anthropological Association’s rights to culture to the UN’s universal human rights by analyzing the limitations of each.