Our UK colleagues have sent a letter to the United Nations about the conduct of Independent Expert for SOGI (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity) Victor Madrigal-Borloz.

You can read the summary letter below. And the full version of the letter is available here.
LGB Alliance Australia are signatories.

10 January 2023

Statement by LGB Alliance

We have today written to the incoming President of the UN Human Rights Council with a long and detailed complaint about the failure of the Independent Expert on SOGI, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, to fulfill his mandate.

For the full version of our complaint please go to: https://bit.ly/formal-complaint-to-un

In short, Mr Madrigal-Borloz urges countries to introduce gender self-ID and champions the activist manifesto known as the Yogyakarta Principles instead of doing his job. He largely ignores the “SO” part of his mandate. He has proposed no plan to counter the criminalization of same-sex relations in 69 countries. He has proposed no plan to counter the worldwide discrimination and violence targeting people with same-sex sexual orientation. He repeatedly insists that gender self-ID poses no risk to the rights of LGB people or women, despite being supplied with a mountain of evidence to the contrary. Besides dismissing the facts presented to him, he also misrepresents the law, falsely asserting that international human rights law requires the introduction of gender self-ID. He has an obligation to publish the submissions he receives, but he does not publish those from LGB groups that reject gender identity ideology, apparently deeming them “hateful”.

Our letter to the President of the Human Rights Council concludes:

“It may be that you find yourself in sympathy with Victor Madrigal-Borloz’s views, or have taken them to be progressive. If so, we would like to add this. People who are attracted to others of the same sex are subjected to discrimination and violence worldwide - whatever their beliefs. That is assuredly one of the key reasons the SOGI mandate was created. We represent gay, lesbian and bisexual people who might be assumed to deserve protection under the SOGI mandate. However, it is clear from everything Victor Madrigal-Borloz says and does that he considers us only worthy of attention if we mouth the mantras: ‘Trans women are women, trans men are men, non-binary identities are valid.’ That is a belief system. It is entirely separate from sexual orientation. We do not share this belief system. Our sexual orientation has nothing to do with how someone identifies. Please let us know if it is now the established view at the United Nations that lesbian, gay and bisexual people who do not subscribe to this belief system no longer deserve its protection. It would be good to know whether or not we are still included in the global family of the United Nations.”

The following groups and individuals have signed in endorsement of this complaint:

Paula Boulton, for Lesbian Labour, UK

Nicole Phillips, for LGB Alliance Australia, Australia

Terri Lipanovic, for LGB Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand, New Zealand

Anna Zobnina, for European Network of Migrant Women (ENoMW), Europe

LGB Alliance Cymru, Wales

Natalie Kershaw, for LGB Alliance Canada, Canada

Lynne Harne, for Lesbian Rights Alliance, UK

The Directors, for Gay Men’s Network, UK 

Eldur Deville, for Samtökin 22, Iceland

Gaye Chapman, Owner, Lesbian Nation LLC & AfterEllen.com, United States

Tonje Gjevjon, for LLH2019 (lesbian, gay bisexual network), Norway

No Self ID Taiwan, Taiwan

Carol Angharad, for Lesbian Labour, UK

Bronwen Evans, for Lesbian Labour Cymru, Wales

Linn Saarinen, for LHB-förbundet, Sweden

LGB Liberal Forum, UK

Dr Nicola Williams, for Fair Play for Women, UK

Sheila Jeffreys, Director, Women's Declaration International.

Confluencia Movimiento Feminista, Spain

Maria Ludovica Bottarelli Tranquilli-Leali, for Italian Coordination of the European Women's Lobby, Italy

Teresa Nevado Bueno, for Lobby Europeo de Mujeres en España Women’s Association, Spain

Ángeles Álvarez, Ex parlamentarian. First openly lesbian parliamentarian in Spain, Spain

Vaishnavi Sundar, Filmmaker & women's rights activist, India

Kat Karena, for LGB Defence Australasia, Australia

Alessandra Asteriti, International law scholar, Italy

Marieke Bos, Lesbian feminist and counsellor, Netherlands

Rosa Borg, Radical feminist, Malta

Miranda Yardley, Human Rights Activist, UK

Alice Bondi, Women’s and lesbian rights activist, UK

R.J. Preece, gay rights activist, The Netherlands

Tonje Gjevjon, lesbian artist, Norway

Lance Yu, LGB rights activist, Taiwan

Robert Jessel, LGB rights activist, UK

Jo Campbell, Lesbian and gay rights activist, UK

Fiona Graph, UK Esther Bertomeu, UK

Kate Grimes, NHS Chief Executive (retired), UK

Dr Vivien Pointon, Lesbian & women's rights activist, UK

Palina, lesbian right activist, Belarus

Tonie van Marle, The Netherlands

Richard Collumbell, Gay man, UK

Charles Beaton, Campaigner for Homosexual Equality, UK

Pam Isherwood, Adult human female Lesbian, UK

Julie X Black, lesbian & women's rights activist, USA

Stephanie Davies-Arai, Transgender Trend, UK

FiLiA, UK For Women Scotland, UK