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LGBT in Haiti, Three Months After the Quake
April 13, 2010| Contributed by
IGLHRC and partners meet to assess community needs in Haiti
Cary Alan Johnson, IGLHRC Executive Director
LGBT Activism Under Attack in Surabaya, Indonesia
April 2, 2010| Contributed by Grace Poore, Regional Program Coordinator for Asia, IGLHRC
Staff members Grace Poore and Ging Cristobal of IGLHRC's Asia & Pacific Program were in Surabaya, Indonesia for the ILGA Asia conference scheduled to begin in the East Java capital on Friday March 26 and run through the weekend to March 29 2010.
However, on March 24th as participants began arriving in preparation for the weekend's activities, Indonesian police ordered the cancellation of the conference after anti-LGBT pressure from Islamist fundamentalist groups. Although conference participants moved to a new venue in Surabaya, they were tracked there and fundamentalist groups continued to threaten their safety with one of the groups occupying the hotel lobby for several days, starting on Muslim prayer day, Friday March 26th After many tense hours of negotiation and threats of violence, local activists were forced to leave the hotel and foreign attendees forced to disperse throughout Surabaya until they could leave Indonesia.
LGBT Activism Under Attack in Surabaya, Indonesia
April 1, 2010| Contributed by Grace Poore, Regional Program Coordinator for Asia, IGLHRC
Grace Poore and Ging Cristobal, staff members of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) were in Surabaya, Indonesia for the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) Asia conference scheduled to begin in the East Java capital on March 26 and run through March 29, 2010.
One hundred and fifty activists representing one hundred organizations from sixteen Asian countries were scheduled to attend. As participants began to arrive for the weekend's activities, Indonesian police ordered the cancellation of the conference in response to pressure from Islamist fundamentalist groups. The conference hotel refused to permit the conference to proceed. ILGA Asia found alternate venue, but fundamentalists tracked them there. One of the groups occupied the hotel lobby for several days. After threats of violence and hours of negotiation, Indonesian activists were forced to leave the hotel and foreign attendees forced to disperse until they could leave Indonesia.
Archbishop Tutu: "I would never worship a homophobic God"
March 17, 2010| Contributed by
There has recently been almost unprecedented attention in the US mainstream media to issues of homophobia in various African countries. Attention to ending discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is for the most part welcome.
International Women's Day 2010: Including the LBT Agenda
March 9, 2010| Contributed by
Marking the March 8 International Women's Day and participating in the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations over the last week has given us at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission an opportunity to reflect on our work in the context of the global women's movement.
Haiti’s Tears: A Letter from Sergia Galván to Her Fellow Feminists in Latin America and the Caribbean
January 26, 2010| Contributed by
A letter from IGLHRC's partner Colectiva Mujer y Salud, a Dominican feminist group helping with relief efforts in Haiti Dear friends, I returned from Haiti this morning and it is hard to put into words what I witnessed there. The smell of death clouds your senses. Thousands of people are trapped and crying beneath the rubble, and you are unable to help them. People seem to be staring into another world, their eyes flashes of lightning fleeing the horror.
L LLANTO DE HAITI: Carta de Sergia Galván a las compañeras feministas de América Latina y el Caribe
January 22, 2010| Contributed by
Queridas amigas, regresé en la madrugada de hoy de Haití, todo lo que pueda contar es poco. El olor a muerte nubla la razón, los miles de cuerpos atrapados y llorando debajo de los escombros te hacen sentir una migaja, las personas parecen mirar a otro mundo, sus ojos parecen relámpagos que huyen del horror.
Meanwhile, in Senegal
January 21, 2010| Contributed by
Read the op-ed Meanwhile, in Senegal by IGLHRC’s Cary Alan Johnson and Ryan Thoreson in MetroWeekly which contextualizes the vehement global response against the proposed Anti-Homosexuality bill in Uganda in light of other instances of grave human rights violations against LGBT people in Africa.
Excerpt:
Africa: The Threats of Homophobia
January 12, 2010| Contributed by
IGLHRC's Monica Mbaru was interviewed by Afronline (http://www.afronline.org) about LGBT community in Uganda and Africa.
Excerpt:
Where does this idea of homosexuality as a Western concept come from?
Iran: Transgender People No Longer Classified as "Mentally Sick"
January 7, 2010| Contributed by
Hossein Alizadeh
The following is a translation of a story written by the State-run Fars News Agency, and published January 7, 2010 on BBC Persian's Website. While the decision of the government not to classify transgender people as mentally disturbed is an important step forward, the language used by the government officials is both unfortunate and shows the challenges that the trans community faces in Iran.
US State Dept. Receives Assurance that President Museveni Will Stop Progress on Anti-Gay Bill in Uganda
December 21, 2009| Contributed by
The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, met with approximately 30 advocacy leaders last week to highlight the State Department’s efforts to condemn an “Anti-Homosexuality” bill that is being debated in Uganda. The briefing was organized by the Public Affairs Bureau and provided a candid recount of U.S. diplomatic efforts to speak out against this unprecedented assault on basic human rights.
Pushing the envelope further: imMORAL Protest March for LGBT Rights
December 15, 2009| Contributed by
By: Ging Cristobal, IGLHRC Project Coordinator for Asia and Pacific Islands
“Opposing Grave Human Rights Violations on the Basis of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity”
December 10, 2009| Contributed by
Thursday, December 10th 2009 at 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
ECOSOC Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York
Remember positive and at-risk LGBT on World AIDS Day
December 1, 2009| Contributed by
Today is the 21st annual World AIDS Day, held on December 1st each year to raise awareness of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic and to honor the memory of those who have died from HIV/AIDS and those who continue to live with the disease. This year’s World AIDS Day theme is Universal Access and Human Rights.