Topic: LGBT Rights
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Delegate Name: Rachel Lissner
School: Grand Blanc High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Democratic Republic of the Congo position papers GLIMUN 2015 committees
In recent years, the rights of LGBT people have gained increased attention. The status of these individuals varies greatly around the world. Some LGBT individuals are granted only basic rights, while others are also extended the right to marry. However, not all LGBT people live in such an accepting community. Nations still exist today where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by imprisonment or death. There is no set international standard for the union rights attributed to the LGBT community, and many countries demand for it to stay this way.
The Democratic Republic of Congo does not recognize any sort of legal same-sex union. Same-sex sexual activity has never been illegal in our country, but we have not established anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT people in any capacity. While the DRC does not encourage LGBT relationships, we have no reports of police harassment towards LGBT individuals. We are not opposed to the guarantee of basic rights to protect LGBT people, but the DRC does not support legal relationships between such individuals and believes that any effort by the United Nations to intervene in this decision would be a violation of our national sovereignty.
The rights of LGBT individuals are not a primary concern of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we believe that our current policy is sufficient. Our people do not support homosexuality and therefore we do not feel the need to grant LGBT people extended rights. Homosexuality is not a crime in our country, but we do not intend on giving LGBT couples the legal right to marry. We hope to focus on the granting of basic rights, but strongly believe that any further action would infringe upon our national sovereignty.
