Earlier this month, hundreds of thousands of people lined the route of Vancouver’s Pride Parade. Three days later, Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Malaysia’s political opposition, was charged with the criminal offence of sodomy.

This glaring contradiction itself attracted no media attention. Reporting on Anwar’s case has focused on his denials and the likelihood that the charge is politically motivated. Speaking in Thailand the day after the charges were laid, George W. Bush criticized China for its human-rights record—and didn’t mention Malaysia.

The contradiction extends far beyond Mr. Ibrahim.

Here in Canada, thousands of married gay and lesbian couples hold the exact same rights as my wife and I. Malaysia is one of 70 countries where homosexual acts are criminalized. In seven of them—Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen—homosexuality is punishable with death. Bisexual, transsexual, and transgendered individuals are just as badly persecuted.

International human-rights treaties provide some protection for private, consensual acts that reflect an innate sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, for instance, stipulates that capital punishment may only be imposed for the most serious crimes.

So why are countries like Canada that pride themselves on supporting human rights not rushing to the defence of persecuted LGBT individuals?

It’s not because the persecution occurs within the sovereign territory of other states. Just imagine the diplomatic outcry if a foreign government criminalized a group on the basis of skin colour.

It’s not because these objectionable laws exist only on paper. They don’t: two teenagers accused of homosexuality were hung in Iran last year. And even where prosecutions do not take place, the existence of these laws encourages those who preach and practise hate.

It’s not because we lack leverage. Canadian companies sent almost $3 billion in exports to Malaysia last year.

Nor is it the case that Canadians consider LGBT rights unimportant. What other celebration of rights could draw as many people as the Pride Parade?

The answer lies in a lack of leadership on the part of public officials.

Pierre Trudeau showed leadership when he declared that “the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.” Canadian judges showed leadership when, first in Ontario and then in six other provinces, they held that same-sex marriage was a constitutionally protected right.

But don’t expect any leadership from Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper opposed same-sex marriage. He refused to speak at the International AIDS conference in Toronto in 2006. He has never, ever marched in a Pride Parade.

The same lack of support for LGBT rights permeates Canadian foreign policy.

The Department of Foreign Affairs Web site reports that “Canada and Malaysia, as members of the United Nations Human Rights Council until 2009”¦collaborate on the promotion of universal respect for the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

It doesn’t have to be this way. Last year, the UN granted consultative status to three LGBT groups. British diplomats recently challenged Iranian politicians over the treatment of homosexuals. Canada used to have a human rights-focused foreign policy. John Humphrey drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Lester Pearson pioneered UN peacekeeping. Louise Arbour was a courageously outspoken UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

It’s time for Canada to return to that tradition. Let’s stand up for Anwar Ibrahim. Let’s fight for the fundamental human right to be what you are—without fear of persecution or punishment.

Michael Byers teaches political science at the University of British Columbia. He is running for the federal NDP in Vancouver Centre.