Inch by inch...

Sometimes it seems that this is the only bright spot in the future. So with, I freely note, credit where it's due, I'm glad to be able to report that

[t]he United Nations endorsed the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people for the first time ever Friday, passing a resolution hailed as historic by the U.S. and other backers and decried by some African and Muslim countries.

The declaration was cautiously worded, expressing "grave concern" about abuses because of sexual orientation and commissioning a global report on discrimination against gays.

But activists called it an important shift on an issue that has divided the global body for decades, and they credited the Obama administration's push for gay rights at home and abroad.

Like I said, credit where it's due.

The vote was close - 23 in favor, 19 against - amid the usual railings about "unnatural" rights and there is no enforcement mechanism, but

it also established a formal U.N. process to document human rights abuses against gays, including discriminatory laws and acts of violence. According to Amnesty International, consensual same-sex relations are illegal in 76 countries worldwide, while harassment and discrimination are common in many more.

Perhaps most important, it is, in the words of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Baer, a sign to all the bigots everywhere that "change will come." Not soon enough, but it will come.