NEWS ARROUND LGBT / 2006

June 2006

Handbook on Observations of Pride Marches (June 2006)

This Handbook has been designed for people and organisations who are thinking of monitoring human rights abuses occurring during Pride marches. The human rights monitoring technique described here is the observation of marches by independent observers.

The Handbook looks at different aspects of observing Pride marches. It explains briefly the principles of human rights monitoring. It lists relevant human rights instruments which can be invoked when a Pride march is banned or violent. Then it gives some practical advice and tools on human rights monitoring through observation of Pride marches. Once the factual information is collected it is important to gather the information in a report and to send it to the relevant human rights organisation. Information is given on organisations that monitor the implementation of human rights standards and how to approach them. Finally it looks into the possibility of taking cases before courts at national and international level and the challenges attached to this approach.

This Handbook can be used in conjunction with the toolkit on how to organise pride marches in a difficult environment which is available on the ILGA-Europe website.

[  ilga-europe.org

23 June 2006

LATVIA

Latvia: Discrimination based on sexual orientation is a human rights violation

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL / Public Statement

Amnesty International is concerned about the failure of Latvia to include sexual orientation as a ground for discrimination in its Labour Law. Latvia is required by European Union (EU) law to do so and by not amending its laws it is in clear breach of its obligations to the EU. Amnesty International calls on the Latvian parliament to include sexual orientation as a ground for discrimination on the labour market as soon as possible. Amnesty International reminds the Latvian authorities that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a human rights violation.

On 15 June, the Latvian Parliament voted against an amendment to article 7 of the Latvian Labour Law. The amendment would have explicitly banned discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. The EU’s Employment Equality Directive (EU 200/78/EC) explicitly requires EU member states to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in the work place. Transposing this Directive into its domestic law was an integral part of what Latvia signed up to when joining the EU, yet it has failed to live up to this obligation. By failing to comply with EU standards, Latvia risks being the subject of the European Commission’s infringement procedure. This could result in significant penalties for Latvia.

Latvia’s president, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, decided not to sign the Labour Law Bill and thus make it into law, and sent the Bill back to parliament. By sending it back to parliament she has given parliament a second chance to include sexual orientation as a ground for discrimination in the work place.

The failure to transpose the EU Directive takes place amidst a series of events relating to LGBT issues which have marred Latvia’s human rights record. In July 2005, the Latvian authorities initially withdrew permission for the LGBT community to hold a Gay Pride march. Only after the organisers of the march made an official complaint to the Riga administrative court regarding the decision to ban the march was the march allowed to go ahead. In public debates in the weeks leading up to the march, several government and local government representative made statements that can be interpreted as homophobic.

While appreciating the condemnation of the failure to transpose the EU Directive on behalf of amongst other the prime minister of Latvia, Aigars Kalvitis and the Foreign Minister of Latvia, Artis Pabriks, Amnesty International is still concerned about the way issues relating to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are debated in Latvia, both by some officials and by the wider public. LGBT rights are human rights and such be treated as such. Any failure to respect principles of non-discrimination against the LGBT community is a breach of human rights.

In light of the issues discussed above, Amnesty International calls on:

The Latvian parliament to adopt a Labour Law which is in conformity with EU’s Employment Equality Directive by including sexual orientation as a ground for discrimination the Labour Law Bill.

Latvia’s president Vaira Vike-Freiberga to continue to refuse to sign any Labour Law Bill which is not in conformity with EU legislation.

The European Commission to monitor the implementation by Latvia of the Employment Equality Directive (2000/78/EC) closely and to ensure that Latvia fully transposes all bans on discrimination as required by EU law and to take all appropriate steps, including through infringement proceedings, were Latvia to fail to fully transpose the Employment Equality Directive.

The European Commission to take concrete steps to monitor not only the transposition but also implementation of EU standards and press Latvia and other EU Member States to adhere to their commitments to the EU combat all forms of discrimination, including discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

The upcoming Finnish EU Presidency to continue to work on the European Commission's proposed Framework Decision on combating racism and xenophobia and to consider broadening the scope of the proposal to include all grounds of discrimination that are outlined in Article 13 of the EC Treaty (TEC) - in line with the European parliament's resolution on racism and homophobia of 15 June 2006 (P6_TA-PROV(2006)0273) .

[  amnestyusa.org

President of Latvia does not sign amendment to Labour Law

15 June 2006

Today Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the President of Latvia, decided not to sign the amendment to the Labour Law voted for by the Latvian Parliament last Thursday and excluding sexual orientation from the list of banned grounds of discrimination into law.

Latvia allows sexual orientation discrimination in employment

Latvian parliament supports amendments to law, deleting ban to discriminate against employees on grounds of sexual orientation.

RIGA, Jun 15, BNS - The Latvian parliament on Thursday, after lengthy debates, approved in the final reading amendments to the labor law, deleting the ban to discriminate against employees on the grounds of sexual orientation. The parliament social and labor affairs committee had prepared the amendments in accordance with the European Union (EU) requirements, including the ban on discrimination against employees on the grounds of sexual orientation. After more than one hour of debates the parliament approved the proposal by Latvia's First Party (LPP) lawmaker Janis Smits to formally change the law without altering its contents. Thus the ban on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation will not be included in the law.

he parliament decided that the rights under the labor law are provided for the residents, banning any direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, age, disability, religious, political or other beliefs, national or social origin, material or family status or other circumstances. Such amendments were supported by LPP, Fatherland and Freedom (FF)/LNNK, Greens and Farmers Union, Harmony Center lawmakers and independent lawmakers Maris Gulbis, Inara Ostrovska, Aleksandrs Kirsteins and New Time lawmaker Inguna Ribena. People's Party, New Time and some Harmony Center lawmakers were against the decision and some New Time, For Human Rights in United Latvia (PCTVL) and People's Party lawmakers abstained.

[  ilga-europe.org

Latvia desperately wants to keep title of the homophobic bastion of the European Union

Today the Latvian Parliament rejected a proposal to include sexual orientation in the Labour Law. Latvia is the only member state of the European Union which still refuses to explicitly ban sexual orientation discrimination in employment as required by the EU Employment Equality Directive.

Since 1996 there were seven legislative proposals to ban sexual orientation discrimination prepared by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists, the Latvian National Human Rights Office and the Latvian Minister for Welfare. All of them were rejected by the Latvian parliamentarians. Latvia joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 and for two years ignored its obligation to fully implement and transpose the requirement of the EU Directive to explicitly ban discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in employment.

Riccardo Gottardi, Co-Chair of ILGA-Europe Executive Board, said:

“Today’s decision of the Latvian parliamentarians is appalling. When Latvia has joined the EU it has also taken up crystal-clear commitments on non-discrimination, but the debate in the Latvian Parliament today has shown a provocative and open disregard of these very obligations. Not only Latvia disregards such fundamental principles of the EU as equality and non-discrimination for all, but it also challenges the basis of the European Union itself by completely ignoring the EU authority and its body of law.

We call upon the European Commission to immediately start an infringement procedure against Latvia. Such an open attack on the very basis of the EU by one of the current EU member states must be addressed in the most serious and firm manner. It is time for the EU institutions to go beyond their declarations and statements and use the concrete legal procedures provided by the EU treaties against those member states which ignore and disregard basic principles and the law of the European Union.”

For more information please contact
Juris Lavrikovs at + 32 2 609 54 16 / + 32 496 708 375

[  ilga-europe.org

20 June 2006

GUATEMALA

konferenz von queen of the nights, einer gruppe von transgender prostituierten. in guatemala sei die prostitution der einzige beruf den transgender menschen ausüben können. mind. 17 menschen wurden in den letzten 5 jahren ermordet. bei der konferenz wurde auch immer wieder über die gewalt durch die sicherheitskräfte gesprochen, die "statt uns zu schützen unserer hauptangreifer ist". etwa 1.200 transgender arbeiten als prostituierte.

Transgender prostitutes get political to end violence

A group of transgender prostitutes is working to put an end to the ruthless violence and disease that have recently beset sex workers.

GUATEMALA CITY - Wigs, fake breasts and very high heels were on display recently at the first political forum held by the Queens of the Night Collective, a group of transgender prostitutes who work in Guatemala City. The mood was serious. Around the room, posters commemorated the dozens of cross-dressers who have died in Guatemala in recent years -- almost all brutally murdered or killed off by AIDS. One was killed and two others were wounded in a shooting just this past weekend. A sex worker turned political activist who goes by the name of Fernanda Milán opened the forum by denouncing the lack of jobs, health, education and security for the gay and transgender population in this small Central American country. ''The security forces that should be our protectors are our main aggressors,'' Milán said.

In the safety of the forum, the dozens of cross-dressing participants were free to put on lipstick and use the women's bathroom. But out on the street it's not so easy, or safe, to dress as a different gender. At least 17 murders of transgenders have been reported in the Guatemalan media in the past five years, according to a study by OASIS. a Guatemalan gay-rights organization. And activists say there are probably many more that go unreported. Prostitution can be a particularly deadly profession for cross-dressers in Guatemala. Last year alone, seven cross-dressing prostitutes were murdered.

HIGH MURDER RATE

OASIS estimates that around 1,200 cross-dressers work as prostitutes in Guatemala, mostly in the capital. That makes the murder rate among this sub-population some 17 times higher than the already alarming national average -- 35 murders per 100,000 citizens.

In the most recently publicized case, a cross-dresser who went by the name of Paulina was shot and killed last December while working a street corner in Guatemala City. The government's human rights ombudsman said that four police officers may have been behind the murder. The case is still under investigation. A cross-dressing sex worker from Honduras who goes by the name of Alexa Robinson showed up at the the recent forum with eight steel rods holding a femur together. The bone was shattered by a gunshot from a client. Most of the cross-dressers interviewed for this story asked that their real names not be published out of fear for their safety. Guillermo Alonzo, the public investigator in charge of the Paulina murder case, said that some of the killings probably are hate crimes.

However, the mix of drug trafficking, theft and other side businesses of prostitution add to the dangers of the trade, he said. ''It's a world that also includes a lot of dirty businesses,'' Alonzo said. But transgenders in Guatemala say their choices of work and dress have been made extremely limited by a machista society that discriminates against anyone who doesn't fit the norm. ''In developed countries sex work is an option, while in Guatemala it's the only option'' for transgenders said the activist Milán.

By organizing cross-dressing sex workers, the Queens of the Night Collective hopes to chip away at the discrimination and violence, and get their members off the dangerous streets. Leaders of the group, which has 80 to 100 members, also hope to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS among the gay community.

Jorge López, executive director of OASIS, said the path to achieving all of these goals has to start at home. ''We don't need condoms, we need mothers who don't throw their gay children out of the house,'' said López.

A 24-year-old cross-dressing prostitute who goes by the name of Monica Fisher was kicked out of the house at age 19 after coming out as gay and expressing a preference for dressing like a woman. Fisher has been working on the street ever since.

The combination of violence and a high prevalence of HIV among gay men in Guatemala -- 18 percent, according to a recent OASIS study -- is wiping out the gay community, according to López.

''Every year we count how many people our community has lost,'' López said. ``It's a plot to make us disappear.'' López complained that efforts to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in Guatemala are focused on women in their reproductive years while the gay community, which has a much higher HIV infection rate, has been virtually abandoned.

IN NEED OF FUNDS

The Queens' goal is to create business and educational opportunities for members as alternatives to working on the streets, explained Johanna Ramírez, the group's current president. Ramírez, a 33-year-old from El Salvador, said the group has plans for opening up a small clothing factory but still needs to come up with the funds. ''I'd like to be a fashion designer,'' Ramírez said, dressed for the working night in a short, ruffled miniskirt and halter top. Fisher, who works a corner near Ramírez, sees prostitution as a temporary job. Fisher has a high school-level degree in business administration and hopes to use it someday. ''I don't think I'll be working in the street in the future,'' Fisher said. ``One day we'll have other job options.''

[  miami.com

17 June 2006

CHINA

China führt Hotline für homosexuelle Frauen ein

Schanghai. SDA/baz. In China soll es einem Zeitungsbericht zufolge bald den ersten Telefonnotdienst für homosexuelle Frauen geben. Ein ähnliches Projekt für Männer läuft bereits mit grossem Erfolg. Wie die «Shanghai Daily» am Samstag berichtete, steckt hinter der Idee die in Hongkong ansässige Stiftung Chi Heng, die auch Aids- Projekte leitet. Ihren Plänen nach werden bei der so genannten Lesben-Hotline nur homosexuelle Frauen arbeiten. Dadurch würden sich die Anruferinnen sicherer fühlen. Allerdings habe die Organisation Probleme, genug qualifiziertes Personal zu finden. Bei der Hotline für homosexuelle Männer in Schanghai und Guangzhou arbeiten nur Schwule. Auch die Lesben-Hotline soll in den beiden Küstenstädten angesiedelt werden. Schanghai und Guangzhou gelten als besonders fortschrittlich, was soziale Veränderungen in der Volksrepublik angeht. Im Rest des asiatischen Landes wird Homosexualität - in China bis 2001 noch als Geistesstörung eingestuft - nach wie vor angeprangert.

[  baz.ch

15 June 2006

ESTONIA

weil sein lebenspartner, ein kubaner, konstant rassistisch angemacht wurde und beide homophoben angriffen ausgesetzt waren, hat der dänische botschafter seine versetzung aus estland beantragt.

Hate forces gay Dutch envoy from Estonia

In a move that highlights the intolerance found in some Baltic states, the Dutch ambassador to Estonia has demanded a transfer, citing consistent racist and homophobic abuse.

Hans Glaubitz was reportedly harassed and insulted often while in public with his boyfriend, Raul Garcia Lao, who is black and Cuban. "It is not very nice to be regularly abused by drunken skinheads as a 'nigger' and to be continuously gawped at as if you have just stepped out of a UFO," Glaubitz told Dutch newspapers. "Estonian society is far from ready to accept two men, especially if one is black."

Glaubitz and Lao have transferred from the capital, Tallinn, to the more liberal surroundings of Montreal, where Glaubitz will become consul-general. Until 15 years ago, homosexuality in Estonia was a crime punishable by jail, and alternative sexualities are still taboo topics. "If two men walk hand-in-hand down the street, you will definitely get comments," said Silvar Laanemae, chairman of the Estonian Gay League. A survey of 437 gay Estonians found that 28 percent were considering emigrating, and 12 percent reported having been victims of verbal or physical abuse. Lisette Kampus, an Estonian gay rights campaigner, said she hoped the ambassador's departure would be a "wake-up call" to combat homophobic attitudes linked to the country's Soviet past.

"We were coded to be intolerant to everything that is different," she said. "Now there is silent tolerance, but there is silent hate as well." Last weekend in Poland, the deputy leader of the League of Polish Families, a member of the ruling coalition, encouraged bystanders to beat Pride marchers with sticks. Gay activists in Moscow and Bucharest, Romania, have also been subjected to violence in recent Pride rallies.

[  

14 June 2006

CAMEROON

Seven convicted of sodomy in Cameroon

Seven of the nine men in Cameroon whose "crime" was attending a gay-friendly nightclub last year have been found guilty of sodomy and sentenced to a 10-month jail term, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission learned Tuesday. Since the men have already been detained in prison for more than one year, they are expected to be released shortly for time served. Two of the men were acquitted of all charges.

In May 2005, police arrested 17 men at a nightclub in Yaounde, the capital, believed to be frequented by gay men and lesbians. Eleven of those men who were too poor to hire a lawyer remained in detention for more than a year. Two of the 11 men were acquitted shortly before the trial was set to begin in March. At the opening of the trial, the prosecution seemed ill-prepared and had no witnesses to present. Rather than dismissing the case, the judge postponed the trial until April.

The judge finally acquitted all nine men in April, but last month authorities in Cameroon refused to release the men, and ordered them retried. Many of the men have been abandoned by their families due to publicity related to the case, according to the international gay rights group. One of the men suffered a homophobic attack by fellow prisoners last week and had to be carried into the courtroom. "We can only begin to imagine the impact that unfair imprisonment and now these bogus convictions has had on these men," said Cary Alan Johnson, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission's senior coordinator for Africa.

"One wonders on what basis the convictions were made, as there was no evidence presented by the prosecution of the commission of sodomy," said Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the rights group, adding that homosexuality per se is not a crime in Cameroon, and that conviction on sodomy charges requires being apprehended or witnessed in the act. "These men were railroaded, and the guilty verdicts make a mockery of the Cameroonian justice system," Ettelbrick said in a written statement. "And though they may be leaving prison, they do so under a cloud and with their lives in tatters. This verdict does not bode well for freedom in Cameroon."

As in many African countries, homosexual activity is a crime in Cameroon and can be punished by up to five years in prison. Lately, anti-gay fervor in the West African nation has increased, with the publishing of a list of high-profile citizens rumored to be gay. Even when the nine men are released from prison, their troubles won't be over, said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program for Human Rights Watch.

"These men's lives are ruined and their place in Cameroonian society has been devastated," Long told the PlanetOut Network. "It's incumbent upon activists worldwide to hold the Cameroonian government accountable for persecution like this and make sure this cannot happen again." The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission believes that in the past year at least 30 young people, mainly girls, have been thrown out of their academic institutions on suspicion of same-sex behavior or suspected lesbian identity. Two men were recently arrested in an Internet dating sting, but then released, and four lesbian women are reportedly in police custody.

[  planetout.com

June 2006

NIGERIA

Criminalizing Homosexuality the Nigerian Way

Source: Uhuru-Wazobia

Nigeria is about to set itself apart, yet again, in one of the most sweeping anti-gay laws in the world. While the pending civil law proposes a lighter sentence than the criminal law, its legal reach is breathtaking. Interestingly, homosexuality is already criminalized in Nigeria. Depending on whether the accused is Christian or Muslim, the penalty is either 14 years imprisonment or death by stoning. So, with such legal deterrents already in place, what is the purpose of the new Same-Sex Bill? Have the numbers of gays and lesbians seeking to marry or procure civil unions in Nigeria become so significant as to warrant a specific prohibition? In fact, the bill is about much more than protecting the sanctity of marriage.

The full title of the pending law is A BILL FOR AN ACT TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THE PROHIBITION OF SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERSONS OF THE SAME SEX, CELEBRATION OF MARRIAGE BY THEM AND FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED THEREWITH. As such, its primary purpose is to prohibit same-sex marriages, whether civil or religious. It extends the criminal ambit to include all persons who aid, assist, preside over, witness or even cater such an occasion. Marriages made and recognized by other countries will become null and void in Nigeria. The law also forbids gay people from forming associations, whether to publicize or defend their lives.

Furthermore, the Nigerian government proposes to criminalize any organization that works on gay and lesbian issues, even if it doesn't do so overtly. Any public display, including a march for gender equality or the rights of the disabled or a group of youth rallying for their favorite sports team, if there is a "gay" person present, will be a criminal act. Any literature on gay and lesbian issues published by the media, even electronically, will be a criminal act. Any one who exercises his/her right to associate and work collectively with people, to write and express ideas, to witness for and advocate on behalf of others, whether those others are actually gay, will have committed a crime. And finally, whether Nigerian citizens do these things in public or in private, they will be legally liable for them.

Effectively, the new law will isolate gays and lesbians from community and from legal recourse. Under the guise of preventing gay marriage it will, in one fell swoop, create a new category of person in Nigeria. This new person need not be identified but may merely be suspected. He or she will have little individual right to protection from injustice because his/her very right to exist will be in legal limbo. He or she may not join others to protect themselves nor seek public or private support and protection because basic rights of association will not exist for them. Such a person, cut off from legal moorings in the polity becomes an outsider and an easy scapegoat in distressing times.

So we ask ourselves, this bill is such a surprise at this moment in Nigerian political life, what else is going on? We know who it hurts but whom does it benefit? At its worst, it stands to unleash hysteria against citizens of Nigeria. At its very least, it is a diversion from something else. By playing on presumed national homophobia, it seeks to divert domestic attention away from other matters. From the looks of the political landscape, it isn't hard to imagine why Nigerians might need some distracting.

President Obasanjo, is trying to force an illegal third term and has polarized the country, raising political tensions to a fever pitch. His challenger is a Muslim whose supporters have made possible and backed the last 30 years of military rule. They now insist that the President will not have a third term. Overall, Muslim and Christian tension is at an all-time high and has lately broken out into deadly violence. Refugee organizations estimate that up to 5 million people have been displaced by communal violence in Nigeria in the last five years.

While disagreeing on many issues, Muslim and Christian leaders in Nigeria seem to agree on the nefariousness of homosexuality. So a political strategy that involves disenfranchising gays seems a reasonable approach to accord between them. Such astute guidance comes currently from the person of the Archbishop of Nigeria, Dr Peter Akinola. (The Archbishop is actively seeking to split the Anglican Church and to move its center to the southern hemisphere, ostensibly to Nigeria.) In order to galvanize support for his more imperial objective, he has demonized gays and uses an anti-gay pulpit to advance his agenda. President Obasanjo publicly supports the Archbishop saying, that homosexuality is "un-Biblical, unnatural and definitely un-African" and that it is "a perversion of the divine order, and sin."

In the meantime, rebellion is in the air in the economic heart of the country. The beleaguered peoples of the Niger Delta have finally taken matters into their own hands with an insurrection that has cut oil exports by over 25%. If eastern parts of the Delta join in, exports could drop to 50%. Between the fears of civil conflict throughout Nigeria and an open armed hostility in oil country, the world's eighth largest exporter, finds itself at another pivotal moment in its history. Its response is to incite furor against an already marginalized group of people who pose no threat either to the government or to the society.

Fomenting anti-gay sentiment is a simple, cost-effective means to animate and coalesce a splintered and critical electorate. This bill is an Abujan horse, a cover that mollifies enough people while sneaking insidious forces into their midst. It is a pre-emptive law that trades on public, national homophobia to pass sweeping controls on the rights of association, conscience, expression and assembly. It will open the way for increased violence against gay and lesbian citizens, violence that is already occurring with impunity and, often, at the hands of public servants.

Next week, the Nigerian parliament is expected to pass this bill into law.

In solidarity with gay and lesbian citizens of Nigeria, human rights organizations, and concerned Christian and Muslim people around the world, we urge the government of Nigeria to:

* Withdraw the bill

* Guarantee safety and protection for all persons irrespective of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or religion;

* Respect its international human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

We urge lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people and allies around the world to add their voices against this bill, to support our friends in Nigeria, and to demonstrate to governments of the world that our lives will not be easily used for their political purposes.

Uhuru-Wazobia
uhuruwazobia@gmail.com

Uhuru-Wazobia is an educational, advocacy and social membership organization for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people from Continental Africa. The organization was formed by Africans to respond to our specific needs as members of the larger gay and lesbian community.

Our primary goal is to provide support, contact and growth opportunities for our members who are dealing with the many complexities of being gay, African and living outside of their countries of origin. Uhuru-Wazobia will also serve as an information center for and about African gays and lesbians, a voice for our community in its relationship with government, the media and other relevant organizations.

Uhuru-Wazobia is a democratic, egalitarian, participating organization that aims to be a supportive, safe and empowering space for its members. Uhuru-Wazobia aims to enshrine the best traditions of African community and family, while allowing us to define our own sexual and cultural identities, independent of both western imposed constructs and the imposed constructs of African "heterosexism."

[  whrnet.org

14 May 2006

SWEDEN

die nachrichtenagentur hat die meldung über eine studie aus schweden nach der es bewiesen sei daß das gehirn lesbischer frauen anders reagiere als das von heterosexuellen, zurückgenommen und erklärt daß es dafür in der studie keine beweise gebe und ihre mitarbeiter diese falsch interpretiert hatten.

AP says lesbian brains story was wrong

14 May 2006

The Associated Press has clarified a story they released which inferred that lesbian brains are significantly different to those of heterosexuals. The story was released on May 8 and carried by GayNZ.com on May 9 ("Lesbian brains react differently").The story cited Swedish research that showed lesbians are more likely to find male pheromones, essentially the scent of men, more irritating, and furthermore that lesbians processed both male and female hormones in the "scent area" of the brain, whereas heterosexuals processed the pheromone of the opposite sex in the hypothalamus, or "sexual stimulation" area of the brain.

The report prompted a number of sexuality-researchers to claim that this revealed that sexuality is biologically formed, rather than solely through life experiences. The Associated Press now claims this conclusion to be unsupported by the research, as no statistically significant differences were found. Most researchers continue to maintain that the formation of sexuality is a complex issue, stemming from both biological and cultural factors ? or, simply put, both nature and nurture.

[  gaynz.com

New Theory On Lesbian Origins

8 May 2006

The brains of lesbian women respond to sexual hormones differently from heterosexual women, according to a new analysis. The lesbians' brains reacted somewhat like those of straight men, a team of Swedish researchers reports in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It's a finding that adds weight to the idea that homosexuality has a physical underpinning and is not learned behavior.

The researchers also found that the similarities between the response of lesbians and straight men were not as strong as between homosexual men and straight women. "It shows sexual orientation may very well have a different basis between men and women ... this is not just a mirror image situation," said Sandra Witelson, an expert on brain anatomy and sexual orientation at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. "The important thing is to be open to the likely situation that there are biological factors that contribute to sexual orientation," added Witelson, who was not part of the research team.

The research team led by Ivanka Savic at the Stockholm Brain Institute compared the brain reactions of volunteers who sniffed chemicals derived from male and female sex hormones. These chemicals are thought to be pheromones -- molecules known to trigger responses such as defense and sex in many animals.

[  365gay.com

8 May 2006

THAILAND

ein neuer reiseführer für homosexuelle für malaysia, singapore und indonesia, ländern in denen homosexualität unter strafe steht.

Gay travel guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia

The editor of a new gay and lesbian travel guide to Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia says he hopes the book will foster more acceptance of homosexuality ? which is outlawed in all three conservative Southeast Asian nations.

The Utopia Guide to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, launched in late April, is the first such guide for the three countries, said Utopia Guides editor John Goss. "We are simply shining a light on an aspect of society that exists in every country around the globe, but one that has been mostly in the shadows here in Asia," Goss told The Associated Press via e-mail from the Thai capital, Bangkok, where Utopia Guides is based. "I am hoping for positive repercussions (in the three countries)," Goss added. "The more that all aspects of human nature are discussed, the more at ease everyone becomes." In majority-Muslim nations Indonesia and Malaysia, gay sex is punishable by jail. Islamic hard-liners in Jakarta have carried out their own raids on events considered un-Islamic and once attempted to shut down a transvestite beauty pageant.

Singapore also outlaws homosexuality, saying it violates conservative Asian norms, but prosecutions are rare in the city-state and Malaysia. Goss said Bangkok-based Utopia was careful to market its $28 guide as "a travel book." "As the cover only has gentle references to the subject matter, it should be able to be sold without fanfare in even very uptight places," he said. He did not directly respond to a query on whether the book will be sold in the three nations featured. However, the book can be ordered online, both from the publisher and from retail booksellers like Amazon.com, which lists Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia among its international shipping destinations. The book can also be downloaded for around a quarter of the cost of a hard copy.

Despite Malaysia's conservative stance on homosexuality, Utopia says it is has the "hottest gay scene going," based on surveys conducted from Singapore. There are also hints on where to "cruise" ? to hook up with other gays ? and it lists enterprises owned by gays and lesbians. Massage and travel services are also highlighted, but venues fronting for prostitutes are not featured, he said. "The intent of this particular guide, by grouping all these three countries together, is to encourage tourism and patronizing of gay-friendly businesses that are beginning to flourish in Southeast Asia," he said. Utopia also prints gay and lesbian guides to China, Thailand, and one grouping Korea, Taiwan and Japan. On the Net: Utopia Guide to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, edited by John Goss.

[  usatoday.com

3 May 2006

RUSSIA

nach einer kundgebung wurden 39 rechte und religiöse teilnehmerinnen verhaftet. bereits am 1. mai hatten demonstrantinnen versucht besucherinnen am besuch eines moskauer gay clubs zu hindern. am 2. mai wurden die besucherinnen bedroht und angegriffen. daraufhin nahm riotpolizei einige der demonstrantinnen fest.

Anti-Gay Protesters Arrested in Moscow

A mixture of thirty-nine right wing and religious activists were arrested outside a Moscow gay nightclub Monday after riot police were called in to control a protest.

According to reports from the BBC, this was the second night in a row rioters had targeted a Russian gay hot spot, shouting insults and making threatening comments to patrons as they left the club. A leading gay rights activist in Russia told Reuters the rallies were the result of homophobic remarks by the city government and religious leaders. The demonstrators were a mix of young men from a Russian nationalist group, and Orthodox Christians, many of them elderly women. On Monday night, a crowd of about 100 tried to prevent people entering Moscow's best-known gay club. Of the 39 who were arrested, most were charged with minor public offenses.

The right-wing activists shouted homophobic comments, while the Christian groups, waving crosses and icons, chanted "God is with us". Several people through eggs, fruit and other food at people leaving the club - at least two patrons reported their car windows had been bashed in. Russia's gay community is planning its first ever public gay pride march for later this month. Moscow's mayor has said he will ban the march because he believes homosexuality is not natural and because the event would cause outrage in society.

[  247gay.com

Moskauer Nationalisten greifen Homosexuelle an

02.05.2006

Moskau. An den Mai-Feiertagen kam es im Moskauer Zentrum zu Übergriffen auf Lesben und Schwule. Ein Frauenclub brannte völlig aus. Kommunisten und Nationalisten riefen offen zu Angriffen auf Homosexuelle auf.Der Erste Mai scheint für die russischen Kommunisten und Nationalisten zunehmend eine andere Bedeutung zu bekommen. Die alten Revolutionsparolen machen schrilleren Tönen Platz. So riefen am Montag, bei der zentralen Versammlung der Kommunisten und Nationalisten auf dem Moskauer Theaterplatz, Redner offen zu Angriffen gegen Lesben und Schwule auf.„Die Schwulen und Lesben feiern in den kommenden Tagen in Moskau Partys. Ich rufe alle hier Versammelten dazu auf, zu den Veranstaltungen zu gehen und diese Typen auf ihre widerlichen Fressen zu hauen“, krächzte etwa eine ergraute Gewerkschaftsfunktionärin den begeisterten Zehntausenden entgegen.

Randale vor Nachtclubs

Worte, die auf fruchtbaren Boden fielen. Noch in der Nacht zum Dienstag versammelten sich rund 150 Randalierer vor einem Nachtclub in der Nastawnitschewski-Gasse, wo an diesem Abend eine Gay-Party stattfinden sollte. Dem unmittelbaren und beherzten Eingreifen der Sicherheitskräfte der Moskauer Polizei ist es zu verdanken, dass keine Personen zu Schaden kamen. Rund 40 Extremisten wurden verhaftet.Zu größeren Ausschreitungen war es bereits in der Nacht auf den Ersten Mai gekommen. Vor der Diskothek „Renaissance Event Club“ auf der Ordschonikidse-Straße versammelten sich laut Augenzeugen mehr als 250 Nationalisten und Skinheads.Als es den vor der Tür versammelten Radikalen nicht gelang, den Club zu stürmen, bewarfen sie den Eingang mit Eiern, Bierflaschen und Steinen. Die Polizei musste die Gäste der Diskothek in ihren Einsatzwagen evakuieren.

Lesben-Club brennt völlig aus

Um ungefähr 2.00 Uhr nachts wurde ein Brandanschlag auf den Moskauer Frauenclub „TemAtik“ verübt. Das Gebäude brannte völlig aus. Eigentlich hatte dort am Ersten Mai das schwul-lesbische Kulturfestival „Regenbogen ohne Grenzen“ stattfinden sollen. Aus Sicherheitsgründen hatten die Organisatoren die Veranstaltung jedoch rechtzeitig abgesagt und auf einen späteren Termin verlegt.Am Mai-Feiertag selbst sollen laut dem Radiosender „Echo Moskwy“ rund 30 Radikale den Club „Drei Affen“ im Zentrum der russischen Hauptstadt gestürmt und das Personal bedroht haben.

Gay-Parade als Vorwand

Es wird vermutet, dass die aktuelle Diskussion über die Durchführung einer Gay-Parade den Extremisten als Vorwand für ihr gewaltsames Vorgehen gegen Moskauer Lesben und Schwule dient. Dabei ist längst absehbar, dass die Parade von der Stadtregierung nicht genehmigt werden wird.Sogar der „Russische Homosexuellen-Verband“ selbst hatte sich frühzeitig gegen die Parade ausgesprochen, die von im Ausland lebenden Homosexuellen geplant wird. Die russische Gesellschaft, so der Verband, sei noch nicht reif für eine Parade der Schwulen und Lesben. (cj/.rufo)

[  aktuell.ru

3 May 2006

Cameroon

obwohl vom gericht die entlassung angeordnet wurde, weigert sich die regierung die männer aus dem knast zu lassen und hat einen neuen prozeß angekündigt.

Despite acquittal, nine held in Cameroon

Despite a court's having acquitted nine men last month on charges of homosexuality, Cameroon's government is refusing to release the men from jail and now plans to retry them. On May 21, 2005, police arrested 17 men at a nightclub popular with gay men and lesbians. The 11 men who remained in detention were too poor to find a means to be released or to hire an attorney. Some were abandoned by their families due to publicity related to the case.

Shortly before the trial, set for March 17 of this year, two of the men were released, ostensibly due to lack of evidence. The prosecution presented no witnesses or evidence during the proceedings against the nine remaining men. But the judge, rather than dismissing the case, postponed the trial until April 21. When the court convened again last month, the prosecution again did not offer witnesses or evidence, and the judge declared the nine men not guilty. The men expected to be freed quickly, but the prosecutor's office has refused to order their release and has said the men will be retried, according to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

"You arrest people unfairly, violate their rights for almost a year, and then refuse to release them -- this constitutes an abuse of power," Duga Titanji, the men's attorney in Cameroon, told the rights group. "This development constitutes a major violation of due process. With no new arrest warrant being served, this is now a blatant case of arbitrary detention." "This is nothing more than double jeopardy. The Cameroonian government has upended the entire judicial process in this case and is showing blatant disregard for legal procedures," stated Cary Alan Johnson, senior coordinator for Africa at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "We will work with Cameroonian activists to confront this brazen abuse in the courts and at the national and international diplomatic levels."

"I'm afraid these men have been caught up in the national mood against homosexuality," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program for Human Rights Watch. Long said Cameroon has come under fire for several anti-gay incidents, including the expulsion of high school girls for being lesbian and the publishing of a list of high-profile citizens rumored to be gay. "There's been a huge uproar over homosexuality this year," Long said. According to Section 347 of Cameroon's penal code, homosexuality is punishable by up to five years in prison. Johnson believes there is hope for the nine men. "The president of Cameroon has made public statements saying people's privacy should be respected. So I think within Cameron's power structure there is a commitment to the rule of law. But there's a wrinkle -- and it is with the prosecutor's office, which fails to observe its own rules."

[  gay.com

3 May 2006

USA

ein konservativer elternverband hat gedroht eine öffentliche schule in lexington zu verklagen weil ein lehrer/ eine lehrerin in einer schulstunde über die verschiedenen arten von ehen das buch king and king benutzte , ein homomärchen. massachusetts ist der einzige u.s. staat der homosexuelle ehen legalisiert hat.

Gay Fairy Tale Sparks Outrage

Lexington, MA (AHN)-A fairy tale about gay marriage has sparked a civil rights debate in Massachusetts, after a teacher read the story to a classroom of seven year olds without warning parents first. A parents' rights group said it may sue the public school in the Lexington, where a teacher used the book King and King in a lesson about different types of weddings. Brian Camenker, president of the Parents Rights Coalition, a conservative Massachusetts-based advocacy group said he believes the school, Joseph Estabrook Elementary, broke a 1996 Massachusetts law requiring schools to notify parents of sex-education lessons.

But Lexington Superintendent of Schools, Paul Ash, said the school was under no legal obligation to inform parents. As Massachusetts is the only U.S. state where gays and lesbians can legally wed. The issue erupted in Lexington when parent Robin Wirthlin complained to the school's principle after her 7-year-old son told her about the reading. She then turned to the Parents Rights Coalition, which released a statement on the issue to Boston media last week. King and King was ranked eighth among the top 10 books people wanted removed from libraries in 2004, according to the American Library Association.

[  allheadlinenews.com

26 April 2006

NICARAGUA

Homosexualität immer noch strafbar

(Fortaleza, 26 de abril 2006, adital-poonal).- Noch immer werden in Nicaragua sexuelle Beziehungen zwischen Personen gleichen Geschlechts, die auf gegenseitigem Einverständnis beruhenden, als ein Verbrechen angesehen. Die Menschenrechtsorganisation amnesty international (ai) informiert, dass, obwohl noch niemand nach Artikel 204 des Nicaraguanischen Strafgesetzes verurteilt worden sei, das Gesetz durch seine mehrdeutige Auslegung nicht nur die Verurteilung von Schwulen, Lesben, Bisexuellen und Transgender-Personen erlaubt, sondern auch die Verfolgung von Personen, die sich aktiv für deren Rechte engagieren oder Informationen sowie Dienstleistungen zur Gesundheit im Zusammenhang mit Sexualität verbreiten.

Ai sieht in dem sogenannten Sodomiegesetz, das die Inhaftierung von Personen vorsieht, die privat und in gegenseitigem Einvernehmen gleichgeschlechtliche sexuelle Beziehungen haben, eine schwere Verletzung der Menschenrechte. Der Artikel 204 würde zahlreiche Bestimmungen des internationalen Rechts in Bezug auf Menschenrechte verletzen. Die sexuelle Orientierung solle man als eine Bedingung, die gegen Diskriminierung geschützt sein muss, verstehen. Staaten dürften Menschenrechte nicht über die sexuelle Orientierung der Menschen, einschränken. Das UN- Menschenrechtskomitee hat deshalb Staaten eindringlich gebeten hat, nicht nur die Gesetze zur Diskriminierung Homosexueller außer Kraft zu setzen, sondern sich auch der Vermeidung von Diskriminierung auf Grund von sexueller Orientierung, in ihren Verfassungen und anderen Grundgesetzen zu widmen.

Laut Angaben der Agentur „Sentido G wurden am 11. Juni 1992 vom nicaraguanischen Parlament verschiedene Reformen in der Strafgesetzgebung in Bezug auf Delikte sexuellen Charakters verabschiedet. In der abgeänderten Fassung des Artikels 204 wurde damals der Straftatbestand Sodomie etabliert. Das neue Gesetz trat im September 1992 in Kraft. Im November 1992 legte das Bündnis „Kampagne für eine Sexualität frei von Vorurteilen“, in dem sich unter anderem Anwälte sowie lesbische und schwule Aktivisten organisiert hatten, vor dem Obersten Gerichtshof wegen Verfassungswidrigkeit Berufung gegen den Artikel ein. Die Berufungsklage präsentierte detaillierte Argumente dafür, dass der reformierte Artikel 204 zwölf Artikel der nicaraguanischen Verfassung, darunter die Gesetze auf Recht auf Privatsphäre, auf Meinungsfreiheit und Gleichheit vor dem Gesetz, verletzt.

In kürzlich veröffentlichten Presseartikeln und anderen Berichten machten nicaraguanische Menschenrechtsaktivisten bekannt, dass Präsident Enrique Bolańos, die Erstellung einer Liste von „verdächtigen“ Beamten, die der „schwul-lesbischen Welt“ angehören sollen, angeordnet habe. Damit sollten die Beamten noch vor der Amtsniederlegung von Bolańos im Januar 2007 verabschiedet werden. Im November wird in Nicaragua ein neuer Präsident gewählt. Laut ai würden aufgrund dieser Homophobie auf höchster Staatsebene Gewalttaten gegen Schwule, Lesben, Bisexuelle und Transgender-Personen offiziell gebilligt.

[  npla.de

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people at risk in Nicaragua

Date: 25 Apr 06

In spite of positive initiatives across the Americas, Nicaragua continues to criminalise consensual same-sex sexual relations.

Although to Amnesty International's knowledge no one has to date been prosecuted under Article 204 of the Nicaraguan Penal Code, it potentially criminalizes not only gay men, lesbians and bisexual people in same-sex relationships, but is vague enough to permit the prosecution of individuals for activities such as campaigning for LGBT rights or anyone providing sexual health information or services. Anyone imprisoned under this law would be considered by Amnesty International to be a prisoner of conscience.

Anyone who induces, promotes, propagandizes or practices in scandalous form sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex commits the crime of sodomy and shall incur "1 to 3 years imprisonment." Article 204

Amnesty International considers the use of sodomyť laws to imprison individuals for same-sex relations in private is a grave violation of human rights. Article 204 contradicts numerous provisions in international human rights law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Nicaragua acceded without reservations in 1980, protects the rights to freedom of expression (article 19), freedom from arbitrary interference with the right to privacy (article 17) and freedom of conscience (article 18). It affirms the equality of all people before the law and the right to freedom from discrimination (articles 2 and 26). In the landmark 1994 case of 'Toonen v "Australia", 'the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which monitors states' compliance with the ICCPR, held that sexual orientation should be understood to be a status protected from discrimination under these articles. States cannot limit the enjoyment of human rights on the basis of sexual orientation. The UN Human Rights Committee has since urged states not only to repeal laws criminalizing homosexuality but also to enshrine the prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation into their constitutions or other fundamental laws. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is also prohibited under other international human rights treaties to which Nicaragua is a state party.

*Background information*

On 11 June 1992 the Nicaraguan National Assembly approved a number of amendments to the Penal Code regarding sexual offences. Article 204 of the Penal Code, in its amended version, established the crime of "sodomy"ť. The new law came into force in September 1992.

In November 1992 a coalition known as the Campaign for Sexuality without Prejudices, comprising, amongst others, lawyers and lesbian and gay activists, presented an appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice, challenging the law as unconstitutional. The appeal presented detailed arguments stating that Article 204 of the revised Penal Code violated 12 articles of the Nicaraguan constitution, including the right to privacy, to freedom of expression and to non-discrimination before the law. It also argued that by violating these rights, Article 204 contravened international human rights standards. In March 1994, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal, concluding that Article 204 did not violate any of the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

Recent reports in the media and from human rights activists in Nicaragua indicate that President Enrique Bolańos has allegedly ordered that a list of all members of his government "suspected"ť of being part of the "gay-lesbian world"ť be compiled so he can dismiss them before leaving office in January 2007 following the November 2006 election. Amnesty International believes that such high-level homophobia gives official sanction to acts of violence committed against LGBT people.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?
RECOMMENDED ACTION:

*Please send letters, in Spanish or your own language:*

* State that the majority of countries in the Americas region have decriminalised homosexuality;**

* Reminding the authorities that all people are equal before the law and that they are obligated to ensure that the human rights of every individual in Nicaragua are fully respected, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity;

* Urging the Nicaraguan government to repeal article 204 of the Penal Code and decriminalize homosexuality, in line with international human rights standards;

* Stating that no-one should be imprisoned or detained solely for their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, including for same sex sexual relations between consenting adults in private, for advocating LGBT rights, or for their political beliefs or activities under the pretext of charges of homosexuality.

* Call on President Bolańos to retract his homophobic statements and publicly commit to ensuring that national, state and local laws prohibit all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

At the end of your letters, ask for their response to the concerns you have raised.

*Addresses:*

Ing. Enrique Bolańos Geyer
Presidente de la Republica [President]
Casa Presidencial
Managua
Nicaragua
Email: Presidente@presidencia.gob.ni
Salutation: Estimado Sr. Presidente

Ing. Norman Caldera Cardenal
Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores [Minister of Foreign Affairs]
Address: Del Antiguo Cine Gonzalez 1 c. al Sur sobre Avenida Bola­var
Managua
Nicaragua

Eduardo Gomez, Presidente

Please also send copies to diplomatic representatives of Nicaragua accredited to your country and the Ambassador of your country to Nicaragua.

[  action.web.ca

[  Nicaragua: Treatment of homosexuals 2002-2004 (Replaces NIC38784.E of 3 June 2002) - March 2004

[  Article 204: legalizing the repression of homosexuality Sep 30, 1994

26 April 2006

USA

nach einer neuen studie werden 2/3 der homosexuellen studentinnen verbal belästigt, 1/3 erleben gewalt. 25% der transgender stundentinnen geben an das sie physisch angegriffen wurden.

Two-thirds of gay students face violence, harassment: report Survey shows little change since ‘03

Seventeen-year-old Jessie Liberatore has been spit on, called a dyke and even pushed down the stairs at her public school in Havre de Grace, Md.

The harassment started even before she came out in the ninth grade when there were just rumors about her sexual orientation.“It was worse at the beginning,” she said. “I’m lucky in that I’ve gone to Havre de Grace public schools my entire life. They realize I’m still the same person that they’ve known.”According to a new survey by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, the experiences of Liberatore, who is gay, are not uncommon.

In 2005, GLSEN surveyed 1,732 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students between the ages of 13 and 20 from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey results were released this week.Almost two-thirds of those surveyed said they were verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation. About half reported they were harassed for their gender identity, according to the survey results. More than a third of those surveyed suffered anti-gay physical harassment and 25 percent experienced anti-transgender physical harassment, the survey found.The study also reported that only 16.5 percent of students surveyed said that a school staff member often intervened when they heard anti-gay insults. About 18 percent of respondents said they had actually heard staff make homophobic comments.

These statistics reflect what Liberatore has seen at her own school. Teachers often don’t reprimand students when they say comments like, “that’s so gay,” in a classroom discussion, she said. And, at times, teachers have even used the phrase themselves, Liberatore said.“Teachers don’t consider it part of their job to provide for the safety of GLBT kids,” said Judy Hoff, the Safe Schools coordinator at Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays. “The climate in our culture right now seems to be driving how things are going on in our communities.”In one of Liberatore’s classes when students try to bring up gay rights issues in a positive way, she said, the teacher stops the discussion and says, “We’re not going to talk about that.”

GLSEN’s study also found that anti-gay violence and harassment leads to cutting school, poor grades and fewer gay students planning to attend college.For example, about 28 percent of students surveyed skipped school in the past month because they felt unsafe. Gay students were more than five times more likely to cut class than the general student body, according to the survey results.The average GPA for a student who suffered anti-gay physical harassment was 2.6 as compared with 3.1 for other students, according to the survey.

Most alarming for gay rights activists was that there was little positive change in the survey results since it was last conducted in 2003.“I talk to other adult LGBT people,” said Kevin Jennings, GLSEN’s executive director. “[They say], ‘Things must be all better for kids now.’ It’s not all better.”Fewer students in 2005 could identify school staff they felt comfortable speaking with about gay issues, and there was no increase in resources for gay students since 2003, the study found.“We know what works,” said Jennings. “Why aren’t more of them doing it? What’s their excuse? That’s what I want to know.”What works, Jennings said, is supportive staff; an inclusive curriculum that discusses gay rights; and gay student clubs. But about 81 percent of those surveyed said they had not been taught about gay history or about notable gay people in school.

More attacks, less protection

Not only are schools not taking the necessary steps to protect gay students, but more state legislatures are attacking them, Jennings said. In 2004 one state considered a law barring gay-straight student alliance clubs in schools; in 2005 six states proposed such measures, he said.“There are more attacks and not more protection,” he said.Liberatore has tried since spring 2005 to resurrect her school’s now-defunct gay straight alliance. But her principal, Wayne D. Thibeault, has stalled, she said.“He expressed that he doesn’t know how well received it would be,” she said. “I can’t even get out of him the procedure. I’m waiting to find out what I need to do.

“I feel it is different because it’s a GSA,” she said. “I’ve watched clubs form in the meantime.”Thibeault could not be reached for comment.While Maryland has an anti-discrimination law that protects gays, the school handbook only lists protections based on race, gender and religion, Liberatore said.

GLSEN’s report argued that generic anti-bullying laws that don’t explicitly prohibit anti-gay harassment in schools are tantamount to no bullying laws at all. As of August 2005, 14 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Colorado, had generic anti-bullying laws, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Since 2003, only one state, Maine, has adopted an anti-bullying policy that specifically prohibits anti-gay harassment, said Jennings.California, Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey and D.C. prohibit harassment and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools, according to HRC. Maryland, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, Washington, Connecticut and Wisconsin prohibit anti-gay discrimination and harassment in school, according to HRC.The GLSEN study found that students from states with anti-discrimination laws often reported better school experiences.

While specific anti-discrimination laws helped students, certain policies hurt them, GLSEN said. Students in schools with abstinence-only education, for example, were more likely to experience anti-gay discrimination, according to the survey.“It’s really clear that schools that have abstinence-only education have worse climates,” Jennings said. “The inevitable consequences of adopting a curriculum which obscures or stigmatizes the LGBT community is that you’re going to get a school climate more hostile for LGBT people.”Abstinence-only education instructs students that they must wait until marriage to have sex. Since only one state, Massachusetts, permits gays to marry, this leaves gay students out of the discussion.

“It’s kind of scary that something considered education is actually contributing to isolation and fear and harassment,” said PFLAG’s Hoff. “The abstinence program says you don’t have sex until you’re married. The side comment is, ‘Oh, by the way you never get to have sex. You’re a second-class citizen.’”

[  southernvoice.com

[  The 2005 National School Climate Survey
   The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual and Transgender Youth    in Our Nation’s Schools

22 April 2006

CAMEROON

nach einem jahr wurden 9 männer die unter dem "verdacht der homosexualität" inhaftiert waren, entlassen.

Cameroon frees 9 held on gay sex charges

Nine men detained in a Cameroon prison for nearly a year on suspicion of homosexuality have been released, international gay rights advocates said Friday. The verdict was announced during a quick trial Friday morning, and the men were cleared of all charges, according to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. The men were part of a group of 17 men arrested in May at a nightclub believed to be frequented by gay men and lesbians. Eleven men remained in detention, reportedly because they were too poor to hire lawyers, and two of those men were released in February.

"While nothing can return to these men the year of their lives spent locked in a cell, we are hopeful that rule of law and respect for human dignity are re-emerging as basic principles of human rights in Cameroon," said Cary Alan Johnson, the international rights group's senior coordinator for Africa. Cameroon has come under fire recently from rights groups for several anti-gay incidents, including the expelling of high school girls for being lesbian and the publishing of a list of high-profile citizens rumored to be gay. Homosexuality is punishable by up to five years in prison, according to Section 347 of Cameroon's penal code.

[  planetout.com

16 April 2006

USA

radiosendung zu inhaftierung von transgender menschen.

Incarceration, Transgender, and Gender Variants

Imagine being one of several dozen women incarcerated with thousands of men. Harassment, humiliation, and in many cases, rape, are all a part of the daily routine. So is being called "sir." Outside of prison, transgender folks often face a hurtful lack of understanding; inside prison, that lack of understanding can be life-threatening...

[  Listen to the show

14 April 2006

NIGERIA

ein geplantes gesetz würde nicht nur ehegemeinschaften kriminalisieren sondern auch lgbt organisationen und menschen die eine homoehegemeinschaft unterstützen oder feiern. in anderen ländern geschlossene ehen oder eheähnliche gemeinschaften werden annulliert. als strafe sind 5 jahre vorgesehen.

Nigeria broadens anti-gay bill

A far-reaching Nigerian legislative proposal criminalizing same-sex marriages and LGBT organizations has been expanded to include punishing people who support or celebrate same-sex unions. According to the Vanguard newspaper, the bill imposes a five-year jail sentence for those who violate the proposed law, including those who "witness, celebrate with or support couples involved in homosexual relationship." It also invalidates same-sex marriage licenses legally conferred in other countries. The bill received its first reading in the Senate on Tuesday in the capital, Abuja, the newspaper reported.

"For the avoidance of doubt only marriage entered into between a man and a woman under the Marriage Act or under the Islamic and customary laws are valid and recognized in Nigeria," states one section of the bill. The bill aims to cover nearly all visible suggestion of homosexuality, including publicity that involves same-sex relationships, advocacy groups and any public event or parade focused on gay couples. President Olusegun Obasanjo has drawn criticism from international human rights advocates over the proposal.

"This draconian measure will only intensify prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "The bill criminalizes public expressions of love and any defense of lesbian and gay rights, denying fundamental freedoms that should be enjoyed by all Nigerians." Last month, Human Rights Watch and several other groups sent a letter to Obasanjo urging him to disavow the bill which flouts international law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights that ensure rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

[  planetout.com

10 April 2006

POLAND

Warschau: "Gebt uns unseren Club zurück!"
Hunderte demonstrierten am Wochenende gegen die Schließung des Homosexuellen-Clubs "Le Madame"

Warschau - In Warschau haben am Samstagabend mehrere hundert Menschen gegen die Schließung eines Homosexuellen-Clubs demonstriert. "Gebt uns unseren Club zurück", riefen die DemonstrantInnen, deren Protest sich insbesondere gegen den früheren Warschauer Bürgermeister und derzeitigen polnischen Präsidenten Lech Kaczynski sowie seinen Zwillingsbruder Jaroslaw Kaczynski, den Chef der regierenden Partei Recht und Gerechtigkeit (PiS), richtete. Die Politik der Kaczynskis zerstört die Meinungsfreiheit", hieß es auf Spruchbändern. Der Club "Le Madame" war am 31. März aufgrund einer gerichtlichen Anordnung geschlossen worden. Als Warschauer Bürgermeister hatte Lech Kaczynski wiederholt Schwulen-Demonstrationen verboten. Die PiS lehnt Homosexuellen-Ehen und die Adoption von Kindern durch homosexuelle Paare ab. (APA/AFP)

[  diestandard.at

[  Le Madame / Homepage

[  Le Madame at Wikipedia

[  Warsaw: POLICE ATTACK LE MADAME, EXPEL OCCUPANTS
   March 31, 2006

[  A Polish Stonewall?
   Le Madame survives a first siege by Warsaw police, but what will happen on Thursday?
   March 30, 2006,

24 March 2006

NIGERIA

Nigeria urged not to "criminalise gay rights"

afrol News, 24 March - Nigerian and international human rights organisations have written a protest letter to President Olusegun Obasanjo, urging him not to go forward with new legislation that would criminalise homosexuality. A proposed bill is to introduce criminal penalties for relationships and marriage ceremonies between persons of the same sex as well as for public advocacy or associations supporting the rights of lesbian and gay people.

A large group of human rights groups sent a protest letter to the Nigerian President earlier this week, according to a release by the New York-based group Human Rights Watch. Among the five Nigerian groups signing the protest were the Alliance Rights and the Centre for Democracy and Development. Also the Cameroon-based African Human Rights Organisation singed the petition.In the letter, the human rights groups state their "deep concern" over the proposed bill that criminalises homosexuality and organisations supporting gays and lesbians. "The legislation proposed by Minister of Justice Bayo Ojo not only contravenes internationally recognized protections against discrimination, as well as the basic rights to freedom of expression, conscience, association, and assembly, but also undermines Nigeria's struggle to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS," the letter says.

The signatories warn that the "broad and sweeping provisions" of this proposed legislation could lead to "the imprisonment of individuals solely for their actual or imputed sexual orientation in a number of ways, including for consensual sexual relations in private, advocacy of lesbian and gay rights, or public expression of their sexual identity."That, according to these human rights groups, would make anyone imprisoned under this law a prisoner of conscience. "We urge you to disavow this proposal which contradicts fundamental freedoms under the Nigerian constitution [and] international human rights law and standards," he groups tell the Nigerian President.

On 19 January, Minister Ojo presented to the Federal Executive Council an "Act to Make Provisions for the Prohibition of Relationship Between Persons of the Same Sex, Celebration of Marriage by Them, and for Other Matters Connected Therewith." While the Council reportedly approved the bill, it has not yet been submitted to the federal national assembly of Nigeria.According to a draft of the bill, the law would provide five years imprisonment for any person who "goes through the ceremony of marriage with a person of the same sex," "performs, witnesses, aids or abets the ceremony of same sex marriage," or "is involved in the registration of gay clubs, societies and organisations, sustenance, procession or meetings, publicity and public show of same sex amorous relationship directly or indirectly in public and in private."

Anyone, including a priest or cleric, aiding or abetting such a union would be subject to the same prison term. The draft bill would also prohibit the registration of gay organisations, any public display of a "same sex amorous relationship," and adoption of children by lesbian or gay couples or individuals. In addition, the drift bill would invalidate same sex relationship formally entered into or recognised in foreign jurisdictions.The human rights groups warn of the consequences of this law, if passed. "Laws criminalising homosexuality can also act as a licence to torture and ill treatment. By institutionalising discrimination, they can act as an official incitement to violence against lesbians and gay men in the community as a whole, whether in custody, in prison, on the street or in the home," the letter to President Obasanjo says.

[  afrol.com

Nigeria: Obasanjo Must Withdraw Bill to Criminalize Gay Rights

Source: Human Rights Watch

23 Mar 2006

(New York, March 23, 2006) - As Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo prepares to visit the United States, he should reaffirm his commitment to the human rights of all Nigerians and withdraw proposed legislation to introduce criminal penalties for same-sex relationships and marriage ceremonies, as well as for public advocacy or associations supporting the rights of lesbian and gay people. In a letter to President Obasanjo, a coalition of 16 human rights organizations urged him to disavow the bill, which contravenes international law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights that ensure rights to freedom of expression, association, and assembly. The bill also undermines Nigeria's struggle to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, said the 16 groups which work in Nigeria and abroad

"This draconian measure will only intensify prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "The bill criminalizes public expressions of love and any defense of lesbian and gay rights, denying fundamental freedoms that should be enjoyed by all Nigerians."

The bill, proposed in January 2006 by Nigeria's minister of justice, Bayo Ojo, is entitled "Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act." It was recently approved by the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria and is poised to be submitted to the national assembly. The bill calls for five years imprisonment for any person who "goes through the ceremony of marriage with a person of the same sex," "performs, witnesses, aids or abets the ceremony of same sex marriage," or "is involved in the registration of gay clubs, societies and organizations." It also prohibits any public display of a "same-sex amorous relationship," as well as adoption by lesbian or gay people.

"This bill is yet another example of exploiting fear of same-sex marriage to trounce rights that lesbians and gay men have under international law to associate, engage in intimate relations, and speak openly," said Paula Ettelbrick, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "We urge President Obasanjo to protect the rights and well-being of all Nigerians and disavow this dangerous bill."

The human rights groups detail how the proposed law also undermines international treaties designed to protect fundamental freedoms. These include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Nigeria acceded without reservations in 1993, which protects the rights to freedom of expression (article 19), freedom of assembly (article 21) and freedom of association (article 22). The ICCPR affirms the equality of all people before the law and the right to freedom from discrimination in articles 2 and 26. In the landmark 1994 case, Toonen v. Australia, the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which monitors states' compliance with the ICCPR, held that sexual orientation should be understood to be a status protected from discrimination under these articles.

The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights similarly affirms the equality of all people. Its article 2 states: "Every individual shall be entitled to the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms recognized and guaranteed in the present Charter without distinction of any kind such as race, ethnic group, color, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status." Article 3 guarantees every individual equality before the law. And its article 26 prescribes that: "Every individual shall have the duty to respect and consider his fellow beings without discrimination, and to maintain relations aimed at promoting, safeguarding and reinforcing mutual respect and tolerance."

The letter to Obasanjo also cites the destructive consequences the bill would have for Nigeria's struggle against HIV/AIDS. The groups state that the government will damage its own prevention efforts by driving populations already suffering stigma for their sexual conduct further underground - not only making it more difficult to reach them with outreach and education efforts, but potentially criminalizing civil society groups engaged in HIV prevention.

"This proposed legislation flies in the face of Nigeria's obligations to the rights and well-being of its people," the letter concludes. "Under international human rights law, the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the obligation to promote and protect the human rights of its population, without distinction of any kind. We urge you, as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to act in accordance with Nigeria's legal obligations under international human rights law and withdraw this bill."

In a statement released in February, the U.S. State Department condemned the proposed legislation. It stated it was "concerned by reports of legislation in Nigeria that would restrict or prohibit citizens from assembling, organizing, holding events or rallies, and participating in ceremonies of religious union, based upon sexual orientation and gender identity... The freedoms of speech, association, expression, assembly, and religion are long-standing international commitments and are universally recognized. Nigeria, as a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has assumed important obligations on these matters. We expect the Government of Nigeria to act in a manner consistent with those obligations."

In addition to Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, the organizations signing the letter to President Obasanjo are: Africa Action (United States); African Human Rights Organization (Cameroon); Alliance Rights (Nigeria); Amnesty International, International Secretariat (United Kingdom); Center for Democracy & Development (Nigeria); Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Droits de l'Homme - Démocratie et Justice Transitionnelle (Democratic Republic of Congo); Civil Liberties Organization (Nigeria); Global Rights (United States); International Commission of Jurists (Switzerland); International Service for Human Rights (Switzerland); Legal Defense & Assistance Project (Nigeria); National Black Justice Coalition (United States); Support Project in Nigeria (Nigeria); and the University of Pretoria Centre for Human Rights (South Africa).

[  alertnet.org

24 March 2006

SWITZERLAND

Toleranz gegenüber Homosexuellen nimmt ab

Homosexualität offen auszuleben ist schwieriger geworden. Die Ursachen zu bekämpfen ist schwierig. «Die Situation für Homosexuelle ist eindeutig schlimmer als vor 15 Jahren», stellt Moël Volker, Geschäftsführer von Pink Cross auf Anfrage von espace.ch fest. Gerade bei Jugendlichen habe die Toleranz stark abgenommen: «In Bern West muss man nicht in einen Jugendtreff, wenn man schwul ist». Die Gründe sind für Volker klar: In Stadtteilen mit grossem Anteil von Menschen aus dem muslimischen Kulturkreis stosse Homosexualität auf Null Akzeptanz - und fügt auch gleich bei, dass der Diskurs zu diesem Thema schwierig sei, weil schnell rassistische Motive vorgeschoben würden. Im Übrigen sei auch die Stellung der Frau viel schlechter.

Als Lösungsansatz sieht Volker eine «gescheitere» Aufklärung an der Schule. Man sei in dieser Sache bei der Erziehungsdirektion schon vorstellig geworden und bleibe «am Ball». Beim Kantonalen Amt für Bildung ist man sich eines solchen Toleranzrückgangs nicht bewusst, erkennt aber auch, dass man sich diesem Thema nicht speziell angenommen habe. Homosexualität werde im Rahmen der Sexualerziehung neutral thematisiert, wie Amtsvorsteher Max Suter erklärt. Den Lehrkräften stünde ein Info-Blatt zur Verfügung, das vorgebe, was vom Sexualunterricht erwartet werde. Die Zielsetzung wird darin klar formuliert: «Die Schule kann mithelfen, dass die jungen Menschen zu einem selbst bestimmten, angstfreien und verantwortungsbewussten Umgang mit der Sexualität finden. Der respektvolle Umgang miteinander und das Vermeiden von Ausgrenzungen sind wichtige Grundlagen für ein friedliches Zusammenleben in unserer heterogenen Gesellschaft».

Ob diese Richtlinien eingehalten werden, ist nicht zu beurteilen, da die Umsetzung der Vorgaben vom Amt nicht überprüft wird. In der Praxis hingegen zeigt sich, dass es mit Toleranz unter jugendlichen nicht weit her ist: Quazim Hajzeraj, Jugendarbeiter im Jugendtreff «Tscharni» in Bern West bestätigt, dass unter seinen Jugendlichen Besuchern keine Toleranz gegenüber Homosexuellen erkennbar ist, insbesondere aus zwei religiösen Umfeldern: dem Islam und der katholischen Kirche. Seine diesbezüglichen Erfahrungen sammelte er während einem Workshop zum Thema Homosexualität mit den Jugendlichen. Für junge Homosexuelle aus diesem Kulturkreis hat er folgenden Rat: Er wünscht sich, dass sie zu ihren Neigungen stehen - denn dass es auch unter Katholiken und Muslimen Homosexuelle gibt, ist für ihn klar. Das Outing sei allerdings heikel, und es gehe ja nicht darum, den Märtyrer zu spielen.

[  espace.ch

23 March 2006

USA

USA: Police abuse against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

PRESS RELEASE

Thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people across the USA are victims of a system that fuels discrimination and facilitates torture, ill-treatment and impunity, said Amnesty International today as it launched a report on police abuses against people on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The report “Stonewalled – Still demanding respect” is based on interviews conducted by Amnesty International (AI) between 2003 and 2005 with members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, victims of gender-based violence, survivors of police abuse, activists, lawyers and law enforcement officials across the US.“The interviews reveal a very clear and worrying pattern. Cases of beatings, sexual violence, verbal abuse, harassment and humiliation by law enforcement officials against LGBT people take place on any given day in detention centres, prisons, in the home, and on the street,” said Amnesty International.In 2004 a women from Athens, Georgia, said she was forced into her apartment at gunpoint by a former County Deputy and raped because she is a lesbian. She said the officer vowed to “teach her a lesson”.Within the LGBT community in the USA, transgender people, members of ethnic or racial minorities, young people and immigrants are particular targets of police abuse.

A Native American transgender woman told AI that in October 2003 she was stopped in Los Angeles by two police officers as she was walking along the street in the early hours of the morning. According to her testimony, the officers handcuffed her and drove her in the police car to an alley off Hollywood Boulevard where she was beaten, verbally abused and raped. After her ordeal she was thrown to the ground and told "that's what you deserve."Despite the significant progress over recent decades in the recognition of LGBT rights in the USA, persistent discriminatory attitudes have created a situation in which abuse of LGBT people is frequently dismissed as "normal".Victims often do not report police brutality and other crimes against them because they fear hostile or abusive response from the police and because, as they know, many reported abuses are not properly and impartially investigated.

"There are still some discriminatory laws; but the bigger problem is the discriminatory way in which many laws are applied, which often results in the arrest and detention of individuals just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity," said Amnesty International.In December 2003, a young African-American gay activist was waiting at a bus stop when Chicago police officers arrested him allegedly for loitering with intent to solicit. Despite providing identification and corroborating information from the organization he represents, he was detained for two days.“Effective reform requires the backing of the highest ranks. There needs to be a fundamental understanding of the right to freely express one’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Amnesty International.Amnesty International is calling on US federal and state authorities to take action to prevent discriminatory application of the law, to investigate all allegations of sexual, physical and verbal abuse against LGBT people by their officials and to bring those responsible to justice.

Background Information

Amnesty International’s report is part of a campaign on the issue of police abuse against LGBT people in the USA launched in September 2005.Amnesty International will also be presenting its range of concerns about the situation of human rights in the USA to the UN Committee Against Torture and the UN Human Rights Committee during 2006.

[  amnestyusa.org

[  Stonewalled – still demanding respect
   Police abuses against lesbian,gay, bisexual and transgender people in the USA.pdf

Estados Unidos: Abusos policiales contra lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero

Miles de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero de todo Estados Unidos son víctimas de un sistema que aviva la discriminación y facilita la tortura, los malos tratos y la impunidad, ha declarado Amnistía Internacional hoy, 23 de marzo, al presentar un informe sobre abusos policiales contra personas a causa de su orientación sexual o su identidad de género.

El informe, titulado "Stonewall" – Seguir exigiendo respeto, se basa en entrevistas llevadas a cabo por Amnistía Internacional entre 2003 y 2005 con miembros de la comunidad de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero y con víctimas de la violencia de género, supervivientes de abusos policiales, activistas, profesionales del derecho y agentes de la ley de todo Estados Unidos."Las entrevistas revelan una práctica muy clara y preocupante. Cada día, en centros de detención, en prisiones, en las casas y en la calle, se dan casos de palizas, violencia sexual, abusos verbales, acoso y humillación por parte de agentes de la ley contra lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero", ha manifestado Amnistía Internacional.

En 2004, una mujer de Athens, Georgia, denunció que un ex policía del condado la había obligado a entrar en su propio apartamento a punta de pistola y la había violado por ser lesbiana. Según su relato, el agente le dijo que iba a "darle una lección".Dentro de la comunidad de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero en Estados Unidos, las personas transgénero, las que pertenecen a minorías étnicas o raciales y las personas jóvenes o inmigrantes son blanco especial de los abusos de la policía.Una mujer transgénero indígena dijo a Amnistía Internacional que, en octubre de 2003, dos policías le dieron el alto en Los Angeles cuando caminaba por la calle a primera hora de la mańana. Según su testimonio, los policías la esposaron y la llevaron en un auto patrulla a un callejón de Hollywood Boulevard, donde la golpearon, la insultaron y la violaron. Después la arrojaron al suelo y le dijeron que había tenido "su merecido".

A pesar de los notables progresos realizados en los últimos decenios respecto al reconocimiento de los derechos de lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero en Estados Unidos, las persistentes actitudes discriminatorias han creado una situación en la que los abusos contra estas personas suelen descartarse como algo "normal".Las víctimas a menudo no denuncian la brutalidad policial y otros delitos de los que son víctimas porque temen una respuesta hostil o abusiva de la policía y porque saben que muchos de los abusos que se denuncian no se investigan de forma adecuada e imparcial."Sigue habiendo algunas leyes discriminatorias, pero el problema principal es la aplicación discriminatoria de muchas otras leyes, una aplicación que a menudo da lugar a que se detenga y recluya a personas simplemente por su orientación sexual o su identidad de género", ha declarado Amnistía Internacional.

En diciembre de 2003, un joven activista gay de raza negra esperaba en una parada de autobús cuando unos policías de Chicago lo detuvieron, acusándolo de merodear con el fin de ejercer la prostitución. A pesar de que él se identificó y de que la organización a la que representa corroboró la información que había facilitado a la policía, el joven permaneció detenido dos días."Para lograr una reforma efectiva se necesita el respaldo de las más altas instancias. Debe haber una comprensión fundamental del derecho a expresar libremente la propia orientación sexual o identidad de género", ha manifestado Amnistía Internacional.La organización ha pedido a las autoridades federales y estatales de Estados Unidos que tomen medidas para impedir la aplicación discriminatoria de la ley, investigar todas las denuncias de abusos sexuales, físicos y verbales cometidos por sus agentes contra lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero, y llevar a los responsables de esos abusos ante la justicia.

Información complementaria

El informe de Amnistía Internacional forma parte de una campańa lanzada en septiembre de 2005 sobre los abusos policiales contra lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero.Amnistía Internacional también presentará en 2006 sus motivos de preocupación en torno a la situación de los derechos humanos en Estados Unidos ante el Comité contra la Tortura y el Comité de Derechos Humanos de la ONU.

[  amnesty.org

[  «Stonewall» Seguir exigiendo respeto.
   Abusos policiales contra lesbianas, gays, bisexuales y personas transgénero en Estados Unidos

22 MArch 2006

PERU

Peru: "Schwule erschießen"

Lima (queer.de) - Elena Tasso, die Mutter des favorisierten Präsidentschaftskandidaten Ollanta Humala, hat gefordert, männliche Homosexuelle hinzurichten. "Man braucht nur ein paar Homosexuelle zu erschießen, und schon wird es in der Öffentlichkeit weniger unmoralisches Verhalten geben", hat die Frau nach Angaben der Nachrichtenagentur APA gesagt. Der Äußerung der Mutter wird viel Beachtung geschenkt, da Kandidat Humala selbst wenig über politische Inhalte sagt sondern mit nationalistische Tönen in den Umfragen die Führung übernahm. Die Familie gilt als die größte Dynastie des Landes: Ein Bruder Humalas bewirbt sich ebenfalls um das Präsidentenamt, ein anderer will ins Parlament einziehen. (dk)

[  queer.de

Mutter von Präsidentschaftskandidat: "Homosexuelle erschießen" Ex-Militär setzt auf autoritäres und nationalistisches Image

Lima - Die einflussreiche Mutter des führenden peruanischen Präsidentschaftskandidaten Ollanta Humala, Elena Tasso, hat die standrechtliche Erschießung von Homosexuellen gefordert. "Man braucht nur ein paar Homosexuelle zu erschießen, und schon wird es in der Öffentlichkeit weniger unmoralisches Verhalten geben", wurde sie am Dienstag (Ortszeit) von lokalen Medien zitiert.Äußerungen aus dem familiären Umfeld Humalas wird kurz vor der Präsidentenwahl am 9. April große Beachtung geschenkt, weil sich der Kandidat selbst kaum festlegt und als Ex-Militär vor allem auf ein autoritäres und nationalistisches Image setzt. (APA/dpa)

[  derstandard.at

[  Elena Tasso de Humala, Mother of Candidate Ollanta Humala, calls for homosexuals to be shot

Madre de Ollanta Humala propone fusilamiento de homosexuales

21 mar (dpa) La madre del candidato presidencial Ollanta Humala, Elena Tasso, propuso el fusilamiento de homosexuales para terminar con lo que, en su opinión, es un grave problema moral. "Yo les apuesto a ustedes que con dos violadores fusilados ya no habría más violaciones. Y con dos homosexuales que se fusilen ya no habría en la calle tanta inmoralidad", dijo Tasso en entrevista que publica hoy el diario Extra.

[  Madre de Ollanta Humala propone fusilamiento de homosexuales

17 March 2006

BRAZIL

20 March 2006

IRAQ

auf der webseite von ayatollah ali al-sistani wurde eine fatwa gegen sunnis und homosexuelle veröffentlicht. er drängt seine anhänger homosexuelle auf die "schlimmste, heftigste art" zu töten . der artikel soll dann noch beschreiben wie die badr truppe homosexuelle via internet chat rooms fangen mit der absicht diese zu töten.

Militant "Islamic" persecution of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people at its finest: Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani of Iraq declares "open season" on gays and lesbians, along with Sunni Muslims. pinknews.co.uk reports, ""Sistani's murderous homophobic incitement has given a green light to Shia Muslims to hunt and kill lesbians and gay men," said exiled gay Iraqi, Ali Hili, an OutRage member." "....?Sarmad and Khalid were partners who lived in the Al-Jameha area of Baghdad. Persons unknown revealed their same-sex relationship. They were abducted by the Badr organisation in April 2005. Their bodies were found two months later, in June, bound, blindfolded and shot in the back of the head.?" The article adds that a transsexual Iraqi, Haydar Faiek, was allegedly beaten and burned to death for being a transsexual.

365Gay.com () adds, "As Iraq sinks closer and closer to all-out civil war the country's most influential Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, is reportedly calling for death to gays and Sunni Moslems." "On his Web site, used to communicate with Shiite masses throughout the country, Sistani this week issued a fatwa against Sunnis and gays. He urges followers to kill homosexuals in the "worst, most severe way"." The article then describes how the Badr Corps entraps gays via Internet chat rooms for the purpose of killing them.

[  indymedia.org

[  Iraqi Ayatollah sparks outrage after decreeing death to gays

[  Iraqi Shia Leader Calls Fatwa Against Gays

18 MArch 2006

NEPAL

am 14. märz wurden erneut metis ( ein begriff für transgender menschen) und hiv/aids aktivistinnen in kathmandu festgenommen. alle wurden wegen "öffentlichen ärgernis" angeklagt

Nepal: 'Sexual Cleansing' Drive Continues

New arrests of metis (an indigenous term for transgender people) and HIV/AIDS outreach workers in Kathmandu show that a persistent pattern of police violence and abuse has not abated, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch has learned that on the night of March 14, the eve of the Holi festival (festival of colors) a major Hindu religious holiday police in the Thamel and Durbar Marg areas of Kathmandu rounded up 26 metis. According to the Blue Diamond Society, a Nepali non-governmental organization (NGO) working in the fields of sexual rights, sexual health and HIV prevention, they were taken to the Hanuman Dhoka central police station in Kathmandu. Five were later moved to Kalimati police station. Human Rights Watch understands that as of March 16, they have still not been permitted to speak to a lawyer. All have reportedly been charged with committing a "public nuisance." No further particulars of their alleged offence are known. "This is the latest incident in a violent police campaign to 'cleanse' Kathmandu of those considered undesirable," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "Police regularly assault and in some cases sexually abuse transgender people, all in the name of enforcing 'moral values.'"

Those arrested included two staff, two outreach workers, and two peer educators working for the Blue Diamond Society. The Blue Diamond Society has repeatedly documented police abuse of transgender people, also known as hijras. In other recent incidents, on January 3, three metis walking in the Thamel district were reportedly severely beaten by four uniformed policemen who shouted, "Metis! Kill them!" The police threatened that "these hijras pollute the society and must be cleaned out." On December 28, police arrested a meti, took her to the Shore Khutte police station, and forcibly stripped and mocked her while checking her genitals. They also allegedly threatened to cut her hair off as punishment for wearing women's clothes. She was released the next day.

Previously in August 2004, police had also rounded up 39 metis from gathering places in Kathmandu. They were held for almost two weeks in the Hanuman Dhoka police station. Journalists were allegedly summoned to videotape the detainees in their cell, and when one meti complained, three policemen reportedly beat her. Another was beaten when she demanded to use a toilet. The detainees said that police told them: "Acid should be put on the faces of the hijras: they don't deserve to live." The detainees were finally released amid mounting international pressure. The metis received no redress for their detention or abuses sustained. "Arbitrary arrest, police abuse, and discrimination against any group send a message that all Nepalis' basic rights are at the government's mercy," said Long. "By jailing outreach workers campaigning against the spread of HIV/AIDS, the police threaten public health as well as civil liberties."

[  alertnet.org

March 2006

PORTUGAL

MURDER OF TRANSEXUAL IN PORTUGAL AND THE ON-GOING ATTEMPT TO SILENCE IT:
URGENT APPEAL TO INTERNATIONAL ACTION!

THE APPEAL

Towards a terrible murder that more and more is becoming a hate crime, towards the biased omition of the sexual and transphobic component of the crime, towards the confused reaction of most LGBT Portuguese associations that contributed to the huge amount of mediatic confusion and misinformation, because they weren’t able to inform correctly about the victim’s identity nor about the difference between homophobia and transphobia, towards the openly mediatic and political attempt of minimisation of the crime, of the omition of the “hate” component in the death of a person, who accumulated so many social exclusions, towards the attempt to blame the victim, and the public “silencing” of this case, we appeal to the urgent support of all LGBT collectives and entities all over the world:

to denounce as widely as you can the facts occurred in Portugal, specially in the movements and national and international media; to protest – with knowledge to the Portuguese LGBT associations– near the Portuguese Government, official entities, political parties and media because the way they are dealing with this case (the contacts are in the end of this message). The model letter, also in the end of this message, can be used to do it; to manifest near this same entities and Portuguese LGBT movement your solidarity with the efforts made to change this dramatic situation.

WE FIND IT FUNDAMENTAL, AT THIS POINT, A STRONG INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE OVER PORTUGAL.

ABOUT THE FACTS

Gisberta, a homeless Brazilian transsexual immigrant, who was HIV positive, had drug problems, and was a sex-worker, was found dead on the 22nd of February inside a pit 10 metres deep, in an unfinished building in Oporto, the second biggest Portuguese city. The crime was confessed to by a group of 14 boys, between the ages of 10 and 16 years old, most of whom came from a child protection institution belonging to the Catholic Church, although financed by the state.

From this confession, details of the dreadful act have become known. The victim had a deeply fragile health condition, and these boys, frequently harassed, insulted, and chased her. On the 19th, a group of these boys entered the unfinished and abandoned building where Gisberta was staying, tied her up, gagged and assaulted her with extreme violence, kicking her, and beating her up with sticks and stones. The group also confessed to having introduced sticks in to Gisberta’s anus, whose body presented great injuries, and have abandoned her at the scene. Her body presents also cigarette-burning marks. On the 20th and 21st, they have returned to the scene and repeated the aggressions. By dawn, from the 21st to 22nd, they finally threw her in to the pit, attempting to hide the crime. The autopsy will clarify if she was still alive. Since her body was not floating, yet submerged in the bottom of the pit, indicates that she died drowned.

ABOUT THE REACTIONS AND THE GENERAL TRANSPHOBIA

This case was widely spread by the Portuguese media on the 23rd and 24th in a biased and erroneous way. While some of the Portuguese media mentioned the murder of a “transvestite”, most of them mentioned only her “homeless”, or “homeless, sex worker, drug addict “ condition. Gisberta was, also in some media, called Gisberto, her (masculine) legal name. According with this omission, and even before any details about the murder or about the identity and personal characteristics of the victim were known, many newspapers, in opinion columns, printed articles from opinion-makers (already known in Portugal for their personal opposition to LGBT rights), defendind that this couldn’t be considered as a “hate crime”, and that it wouldn’t be legitim to consider any connection with Gisberta’s transsexuality among the motivations to the crime. Usually, the arguments were around the under age of most of the aggressors.

At the same time were, and still are, ignored by the media the press releases of the Portuguese LGBT associations, including the Panteras Rosa and the trans association (@t), clarifying the “transsexuality” and victims identity, demanding legal and social measures against discriminations and protection against hate crimes motivated by gender identity, sexual orientation, social condition, disease or national origin, though it was vaguely mentioned a solidarity vigilance (a citizen’s initiative supported by the LGBT associations) in the 24th evening, but, once again, the media ignored the arguments of the associations, asking the transsexuality of the victim to be mentioned, as well as the transphobia discrimination as one of probable crime motivations.

Avoiding mentioning “hate crime” with the argument of the under age of the aggressors, with the exception of a few politicians that expressed their personal opinion, no Portuguese political party gave any declaration nor condemned this crime. From the Government, the only reaction came from the minister responsible for this under age institutions, that simply stated “the feeling of shock”, without any more words or comments, and demanded an inquiry to the institution where the aggressors were. These, with the exception of a 16 year boy, already criminally responsible and who is already in preventive imprisonment, were sent back to the institution and are in a semi-liberty regime. None other measure is know to be taken towards the aggressors. Psychological support for the 10 year old boys, for example?

No photo of the victim was printed in most newspapers. The media and the opinion-makers focused the “shock” of the crime in the under age of the aggressors, and not in the death of a citizen. They gave voice to insinuations of the responsible priest for the under age institution, that even said publicly that a boy from the institution was being “abused” by a paedophile, and this would be a “extenuating circumstance”. These declarations did not lead to the publication of any reaction. Contrary to the current praxis, the data revealed on the 24th about the victim’s sexual harassment, as well as the possibility of Gisberta was still alive when she thonwed at the pit, were only printed by an Oporto’s newspaper. Only four days after the crime was denounced, the media silence about it is almost absolute, and seems likely to remain so.

Jó Bernardo Sérgio Vitorino

Murder of Gisberta Of crime, of hate, of the silencing in course, of our anger.

Press Release

Panteras Rosa Movement – Combat front against homophobia – Study and defence of the rights to gender identity Association

Saturday, 25th February 2006

Probably thrown into the trench while still alive. Victim not only of aggression but also of sexual abuse. Day by day our indignation grows with the way that Gisberta's murder has been published, commented and attenuated. We think it is odd that today's television reports ignore the shocking information released by the Portuguese newspaper "Journal de Notícias": there is an obvious sexual component in this crime. Should it to be ignored that the victim was submitted to a particular kind of torture,  like the insertion of objects in the anus?

  The priest Lino Maia, president of the IPSS's Union, stated yesterday that the boys would have "attenuating circumstances", because of a presumed molestation from a paedophile to a colleague. In the presence of a murder, the church tries to blame the LGBT population, associating it once again to child molestation. This declaration only reinforces the conviction of discriminatory motivation. The priest tries to excuse the institution he runs and the boys he's responsible for: by saying that the they did "justice with their own hands" to respond to a presumed victim's non-related episode, he is precisely defining a hate crime.

"How was it possible?” asks yesterday's newspaper 'Público'. "How was it possible that it hasn't happened before?” we answer –Don't we know the child protection system is just the continuation of abandon and maltreatment? Don't we know of the violence and social exclusion and how it is promoted in Portugal? Don't we know of the discrimination towards homeless people, HIV positives, prostitutes, homosexuals, gypsies, immigrants, and especially transsexuals that even in the Gay community are highly excluded?

In 'Público' we may read "more likely an unconscious act than premeditated". What is unconscious and not premeditated in the transphobic insult and in four continuum days of aggression, extreme violence, torture and sexual abuse? Of throwing a body in a trench without checking if, it was still alive?

It is shameful that even today the media do not recognise the difference between a transsexual and a crossdresser, homophobia and transphobia, sexual orientation and gender identity. Journalists should put in serious question their professional conscience, their own preconceptions, the approaches by the media to the LGBT rights, with special incidence over the transsexual population, the more mocked, and disadvantaged and misunderstood in the media universe and society.

Part of the social communication only referred to Gisberta as a "homeless" person. It is not up to journalists – or anyone - to decide if it was the "homeless" feature – or another – that motivated this murder. Unfortunately, it is up to the prejudice. Gisberta accumulated multiple exclusion; none of them can be omitted. She was a transsexual and transphobia victim. More than enumerate these exclusions, for we still don’t know much on what really happened, to omit some is to hide probable explanatory elements of this crime, without information that supports it, and it is a gross manipulation and reinforcement of discrimination.

It is outrageous the silence of the political parties, even with the predictable argument that it won't be wise to talk about "hate crime" with children involved. The issue is not to "criminalise" children of under age. The state should assume the responsibilities he never assumed in taking care of those that are "young". It should punish those in the age of being responsible. However, do not mix up "children" with "16 year-old youth" that know what killing means and - not forgetting the dramatic age from most of the group - do not attenuate the crime in itself and the prejudice in it. The feelings that generate hate are of the responsibility of adults and those who run the country.

We will not ask ourselves if children are capable of hating. Portuguese society hates, and it is in it that children grow. Anti-LGBT (and other) hate, especially transphobia, is a serious social problem that reproduces itself among generations. The real question is, and can only be, within the combat measures and prevention of the discrimination and inequalities in it's whole - in the LGBT specific case, in the recognition of social rights and equality and social legitimisation. Yes, this time “young” people committed the crime. However, the transphobic, homophobic aggressions in Portugal that have risen in the last couple of years, were not, and the invariable rule has been its silencing and forgetfulness.

How about the next crime? Will we wait for one committed by adults to stand up with a position? In addition, to aggravate the laws (not in function of age) to protect against crimes and discrimination based on social condition, disease, transphobia, homophobia, etc? To implement sexual education against prejudice in schools? To face the living hell that is the system of child (un)protection in this country? To invest in equality policies?

Şt. - Associaçăo para o Estudo e Defesa do Direito à Identidade de Género (Association for the study and defense to the rigth to Gender Identity) * Trav. do Monte do Carmo,1 1200-276 Lisbon – Portugal * Tel. + 351 21 324 03 46 * Fax. + 351 21 324 03 47 * e-mail. a.trans@clix.pt * site. http://a-trans.planetaclix.pt Contact: Jó Bernardo + 351 91 760 68 65 / jo_bernardo@clix.pt

Panteras Rosa – Frente de Combate à Homofobia (Pink Panthers –Combat Front Against Homophobia) * Apartado 1323 – 1009-001 Lisbon - Portugal * Panteras.Rosas@sapo.pt * www.panterasrosa.blogspot.com Contact: Sérgio Vitorino + 351 91 941 46 13 / svitorino@gmail.com

SUGGESTION OF PROTEST LETTER

We have just known that Gisberta, Brazilian immigrant, transsexual, HIV positive, drug user, sex worker and homeless, was found dead on the 22nd of February in an unfinished building in the city of Oporto, and that the crime was confessed by a group of 14 boys, aged from 10 to 16 years old, most of them coming from a child protection institution.

We were also informed that the victim had a deeply fragile health condition, and she was frequently chased by these boys, with insults and harassment. That on the 19th, a group of these boys entered the unfinished and abandoned building where Gisberta was staying, tied her up, gagged and assaulted her with extreme violence, kicking her, and beating her up with sticks and stones. That the group also confessed to have introduced sticks in to Gisberta’s anus, whose body presented great injuries, and have abandoned her at the scene. That her body presents also cigarette burning marks. That on the 20th and 21st, they have returned to the scene and repeated the aggressions. That by dawn, from the 21st to 22nd, they finally threw her to the pit, attempting to hide the crime. That the autopsy will clarify if she was still alive, since her body was not floating, yet submerged in the bottom of the pit, indicates that she died drowned.

This case was widely spread by the Portuguese media on the 23rd and 24th in a biased and erroneous way. While some of the Portuguese media mentioned the murder of a “transvestite”, most of them mentioned only her “homeless”, or “homeless, sex worker, drug addict “ condition. Gisberta was, also in some media, called Gisberto, her (masculine) legal name. According with this omission, and even before any details about the murder or about the identity and personal characteristics of the victim were knowed, many newspapers, in opinion columns, printed articles from opinion-makers (already known in Portugal for their personal opposition to LGBT rights), defendind that this couldn’t be considered as a “hate crime”, and that it wouldn’t be legitim to consider any connection with Gisberta’s transsexuality among the motivations to the crime. Usually, the arguments were around the under age of most aggressors.

We have also known that at the same time were, and still are, being ignored by the media the press releases of the Portuguese LGBT associations, including the Panteras Rosa and the trans association (@t), clarifying the “transsexuality” and victims identity, demanding legal and social measures against discriminations and protection against hate crimes motivated by gender identity, sexual orientation, social condition, disease or national origin, though it was vaguely mentioned a solidarity vigilance (a citizen’s initiative supported by the LGBT associations) in the 24th evening, but, once again, the media ignored the arguments of the associations, asking the transsexuality of the victim to be mentioned, as well as the transphobic discrimination as one of probable crime motivations.

It becomes clear that, by avoiding mentioning “hate crime” with the argument of the under age of the aggressors, with the exception of a few politicians that expressed their personal opinion, no Portuguese political party as such took a stand nor condemned this crime. From the Government, the only reaction came from the minister responsible for this under age institutions, that simply stated “the feeling of shock”, without any more words or comments, and demanded an inquiry to the institution where the aggressors were. These, with the exception of a 16 year boy, already criminally responsible and who is already in preventive imprisonment, were sent back to the institution and are in a semi-liberty regime. None other measure is known to be taken towards the aggressors. Psychological support for the 10 year old boys, for example?

We find odd that no photo of the victim was printed in most newspapers. The media and the opinion-makers focused the “shock” of the crime in the under age of the aggressors, and not in the death of a citizen. They gave voice to insinuations of the responsible priest for the under age institution, that even said publicly that a boy from the institution was being “abused” by a paedophile, and this would be a “extenuating circumstance”. These declarations did not lead to the publication of any reaction. Contrary to the current praxis, the data revealed on the 24th about the victim’s sexual harassment, aswell the possibility of Gisberta being still alive when she was throwed at the pit, were only printed by an Oporto’s newspaper. Only four days after the crime was denounced, a sudden media silence about it is almost absolute, and everything Uma situaçăo de desrespeito pelos direitos humanos mais elementares, que năo podemos qualificar apenas de inadmissível num país da Uniăo Europeia em pleno século XXI.

Facing a terrible murder that configures as a most likely hate crime, facing tendencious omitions of the sexual and transphobic component of the crime, facing an aparent mediatical and political attempt of devalorizing of the crime itself, facing the omition of the “hate” component in the death of a person that accumulated so many social exclusions, facing attempts to responsabilise the victim, and publicly silencing this case, we came this way to express: our complete solidarity with the victim and the Portuguese activists that are trying to clear the facts and honour the memory of Gisberta, and demanding prevention and combat measures against the discriminations, without excluding protective legislation against the transphobic, lesbophobic, homophobic and biphobic discrimination and violence; our demand of respect for the positions defended by the same activists and efectivation of the measures that they have been defending as urgent; Our complete incomprehension of the way the Portuguese political responsible and media are dealing with the crime, of the manipulation of the facts and the absence of adequate answers to the described situation. A situation that, being confirmed, represents a total disrespect for the most elementary human rights, that cannot be qualified only as unacceptable in a country of the European Union, XXI century.

CONTACTS FOR SENDING PROTESTS:

[  More Details

Mord an Gisberta: Vom Verbrechen, vom Hass, von der Verharmlosung, von unserem Zorn.

Vermutlich in den Graben geworfen, während sie noch gelebt hat. Opfer nicht nur von Gewalt sondern auch von sexuellem Missbrauch. Unsere Empörung wächst Tag für Tag, mit der Art, wie der Mord an Gisberta in den Medien kommentiert und verharmlost wird. Wir sind befremdet, dass heutige Fernsehberichte die schrecklichen, durch die portugiesische Zeitung „Jornal de Notícias“ verbreiteten Meldungen ignorieren: es gab ganz offensichtlich eine sexuelle Komponente in diesem Verbrechen. Soll verschwiegen werden, dass das Opfer einer ganz bestimmten Art der Folter ausgesetzt wurde, wie dem Einführen von Gegenständen in den Anus?

Der Priester Lino Maia, Präsident der IPSSs Union, gestand den Jungen gestern „mildernde Umstände“ zu, wegen einer vermuteten sexuellen Belästigung eines Pädophilen an einem Kollegen. Vor dem Angesicht eines Mordes versucht die Kirche, der LGBT Bevölkerung die Schuld zuzuschieben, indem sie mit Kindesmissbrauch in Verbindung gebracht wird. Diese Erklärung untermauert nur die Überzeugung eines diskriminierenden Beweggrundes. Der Priester versucht, die Institution, die er leitet und die Jungen für die er verantwortlich ist, zu entschuldigen: Indem er sagt, die Jungen hätten „Gerechtigkeit mit ihren eigenen bloßen Händen“ geübt, durch eine Episode, die mit dem Opfer gar nichts zu tun hat. Genau das ist es, was ein Hassverbrechen ausmacht.

„Wie war das möglich?“ fragt die Zeitung „Público“ von gestern. „Wie war es möglich, dass es nicht schon früher geschehen ist?“ Wir antworten: Wissen wir nicht, dass das System des Schutzes von Minderjährigen nur im Stich lassen und Misshandlung fortsetzt? Kennen wir nicht die Gewalttätigkeit und die soziale Ausgrenzung und wie sie gefördert werden? Wissen wir nicht von der Diskriminierung obdachloser Menschen, HIV Positiver, Prostituierter, Homosexueller, Gypsies, Immigrantinnen und besonders transsexueller Menschen, die sogar von der schwulen Community ausgegrenzt werden?[...]

[  Full Article / More Details / Mord an Gisberta: Vom Verbrechen, vom Hass, von der Verharmlosung, von unserem Zorn

DEL SUCEDIDO

Gisberta, imigrante brasileńa, transexual, seropositiva, toxicomana, prostituta y sin-abrigo, ha sido encontrada muerta en el 22 de Febrero en el hondo de um pozo lleno de agua con diez metros de profundidad, en un edifício inacabado en Porto, la segunda ciudad portuguesa. El crimen ha sido admitido por un grupo de 14 jovenes del sexo masculino, con edades entre los 10 y los 16 ańos, la mayoria internos de una institución de menores financiada por el sistema de protección de menores estatal pero perteneciente a la iglesia catolica.

Con base en esta confissión, detalles del terrible acto fueran siendo conocidos. La víctima mortal se encontraba en un estado de salud profundamente debilitado, y era frecuentemente perseguida por estos jovenes, alvo de insultos y agressiones. En el 19 Febrero, el grupo penetró el edificio incabado y abandonado donde dormia Gisberta. La amarrarón, la amordazarón, y la agredieron con extrema violencia, pontapeandola, y golpeandola con palos y piedras. El grupo confeso igualmente haber introducido palos en el anus de Gisberta, que presentaba grandes heridas en esa parte del cuerpo, antes de abandonarla en el local. El cuerpo presentava también marcas de quemaduras con cigarrillos.

El 20 y 21 de Febrero, han vuelto al local dando continuación a las agresiones. En la madrugada del 21 para el 22 de Febrero, lanzaron finalmente el cuerpo de Gisberta para el pozo, intentando ocultar el crimen. La autopsia podera clarificar si entonces la victima estaba o no viva. El hecho que el cuerpo no estaba flotando pero submerso en el hondo del pozo parece indicar que esta ha falecido por ahogamiento en ese momento.

[  Full Article / DEL SUCEDIDO

Brazil: One Lesbian is decapitated, another raped

O Estruturaçăo - Grupo LGBT de Brasília solicitou nesta sexta-feira, dia 17 de março, que a Secretaria Especial de Direitos Humanos da Presidência da República năo permita que fiquem impune os responsáveis por um bárbaro crime cometido recentemente contra duas lésbicas na cidade goiana de Novo Gama. O crime em questăo aconteceu no último dia 28 de fevereiro, quando por volta das 23h dois homens, segundo testemunhas, invadiram o apartamento onde morava o casal de lésbicas Tifani Luana Alves Ferreira, de 24 anos, e M.A.S.S, de 31 anos. Dentro do apartamento Tifani foi morta com oito facadas, teve seus seios arrancados e foi decapitada. Já sua companheira foi agredida e estuprada.

"A delegacia descarta completamente a hipótese de ter sido um crime lesbofóbico, mas, como o próprio delegado disse, os bandidos năo levaram nada da casa. No mais, a forma bárbara do assassinato năo deixa dúvida sobre o sentimento de repulsa a lésbicas dos assassinos. Năo aceitamos essa versăo da delegacia", afirmou Alexandra Martins, coordenadora do Núcleo de Bissexuais do Estruturaçăo. A coordenadora do Núcleo de Lésbicas da entidade, Dayse Hansa, salienta o fato do preconceito dentro da própria delegacia. “A M.A.S.S, que sobreviveu, está registrada no boletim de ocorrência como do sexo masculino. Isso é preconceito!", revela a ativista.

Até o momento a polícia năo tem nenhuma pista que leve aos criminosos.

[  midiaindependente.org

[  action.web.ca

LGBT

WORLD

Crimes of hate, conspiracy of silence Torture and ill-treatment based on sexual identity

ACT 40/016/2001

'The manner in which discrimination is experienced on grounds of race or sex or religion or disability varies considerably - there is difference in difference. The commonality that unites them all is the injury to dignity imposed upon people as a consequence of their belonging to certain groups...

''In the case of gays, history and experience teach us that the scarring comes not from poverty or powerlessness, but from invisibility. It is the tainting of desire, it is the attribution of perversity and shame to spontaneous bodily affection, it is the prohibition of the expression of love, it is the denial of full moral citizenship in society because you are what you are, that impinges on the dignity and self-worth of a group.''
Justice Albie Sachs, Constitutional Court of South Africa, 1998

Lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and transgender people all over the world suffer persecution and violence simply for being who they are. They are tortured or ill-treated by state officials to extract confessions of “deviance”, and raped to “cure” them of it. They are attacked in their homes and communities to punish and intimidate them because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.The victims of torture highlighted in this report have been targeted because their real or perceived sexual identity is seen as threatening the social order. While the perpetrators and settings of such abuses may vary, at the heart of all forms of homophobic violence are ignorance and prejudice within society, official discrimination and repression, and the impunity enjoyed by those responsible.

The conspiracy of silence about the torture and ill-treatment of lesbian, gay, and bisexual and transgender people has been broken. Human rights defenders have emerged in countries around the world, campaigning for an end to violence and discrimination based on sexual identity and to ensure equal dignity and rights for all.This report, released as part of Amnesty International’s worldwide campaign against torture, is a contribution to these growing international efforts to end violence against lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and transgender people.

[  Crimes of hate, conspiracy of silence
   Torture and ill-treatment based on sexual identity.pdf

15. March 2006

POLAND

Der Mann von nebenan

Der polnische Präsident Kaczynski besuchte Berlin. Zu einer Annäherung im deutsch-polnischen Verhältnis kam es dabei nicht.

Fast schon euphorisch gab sich der polnische Präsident Lech Kaczynski kurz vor seinem Rückflug von Berlin nach Warschau. »Die Deutschen sind mir sympathisch«, schwärmte er gut gelaunt bei seiner abschließenden Pressekonferenz im Hotel Adlon. »Aber natürlich nicht alle«, ergänzte er auf seine oft undiplomatische Art.

Unsympathisch findet der nationalkonservative Politiker gewiss die rund 30 Schwulen und Lesben, die wenige Stunden zuvor versucht hatten, seine Rede an der Humboldt-Universität zu verhindern. Laut protestierend stürmten die deutschen und polnischen Demonstranten mit Transparenten vor seinem Auftritt das Audimax. Der Veranstalter Ingolf Pernice ließ einen von ihnen an Kaczynskis Rednerpult. »Dieser Mann ist ein Antidemokrat, es ist empörend, dass er hier reden darf«, schimpfte Holger Wicht vom schwul-lesbischen Magazin Siegessäule. »Er ist mitverantwortlich für Gewalt gegen Schwule und Lesben. Dieser Mann ist ein Volks­verhetzer.[...]

[  Der Mann von nebenan

13 March 2006

ITALY

Italien: "Besser Faschist sein als Schwuchtel"
Europa-Parlamentarierin und Duce-Enkelin Alessandra Mussolini attackierte Transgender Abgeordneten Vladimir Luxuria bei TV-Show

Rom - Die italienische Europa-Parlamentarierin und Duce-Enkelin Alessandra Mussolini sorgt mit abfälligen Bemerkungen über Homosexuelle für Aufregung. Die Politikerin nahm am Donnerstagabend mit dem Kandidaten der altkommunistischen Rifondazione, den Transgender Vladimir Luxuria, an der Polit-Show "Porta a Porta" teil, die vom Staatsfernsehen RAI gesendet wurde. Der Rifondazione-Kandidat erklärte sich besorgt über die politische Linie der rechtsextremen Partei "Alternativa Sociale", die Mussolini führt. Daraufhin reagierte die Politikerin wütend: "Es ist besser Faschist zu sein als Schwuchtel", betonte die 45-jährige EU-Abgeordnete. Mussolini begann daraufhin mit einer Tirade gegen den bekennenden Transgender. "Hier haben wir einen als Frau verkleideten Mann, der denkt, dass er sagen kann, was er will", wetterte die Politikerin wütend. Luxuria ist abseits der Politik eine bekannte Drag Queen, die oft in Fernsehshows auftritt und Homosexuellen-Veranstaltungen organisiert. Seine Kandidatur sorgte in Italien für heftige Debatten.

Feindliche Tendenzen weit verbreitet

Abfällige Bemerkungen über Homosexuelle und Transgender-Personen sind in der italienischen Rechten keine Neuigkeit. Der Minister für Auslandsitaliener und Spitzenpolitiker der rechten Alleanza Nazionale (AN), Mirko Tremaglia, hatte sich im Oktober 2004 mit dem damaligen Europa-Minister Rocco Buttiglione solidarisch erklärt, der auf den Posten des EU-Kommissars verzichten musste, nachdem er wegen seiner konservativen Positionen zum Thema Homosexualität und Frauen unter Druck geraten war. "Leider hat Buttiglione verloren. Armes Europa: Die Schwuchteln sind bereits in der Mehrheit", so Tremaglia in einer offiziellen Presseerklärung. Die Stärkung der Homosexuellen-Rechte ist in Italien stark umstritten. Die oppositionelle Mitte-Links-Allianz will laut ihrem Wahlprogramm in Italien die Legalisierung zusammenlebender Paare einführen. Dies soll auch gleichgeschlechtliche Paare betreffen. (APA)

[  diestandard.at

Gay rights enter Italian election

Published: 2006/02/24

A transgender opposition candidate in Italy's general election this April is campaigning for improved gay rights. Vladimir Luxuria, standing for the Communist Refoundation party, intends to challenge conservatives in her own country and Europe. Ms Luxuria, who considers herself neither male nor female, told the BBC that having a transgender MP would be an important symbol. She wants to promote civic unions and press for asylum rights for gay people. Italy was one of the very few nations in the European Union that did not recognise civil unions, she told the World Today programme.She called for political asylum for "all the gays who try to get into Italy from countries where homosexuality is punishable by death".

Serious message

The hardline Communist Refoundation is the third biggest party in the opposition alliance led by Romano Prodi, which has seen disagreements between its factions over the rights of same-sex and unmarried couples. "We don't want privileges - we want our rights," said Ms Luxuria. Asked about attitudes towards gay people in Italy, she argued that the views of ordinary people were changing but politicians and the Roman Catholic clergy were "far behind". Speaking earlier to Reuters news agency, she suggested she would ditch her trademark drag costumes - sequins, feather boas and bouffant wigs - once elected. "Parliament is not a theatre, it's not a discotheque," she said. "It wouldn't be useful to provoke [people] in such a stupid way."

[  bbc.co.uk

[  vladimirluxuria.it

07 March 2006

SPAIN

Spain To Allow Transsexuals To Choose Prisons

(Madrid) Transsexuals convicted of crimes in Spain will soon be allowed to serve their sentences in either men's or women's prisons a Madrid newspaper reports.

The El Pais newspaper, quoting an unnamed government source, said that the government of Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero will bring in legislation abolishing regulations that required prisoners to be incarcerated according to their registered birth-sex.Prisoners would have to show proof that they had been transitioning for at least one year.The legislation would also require prison authorities and guards to address the prisoners in their transitioned sex and name. El Pais has ties to Zapatero's Socialist government and the administration often uses it to float trial balloons before bringing in bills. The paper was the first to report two years ago that the Prime Minister was preparing a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The prisons bill follows a recommendation last year by Mercedes Gallizo, the director-general of Spain's prison system. Spain has about 40 male-to-female transsexuals behind bars. There are reportedly no female-to-male transsexuals in the prison system.

[  action.web.ca

06 March 2006

NETHERLANDS

Niederlande planen Abschiebung iranischer Homosexueller ins Heimatland
Ministerin Verdonk: Todesstrafen nicht "einzig und allein" aufgrund einer Homosexualität verhängt

Den Haag - Die Niederlande wollen iranische Homosexuelle nach Ablehnung ihres Asylantrags künftig wieder in den Iran abschieben, obwohl dort Homosexualität mit dem Tode bestraft werden kann. Einwanderungsministerin Rita Verdonk informierte das Parlament in Den Haag am Freitag über ihre Absicht, ein für Homosexuelle eingerichtetes Abschiebe-Moratorium aufzuheben. Das Moratorium war nach der Hinrichtung von zwei Homosexuellen im Iran im vergangenen Sommer erlassen worden. Die Verurteilten seien nach Darstellung Teherans nicht wegen ihrer sexuellen Neigung gehängt worden, sondern wegen der Entführung und Vergewaltigung eines Minderjährigen, erklärte Verdonk. Es sei jetzt klar, dass Hinrichtungen und Todesstrafen im Iran nicht "einzig und allein" deshalb verhängt würden, weil ein Angeklagter Homosexueller sei.

Allerdings ist Homosexualität unter der Scharia, dem im Iran praktizierten islamischen Recht, mit der Todesstrafe bedroht, wenn erwachsene und geistig gesunde Homosexuelle im beiderseitigen Einverständnis wiederholt Geschlechtsverkehr haben. Der niederländische Homosexuellenverband bezeichnete Verdonks Pläne als "empörend". (APA)

[  diestandard.at

06 March 2006

USA

in einem von der aclu für drei jugendliche geführtem prozeß hat der richter geurteilt das der bundesstaat hawaii: "spezielle taktiken entwickeln muß, um lesbische, schwule, bisexuelle und transgender gefangene vor diskriminierung, belästigung und mißbrauch zu schützen" .

HAWAII Ordered To Improve Conditions For LGBT Teens At Corrections ...

(Honolulu, Hawaii) A federal judge has ordered the state of Hawaii to establish specific policies to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inmates from discrimination, harassment and abuse. U-S District Judge Michael Seabright has also told the state to hire a private consultant to oversee changes ordered at the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility in Kailua.

The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union in September on behalf of LGBT youth incarcerated at the facility and comes a month after the state settled a separate case with the U-S Department of Justice agreeing to make "sweeping and comprehensive changes'' at the prison. In the ACLU case Judge Seabright said the case was "replete with documents and testimonial evidence demonstrating verbal harassment and abuse'' of inmates by prison officials.

Three LGBT teens, represented by the ACLU, had outlined widespread abuse at the facility. The suit said that youth correctional officers routinely told a lesbian ward and her girlfriend that their relationship was "bad" and that they were going to hell and referred to the couple's relationship as "this butchie shit." Other guards routinely made lewd and humiliating remarks to the couple, including, "You two eating fish earlier? At least you're not finger-banging yourselves in the TV room." Male wards in the facility allegedly surrounded a teen who was perceived to be gay in the shower, threatening him with rape, and once rubbed semen into his face in the bathroom. When the young man reported the incidents, HYCF did nothing the suit claims.

Last April, according to the lawsuit, the head administrator at HYCF called a special meeting of all the girls and staff at one of the units in the facility for the specific purpose of singling out a lesbian couple to belittle them about their relationship. The administrator told the couple that their relationship was "disgusting," then required the other wards to create a list of rules for the couple; the wards decided that the girls shouldn't be allowed to even speak to each other under threat of disciplinary measures, including lockdown.

In another instance cited in the suit, a male-to-female transgender student was repeatedly verbally abused and preached to by guards who called her "wrong" and "unnatural" and threatened to cut off her hair. After she was transferred to the boys' unit, she was physically assaulted and groped, often in front of guards who did nothing. Rather than attempting to ensure her safety, HYCF segregated her for almost two months, and did not allow her to interact at all with other wards. A doctor at the facility testified that after LGBT inmates brought their concerns to him he wrote letters to administrators about the incidents, but never receive replies.

[  365gay.com

04 March 2006

USA

Lesbian couple's marriage challenged for third time

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. A lesbian couple whose marriage certificate was issued by the Cherokee Nation is being challenged in tribal court for a third time. Tribal court administrator Lisa Fields has filed a petition for declaratory judgment from the tribe's Judicial Appeals Tribunal. The tribunal hasn't set a hearing, but the lawyer for Kathy -E- Reynolds and Dawn McKinley says she will file a motion to dismiss the petition next week. Fields' suit is the third to be brought before the tribunal challenging the marriage. The trio of justices have tossed the earlier cases, ruling that the parties who filed them had no standing to petition the court because they could not prove that they would be harmed if the marriage was recognized.

[  kten.com

28. February 2006

USA

dreimal innerhalb der letzten 6 monate wurde eine transgender- frau von der u-bahn polizei für die benutzung der frauentoilette festgenommen. die frau, die sich vor 10 jahren entschloß ihr geschlecht zu wechseln und sich mitten in diesem prozeß befindet, arbeitet im grand central terminal für eine telefongesellschaft. nach protesten und einer klage der frau hat ein sprecher der metropolitan transportation authority gesagt das die klage gegen die frau eingestellt worden sei .

TRANSGENDER female arrested for using women's restroom

NEW YORK -- A phone repair worker who is in transition from male to female said Tuesday that she was arrested three times by transit police in the last six months for using the women's restroom at Grand Central Terminal. Helena Stone, 70, said an officer called her "a freak, a weirdo and the ugliest woman in the world" and warned her, "If I ever see you in the women's bathroom, I'm going to arrest you." "I said, 'That's the only bathroom I use,"' Stone said at a rally and news conference. "'That's who I am."' Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Tom Kelly said later that the charges against Stone would be dropped and the matter had been resolved.

"There is an investigation into how this took place, and we will take whatever steps are necessary to avoid a similar situation in the future," Kelly said. Stone's lawyer, Michael Silverman of the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, said he was not aware of the decision to drop the charges against Stone but he welcomed it. "We're delighted to hear the offer," said Silverman, who joined Stone and about 20 supporters across from Grand Central on 42nd Street.

Stone said she has worked for Verizon and its predecessor for 37 years and has been in transition from male to female for about 10 years. In August of last year she was assigned to repair the pay phones at Grand Central, where, she said, harassment by MTA officers "started slowly and began to mount." She was arrested on disorderly conduct charges on Sept. 29, on Dec. 17 and on Jan. 12. The arrests occurred as she tried to use the women's restrooms at the station, she said, and since then she has been forced to use a cup in her office, which has no bathroom. Silverman said he had filed complaints on Stone's behalf with the MTA police and with the city Commission on Human Rights, whose guidelines say that restrooms must be available to transgender people "consistent with their gender identity or gender expression."

[  newsday.com

[  transgenderlegal.org

27 February 2006

Menschenrechtler kritisieren Guatemala

New York (queer.de) - Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Human Rights Watch hat die Regierung von Guatemala beschuldigt, nichts gegen Übergriffe auf Schwule und Transsexuelle zu unternehmen. Für einen Teil der Gewalt sei die Polizei verantwortlich. Offiziellen Zahlen zufolge wurden 2005 mindestens 13 transsexuelle Frauen und schwule Männer ermordet. Insbesondere in Guatemala-Stadt hätten sich die Überfälle gehäuft. In einem Brief an Präsident Oscar Berger ruft die Menschenrechtsorganisation dazu auf, die Übergriffe zu untersuchen und die Verantwortlichen zur Rechenschaft zu ziehen. (dk)

[  queer.de

Guatemala: Transgender People Face Deadly Attacks
Victims Concerned That Police May Have Been Responsible for These Crimes

(New York, February 21, 2006)— The Guatemalan government must take immediate steps to stop a pattern of deadly attacks and possible police violence against transgender women and gay men, and end impunity for these crimes, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. One transgender woman was murdered and another was critically wounded on December 17 when they were gunned down on a street in Guatemala City. Paulina (legal name Juan Pablo Méndez Cartagena) and Sulma (legal name Kevin Robles) were stopped by four men on motorcycles at an intersection in Guatemala City's Zone One, the center of the city.

Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants were wearing police uniforms and riding police motorcycles that identified them as members of the national police. The assailants shot Paulina twice in the head, killing her immediately. They shot Sulma three times, and she is still recuperating from her injuries.Paulina, a former sex worker, worked for the Organización de Apoyo a una Sexualidad Integral frente al SIDA (OASIS), a nongovernmental organization that works to prevent HIV/AIDS and to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Sulma is a volunteer with OASIS and a sex worker.Since the attack, Sulma and other transgender sex workers have reported being subject to undue police surveillance, causing them to fear for their lives. According to Sulma's report to OASIS, police warned her that, as witness to the attack, her life is in danger. OASIS said that its office and personnel have been under undue police surveillance. According to OASIS, the Office of the Public Prosecutor has made no further investigations into the attack since preliminary investigations in late December.

"These cold–blooded shootings are just the latest tragedy in Guatemala's pattern of deadly violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity," said Jessica Stern, researcher in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "The police have not done enough to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and now there is concern that they may be responsible for someone's murder." LGBT people in Guatemala regularly face attacks and threats. In 2005, at least 13 transgender women and gay men were murdered in Guatemala. On December 21, two men in an unmarked car with tinted windows robbed two gay male sex workers at gunpoint in Guatemala City.In the space of a single month, three gay men were murdered in Guatemala City late last year. Luis Sicán was shot to death on November 6 in Guatemala City’s Zone One. Flavio José Morales was shot to death in Zone Three of on October 12. Héctor Osmín García was shot to death by a security guard on October 7 while distributing flyers for a beauty salon. According to OASIS, there have been no prosecutions in any of these cases. In its letter to Guatemala's president, Human Rights Watch outlined several steps that the government should take to end the violence and intimidation targeting LGBT people in Guatemala. First, the government must ensure prompt, thorough and impartial investigations of the December 17 shootings — as well as other similar attacks reported over the past year. The authorities must also ensure that those responsible for these crimes are brought to justice.

In addition, the Guatemalan government should end any undue police surveillance of Sulma and other transgender sex workers, of OASIS and other NGOs advocating for the rights of LGBT people in Guatemala. Human Rights Watch recommended that national police work with representatives of LGBT and sex worker communities to introduce sensitivity training in accordance with human rights principles to end discrimination against LGBT people and sex workers. "Sulma has good reason to fear that the people who attacked her could strike again,"said Stern. "Guatemalan authorities must take immediate steps to protect LGBT people and hold their assailants accountable." Human Rights Watch sent letters today detailing these human rights abuses to President Oscar Berger, the Office of the Minister of the Interior, the Office of the Public Prosecutor, the national police, the Solicitor for Human Rights, and the Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Guatemala.

[  hrw.org

Guatemala: Mujeres transgénero se enfrentan a atentados mortales
Víctimas preocupadas por que los responsables de estos crímenes puedan ser policías

(New York, 21 de febrero de 2006)— El gobierno guatemalteco debe adoptar medidas inmediatas para prevenir los frecuentes atentados mortales y los posibles ataques policiales contra personas transgénero y hombres gay, y poner fin a la impunidad por estos crímenes, seńaló hoy Human Rights Watch en una carta dirigida al Presidente de Guatemala, Óscar Berger.

El 17 de diciembre, una mujer transgénero resultó asesinada y otra gravemente herida como consecuencia de los disparos que recibieron en una calle de la Ciudad de Guatemala. Paulina (cuyo nombre legal es Juan Pablo Méndez Cartagena) y Sulma (cuyo nombre legal es Kevin Robles) fueron detenidas por cuatro hombres en motocicletas en un cruce de la Zona 1 de Ciudad de Guatemala, en el centro de la ciudad.

Según los testigos oculares, los atacantes llevaban uniformes y motocicletas de la policía que los delataban como miembros de la Policía Nacional. Los asaltantes dispararon dos veces a la cabeza de Paulina, a quien mataron inmediatamente, y dispararon tres veces contra Sulma, que está recuperandose de las heridas. Paulina, antigua trabajadora sexual, trabajaba en la Organización de Apoyo a una Sexualidad Integral frente al SIDA (OASIS), una organización no gubernamental que se dedica a prevenir el VIH/SIDA y proteger los derechos de personas gays, lesbianas, bisexuales y transgénero (GLBT). Sulma es voluntaria en OASIS y trabajadora sexual. Desde el ataque, Sulma y otras trabajadoras sexuales transgénero han denunciado que están siendo objeto de una vigilancia policial injustificada, que les ha hecho temer por sus vidas. Según la denuncia de Sulma a OASIS, la policía le advirtió que su vida corría peligro por haber presenciado el atentado. OASIS dijo que su oficina y su personal están siendo indebidamente vigilados por la policía. Según OASIS, el Ministerio Público no ha seguido investigando el ataque desde las averiguaciones preliminares, a finales de diciembre.

"Estos asesinatos a sangre fría no son más que la última tragedia en Guatemala de una práctica sistemática de violencia mortal basados en la orientación sexual o identidad de género", seńaló Jessica Stern, investigadora del Programa sobre Derechos de Lesbianas, Gay, Bisexuales y Transgénero de Human Rights Watch. "La policía no ha hecho lo suficiente para proteger a personas lesbianas, gay, bisexuales y transgénero; y ahora existe la preocupación de que algunas policías pudieran ser responsables de algún asesinato", agregó. En Guatemala, las personas GLBT sufren habitualmente ataques y amenazas. En 2005, al menos 13 mujeres transgénero y hombres gay fueron asesinados en Guatemala. El 21 de diciembre, dos hombres en un vehículo sin licencia y con ventanas ahumadas robaron a punta de pistola a dos trabajadores sexuales gay en Ciudad de Guatemala. En tan sólo un mes, tres hombres gay fueron asesinados en Ciudad de Guatemala el ańo pasado. El 6 de noviembre, Luis Sicán fue asesinado por disparos en la Zona 1; el 12 de octubre asesinaron a tiros a Flavio José Morales en la Zona 3; y el 7 de octubre, Héctor Osmín García resultó muerto por los disparos de un guardia de seguridad cuando repartía folletos de un salón de belleza. Según OASIS, no se ha enjuiciado ninguno de estos casos.

En su carta al Presidente de Guatemala, Human Rights Watch seńaló varias de las medidas que debería adoptar el gobierno para poner fin a la violencia y la intimidación contra personas LGBT en Guatemala. En primer lugar, el gobierno tiene que garantizar investigaciones inmediatas, exhaustivas e imparciales del atentado del 17 de diciembre, así como de los ataques similares registrados durante el ańo pasado. Las autoridades deben asegurarse también de que se lleva ante la justicia a los responsables. Además, el gobierno guatemalteco debe poner freno a toda vigilancia policial injustificada de Sulma y otras trabajadoras sexuales transgénero, de OASIS y otras ONG defensoras de los derechos de las personas LGBT en Guatemala. Human Rights Watch recomendó que la Policía Nacional colabore con representantes de los colectivos GLBT y de trabajadores/as sexuales para sensibilizar sobre el cese de la discriminación contra las personas GLBT y trabajadores/as sexuales, en consonancia con los principios de derechos humanos.

"Sulma tiene buenas razones para creer que las personas que la atacaron podrían actuar de nuevo", seńaló Stern. "Las autoridades guatemaltecas deben adoptar medidas inmediatas para proteger a las personas GLBT y pedir cuentas a sus asaltantes", agregó. Human Rights Watch envió cartas hoy explicando en detalle estos abusos contra los derechos humanos al Presidente Óscar Berger, el Ministro de Gobernación, el Ministerio Público, la Policía Nacional Civil, el Procurador de los Derechos Humanos, y el Representante de la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos.  

[  hrw.org

[  Letter to the President of Guatemala,Oscar Berger Perdomo
   On the Deadly Attacks Faced By Transgender People

24. February 2006

VENEZUELA

nachdem in der verfassung von 1999 die diskriminierung aufgrund der sexuellen orientierung verboten wurde wollen die dort arbeitenden ngo jetzt dies auch transgender diskriminierungen abdeckt. im nächsten jahr wird es wahrscheinlich ein referendum zur heirat bzw. lebensgemeinschaft geben. in einem bundesstaat gibt es dies bereits. ebenso wird seit der regierung chavez kostenlos medikamente an hiv positive ausgeteilt und die medizinische versorgung für diese wesentlich verbessert. in venezuela gibt es offiziell 18.000 hiv positive.

Venezuela’s sexual revolution within the revolution

At the January World Social Forum in Caracas, Green Left Weekly’s Rachel Evans and Maurice Farrell caught up with Ricardo Hung from the Alianza Lambda gay-rights organisation and Moises Rivera Lopez, the coordinator of the Sexual Riverside Network for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community.Rivera Lopez is also employed by the mayor of metropolitan Caracas Juan Barreto to work on anti-homophobia campaigns. GLW also spoke to Marcel Quintana, the president of Consultants for Education and Health Venezuela (ASES), an HIV care group.

Hung explained that Lambda is part of a coalition of gay and lesbian groups that organises activities throughout the year. “In June we organise gay and lesbian rights forums, presentations and workshops, cinema screenings and other political meetings ending with a gay pride march.” Last August, on the international day of action against homophobia, Lambda “held a big protest in the Simon Bolivar plaza ... We took down the national flag and raised the rainbow flag.” In September, Lambda helps with a gay and lesbian film festival and with a December cultural festival.According to Hung, “The new 1999 constitution includes no discrimination based on sexual orientation”, but there is a push to extend it to cover transgender discrimination as well.

“We are also campaigning for same-sex marriage rights”, Rivera Lopez said. “On December 28, Venezuela’s vice-president Vincent Rangel announced that a national referendum would be held to make same-sex marriage legal for the first time. Because referendums are expensive, he announced there will be other issues within it — abortion, for example. I think that the referendum will not go ahead this year because of the big push to win 10 million votes for Chavez for the December [presidential] elections. I think the referendum will be in 2007, named the 'Year of the battle of ideas’. This is a huge step forward for our rights.”Hung believes “it will be a long road to get to same-sex marriage. In the state of Merida we currently have civil unions Six months ago with six other non-government gay organisations we made a petition to the Supreme Court” to replicate this nationally.

Lambda is part of the International Lesbian and Gay Association. Hung explained that in Venezuela, Lambda is the “only gay-rights association that is legally based and has community services, medical counselling, a doctor and a surgeon. Anyone can get involved in Lambda. We have straight supporters come to meetings and students doing research projects on the state of our human rights. We hold meetings every week where government representatives have also come along to ask us questions and hear about our issues.“We produce educational programs with gays and lesbians for young teenagers. We have just begun a focus on education in the countryside, where we have established mini branches of Lambda ...

“Our main goal is to provide education to other people, so that people in the street will stop someone who is bashing a GLBT person ... We promote safer sex and we provide medical counselling about HIV. This government provides full free treatment for people with HIV that ask for it.”Quintana works with HIV-infected children and adults, providing free counselling and drugs. “We work with 950 children who are infected with HIV. We work with another 550 street kids and single-mother families”, he said.“There are 18,000 people registered with HIV in Venezuela. We don’t know how many of them are gay men. ASES distributes free HIV medicines, which would cost US$750 per month [per patient] if we did not receive cheaper generic drugs from India.

“Only three countries in Latin America provide free HIV drugs — Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina. We fought to have HIV drugs distributed for free before [the 1998 election of Venezuelan President Hugo] Chavez. It was a hard fight, but we won universal access a short time before Chavez was elected. When elected, Chavez advanced — rapidly — the program of universal access. There are five hospitals, broken up into every region in the country, that offer drugs. Alongside this drug distribution program the hospitals have infectious disease units. We have these five points of control because of the black market. Hospital Vargas has a one-year-old infectious disease unit, which is just great — the best in the country.”There is also a battle against corruption. Quintana described a protest action he was involved in that invaded the health department “because people who worked there were stealing anti-retroviral drugs to sell on the market. Afterwards Chavez chucked the minister out and now we have a better relationship with the department.“ASES provides housing and entertainment for children with HIV. We also teach computer and technical programs for people who work with the government’s free health-care program, Barrio Adentro.”

According to Hung, “The history of what we have been able to achieve in the movement is clearly linked with the Chavez government. The first Gay Pride march took place under the Chavez government six years ago. We have never, ever seen this kind of devotion, open-minded activities and behaviour in a government. The government has really promoted diversity and is based on the integration of all the alienated branches of society. Hugo Chavez is promoting this.“Last year, the attorney-general’s office passed an act that created a division called the Department for Information to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community. Every person in Caracas can go to that office and receive counselling to see if their issues can be dealt with. This is a big step because now GLBT issues are part of the government [agenda].

“Our movement has grown with this support. Six years ago our first Gay Pride parade took place and was 100 people. Last year it was almost 20,000. Permission is very easily obtained. We have the support of the police during the parade, which has been great. The Caracas mayor gives us the sound system for free. Now there is an amendment to the constitution [proposed] in order to promote same-sex marriage.”According to Hung, it is “difficult to come out of the closet when you are in a precarious economic position. It is easier if you are from the upper class. We are also up against a culture of machismo. Everyone is brought up with that ... We have problems with gay bashings. On the other hand, it is easier if you live in a big city than in the countryside.

“Teenage suicide used to be a huge problem 20 years ago. Now the big issue for teenagers is vulnerability to STDs. They still don’t know much about sex education. So that’s why we work on this.“The other problem for young Venezuelans is getting kicked out of home when they come out. Those at higher risk are the ones from lower-income families. If you have a family with 10 children, are in poverty and find out your child is gay, then it is easy to say 'Get out, we have more mouths to feed’.“Hence child prostitution among young GLBT people is common, but not well-known. It really has to be dealt with on the social level. The new mission to eradicate homelessness ... Negra Hipitolia, is providing education and shelter for young homeless. Not enough people have access to the shelters, but the government is doing well.”

Gay bashings are a big problem in Venezuela. “Out of all the violent bashings that occur and are reported, 5% are gay bashings”, Hung said, adding that many people lack the confidence to report incidents. He explained that reporting attacks can be “a very bureaucratic process”, and many people fear repercussions if they are recognised.“If you are working and say 'I am a homosexual’, then people might not fire you immediately, but they won’t give you a better job or a raise. Gay Venezuelans who come out often have financial security. They can be gay publicly because they have their own business. This is why I came out — I can sustain myself.“There are no problems for people who are employed in the public government or working for themselves”, Hung clarified. “Every worker has legal protection. But if you are working for a private company, coming out can be hazardous. Same when you become HIV infected.

“When you are a top executive, you have all the benefits the company can provide: social security and so on. If you are in lower work — administrative trainer, cashier, bank-teller — the company is not interested in keeping you on the payroll and will get you to quit.”Hung said that along with other countries in the region, Venezuela has experienced an increase in herpes and syphilis. “The Ministry of Health provides free condoms to us to give to the people, but outside these free condoms, condoms are expensive. They are about US$3 for a packet. This is equivalent to two lunches. We still have a high rate of unemployment and people are worried about living and eating. So they look for escape holes, like not buying condoms.”

According to Hung, one of the “greatest achievements of the [Chavez] government” is the provision of health care such as treatment for STDs. “In the main hospitals they have the specialists. In the barrios they have free doctors. Tests and drugs are free.”“Changes are coming through. We are going to be great. The movement here is growing stronger and stronger. I pray we get same-sex marriage”, concluded Hung.

[  greenleft.org.au

[  lambdavenezuela.org

23 February 2006

SOUTH AFRICA

"Anything Can Happen to Us, Anytime"

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 23 (IPS) - As a community relations officer for the Johannesburg-based Forum for the Empowerment of Women, a non-governmental organisation, Zanele Muholi has become all too familiar with the prejudice against lesbians that exists in South Africa.

Over recent years, says Muholi, she has spoken "to more than 50 victims of rape and hate speech", and recorded five major cases of violence against lesbians.The latest incident occurred in Cape Town earlier this month. It involved a 19-year-old woman, Zoliswa Nkonyana, who was stabbed and stoned to death by a mob of young people in a predominantly black residential area of the coastal city, Khayelitsha.This was not the first time that a gay woman had been attacked in the area. In 2003, another woman was seriously injured in the same place, notes Muholi.

In Soweto, the largest black residential to be established in Johannesburg under apartheid, attitudes towards lesbians are similarly hostile."It's scary. Whenever people see lesbians holding hands or kissing in the street, they react by unleashing a torrent of verbal abuse which amounts to hate speech. Some of them would want to hit you physically," a woman who lives in Soweto told IPS in a telephone interview from the neighbourhood.She declined to reveal her identity for fear of being attacked. "We live in fear. Anything can happen to us, anytime," the woman said.

Muholi believes "ignorance, arrogance and disrespect" lie at the heart of prejudice against gay women. Matters are worsened, she adds, by a culture of impunity: "They (attackers) know that they will get away with it (violence against lesbians)."Rape is seen as an act that can alter the sexual orientation of gay women. Apart from scarring them psychologically, however, sexual assault can also serve as a death sentence: "Some end up catching sexually-transmitted diseases like AIDS or becoming pregnant," says Muholi. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, about one in five adults in South Africa has contracted HIV.But while lesbians face prejudice in the streets of Khayelitsha, Soweto and elsewhere, their rights are being entrenched in South Africa's legal system.

Last year, the constitutional court ruled in favour of same-sex marriage in the country. Members of parliament have been given until the end of this year to amend the law accordingly.In 2002, the court also ruled that gay couples had the right to adopt children, reportedly making South Africa the first African state to legalise such adoptions. South Africa's constitution outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.The constitutional court's 2005 decision was roundly condemned by religious groups."The legalising of same-sex marriages is doomed to have a morally deleterious effect on the institution of the family, traditionally defined as the permanent union between husband and wife," the Catholic Church said in a statement issued Dec. 7, 2005.

Njongonkulu Ndungane, the Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, voiced similar sentiments. "We do not regard partnership between two persons of the same sex as a marriage in the eyes of God," he said.However, Ndungane acknowledged that many might disagree with the Anglican Church's standpoint on this matter."We recognise that we live in a country which is home to many beliefs, cultures and practices," he noted. "It would be arrogant and presumptuous of us to attempt to force our values and viewpoints on people who think differently from us."

Elsewhere in the Southern African region, gays and lesbians are also confronted with prejudice -- as evidenced by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's statement, made several years ago ago, that they were "worse than dogs and pigs".Canaan Banana, Zimbabwe's first post-independence head of state, was convicted for sodomy in 1998, and jailed for a year. The court proceedings revealed that he had abused other men while in office.Former Namibian president Sam Nujoma has also spoken out against homosexuality.Back at the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, Muholi expresses the hope that -- this time -- Nkonyana's killers will be brought to book."I hope those guys will be arrested and tried. I feel sorry for Nkonyana's friend who ran away during the assault. She needs trauma counseling," she says. (END/2006)

[  ipsnews.net

[  More Details

23. February 2006

USA

in mindestens 16 bundesstaaten werden gesetze vorbereitet die homosexuellen paaren die adoption von kindern verbieten sollen. in ohio wurde diesen monat ein gesetz eingebracht das die adoption oder das aufnehmen von Pflegekindern verbietet. in florida sind adoptionen seit 1977 verboten, mississippi hat paaren die adoption verboten, nicht aber alleinstehenden homosexuellen. und utah hat allen nichtverheirateten paaren die adoption verboten.

At Least 16 U.S. States Working to Ban Gay and Lesbian Adoptions

Efforts to prevent gay adoption are moving into the center of the U.S. political scene, in what has been described as a ?second front ? in the country?s culture wars. A significant number of states are working to introduce legislation banning gay adoption, or to amend existing laws. In at least 16 states, laws or the promise of legislation prohibiting adoption by gay or lesbian couples are prominent in the political landscape, with the question set to become a campaign issue for the next federal election.

For the states of Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio, laws preventing the adoption of children by gays or lesbians are a logical progression from recently passed constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. "Now that we've defined what marriage is, we need to take that further and say children deserve to be in that relationship," Greg Quinlan of Ohio's Pro-Family Network, a conservative Christian group, said to USAToday. Ohio introduced a bill this month that would ban gays and lesbians from adopting or raising foster children. In Massachusetts, Roman Catholic bishops are asking for an exemption from state anti-bias laws that would force them to allow gay adoptions through church-run social service agencies.

Florida has held firm to the 1977 state law against adoption by gays or lesbians, despite heavy lobbying to change it. However, a pending bill would allow judges to grant exceptions to that law. Mississippi has banned adoption by gay couples, but allows gay singles to adopt. Utah has dealt with the question by refusing adoption to all unmarried couples.

[  lifesite.net

CANADA

Sex Work, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights

In Canada and many other countries, the law treats sex work in ways that contribute to the marginalization and abuse of sex workers, and impede an effective response to HIV/AIDS.  Coercive measures against sex workers, such as mandatory HIV testing, or the criminalization of sex work itself (or various related activities), are discriminatory and counterproductive.  In addition, the simplistic and stigmatizing view persists that sex workers are “vectors” of disease transmission, rather than persons who, for many reasons, including unjust laws, may be vulnerable to human rights abuses, and to various health and safety risks, including HIV.  Anyone who works on or studies HIV/AIDS, or addresses the human rights dimensions of HIV/AIDS, should have access to up-to-date information on the legal and human rights issues raised by the legal treatment of sex work(ers).

[  check more:Sex Work, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights

22. February 2006

SOUTH AFRICA

die gay rights gruppe triangle project hat die veröffentlichung eines bildes auf dem die am 4. februar ermordete 19 jährige frau mit ihren freundinnen zusehen ist, verurteilt, weil sie dadurch das leben der frauen gefährdet sehen. die 19 jährige aus khayelitsha/ cape town ( einer sog. township) wurde ermordet weil sie lesbisch war. während des cape gay pride festivals, das zur zeit stattfindet, fanden zum erstenmal demonstrationen in den townships statt.

paper slammed for lesbian photo

Gay rights group Triangle Project has lashed out at the Sunday Times for publishing a picture of four lesbians, after one of them was beaten to death with bricks and golf clubs in an apparent hate crime. The picture clearly revealed the identity of three lesbian friends of Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, who was stoned to death for being lesbian by a gang of men in front of her stepfather outside her Khayelitsha home on February 4. A 17-year-old school friend of Nkonyana's, who witnessed the hate crime, but managed to escape, is receiving counseling. She apparently fears for her life and is hiding at an undisclosed safe-house.

Despite warnings from Triangle Project of hate crimes against gay and lesbian people in the traditional township areas, the Sunday Times published the picture of Nkonyana along with three members of her lesbian football club. The Triangle Project added that no consent was gained from the three for the photograph to be used. "Publishing a photo of three lesbians, without their consent, accompanying an article on hate crimes against lesbians is highly irresponsible - especially considering that one of their friends was killed by a mob in their community," said Glenn de Swaart, Triangle Project spokesperson. Sunday Times editor Mondli Makhanya responded, "Our intention was to highlight a crime against the gay community, and it was never our intention to cause further hurt. We're happy to correspond with the gay community on this issue."

The Triangle Project asserted that Nkonyana's death shows that violent crimes, such as rape or assault on the grounds of sexual orientation, remain a reality in Cape Town. This week the Cape Town Pride Festival kicks off, culminating in the Pride March through the streets of Cape Town. This year's festival aims to take Gay Pride from the streets of Cape Town into the townships with its eLocation initiative.

[  mask.org.za

nach dem mord an einer 19 jährigen Lesbe haben verschiedene gay organisationen durch pressekonferenzen und veröffentlichungen auf die vermehrten übergriffe auf schwule und lesben in den townships hingewiesen. die gruppe forum for the empowerment of women hat in den letzten 10 jahren 50 vergewaltigungen an lesben in den townships dokumentiert.

South Africa: Murder of young lesbian sparks homophobia concerns

JOHANNESBURG, 20 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - As gays and lesbians become more visible in South African townships, they are increasingly becoming targets of homophobia, according to rights activists. The organisations were reacting to reports at the weekend of the murder of a young lesbian in a township in Cape Town. "I have recorded 50 rape cases, dating back 10 years, involving black lesbians in townships," said Zanele Muholi, a community relations officer with the NGO, Forum for the Empowerment of Women (FEW). Muholi, a lesbian, who was also abused growing up in a township, co-founded FEW in 2002, to provide a support network for black gay women.

Two weeks ago Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, was reportedly stabbed and stoned to death by a mob of young people in Khayelitsha. While police are still investigating the cause of the murder, the hearsay evidence points to homophobia, according to the Cape Town-based Triangle Project, an NGO that provides support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The NGO has been counselling Nkonyana's family. Sexual orientation does not in itself make the LGBT community targets of abuse, according to Dawn Betteridge, the director of Triangle Project. "The problem largely is that of patriarchy," she added. By adopting the clothing, behaviour typical of a 'butch lesbian' or the 'effeminate male', the LGBT community is perceived as a threat to masculine dominance.

"Lesbians who mimic men are seen to be challenging male superiority. Rape and violence against lesbians is common ... the men who perpetrate such crimes see rape as curative and as an attempt to show women their place in society," said Betteridge. Historically, the LGBT community in townships maintained a low-profile. "It is being both black and gay [which is problematic]," said Muholi.

In an attempt to build the lesbian community's self-esteem, FEW runs 'The Rose has Thorns', campaign against hate crimes directed at black lesbians, particularly those living in townships. The campaign includes community interventions involving public education workshops and self-defence training for the women at risk in the Gauteng province. Skills like photography, computer basics and sports training are provided to open up employment opportunities for the black lesbian community. Ironically, South Africa has one of the most liberal constitutions in the world.

Last year, the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of same sex marriages, making the country among a handful in the world to do so. "But the fact that we have one of the most advanced constitutions has had little impact on mindsets in townships. Members of our community are celebrating the constitution, but it is very different in the society," said Muholi. Educating and sensitising wider society poses a major challenge. "They should hold workshops on the constitution in all the townships - people are not aware of our rights and needs," said Muholi.

[  irinnews.org

teen beaten to death for being a lesbian

19 February 2006

February 19, 2006: Noxolo Mandindi was praying in church while, unbeknown to her, her teenage daughter was being stoned, beaten and stabbed to death in front of her house by a gang of men - for being a lesbian. As the mob battered Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, her stepfather, Gcinumzi Mandindi, watched from the back door of their home - unaware that the victim was the child he regarded as a daughter.

As the shattered family mourns her death in Khayelitsha, thousands of people celebrate the annual Cape Pride gay festival which today, for the first time, takes to the streets of the city's townships. About 400 people, including Nkonyana's girlfriend and players from their soccer club - the Wini Club - attended her funeral last week after the attack that underlined the extent of anti-gay violence in South Africa. Pretoria criminologist Christiaan Bezuidenhout, co-author of a study titled Anti-Gay Hate Crimes for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, said he expected anti-gay violence to increase in South Africa as black people "come out more visibly".

"People are presenting their orientation in more extreme ways because they feel comfortable, and they believe the Constitution will protect them," he said. "Unfortunately, the Constitution did not change individuals like those who killed this young woman or their prejudices."

Police spokesman Elliot Sinyangana said no arrests had been made. The Sunday Times this week put police in touch with Nkonyana's 17-year-old school friend, also a lesbian, who witnessed the murder. Speaking from a high school in Khayelitsha the teen, who fears for her life and cannot be identified, relived the harrowing night of two weeks ago when she and Nkonyana were confronted by a schoolgirl who taunted them for being "tomboys" who "want to get raped".

"Zoliswa told the girl: 'We are not tomboys, we are lesbians. We are just doing our thing so leave us alone.' The girl then went to fetch her friends, about 20 youngish guys. "They beat Zoliswa in her face. I said to her we must run, but she said: 'No, this is my area, why must we go?' They klapped us and beat us with a golf club. "When I was on the ground I managed to get up and run away and climb over a fence. Zoliswa was running towards her home but they caught up with her. They were beating her and throwing bricks. She was just lying [down] but they kept on."

Speaking of his anguish after the attack, Gcinumzi Mandindi said: " I saw gangsters hitting and stabbing someone and throwing stones but I didn't know it was my daughter. Someone came to tell me. I went outside. I called her by her name but she couldn't speak. I picked her up and put her in my neighbour's car and we went to hospital." His wife arrived at hospital after a 40-minute drive from St John's Church in Macassar - to see her only child die.

"She was lying there and her eyes were closed. I think she tried to kick with her leg a little," said Noxolo Mandindi. "When I saw my daughter there I was so sad and so afraid," she said this week, plucking her daughter's clothes from a plastic bag. "I knew Zoliswa was lesbian from when she was 11. I went to the shop to buy her clothes, but the child didn't want a skirt. She liked to wear boys' clothes, even for underwear. She told me she liked girls," she said. Ronnie Ngalo, organiser of today's Cape Pride township parade, said: "Gays and lesbians are still being discriminated against in townships by people calling them perverts, Aids carriers, un-African, saying that they must be killed or raped."

Helen Wells, from the Out Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender group in Pretoria, said the fact that discrimination and victimisation due to sexual orientation was still "rife" had been borne out by a survey of 292 black lesbian women from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal townships. Nine of the women said they had been raped over the past two years, 15 reported being subjected to physical abuse and 40 to hate speech for being lesbian. A heartbroken Tshom Gcakafi, of the Wini Soccer Club, said she could not accept Nkonyana's death. "I just don't know what we've done wrong. We can't change our sexual orientation," she said. Bezuidenhout said: "Just after 1994, we saw a lot of hate-crime problems for mixed-race couples, but anti-gay violence was neutral because [being gay] was more easily hidden. Now people are coming out - unfortunately, often at a risk to themselves. In this case, a female felt threatened in her gender role ... so she called males to sort them out."

[  mask.org.za

20. February 2006

RUSSIA

für den 27 mai ist in moskau die erste russische gay parade geplant. der bürgermeister der stadt hat angekündigt diese nicht zuzulassen. dieses verbot kommt kurze zeit nachdem der höchste mufti des landes dazu aufgerufen hatte die demo anzugreifen und die menschen zu verprügeln.

MOSCOW mayor refuses Gay Pride parade

The mayor of Moscow said Thursday his government will not approve of a Gay Pride parade in the city, citing "outrage" from influential religious leaders. Mayor Yuri Luzhkov's refusal to even consider a Pride application drew criticism from gay rights groups, who had hoped to stage Russia's first Pride event on May 27. According to the Independent newspaper, gay leaders have threatened to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

The move by the government followed a public diatribe by a Russian Muslim leader, Chief Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin, which called for violent protests if the Pride parade went ahead. "If they come out on to the streets anyway they should be flogged," he said. "Any normal person would do that -- Muslims and Orthodox Christians alike ? [The protests] might be even more intense than protests abroad against those controversial cartoons."

The Russian Orthodox Church called a possible Pride parade "the propaganda of sin." "These attempts by the Russian state and religious leaders to suppress the right to protest are a throwback to the bad old days of czarist and communist totalitarianism," said veteran human rights activist Peter Tatchell. "No amount of threats and intimidation by the mayor of Moscow, the Chief Mufti or the Chief Rabbi will halt the gay freedom struggle in Russia." Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993.

[  planetout.com

12 February 2006

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

im november letzten jahres wurden in abu dhabi 26 männer festgenommen die in einem hotel eine schwule hochzeit vorbereitet haben sollen. im ersten prozeß wurden alle zu 5 jahren knast verurteilt. jetzt hat ein höheres gericht 14 der männer freigesprochen. 11 männer wurden wegen "homosexualität und unzüchtigkeit" zu 6 jahren knast , einer wegen "unzüchtigkeit" zu einem jahr verurteilt.

'Gay wedding' ends up in cells

A United Arab Emirates court has jailed 12 men who were arrested after being discovered preparing for a gay wedding, but acquitted another 14 defendants, an official said on Sunday. "Eleven men have confessed to practising homsexuality.

They were sentenced to five years in prison (for homosexuality) and one year for obscenity," said the official. "Another man was sentenced to one year in prison for obscenity, but was acquitted of homosexuality charges... while 14 others have been released after being found not guilty," he said. The 26 defendants, including UAE citizens, an Indian and three nationals of neighbouring Arab countries, were arrested in November when police raided a hotel in a desert resort town. Emirates Today had reported that the Abu Dhabi court had sentenced all 26 men to five years in jail. It said the men were busted in a hotel "dressed in women's clothes and makeup in preparation for a gay wedding".

The official said the verdict was not final and could go on appeal. The United States state department had condemned the arrests and called on its close Gulf ally to stop reported plans for a forced hormone treatment on the suspects, which an interior ministry official then denied.

Homosexuality is a serious offence in the Muslim UAE and neighbouring conservative Gulf countries, where offenders could face flogging along with imprisonment, while foreigners could also face expulsion. Last April, a court in neighbouring Saudi Arabia sentenced two Saudis, one Yemeni and a Jordanian to two years in jail and 2 000 lashes after a police raid on an alleged gay party. Across the Gulf in non-Arab Iran, repeated sodomy carries the death penalty.

[  news24.com

6. February 2006

CAMEROON

seit ende januar führen zeitungen eine anti ? gay ? kampagne und haben bisher 50 politiker und prominente aus den verschiedensten bereichen als angebl. homosexuelle geoutet. anlass war für die zeitungen nach dem ein katolischer erzbischof an weihnachten eine rede gegen homosexualität gehalten hatte. homosexualität ist kriminalisiert und die strafe ist zwischen 6 monate bis 5 jahre und geldstrafe bis zu $ 370.

Fifty public figures named in Cameroon's gay witchhunt

Cameroon has been rocked by an anti-gay crusade in newspapers that have accused more than 50 prominent figures of homosexuality. Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon as in many African countries, with jail sentences of up to five years, and editors say they are on a campaign against "deviant behaviour".

The latest list by the weekly tabloid L'Anecdote sold out within hours and vendors resorted to selling photocopies. Those named included government ministers, news readers, popular singers and sports stars. "Men making love to other men ... is filthy. It may be normal in the West, but in Africa and Cameroon in particular, it is unthinkable," L'Anecdote's publisher, Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga, told Reuters. "We could not remain silent. We had to ring the alarm bell. We don't regret it and we have to do it again ... in spite of numerous death threats that me and my journalists have had." The tabloid La Meteo launched the campaign to "out" gays in Cameroon at the end of January with the publication of a three-page dossier of names, following a vehement denunciation by the Roman Catholic archbishop, Victor Tonye Bakot, at Christmas.

Archbishop Bakot criticised the European Union for giving legitimacy to homosexuality. He lashed out at those calling for same sex marriages and derided gay people who wanted to adopt children. The archbishop claimed that Cameroonians had "resorted" to homosexuality in order to advance their careers and earn more money. The archbishop's arguments were largely repeated by the newspapers.

The lists have been attacked by the communications minister, Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, one of those named. He has threatened legal action and warned that the newspapers risked breaking up families. "Whether heterosexual or homosexual, sexual intercourse takes place in an intimate environment between two persons," he said. Others named have said they were consulting their lawyers. Two of those named have written letters to the newspapers denying the reports. So far the President, Paul Biya, has not entered into the controversy. According to some traditional beliefs, homosexual people are said to be cursed or bewitched. Same-sex intercourse carries a penalty of six months to five years in prison and fines of up to $370 under Cameroonian law.

South Africa is to become the first African country to legalise same-sex marriage following the ruling in December by its top court that it was unconstitutional to deny gay people the right to marry

[  mg.co.za

2. February 2006

USA

ein neues gesetz in wisconsin das "es verbietet das geld aus staatlichen steuern" für hormonbehandlungen bei transgender gefangenen zu benutzen, betrifft nicht die vier gefangene die seit letztem august hormone einnehmen.

Wisconsin law won't stop four inmates' hormone treatments

MILWAUKEE – A new Wisconsin law barring the use of state tax money for prisoner sex changes won't stop four inmates from getting hormone treatments until at least August.The law took effect last week, but two groups have filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the inmates, challenging the statute as unconstitutional.Judge Charles Clevert Jr. issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the state from stopping the hormone treatments until he holds a hearing on the matter. A hearing is scheduled for Aug. 24.The law bars the state Department of Correction from using tax dollars for hormone therapy or gender reassignment surgery to treat prisoners for gender identity disorder, in which a person believes he or she belongs to the opposite sex.

The four plaintiffs are the only Wisconsin prisoners getting hormone therapy, which costs from $675 to $1,600 a year.The inmates claim that stopping the treatments would be cruel and unusual punishment and would violate their right to equal protection.The legal fight about the treatment started in 2003, when inmate Scott Konitzer filed a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections seeking gender reassignment surgery.Now known as Donna Dawn Konitzer, she has been getting hormone therapy as treatment for gender identity disorder since 1999.State Rep. Mark Gundrum, a Republican and one of the law's authors, predicted the law would withstand the challenge. “It's ridiculous to ask the taxpayers to pay for this,” he said.

[  signonsandiego.com

February 2006

TURKEY

Dear friends,

our friend esmeray wants to have a sex change. its a long thought essential step for her. she lives in istanbul and because of her sexuell identity there is a lot of discrimination and violence not only from the goverment, but also from a big part of the population. since she has big problems to find a job, its almost impossible for her to get the money for the sex change.

for years esmeray is activ in the womens movement and she is one of the editors of gaci, a trans-zine. there is a doctor who says he makes the operation to a relativly cheap price. friends of esmeray in istanbul started a kampagne to get the money. at this time she needs desperatly 2.000 euro for the operation.

we are trying to find 100 people who are willing to donate 20 euro each.

please circulate the letter. thank you and best wishes

please deposit your donation to:
E. Schönefeldt
Kontonr.: 190500109
BLZ: 100 100 10
Verwendungszweck: Esmeray

any questions?? contact us: [  a.r.a.p@web.de

Liebe FreundInnen,

unsere Freundin Esmeray möchte eine Geschlechtsanpassung machen. Für sie ist das ein lang überlegter notwendiger Schritt. Sie lebt in Istanbul und ist dort aufgrund ihrer sexuellen Identität zahlreichen Diskriminierungen und Gewalt von Seiten des Staates und von großen Teilen der Bevölkerung ausgesetzt. Das beinhaltet auch extreme Schwierigkeiten bei der Arbeitssuche, wodurch es ihr unmöglich ist, die notwendigen finanziellen Mittel für die Geschlechtsanpassung aufzubringen.

Esmeray ist seit Jahren aktiv in der Frauenbewegung und ist Mitherausgeberin des Trans-Zines GACI. Ein Arzt hat sich bereit erklärt, die Operation zu einem stark reduzierten Preis durchzuführen. Ihre Freundinnen in Istanbul führen derzeit eine Kampagne durch, um die Operation zu finanzieren. Sie brauchen unsere Unterstützung. Zur Zeit benötigt Esmerai dringend 2000,- Euro, um die Kosten aufzustocken.

Wir hoffen, daß wir 100 Personen finden, die bereit sind, jeweils 20,- Euro zu spenden.

Bitte reicht diesen Brief auch weiter,

vielen Dank und liebe Grüße,
FreundInnen von Esmeray

Spenden bitte an folgende Bankverbindung:
E. Schönefeldt
Kontonr.: 190500109
BLZ: 100 100 10
Verwendungszweck: Esmeray

[  Informationen über Transsexualität in der Türkei, z.B. bei: www.transray.com

any questions?? contact us: [  a.r.a.p@web.de

[  In der Türkei müssen Transsexuelle meist als Prostituierte arbeiten (junge Welt, 27. Oktober 2005)
   Ein Gespräch mit der Menschenrechtsanwältin Eren Keskin (junge Welt, 27. Oktober 2005)

[  Zur Situation Transsexueller in Europa

February 2006

EUROPE

SEX WORKERS IN EUROPE MANIFESTO

We come from many different countries and many different backgrounds, but we have discovered that we face many of same problems in our work and in our lives. Within this document we explore the current inequalities and injustices within our lives and the sex industry; question their origin; confront and challenge them and put forward our vision of changes that are needed to create a more equitable society in which sex workers, their rights and labour are acknowledged and valued. This manifesto was elaborated and endorsed by 120 sex workers from 26 countries at the European Conference on Sex Work, Human Rights, Labour and Migration 15 - 17 October 2005, Brussels, Belgium.

[  SEX WORKERS IN EUROPE / MANIFESTO / Full Text

Declaration of the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe

This declaration was elaborated and endorsed by 120 sex workers and 80 allies from 30 countries at the European Conference on Sex Work, Human Rights, Labour and Migration 15 - 17 October 2005, Brussels, Belgium

Why do we need a Declaration of the Rights of Sex Workers in Europe?

Different approaches have been adopted across Europe responding to the sex industry and female, male and transgender sex workers – including migrant sex workers – ranging from the acceptance of sex work as labour and the introduction of labour rights for sex workers through to the criminalisation of a wide range of practices associated with sex work, which at times results in the criminalisation of the status of sex worker, sex workers partners or their clients.[...]

[  Full Article / Declaration of Sex Workers in Europe

3. February 2006

POLAND

EU-Resolution zur Homophobie: Polnische Bischöfe warnen vor "Diktatur des Relativismus"

ROM, 3. Februar 2006 (Zenit.org).- Nicht zuletzt aufgrund der feststellbaren "negativen Tendenzen" im Europäischen Parlament haben die polnischen Bischöfe in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung deutlich zur Homophobie-Resolution vom 18. Januar Stellung genommen.

Die in Straßburg mit überwältigender Mehrheit verabschiedete Erklärung gegen die Diskriminierung von Homosexuellen in Europa zeuge, so die Bischöfe, "von der Geringschätzung eines fundamentalen Kriteriums für das angemessene Funktionieren der Europäischen Union, nämlich des Subsidiaritätsprinzips". Außerdem stelle sie einen "Verrat an den grundlegenden Werten unserer Zivilisation" dar und könne als moralisches Druckmittel im Dienst einer "Diktatur des Relativismus" gegen einzelne Mitgliedsstaaten benutzt werden. In diesem Zusammenhang warnen die Bischöfe auch vor einer Einschränkung der Gewissensfreiheit der EU-Bürger.

Unter anderem verurteilen die EU-Parlamentarier in ihrer rechtlich nicht bindenden, aber doch wegweisenden Resolution "konsequent jede Diskriminierung auf der Grundlage der sexuellen Ausrichtung". Diesbezüglich fordern sie die EU-Mitgliedstaaten auf "sicherzustellen, dass Lesben, Schwule, Bisexuelle und Transsexuelle vor Aufhetzung und Gewalt geschützt sind, und zu gewährleisten, dass gleichgeschlechtlichen Partnern derselbe Respekt, dieselbe Achtung und derselbe Schutz zuteil wird wie den übrigen Bürgern der Gesellschaft". In Forderung10 wird die Kommission dazu aufgerufen, Vorschläge vorzulegen, "durch die die Freizügigkeit der Unionsbürger und ihrer Familienangehörigen und eingetragenen Partner, gleich welchen Geschlechts, gewährleistet werden kann, wie in seiner Entschließung vom 14. Oktober 2004 zur Zukunft des Raumes der Freiheit, der Sicherheit und des Rechts bereits angemahnt".

Die polnischen Bischöfe betonen, dass jede Diskriminierung gegen Menschen mit homosexuellen Neigungen "mit Recht" verurteilt werde, kritisieren zugleich aber, dass die Parlamentabgeordneten "mit der Mahnung an die Regierungen der Mitgliedsstaaten, ihre Gesetzgebungen hinsichtlich gleichgeschlechtlicher Paare zu überarbeiten, gegen die Normen des gesellschaftlichen Lebens in Europa" verstoßen.

"Indem sie vom Thema der Diskriminierung von Personen mit homosexuellen Neigungen Gebrauch macht, fördert diese Resolution indirekt die Vorstellung einer gleichen Behandlung von Beziehungen zwischen Mann und Frau und homosexuellen Beziehungen. Auf diese Weise entstellt sie die Wahrheit, die in der Natur des Menschen wurzelt, der als Mann und Frau geschaffen wurde. Somit stellt die verabschiedete Resolution eine ernste Bedrohung für das Ehe- und Familienleben sowie für die gesamte Ordnung des gesellschaftlichen Lebens in Europa dar."Aldo Giordano, Generalsekretär der europäischen Bischofskonferenz, bekräftigte gegenüber "Radio Vatikan", dass die Resolution des Europaparlaments "eine Missbilligung unserer religiösen Werte" sei

[  zenit.org

02. February 2006

POLAND

Polnische Neofaschisten veröffentlichen "Feindes-Liste" im Internet
Aktivisten linker, antifaschistischer und feministischer Organisationen vermerkt

Die polnische Abteilung der internationalen neofaschistischen Organisation "Blood & Honour" hat eine Datenbank ihrer "Feinde" erstellt. Die Liste ist im Internet zugänglich. Auf ihr sind zum Beispiel Aktivisten von Homosexuellen-Organisationen oder Professoren, die sich gegen das Verbot des Toleranzmarsches in Posen aussprachen, zu finden, berichtete am heutigen Donnerstag die "Gazeta Wyborcza".

"Redwatch"

Diese "Redwatch" genannte Aktion wird von der polnischen Abteilung von "Blood & Honour" seit dem 19. Jänner geführt. Ihre Mitglieder sammeln Informationen über Aktivisten linker, antifaschistischer und feministischer Organisationen. Auf der Website werden deren Namen, Fotos, Adressen und sogar Autokennzeichen veröffentlicht. Marcin Kornak von der antifaschistischen Gesellschaft "Nigdy Wiecej" (Nie wieder) ist überzeugt, dass dies alles Schikanen, Einschüchterungen und Überfälle auf die beschriebenen Personen zum Ziel hat.

"Drei mal haben sie mir die Wohnung in Brand gesteckt. Ich wurde mit einem Messer angegriffen."

Szymon N., ein Aktivist der Homosexuellen-Bewegung, will Anzeige erstatten. Auf der Website erschien sein Foto. "Drei mal haben sie mir die Wohnung in Brand gesteckt. Ich wurde mit einem Messer angegriffen. Die Website ruft offensichtlich zum Hass auf. Sollen wir warten, bis jemand umkommt", fragte er im Gespräch mit der Zeitung. Die Gesellschaft "Nie wieder" versucht seit einigen Monaten erfolglos die Website zu löschen. Sie wurde jedoch auf einem US-Server lokalisiert. Die Warschauer Staatsanwaltschaft versprach, dass sie sich an die amerikanische Behörden wenden werde.(APA)

[  derstandard.at

Facist illegally publish personal data of polish activists

The polish facist organization krew i honor(blood and honor) make against law a action called "redwatch" They publish photos, names, adresses, and other personal data of social activists, punks, jurnalists, gay movements activists, univercity teachers, squatters, anarchists and other people that are enough brave to opposite the facist movment in poland or have ideology of freedom and antiauthoritarism. Me and my friends are in serious danger. Data base of activists will cause nazi-shinheads attacks on persons from the list. The anti-facist organization "Nigdy Wie;cej" start activity to remove illegal site from the web but it will take lot of time because site is on foregin server. The longer site exist the more facists have access to database of names and adresses of activist. They are dangerous, they fighting squads are in some cases well trained and determined even to kill their victim. All freedom loving people, please help. there are the adresses of their website:[...]

[  mostlywater.org

February 2006

TURKEY

LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE EVICTION

[  (Read the article below this one, titled "We are getting kicked out" to find out about the initial news

The court case* that our landlady filed against us has ended. The court has decided that we be evicted from our center. Now we have to move out of the apartment within the period that our landlady has given us (until the end of April). But we still can’t find a new place. Homeowners refuse to rent their place to us when they find out that our cultural center is a place that aims to strengthen the solidarity among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenders.

As you know, we have started a petition to protest the discriminatory behavior that LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) individuals and organizations face while looking for a place to rent. Your signatures to the petition (over 1700 till now) have motivated us. We have seen that we are not alone, once more! We feel much more powerful thanks to you. Soon we will organize a press meeting to inform the public about the things we have gone through during this whole process and thus we plan to broaden the sphere of influence of our mission to raise consciousness and sensitivity.

* We cannot file a counter lawsuit because our landlady sued us over the excuse that our lease contract was due, not over homosexuality. The apparent reason of our eviction is the document that the landlady had, (that we think was made fraudulently), that claimed that we agree to evict the apartment on a certain date and the signature on that document was confirmed by the expert in court. However, our landlady had revealed the real reason outside the courtroom many times by saying "I can't let you perform homosexuality in my house, I don't want you here!". Unfortunately, we don't have the financial capacity to appeal to this case and start a new judicial process and take the financial risks it would include. We didn't even have an official paid-for attorney during the case. We have just consulted some lawyers we knew personally.

[  lambdaistanbul.org

31. January 2006

CZECH REPUBLIC

Czech Republic President Probably Will Not Sign Same-Sex Partnership Bill

(Prague) - President Vaclav Klaus will probably not sign a bill on registered partnership of homosexuals passed by the Senate on Thursday, the daily Mlada fronta Dnes writes.Klaus has repeatedly voiced reservations about the legislation giving the right to conclude official partnership unions to the people of the same sex. Klaus told Mlada fronta Dnes on Friday that journalists could speculate about his decision "on the basis of quite clear indirect evidence.""I will speak about the registered partnership bill at the right moment. After I receive it and have the 15-day time to sign it. However, I have sufficiently voiced my views on it in the media," Klaus told the paper.

Klaus presented his disagreement with the legislation last February when it was debated by the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Czech Parliament."I consider the marriage a traditional institution of one type. Let them arrange their relationship in any way. But I am absolutely against mixing this with family and marriage," Klaus said then.If he signs it into law, the Czech Republic will be the first post-communist and 13th European country to embed homosexual partnership.Supporters of the bill say the bill will make homosexual partners' life easier in contact with offices. The opponents say it threatens the maintenance of heterosexual family.

The bill defines the establishment and termination of a partnership union that will be entered in the identity card.The bill ensures the partners' right to information on the health condition of their partners and a chance to inherit property as married couples.The bill also counts with the obligation to pay maintenance and allows the homosexual partners to raise children, but it does not allow them to adopt them.

[  gaywired.com

Prager Senat stimmt Homo-Ehe in Tschechien zu
Deutliches Votum für registrierte Partnerschaften - Haltung von Klaus noch unklar

27.1.2006

Prag - Mit dem Senat hat gestern auch die zweite Parlamentskammer grünes Licht für die Einführung der so genannten "Homo-Ehe" gegeben. Die Entscheidung fiel mit 45 Ja- zu 15 Nein-Stimmen überraschend deutlich aus. Die Christdemokraten votierten geschlossen gegen das Gesetz, zusammen mit einigen ODS-Senatoren. Tschechien wird damit wahrscheinlich das erste postkommunistische Land, das homosexuellen Paaren eingetragene Partnerschaften ermöglicht.Das Gesetz benötigt nur noch die Unterschrift von Präsident Václav Klaus. Dieser hatte sich in der Vergangenheit allerdings eher ablehnend zum Thema "Homo-Ehe" geäußert. Sollte er ein Veto einlegen, müsste das Abgeordnetenhaus das Gesetz mit der absoluten Mehrheit von 101 Stimmen verabschieden.

Diese wäre aber nach Ansicht von politischen Beobachtern angesichts der ablehnenden Haltung der KDU-C(SL und einiger ODS-Parlamentarier vermutlich nicht zu erreichen.Homosexuellen-Verbände begrüßten die Entscheidung des Senats gestern. Sie riefen Klaus gleichzeitig dazu auf, das Gesetz zu unterzeichnen. "Wir hoffen, dass Klaus sich wie ein Präsident aller Bürger verhält und unterschreibt", sagte Martin Strachon von der Gays-und-Lesben-Liga.Laut Meinungsumfragen befürworten 62 Prozent der Tschechen die Einführung einer registrierten Partnerschaft, nur 30 Prozent sind dagegen.Die gestern verabschiedete Regelung stellt gleichgeschlechtliche Paare im Erbschafts- und Unterhaltsrecht Eheleuten gleich. Die Adoption von Kindern bleibt aber untersagt.

[  tschechien-online.org

25. January 2006

AUSTRIA

Paragraf 209 - VfGH: Korrektur der Polizei-Daten reicht nicht aus

Verfassungsrichter geben Beschwerde gegen Datenschutzkommission teilweise Recht - Hatte falsche "Berichtigung" der Datensätze verfügt

Wien - Der Streit um die Löschung von Polizei-Daten im Zusammenhang mit dem 2002 aufgehobenen "Homosexuellen-Paragrafen" erhält neue Nahrung. Nach Ansicht des Verfassungsgerichtshofes muss die von Betroffenen beantragte Löschung noch gespeicherter Dateien nämlich zumindest ordnungsgemäß geprüft werden. Wenn eine Löschung unterbleibt, müssen die Behörden dies ausreichend begründen. Eine bloße Korrektur der noch gespeicherten Daten reicht nach Ansicht der Verfassungsrichter nicht aus.

Anlassfall war die Beschwerde eines Mannes, der im Jahr 2000 auf Grund des "Homosexuellen-Paragrafen" wegen (wie es damals hieß) "gleichgeschlechtlicher Unzucht mit Personen unter 18 Jahren" zu einer bedingten Geldstrafe verurteilt worden war. Nachdem die umstrittene Strafbestimmung im August 2002 vom Verfassungsgerichtshof aufgehoben wurde beantragte der Mann bei der Polizei die Löschung sämtlicher im Zusammenhang mit den Ermittlungen gespeicherter Daten.

Gelöscht

Tatsächlich gelöscht wurden aber nur die Einträge in der "Zentralen Informationssammlung" der Polizei, nicht aber die manuell geführten Aufzeichnungen (ein "Steckzettel" beim Kriminalkommissariat Wien Nord sowie ein Protokoll beim Bezirkskommissariat Donaustadt). Auch eine Beschwerde bei der Datenschutzkommission bliebt erfolglos. Diese verfügte nur die "Ergänzung" der Dateien - allerdings um eine falsche Information: Konkret sollte der Hinweis angefügt werden, "dass die an die Staatsanwaltschaft Wien erstattete Strafanzeige zurückgelegt und kein gerichtliches Strafverfahren gegen den Beschwerdeführer durchgeführt wurde". Der Verfassungsgerichtshof hat diesen Bescheid aus dem September 2003 nun aufgehoben und wirft der Datenschutzkommission vor, "willkürzlich" agiert und damit den Gleichheitsgrundsatz verletzt zu haben. Begründung: Die Datenschutzkommission hätte die Löschung der Daten per "Interessensabwägung" prüfen und die Nicht-Löschung begründen müssen. "Sie hat nicht dargelegt, inwieweit für eine rechtsstaatliche Kontrolle (...) nicht auch eine nicht personenbezogene Aktenevidenz möglich wäre", heißt es in dem Erkenntnis. Kritik

Außerdem kritisieren die Verfassungsrichter die offenbar als "Richtigstellung" gedachte Ergänzung der Datensätze mit der falschen Information, dass eine Anzeige nach Par. 209 gegen den Mann zurückgelegt worden sei. Damit nehme die Datenschutzkommission nämlich in Kauf, "dass für Personen, die von der Verurteilung des Beschwerdeführers wissen, gleichsam prima vista eine zweite Anzeige dokumentiert wird", urteilen die Verfassungsrichter.

Völlig Recht gegeben haben die Verfassungsrichter der Beschwerde gegen die Datenschutzkommission allerdings nicht: Bei der ebenfalls noch in Papierform vorliegende Akten-Kopie zu den polizeilichen Ermittlungen kommt eine Löschung nämlich nicht in Frage. Rein rechtlich handle es sich bei einem Aktenstück nämlich nicht um eine Datei, so die Verfassungsrichter. (APA

[  derstandard.at

19 January 2006

NIGERIA

Nigeria to outlaw same-sex unions

Nigeria's government is planning a specific ban on same-sex marriages, with five years in jail for anyone who has a gay wedding or officiates at one. Information Minister Frank Nweke told the BBC the government was taking the "pre-emptive step" because of developments elsewhere in the world. "In most cultures in Nigeria, same-sex relationships, sodomy and the likes of that, is regarded as abominable." Homosexual sex is already illegal and in the north offenders can be stoned. Justice Minister Bayo Ojo said the law would also ban "any form of protest to press for rights or recognition" by homosexuals, the AFP news agency reports.

'Unnatural and un-African'

Archbishop Peter Akinola, the head of Nigeria's Anglican Church, has been a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage and allowing openly gay men to be priests. President Olusegun Obasanjo has publicly supported the country's Anglican leadership's stance on homosexuality. "Such a tendency is clearly un-Biblical, unnatural and definitely un-African," he told a conference of Nigerian bishops in October 2004. Nigeria - the most populous country in Africa - is divided between the predominantly Muslim north and the largely Christian south. Five

[  news.bbc.co.uk

19. January 2006

Abschiebung „Angst!“

Berliner Innensenator Ehrhart Körting will einen 15-jährigen schwulen Schüler und seine 18-jährige Schwester nach Kamerun abschieben – ohne plausible Begründung

Der 15-jährige Schüler Junior Sone-Engang lebt seit fünf Jahren in Deutschland und hat gerade sein Coming-out bewerkstelligt. Jetzt will Berlins Innensenator Ehrhart Körting (SPD) ihn in sein Herkunftsland Kamerun abschieben. Dort ist Homosexualität illegal. Alle Menschen, denen Junior nahe steht, leben in Deutschland. In Kamerun hat er nur entfernte Verwandte.Junior kam im Jahr 2000 mit seiner Halbschwester Yanga, seiner Mutter und seinem deutschen Stiefvater nach Deutschland. Das binationale Paar, das sich in Kamerun kennen gelernt hatte, wollte mit den Kindern künftig hier leben. Da die Mutter und der Stiefvater der Kinder verheiratet waren, erhielten alle Familienangehörigen ein Aufenthaltsrecht.Doch leider wurde die Mutter straffällig, sie verbüßt zur Zeit eine fünfeinhalbjährige Haftstrafe wegen Drogendelikten. Auch der deutsche Stiefvater war daran beteiligt und befindet sich zur Zeit hinter Gittern. Die Mutter wird vermutlich irgendwann nach Kamerun abgeschoben.

Die Kinder verloren ihren Familienalltag aus heiterem Himmel: Sie hatten keine Ahnung von den kriminellen Tätigkeiten ihrer Mutter und ihres Stiefvaters. Trotzdem ist mit der Verurteilung ihrer Mutter auch ihr Bleiberecht in Deutschland erloschen.Die Härtefallkomission der Senatsverwaltung für Inneres hat dafür plädiert, dass Junior und seine Schwester in Deutschland bleiben dürfen. Doch Innensenator Ehrhart Körting hat entschieden: Junior und Yanga werden abgeschoben. Er ist nicht bereit, diese Entscheidung zu begründen. Eine Interviewanfrage der Siegessäule lehnte er ab.

Theoretisch kann es schon bald soweit sein. Junior und Yanga sollen abgeschoben, obwohl sie in Deutschland voll integriert sind. Sie sind hier aufgewachsen und sprechen perfekt Deutsch. Junior ist an der Moses-Mendelssohn-Oberschule in Moabit Klassensprecher und offizieller „Streitschlichter“. Er singt auf Schulfesten und wirkt in mehreren Theatergruppen mit. Seine Lehrer und Sozialarbeiter sind voll des Lobes für ihn und seine Schwester. Die beiden sind demnach eigenverantwortlich, engagiert, zuverlässig und hilfsbereit wie kaum andere Jugendliche. Mitschüler haben gemeinsam mit den Lehrern und den Pädagogen des Wohnprojektes, in dem Junior und Yanga zur Zeit untergebracht sind, den Kampf für die beiden aufgenommen.Junior und Yanga sind verzweifelt und mit ihren Kräften am Ende. Trotzdem geben sie Interviews und lassen sich filmen und fotografieren, weil es ihre letzte Hoffnung ist. Wer sie trifft, merkt, wie schwer es ihnen fällt, überhaupt über all das zu sprechen. Sie wissen was passiert, aber sie wissen nicht, wie ihnen geschieht. Ein Leben in Kamerun ist für sie unvorstellbar.

Für Junior als jungen Schwulen gilt das erst recht. Er hat bereits von engen Verwandten viel Widerstand und Beleidigungen hinnehmen müssen („So etwas gibt es in unserer Familie nicht“/ „Wenn du schwul bist schicken wir dich zurück nach Kamerun“). Zunächst hat er sich deswegen verleugnet. Dann wollte er nicht mehr. Jetzt steht er zu seinem Schwulsein.Als er noch in Kamerun lebte, spürte er schon, dass er anders war als andere Jungs. Aber dass man auch Jungs lieben kann und dass es dafür sogar ein Wort gibt – das lernte er erst in Deutschland. Befragt nach dem Gefühl angesichts der anstehenden Abschiebung antwortet Junior mit nur einem Wort: „Angst!“Die bittere Pointe des Innensenators: Zwei Tage vor Weihnachten ließ er Junior und Yanga seine Ablehnung mitteilen. Es war der Tag, an dem Junior das erste Mal eine schwule Jugendgruppe aufsuchen wollte.

Aufruf: Junior und Yanga müssen bleiben!

Sehr geehrter Herr Körting,

wir fordern Sie hiermit auf, den Empfehlungen der Härtefallkomission zu folgen und den 15-jährigen Schüler Junior Sone-Engang und seine 18-jährige Schwester Yanga Ayuk nicht nach Kamerun abzuschieben. Die beiden müssen dauerhaft in Deutschland bleiben dürfen!

Junior hat Ende letzten Jahres sein Coming-out als Schwuler gehabt. Das ist für fast jeden 15-Jährigen ein sehr schwieriger Schritt, der das ganze Leben auf den Kopf stellt. Junior ist glücklich, es geschafft zu haben. In Kamerun, wo Homosexualität illegal ist, hat er keine Aussichten auf ein glückliches Leben als schwuler Mann. Vielmehr wäre er durch drohende Gefängnisstrafen und homophobe Gewalt massiv in Gefahr.Junior und Yanga genießen bei ihren Lehrern, Sozialarbeitern und Mitschülern große Sympathie und Anerkennung. Sie stehen nicht im Geringsten im Verdacht, mit den Drogendelikten ihrer Mutter irgendetwas zu tun zu haben. Ganz im Gegenteil: Beide sind ein Musterbeispiel für gelungene Integration. Die Heimat dieser legal eingewanderten Jugendlichen ist längst Berlin!

Herr Körting, bitte nehmen Sie Ihre politische und menschliche Verantwortung für Junior und Yanga ernst! Durch eine Abschiebung bringen sie unschuldige junge Menschen in große Gefahr und nehmen ihnen alles, was sie sich aufgebaut haben. Schon heute stehen die beiden unter einem psychischen Druck, dem sie dauerhaft nicht standhalten können.

Wir sind nicht bereit, die Abschiebung hinzunehmen. Sollte sie dennoch erfolgen werden wir dafür sorgen, dass der Fall auch im Berliner Wahlkampf 2006 zur Sprache kommen wird.

Erstunterzeichner:

Holger Wicht (Journalist, Berlin)
Peter Rehberg (Journalist, Berlin)
Paul Schulz (Journalist, Berlin)
Heike Markus (Journalistin, Berlin)

Weitere Unterzeichner:

Günter und Wolfgang Keller, Würzburg (wuerzburg.gay-web.de)
Rüdiger Keller und Franklin Wood, Aschaffenburg (aschaffenburg.gay-web.de)
Toleranz Fabrik e.V., Würzburg
Stefan Reck, Berlin (Vorstand gay-web e.V.)

[  gay-web.de

18. January 2006

EUROPE

Europe Passes Resolution Denouncing Homophobia

(Strasbourg, France) The European Parliament passed a joint resolution on Wednesday condemning homophobia.The measure passed on a 469 - 149 vote with 41 abstentions. It calls on the European Commission to take a more proactive roll in fighting anti-LGBT moves in several EU states.

The resolution says the Commission should begin proceedings against those countries that fail to implement the directive on equal treatment in employment and occupation, and it says the Commission should consider the use of criminal penalties in cases of violation.The Commission is also asked to put forward proposals that would guarantee the rights of same-sex couples and their children.

One of the main complaints of LGBT rights groups throughout Europe is that registered same-sex couples from member states where same-sex marriages or civil partnerships are legal loose all their rights if they move to another EU country where gay and lesbian relationships are not recognized.During debate on the resolution supporters of the measure accused several former communist countries, now EU members, of rampant homophobia.

Poland and Latvia came under the harshest criticism.

Latvia recently revised its constitution to become the first European country to ban same-sex marriage. (story) In July the capital city of Riga banned gay pride observances following criticism of the event by Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis. (story)Pride organizers went to court and won a restraining order against the city, allowing the parade to go ahead. (story) Hundreds of demonstrators lined the parade route and hurled rotten eggs and insults at the marchers. Several of the demonstrators got into scuffles with police and were dragged away.

Polish gays and lesbians demonstrated in several cities in November demanding that the government abide by European civil rights laws.The marchers denounced the mass arrest of gays in the city of Poznan,(story) where riot police detailed 65 gays and lesbians who refused to disband when they attempted to hold a gay pride march."If we do nothing, we are complicit to the crimes of violence we can see happening in many EU member states," said Michael Cashman during the debate. Cashman is a British Labor Member of the EU Parliament and openly gay.

But, Polish MEP Konrad Szymanski dismissed the issue, telling Parliament that it was a "waste of time" and suggested that MEPs should not be "hysterical" about the situation of homosexuals in the EU."Member states have their legal instruments to protect the rights of their citizens, and there is no need to organize some sort of union to protect homosexuals, as it would - quite on the contrary - undermine European integration,"

In October the European Commission warned Poland that if it continues to oppose gay rights the country risks losing its voting rights in the EU.(story)

[  365gay.com

18. January 2006

SOUTH AFRICA

gay marriage ruling debasing, says church
Source: SABC News

February 1, 2006: The Catholic Bishops Conference of Southern Africa (CBCSA) says while the Constitutional Court's judgment on marriage could be true to the Constitution, it flouts the traditional customs, religious beliefs and moral sensitivity of the majority of people.

According to the Church, marriage is the exclusive, permanent union of one man with one woman. It is a union that should be open to the procreation, nurturing and education of children. It is on this ground that the Church opposes same sex unions. Last year, the court instructed Parliament to change the civil definition of marriage to exclude gender.The Catholic Church says the judgment brings parliament and the Constitution into disrepute, debasing their credibility. ''What disturbs us most of all is that by calling for parliament to change the definition of marriage, the constitutional court is throwing confusion in people's minds as to what it is to be married," says Wilfrid Napier, a cardinal.

Napier says the church has encouraged all its members to vote in the upcoming elections. He has, however, expressed concern over selfishness and corruption, which he says have led to the collapse of service delivery in a number of regions. Napier says some candidates for the elections are not suitable examples of responsible citizenship.The CBCSA also spoke against trafficking in women and children.

[  mask.org.za

Same-sex marriage approved in South Africa

afrol News, 1 December05 - South Africa's Constitutional Court today ruled that same-sex marriages are allowed and gave the Pretoria government 12 months to adjust its marriage legislation to the ruling and the constitutional rights given gays and lesbians. A spokesperson of South Africa's Department of Home Affairs today said government would accept the ruling and take necessary legal steps.

South Africa today became the first African nation to legally parallel heterosexual and homosexual relations. The country's highest court ruled that South Africa's constitution - which explicitly prohibits discrimination of sexual and other minorities - prescribed an equal treatment of same-sex couples. The national marriage legislation needed to be changed to avoid further discrimination, the Constitutional Court ordered.

Judge Albie Sachs gave the Pretoria government 12 months to change the national Marriage Act. According to the judgement, the reformed act should also include the words "or spouse" after the words wife or husband. If the South African parliament failed to change the act within 12 months, this wording would automatically apply, Judge Sachs ruled.The final ruling in the same-sex marriage case had been awaited with great anxiety among South African homosexuals, many of whom were present in the Johannesburg court. While the audience managed to keep silence during Mr Sach's reading of the sentence, scenes of joy and relief were observed as the crowd left the courtroom. Many gay and lesbian couples are only too eager to give each other an ever-lasting "yes".

Also present in the courtroom were six of South Africa's leading groups defending gay and lesbian rights, including OUT and Behind the Mask. A spokesperson of the six groups said they urged parliament to "rectify" the Marriage Act as soon as possible. The groups deplored that lesbian and gay people "cannot marry with immediate effect." As the ruling had pointed to an unconstitutional act, parliament was challenged "to enact changes to marriage legislation, as speedily as possible, to ensure full equality in status, benefit and protection for same sex relationships. Anything less than this will remain unequal."Today's court judgement saying the Marriage Act was unconstitutional was unanimous, thus giving a clear signal that the Constitution's provisions against discrimination against minorities was to be taken seriously. The Court only was divided on how and when the Act was to be rectified. A minority had called for an immediate and automatic change to the Act, including the word "spouse". The majority however wanted to give government 12 months to act on its own.

Spokesman Joel Netshitenze of South Africa's Department of Home Affairs, this afternoon told the press that government indeed planned to follow up on the Court's judgement. His Ministry was now to "assess what practical steps will be needed to give effect to the change in the law," Mr Netshitenze said. Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula then would present necessary changes to parliament.The case of same-sex marriages came up to the Constitutional Court after the lesbian couple Marie Fourie and Cecilia Bonthuys had been denied registering their marriage with the Home Department. The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that the two women must be allowed to marry according to South Africa's Constitution, but the Ministry appealed to the Constitutional Court one year ago, holding that only Parliament should be allowed to amend legislation, not the country's courts.

Today's judgement totally sidelines same-sex marriages in South Africa with a marriage between man and woman. This also includes the right to adopt children for gay and lesbian couples. The only restriction recognised by the Court was that marriage officers were allowed to refuse to marry homosexual couples if it was against their conscience, thus indirectly letting church societies decide on their own whether they wanted to bless same-sex couples.South Africa becomes the first African nation endorsing gay and lesbian marriages at a time when many other African states - notably in East and Southern Africa - are enacting laws prohibiting same-sex unions. So far, only Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and some few US states give equal marriage rights to same sex couples, while a great number of European countries recognise homosexual unions almost sidelined with marriage.

South Africa is further the only country in the world where the Constitution specifically prohibits discrimination against sexual minorities. An organised opposition to same-sex marriages in South Africa is very weak, and mainly composed of conservative minority church groups. South Africans at large, however, are sceptical to homosexuality, recent surveys have shown.

[  afrol.com

13. January 2006

NEPAL

human rights watch hat sich nepalesischen gruppen angeschlossen und in einem offenen brief die angriffe auf metis ( bei der geburt als mann klassifiziert die als frauen leben), schwule und lesben durch das militär und die polizei verurteilt. anlass war der am 3. januar erfolgte angriff auf eine gruppe metis in kathmandu, die von 4 polizisten mit den worten "metis- tötet sie!" verprügelt wurden.

NEPAL Accused Of 'Sexual Cleansing'

(New York City) An international human rights organization has joined local LGBT activists in accusing the government of Nepal of trying to wipe out gays and transsexuals. In a harshly worded letter to the Home Ministry, Human Rights Watch calls on the government " to intervene to ensure that allegations of police abuse are fully investigated."

"Human Rights Watch is gravely concerned by a continuing pattern of arbitrary arrest and police violence against metis (men by birth who identify as women, and might in different cultural circumstances be called transgender people), men who have sex with men, and activists for sexual rights in Kathmandu," the letter signed by Scott Long, the director of HRW's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program. The latest reported incident occurred on January 3 when four police officers reportedly spotted a group of metis on the street in Katmandu.and shouted, "Metis! Kill them!" One woman was beaten with a baton. A police officer pulled his gun and pointed it at her, threatening that "These [transsexuals] pollute the society and must be cleaned out". The two other metis also were beaten severely.

Last month, in another incident, soldiers were accused of threatening metis and lesbians in the capital. The women are all members of a support group organized by Nepal's LGBT rights organization Blue Diamond Society. The women have been running a small grocery store in an affluent area of the city, not far from the home of the Prime Minister and other government leaders. Most of the women have been disowned by their families once it became known they are lesbians. Because of their sexuality many businesses refuse to hire them. The women say the tiny store is their only means of support.

They say that men claiming to be soldiers of the Royal Nepalese Army routinely harass and threaten them. The men identify themselves as "RNA soldiers stationed at the Baluwatar base". In 2004 police in Kathmandu rushed a peaceful demonstration of gays seeking equal rights beating the protestors and dispersing the crowd. The demonstration, in front of the Himalayan nation's Parliament, the Singha Durbar, had been organized by the Blue Diamond Society. The protestors had gathered to submit a petition to the Prime Minister calling for an end to laws against gay sex and for civil rights.

Last April, police in Kathmandu attacked a group of transgender people. Human Rights Watch detailed the all of the allegations in its letter and called for swift action. It calls on the government to release any sexual minorities being held in jail, that persons found responsible for abuse are punished, and that police and other criminal-justice officials "are trained in respect for all people's human rights, including the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people." The government has refused to comment.

[  365gay.com

Nepal: Police on ‘Sexual Cleansing’ Drive
Transgender People Routinely Subjected to Physical and Sexual Abuse

(New York, January 13, 2005) – A string of police attacks on transgender people reflects the vulnerability of Nepalis in a climate of violence where civil liberties remain restricted, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter.” to Nepalese authorities. “Police in Kathmandu are violently attacking and even sexually abusing transgender people to clear the streets of people they deem immoral,” said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. “Nepali human rights groups are calling this crackdown ‘sexual cleansing.’ This amoral campaign has to stop.”

In the latest reported incident, on January 3 at about 10 p.m., three metis were walking in the Thamel district of Kathmandu. A local slang term for transgender people, a meti is a man by birth who identifies as a woman. Four uniformed police from Durbar Marg police station reportedly saw them and shouted, “Metis! Kill them!”

One meti was beaten with a baton on her back; one policeman pulled his gun and pointed it at her, threatening that “These hijras pollute the society and must be cleaned out” (“Hijra” is a common term for a transgender person). The two other metis were also beaten severely. All three reportedly have bruises on various parts of their bodies.

The Blue Diamond Society, a Nepalese nongovernmental organization defending sexual rights and sexual health, has documented numerous such incidents. On December 31 at about 11 p.m., also in Kathmandu’s Thamel district, a meti was detained by police from Shore Khutte police station. One policeman beat her with a bamboo baton, calling her derogatory names. She escaped, but her right hand is reportedly swollen and badly bruised.

On December 28 at about 1:30 a.m., a meti called Sahiba was arrested in the Thamel district. She was taken to the Shore Khutte police station. There police verbally abused her and commanded her to strip. When she refused, they stripped her forcibly of her clothes and checked her genitals while mocking her. They threatened to cut her hair off as punishment for wearing women’s clothes. She was released the next day.

In yet another incident, early on the morning of December 7, police from the Shore Khutte station raided a hotel in the Thamel district of Kathmandu. The raid was reportedly in retaliation against the hotel for refusing to provide a room free of charge for four policemen to have sexual relations with two metis. During the raid, 11 metis were arrested. Eight were held without charge for five days, then released; the other three were held for an addition day.

“The police are using brutal harassment and detention without charge to clear transgender people off the streets,” Long said. “These attacks reflect a law enforcement system that is unchecked and operating outside the law.”

The Blue Diamond Society’s very existence has been under attack since 2004 by a lawsuit before Nepal’s Supreme Court which would ban it on the grounds that it is “advocating homosexual rights.” Such an action would violate basic freedoms of expression and association. Hearings before the Supreme Court have been deferred six times, most recently on November 11, 2005.

Civil society organizations in Nepal have faced mounting harassment and restrictions since last February when King Gyanendra dismissed the government, assumed direct power and suspended many civil liberties in the country.

[  hrw.org

[  Letter to Nepal's Minister of Justice and Minister of Home Affairs on Abuse of Transgender People
12. January 2005

9. January 2006

USA

ein kino in salt lake city hat den angekündigten film "brokeback mountain" abgesetzt. ( es gibt bereits eine kampagne in mehreren bundesländern gegen den film und die wird jetzt nach den preisen die der film bisher gewann, stärker werden. dies ist die einschätzung einiger us gruppen z.b. act up. )

Utah cinema pulls gay cowboy film

A cinema in Utah has pulled a scheduled screening of gay Western movie Brokeback Mountain at the last minute. The Jordan Commons Megaplex in Salt Lake City is owned by Larry Miller, a prominent member of the Mormon church, which is against homosexuality. Distributor Focus Features said the cinema "reneged on their licensing agreement" hours before it was to open. Mike Thompson of gay rights group Equality Utah said it was disappointing people were barred from seeing it. Long-standing romance

"It's just a shame that such a beautiful and award-winning film with so much buzz about it is not being made available to a broad Utah audience because of personal bias," he told the Salt Lake Tribune. The manager of the cinema declined to comment on the cancellation of the screening. The adult-rated film focuses on the enduring romantic relationship between two cowboys, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. It has already gained a string of award nominations and is highly tipped as an Oscar contender. Gayle Ruzicka, president of the conservative Utah Eagle Forum, was in favour of the film being cancelled. "I just think (pulling the show) tells the young people especially that maybe there is something wrong with this show," she said.

[  bbc.co.uk

[  brokebackmountainmovie.com

7. January 2006

USA

ein schwuler soldat, der von einem anderen soldaten geschlagen wurde, wurde wegen seiner sexuellen orientierung aus der armee entlassen. der soldat der ihn angegriffen hat, wurde dizipliniert, bleibt aber in der armee.

Gay soldier discharged; attacker stays

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- The U.S. Army Thursday honorably discharged a gay soldier who was punched by another soldier because of his sexual orientation.The soldier who attacked 19-year old Pvt. Kyle Lawson remains on active duty. A Fort Huachuca, Ariz., spokeswoman would not say what punishment Pvt. Zacharias Pierre received by the military, but confirmed it fell short of court martial.

Sierra Vista police arrested Pierre in November on a felony charge of aggravated assault after he admitted to punching Lawson in the face at a party off base on Oct. 29. He broke Lawson`s nose.Cochise County prosecutors fulfilled the Army`s request to drop the charges against Pierre, saying they would handle the matter internally.'The command took appropriate action based on their review of all the circumstances surrounding the incident and the soldiers involved. The punishment was less than court-martial,' said Tanja Linton, a Fort Huachuca spokeswoman, in a prepared statement.

The Army does not comment on punishments that fall short of court martials, which are part of public record. The punishment could range from verbal and written counseling, general officer written reprimands, administrative separation actions to non-judicial punishment like loss of pay and fines.Lawson told police he asked Pierre about his girlfriend. Pierre told him to 'get the f*** away,' and then called him 'f***** queer.' Then he hit him, according to the police report.

Pierre said Lawson made 'unwanted comments' which he considered 'of a homosexual nature.' He also thought Lawson was going 'to touch his groin area' so he punched him as a 'reflex.'Pierre told police at no time did he feel he was in danger of physical harm from Lawson, 'he just did not like the sexual innuendo.''Pierre did not deny he struck Lawson but he did so after provoking actions by Lawson,' said the Army in a statement. 'Numerous witness statements, made to the Sierra Vista police, support Pierre`s account.'

However, according to the police report, only one witness echoed Pierre`s claims Lawson had made sexual remarks, but that witness did not see the assault. Another witness -- who came to Lawson`s aid when he struck the floor -- said she did not want to be a witness 'because Pierre and his friends are dangerous.'In November, Lawson told Army officials he had been threatened with a knife at his throat by a different soldier because he was gay. Concerned for his safety, the unit moved Lawson moved to a cot near the drill sergeant`s office.Servicemembers Legal Defense Network spokesman Steve Ralls said the unit`s move to protect Lawson undermines Army claims he provoked Pierre`s assault.

'To now say that Pvt. Lawson provoked an attack, rather than admit that they too feared for his safety at the time, is outrageous, unacceptable and beyond the pale,' said Servicemembers Legal Defense Netwok spokesman Steve Ralls.Lawson had admitted to his drill sergeant in October that he was gay but told him he had no intentions of engaging in homosexual behavior. The drill sergeant allowed him to continue his service. Under the 'don`t ask, don`t tell, don`t harass' policy, gays are allowed to serve in the military as long as they do not declare or act on their orientation.

On Dec. 1, Lawson made a sworn statement verifying his sexual preferenceand his intention to engage in homosexual activity in the future. The Army initiated his discharge.'This statement was made by Pvt. Lawson after the assault by Pvt. Pierre and as a last resort. Lawson had his nose broken, his throat threatened with a knife, and his command`s only response was to place him on a cot in the drill sergeant`s office,' said Ralls. 'He was faced with a choice between his own safety and his career. He chose his safety.'As a result of the incident, the Army said it 'took appropriate measures to ensure that the soldiers involved did not harbor prejudicial beliefs which remain inconsistent with Army values and policy.' Lawson`s company received reinforcement training on Army values, which includes respect.In December, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) wrote to Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker about the incident.

'I am struck by the cruel irony of your allowing a young man who appears to be guilty of nothing to be first assaulted and then driven out,' Frank said in his letter.Frank is openly homosexual.'The Army should retain patriotic soldiers like Private Lawson and discharge those who viciously beat their colleagues out of sheer prejudice, like Private Pierre,' said C. Dixon Osburn, executive director SLDN.

[  monstersandcritics.com

6. January 2006

JAMAICA

am 28. dezember starb in kingston ein mann , der von einem "homophoben mob" durch die straßen gejagt wurde, weil sie annahmen er sei schwul. aus angst sprang der mann ins wasser, wo er , weil er nicht schwimmen konnte, ertrank.

TRAGIC End to Attempted Gay-Bash Attack in Kingston

A young Jamaican man has died, allegedly after being hounded through the streets of Kingston by a homophobic mob who believed he was gay.Nokia Cowen was chased into Kingston harbour. To escape his attackers, he jumped into the water. Unable to swim, he drowned.This latest tragic news comes from the Jamaican gay rights movement, J-FLAG (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays). It is calling on the police to investigate Cowen’s death and for the government of Jamaica to speak out against homophobic violence (see JFLAG’s statement below).

Nokia’s death follows the murder of Jamaican gay AIDS activist, Steve Harvey, in November.“J-FLAG calls on the police to investigate the death of Nokia Cowen in downtown Kingston on 28 December 2005,” the group said in a statement today..“Information reaching J-FLAG suggest that he was chased by an angry mob because of a perception that he was gay. In an attempt to flee this mob, the young man jumped into the Kingston harbor and perished because he could not swim.“J-FLAG condemns the prevalence of incidents such as this and calls on the police to fully investigate the matter. Most importantly, we implore the highest members of government to clearly indicate that violence based on sexual orientation, both perceived and actual, is unacceptable in Jamaica.”

Speaking in London, Peter Tatchell of the British gay human rights group Outrage!, reiterates its call for tougher action by the Jamaican government and police against hate crimes.“We send our condolences to Nokia’s family and friends, and extend our solidarity to the heroes and heroines of J-FLAG who are campaigning for gay human rights in conditions of great danger and adversity,” said Mr. Tatchell.

Outrage! is calling for:

- Comprehensive hate crimes laws to protect all Jamaicans, including women, LGBTs and people with HIV

- Stronger enforcement of the existing laws against incitement to violence and murder, including incitements to assault and kill LGBTs

- A ban on incitement to hatred against all vulnerable social groups, including women, the disabled, religious minorities, LGBTs and people with HIV

- Police training in human rights issues, including challenging sexism and homophobia, and action to ensure police awareness of, and sensitivity to, women's, LGBT and HIV issues

[  ukgaynews.org.uk

06 January 2006

NAMIBIA

Namibia Law Banning Male-to-Male Sex Is Hindering Condom Distribution, HIV Prevention in Prisons, Advocates Say

A 30-year-old law in Namibia banning male-to-male sex is preventing condom distribution in the country's prisons and hindering HIV prevention efforts, according to HIV/AIDS advocates, South Africa's Mail & Guardian reports http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=260457&area=/insight/insight__africa/ According to government officials, condom distribution would promote sex between men, which is outlawed under the 1977 Criminal Procedures Act. Ignatius Mainga, a spokesperson for the country's Ministry of Safety and Security's prison services, said, "By giving (prisoners) a condom, you are telling them to go ahead and do it." Mainga added that the "majority" of cases involving men who have sex with men in prison are consensual and that inmates do not want condoms because they do not "want to be seen as having sex with other men." However, Michaela Hubscle, former deputy minister at the now-closed Ministry of Prisons and Correctional Services, said instances of rape still occur between men in prison and condoms are needed to protect inmates. "We are sitting on a time bomb. The prevalence rate will increase if we do not protect those who enter prison (HIV-)negative and those who are positive from reinfection," Hubscle said (Tibinyane, Mail & Guardian, 1/4).

[  kaisernetwork.org

Namibia: Keine Kondome im Gefängnis

Windhuk (queer.de) - Im südwestafrikanischen Namibia werden keine Kondome verteilt, damit Homosexualität nicht befördert wird, berichtet die Nachrichtenagentur IPS. "Würden wir Kondome verteilen, wäre das so gut wie eine Aufforderung zur Fortführung homosexueller Kontakte", so Ignatius Mainga vom namibischen Ministerium für Sicherheit. In Namibia ist nach Angaben der Vereinten Nationen mehr als jeder Fünfte mit dem HI-Virus infiziert (über 21 Prozent). Mainga glaubt jedoch, dass viele Gefangene die Kondomausgabe beleidigen würde, da die meisten glücklich verheiratet seien. Ex-Staatspräsident Sam Nujoma hat sich wiederholt gegen Homosexualität ausgesprochen und als "widernatürlich" und "gegen Gottes Willen" bezeichnet. Namibia hat erst vor rund 16 Jahren seine Unabhängigkeit erlangt. Davor war es bis 1918 eine deutsche Kolonie und stand danach bis 1990 unter südafrikanischer Verwaltung. (dk)

[  queer.de

4. January 2006

IRAN

ein artikel über die repression gegen homosexuelle im iran, die unter ahmadinejad noch extremer wurde. u.a. berichtet ein junger mann, der in die türkei geflohen ist, über die folter und öffentliche prügel die er erleiden musste. die persian gay and lesbian organisation ( pglo ) appeliert an organisationen in anderen ländern ihnen zu helfen. die adresse ist am ende des artikels.

Iran's Anti-Gay Pogrom
American gay rights groups are ignoring systematic persecution in the Islamic Republic

The Islamic Republic of Iran--under the new government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad--is engaged in a major anti-homosexual pogrom targeting gays and gay sex. This campaign includes Internet entrapment, blackmail to force arrested gays to inform on others, torture and executions of those found guilty of engaging in "homosexual acts."

Homosexual acts have been considered a capital crime in Iran since the 1979 revolution that brought the Ayatollah Khomeini to power. Iranians found guilty of gay lovemaking are given a choice of four death styles: being hanged, stoned, halved by a sword or dropped from the highest perch. According to Article 152 of Iran's penal law, if two men not related by blood are found naked under one cover without good reason, both will be punished at a judge's discretion.

Iran's crackdown on gays drew worldwide protests (except in the United States) after the hanging for "homosexual acts" of two teenagers--one 18, the other believed to be 16 or 17--on July 19 in the city of Mashad. Charges against the two teens included the alleged rape of another youth. But three independent gay sources inside Mashad told Afdhere Jama, editor of Huriyah (an Internet zine for gay Muslims), that the teens were well known in the city's underground gay community as lovers who lived together, and that the rape charge was fabricated. The editors of an underground Persian-language zine in Iran (who requested anonymity out of fear) also confirm that their own Mashad sources said that the rape charge was trumped up--a view now generally accepted. In any case, the hangings were illegal under international law because Iran is a signatory to two treaties that forbid executing minors. Since then, there have been reports of at least a dozen more gay victims who have been executed.

"Under Islamic law, which has been adopted by Iran's legal system, it takes four witnesses to prove an act of homosexuality, which is a capital crime. That's why it's much easier for the Islamic government to invent other criminal charges against gay people to get rid of them," Jama told me. The Iranian gay zine's editors said the same, urging Westerners to be "very careful" before accepting such criminal charges at face value, as they are "most likely false."

Amir is a 22-year-old gay Iranian who was arrested by Iran's religious morality police as part of a massive Internet entrapment campaign targeting gays. He escaped from Iran in August, and is now in Turkey seeking asylum in a gay-friendly country. Through a Persian translator, Amir gave me a terrifying, firsthand account of the anti-gay crackdown.

Amir's first arrest for being gay came when police raided a private party. "The judge told me, 'If we send you to a physician who vouches that your rectum has been penetrated in any way, you will be sentenced to death'," says Amir. He was fined and released for lack of proof that a sexual act had taken place. Later, an unrepentant Amir set up a meeting with a man he met through a Yahoo gay chat room. When his date turned out to be a member of the sex police, Amir was arrested and taken to Intelligence Ministry headquarters, "a very scary place," he says. "There I denied that I was gay--but they showed me a printout from the chat room of my messages and my pictures."

Then, says Amir, the torture began. "There was a metal chair in the middle of the room--they put a gas flame under the chair and made me sit on it as the metal seat got hotter and hotter. They threatened to send me to an army barracks where all the soldiers were going to rape me. The leader told one of the other officers to take [a soft drink] bottle and shove it up my ass, screaming, 'This will teach you not to want any more cock!' I was so afraid of sitting in that metal chair as it got hotter and hotter that I confessed. Then they brought out my file and told me that I was a 'famous faggot' in Shiraz. They beat me up so badly that I passed out and was thrown, unconscious, into a holding cell.

"When I came to, I saw there were several dozen other gay guys in the cell with me. One of them told me that after they had taken him in, they beat him and forced him to set up dates with people through chat rooms--and each one of those people had been arrested; those were the other people in that cell with me." Eventually tried, Amir was sentenced to 100 lashes. "I passed out before the 100 lashes were over. When I woke up, my arms and legs were so numb that I fell over when they picked me up from the platform on which I'd been lashed. They had told me that if I screamed, they would beat me even harder--so I was biting my arms so hard, to keep from screaming, that I left deep teeth wounds in my own arms."

After this entrapment and public flogging, Amir's life became unbearable. He was rousted regularly at his home by the basiji (a para-police made up of thugs recruited from the criminal classes and the lumpen unemployed) and by agents of the Office for Promotion of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice, which represses "moral deviance"--things like boys and girls walking around holding hands, women not wearing proper Islamic dress and prostitution. Says Amir, "In one of these arrests, Colonel Javanmardi told me that if they catch me again that I would be put to death, 'just like the boys in Mashad.' He said it just like that, very simply, very explicitly. He didn't mince words. We all know that the boys who were hanged in Mashad were gay--the rape charges against them were trumped up, just like the charges of theft and kidnapping against them. When you get arrested, you are forced by beatings, torture and threats to confess to crimes you didn't commit. It happens all the time, and has to friends of mine."

Amir's experience is typical--as is the lack of concern evidenced by U.S. LGBT oganizations. Both of the principal U.S. gay rights organizations--Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force--have failed to incorporate international solidarity with persecuted gays into their fundraising-driven agendas, and neither have mobilized public protests against Iran's anti-gay pogrom. Their European counterparts, in contrast, organized multiple demonstrations at Iranian embassies across the Continent. The Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization (PGLO) is the principal group for Iranian gays, claiming 29,000 on its e-mail list. The PGLO--which publishes a monthly Internet magazine in Persian, hosts radio netcasts into Iran, and has secretariats in Turkey and Norway--has appealed to Western gays to mobilize international protests against the inhumane tragedy that has befallen Iranian same-sexers. To find out how to help, visit [  pglo.org.

[  inthesetimes.com