Nations Object to Women's Rights Because They Might Help The Gays

Several nations attending this week’s United Nations Commission on Population and Development objected to enshrining women’s rights regarding sexuality and marriage into international agreements because of concerns that it might legitimise same-sex relations.

During the meeting of the commission, 179 countries agreed that women have the right to be in control of their own reproductive and sexual health, which of course also means being able to choose when and how to become pregnant. However, acrimony broke out among the nations when the next point was suggested: allowing women to have control over their decisions of whom and when to marry and with whom and when they would have sexual relations.

Why is this such a contentious issue? Because GAY PEOPLE. If these countries recognise that women are free to choose to whom they are married and with whom they will have sexual relations, they could… *gasp* CHOOSE ANOTHER WOMAN. DUN DUN DUN.

The head of the UN Population Fund, Babatunde Osotimehin, told the AP that he does not believe that the above logic makes any sense and that the conservatives in the objecting nations are incorrect:

It’s about the conservatives saying that there is language there that is nuanced. We’re saying there is no language nuanced. If we want to talk about it, we’ll talk about it, but why do you think that every time we’re talking about rights we’re talking about LGBT rights?

Sorry, sir, but on this one the conservatives are actually right. Women’s rights and LGBT rights are intertwined. You might say they…. intersect. Since, you know, last time I checked, all lesbians were women, about half of bisexual people were women, trans women are women, and trans men are often treated as women—especially in the countries doing the objecting.

Every time we talk about rights we are talking about LGBT rights. As Hillary Clinton, former United States Secretary of State, has said, “LGBT rights are human rights.” And if we accept that women are human (a radical idea, I know) and that they have freedom to determine with whom they have sex and when they have sex (again, a radical idea, apparently), then we must also accept that some women will choose to be with other women. And if that legitimises same-sex relationships? GOOD. As it should be.

Oh, and if the relevance of the headline image wasn’t clear: that’s Hillary’s successor, John Kerry facepalming at a meeting of the 68th United Nations General Assembly.