Latin American, Caribbean LGBTs gather in Brazil

Source: Bay Windows - Feb 1

By Rex Wockner

Some 400 LGBT leaders from 35 countries attended the fifth Latin America and Caribbean regional ILGA conference Jan. 26-31 in Curitiba, Brazil.

Now known as the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, ILGA is composed of some 670 organizations from 110 nations. It was founded in 1978.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sent a message to the delegates saying "the fight against intolerance and discrimination, and the consequent efforts to respect human nature, including sexual orientation, have guided our government since its first mandate."

He also expressed support for the government’s 3rd National Human Rights Plan, which favors a national civil-union law.

Delegates heard that 11 nations in the region still criminalize gay sex-Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Gay activists from eight of those nations were in attendance.

A number of "pre-conferences" dealt with matters such as HIV, homophobia in schools, lesbian and bisexual women’s issues, transgender issues, youth issues, racism, health matters, art and culture, the media, and the United Nations.

The opening ceremonies of the main event were attended by several public officials, including Paul Vannuchi, Lula’s secretary for human rights.

Conference support came from the United Nations, the Pan American Health Organization, the Global Fund for Women, the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the Paraná state government, the Curitiba city government, and Brazilian governmental secretariats concerned with women, human rights, and racial equality.

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Jose Genuino, Federal Deputy for Sao Paulo, member of the parliamentary front for LGBT citizenship, a network of some 200 Brazilian deputies and senators in favour of equality for LGBT people. The speech was given during the gala dinner opening the fifth ILGALAC conference.

Jose Genoino, diputado federal de Sao Paulo, miembro del Frente Parlamentario por la ciudadanía LGBT, un grupo de más de 200 diputados y senadores brasileños favorable a la igualdad de las personas LGBT. El discurso fue en la cena de gala de la V Conferencia de ILGA LAC en Curitiba, Brasil el 28 de enero de 2010, en presencia de un representante del Presidente de la República, un representante del gobierno del Estado de Paraná, de Paulo Vannuch, ministro brasileño de los Derechos hUmanos, de la Dra. Mariangela batista Galvao Simao, representante del ministro de Salud, un representad de la municipalidad de Curitiba y de representantes de tres agencias de Naciones Unidas: Eduardo Gutierrez (Desarrollo: PNUD), Dr. Pedro Chequer (ONUSida), Dra. Pamela Bermudez (OPAS, Organización Panamericana de la Salud). Dra. Gloria Careaga, Co-Secretaria general de ILGA, Beto de Jesus, Susel Paredes y Amaranta Gomez Regalado, Co-Secretarios generales de ILGALAC, Belissa Andia Perez, Secretaria Trans Mundial ILGA, de William Ulrich, Vicepresidente de Interpride y también Toni Reis y Rafaelly Wiest del comité organizador de la conferencia.

• More video from the conference 

5th ILGA LAC Conference: Message of the President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Source: ILGA - 31 January

Brasília, January 2010 Ladies and Gentlemen, I was very honoured to receive the invitation sent to me by the General Coordination of the 5th Conference of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transex and Intersex Association in Latin America and the Caribbean to take part in this important event. Owing to an international journey I am unable to be with you, but thank you for your kind invitation.

To begin, I send my best wishes to all the participants of this conference and my special welcome to the participants from other countries who honour us with their presence. I wish them a pleasant stay among us and trust that they will enjoy our well known Brazilian hospitality.

I have to state that the fight against intolerance and discrimination, and the consequent efforts to respect human nature, including sexual orientation, have guided our Government since its first mandate. At the beginning of our Government, we conferred ministerial status on the Special Secretariat for Human Rights and we created the Special Secretariat for Policies for the Promotion of Racial Equality and the Special Secretariat for Women’s Policies, also with ministerial status, all three of which were intended to articulate their respective efforts with all the other areas of the Government. Care was thus taken to ensure that human rights protection was conceived of as an integrated Government action and, moreover, as a true policy of State, with guaranteed continuity in the event of alternation between political parties in power, something which is natural and even essential to democratic life.

As such, the Special Secretariat from Human Rights, which had already given origin to the Brazil Without Homophobia Programme, approved by us in 2004, prepared the 3rd National Human Rights Plan, launched by our Government last December. Among its strategic objectives, the Plan contains the guarantee of the respect for free sexual orientation and gender identity. Another of its objectives is the reduction of violence motivated by differences of gender, race or ethnic group, age, sexual orientation and situations of vulnerability. As a consequence, policies are proposed which encourage integral women’s health care programmes, taking into consideration their specificities, including sexual orientation.

Aware of our proposals and measures, we are sure that the organizations involved in the fight for the free expression of sexual orientation will continue to progress with their work, which is already achieving good results among us, and which will always have our effective support.

I hope that the debates that will take place here will produce proposals that will contribute to the strengthening of the LGBT segment and also contribute to the enhancement of the Governmental measures that are already being taken at the federal level in Brazil.

Please will you all accept my brotherly embrace.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of the Federative Republic Of Brazil