Homophobic Attacks On the Rise in Italy

22nd August: In the Gay Village in Rome, a man, fed up with a gay couple kissing, assaults them with a glass bottle and then tries to kill them with a knife. They are severely injured with one in hospital in a critical conditions. Initially the man gets reproached by the police, but not arrested. Then, after much pressures, he finally gets arrested.

25th August: The LGBT club Muccassassina in Rome is set on fire with petrol and completely damaged. Fortunately is was closed and nobody was inside during the fire.

26th August: Naples - a couple of gay man are assaulted and verbally abused by a group of men in the street of the city center.

1st September - Two petrol bombs explode in the Gay Street, in San Giovanni in Lateranom Rome. A man is injured.

The government continues to promote the legitimisation of the traditional heterosexual family . They still have not enacted any law to protect LGBT people and to recognize our rights. Italy needs laws and education policy to promote awareness, non-discrimination, inclusiveness.

The Alien Legacy of Section 377

There have been media reports coming out in India that say that the government will not oppose in the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court Verdict on Section 377 of The India Penal Code. NDTV has said that it has exclusive information that in a note prepared by the Cabinet, the government will tell the Supreme Court that it doesn't find any legal error with the Delhi High Court ruling that read down section 377, decriminalising homosexuality.It goes on to say that the government leaves it to the Supreme Court to take the final decision on the High Court's judgement, which said the consensual gay sex is legal.

LGBT activists in India say that if these reports are true, it is probably one of the best thing that can happen in the supreme court, and in our long march to decriminalisation but that we should be prepared for surprises.

The High Court of Delhi ruled in Naz Foundation (India) Trust v. Government of NCT Delhi and Others that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is unconstitutional. The judgment, handed down on July 2, 2009, reinterprets the law that criminalized same sex relations and carried a penalty from 10 years to life in prison and a fine. This law will no longer apply to consensual sexual acts of adults because it violates Articles 21 (protection of life and personal liberty), 14 (equality before law) and 15 (prohibition of discrimination) of the Indian Constitution.

The law was introduced in the 1860s during British colonial rule to criminalize non-procreative sex, specifically sex between men, Section 377 has been used by police and other individuals to entrap, harass and blackmail those with non-conforming sexual orientations and gender identities and human rights defenders. This law has encouraged sexual and physical abuse of gay men and transgender people in police custody. Although the law is silent on lesbianism, it has facilitated an environment where family violence against lesbians and bisexual women occurs, leading to women’s injury, death, and suicide.

Whilst the judgment is limited to Delhi, it is widely anticipated by LGBT activists in India that similar challenges will be brought in other cities, hoping courts will favorably reference the Delhi decision. The Delhi High Court, along with the Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras) High Courts, usually leads other High Courts in India when it comes to legal trends.

The decision was welcomed by International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and Amnesty International.

Human Rights Watch have produced a report 'This Alien Legacy' which describes how laws in over three dozen countries, from India to Uganda and from Nigeria to Papua New Guinea, derive from a single law on homosexual conduct that British colonial rulers imposed on India in 1860

Baltic Pride

It was a rocky ride all the way for Baltic Pride. After being giving the go ahead to proceed on May 16th, more than half of the members of the Rīga City Council – 34 in all – then signed a letter to the executive director of the city, Andris Grīnbergs, calling on him to repeal the permission “as the decision taken by the commission is in violation not only of the normative acts that are listed in the letter, but also of the interests of people in Rīga…” The letter also stated that the march in the streets should be banned “because of a real threat against public security and morality,” . Mozaika the Latvian LGBT organisation met with Grīnbergs and the police and they understood hat a prohibition on the march would be unlawful. However, Riga City Council Commission continued with it's prohibitions on the Baltic Pride march. Mozaika then applied to the Administrative Court which lifted the ban on the Baltic Pride March which was scheduled for the following day. A representative of the Riga City Council at the court could not provide clear justifications why the City has banned the March. The Court hearing was attended by the representatives of No Pride Movement, Roman Catholic Church in Latvia and a religious sect New Generation. All three asked the Court to be allowed to participate in the hearing as interested parties but were refused permission.

Bans on LGBT Pride Marches were also lifted by the Latvian courts in 2005, 2005 and 2006. The Pride March in 2006 in Riga resulted in a hotel being held under seige.

So after all the ups and downs, finally the march went ahead. Just under 600 people took part in Baltic Pride. It was the first time that it had been jointly organized by lgbt organizations representing Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The anti-gay protesters came out in force but it was very well policed and there were no reported arrests. The area around Vērmaņdārzs Park in the city centre was the focal point for the march and the celebration area was sealed-off by police. Security was tight for those who wanted to take part and gain entry to the park. The protestors gathered outside the park in cordoned-off areas. There were placards and posters with hate messages and the protestors called for LGBT people to be exterminated in gas chambers.

One anti-gay activist Liga Dimitere, wife of Kaspars Dimiters, who is a well-known Latvian religious figure, was allowed into the secure area. She then walked backwards at the start of the parade. Dressed in a long black dress and wearing a white scarf, she carried a heavy wooden cross around her neck, She called on the Mothers of the Baltic States to wear white scarves and come to the march and “save the souls of their children from the sodomites, which are going to celebrate the “victory day” of their morbid pride. The government of my country allowed it and resigned from preventing our children from this unchastity”. She did not shout but every now and then would stop, so the Pride marches just down and then rose up at intervals to give a Mexican wave effect. Towards the end of the march, she threw herself to the ground and her husband knelt at her side praying. The pride marchers just walked passed her.

Taking part in the march were people from around 15 different countries, in addition to the three Baltic States. They came from as far apart as the Faroe Islands to Turkey, arranged by Amnesty International. Ilga-Europe, Pride London, which is ‘twinned’ with Riga Pride. A section of the march was also holding placards which said marching for those who can’t which was very significant.

Richard Moon, the UK ambassador invited guests to the UK embassy for tea and biscuits. He used the opportunity to present Mozaika with the FCO LGBT toolkit which had been translated into the three Baltic languages.

Next year, Baltic Pride will take place in Lithuania.

National Delegate Conference - Motion 63 - New Labour: What do we get for our Money? - My view

As a LGBT person I can tell you exactly what I have got for my money from New Labour:

• an equal age of consent
• an end to discrimination against my partner for immigration purposes
• the right to adopt children
• the scrapping of Section 28 (Clause 2a in Scotland)
• the banning of discrimination in the workplace and in vocational training with the introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations
• the creation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission giving LGBT people statutory body protection
• the widening of the definition of hate crimes, and increased sentencing for homophobic hate crimes
• the removal of outdated offences such as gross indecency and buggery
• the Gender Recognition Act, allowing Trans people to have their true gender recognised in law
• the Civil Partnerships Act, allowing me to have my relationships recognised in law and have the same benefits as a married couple
• discrimination in good and services outlawed
  
• And we await a draft single equality act which will be lost if the Tories get in power

Much of what has been achieved is because of the voices and opinions of trade unionists and (LGBT Labour activists) within the party and in my view the weakening of that link will silence our voice even more.

At a time when we are in real danger of facing the prospect of a Tory government, we should be rallying together not dividing because that is what the Tories want. A party that is divided. Trade Unions turning their back on the party that we built. Spending time reviewing the link when we have more urgent things to get on with like defeating the BNP and the Tories.

I am not saying that New Labour has not made some drastic mistakes and that we have had a battle on our hands and still do. I am not saying that our public services have been put under pressure, that our pay does not matter, that our pensions don’t and that our rights as trade unionists should be eroded. We still have a battle. But with the Tories it would be a war. It would not be positively public. It would be positively private. UNISON – the private service union.

There is all this talk about New labour and Old labour – we are talking about the labour party here – our party - not the Government. The party is different to the govenment. Who else is a viable alternative? Respect? Socialist Workers Party? Lib dems? Dare I say it - the Tories?

I choose to pay into the affiliated political fund and it is financed solely by members who pay the levy not by the general membership.

California Supreme Court hears lesbian fertility case

Following the recent debates on the removal of the clause of the need for a father in the UK, this case which I have blogged about earlier is interesting. On 28th May 2008 the California Supreme Court started hearing the case of a Lesbian who claims she denied fertility treatment by Christian Fundamentalist Doctors on the rounds of her sexual orientation. She is represented by Lambda Legal. The court has 90 days to issue an opinion about the case.

On their website Lambda Legal states it is the oldest national organization pursuing high-impact litigation, public education and advocacy on behalf of equality and civil rights for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV in the US. Lambda Legal also give details of other cases that are currently open which include the refusal to allow a joint mortgage to a lesbian couple, the refusal of fertility treatment to gay men, homophobic bullying in schools, cutomer prejudices not grounds to terminate a transgender employee's employment and the right for same-sex couples to marry.

For other coverage of the fertility case see: Yahoo News Report. Ventura County Star News. KCBS News. Fox news.

No Gays in Jamaican Cabinet

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding said he would not allow gays in his Cabinet. He told BBC television he has the right to make that decision and to form a Cabinet that represents the Jamaican people. Jamaica will not allow outside groups to impose their values, he said on Monday while on an official visit to London. The Jamaican Observer both reports on the interview and responds to the "great-white shark of British broadcasting Stephen Sackur" interview with the Prime Minister here.

Such statements incite more violence against gays, said Jason McFarlane, a spokesman for Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG).

Last year in the run up to the elections Bruce Golding dismissed any notion of lifting a draconian ban on homosexuality. Golding said the the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), was not prepared to challenge the anti-gay status quo. "Let us be very clear," Golding told the Jamaica Sunday Observer. "There are some countries that are prepared to overturn tradition and culture in the interest of what they regard as individual freedoms and to do so at the instance of the homosexual fraternity, which comprises a minority in the population. You will find this pretty prevalent in Europe. We (the JLP) are not prepared to go in that direction, we intend to uphold the laws of the country." Golding concedes that people should be allowed to do what they like in the privacy of their homes. "We don't believe that the state should be pushing down people's bedroom doors to find what they do there, because, if you push it down today to enforce laws that relate to sexual activity, you will push it down tomorrow for some other purpose. So we are not going there," he said.

Elections in Jamaica were held on September 3rd 2007 with JLP who were the opposition party gaining a slim victory against the Peoples National Party (PNP) headed by Portia Simpson-Miller. The PNP had been in Government for 18 years. The Jamican Labour party is aligned to conservatism despite it's name whilst the PNP is a socialist democratic party.

Promoting LGBT Rights All Over the World

Pink News has reported on the UKs commitment to promoting LGBT rights overseas. The report is about the fact that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued an 'LGBT Toolkit' to its 261 embassies, high commissions and other diplomatic posts. The kit contains information on the official FCO policy on gay rights and instructions in how to "provide added value to equality and non-discrimination work." It covers a wide range of issues, from decriminalisation, sexual health, reproductive rights and health education.

UNISON, the TUC and LGBT Labour have all had an inpput into the FCO programme and toolkit and it is a start (despite the critical comments received) with the FCO committing itself to future meetings with stakeholders.

Gays told to Go Home

Just arrived back from Vilnius after attending the ILGA-Europe Conference 2007 which as always is enjoyable, thought provoking and rejuvenating as well as humbling. It was particularly humbling this year as we saw first hand, what it is like to have a gay rally banned by the mayor. Usually we are invited to a civic reception! We were also subjected to a counter demonstration outside the hotel where the conference was held and more frighteningly smoke bombs were let off in the clubs that we were socialising in and some delegates were threatened. At least some of us can go home to our relatively safe countries where we are accorded protection from discrimination. Not so our friends from Lithuania. Fortunately, there were high profile guests and politicians who witnessed these events and the media coverage was very wide - now at least the Lithuanian Government know we are watching.

See BBC News and ILGA-Europe for further details of media coverage of the incidents and the conference.

Why LGBT Labour supporters should vote Peter Hain for Deputy Leader

He imposed the Sexual Orientation Regulations on Northern Ireland despite strong opposition.

He is responsible for ensuring that the Civil Partnerships Bill made it onto the legislative agenda.

When he negotiated the European Constitution as the government representative he argued for much more extensive protections for people on grounds of sexuality.

He is keen to point out that when the issue of exemptions for Roman Catholic-run adoption agencies came before Cabinet, he was having none of it.

He supports specific legislation similar to incitement to racial hatred and against incitement to religious hatred to cover sexual orientation. He believes that that we have to make sure there are no hate crimes against any groups in Britain, whether that is on grounds of faith or sexuality, race or any other grounds.

In respect of homophobic bullying he believes that we have got to go beyond equality legislation – we have got to involve teachers and parents and school governors in a proper process of dialogue about this problem.

In Europe, he believes that countries, in joining the EU, have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, which bans discrimination of any kind, including homophobia. It is important that the EU takes on the agenda in ensuring that homophobia is tackled just as it has been tackling racism or discrimination on the grounds of gender.

For the full interview with Peter Hain laying out his stall for LGBT rights in Pink News