The United States joined countries like Iraq and Botswana in voting against a United Nations resolution that, among other things, condemns the use of the death penalty against LGBTQ people.

The U.N. Human Rights Council passed the measure on Friday, with 27 countries voting in favor and 13 against. It aims to ensure that the death penalty is not applied arbitrarily or discriminatorily against minors, racial and ethnic minorities, those with mental illnesses, pregnant women and gay people, or be used as punishment for apostasy, blasphemy and adultery.

More broadly, the measure urges nations that have not already abolished the death penalty to consider doing so.

Renato Sabbadini, executive director of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), celebrated the passage as a “monumental moment” in which the international community recognizes that certain “horrific laws” must end.

“It is unconscionable to think that there are hundreds of millions of people living in States where somebody may be executed simply because of whom they love” he said in a statement.

The U.S. rejected the resolution, along with Botswana, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Countries that voted in favor included Cuba, Venezuela, Switzerland and Brazil.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert defended the Trump administration against what she described as “misleading” media reports and claims that the vote signaled a bias against the LGBTQ community.

“The United States unequivocally condemns the application of the death penalty for conduct such as homosexuality, blasphemy, adultery and apostasy,” Nauert said. “We do not consider such conduct appropriate for criminalization.”

FactCheck: Reports on @UN HumanRightsCouncil vote WRONG. US condemns death penalty based on sex orientation, blasphemy, apostasy @StateDept — Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) October 3, 2017

Nauert said the U.S. was “disappointed” to have voted against the measure, but did so because of “broader concerns with the resolution’s approach to condemning the death penalty in all circumstances.” The U.S. “had hoped for a balanced and inclusive resolution that would better reflect the positions of states that continue to apply the death penalty lawfully, as the United States does,” she said.

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The U.S. opting not to support U.N. measures condemning the death penalty is nothing new. Still, with its vote on Friday, the U.S. finds itself in the company of countries like Saudi Arabia, which implements the death penalty over same-sex relations.

In 2014, the Obama administration abstained from voting on a death penalty resolution, although that measure did not include language about same-sex relations. At the time, Ambassador Keith Harper explained the decision: “International law does not prohibit capital punishment when imposed and carried out in a manner that is consistent with a state’s international obligations. We therefore urge all governments that employ the death penalty to do so in conformity with their international human rights obligations.”

Charles Radcliffe, chief of Equality and Non-Discrimination at the U.N.’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told HuffPost via email that the U.S. “consistently votes against or abstains on all resolutions having to do with the death penalty as a matter of principle ― and has done so for many years, including during the Obama administration.” The “likely reason,” he said, is that the U.S. is one of the world’s top 10 executioners.

“This resolution also singled out discriminatory use of the death penalty and execution of people with intellectual disabilities ― both areas where there have been allegations levelled at the U.S. in the past,” Radcliffe said.

André du Plessis, head of U.N. Programme and Advocacy at the ILGA, told PinkNews that votes cast against the measure are “generally best-interpreted as a position by a country on the death penalty as a whole.”

Capital punishment in the U.S. is used, at least in practice, only in murder cases, often those involving aggravating factors such as kidnapping and rape. The death penalty is legal in 31 states, as well as at the federal level.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBTQ group, was among those that blasted the Trump administration Tuesday, calling out U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley by name.

“Ambassador Haley has failed the LGBTQ community by not standing up against the barbaric use of the death penalty to punish individuals in same-sex relationships,” Ty Cobb, director of HRC Global, said in a statement. “While the U.N. Human Rights Council took this crucially important step, the Trump/Pence administration failed to show leadership on the world stage by not championing this critical measure. This administration’s blatant disregard for human rights and LGBTQ lives around the world is beyond disgraceful.”

In a post to Twitter, Susan Rice, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national security adviser under President Obama, accused the Trump administration of failing to defend human rights for all.

Shame on US! I was proud to lead U.S. efforts at UN to protect LGBTQ people, back in the day when America stood for human rights for all 🇺🇸 https://t.co/3Y403bP7Wh — Susan Rice (@AmbassadorRice) October 3, 2017

Ben Rhodes, Obama’s former deputy national security adviser, also weighed in.

What possible reason could the Trump Administration have for not condemning death penalty for LGBTQ people? We should be leading on this https://t.co/4SqekZAcGe — Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) October 3, 2017

Four countries — Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen — currently use the death penalty as punishment for same-sex relations, as do parts of Somalia and Nigeria, according to a 2017 report by ILGA.

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American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): We will see him in court.

“The ACLU fights every day to defend religious freedom, but religious freedom does not mean the right to discriminate against or harm others. If President Trump signs an executive order that attempts to provide a license to discriminate against women or LGBT people, we will see him in court.” -- ACLU Deputy Legal Director Louise Melling

GLSEN: It is un-American to make anyone’s basic rights subject to the personal discretion of others.

“This executive order does not increase freedom of religion – already protected by our Constitution – it creates a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people, women, Muslims, people of color, and other marginalized groups. For at-risk youth, this EO could undermine crucial safeguards against discrimination that create opportunities for them to survive and succeed. It is un-American to make anyone’s basic rights subject to the personal discretion of others. It also goes against the rule of law and core principle of equal protection and would surely be challenged in the courts. Just 100 days ago, Donald Trump said he would not discriminate against LGBTQ people. Today, he’s reportedly on the verge of handing all of our fellow Americans a personal license to ignore our rights." -- GLSEN Executive Director, Dr. Eliza Byard

Human Rights Campaign (HRC): By even considering this discriminatory order he has broken his promise.

“Donald Trump’s rumored unconstitutional action is nothing more than a license-to-discriminate order that puts millions of LGBTQ people at risk. There is no religious freedom crisis in America today, but there is a crisis of hate and discrimination. At a time when two-thirds of all LGBTQ people report having experienced discrimination, Donald Trump is making the problem worse by giving legal cover to perpetrators. By even considering this discriminatory order he has broken his promise to be a president for all Americans.” -- Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin

National LGBTQ Task Force: It trashes the separation of church and state and aims to combine them.

“This executive order will be a charter for widespread and divisive discrimination, potentially against LGBTQ people, women, Muslim communities, and other marginalized communities. It is designed to destroy lives and roll-back fundamental rights. It trashes the separation of church and state and aims to combine them. It will have an immediate and chilling impact on every aspect of people’s lives, disproportionately impacting those who are low-income or otherwise marginalized. What will be shocking to millions of people of all faiths and secular people alike is that Trump radically twists freedom of, and freedom from, religion to justify this amoral action. In fact, the research shows that 61 percent of people of faith in America actually support LGBTQ inclusion and 59 percent of those are against religious exemptions." -- National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund Executive Director Rea Carey

Center For American Progress: CAP sees this for what it is: a license to discriminate.

"If media reports are accurate, President Trump is—once again—on the verge of signing an executive order to sanction sweeping taxpayer-funded discrimination against LGBT people, women, and their families in blatant violation of Trump’s promise to protect our LGBT citizens. If the executive order is anything like the draft leaked in February, it would give for-profit corporations free rein to discriminate, leading to LGBT people and women being fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, or even denied medical care simply because of who they are. The Trump administration is attempting to disguise this attack in the language of religious liberty, but CAP sees this for what it is: a license to discriminate." -- Executive Vice President for External Affairs at the Center for American Progress Winnie Stachelberg

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.