New development of LGBT human rights in Latin America, Caribbean

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Source: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

During its 143rd regular session, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) decided to create a Unit on the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex (LGBTI) Persons, in order to strengthen its capacity to protect their rights.

In recent years the IACHR has closely followed the situation of the rights of LGBTI persons, primarily through precautionary measures, hearings, country visits, and promotional activities. The Commission has sought to protect and promote their rights and has witnessed the serious human rights violations that many of these individuals face in their daily lives.

The Commission has confirmed that LGBTI persons face serious discrimination, both in fact and in law, in the countries of the region. Among other violations, the IACHR has received information about murders, rapes, and threats to which LGBTI persons are victims. In addition, LGBTI persons face significant barriers in their access to health, employment, justice, and political participation.

The new Unit is part of the comprehensive approach the IACHR has adopted through its Strategic Plan, which promotes the harmonious development of all its work areas based on the interdependence and indivisibility of all human rights and the need to protect the rights of all individuals and groups historically subjected to discrimination.

Next year the Commission will evaluate the Unit's work and whether sufficient resources exist to make its efforts sustainable, along with the overall functioning of its Strategic Plan, and will decide on whether to create an Office of the Rapporteur on the Rights of LGBTI Persons.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

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Action alert: American states urged to protect trans citizens from violence

Source: International HIV/AIDS Alliance

Between January and June 2010 alone, 93 transgender killings were reported by the media across the world. Eight out of ten of these murders (74 cases) took place in the Latin America region.

On 7 June the General Assembly of the Organization of American States adopted a resolution on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity that reaffirms the commitments of member states made in three previous resolutions on the issue.

Now that OAS have reaffirmed their commitments to human rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity it is imperative that member states keep their promises and ensure that the rights of sexual minorities are respected, protected and promoted and that gender based hate crimes are properly investigated and perpetrators taken to justice.

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• Read the background information
• Visit the REDLACTRANS (the Latin America Network of Transgender people) website

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Organisation of American States passes LGBT human rights resolution for fourth time

By Germán Humberto Rincón Perfetti, Latin American Representative of the International Lesbian and Gay Law Association, Alternate Regional Gay Representative ILGA-LAC

At the Forty-First General Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) that was carried out in San Salvador on June seventh, all of the countries of the Americas and the Caribbean approved the resolution on “Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity" [published below], which condemns discrimination, asking the countries to adopt measures that prevent, sancion, and erradicate it for the fourth consecutive year.

They comdemned acts of violence and violations of human rights to intersex, transvestite, transexual, bisexual, lesbian, and gay people.

They invited the States to adopt a public policy against discrimination and to assure adequate protection to human rights defenders.

The Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and the Inter-American Judicial Committee will prepare regional level studies, this being the greatest achievement in this fourth consecutive resolution.

This curious note was in the head of the Vatican State who lobbied against the resolution succeeding in getting Panama to leave a clarifying note on the heterosexual family and the subject of gender to only be understood as man and woman. Once again we are being publicly persecuted by our homosexual colleagues in the Roman Catholic Church heirachy while privately we are invited into their beds. How long will it be?

This work was accompanied by a colalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans organizations from more than 20 countries who have been working for more than five years being present and making an impact on the Inter-American System.

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