Three cheers for the European Union! Well, most of it.
Sure, its employment policies hinder some homo movement, but the international governing group just extended a bit of a queer olive branch:
The European Union has become the first international body to have a treaty containing explicit language prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
…
The Charter brings together into a single document all of the separate EU laws and regulations on human-rights but despite the fanfare it has no legal force. That will only happen when the parliaments of all 27 member states ratify a concord called the Lisbon Treaty that reforms the way the EU operates.The International Lesbian and Gay Association – Europe hailed the Charter on Wednesday and urged member states to ratify the Lisbon Treaty saying that the document will advance the rights of LGBT people throughout Europe.
Britain and Poland refused to sign the Charter, for which they wanted a referendum. Spoil sports.
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Well… Each country still have to ratify and sign the treaty before the treaty have any legal power.
The United Kindom wanted the "opt-out" on the entire "Lisbon Agreement" that contains the the "rights charter" among other things. The UK Government is more concerned about other matters, like the common currency (the Euro) and foreign policy. The UK fully complies with ALL edicts regarding LGBT rights – and even has some laws in place effecting the LGBT community that other WU countries don't yet have. So the UK are not "spoil sports" when it comes to European LGBT rights. While there are still some areas to be righted as far as LGBT issues are concerned, the UK is one of the best countries in the world for a gay man or woman, or transgendered person, to live.