Homosexuality Laws Around the World The countries of the world have a wide variety of laws relating to sexual relations between people of the same sex – everything from full legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty as punishment for homosexual conduct.
In addition to laws against same-sex relationships, many countries have laws geared towards a homosexual orientation, everything from passing anti-discrimination laws to barring those with a homosexual orientation from adoption.
1 Laws against gay sex are "like apartheid" says UN 1/09
2 Global LGBT youth network launched 1/09
3 160 MEPs signed up for recognition of civil partnerships 1/09
4 WHO…importance of male to male transmission in Asian AIDS epidemics 2/09
5 World Social Forum 2009 – Women’s Assembly Declaration 2/09
6 MALE Center equips men to avoid HIV infection 3/09
7 Conference highlights the forces encouraging risk behaviour in gay men 3/09
8 Peterson Toscano speaks about his experiences with ex-gay therapy 4/09
9 Report – International Day against Homophobia & Transphobia–2009 5/09
10 Desmond Tutu supports gay clergy 5/09
11 Protection Manual For LGBTI Defenders 6/09
12 LGBT activists ‘under-resourced, isolated and vulnerable’ 6/09
13 United Nations: First LGBT Organization from the Global South to Gain Consultative Status 7/09
14 Map shows legal status of gays across Europe 7/09
15 Lesbian Movements: Ruptures & Alliances 8/09
16 New United Nations General Assembly President calls homosexuality ‘unnacceptable’ 9/09
January 5, 2009 – PinkNews
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Laws against gay sex are "like apartheid" says UN human rights chief
by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the continued criminalisation of homosexual sex across the world. Mrs Navanethem Pillay, a South African, was addressing at a high level meeting on human rights, sexual orientation and gender identity at the UN in New York last month. She was the first woman to start a law practice in her home province of Natal in 1967 and acted as a defence attorney for anti-apartheid activists.
"There remain too many countries which continue to criminalise sexual relations between consenting adults of the same sex in defiance of established human rights law," she said. "Ironically many of these laws, like apartheid laws that criminalised sexual relations between consenting adults of different races, are relics of the colonial era and are increasingly becoming recognised as anachronistic and as inconsistent both with international law and with traditional values of dignity, inclusion and respect for all. It is our task and our challenge to move beyond a debate on whether all human beings have rights – for such questions were long ago laid to rest by the Universal Declaration – and instead to secure the climate for implementation. Those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, those who are transgender, transsexual or intersex, are full and equal members of the human family, and are entitled to be treated as such."
ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association, said that more than six dozen countries still have laws against consensual sex between adults of the same sex. 66 nations supported the statement on LGBT rights at a session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month. It was read out by Argentina’s Ambassador the UN. It does not create new rights and is not legally binding but instead builds on similar past initiatives.
It affirms the principle of universality: that all human beings, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity, are entitled to equal dignity and respect. The high-level meeting was organised on behalf of the governments of Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, the Netherlands and Norway and was chaired by Gloria Careaga, co-secretary general of ILGA. Among the speakers was French Human Rights minister Rama Yade, one of the original backers of the UN statement, gay Nepalese MP Sunil Pant, Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen and Mark Tewksbury, Olympic champion and activist from Canada.
Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour challenged the continued oppression of women and sexual minorities in a valedictory speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council in June.
"A failure to understand or accommodate diversity has inevitably led to an erosion of the rights of minorities and vulnerable people within a country, and those of individuals who move across borders, including refugees or migrants," she told the 47-member council. During her time as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights many Muslim and African countries expressed their displeasure at Mrs Arbour’s insistence that gay and lesbian people and women have human rights equal to those of men.
January 16, 2009 – From: International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organisation.
(IGLYO) www.iglyo.com
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Global LGBT youth network launched
Today, IGLYO and ILGA launch the LGBT Youth World List
– the first international network of its kind.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer young people from all over the world can sign up to send and receive messages with other activists. Members will be encouraged to share their experiences, ideas and expertise, and to work together to solve problems and run projects. The working languages of the list are English, Spanish and French.
Nanna Moe, IGLYO Board Member and Communication Officer, said: "This will create a global conversation about LGBT rights, allowing young people to make contact and work together in an international fight for respect. This project is just part of IGLYO’s venture beyond Europe ." And she continues, "The list is very much in line with IGLYO activities this year, since it is the 25th anniversary of IGLYO, which we are going to celebrate with a reunion and huge conference with international guest in Amsterdam in July".
Individuals join by becoming members of an email group, which is moderated for safety – a feature which could be important for members, especially those who live in countries where LGBT rights are not recognised.
Ruth Baldacchino, ILGA Board Member, said: "ILGA has a proud history of uniting LGBTIQ activists from all over the world. We have a firm belief in empowering and participation of young LGBTIQ in decision-making processes. This exciting project will make important steps forward in nurturing international LGBTIQ youth activism."
To sign up to the LGBT Youth World List, young people should visit www.iglyo.com or www.iglyo.org and follow the directions they find there.
Additional information:
1. IGLYO is the International Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organisation. www.iglyo.com
2. ILGA – the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Trans and Intersex Association – is a world-wide network of over 670 national and local groups from 110 countries dedicated to achieving equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans and intersex (LGBTI) people everywhere. www.iglyo.org
3. For further information or to request an
interview with Nanna Moe or Ruth Baldacchino, please contact Nanna Moe at nanna@iglyo.com
4. Further information about IGLYO’s 25th
Anniversary Conference will be available soon at www.iglyo.com
January 23, 2009 – PinkNews
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160 MEPs signed up for recognition of civil partnerships
by Tony Grew
All Labour and Lib Dem MEPs have backed a written declaration on civil partnerships at the European Parliament. However, it did not attract enough support to move to the next stage. In all 160 MEPs signed up. If the declaration had been signed by more than 393, or 50%, of MEPs it would have been adopted as a resolution by the Parliament and forwarded to the Commission, Council and member state governments for consideration. It called for "member states with existing same-sex partnership legislation to recognise the arrangements of other member states that have also made provisions for same-sex partnerships," and for "guidelines for such mutual recognition by member states with existing same-sex partnership legislation."
Sharon Bowles, the Lib Dem MEP who introduced the civil partnership initiative, said that a report endorsed by the European Parliament last week addresses many of the issues she was trying to raise. The Report on the Situation of Fundamental Rights in the EU was complied by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. It calls for countries which already recognise gay marriage to also acknowledge it across different member states and for legislation to be drawn up to: "propose guidelines for mutual recognition of existing legislation between member states in order to guarantee that the right of free movement within the European Union for same-sex couples applies under conditions equal to those applicable to heterosexual couples."
Click here to read the report.
"I am delighted with the inclusion of this important clause into Parliament’s report," Ms Bowles said. "This situation has been overlooked for too long, to the cost of too many ordinary people. As my own campaign for mutual recognition ends, this report is a highly appropriate response to an issue many of us feel very strongly about. One of the best things about the EU is the liberty it affords all of us to live and work wherever we like in Europe. This fundamental right should not be conditional on what kind of marital or civil partnership anyone chooses to enter.
"A huge part of the problem has been that many couples simply aren’t aware that their partnerships may not be recognised in other member states. Often they only find out after one dies, and a few weeks later the widowed partner finds a five-figure inheritance tax bill hitting the doormat. Hopefully with the publicity this issue has gained – and the resolution Parliament adopted – we can see an end to this situation in the near future."
Claude Moraes, Labour MEP for London, said: "We’ve seen a transformation of gay and lesbian rights in the UK in recent years – now we need to make sure that people can enjoy these rights around the world. Opposite-sex partnerships in EU countries are recognised in other member states, and so the same principle should apply to same-sex partnerships."
Currently some EU nations, including Spain and Belgium, do allow gay marriage. The UK has civil partnerships, which are also to be introduced in the Republic of Ireland. The French pacte civil de solidarité (PACS) is recognised in Britain, despite civil partnerships not being recognised in France. Currently gay and lesbian people who have legal unions or same sex marriages are being denied the right to move and live freely among EU member states.
February 19, 2009 – World Health Organization
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Press Release: WHO urges governments to acknowledge importance of male to male transmission in Asian AIDS epidemics
Special report to APCOM: WHO urges governments to acknowledge importance of male to male transmission in Asian AIDS epidemics
by Jan W de Lind van Wijngaarden, UNESCO Bangkok – j.wijngaarden@unescobkk.org
A regional meeting on HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM), convened by the World Health Organization (WHO), is being held in Hong Kong this week. Delegates from several countries and international organizations met to discuss how the health sector can better respond to the HIV prevention and sexual health needs of men who have sex with men in Asian countries. MSM carry a relatively heavy burden of HIV infections in the region.
"The situation is bad, and it’s going to get worse", said Dr. Frits van Griensven, Thai Ministry of Public Health/ US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in an overview presentation of the epidemiology of HIV among MSM in the Asian region. His research found that up to one in ten Bangkok-based MSM under the age of 22 is infected with HIV every year, and one in three MSM are already infected.
Shivananda Khan OBE, chairman of the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM) drew attention in the keynote address to the fact that although we understand the behaviours that drive HIV epidemics, we do not totally understand the context in which HIV transmission occurs. "What is a man?" he asked, "As long as we do not understand how men who have sex with men view themselves or their partners, designing targeted interventions for them will remain difficult."
More…To see full story, click “More”, click below, or paste this link into your browser:
http://msmasia.org/news_article/items/recognise_msm_transmission_in_asia_aids_epidemics_urged_by_who.html
24 February 2009 – ilga.org
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World Social Forum 2009 – Women’s Assembly Declaration
In the year in which the WSF joins with the population of the Pan-Amazon, we, women from different parts of the world gathered in Belém, reaffirm the contribution of indigenous women and women from all forest peoples as political subjects that enriches feminism in the framework of the cultural diversity of our societies and strengthens the feminist struggle against the patriarchal capitalist global system. The world is currently experiencing various crises that demonstrate that this system is not viable. Financial, food, climate and energetic crises are not isolated phenomena, but represent a crisis of the model itself, driven by the super exploitation of work and the environment, and financial speculation of the economy.
We are not interested in palliative answers based on market logic in response to these crises; this can only lead to perpetuation of the same system. We need to advance in the construction of alternatives. We are against the use of agro-fuels and carbon credit markets as ‘solutions’ to the climate and energy crises. We, feminist women, demand a change in the production and consumption model. In relation to the food crisis, we affirm that transgenic foodstuffs do not represent a solution. Our alternatives are food sovereignty and the development of agro-ecological production.
With respect to the financial and economic crisis, we are against the withdrawal of millions from public funds to rescue banks and businesses. We, feminist women, demand employment protection and the right to a decent income. We cannot accept that attempts to maintain this system are made at the expense of women. The mass layoffs, cuts in public spending in social fields, and reaffirmation of this production model increase the work involved in reproduction and sustainability of life, and thus directly affect our lives as women. To impose its domain worldwide, the system resorts to militarization and arms; genocidal confrontations are fabricated that reduce women to spoils of war and use sexual violence as a weapon of war in armed conflict. Entire populations are forcibly displaced, forcing them to live as political refugees. Violence against women, feminicide and other crimes against humanity are committed on a daily basis in armed conflicts, while perpetrators enjoy total impunity.
We, feminist women, propose radical and profound changes in relations among human beings and with the environment, the end of lesbophobia, of hetero-normative and racist patriarchy. We demand the end of control over our bodies and sexuality. We claim the right to make free decisions in relation to our lives and the territories we inhabit. We are against the reproduction of society through the super-exploitation of women. We express our solidarity with women in regions of armed conflict and war. We add our voices to those of our sisters in Haiti and reject the violence perpetrated by the military occupation forces. We support the Colombian, Congolese and countless other women who resist – on a daily basis – the violence of military and militia groups in conflict in their countries. We stand together with Iraqi women facing the violence of the US military occupation.
At this current time, we express our particular solidarity with Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip under military attack from Israel, and we join the struggles for the end of war in the Middle East. In peace, as in war, we support the victims of patriarchal and racist violence against black and youth women. Equally, we express our support and solidarity to all sisters in their resistance struggles against hydroelectric dams, timber and mining companies and mega-projects in the Amazon and around the world, as well as those who are persecuted as a result of their legitimate opposition to this exploitation. We unite with those struggling for the right to water.
We stand with all women criminalized for the practice of abortion and defend this right. We strengthen our commitment and join together in actions to resist fundamentalist and conservative attacks, in order to guarantee that all those women who need to, are entitled to safe and legal abortion. We support the struggle for accessibility for disabled women and for the right of migrant women to freely “come and go”. On behalf of all these women, and of ourselves, we continue committed to the construction of the feminist movement as a counter-hegemonic political force and an instrument for women to achieve the transformation of their lives and our societies, by supporting and strengthening the self-organisation of women, dialogue, and networking between social movements’ struggles.
On 8th March and during the Global Week of Action 2010, as women around the world we will unite in our confrontation of the capitalist and patriarchal system that oppresses and exploits us. In the streets and in our homes, in forests and the countryside, in our struggles and the in the spaces of our daily lives, we will maintain our rebellion and mobilisation.
Belém do Para, Brazil, 1st February 2009
March 12, 2009 – Bay Windows
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MALE Center equips men to avoid HIV infection
by St. John Barned-Smith contributing writer
To those unfamiliar with the theory of harm reduction, Michael Shankle’s ranking of risky behaviors might raise a few eyebrows. Eschewing the "just say no" approach to counseling people about risk, Shankle tells clients that snorting crystal methamphetamine is better than injecting it, while unprotected sex that ends before ejaculation is better than an outright prohibition on unprotected sex.
Shankle, director of AIDS Action Committee’s MALE Center, knows that people engage in risky behavior. He just wants to lessen the likely harm as much as possible – so for Shankle, snorting crystal meth might be acceptable, despite its obvious dangers, because it carries no chance of accidental exposure to HIV for its nasal users, unlike for those who inject the drug.
"We know that if you tell someone they can’t do something, and they’re doing it, it’s going to be something that goes unheard – it’s not going to create a behavioral change in somebody," he said. Shankle talks with a poise and humor that belies the seriousness of the work he oversees every day at the MALE Center, where he and his staff provide rapid HIV testing to New England’s gay and bisexual male population.
The MALE Center – which opened four years ago on Columbus Avenue in the South End – is Boston’s only community center for gay and bisexual men. Shankle said AAC chose the location because it was right in the heart of Boston’s gay community. "It was a hub of this activity in this area," Shankle said of the site of his center. "The South End was the place to be." The MALE Center received its initial funding in 2004, but didn’t get the program up and running until early 2005. Shankle took charge of the center after almost ten years of HIV-prevention work at the University of Pittsburgh, where he published a handbook on LGBT-related public health.
Ever since, the center has been establishing itself in the community, and gearing up in the battle to slow the spread of HIV. It has not been an easy task. According to a 2008 report by the state Department of Public Health examining the epidemic’s impact on gay and bi men, the number of new infections among men who have sex with men in Massachusetts has remained relatively stable since 1999. "The whole premise behind the MALE Center was to help reengage the community around HIV prevention, around [the sexual] health of the community," said Shankle. "We moved the focus from just doing HIV prevention, but talking about a whole approach to gay and bisexual men’s health. So we’re looking at things like substance abuse, like how people engage in the community, homelessness, the fact that unemployment – these are all things that lead people to make decisions that may not be the best decisions related to their sexual health."
The staff of the MALE Center carries out much of its work in a small, mauve room about nine square feet, where they administer rapid HIV testing. A poster adorned with condom-covered model penises, aptly titled "Protect Your Package," hangs from one wall, the ultimate demo of proper condom usage. Providing condoms has been a critical part of the MALE Center’s mission – in the last year, Shankle said, the center distributed 140,000 packs of condoms and packets of lube.
But Shankle admits that condom distribution only goes so far. "We’re not going to be able to force someone to use a condom," he said, "so we give them almost like a manual – ’OK, so if you’re not going to use a condom, let’s talk about how you can have sex that can be a little safer and reduce your risk.’…That can range from not having penetrative sex, doing other kinds of things with individuals, it could involve using lots of lube, it could involve [a] pulling-out kind of method, it’s all these things – we give people a menu of options that they can take away with them."
At its core, Shankle said, the MALE Center wants to give gay and bisexual men as many tools as possible to fight HIV – whether through rapid testing, or as it has done for some time, by advocating for exposed individuals to use a little-known HIV treatment called P.E.P. P.E.P., or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a treatment for anyone who has potentially been exposed to HIV. P.E.P. is a cocktail of three antiretroviral drugs that, if taken within three days of exposure, dramatically lessens the chance of contracting the disease.
"We talk to guys about having a prevention tool box with them," said Shankle. "You pick up things over the years, around talking about sex, about using condoms, around the lube you like, and you have them in this box that you can pull things out of to make healthier decisions. P.E.P. is one of those things you should have in that box." According to Ken Mayer, the Fenway Institute’s medical director of research, P.E.P. evolved in the early 1980s following testing on animals that suggested if the animals received antiretroviral drugs before or very soon after exposure they might be protected from becoming infected.
P.E.P. became a way to help protect health workers who might be stuck during a medical procedure with an infected needle (or sharps, as they’re medically called), or be exposed to other HIV-positive body tissue or fluid.
The experience of the treatment isn’t pretty – AVERT.org, the website of the U.K.-based HIV/AIDS charity and public education organization, explains the potentially nasty side effects of P.E.P: "P.E.P. usually consists of a month-long course of two or three different types of the antiretroviral drugs that are also prescribed as treatment for people with HIV. As with most antiretrovirals these can cause side effects such as diarrhea, headaches, nausea/vomiting and fatigue. Some of these side effects can be quite severe and it is estimated that one in five people give up P.E.P. treatment before completion." Despite the potential unpleasantness, Mayer said the severity of many of the side effects has lessened.
March 13, 2009 – aidsmap.com
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Conference highlights the forces encouraging risk behaviour in gay men
by Roger Pebody & Michael Carter
The forces encouraging sexual risk behaviour are large and widespread, but the forces for precautionary behaviour are meagre and narrowly focussed, argued Ford Hickson of Sigma Research at the CHAPS conference of gay men’s health promoters in Brighton last week. Rather than describe HIV prevention in the UK as failing, he suggested it would be more accurate to say that it is inadequate.
Other sessions at the conference included one of the first qualitative studies of the experiences of gay men co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV, and an examination of how HIV-positive men have adjusted their behaviour in the light of prosecutions of HIV transmission.
In the plenary, Ford Hickson outlined the forces encouraging risk behaviour:
* The power of sexual pleasure. "If you do not understand sexual risk," he commented, "it is probably because you don’t appreciate sexual desire".
* The rapid expansion of the gay scene into "a large business sector supplying services for sexual contact and locations to have sex".
* The continued denigration of homosexuality in society, and the associated emotional isolation and low mood of many gay men.
* Men’s self-medication with alcohol and drugs, which is problematic in a culture which excuses risk-taking while under the influence.
* The widespread belief that ‘real sex’ is anal sex.
* The commodification and fetishisation of barebacking as a transgressive behaviour. "Gay sub-culture has long legitimised the eroticisation of unacceptable thoughts," Hickson suggested, and barebacking porn is one manifestation of this.
* Individualistic cultural norms that reject notions of responsibility. "The idea that you would sacrifice something yourself in order to protect or care for someone else seems, at the moment, to be deeply alien to gay culture and HIV prevention approaches," he said.
* Optimistic biases in our thinking: telling ourselves that risks are smaller than they really are.
Reviewing the forces towards precautionary behaviours, he rejected the notion that in the age of combination therapy, gay men no longer see HIV as something worth the effort of avoiding. Hickson reminded the conference that the majority of uninfected men support criminal prosecutions for HIV transmission, would decline any sexual contact with a man they knew had HIV, and if anything, have an excessive fear of HIV.
However he suggested that many of the other precautionary forces were misdirected. He criticised behavioural approaches that are too narrowly focussed on identifying and treating ‘high-risk’ individuals, and denounced public discussions of the epidemic that give the impression that "straight Africans moving to the UK with HIV are actually young straight Britons acquiring HIV".
Moreover he suggested that the forces for precaution have become reduced to NHS services provided by a few charities. "As the amount of money has contracted, competition for these meagre resources has become a major preoccupation," he said. "Leadership has been replaced by salesmanship and collaboration has been replaced by competition".
Hepatitis co-infection
Sam de Croy, on behalf of the principal researcher Jan Mojsa, presented findings from a qualitative study of the lived experience of hepatitis C and HIV co-infection. The presentation reflected the experiences of gay men attending a co-infection support group at Body Positive North West.
A common thread was that co-infection encouraged men to reflect on their life so far, re-evaluate patterns of behaviour, and make changes. This was particularly clear in terms of sex and relationships. The participants tended to describe their pre-hepatitis sex lives as ‘full’ or ‘promiscuous’. Most had acquired hepatitis at a sex party, and part of their sense of identity was connected with being good sexual performers.
One man commented: “I only ever put energy into two things and that was sex and work you know, and I thought there was a point when I was doing both things very well…” However hepatitis had put a stop to both: “You can’t work properly. You don’t feel like you want to have sex and shouldn’t put anyone else at risk and physically you’re so frail from the interferon…”
All the men were now looking for relationships that were more characterised by emotional intimacy and companionship.
Another theme was a sense of being isolated. The men tended to ‘get on with things’ on their own, and were reluctant to ask friends for help when dealing with illness and treatment side-effects. Isolation could also be a symptom of depression, and all the men had previous experience of depression (before co-infection). Interferon treatment exacerbated this, and despair, suicidal thoughts and perceptions of personality changes were common.
However the participants did not always feel that clinic staff had given enough support before they started hepatitis treatment, or had fully involved them in decisions. They were not always emotionally prepared for the side-effects and the impact on employment.
Criminal HIV transmission
Only a minority of HIV-positive gay men who recently engaged in unprotected anal intercourse have even a basic understanding of criminal HIV transmission, Dr Catherine Dodds of Sigma Research told the conference. Sigma Research recently published Relative Safety II, a study examining the behaviour of 42 HIV-positive gay men who had engaged in unprotected anal intercourse. As part of the study, the men were asked a number of questions to establish their understanding of criminal HIV transmission.
Their answers showed that only a minority of men (approximately one-third) knew that HIV-positive individuals in the UK had been convicted for ‘reckless’ HIV transmission, with similar proportions knowing that the convictions had been for grievous bodily harm, that the cases had hinged on the complainant’s lack of consent because the accused had not disclosed his or her HIV status, and that this was a ‘serious’ issue.
Some men reported that they took care to disclose their HIV status to sexual partners. One individual even went so far as to save web logs of internet chat to prove that he had disclosed his HIV status in the event of a criminal complaint being made. However, other men had adopted the opposite strategy, and told the investigators that they were taking additional precautions to conceal their HIV status to protect themselves from the risk of prosecution. This suggested to Dr Dodds that the prosecutions were not increasing the likelihood that HIV-positive individuals would disclose to potential sexual partners.
April 20, 2009 – PinkNews
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Inteview: Peterson Toscano speaks about his experiences with ex-gay therapy
by Omar Hassan
A recent study by the British Medical Journal found that one in six therapists and psychiatrists have attempted to ‘cure’ homosexuality. Next week, a convention featuring notorious ex-gay advocates such as Joseph Nicolosi is to be held in London. Despite all scientific evidence which states sexuality cannot be changed, it is clear that the use of such techniques continues.
In light of recent news around ex-gay therapies and my own personal battle with my family over changing my sexual orientation, I thought it would be an opportune time to speak to Peterson Toscano, a performer who survived over 17 years of ex-gay programmes including the well-known live-in treatment facility, Love In Action. Toscano has subsequently founded an online community called Beyond Ex Gay, for those who have endured reparative therapy who wish to share their experiences and speaks regularly about his struggle with the Ex Gay movement.
In the following interview, he details his own experiences and the reasons why he first sought treatment. He uncovers the truth about a bigoted community, which refuses to accept the equal protection and rights of homosexuals. In the end, he raises important questions about society’s responsibilities towards the LGBTQ community, as well as the future of the Ex Gay supporters.
Did you find reparative therapy useful? Why or why not?
I found that reparative therapy and ex-gay ministry caused me more harm than good. When someone elects to go into one of these programs or treatments, typically they have lots of stuff going on in their lives that needs attention – depression, addiction issues, low self-esteem, family problems, unresolved abuse or trauma. None of these things have to do with being gay, but in our society, and particularly in many churches, they teach that being gay is the cause of all these things. They are wrong, but still this is powerful message to a young impressionable mind.
Overall, I found reparative therapy to be destructive to my psyche, my spirituality, my career, relationships within my family, my finances and even my physical health. It is no surprise that extreme lower back problems ultimately resulting in a herniated disc began at the same time when I initiated to de-gay myself. Once I came out of the closet and began to undo the damage of the ex-gay treatment, the lower back problems went away.
Why were you trying to rid yourself of homosexual tendencies?Was it because of personal, social, religious or cultural beliefs?
There was a strong mix of reasons that compelled me to pursue reparative therapy. I believed that my primary motivation was religion. As a Christian I did not then see how I could also be gay. As I have explored my reasons further, I discovered many
factors that influenced and pressured me to de-gay myself. I had many reasons why I went ex-gay. These included a desire to marry and have children, fear of loneliness, pressure from society, fear of AIDS and other STDs, low self-esteem and many others.
Did you believe that homosexuality should be frowned upon, or was it something that you simply did not want to be a part of?
At the time when I pursued treatment I believed that it was wrong to be gay and normal to be heterosexual. Of course I received this message in nearly every TV show, pop song, advert, religious ceremony, and book I read. I had an aversion to being gay because of the aversion I experienced in the world around me. Now I see that a gay orientation and gender diversity are normal phenomena in the natural world and throughout human history.
Has the therapy altered your sexual orientation in anyway? If so, have you ever been in a relationship with a female?
Gay reparative therapy and ex-gay ministries did not alter my sexual orientation in the least. In fact, most ex-gay therapists today will tell you that a change in orientation is not a realistic goal. At the time, the message was not so honest. Instead therapists and ex-gay proponents filled my head with myths promising me the impossible – transformation from gay to straight. As a result of these promises and my quest to be heterosexual, I married a woman back in 1990.
We were together for five years before the marriage ended in flames. I loved her as a person, but sadly never desired her as a lover. What did alter was my emotional well-being. It was during this marriage that I became more and more discouraged and depressed over my sexuality to the point where I seriously considered taking my life.
Can you divulge some of the therapeutic practices that were used on you?
I spent 17 years and over $30,000 on three continents attempting to de-gay myself. I attended weekly support groups, one-on-one counseling sessions, conferences, and even two years at a residential facility. In addition I purchased and read over 20 books about reparative therapy and the ex-gay process. Each programme and practitioner offers a different method. This is not a regulated industry and typically most ex-gay therapists have no formal training in mental health, psychology or counselling. I had been in programmes and with counsellors in the UK, US and South America.
Some use pastoral counselling, using the Bible and traditional Christian teachings as a means of correcting what they see as transgressive behaviours and desires. One programme used an altered version of the 12-Steps traditionally used in Alcoholics Anonymous. Often therapists tried to correct gender variance instructing me to be more gender conforming. They taught me how to play football, change the oil in my car, walk, sit and dress in a more straight-acting masculine way.
Many counsellors target parents as the culprits for why someone is gay and drag family into the "therapy." I spent two years at a residential facility in Memphis, Tennessee and this program convinced my parents that they had failed me and were to blame for problems I faced with my sexuality. These programs often offer up their own template of how someone becomes gay. It is a mish-mash of debunked Freudian theory, Bible lessons and development models attempting to explain how someone became gay. They then want the client to create a new mythology about they’re past to adhere to their template. At times the "treatments" became outright bizarre including three exorcisms I endured, one of which was is Kidderminster, England.
Why did you spent so many years in ex-gay programs?
As I mentioned before, I had many reasons for pursuing a change in orientation. Added to that mix were fear and shame, toxic emotions that keep people from thinking clearly. I felt terrified that I would piss off God, get AIDS and die, and I lived in the shame that society heaped on me about being gay. I also lived in a country (the USA) that stressed that one could be whatever one wanted to be. I ceded my brain over to our oppressors and let them give me the weapons and tools to go to war against myself. Bottom line I was a coward – afraid of what would happen if I chose to be authentic. Little did I know that I would experience a fullness of life and health I had never dreamed was possible.
Peterson Toscano is a theatrical performance activist who travels internationally with original one-person shows that address LGBT concerns as well as issues of race, gender, environment and faith. He will be in the UK from 23 April speaking about reparative therapy. For a full schedule please see: www.petersontoscano.com/schedule
Omar is a writer and freelance journalist. He has also been involved with a range of TV production companies, working predominantly in the area of factual programming. Born in Cairo, Egypt, he has lived in the USA and Saudi Arabia and currently resides in the United Kingdom.
9
Official IDAHO Report: International Day against Homophobia & Transphobia–2009
The fifth International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, an initiative launched on May 17th 2005 by activist Louis-Georges Tin, saw an amazing outburst of activities around the world. The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) Committee reports on its global site www.idahomophobia.org.
"Actions were reported in more then 50 countries", said Joel Bedos, coordinator of the IDAHO Committee, the NGO promoting the Day worldwide. "This shows just how strong the global movement is." ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, a world-wide network of national and local groups with more than 700 member organisations from every continent and representing 110 countries, has been involved in the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia with the IDAHO Committee since it was launched in 2005.
"We chose this Day," say Gloria Careaga and Renato Sabbadini, ILGA’s Co-Secretaries General, "to launch the third edition of the World Report on State Sponsored Homophobia. With this report ILGA wants to name and shame the States which at the end of the first decade of the 21st century still treat their LGBTI citizens like lesser persons, unworthy of consideration. The actions undertaken by activists and the majority of our members all around the world on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia have been an important occasion to remind civil societies and Governments of the situation of lesbians and gays in 80 countries in the world, where homosexuality is considered a crime and of the fact that in 5 of them, i.e. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Mauritania and Yemen, homosexuals risk the death penalty. ILGA is now working on a State sponsored transphobia report, which we hope to publish by November this year."
Nicolai Alexeyev, organiser of Slavic Pride in Moscow, speaking after his release from a Russian jail said, "We launched the first Moscow pride and the first IDAHO international conference in 2006 with Louis-Georges Tin, who was with us, on the streets confronting homophobic attacks. "Since then, we have always been together, working for equal rights in the world. IDAHO breaks down isolation, makes people feel stronger, and sends a powerful signal to all homophobes and transphobes around the world that they are facing not just a handful of activists but millions of people across the globe."
This ambition to get activists in different countries together is Joel Bedos’ main driving force. "This year we have got a really large alliance of major regional and international NGOs, including ILGA’s Trans secretariat of course, together to launch a large international campaign against Transphobia. The appeal has been signed by 300 organizations in more than 75 countries, 3 Nobel Prize winners and many international institutions and celebrities and we are now launching it on our websites for citizens all over the world to join in with."
Most amazingly, this campaign already has led France to announce an historic decision to become the first country in the world to stop classifying Trans people as ‘mentally disordered’ as the World Health Organisation’s guidelines still demand. Also, on May 15th, the Dutch parliament organised a conference on LGBTI rights, celebrating IDAHO, and the Dutch minister of foreign affairs, Maxime Verhagen announced that the Government will change the law that still requires transgender people to undergo irreversible surgery before granting them a new identification document. He acknowledged that the current law violates principle 18 of the Yogyakarta principle: the right to be protected from medical abuses.
The report, presented on Saturday 16 May at the Axel hotel in Barcelona with the help of Coordinadora Gai Lesbiana and former ILGA co-Secretary General Jordi Petit, was prepared by Daniel Ottosson. The report and a map showing the results of the study at a glance can be accessed on www.ilga.org.
"Such an international campaign is one of the added values of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, and we are glad that the IDAHO Committee has provided the initial impulse. It has galvanised us into action and helped us to network with other Trans organisations in other countries. We are definitely stronger together" says Liesl Theron from Gender DynamiX, a South African Human Rights organization promoting freedom of expression of gender identity in Africa.
The IDAHO committee hopes that the Campaign against Transphobia will be just as successful as the one that it launched back in 2006 when an international petition calling "for a universal decriminalisation of homosexuality" drew incredible support from several Nobel prize winners, many high profile politicians, actors, intellectuals, etc, and contributed to the French government taking the initiative that resulted in last year UN Statement on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity -a historical achievement indeed.
On this year’s International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, the French, Dutch and Norwegian governments organised a World Congress to follow up on this Statement, with a very active participation of the IDAHO Committee along other civil society actors. This congress got many activists from all over the world to meet and strategise the future.
Getting people around the globe together is indeed a shared passion. Kenneth Tan, founder of the first social gay and lesbian network Gays.com, is a happy man: "The community based video that we did this year in partnership with the IDAHO Committee has already been watched by 200,000 people. The idea was to get individuals from a lot of different countries to come out and say they were proud. The result is exactly what the Day means: a celebration of both diversity, because we are all unique, and unity, because there is something that links us all together."
Diversity is certainly the motto: In mainland China, a bike rally celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, while in Hong Kong, the IDAHO Coalition protested against homophobia in front of the Government Headquarters. Says Connie Chan, who has been coordinating actions in Hong Kong for many years: "The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia Committee and participating organisations around the world have given us inspiration and momentum for action."
Derek Lennard, IDAHO-UK Coordinator said "In the UK we now have over 100 events and initiatives to mark IDAHO -in 2005 we had five. It is very exciting to see this network get bigger and bigger and to see the very broad support it now receives in the UK". While marchers took it to the streets in all major Turkish cities, UK police stations flew the rainbow flag. While in Cameroon, brave activists faced the hostile crowd on a radio programme, a Church service to mark IDAHO was held in Belfast’s oldest church. Iran’s gay students wrote an open letter to the Students’ Union, and in Singapore, the Pink Dot festival was the first-ever event to speak openly about gay and lesbian rights.
The Council of the EU, in a historic statement published on May 17th, declared "Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity is incompatible with the basic principles on which the UE is founded". In a surprisingly progressive move, this Statement was supported by countries outside the EU such as Turkey and Ukraine.
"Everywhere we see things moving. Even in Russia where the IDAHO Committee co-organised the first Pride in 2006, things will change. This is why we created this Day in 2005 and we are so happy to see all these actions take place around the globe. We hope that the sum of all these individual energies will increasingly be visible to the world. Because we are so many and so full of hope and energy, that we can really change the world," says Louis-Georges Tin.
Press contact
Louis-Georges Tin
IDAHO Committee
+33 (0) 6 19 45 45 52
lgtin@idahomophobia.org
Protests on the 2009 International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia – 17 May
A Few Examples…
China & Hong Kong · "Love is not a crime, hate is not a family value" chanted IDAHO coalition marchers as they headed to the Governments Headquarters demanding equal rights for LGBT people. They called for legislation outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation and for same-sex couples to be included in the law on domestic violence. Spokesperson Connie Chan reports: "Protesters laid down in a symbolic die-in action to signal their disappointment at the treatment they get from the Hong Kong authorities." In the meantime in Beijing, organisations Common Language and Aibai Culture and Education Center organised "Rainbow in Motion", the Beijing Multi-campus Bike Ride to celebrate gay pride, raise awareness of LGBT rights and introduce IDAHO to the LGBT community and general public of mainland China.
France · In France, hundreds of events where organised all over the country, where IDAHO enjoys a growing visibility. In Paris, Trans People from all over the world joined French Trans activists and LGBT organisations to "Shout Out against Transphobia". On that day, the Health minister announced that France would be the first country to officially stop applying WHO classification of Trans People as "mentally disordered". 27 cities organised debates, film screenings, parties, exhibitions and other political and cultural events, including a National Conference on Transgender and Transexual issues at the French Parliament.
Turkey · Hundreds of people marched in Ankara and other major cities in the country for LGBT rights. Homophobia and Transphobia have risen dramatically over the last year with dozens of people brutally murdered and police harassment is growing.
ILGA · The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association published on IDAHO the third edition of its report on State Sponsored Homophobia. The report surveys legislations criminalising consensual sexual acts between persons of the same sex in private over the age of consent in all countries in the World. With this report ILGA wants to name and shame the States which at the end of the first decade of the 21st century still treat their LGBTI citizens like lesser persons, unworthy of consideration.
UK · Amongst many initiatives across the country, dozens of police stations raised a gay rights banner to mark a day of action against homophobia. The organisations raising the rainbow flag high were taking part in The Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s "Flying the Flag" campaign. In London, an IDAHO party launched Day in Hand community project. This campaign’s aim is to inspire and support same-sex couples who want to hold their partner’s hand in public.
www.adayinhand.com
European Union · To mark IDAHO, the European Union issued a strong statement calling for renewed mobilisation against homophobia and transphobia. The Statement, warning that "discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation and gender identity is incompatible with the basic principles on which the UE is founded", was also supported by other States, including Turkey and Ukraine, two countries who did not sign up to the UN Statement last December supported by now 67 countries and calling States to fights discrimination on these grounds.
www.consilium.europa.eu
Singapore · IDAHO 2009 went down in History as the Pink Dot festival united a 2500-strong crowd celebrating the freedom to love. The organisers of the event, pinkdot.sg, say the event was held to commemorate love in all forms and between people of every orientation. The city-state still has a ban on homosexual sex that has been in force since its colonial days under the British. According to Jack Soh of pinkdot.sg, "It was not a protest or a political rally. The event was for Singaporeans in general – to affirm our respect for diversity and the freedom to love, regardless of sexual orientation." http://www.pinkdot.sg
Transphobia · 300 organisations from 75 countries, 3 Nobel Prize winners and intellectuals, artists, politicians from many countries ,supported the International Appeal against Transphobia and for the Respect of Gender Identity launched by a group of large regional and international Human Rights and LGBT Rights organisations. The Appeal was launched on the eve of IDAHO and is now opened to signatures by the public.
A Few More Examples…
International · To coincide with IDAHO, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the World Congress on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. This congress originated from a joint decision by the French, Dutch and Norwegian governments. Its aim was to reflect on future strategies to take the LGBT agenda forward within the UN. Ministers from 15 countries, including 3 African countries, and more than 80 representatives from NGOs from all World regions debated during the day-long congress to elaborate recommendations for all stakeholders.
Russia · Once again Gayrussia tried to organise a Pride march in Moscow on IDAHO. This year, the date coincided with the Eurovision song contest in the Russian capital, which drew increased media attention on the event. In spite of much public attention and support, Moscow authorities cracked down on demonstrators and arrested many members of the group. Gayrussia founder Nicolai Alexeyev promised to hold on to the slogan "Gay Equality; No Compromise" and plans actions for IDAHO 2010.
More information on www.idahomophobia.org
Background to IDAHO
In August 2004, Louis-Georges Tin, a French university lecturer, campaigner for Black and LGBT Rights, and chief editor of the Dictionary of Homophobia launched an appeal for a universal recognition of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). He proposed that this day be fixed on May 17th, to commemorate the World Health Organisation decision to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders.
By May 17th 2005, as a result of a year long campaigning effort, 24000 people worldwide and reputed international organisations like ILGA, IGLHRC, the World Congress of LGBT Jews, the Coalition of African lesbians, to name but a few, had signed the IDAHO appeal. In May 2005 already, IDAHO saw some action take place in more than 40 countries in the world. The first LGBT events ever were organised in Congo, China, Bulgaria. Josepp Borrell, President of the European Parliament made a statement supporting the IDAHO and invited Tin to the conference the EU Parliament organised for IDAHO 2006.
By that time a new campaign had been launched by the IDAHO Committee calling "for a universal decriminalisation of homosexuality" and on May 17th 2006 it had attracted support from several Nobel Prize winners (Desmond Tutu, Amartya Sen, Elfriede Jelinek, Dario Fo, José Saramago), artists (Merryl Streep, Cindy Lauper, Elton John, David Bowie), intellectuals (Noam Chomsky, Judith Butler, Bernard-Henri Lévy), NGOs (ILGA, FIDH), politicians, etc…
In July 2006, the Montreal Conference on LGBT Human Rights, organised in the wake of the Outgames, included in its final declaration a strong recommendation to all Governments to recognise May 17th as the International Day against Homophobia. For IDAHO 2007, the IDAHO committee and Gayrussia co-organised the first GayPride in Moscow, preceded by an International IDAHO conference that brought together many activist, organisations and politicians from around Europe and North America. At that time, IDAHO had been officially recognised by the EU Parliament, Belgium, the UK and Mexico and organisations in more than 50 countries in the world celebrated IDAHO. Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Luxemburg soon joined the list of countries officially recognising the Day.
On IDAHO 2008, as a result of the actions coordinated by the IDAHO committee, the French Government also recognised IDAHO. Rama Yade, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, announced France’s intention to launch a UN initiative towards the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.
During the second semester, Civil Society organisations, including the IDAHO committee, ILGA, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, ARC international, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and many other groups from the global South and East worked towards this initiative that eventually resulted in the December 2008 UN Statement read at the General Assembly by Argentina and supported by now 67 countries. This UN Statement was one of the elements in a long strategy of LGBT advocacy at the UN, a strategy that was discussed on IDAHO 2009 at the World Congress against Homophobia and Transphobia, that the IDAHO committee, as part of a central working group, helped shaping.
May 27, 2009 – PinkNews
10
Desmond Tutu supports gay clergy
by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Archbishop Desmond Tutu received a standing ovation when he spoke out in support of gay clergy at the Church of Scotland General Assembly yesterday. The Anglican leader and former anti-apartheid campaigner called on church members to welcome all, regardless of their sexuality. According to the Herald, he said: "When we were suffering with apartheid in South Africa, how wonderful it was to almost luxuriate in the tremendous support of we received from others in other parts of the world. People were arrested on our behalf.
"You here in Edinburgh were quite outstanding in that support. Ours is a God who is notoriously biased in favour of the poor, the hungry, the downtrodden, those who smell to high heaven, begging in our streets, whop sleep rough, prostitutes, drug addicts, those who are at the edges of our society. In this family there are no outsiders. All, all, are insiders. All are children of our heavenly father: the rich, the poor, the lame, the blind, the clever, the not so clever, the white, the black, the red, the yellow. All, all, all. The Palestinians, the Israelis, Al Quaeda, Bin Laden, George Bush. I will draw all into this embrace of love. All. Lesbians, gays, so called straights. All, all, all. We are family. We are sister and brothers."
He added: "How in the name of everything that is good can we justify going on spending obscene amounts on budgets of death and destruction, when we know that just a minute fraction of those so-called defence budgets would ensure that God’s children everywhere, our sisters and brothers, would have clean water to drink, enough food to eat and have a decent home, affordable healthcare.
"How can it be that we representing this God can look on when there are those who go to bed hungry, and can spend only one dollar a day?" Archbishop Tutu has previously castigated his church for obsessing over gay issues while poverty, disease and hunger are ravaging the human race.
In September, he accused his church of "persecuting the already persecuted" in its attitude to gay people. Last weekend, the General Assembly voted to approve the appointment of Scott Rennie, an openly gay minister. However, it then imposed a two-year ban on all new appointments of gay ministers.
June 2009 – Protecton Line
11
Protection Manual For LGBTI Defenders
by Enrique Eguren, Protection International (former PBI BEO), Shaun Kirven, Marie Caraj
In many countries where openly “gay” lifestyles have been legally recognised and where rights to form partnerships and have those partnerships recognised and protected by the law, there exists a correlation between public and private sexual and gender identities. In countries where Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) rights are denied, oppressed and criminalised the gap between what is private and what is public widens considerably. It has been established that the lack of public space created by the lack of legal protection, the criminalisation of ‘unnatural sex’ acts, general and wide spread homophobia and transphobia within heterosexist societies forces many homosexual, bisexual or transgender people to live secret lives.
It is this enforced privacy that poses the greatest threat to SOGI rights and those that defend them. By exploring SOGI rights in different contexts and giving examples of issues that can affect the security of LGBTI defenders, this manual aims at integrating the protection and security in LGBTI defenders into mainstream defenders’ work plans and lives. It does so, through risk analysis and consequent suggestions on the drafting of security and protection plans and processes. These elements are based on the same logical processes PI uses for all defenders The underlying argument is that LGBTI defenders face discrimination, repression, HR violations like all other defenders and yet, face additional threats because of their marginalisation and lack of protection from the law.
June 17, 2009 – PinkNews
12
LGBT activists ‘under-resourced, isolated and vulnerable’
by Jessica Geen
Activists fighting for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans rights are under-funded, lack support and face "routine" violence, a report has said. The Human Rights Watch report, published last week, claims that despite progress, campaigning groups are still at risk from "brutal violence", especially those in the global south. It found that such groups do not receive the necessary funding and support, even from fellow human rights organisations.
Citing an incident in Jamaica, where an angry crowd beat mourners at a gay man’s funeral, the report said campaigners "routinely face extraordinary levels of violence". HRW also highlighted the power of religious leaders and politicians, saying that sexuality had become a "battleground" in the fight for power. Scott Long, director of the LGBT Rights Programme at HRW and the principal author of the report, said: ""Dozens of countries have repealed sodomy laws or enshrined equality measures, and that’s the good news as activists celebrate their successes during Gay Pride month.
"But visibility breeds violence, and there is a pressing need for new support and protection." The research was based on surveys and interviews with more than 100 LGBT activists around the world. It found differing issues depending on regions. In Latin America, most sodomy laws have been repealed and new anti-discrimination protections being debated. However, the region still has repressive laws and pervasive violence based on gender identity and expression.
Those in sub-Saharan Africa were faced with violence, while extremist religious groups in North America were said to be actively promoting hatred. The report also detailed successful strategies used by activists, citing Brazilian trans groups which organise monthly excursions to public spaces such as shopping malls or beaches. The US was highlighted as having fewer LGBT equality protections than Brazil or South Africa. "As the United States prepares to commemorate the 40th anniversary of its own gay rights movement, this report points to lessons of struggles and successes in other countries that everyone can learn from," said Long.
July 28, 2009 – IGLHRC
13
United Nations: First Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Organization from the Global South to Gain Consultative Status
For Immediate Release
Geneva – The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) granted consultative status yesterday to the Brazilian Federation of LGBT Groups (Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas e Transgêneros, ABGLT), the first LGBT organization from the Southern Hemisphere to receive it, a coalition of human rights organizations said.
"This is a victory for the human rights of LGBT people," said Toni Reis, president of ABGLT, who thanked the Brazilian Government for their support, and the other countries that voted for ABGLT. He added that ABGLT will fight for the rights of LGBT people globally, including in the 80 countries where consenting same-sex relations between adults are still a crime, in seven of them the punishment being the death penalty. "We greatly appreciate the support of the Brazilian government, which was fundamental in this process," added Alexandre Böer, of Somos a member group of ABGLT. "The strong statement delivered by Uruguay on behalf of all Mercosur and Associated States also underlined that this is viewed as a fundamental human rights issue throughout the region."
Consultative status is a key means for civil society to access the UN system. It allows non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver oral and written reports at UN meetings, and to organize events on UN premises. With it, LGBT NGOs are able to share information and analysis of the abuses and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity taking place around the world.
ECOSOC, consisting of 54 member states of the UN, grants consultative status to NGOs after reviewing recommendations made by its subsidiary body-the NGO Committee-which screens the applications. At its July session in Geneva today, the ECOSOC voted to overturn a negative recommendation by the NGO Committee, and granted UN consultative status to ABGLT by a vote of 25 to 12, with 13 abstentions. A list of the States’ votes at the current ECOSOC session is included below.
"We congratulate ABGLT for obtaining ECOSOC accreditation. Particularly significant is that support for NGOs working to address human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity continues to increase," stated John Fisher from ARC International, who coordinated lobbying at the ECOSOC session in Geneva. "This is the largest margin of victory ever for an LGBT NGO seeking ECOSOC accreditation. Today’s decision confirms that human rights concerns related to sexual orientation and gender identity fall squarely within the mandate of the United Nations, and must be addressed by all States."
"All NGOs should be given the chance to participate in the UN debate, without discrimination," said Adrian Coman from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, who supported the ABGLT representative at the NGO Committee sessions.
ABGLT Brazil joins over 3,000 other NGOs with consultative status at the UN. However, only a handful of LGBT groups have received the status. In recent years, some states have treated LGBT groups’ applications with intense hostility. With the exception of COC Netherlands, ECOSOC has only granted such groups consultative status after first overturning negative recommendations from its NGO Committee. ECOSOC approved the Danish National Association for Gay and Lesbians (LBL), the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA-Europe), and the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD) in December 2006. The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Québec (CGQL) and the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) gained consultative status in July 2007. COC Netherlands and the Spanish Federation of LGBT Groups (FEGLT) were granted the status in July 2008. The US-based International Wages Due Lesbians and Australian-based Coalition of Activist Lesbians have had consultative status at the UN for more than a decade.
In 2010, the NGO Committee is due to review applications from other LGBT groups, including Lestime and LOS, both from Switzerland, and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, which were deferred from prior sessions.
For more information please contact:
Alexandre Böer and Toni Reis (ABGLT):
+55-51-8125-7536 – alexandreboer@somos.org.br or presidencia@abglt.org.br
John Fisher (ARC International, in Geneva):
+41-79-508-3968 – john@arc-international.net
Adrian Coman (IGLHRC, in New York):
+1 (212) 430-6014 – acoman@iglhrc.org
July 23, 2009 – PinkNews
14
Map shows legal status of gays across Europe
by Ramsey Dehani
A map has been released to show the legal status of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Europe, revealing some disturbing trends within the eastern European bloc. It has been drawn up by the European branch of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe).
The map shows a clear split between east and west, with eight eastern European countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Poland banning gay Pride marches in the last ten years. One territory, Northern Cyprus, still criminalises consenting sexual acts between adult men. Greece and Cyprus still have unequal ages of consent, along with the British territories of Guernsey and Gibraltar, despite the UK bringing the age down to 16 in 2000.
This inequality of consent still exists despite a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in 1997 (in the case of ‘Sutherland vs the United Kingdom’) which ruled that a higher age of consent for gays than for heterosexuals was a breach of Articles 8 and 14 of the convention. There are, however, some discrepancies on the chart. Kosovo codified anti-discrimination laws on the grounds of ‘sexual orientation’ in Article 24 of its constitution, which came into effect in June 2008. Jersey has also equalised its age of consent to 16, bringing the age for sodomy down in 2007. Jersey was the last of the United Kingdom territories to decriminalise same-sex relations, with "sodomie" being illegal for both men and women until 1990.
Out of a total of 50 countries and territories included, it was found that 25 countries and five territories ban sexual orientation discrimination in employment and access to good and services, with Sweden, Kosovo and Portugal being the only three countries to refer to sexual orientation in their constitutional anti-discrimination provisions. Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands were found to come top for LGB rights.
It was also found that 13 countries and two territories allow same-sex partnerships, with a further two recognising cohabitation rights without any rights to partnership. Spain, Norway, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands are the only countries that allow same sex couples to fully marry. Nine countries entitle same-sex partners to apply for joint adoption.
The map contains an interesting panoramic view of the gay rights situation and Europe, and the countries that have produced both good and bad track records in LGB rights
August 27, 2009 – From Patricia Curzi
(On 28 July ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association) took the opportunity in the presence of many gay activists at the July 2009 OutGames and Human Rights Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to launch the new publication)
15
Lesbian Movements: Ruptures & Alliances
Lesbians have always been present in various civil society movements, with gay men’s organizations, in feminist groups, as well as in the artistic sphere and in the fight for decolonization and independence of their country. In recent decades lesbians have been present in the fight for equal rights for women of colour, aborigen women, and more broadly with feminist movements.
The present publication, in English, is a collection of experiences from individuals worldwide involved in lesbian movements, civil society and human rights organizations. Credit was given to those lesbians* in many parts of the world who have led the way and those who are actively involved in fighting for the wellbeing and recognition of their rights.
Some of the positive examples illustrate that “history can be changed” and that some lesbian groups have managed to mainstream their concerns with those of other movements. Some have fought against apartheid and are denouncing racism, others are working towards building peace in their regions, some others are joining different discriminated and vulnerable groups. Lesbians have shown more solidarity than other groups and the recognition of this fact must follow. Lesbians apply a revolutionary way of thinking that can be beneficial to all actors within our society fighting for equal rights and justice.
Sharing experiences and knowledge is a way to develop skills and being aware of those achievements is the first step towards empowerment and pride. The report has a positive imprint and is aimed at strengthening the future of the lesbian movement rather than lingering on victimization.
This publication will also leave a lot of questions open such as: “What is feminism?”, “Are lesbian concerns more closely related to women issues or to gay issues?”. Here and there you will find an answer that may be contradicted a few pages later by an opposite experience. This is probably the indication of the diversity and complexity of lesbians’ movements.
This piece of work will hopefully raise your curiosity to learn more and be inspired about these different but closely related movements. It can also be used as a training tool to empower young, lesbian feminists within the LGBT movement and to raise awareness of mainstream organizations on the importance at dealing with lesbian rights.
Please do not hesitate to disseminate the publication, post it on your website and, above all, use it to get inspired and empowered in all your actions. “Lesbians are everywhere” and we can be very proud of it. Hard copies can be ordered upon payment of mailing costs. Please order or send your suggestions and comments at women@ilga.org.
September 24, 2009 – PinkNews
16
New United Nations General Assembly President calls homosexuality ‘unnacceptable’
by Jessica Geen
The newly-installed president of the United Nations General Assembly, Ali Abdussalam Treki, has said that homosexuality is "not really acceptable". Treki, who is the Libyan secretary of African Union Affairs, opened the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly Friday with a press conference. One question concerned the UN resolution which calls for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.
In reply, Treki said: "That matter is very sensitive, very touchy. As a Muslim, I am not in favour of it . . . it is not accepted by the majority of countries. My opinion is not in favour of this matter at all. I think it’s not really acceptable by our religion, our tradition. It is not acceptable in the majority of the world. And there are some countries that allow that, thinking it is a kind of democracy . . . I think it is not,” he added.
The ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs committee, Florida’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, told On Top Magazine: "The anti-gay bigotry spewed by this Qaddafi shill demonstrates once again that the UN has been hijacked by advocates of hate and intolerance."
September 30, 2009 – PinkNews
17
Gay MEP Michael Cashman criticises UN General Assembly president’s ‘unacceptable’ anti-gay views
by Jessica Geen
Gay MEP Michael Cashman has condemned homophobic comments made by the new United Nations General Assembly president. As PinkNews.co.uk reported last week, Ali Abdussalam Treki said that homosexuality is "not really acceptable". Treki, who is the Libyan secretary of African Union Affairs, opened the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly last Friday with a press conference.
One question concerned the UN resolution which calls for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality. In reply, Treki said: "That matter is very sensitive, very touchy. As a Muslim, I am not in favour of it . . . it is not accepted by the majority of countries. My opinion is not in favour of this matter at all. I think it’s not really acceptable by our religion, our tradition. “It is not acceptable in the majority of the world. And there are some countries that allow that, thinking it is a kind of democracy . . . I think it is not,” he added.
In a statement released today, Cashman attacked the "inappropriate and unacceptable" comments. He said: "Such statements are totally inappropriate and unacceptable. He must now speak on behalf of those who do not have a voice and forget his religious beliefs which must remain private. He must realise that the implications of his words could legitimise violence towards LGBT people."
Cashman, who is the president of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT rights, called on Treki to "think again" and added: "He is there to defend the principles of the United Nations and that includes the Universal Declaration Human Rights Act 1948 and all following amendments and covenants of rights, including LGBT human rights." The resolution on homosexuality which Treki referred to was signed by 66 countries and passed last December.
December 11, 2009 – IGLHRC
18
United Nations: Landmark Meeting Denounces Rights Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity
Holy See Condemns Criminalization of Homosexual Conduct
Contacts:
IGLHRC: Sara Perle, +1-212-430-6015
HRW: Scott Long, +1-212-216-1297
Global Advocates for Trans Equality: Justus Eisfeld, +1-646-341-1699
Arc International: John Fisher, +41-22-733-4705
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(New York) – A United Nations General Assembly panel that met this week broke new ground and helped build new momentum for ending human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a coalition of sponsoring nongovernmental organizations said today.
The meeting included discussion of discriminatory and draconian "anti-homosexuality" legislation currently before the Ugandan parliament, and of the role of American religious groups in promoting repression across Africa. In a groundbreaking move, a representative of the Holy See in the audience read a statement strongly condemning the criminalization of homosexual conduct.
The panel, held yesterday on the 61st anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, featured speakers from Honduras, India, the Philippines, and Zambia, as well as Uganda, where the proposed "anti-homosexuality law" shows the steady threat of government repression.
Sweden organized the panel in coalition with Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, and Norway. It was sponsored by a group of six nongovernmental organizations that defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The audience of 200 people included delegates from over 50 nations.
Ugandan lawmakers are currently debating the "anti-homosexuality" bill. While there were reports that the death-penalty provisions might be stripped from the bill, other punishments would remain that would drive many Ugandans underground or out of the country, participants said.
Speaking on the panel, Victor Mukasa, co-founder of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and program associate for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLRHC), described how he was forced to leave Uganda following police brutality and raids on his home. He said that Uganda’s "anti-homosexuality" bill reflects a pattern of state-sponsored homophobia spreading across the African continent.
"Lack of security, arbitrary arrests and detentions, violence, and killings of LGBT people have become the order of the day in Africa," said Mukasa. "Nothing can change as long as LGBT people live in fear for their safety when they claim their basic human rights."
The statement from the Holy See said it "opposes all forms of violence and unjust discrimination against homosexual persons, including discriminatory penal legislation which undermines the inherent dignity of the human person.…[T]he murder and abuse of homosexual persons are to be confronted on all levels, especially when such violence is perpetrated by the State."
Also at the panel discussion, the Reverend Kapya Kaoma, an Anglican priest from Zambia who is project director for Political Research Associates (PRA) in Massachusetts, presented the group’s new report, Globalizing the Culture Wars: U.S. Conservatives, African Churches, and Homophobia.
Kaoma said that many anti-LGBT attitudes across Africa are fueled by US groups actively exporting homophobia. He called on US religious figures who have been promoting hatred and fear of homosexuality in Africa to denounce the Uganda bill unequivocally, and support the human rights of all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Citing their moral responsibility to prevent violence, he also urged them to make such declarations in Africa, not just before US audiences.
Other panelists highlighted governments’ complicity in prejudice and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Indyra Mendoza Aguilar, coordinator of the Lésbica Feminista Cattrachas network in Honduras said that an atmosphere of impunity since the June coup in Honduras has meant spreading violence against already marginalized people. "In Honduras, as in many countries, the state turns a blind eye to violence against our communities," said Mendoza Aguilar. "Today we issue a call for reforming our societies, free of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, free of impunity."
Vivek Divan, an Indian attorney and member of the team that led a successful legal challenge to India’s colonial-era sodomy law, described the provision’s insidious effects, promoting inequality, excusing violence, and permitting state intrusion into private lives. The Delhi High Court overturned the law this year in a landmark decision affirming diversity as a core value of the Indian state. Speakers also stressed how torture, killings, and other grave abuses target people not just because of their sexualities, but because they look, dress, or act in ways that defy deeply rooted patriarchal norms for expressing masculinity and femininity.
"Now is the time to realize that diversity does not diminish our humanity," said Sass Sasot, co-founder of the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP). "You want to be born, to live, and die with dignity – so do we! You want to live with authenticity – so do we!"
