Macklemore and Ryan Lewis put it best when they sang "No freedom til we're equal" (on their 2012 hit "Same Love"). Now, their words and music have helped inspire the United Nations Human Rights Office to produce an uplifting new video that tells the story -- in less than three minutes -- of how the global fight for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is playing out at the UN.
It can sometimes feel as if we're being bombarded with conflicting information on the state of LGBT rights around the world: one day, a step forward for marriage equality or for more inclusive policies in schools and workplaces; the next, reports of a horrific hate crime, or an attack on a gay pride parade, or the passage of some draconian new piece of legislation. Certainly the debate at the United Nations on the rights of LGBT people remains fractious, exposing sharp divisions of opinion among countries and strong opposition from some quarters.
But stand back a couple of paces and the longer-term trends appear far more positive. Watch the UN's new video to see how change is sweeping across large parts of the globe -- as more and more countries have dismantled criminal sanctions for homosexuality, passed laws banning discrimination, and spoken up at the UN to call for the human rights of LGBT people to be properly protected.
The video, produced as part of the UN's Free & Equal campaign for LGBT equality, gets its first public screening today, International Human Rights Day, in front of some 600 people at a special event on LGBT and intersex rights at UN Headquarters in New York. You can watch the video below and share it to show your support for a world where everyone is free and equal.
To learn more about the UN's Free & Equal campaign, visit the campaign website, www.unfe.org, or join the conversation on Facebook (facebook.com/free.equal) and Twitter (@free_equal). Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were recently named UN Equality Champions for their support for the Free & Equal campaign. Other Equality Champions supporting Free & Equal include pop star Ricky Martin, South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly and Brazilian singer Daniella Mercury.