The United Nations Security Council issued a statement on Monday condemning this weekend’s attack on a gay bar in Orlando, Florida in a statement that specifically denounced violence targeting people “as a result of their sexual orientation” for the first time.
The statement was a landmark because the Security Council, the main body in the UN focused on peace and security, has never issued an official document of any kind referencing sexual orientation. It’s a category that many countries have fought to keep out of UN documents, arguing that it is not recognized under international human rights agreements. Monday night’s document was a press statement, not a formal resolution, but it still required unanimous agreement from the committee that includes LGBT-rights opponents like Russia and Egypt.
The statement comes as the UN Human Rights Council opened a session in Geneva where a group of South American countries is expected to introduce a resolution to create the UN’s first ever LGBT rights watchdog.
The full statement from the Security Council is available here.
Based on the publication by Buzzfeed.