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Argentina Adopts Landmark Legislation in Recognition of Gender Identity
June 8, 2012| Contributed by IGLHRC
Human rights advocates worldwide are celebrating the passage of the most progressive gender identity law in history in Argentina on May 9, 2012. The law gives self-identified transgender people access to critical services without the need for medical intervention and provides for specific human rights protections. Argentina’s Senate passed the law on May 9th with 55 votes in favor, one abstention and no votes against.
Argentina ha aprobado la legislación de Identidad de Género más progresista de la existencia
May 25, 2012| Contributed by Alejandro Nasif Salum, Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales, Federación Argentina LGBT
En la noche del miércoles 9 de mayo el Congreso de la Nación Argentina sancionó la Ley de Identidad de Género y Atención Integral de la Salud para Personas Trans. Si bien es la primera vez que el Congreso reconoce los derechos de personas trans, la norma es probablemente la más avanzada del mundo en este sentido.
A partir de ahora, cualquier persona, sólo con la manifestación de su voluntad mediante una declaración jurada, podrá pedir en el registro civil la modificación de su sexo y nombre de pila en su documento de identidad y en su partida de nacimiento. A diferencia de lo que sucede en otros países, no necesitará de la intervención de ningún juez, ni de un diagnóstico médico, ni de testigos, ni tendrá que esperar un cierto plazo antes de que le concedan el cambio de documentación.
Argentina Has Passed the Most Progressive Gender Identity Legislation in Existence
May 13, 2012| Contributed by Alejandro Nasif Salum, Secretario de Relaciones Internacionales, Federación Argentina LGBT
On the night of Wednesday, May 9th Congress of Argentina enacted the Gender Identity and Health Comprehensive Care for Trans People Act. It is the first time that the Argentinean Congress fully recognizes the rights of trans people, and the rule is probably the most advanced in the world in this regard.
From now on, anyone, just by manifesting his or her will through an affidavit, may request in the Civil Registry the change of sex and name in his or her identity card and birth certificate. Unlike what happens in other countries, he or she will not need the intervention of any judge, or a medical diagnosis, or witnesses, or have to wait a certain period before being granted the change of documentation.
Moreover, both the public health system and private must ensure comprehensive health care for trans people, and will have to cover hormone treatments, sex reassignment surgery or any other treatment they need. There is no need of judicial intervention or diagnosis of "gender dysphoria" or a "gender identity disorder." In this sense we could say that the Argentine State depathologized trans identities.
Julie Dorf, OutRight Action International Founder, Analyzes the Global Impact of Obama's Support for Gay Marriage
May 13, 2012| Contributed by Julie Dorf, Founder and Former Executive Director, OutRight Action International
As an LGBT rights advocate, I have experienced so many proud moments with our president. Our community in the United States can count a number of major achievements during President Obama’s tenure: an inclusive hate crimes law; the repeal of the US military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy; and the hugely important decision that the attorney general will longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court. So when the rumors started buzzing Wednesday morning that Obama was about to announce his support for marriage equality, it was yet another exciting moment of tangible progress in our country and by our president. When I watched the ABC interview, I was most struck by the weight he gave to his conversations around the dinner table with his daughters, who themselves have friends with lesbian and gay parents. Obama acknowledged that his daughters’ perspectives have helped him evolve: “It wouldn’t even dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently.”
LGBT Report From The Peoples’ Forum In Phnom Penh, Cambodia
April 30, 2012| Contributed by Ging Cristobal, Project Coordinator for Asia, IGLHRC
The Ninth Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Civil Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples’ Forum, (ACSC/APF), was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia at the close of March. ASEANis an intergovernmental network formed to establish economic, socio-cultural, and political cooperation as well as regional peace amongst members. The ten member states include: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The forum, which provides civil society activists a space to engage with their respective governments, included lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) issues for the second time this year. Ging Cristobal, Asia Project Coordinator for IGLHRC attended the forum for the second time around and shares about the experience.
The Struggle Continues for LGBTIQ Rights in the ASEAN Peoples’ Forum
For LGBTIQ activists the ninth convening of the Forum was an uphill climb compared to their first engagement last year. Fewer civil society organizations and individuals participated this year, as many were protesting the process of the Cambodia organizing committee. They claimed the Cambodian committee failed to be transparent in the organizing process and did not adequately consult with the regional committee. Allegedly, this affected not only how local organizers ran the convening but also hindered civil society groups and non-governmental organizations in other ASEAN countries from seeking funds to participate in the event.
"Securing a Safe Place for All Liberians"
April 4, 2012| Contributed by Cary Alan Johnson, Former Executive Director, IGLHRC and Stephanie Horton, Liberian writer and editor
When Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recently expressed in an interview opposition to LGBT rights -- specifically decriminalization -- and was vague about support for increased criminal penalties for LGBT people, a shockwave was felt around the world. LGBT Liberians everywhere and all who have great respect for Sirleaf -- a former political prisoner herself -- were appalled and saddened. Such a narrow and discriminatory view from a revered and world-honored leader is unfathomable.
Currently, under Liberian penal law, "voluntary sodomy" is a first-degree misdemeanor. While African nations such as the Republic of South Africa, Mauritius, and Mozambique have either repealed or read down similar, outdated, colonial sodomy laws, some in Liberia would move backward and increase criminalization and penalties.
Thai Police Dismiss Murders of 15 Lesbians and 'Toms' As 'Love Gone Sour'
April 4, 2012| Contributed by Grace Poore, Regional Program Coordinator for Asia, IGLHRC
This post originally appeared in the Huffington Post »
On Feb. 24, 2012 in Loei province, Thailand, a 14-year-old girl reported to police that her 38-year-old father, who had sole custody of her since 2008, had been raping her continuously for four years because she "liked to hang out with toms" and wouldn't listen to his instructions to stay away from them. She told police that the most recent rape had been on Feb. 11, 2012.
On Jan. 15, 2009 in Chiang Mai province, 17-year-old Orn-uma Wongprachit and her tomboy partner, 17-year-old Marisa Srisawa, were found dead. They had been stabbed over 60 times. Orn and Marisa worked at a karaoke bar to support their families. Police said they were killed by a man who was "attracted to one of the women and felt disdainful of the lesbian relationship."
Gay Rights Are Human Rights: Advancing LGBT Protections At The UN
April 4, 2012| Contributed by Peter Dunne, Former Harvard Law School Irving R. Kaufman Public Interest Fellow, IGLHRC
This article originally appeared in the New Civil Rights Movement »
At the United Nations Human Rights Council March 2012 meeting in Geneva, an expert panel was convened to discuss the first-ever UN report focused on violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity: "Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity," ( A.HRC.19.41.)
The document, published by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the close of 2011, identified widespread and systematic rights violations that LGBT individuals are subject to around the world. Given that less than ten years ago much of the UN was silent on even the most extreme atrocities committed against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people, this event represents a truly historic moment.
UN to Iran: There Are No Excuses for Denying LGBT People Their Human Rights
February 29, 2012| Contributed by Cary Alan Johnson, Former Executive Director, IGLHRC and Hossein Alizadeh, Regional Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa, IGLHRC
Iranian authorities have long tried to justify the mistreatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals under the ruse of cultural relativism. Under the Islamic Penal Code of Iran, sexual activity between people of the same gender is a crime punishable by death. The method of enforcing these laws is equally grotesque. According to documentation gathered by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, individuals are forced to confess to same-sex relations under conditions that amount to torture. Those targeted may be members of the political opposition falsely accused by the government, or they may be individuals who are assumed to be guilty simply by virtue of their sexual identity or self-expression.
Iranians suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are targets of systematic discrimination by the government. Iranian authorities -- including the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the Office of Book Licensing, and the Monitoring Board of the Press -- have banned publication of material related to homosexuality. The ban extends to facts about sexual orientation and gender identity, safe sex and the history of homosexuality in Iran. Websites containing such information are summarily shut down; individuals who produce the website or simply visit are threatened with arrest. Public demonstration for LGBT rights is an impossible fantasy, and even private social events like birthday parties can be raided by the morality police, who arrest and charge attendees with criminal acts. Some Iranians are left with no choice but to leave their native country and embark on the arduous and often futile task of seeking asylum abroad.
UPDATE: VICTORY! Seoul Student Rights Ordinance Passed with Sexual Orientation Gender Identity Clauses Included
December 26, 2011| Contributed by Jihyye Kim, LGBT Coalition for the Seoul Student Ordinance
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission received good news in the following letter from Jihyye Kim telling us of victory for LGBT Students in Korea.
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
“We won the Seoul Student Rights Ordinance with all Sexual Orientation Gender Identity (SOGI) related clauses in the original draft included!
…It happened after the 6 days of protest of LGBT young people and activists, day and night. This is a significant progress in our LGBT history, because we fought face-to-face against the homophobic individuals and groups, including many members of the Council… The Council had serious debates on sexual orientation/ gender Identity (SOGI) issues in their plenary session for the first time in our history. One of the Council members read out UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's recent speech… That was the moment that the voices of LGBT people began to be heard, and LGBT people's human rights recognized…
Korea: LGBT Students In Danger Of Being Left Out Of Non-Discrimination Protections
December 21, 2011| Contributed by Grace Poore, Regional Program Coordinator for Asia, IGLHRC
The Education Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council in Seoul, Korea has singled out sexual orientation and gender identity for exclusion from the draft bill of Seoul Students Rights Ordinance that can become law on December 19 in Korea’s capital city unless human rights activists manage to delay the bill or change the minds of the Education Committee. If passed, the Students Rights Ordinance will be the first initiative to explicitly protect students’ rights in Korea.
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has sent an urgent letter (below) to the Korean Education Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council calling for reinstatement of the removed protections for LGBT students.
The letter states:
“By singling out sexual orientation and gender identity for exclusion, the Education Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and the Seoul Metropolitan Council would contravene international human rights standards and state obligations that South Korea has agreed to uphold. These include rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
A Young Activist Perspective on Global LGBT Rights
December 16, 2011| Contributed by Brian Tofte-Schumacher, Digital Communications Manager, IGLHRC
This post originally appeared on The Bilerico Project. Brian Tofte-Schumacher is Communications Associate at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. He tweets on @IGLHRC and personally as @briantschu. A year and a half ago, when I said my teary-eyed goodbye to my mom after dropping two suitcases packed with all my essential belongings at the check-in counter for my one-way flight to New York City from Spokane International Airport, I had no idea I would soon be writing about my first experience at the United Nations -- especially not this soon. Nonetheless, here I am, ready for it or not. Saturday, December 10 marked the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, following a truly historic week. First came President Obama's memorandum on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender human rights and US Foreign Policy issued by the White House. Then, we heard an amazingly LGBT-affirming speech from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday.
Trans Day of Remembrance: Advancing the Human Rights of Trans People across the Globe
November 18, 2011| Contributed by Cary Alan Johnson, Former Executive Director, IGLHRC
“The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) today honors the memory of the many trans men and women whom we have lost across the globe. From Latin America, to the Middle East, from Africa to Asia discrimination, ignorance, transphobia and violence have unduly taken the lives of innocent trans men and women who sought to live with dignity and respect. In remembering their lives and their sacrifice, we also honor the courageous work activists and allies around the world do each day to advance the human rights of all trans people.”
Trans Day of Remembrance: Focus on Africa
November 18, 2011| Contributed by IGLHRC
Africa Regional Trans Health and Advocacy Conference November 26th to 28th, Capetown, South Africa
In South Africa, IGLHRC has partnered with Gender DynamiX, the first African organization solely for the transgender community. In 2008, IGLHRC and Gender DynamiX together held a Strategy Workshop for transgender activists, the first of its kind on the continent. Held in Cape Town, South Africa, the historic workshop brought together 15 activists from 9 East and Southern African countries—Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—to address the very specific needs of transgender people on the African continent. It marked a key step in the process of defining and building the African transgender movement by African transgender people.
Trans Day of Remembrance: Focus on Turkey
November 18, 2011| Contributed by IGLHRC
“While we remember and mourn the loss of Turkish trans women whose lives were brutally taken from us this year, we must recognize too, the courage of the activists who tirelessly work to advance the human rights of trans people in the Middle East."
Hossein Alizdeh, IGLHRC Coordinator Middle East and North Africa Program
During the past twelve months, the Turkish trans community has continued to be the target of fatal hate crimes. On April 19, a 36-year-old trans woman identified as R.B. was shot in Izmir, Turkey. She was rushed to the hospital, but she passed away before reaching the hospital. Two other trans women were injured during the shootout. On July 31, Didem, a trans woman, was brutally murdered in Istanbul, Turkey's most populated city. The assailants cut the throat of this 21-year-old trans woman. On October 6, a woman was shot to death in Gaziantep, one of the southern cities of Turkey.