Stefano Gennarini
(ZENIT News – Center for Family and Human Rights / New York, 12.20.2025).- In a historic victory for pro-family nations and the Trump administration, the General Assembly voted to remove “sexual orientation and gender identity” from a UN resolution for the first time on Wednesday (December 17) this week.
The amendment to remove the offending language was sponsored by Egypt on behalf of the 57 states that make up the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and enjoyed wide support from Asia and Africa. Argentina, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay also supported the amendment.
The European Union opposed the amendment. A representative of Denmark speaking on behalf of all EU member states said that the amendment was “regrettable” and that homosexual and transgender issues that were being deleted were “core principle of non-discrimination.”
No EU member state broke position with Brussels. Even Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, and other EU member states with purportedly pro-family governments also voted with the European Union in favor of homosexual and transgender rights.
The German President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, did everything she could to delay pounding the gavel on the final result, something the Russian Federation noted was unusual and showed the “biased position of the President on this subject.” A vote that normally takes less than a minute took almost three minutes. At one point, the vote tally on the screen showed the amendment succeeding by a single vote, 78 to 77. In a desperate attempt to get more votes against the controversial amendment, Baerbock called again on countries to check their votes. This was a fatal calculation as the final vote tally produced three more votes in favor.
While the vote was taking place, the German Baerbock showed disbelief, even more so when applause broke out in the General Assembly Hall. Her voice cracked with emotion as she fought to keep composed while declaring the final outcome. The amendment to delete the controversial terms passed by 81 votes in favor and 77 against.
The Trump administration’s position against gender ideology and DEI greatly influenced the dramatic vote. European delegates exiting the General Assembly Hall denigrated the amendment as “The Trump amendment.”
It was the first time that a vote to delete “sexual orientation and gender identity” in a UN resolution succeeded in the General Assembly. Similar amendments have been proposed regularly since the controversial terms were first introduced in UN policy in 2008. They have received over seventy votes before, but always ultimately failed until today.
This was the second vote on the same amendment. The first vote that took place earlier in the week was a draw with 74 member states voting in favor and 74 against. Canada and European nations asked for a two-day delay. The motion gave them some time to pressure other governments to abstain or be absent at the next vote. But the request backfired as pro-family countries rallied. Even more countries voted in favor of the amendment on Wednesday—proving just how unpopular gender ideology and transgender issues are.
The biggest change from previous debates was the Trump administration’s position. When this issue came up in the past, many small developing countries abstained or did not cast a vote because of diplomatic and political pressure from the European Union and the Obama or Biden administrations. There was immense pressure from Europe this time. Over forty delegations did not cast a vote or abstained. But the change in position from the U.S. government gave cover to enough governments to democratically represent their own domestic laws in the vote.
The concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity are used in the UN system to promote teaching children in school that they can choose their gender, to experiment with their sexuality, and to undermine parental rights. A a recent C-Fam report exposed how gender ideology has infiltrated UN children’s programs.
The resolution on disabilities specifically addressed mental disabilities, which raised the danger of vulnerable children with disabilities being exposed to transgender ideology. Girls on the autism spectrum have been shown to be highly vulnerable to exploitation by doctors and clinics in the transgender industry.
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