Top 5 Triumphs for LGBT Rights Worldwide

It's been an exciting year for LGBT activism worldwide. While there are still plenty of battles to be fought, here are some moments to look back on with awe and gratitude while bidding 2009 adieu.

5) Nepali government drafting legal framework for LGBT equality

This month a committee of the Nepali government invited Jennifer Pizer, the Marriage Project Director of Lambda Legal, to advise them on creating a legal framework for LGBT equality. Pizer spent two weeks in the Nepali capital speaking with the eight-member group of legislators and researchers.

Currently the committee is reviewing other countries' pro-equality legislation and researching the needs of LGBT people in Nepal. They plan to turn their suggestions in to the Nepali Government next year.

This committee was formed by court order in 2007, when the activist group The Blue Diamond Society successfully petitioned the Supreme Court for legal recognition of transgender people, measures to address violence against the LGBT community and reparations for LGBT people who were victims of state violence.

This committee is a landmark in the making for international law-- especially considering no other country has considered reparations for LGBT victims of violence.

4) Holy See condemns discrimination based on sexual orientation

In a welcome departure from the Catholic Church's record of opposing gay rights, the Holy See spoke out against human rights abuses based on sexual orientation at a United Nations panel.

The Holy See sent a statement to the panel, which included representatives from over 50 countries, declaring, "[The Holy See] opposes all forms of violence and unjust discrimination against homosexual persons, including discriminatory penal legislation which undermines the inherent dignity of the human person."

This is no small boon coming from a political body which has diplomatic ties with no fewer than 177 countries.

The meeting was groundbreaking not only because of the Holy See's statement, but also because it shed light on the connection between U.S. conservative churches and the homophobic legislation that is spreading like wildfire through Africa.

With the addition of an unexpected ally, we can look for good things from the international community in the new decade.

3) BREAKING: Lebanese judge rules homosexual acts are not "against nature"

Lebanese activists have long been campaigning to overturn Article 534, which outlaws sexual acts "against nature." The law is used to persecute lesbians and gay men, and researcher Nizar Saghiyeh found that it was used in about 50 different cases over the last five years.

After Saghiyeh brought the law to the attention of the courts in the northern city of Batroun, the city judge ruled that the law was inapplicable based on its vagueness.

"The concept of the ‘unnatural’ is related to society’s mindset, customs and its acceptability of new natural patterns," reads the verdict. The verdict goes on to refute the idea that any human act can be "unnatural" since humans are part and parcel of nature.

This ruling has the potential to overturn Article 534 completely, since Batroun has now set a precedent in legal writ. Lebanon appears to be following in the footsteps of our #2 triumph of the year ...

2) India strikes down anti-sodomy laws

The Indian equivalent of sodomy laws, code section 377 which outlawed "carnal intercourse against the order of nature," was declared not applicable to same-sex acts between consenting adults on July 2 by ruling 377 of the High Court of New Dehli.

The law's abolishment is a big validation for the LGBT community in India, and has even been dubbed "India's Stonewall." Since the ruling states that using section 377 to prosecute homosexuality is against citizens' rights, this is a solid foundation for future laws guaranteeing LGBT equality.

The Naz Foundation India, an NGO which raises awareness about HIV/AIDS, first brought the case to court eight years ago. After a series of repeals and appeals, they finally succeeded in getting this historical ruling.

1) BREAKING: First Latin American Gay Marriage

Not wanting Mexico to beat them to the punch, Argentina allowed two men to wed in the first same-sex matrimony in Latin America today.

The lucky couple, Jose Maria Di Bello and Alex Freyre, tried to marry in Buenos Aires earlier, but were refused by city officials. Since Argentina's constitution does not explicitly endorse or forbid same sex marriage, the states have a jumble of different precedents that resemble the mess in the U.S. fifty.

Undeterred by Buenos Aires' rejection, Maria Di Bello and Freyre traveled to the capital of Tierra del Fuego state, Ushuaia, and received a warm welcome in this southern city.

In fact, photos of the wedding (see top for one) were sent out by the government of Tierra del Fuego, and the governor called gay marriage "an important advance in human rights and social inclusion" and affirmed, "We are very happy that this has happened in our state."

Now if that isn't a good reason to break out the champagne, I don't know what is.

(Image courtesy of Pablo Martinez Olivares' photostream on Flickr)