WORLD LEADERS

In this video released by the Free & Equal campaign, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu calls for an end to punishing people because of who they are or whom they love, saying "I oppose such injustice with the same passion that I opposed apartheid." Free & Equal is the United Nations campaign for LGBT equality.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu says he "won't worship a homophobic god," UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay says "everyone is born free and equal… no exceptions, no one left behind," and Justice Edwin Cameron says "the biggest foes of gay and lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and intersex equality have been invisibility and silence." Watch their strong statements at Free & Equal's launch in Capetown, South Africa.

In a historic address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon decries violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and tells LGBT people "you are not alone."

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay looks back at the evolution of the gay rights debate at the United Nations. The High Commissioner makes it clear that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is truly universal and applies to us all - whoever we are, whatever we look like, whoever we share our lives with.

On 25 September 2014, foreign ministers and other high-level representatives of UN Member States met at the United Nations to discuss next steps in the fight to end homophobia and transphobia.

On 26 September 2013, leaders from the UN's core group of countries working to end violence and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people met in New York for the first-ever ministerial meeting at the UN on LGBT rights.