Human Rights

A school in Mississippi has thrown out gender-specific graduation outfits as a result of a lawsuit settlement.

Ceara Sturgis, a lesbian, filed the lawsuit against Copiah County School District after her high school excluded her picture from the graduation photos because she chose to wear a tuxedo.

“I feel like I'm not important, that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student and that they don't even care about me. All I want is to be able to be me, and to be included in the yearbook,” Sturgis, 17, said in a statement. more >>

Religious leaders have been chiming in on international efforts to cease the deadly violence in Syria, where the regime of President Bashar al-Assad launched its brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters eight months ago.

Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution which concluded that the Syrian regime committed "gross and systematic violations of human rights" of Syrian civilians, which may amount to the status of crimes against humanity.

A Vatican representative to the U.N., Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, condemned the regime at the time, criticizing the growing violence and calling on political leaders there to enact "real reforms," according to U.S. Caholic. more >>

Violent attacks against Christians by Muslim extremists in Syria have increased as the byproduct of the country’s volatile political situation, much like what has transpired in Egypt, said a persecution watchdog this week.

Open Doors International officials say that while much of the world’s attention is focused on the Egyptian elections and American troops withdrawing from Iraq, the situation inside Syria is getting worse, especially for Christians.

“Christians inside Syria are caught in the crossfire as they are in many other Middle Eastern countries,” said Open Doors president and CEO Dr. Carl Moeller. “Until the protests started against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, the Christian community enjoyed some protection. Now they are afraid of the future. Will they have to flee their country like Iraqi Christians have done over the last several years?” more >>

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday put the Obama administration clearly on the opposite side of Christians seeking religious freedom in the debate over human sexuality, prompting praise from gay rights activists and criticism from GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry.

In remarks on Tuesday in Geneva to the United Nations, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said religious and cultural beliefs are standing in the way of homosexual human rights worldwide.

“Now, raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many people and that the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human rights of LGBT people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural, and religious beliefs,” said Clinton. more >>

A 19-year-old man who was born in Mexico but grew up in the United States might be deported Thursday.

His story is not new; the U.S. government deported over 400,000 people this year alone – a record that is expected to be broken next year. However, Deyvid Morales is unique in the sense that, unlike many undocumented immigrants who are deported, he has had the opportunity to speak out about his ordeal.

Ever since the aspiring pastor was arrested by immigration officials on his way to Bible college in Louisiana, Morales has become an outspoken advocate of the DREAM Act – the immigration reform bill that will give undocumented youths the opportunity to earn citizenship by going to college or serving in the military – by using his story as a way to get people to understand the implications of deportation on individuals and families. In the process, he has become somewhat of a celebrity in his hometown of Salt Lake City, appearing in print and on TV, and radio to share his perspective on the immigration issue. more >>

Researchers in Saudi Arabia released a study last week claiming that lifting the driving ban for women in the country would “provoke a surge in prostitution, pornography, homosexuality and divorce,” as well as cause the nation to have “no more virgins," prompting observers to question the seriousness of the study.

Scholars at the Majlis al-Ifta' al-A'ala, Saudi Arabia's highest religious council, collaborated on the report with Kamal Subhi, a former professor at the conservative King Fahd University.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are banned from driving, even though King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud gave women the right to vote late September. more >>