Voices from the Global South: Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people come out globally

Many States in the Global South claim that homosexuality was imported during colonial times in spite of ample documentation of homosexuality in traditional societies across the globe. Some say there is no homosexuality whatsoever in their country, others go as far as saying “homosexuals are animals and need to be treated as such”. Recent developments for example in Africa are proving there is on the contrary a rising international LGBT movement with initiatives such as All Africa Rights Initiative and the Coalition of African Lesbians, in addition to the emerging LGBT movements in Latin America and Asia.


Friday 6 October : from 1 to 2 PM. Palais des Nations, 2nd session of the UN Human Rights Council Side Event

A panel organised by ILGA, the International Lesbian and Gay Association.
In collaboration with the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education and RFSL, the Swedish Gay and Lesbian Federation

With the financial support of the Swedish Foreign Office



Chair
Rosanna Flamer Caldera, ILGA co-secretary General and Equal Ground

Speakers
(click on their names to read the speeches - audio material also available).


In Latin America, our pre-hispanic societies displayed many different forms of sexual expression (…). In reality it can be said that homophobia and sexual-pleasure related panic symptoms are recent phenomena, focalized in certain western societies and products of religious and political fundamentalism.
Gloria Careaga, El Closet de Sor Juana, Mexico

Cameroun is in the process of democratization; however homosexual practices are punished with imprisonment going from 6 months to 2 years…
Charles Gueboguo, Alternative Cameroun, Cameroun
(Charles Guebogo’s powerpoint presentation is only available in French).

We would like to tell the Iranian government that we, the sexual minorities of Iran, solely because of our sexual orientation, are denied our civil rights; that we are not allowed to organize openly, or to assemble freely; that we are denied the right to register as an NGO. We would like to say that because of misinformation, we are even denied physical safety, and worst of all, because of anti-homosexual laws, we are forced into exile.
Arsham Parsi, PGLO, Iran

Anna Leah Sarabia, Women Media Circle, Philippines
No transcription available.