At its annual meeting in Boston this week, the American Bar Association officially adopted a policy recognizing the rights of people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender as basic human rights.

A four paragraph resolution passed by the association’s 560-member House of Delegates condemns laws, regulations, rules and practices that discriminate against LGBT people on the basis of their status and encourages the US government to work to end this discrimination.

Without naming such countries as Russia or Uganda by name, the resolution urges the governments of countries where such discriminatory laws, regulations, and practices exist to repeal them ‘with all deliberate speed.’

It urges the countries to ‘ensure the safety and equal protection under the law of all LGBT people.’

The association is also calling on ABA members where laws targeting of LGBT people exist to work to defend victims of discrimination and ‘to recognize and support their colleagues who take these cases as human rights advocates.’