US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed to fight for gay rights worldwide in a statement issued Monday in Washington DC. She called for all nations around the globe to cease violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to AP.

"The persecution of gays and lesbians is a violation of human rights and an affront to human decency, and it must end," she said in a written statement.

"As secretary of state, I will advance a comprehensive human rights agenda that includes the elimination of violence and discrimination against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity."

Clinton made her statement a few days shy from the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York City, often credited as the launch of the U.S. gay rights movement in which gays and lesbians fought back against police who raided their bars.

"The example set by those fighting for equal rights in the United States gives hope to men and women around the world who yearn for a better future for themselves and their loved ones," said the former New York senator.

While Clinton acknowledged that gays and lesbians still have a long way to go to achieve equality in the United States, she also deplored that homosexuals in some parts of the world live in constant fear of violence or arrest.
Countries such as Mauritania, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen currently punish homosexuality with execution.

Under the Obama administration, the United States has taken a different position from the previous George W. Bush administration by endorsing a United Nations resolution supporting the global decriminalization of homosexuality.

As recently as last month, Congressman and head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman stated that secretary of state Clinton had pledged that the State Department would offer equal benefits to partners of homosexual US diplomats stationed overseas.

"It is my expectation, based on very recent conversations, that the secretary of state will move forward with implementing all of the benefits provided in that provision in the very near future," said Berman

Clinton in her statement also recognized and saluted the service of "our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees in Washington and around the world."