LGBULLETIN #98 – THREE WEEKS IN LGBTI NEWS (AUGUST 4-24, 2017)
Summary
Tuesday, August 8
UN experts call on Honduras to boost protection of LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. rights defenders
Five UN Special Proceduresindependent human rights experts within the UN Human Rights Council with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. They are non-paid and elected for 3-year mandates that can be re-conducted for another three years. Special procedures can undertake country visits, and act on individual cases of reported violations by sending communications to States and others. They also engage in advocacy, raise public awareness, provide advice for technical cooperation, and contribute to the development of international human rights standards.
mandate holders have urged Honduras to tackle violence and intimidation against LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. human rights defenders. The experts’ call follows attacks including the attempted murder of Osmin David Valle Castillo, programme manager at the Center for LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. Development and Cooperation – Somos CDC.
“In Honduras, even today, human rights defenders and activists who protect and promote the human rights of LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. people are often the target of hateful violent acts,” the experts said. “We continue to receive information relating to threats and attacks, and we are deeply concerned by the level of violence, which in some cases has resulted in loss of lives,” they added.
Valle Castillo was attacked and stabbed multiple times when he returned to his home in Tegucigalpa on 10 July 2017. Three months prior, he had requested protection for his organisation and its members because of the ongoing intimidation and threats they were suffering.
His assailant hasn’t been identified yet, but the Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the attack. The UN experts called on the Honduran authorities to ensure the investigation “is effective, and that all those responsible are prosecuted and convicted”: “The prompt, thorough and impartial investigation of such cases is a key element of a democratic society and in its efforts to curb violence and fight impunity,” they added.
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Wednesday, August 9
Australia: postal vote to take place as Senate blocks attempt to restore compulsory plebiscite for marriage equalitywhere national marriage legislation also includes same-sex couples or gender-neutral reference to the spouses. References to “gay marriage” that are sometimes made by media outlets and decision-makers incorrectly are incorrect, as no country has created a marriage law specifically for same-sex couples.
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The Australian Senate has again rejected the option of a compulsory plebiscite on marriage equalitywhere national marriage legislation also includes same-sex couples or gender-neutral reference to the spouses. References to “gay marriage” that are sometimes made by media outlets and decision-makers incorrectly are incorrect, as no country has created a marriage law specifically for same-sex couples., advocated by the government, paving the way for a voluntary, non-binding postal vote on the issue.
The survey will be conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and people were required to enrol or update their details at the Australian Electoral Commission by August 24 in order to participate. The first survey forms will be sent outbeing open about their diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics. on September 12, and the last date to return them will be November 7 – with results likely to be announced a week later.
The postal survey, however, is currently subject to two legal challenges in the High Court, both brought by marriage equalitywhere national marriage legislation also includes same-sex couples or gender-neutral reference to the spouses. References to “gay marriage” that are sometimes made by media outlets and decision-makers incorrectly are incorrect, as no country has created a marriage law specifically for same-sex couples. advocates. As Buzzfeed explains, “the challenges argue that the government does not have the power to spend money on the postal survey without passing legislation, and that the ABS does not have the authority to collect the information the government is asking it to.” Decisions on the issue are set to be announced on September 6.
Besides legal challenges, the postal plebiscite has been criticised not only for its cost, but also because: blind and visually-impaired people will not be able to vote unassisted;
— Cr. Tony Briffa JP (@tonybriffa) August 19, 2017
” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>it excludes marriages of intersexan umbrella term for the spectrum of variations of sex characteristics that naturally occur within the human species. Intersex people are born with variations of sex characteristics (such as genitals, reproductive organs, hormonal and chromosomal patterns) that are more diverse than stereotypical definitions of male or female bodies. Up to 1.7% of the global population are born with such traits; yet, because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subject to harmful practices – including in medical settings - and discriminated against. persons
; it may cut indigenous communities out of the voting process; and it will be vulnerable to voter fraud, not to mention the risk of the impact that “a hurtful debate” would have on LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. communities and rainbow families.
In fact, the debate has already gotten ugly. As The Guardian reports, materials labelling same-sex attraction a “curse of death” and citing discredited studies about rainbow families have surfaced in at least two incidents in Melbourne and Sydney.
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Wednesday, August 16
Uganda: Pride events cancelled after government crackdown
So sad that our events have been cancelled!!!
— Pride Uganda (@Prideuganda2017) August 16, 2017
The government in Uganda has forced human rights defenders to cancel Pride events, which were scheduled to take place in August. As The Guardian reports, the state minister of ethics and integrity, Simon Lokodo, issued a directive shutting down a Pride gala, scheduled to take place at a hotel in Kampala. Police officers were also deployed at other venues where pride events were scheduled at, to arrest any participant.
In a statement, organisers explained how they were forced to cancel the events and described the struggle to organise them, after Pride celebrations in 2016 were repeatedly and violently disrupted.
“2017 has without a doubt been the most challenging festival to put together,” the document reads, but “there were no second thoughts about whether or not Pride should happen this year: (…) we were not going to allow hate, homophobiafear, unreasonable anger, intolerance or/and hatred directed towards people attracted to others of the same gender., prejudice, and a misinformed and biased society to get in the way of the one time in the year that we get together and remind ourselves that we are not criminals, we are not misfits and we are not mistakes!”
Police were deployed in venues where events were set to take place. Subsequently, organisers decided that “even all the courage and determination that we carry in our hearts is not enough to put the lives of so many innocent people at risk” and cancelled the events.
The struggle, however, is far from over: “It is clear that we will not be allowed to exercise our freedom of association,” the statement reads. “But now, more than ever, we are ready to take the existing laws and policies head on.”
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Thursday, August 17
Denmark to launch LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. action plan
On the occasion of the Copenhagen Pride week, the Danish government has officially announced an upcoming LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. action plan, which is set to be introduced in 2018.
According to the CPH Post, the plan aims to prevent discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. and promote equal opportunities for rainbow communities. It is also set to focus on tackling bullying and violence in the education system.
As ILGA-Europe reports, a cross ministerial LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. working group will be organised, and Equality minister Karen Ellemann will be responsible for its coordination.
Human rights organisations have welcomed the announcement: “We are very excited about the initiative, but we say in capital letters that there must be money to back these words,” said Søren Laursen of LGBT Danmark. “If there is no funding to pursue the content of the action plan, then it becomes political symbolism that will not make any difference in people’s everyday lives.”
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Wednesday, August 23
United States: murders against our communities at unprecedented high, report shows
More LGBTQ and HIV-affected people have been killed in hate-violence-related homicides so far in 2017 than in all of 2016 in the United States, according to a report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP).
NCAVP listed reports of 36 hate violence related homicides as of August 23: it is the highest number ever recorded by the organisation. “This number represents a 29% increase in single incident reports from 2016” when 28 incidents were reported, not mentioning the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
This year’s numbers seem to mark an unprecedented high, with nearly one homicide a week. “The victims of these hate violence related homicides have overwhelmingly been transgender women and queerpreviously used as a derogatory term to refer to LGBT individuals in the English language – and still perceived as offensive by some - queer has been reclaimed by people who identify beyond traditional gender categories and heteronormative social norms. Although not universally accepted, it is often used as a catch-all to include many people within the larger community of people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics., bi, or gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
term to describe themselves. cisgendera person whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth. The term is commonly used to refer to a person who does not identify as trans. men,” the report reads. Statistics also show that people of colour were disproportionally (75%) affected by this epidemic of violence. More than 6 in 10 victims were under the age of 35.
The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs added: “We are releasing this report at a time where neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and white nationalists marched through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia shouting anti-Black, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ chants, and within the context of a growing national conversation about the escalation of hate violence against so many marginalized communities. The time for addressing this crisis of violence is now.”
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Thursday, August 24
India: Supreme Court upholds right to privacy, in ruling that may impact criminalisation of same-sex relations
A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court decided to unanimously uphold a fundamental right to privacy, in a ruling that explicitly mentions sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. and may have an impact on the ongoing criminalisation of same-sex relations.
“Discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. against an individual on the basis of sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. is deeply offensive to the dignity and self-worth of the individual,” the 547-page ruling reads. “The right to privacy and the protection of sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. lie at the core of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.”
The ruling came in a case challenging India’s Aadhaar program (a programme giving an identity number to all Indian residents based on their personal data), but its implications may go beyond that; it may symbolise a renewed legal challenge to the 2013 judgement that upheld Section 377 of the Penal Code, which criminalises same-sex sexual relations.
Examining a decision in the 377 case, referred to as “Koushal”, one of the nine judges wrote: “The view in Koushal that the High Court had erroneously relied upon international precedents ‘in its anxiety to protect the so-called rights of LGBT persons’ is similarly, in our view, unsustainable. The rights of the lesbianadjective/noun to describe a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Women and non-binary people may use this term to describe themselves., gayadjective to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional
attractions are to people of the same gender. Men, women and non-binary people may use this
term to describe themselves., bisexualadjective used to describe a person who has the capacity to form enduring physical, romantic, and/ or emotional attractions to those of the same gender or to those of other genders. and transgender population cannot be construed to be ‘so-called rights’. (…) Sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender. is an essential component of identity. Equal protection demands protection of the identity of every individual without discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others..”
A curative petition against the 2013 ruling filed by Naz Foundation raised afresh the issue of the right to privacy, Hindustan Times recalled. In February 2016, the country’s Supreme Court said it would review its 2013 judgement, referring the curative petition against Section 377 to a 5-judge bench. The 5-judge bench is yet to deliberate on this.
Is that all? More LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. news bites
A bill has been introduced in Pakistan’s lower house of parliament to “provide for protection of rights of transgender persons” and prohibit harassment and discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others. against them.
Hundreds of persons gathered together in Kathmandu, Nepal for the annual Gaijatra LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. Pride March, which was inaugurated by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare.
The Senate in Haiti voted to ban marriage equalitywhere national marriage legislation also includes same-sex couples or gender-neutral reference to the spouses. References to “gay marriage” that are sometimes made by media outlets and decision-makers incorrectly are incorrect, as no country has created a marriage law specifically for same-sex couples. as well as “any public demonstration of support for homosexuality and proselytizing in favour of such acts.”
Dozens of persons have gathered together in Cochabamba, Bolivia for the first national congress of LGBT elderly people.
An LGBTIacronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people. Although this is not the acronym available to describe people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics, it is the most commonly used in United Nations spaces and advocacy. non-governmental organisation in Fiji has launched an initiative to tackle teenage pregnancy and STIs, making sure that condoms are available for free at motels and nightclubs in some areas of the country.
Laws barring same-sex couples who married overseas from being able to get a divorce in Australia “constitute discriminationunequal or unfair treatment which can be based on a range of grounds - such as age, ethnic background, disability, and diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions or sex characteristics, amongst others.”, the UN Human Rights Committee has pointed out.
In Northern Ireland, the High Court has dismissed two cases challenging the law not allowing marriage equalitywhere national marriage legislation also includes same-sex couples or gender-neutral reference to the spouses. References to “gay marriage” that are sometimes made by media outlets and decision-makers incorrectly are incorrect, as no country has created a marriage law specifically for same-sex couples..
A new Crown Prosecution Service policy on prosecuting hate crimeoffences that are motivated by hate or bias against a particular group of people. This could be based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics amongst others. and supporting victims in England and Wales acknowledged for the first time that victims of biphobic hate crimes have different experiences and needs to victims of homophobic and transphobic offences.
In Nigeria, 15 students have been arrested for allegedly beating a classmate to death in a homophobic hate crimeoffences that are motivated by hate or bias against a particular group of people. This could be based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or sex characteristics amongst others..
In South Africa, the Johannesburg High Court ruled that an article by a journalist and political figure where same-sex attraction was compared with bestiality was “clearly hurtful and harmful and had potential of causing harm”.
The House in Texas, United States has adjourned its special session sine die without passing a new bill to restrict access to bathrooms in public buildings and schools for transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. persons.
In the United States, according to reports, the White House is about to issue guidance to the Pentagon on the implementation of President Trump’s proposal to ban transadjective/umbrella term to describe a person whose gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth. people from serving in the military.