Contact: Don Feder, World Congress of Families, 508-405-1337, 513-515-3685 (cell), media@worldcongress.org

MEDIA ADVISORY, June 19 /Christian Newswire/ -- World Congress of Families Global Coordinator Larry Jacobs expressed "grave concern" over a recent resolution passed by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) condemning perceived human rights violations based on so-called sexual orientation and gender identity.

The "Resolution on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity" (enacted at a June 3 session in Colombia) was sponsored by Brazil, whose president, Luis Lula, has stated publicly that he wants to criminalize dissent from the gay agenda (which he terms "homophobia") and legalize gay marriage.

According to a Reuters story, members of the OAS met with 20 activists from homosexual groups prior to adopting the resolution.  Pro-family organizations were not given an opportunity for input.

The nebulous resolution speaks of member states taking unspecified steps to end "violence and discrimination" based on sexual orientation and "gender-identity" (men who think they're women and vice versa).

Jacobs asked: "Does anti-gay discrimination include laws limiting marriage to a man and a woman or limiting adoption to families with mothers and fathers? Would it require schools to affirm homosexuality and the other unhealthy perversions? Could it lead to 'hate crimes laws' and speech codes that criminalize dissent?"

Jacobs added: "Once again, a political institution has been co-opted by the international homosexual movement. Once again, a transnational organization has chosen to enlist with one side in the culture war, to the manifest displeasure of majorities in the nations they represent. Latin cultures, in particular, are noted for their traditional, pro-family orientation."

World Congress of Families recently garnered the support of 110 pro-family leaders from 23 countries for a petition in support of Romania's pending move to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

For more information on World Congress of Families, go to www.worldcongress.org. To schedule an interview with Larry Jacobs, contact Don Feder at 508-405-1337.

The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders and people of goodwill from more than 60  countries that seeks to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the 'seedbed' of civil society.  The WCF was founded in 1997 by Allan Carlson and is a project of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society in Rockford, Illinois (www.profam.org).  To date, there have been four World Congresses of Families – Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004) and Warsaw, Poland (2007).