False Hope – LGBT Rights in the Middle East by Omar Hassan

March 31, 2009 in Be Like Others, Brian Whitaker, EOHR, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Muslims, Gay Rights, GLBT, GWB, Helem, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Imaan, Irak, Iran, Iraq, LGBT, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Omar Hassan, Peter Tatchell, Queen Boat, Tanaz Eshaghian, UN

By Omar Hassan, http://www.pinknews.co.uk

Execution, public humiliation and imprisonment have long plagued the lives of the LGBT community in the Middle Eastern world. It is a well-known fact that “LGBT individuals are at a constant struggle,” notes the Imaan Secretariat (an organisation dedicated to the wellbeing of gay Muslims, based in Britain). “[They] must [fight] for the right to be LGBT… [and] for the freedom to love somebody of the same sex,” he argues further.

Brian Whitaker, of the Guardian, who authored the book ‘Unspeakable Love’, notes that the subject of homosexuality is as unmentionable in the Middle East as it was in the UK 60 years ago.

This tension can be attributed largely to Islamic conservatism. In 2006, it was reported that radical Islamic militias were attacking homosexuals in Iraq; and it was only a year later that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that there were “no homosexuals in Iran”.

“Ironically, Ahmadinedjad’s remarks and the laughter from his audience probably did a lot to bring [the issue] out in the open’, Whitaker told us. Indeed, soon after, filmmaker Tanaz Eshaghian released a documentary entitled ‘Be Like Others’. The film revealed that the government had been paying for homosexual men to have sex-change operations. Arguably, this was the Iranian administration’s humane ultimatum to the death sentence, which is bestowed on any two men who wish to engage in a homosexual relationship.

At the time of the film’s release, the filmmaker stated that it was easy to find her subjects, noting that gender reassignment surgery is a “public phenomenon [even] encouraged by the Islamic clerics”.

These instances do not begin to explain the extent of the pressures that one faces for being gay in this part of the world.

Even at a basic level, one can argue that Arabic language in itself does not accommodate a neutral definition of the term ‘homosexual’. The most inoffensive branding for an LGBT man for instance is ‘Luti’ or ‘Shaz’, which roughly translate to mean ‘pervert’ or ‘deviant’. How then, is anyone who identifies as part of this minority group going to be able to stand up to such political, social and linguistic barriers?

Human rights activists the world over had hoped that a UN joint statement released last December would help alleviate the situation. Signed by over 60 countries, the assertion called for the decriminalization of homosexuality and the protection of various other LGBT human rights, including the protection against discrimination.

However, according to human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, it is important to note that this is not a resolution.

“It has no force on international law. [Still], it is an important symbolic benchmark, being the first time that the UN General Assembly has ever heard such a statement,” he said.

As expected, the statement was opposed by Islamic states such as Saudi Arabia and Iran. “They will ignore it…[and it will] have little moderating effect on their abuse of LGBT citizens”, argues Tatchell.

Undeniably, Middle Eastern politicians and religious figures are prone to use arguments relating to cultural rights and relativism, claiming that the West (and its allies) have no authority to infringe on any nation’s legal system, regardless of whether the matter concerns the seemingly universal human rights to life, freedom and personal liberty.

Indeed, one can make an example out of the public reaction to the Queen Boat raid, which took place in Cairo nearly eight years ago. At the time, the relatively liberal Egyptian government enforced a crackdown on an unofficial floating gay nightclub, which was moored on the Nile. The raids subsequently lead to 52 arrests, with many of the victims claiming to be arbitrarily detained whilst simply passing by the docks. The men involved were publicly humiliated (whilst in court, they were placed in cages) with their faces splashed across the covers of newspapers.

Although there is no law in Egypt that explicitly bans homosexual practice, the accused men were charged on the grounds of ‘debauchery’. In the end, over twenty of those arrested faced sentences which ranged between three to five years in prison. Many of those who were released returned home to find that they had lost their jobs and were rejected by their families.

Hossam Bahgat, an Egyptian human rights activist and journalist who was working at the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights (EOHR) at the time, protested against these injustices. He argued that the administration was using the raid as a means to sidetrack public focus from the impending recession, its Western alliances (which are unpopular with the public) and to quell the tensions growing in the Islamic Brotherhood (who are of increasing importance in the Egyptian political arena).

Soon after speaking out, Bahgat was removed from his position at the EOHR. The EOHR’s secretary-general, Hafez Abu Saada told the press at the time: “Personally, I don’t like the subject of homosexuality, and I don’t want to defend them.” He also went on to explain that sexual preference was not a human right.

At the same time, the Egyptian government went so far as to arrest individuals who used online chat rooms and social networking websites as a means for sourcing homosexual relationships. Futhermore, reports were circulating that government officials were masquerading as potential suitors in order to set gay men up for arrest. Scott Long of Human Rights Watch has spoken previously about this matter, asserting that when governments crack down on homosexual gathering places, whether real or online, they do it for political rather than purely moral reasons. “They are saying to their people that they are defending what is authentic, what is Islamic,” he said.

In turn, the politicians, journalists and even the human rights activists of the Middle Eastern world are arguing back at egalitarian impositions that beg for the equal rights of the LGBT community.

Considering the sensitivity of the issue and the rise of anti-Islamic attitude in the West, it is very easy for Islamic states to claim that announcements (such as the UN statement) are imperial infringements by the secular West on the Islamic world. Accordingly, it is evident that the UN’s efforts will reap only meagre benefits for the distressed LGBT community in the Middle East.

How then do we begin to envisage change in the region for this vulnerable community? On an individual basis, many Middle Easterners seeking an escape believe that Western states should implement more liberal asylum policies towards LGBT groups.

However, if we are going to be realistic about safeguarding the rights of these communities than we need a new strategy. The West must use political leverage to bring LGBT rights up on the international agenda as, undeniably, many of the biggest gay rights’ abuses committed in the Middle East are by Western allies.

Undoubtedly, this will require significant effort, especially considering that many of the Arabs and Muslims who live in the diaspora also occupy negative attitudes towards homosexuals. Still, the beliefs of an increasingly blindsided religious majority should not take precedence over anyone’s basic humanity.

According to Tatchell, what is most likely to change is the self-organisation of LGBT people in Muslim states, as has happened in Lebanon, through the work of the LGBT group, Helem.

“Some…changes might also come through HIV prevention work, where governments will have to reluctantly recognise the LGBT communities in order to combat the HIV pandemic,” he added.
Whitaker argues further that “it is becoming more difficult to keep a lid on discussion of homosexuality in the Middle East”.

“Western debates about gay priests, films like Brokeback Mountain, and even George Michael’s arrest [coupled with the use of the internet] are all heightening gay awareness” in the region, he says.

However until these governments recognise that gay rights are of importance, it should be the obligation of the international community to take a holistic approach to ensuring the protection of this vulnerable LGBT population. Only then, will the new UN statement be able to ensure that our universal human rights are protected.

Omar is a writer and freelance journalist. He has also been involved with a range of TV production companies, working predominantly in the area of factual programming. Born in Cairo, Egypt, he has lived in the U.S.A and Saudi Arabia and currently resides in the United Kingdom.

Full Text

See Also LGBT Asylum News

Moscow Gay Pride Not a Priority of the European Court of Human Rights

March 31, 2009 in Alekseev, Alexeyev, Belarus, European Court of Human Rights, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Parade, Gay Pride, Gay Rights, GLBT, GWB, IDAHO, LGBT, Moscow, Moscow Gay Pride, Nicolas Alexeyev, Russia, Slavic Gay Pride, Slavic Pride

Organisers says they will keep intensifying pressure over the Council of Europe

Photo: Nicolas Alexeyev

MOSCOW, March 28, 2009 (GayRussia.ru) – The Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has told organisers of Moscow Gay Pride the court’s President of the Chamber has decided not to give priority to their cases, some of which have been waiting for more than two years.

The Russian activists asked the Court last month to give a priority treatment to their application against Russia in the light of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Moscow Pride bans.

To date, the Russian activists have appealed the ban of 167 banned gay marches at the European Court.

“If no action is taken, the Moscow Pride bans will take five to six years to be overturned by the European Court,” said chief Pride organisers Nikolai Alekseev.

“Whether though the Court or via the Committee of Ministers, a solution, has to be found in Strasbourg,” he added.

“We are in contact with several diplomacies.”

In a similar case around the ban of the Warsaw Pride in Poland, the European Court gave a decision within 18 months of receiving the application.

Over the last months, the organisers have intensified pressure on the Council of Europe, asking the organisation to make Russia respect freedom of assembly for the LGBT community.

Last month in Strasbourg, activists from Russia and Belarus were joined by 50 local activists , they held a protest in Strasbourg demanding that the European Court and the Council of Europe speed up the matter.

“Council of Europe officials write wonderful letters to Russian authorities about the necessity to respect the rights of LGBT people,” said Moscow Pride co-organiser Nikolai Baev.

“But year after year we see the same violence, the same aggressions and the same breach of human rights.”

Earlier this month, 22 members of the European Parliament asked the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers to help find a solution in resolving this issue over this year’s Gay Pride in Moscow, scheduled to take place on May 16.

Also last month, the US State Department in Washington DC criticised Russia for breeches of human rights of gay men and women in its annual Human Rights Report.

May 16 is during the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) weekend – and is on the day of the ‘uber-gay’ Eurovision Song Contest, which is being staged in the Russian capital and beamed live across Europe, and beyond.

Moscow Pride is this year a joint project of Russian and Belarusian gay groups and is officially “Slavic Pride”.

Full Post on Gay Russia

URGENT: Stop Executions of Gay Iraqis – Members of Iraqi LGBT Group on Death Row – Action Needed to Halt Judicial Executions

March 27, 2009 in Ali Hili, Execution, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Rights, GLBT, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Human Rights, Irak, Iraq, Iraqi, Iraqi LGBT, LGBT, Paul Canning, Sexual Cleansing, Sharia, UN

STOP EXECUTIONS OF GAY IRAQIS
MEMBERS OF IRAQI LGBT GROUP ON DEATH ROW
ACTION NEEDED TO HALT JUDICIAL EXECUTIONS

http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com/2009/03/stop-executions-of-gay-iraqis.html

London, 27 March 2009

Urgent action is needed to halt the execution of 128 prisoners on death row in Iraq. Many of those awaiting execution were convicted for the ‘crime’ of homosexuality, according to IRAQI-LGBT, a UK based organisation of Iraqis supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Iraq.

According to Ali Hili of IRAQI-LGBT, the Iraqi authorities plan to start executing them in batches of 20 from this week.

IRAQI-LGBT urgently requests that the UK Government, Human Rights Groups and the United Nations Human Rights Commission intervene with due speed to prevent this tragic miscarriage of justice from going ahead.

“We have information and reports on members of our community whom been arrested and waiting for execution for the crimes of homosexuality,’’ said Mr Hili. “Iraqi lgbt has been a banned from running our activities on Iraqi soil.”

“Raids by the Iraqi police and ministry of interior forces cost our group the diapering and killing of 17 members working for Iraqi lgbt since 2005,” added Mr Hili.

“Death penalty has been increasing at an alarming rate in Iraq since the new Iraqi regime reintroduced it in August 2004.
In 2008 at least 285 people were sentenced to death, and at least 34 executed. In 2007 at least 199 people were sentenced to death and 33 were executed, while in 2006 at least 65 people were put to death. The actual figures could be much higher as there are no official statistics for the number of prisoners facing execution,” he said.

IRAQI LGBT is concerned that the Iraqi authorities have not disclosed the identities of those facing imminent execution, stoking fears that many of them may have been sentenced to death after trials that failed to satisfy international standards for fair trial.

Most are likely to have been sentenced to death by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI), whose proceedings consistently fall short of international standards for fair trial. Some are likely to have. Allegations of torture are not being investigated adequately or at all by the CCCI. Torture of detainees held by Iraqi security forces remains rife.

Iraq’s creaking judicial system is simply unable to guarantee fair trials in ordinary criminal cases, and even less so in capital cases, with the result, we fear, that numerous people have gone to their death after unfair trials.

The Iraqi government must order an immediate halt to these executions and establish a moratorium on all further executions in Iraq, particularly since due process cannot be guaranteed. The state executing people for ‘morals’ crimes is also obviously unacceptable and deplorable.

Amnesty International has called on the Iraqi authorities to make public all information pertaining to the 128 people, including their full names, details of the charges against them, the dates of their arrest, trial and appeal and their current places of detention.

The immediate urgent priority is to Support and Donate Money to LGBT activists in Iraq in order to assist their efforts to help other Lesbians, Gay, Bisexuals and Trans gender Iraqi’s facing death, persecution and systematic Targeting by the Iraqi Police and Badr and Sadr Militia and to raise awareness about the wave of homophobic murders in Iraq to the outside world.
Funds raised will also help provide LGBTs under threat of killing with refuge in the safer parts of Iraq (including safe houses, food, electricity, medical help) and assist efforts help them seek refuge in neighboring countries.

Iraqi Lgbt
22 Notting Hill Gate
Unit # 111
London , W11 3JE
United Kingdom
Mob: ++44 798 1959 453
Website : http://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com/

See also: Iraq’s brutal executions by Kate Allen, Guardian

Iraqi gays claim government executing them by Paul Canning

Amnesty International: 128 prisoners to be executed in Iraq by Therion

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See also previous post about this subject:

• Iraq’s Queer Underground Railroad: A Secret Network of Safe Houses and Escape Routes Is Saving Gay Iraqis From Execution by Islamist Death Squads
• Iraq’s Underground Queer Railroad – Safe Houses and Escape Routes Save LGBT Lives by Peter Tatchell
• UK: Queer Fear 2 – The Sexual Cleansing of Iraq – Film Screening November 3rd 2008
• Sexual Cleansing in Iraq: Bashar, Coordinator of Iraqi LGBT in Baghdad Assassinated – Islamist Death Squads Are Hunting Down Gay Iraqis and Summarily Executing Them
• Iraq: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Do Kill – Newsweek’s Inquiry About Gays Persecuted
• Iraq: Out of the Gathering Darkness – Two Iraqi Lesbians, Amal and Zahra, Shot Dead and Decapitated
• U.S. Invasion Has Made Life Worse for Iraqi LGBT Community
• New York: Benefit Party for Iraqi LGBT at the North Star Fund
• Iraqi LGBT Have Recently Obtained New Video Evidence
• New Disappearances of Gay People in Iraq
• Treatment of LGBT People In Iraq by Police
• From Iran to New Iraq, Ayatollahs Are Murderers of Homosexuals: Massive Crimes Against Humanity Are Committed by the Pro-Iranian Iraqi Government Installed by the Amerikan Occupation and Its Sectarian Militias
• Three Iraq Safe Houses Forced to Close
• IRAQI LGBT: SAFE HOUSE CAMPAIGN

Serbia: Marko Karadžić, Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Supports “Gay Pride” Parade

March 27, 2009 in Gay, Gay Life, Gay Parade, Gay Pride, Gay Rights, GLBT, Homophobia, Homosexuality, LGBT, Marko Karadžić, Queer, Serbia

Source gay-serbia.com

The Gay Pride parade that has been announced in Belgrade will be supported by the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights.

This is according one of the secretaries of state with the ministry, Marko Karadžić, who spoke last night in a B92 TV talk show.

The Constitution, Karadžić explained, guarantees each citizen a right to peaceful assembly. Gay Pride parades are meant to draw attention to the problems that are faced by persons of different sexual orientation in their daily lives.

“No one asked the question, nor will they ask it now, how come women or black people took it to the streets – because they were forced to be in those places where the white people could not see them, because they were forced to sit in kitchens, because they were oppressed. That’s why,” this ministry official was quoted as saying.

The parade, Karadžić concluded, cannot be banned just because hooligans and violent people are on the other side.

Gay Straight Alliance NGO representative Boris Milićević, who took part in the same show, said that this parade is important in order to lower the degree of homophobia in Serbia.

“Persons who know someone who is gay have a much lower level of homophobia and much fewer negative opinions about gay people. Simply, they know a particular person, they know this person is just like any other and have no problem with that . Gay Pride, as a public manifestation serves for us to stress our demand for equality, that demand of ours for freedom,” said Milićević.

See also: Lezbejkama ipak lakše nego gejevima, gay-serbia.com

Serbia: Government Has Approved a Law Against Discrimination

March 27, 2009 in Belgrade, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Rights, GLBT, Homophobia, Homosexuality, LGBT, Orthodox Church, Queer, Serbia

Serbian lawmakers pass anti-discrimination law

By Jovana Gec

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian lawmakers narrowly gave final approval Thursday to an anti-discrimination law that is part of pro-Western reforms but was strongly opposed by the Serbian Orthodox Church and other conservatives.

Parliament passed the bill with a slim majority of 127 votes in favor to 59 against — one more vote than was needed for passage in the 250-member parliament. The remaining deputies did not attend.

The law bans any kind of discrimination, whether based on race, religion, sexual orientation or gender or other factors.

The legislation was part of reforms to align the nation with European Union policies and was crucial if Serbian citizens were to gain the right to travel without visas to the 27 EU member nations.

But its adoption triggered public turmoil in Serbia, which is predominantly conservative.

The Serbian Orthodox Church, supported by other religious groups, had requested changes to the articles on gay rights and religious freedoms. It has argued the law could be open to misinterpretation and misuse. Other critics have said it runs counter to Serbian tradition.

The government initially withdrew the law to review the church’s remarks, but that angered liberals. In the end, the government made no major changes.

Apart from banning discrimination, the law also provides for a special state representative to monitor possible discrimination, and outlines punitive measures.

The parliamentary vote came after a lengthy debate pitting the pro-Western lawmakers against the nationalists and conservatives.

Serbia launched pro-Western reforms after the ouster in 2000 of former autocrat Slobodan Milosevic.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Info in French: La Serbie interdit les discriminations envers les homosexuels

Gay Serbia

Urgent: Important Update About the Publication of a Video Wrongly Identified

March 27, 2009 in Errata

Urgent: Important update about the publication of a video wrongly identified

In the previous newsletter n°15, “Gays Without Borders Newsletter – March 19, 2009 (15)”, the members received the following information and links:

Iran: Men Thrown Off a Roof (Sentence for Homosexuals)

Video : Men Thrown Off a Roof (Sentence for Homosexuals in Iran)

In fact this video was first published the 20 february 2009 by the website “Iran Press News” at the following link, and the 21 february 2009 by the French Site Iran Resit with this legend :

“Selon la charia, les mollahs éliminent les homos en les précipitant dans le vide. Cette vidéo d’origine arabe montre des exécutions de ce type : voici des pauvres gens vraiment piégés !”

Translation : “According to the Shariah, the mullahs kill homos by rushing them into the vacuum. This video shows Arab executions of this kind: here are really poor people trapped!”

To illustrate the following text, written by Peter Tatchell: “Support the Iranian People, Oppose Tehran’s Clerical Fascism“, the 5 march 2009, the video was used and edited on You Tube for technical reasons (our website can only publish videos edited before on You Tube or Dailymotion) with the name “Iran: Men Thrown Off a Roof (Sentence for Homosexuals)”.

On the 19 march, a new information sent by the American Web Site “Box Turtle Bulletin”, has made appear that in fact this video was also used into a film made in 2003 by CNN to justify the American invasion of Iraq and to prove the exactions of the Saddam Hussein’s troups.

You can see this film named “Iraqi Torture” here (the segment of the throwing is at 1:33).

As “Box Turtle Bulletin” explains in his post, the right identification of this segment can be called: “Iraq’s Fedayeen Saddam throwing soldiers off the roof in order to “instill discipline”” (even for the moment we have no more explanation about this chastisement).

So, dear readers, at the light of this new reality, the post on the Gay Without Borders Site was deleted and also the video on You Tube.

This kind of unfortunate mistake about a video is regrettable because without justification it can hurt the credibility of all the Gays Without Borders members and can dismiss or play down the claims that people can be executed for consensual homosexuality in Iran.

So, I, webmaster of the blog https://gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com, apologize for this inconveniences.

The Fight in Poland for GLBT Equal Rights Stopped Long Ago

March 26, 2009 in Gay, Gay Life, Gay Rights, GLBT, Homiki, Homophobia, Homosexuality, LGBT, Lukasz Palucki, Poland

The Fight in Poland for GLBT Equal Rights Stopped Long Ago sent by Lukasz Palucki

After on the poster: “Love is love” Antarex and Ariman, printed and posted on the walls in 2003
The fight in Poland for equal rights for gays and lesbians stopped about 6 years ago, in 2003. So far, only Gaylife sounds the alarm. Now we’ve awaken another web portal, which shares its diagnosis.

Homiki
The web portals Homiki.pl and Gaylife each with different character were launched almost at the same time. Homiki is mostly a serious journal featuring cultural affairs; there are no personal profiles like Gaylife.
With the previous editorial board we went along the mountains – for photos on Gaylife CLICK HERE, for Homiki’s photo CLICK HERE .
The current chief – Michal Minałto we know from the many gay events. He looks at us like his portal was superior to our reporting and others. However, the publication of “On the barricades: It is not rosy” is idealistic calling the GLBT community to defend the castle, from which Gaylife fully agree:

Can display the movies in DKF’s (Film club discussions) win equal rights?
The fight for gay equality stopped after the completion of KPH‘s “Let us see” campaign six years ago, in 2003. Since then, nothing has been accomplished or attempted. Although – as Homiki says: we are only receiving the proposals of workshops, training courses, conferences and watching films. Do these films really show how we can change the world? Still frequently homophobes attack us with impunity in the media and LGBT organizations do not challenge them to court.

The last change was under Marshal Pilsudski
Around us the world has changed: in the Czech Republic, Hungary may include gay partnerships, marriages, even in Spain, Denmark – gays adopt children. In Poland, the last major change occurred in 1932, when the Polish Penal Code nullifying the criminalization of homosexuality was approved. We owe this to Marshal Jozef Pilsudski. The PRL (Communist) and 20 years of free Poland has passed away. Persons born during the decriminalization of homosexuality in Poland today are 77 years old, and from 1932 nothing major has changed. Poland became a democratic country, a member of the European Union which basically did not change anything.
As gay matters are concerned, there is stagnation. We have no partnerships. We have no ban on hate speech. Slawek Starosta – Polish GLBT activist the longest of any (he started in 1986) told me recently that in his assessment of the early 90s, when it was allowed to open a gay club in the biggest cities to this day very little has changed in the legal sphere. In the sphere of customs there may be a little more, but thanks to a number of western films and TV celebrity. The writer Tom Raczek on Monday did more than the whole KPH over the years. (He called for a national referendum on partnership laws)

They do what they receive money for
Wait a moment – someone can say – After all, we have organizations such as the LGBT Lambda or KPH! – For a long time Gaylife points out – and finally, we shared the diagnosis with Homiki that these organizations are doing just enough to receive the money that is available (i.e. grants). And the money available is mainly disbursed by politicians who do not want any radical changes in gender equality issues.

The group of professional gays and lesbians
These organizations, especially KPH manages a small group of people. Often these are people who do not work anywhere and maintain only what is available for the project, even if the projects do not support equality. Almost everyone who is sponsored from the public funding (in English, of the EU or municipal) only organizes a conference, view the films or give a condom to the clubs. Coordinator receives (usually a few thousand zl (euros) per project. And this is the money that the “Campaign Against Homophobia,” despite the requests of our editors, does not want to publically disclose. A small group of people has made themselves a permanent source of income to organize ‘conferences, films” which from our viewpoint are not effective in terms of our struggles for equality.

Waste of enthusiasm
As we always said form the beginning the danger lies in something else – such organizations skills putting to sleep our vigilance. We as a community think that someone is fighting for our rights but at the same time nothing is actually going on. More than that many young powerful people are joining these inept organizations and in our opinion their enthusiasms is wasted on fake activities. Recently, it has become known and discussed via complaints online that volunteers applied to work at some associations and the organizations did not respond.

Full article on http://www.gaylife.pl/

Nepal: Kathmandu, Luring Gays as Tourism Destination

March 26, 2009 in Baburam Kharel, Blue Diamond Society, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Tourism, GLBT, Homosexuality, Kathmandu, LGBT, Nepal, Sunil Pant, Tourism, Travel

Luring gays as tourism destination by Baburam Kharel, ekantipur.com, sent by Sunil Pant
Photo Kathmandu Pride 2005, Blue Diamond Society

KATHMANDU, March 24 – Life’s pretty rough on gays and lesbians, more so while travelling. Even on a simple occasion like eating out, more often than not they are subjected to discrimination. For instance, waiters get nosy about their appearance and may even ask them about their sexual identity.
Fortunately, thanks to Nepal’s tourism and service industry, foreign gays and lesbians do not have to suffer like in other countries.
In a break from the traditional mindset, some of the country’s tour operators have now geared up to lure foreign gay and lesbian tourists. Earlier, this kind of travel used to be closeted.
A number of restaurants, discos and hotels have been established in the country that cater to gay and lesbian couples. Employees in these establishments have been trained to behave better so that visiting couples get the respect they are looking for.
Popular travel website utopia-asia.com has listed these various places where foreign gays and lesbians are treated differently. However, proprietors of these venues rarely open up regarding the service they provide.
Another travel website — www.visitnepal2011.com — has come to the fore calling gays and lesbians to visit Nepal. This website has posted a separate section for gay/lesbian travel but does not disclose its travel features.
Notably, according to Lonely Planet’s website, some foreign gays and lesbians have been choosing the country as the most romantic rendezvous.
Owing to the country’s deep-rooted culture of respecting guests, scores of foreign gays and lesbians travel in the country every year without any hindrance, say travel operators. But this is a subject rarely discussed.
“It is something that foreign guests are always treated in a good manner,” says Jyoti Adhikari, President of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal, an umbrella organisation of more than 700 travel agencies in the country. “Compared to other western countries, foreign gays and lesbians are not discriminated against here.”
Adhikari admits that a large number of travellers have been visiting the country since years and no case of discrimination has come to the fore. “Some restaurants and hotels in Kathmandu offer good treatment to these couples,” he informs.
Likewise, Sunil Babu Pant, a lawmaker and president of Blue Diamond Society, an organisation that advocates the rights of gays and lesbians, also admits these tourists have never been discriminated in the country whereas Nepalis from the same community are always prone to harsh treatment.
“With travel package for foreign gays and lesbians, local sexual minorities can get employment opportunity in the tourism sector,” says Pant. “The government itself should take initiative in this regard.”
The Supreme Court in a landmark verdict recently said gays and lesbians were “natural” people. It directed the government to remove all discrimination against the community and ensure for them the rights enjoyed by all other citizens.

Portugal: Fight for Free Abortion and Gay Marriage

March 26, 2009 in Duarte Vilar, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights, GLBT, Homophobia, Homosexuality, Lars Torstensson, LGBT, Portugal, Queer

Photo Francisco Leong : AFP

Fight for free abortion and gay marriage in Portugal by Lars Torstensson

The struggle for the right to free abortion started after the dictatorship had been overthrown in 1974. After the election of 1995, a majority of MP:s voted in fabour of legalization. But the Social Democratic Prime Minister, Antonio Guterres, listened to the protests from the Catholic Church, and announced a referendum. The church mobilized, and managed to win the referendum by on percent.

But after several trials against doctors and nurses who had helped pregnant women to get abortion, a new referendum was announced in 2005. It was won by the abortion advocators by around 60 percent! Now, Portugal has almost the same abortion rights as most European countries.

This spring, Portugal enters an election movement – the election will take place in the autumn – and gay marriage will be a big issue. The Catholic Church mobilises again. But no referendum will be arranged. “The Spanish experience shows that it will quickly become an undramatic question, once the decision has been taken,” says Pedro Silva Pereira, minister of coordination in the Portuguese government.

Duarte Vilar, who leads an organization for family planning, says: “it takes patience and knowledge, not alarm campaigns and negative campaigns, to be able to win against the Catholic Church.”

Henrik Brors reports this in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter yesterday.

The pictures of the article show four gay and lesbian activists, “José” and “Manuel” and “Ana” and “Maria”, acting a wedding ceremoni outside the Lissabon Parliament, in order to make MP:s vote yes to such weddings.

http://www.dn.se/fordjupning/europa2009/homoaktenskap-nasta-strid-1.829462

From 13 o’clock today, you can chat with Duarte Vilar about women’s rights and sexual equality here:

http://81.92.65.176/chatt3

Lars Torstensson

UK: Muslim Preacher, Anjem Choudary, Calls for Gays to Be Stoned to Death

March 26, 2009 in Anjem Choudary, Gay, Gay Life, Gay Rights, GLBT, Homophobia, Homosexuality, LGBT, Muslim, Peter Mandelson, Sharia, UK

Muslim preacher calls for gays to be stoned to death By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk

Photo The Sun
Hate preacher Anjem Choudary launched a vitrolic attack on gays last week in which he said that they should be stoned to death.

The former lawyer, who lives on benefits, added that this would include gay business secretary Lord Peter Mandelson, who, under Sharia law, would first be educated about the “evils” of homosexuality then executed if he confessed to a same-sex relationship.

He was speaking at a press conference in London organised by Islamic extremists to justify a protest in Luton last week against soldiers returning home from Iraq.

Choudary said: “If a man likes another man, it can happen, but if you go on to fulfil your desire, if it is proved, then there is a punishment to follow. You don’t stone to death unless there are four eyewitnesses. It is a very stringent procedure.

“There are some people who are attracted to donkeys but that does not mean it is right.”

Conservative MP Patrick Mercer told the Daily Mail: “These statements show the depravity of this man’s beliefs. They must incite hatred and encourage terrorism, and I would encourage the Metropolitan Police to investigate them as rigorously as possible.”

A Scotland Yard spokesman said police would investigate Choudary’s remarks if a complaint was made.

Choudary has previously called for Sharia law to be implemented in the UK.

Last week, he called for all British women to be forced to wear burkhas, saying: ““Every woman, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, would have to wear a traditional burkha and cover everything apart from her face and hands in public.

“In matters to do with the judicial system and the penal code, one male witness is sufficient to counter the testimony of two females. People who commit adultery would be stoned to death.”

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