Michael Crawford at Bilerico just posted the breaking news that the Obama administration indicated that it will sign the UN declaration calling for the decriminilization of homosexuality:

“WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that the Obama administration will sign a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that President George W. Bush had refused to endorse.

U.S. officials said Tuesday they had notified the French sponsors of the declaration that the administration wants to be added as a supporter of the declaration. The Bush administration was criticized in December when it was the only Western government that refused to sign.

The officials said the administration had decided to sign the declaration to demonstrate that the United States supports human rights for all around the world.”

The anonymous source in the AP report on the decision notes that the Bush administration did not support the declaration, because officials feared supporting it would commit the US federal government to take actions traditionally preserved by the states.

“According to negotiators, the Bush team had concerns that those parts could commit the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. In some states, landlords and private employers are allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation; on the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military.

It was not immediately clear on Tuesday how the Obama administration had come to a different conclusion.”

While it might not be clear how the Obama administration arrived at its decision, I think it is an important step toward demonstrating President Obama’s commitment to LGBT equality.