2011 round up: Part one: Marriage equality

Image via Wikipedia

By Paul Canning

What stood out on the international LGBT human rights front in 2011? A lot. But lets go out on a limb and pick three things.

• The repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the ban on lesbians and gays in the US military, in September.
• The appearance of LGBT organising, at some level, in most African countries. (See, for example, what's happening in Mozambique in a post from January).
• The death of the last known gay survivor of the Holocaust, Rudolf Brazda, in France.*

I'll be rounding up the year in a series of posts over the next week - in which no doubt I've missed something, so please let me know what I've missed in the comments!

Marriage equality

In terms of The News, international reporting, this was the year of same-sex marriage.

Same-sex marriage (or 'marriage equality' or 'gay marriage') was a leading international concern - whether in the West or raised as a chimeric threat, particularly in Africa. This year it was legalised in the second most populous US state, home to the UN and intentional media - New York state. American polls also, for the first time, showed clear majority support for marriage equality.

The immigration problems of bi-national, same-sex couples due to the Bill Clinton-era federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) drew national attention in America, but the Obama administration was criticised for being slow to act to use its powers to stop deportations of husbands and wives.

In the UK the Conservative-led government committed itself to marriage equality, there is to be a consultation next year, with Tory Prime Minister David Cameron famously saying he supported it because he was a conservative. The Scottish Nationalist government in Scotland appears likely to legalise same-sex marriage too, although there has been a strong, Catholic Church-led backlash.

In France, although marriage equality failed in the French parliament it is rumored that President Nicholas Sarkozy will announce his support in elections next year, supposedly inspired by Cameron's comments. But in Spain, lesbians and gays fear that a new conservative government may go backwards and convert gay marriages into gay civil unions.

It's been proposed by the Luxembourg government and by the Finnish government, and the Danish government permitted gay marriage in churches. The German parliament is going to vote on marriage equality next year. Civil partnerships are being mooted in Poland and Estonia - a first in a post-Soviet Union state.

Last month the governing Australian Labor Party supported same-sex marriage, though its leader does not and it is likely to fail when it reaches the parliament next year.

In July the Constitutional Court of Colombia ordered the Colombian government to legislate on same-sex relationship recognition - and that if they fail to, same-sex couples will be granted all marriage rights in two years.

Brazil's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are legally entitled to civil unions, and same-sex marriage will be included in the new Nepalese constitution.

In October, in a little noticed but extremely interesting case, a Kenyan court recognised 'traditional' same-sex marriage.

In July, a court in Delhi, India, effectively recognised the marriage of a lesbian couple, whilst ordering that the state must protect them.

* NOTE: Brazda is the last known survivor of the concentration camps. Gad Beck, who managed to escape the camps and helped others survive, is still living.

In Montreal, support group aids LGBT Latino refugees

Héctor Gomez

Source: Montreal Gazette

By Justin Mahoney

When Héctor Gomez arrived in Quebec City 10 years ago from his native Bogotá, Colombia, he felt alone and without any bearings: he claimed political refugee status on the grounds that the Colombian government didn't protect him from the violence he endured for being gay.

These days, Gomez leads a non-profit organization based in Montreal that helps gay and lesbian immigrants transition into a safe Canadian haven.

Usually found at the city's outer métro line terminals or the airport, Gomez reaches out to newly arrived immigrants with pamphlets that lead to his support group named Beyond the Rainbow. Gomez knows that most gay immigrants live beyond Montreal's gay village and are used to living in the closet - hence the name of his organization.

"When you come to Montreal as a gay political refugee, there isn't anyone waiting for you at the airport with open arms. You feel abandoned and alone ... If you don't speak French or English, you can easily isolate yourself in circles where you'll find the same homophobia you tried to leave behind," says Gomez.

Gomez's organization relies on volunteers and known non-profit organizations in the city to help with his weekly meet-and-greets where people can access translation services, get a sense of community and learn about their rights in their new adopted country. The meetings are held at Université du Québec à Montréal and attract on average a predominantly Hispanic group of 40.

"The most difficult challenge with these meetings is convincing newcomers they are in a safe environment and that it is okay to be gay in Montreal ... It often takes two or three meetings before new people open up and start making new friends," Gomez says.

In Bogotá, where Gomez lived as an openly gay man, intimidation and beatings were a regular occurrence and police intervention was nonexistent.

"A group of guys once broke my jaw but it didn't make me want to go in the closet," Gomez says.

"The hardest part was dealing with my father and older brothers who were also homophobic ... They kicked me out of the house."

In Montreal, Gomez pursues his career in architecture as he did in Bogotá and hosts a radio show called Out of the Closet on Radio Centre-Ville. He says his true passion is social work.

"It makes me happy when people move on from the support group because that means we helped them find new ties here in Montreal," he says. Beyond the Rainbow has welcomed approximately 400 people since 2006.

Related articles

• In Canada, lesbian Roma migrant talks about her new life (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• Canadian refugee law changes 'will adversly effect LGBT' (madikazemi.blogspot.com)

Seeking a wider dialogue on queer migrations

Source: Feet in 2 Worlds

Camilo Godoy's photo series depicting an image of his boyfriend juxtaposed with an image taken in the same location after his boyfriend was deported

By Von Diaz & bull

I don’t often get the opportunity to share my reporting experiences in academic settings. Quite the opposite, actually. I’ve often heard academic scholars discount the work of journalists as theoretically unsound, or overly simplistic.

Last weekend, the Union of Political Science Students (UPSS) of the New School for Social Research hosted its annual graduate student conference, themed “Amplification and Resistance: Introducing Politics of the Globe.” I was invited to speak on the “Queer Migrations” panel, based on my reporting for Feet in Two Worlds.

My article was about Monica Alcota and Cristina Ojeda, a lesbian couple that may one day have to leave the U.S. because of immigration difficulties. Monica is an Argentinian immigrant who came to the U.S. to escape homophobia in her home country. Her visa expired years ago and in July 2009 she was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol when they randomly searched a Greyhound bus on which she was a passenger. She was subsequently detained for 3 months. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibits Monica from applying for citizenship in the U.S. through her legal marriage to Cristina because they are a same-sex couple. If they were a heterosexual couple, Cristina could apply for citizenship for Monica, and her expired visa status could be pardoned.

People come to the U.S. for countless different reasons, but only heterosexuals have the option to remain in the country through marriage to a U.S. citizen. This has created a rather large population — as many as 35,000 according to one report from UCLA — of same-sex couples with immigrant partners who do not have equal access to citizenship through marriage.

I used Monica and Cristina’s case to tell a larger story about DOMA’s history, and how President Obama’s recent decision to challenge it’s constitutionality might have an immediate impact on LGBTQ immigrants who are legally married to — or plan to marry — U.S. citizens.

Read more »

Colombia: censorship, discrimination and corruption on LGBT issues in government

Denuncian homofobia en Colombia

Source: ILGA/Escuela de formación feminista

[Google translation]

The Attorney General's Office did not allow publication of all material generated for the defense of the rights of LGBTI people and especially failed to sign a draft circular to all the prosecution in which just reminded Principles Dignity, Equality and Discrimination, under the International Law of Human Rights (ILHR).

Since last year the Attorney General's Office of the Republic of Colombia, Alejandro Ordonez Maldonado, condemned the work rights Daniel Antonio Human Sastoque ahead Coronado, adviser of the Group of Sexual Minorities Ethnic Affairs and the Prosecutor for the Prevention in the Field of Human Rights and Ethnic Affairs in the implementation of Preventive Action No. 04 of 2010 "Strengthening the Role Preventive PGN on LGBTI population Rights (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex)" and, contrary to the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court of Colombia and the Colombian State's international obligations on human rights, assigned roles in the Ontario Regional Office in order to remove it from advocacy and defense of the rights of LGBTI people nationwide, arbitrary decision was not motivated because previous studies lacked the staffing to justify their removal.

The Attorney General's Office did not allow the publication on the website of the entity of all the material generated for the defense of the rights of LGBTI people and especially failed to sign a draft circular to all the Public Ministry ( municipal and district ombudsmen, Ombudsman and Attorney General's Office) in which just remember the principles of Dignity, Equality and Discrimination, n under International Law Human Rights (ILHR), the title also has the LGBTI population of all rights under the Constitution and Human Rights Instruments ratified and approved by the Colombian State and the obligation to comply with the Resolution on Human Rights Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity issued by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS).

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Video: Record support for LGBT rights at United Nations

Source: International Service for Human Rights 

On 22 March 2011 the United Nations Human Rights Council (the Council) held a general debate on follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA). The VDPA reaffirms core principles of the international human rights framework, including the universality of human rights and non-discrimination. The highlight of the meeting was a joint statement delivered by Colombia on behalf of 85 States on ending acts of violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

85 is the highest number of States ever signing on to a statement of this kind. A joint NGO statement, with 119 signatories, including ISHR, commended States for the initiative and noted in particular the broad cross-regional support for the statement.

The debate also saw vital participation of networks of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) from all regions, including a cross-regional joint statement of NHRIs in support of the statement by the group of States. It emphasised that NHRIs all over the world are advocating the rights of LGBTI people regardless of the different cultural backgrounds they are working in. The statement further called on the Council to hold a panel discussion on the protection of human rights of LGBTI people.

Read more »

Happy new year - a look back and a look forward

By Paul Canning

LGBT Asylum News wishes a happy, safe and prosperous 2011 to all our readers.

In 2010 we published about a thousand posts, including 29 'action alerts'. Our daily average number of posts has gone up from about two to about four and they were viewed on the website about 110,000 times. You came from 191 countries, read, on average, one and a half pages and spent about two and a half minutes on the website. A quarter of you have visited and come back.

Our most popular content in 2010 was:

Kiana in a scene from the film 'Cul de Sac'

Iranian lesbian makes her appeal against removal by UK authorities
The story of Iranian lesbian asylum seeker Kiana Firouz, which we broke in April, attracted attention like no LGBT asylum case since that of another Iranian, Mehdi Kazemi. A petition for her drew an astonishing 45,000 signatures. In June, very quickly after a new asylum case was put to the UK Home Office, she won asylum.

Albania: reality TV programme prompts 'explosive debate' 
In March, reader John Hodgson gave us the story of Klodian Çela, an Albanian Big Brother contestant whose coming out on the show had prompted 'riots' in one town (there were claims the 'riots' were orchestrated for publicity). The story we broke was later raised by none other than Hillary Clinton as an example of homophobia in Albania during a speech to mark LGBT History Month in June!

Did X Factor 'out' a gay asylum seeker, putting him in danger?
In July we followed up on a story broken by Lesbian and Gay Foundation in Manchester of Zac, a teenage asylum seeker from the United Arab Emirates. Zac's story had appeared without his consent in the popular British tabloid newspaper The Sun - potentially exposing him to danger if he was returned. At year's end, Zac's claim for asylum has still not be settled

Iranian LGBT: Persecuted, harassed, raped, tortured, threatened with death, forced into operations
Our March post which collated testimony from Iranian transgender people, lesbians and gay men has proved popular throughout the year. Last month we published an in-depth analysis of the first report by a major NGO on the plight of Iranian LGBT.

Austria deports African gay footballer
In May we reported on Cletus B, a gay Nigerian deported by Austria. His case attracted mass support including a big demonstration in Vienna, but the authorities ignored the protests. In June a follow up report, Nigerian gay footballer deported by Austria has gone underground; Austrian police charge his counsellor with 'promoting an illegal stay', also proved popular. This story happened because of another reader, Heinz Leitner in Vienna.

In the US, two new strategies for same-sex binational couples
In November our republishing of a post by the American activist group Out4Immigration drew a lot of links and referrals from email. It looked at new ideas for changing the situation of same-sex couples facing the bald choice of having to leave America to stay together or be split apart.

In Colombia, at least ten LGBT 'cleansed' in one week
In September we reported via Argentina's AG Magazine that a wave of killings of gays had hit Northern Colombia. Although this report drew links from a few American LGBT news sources, shamefully these killings were not more widely reported.

Big victory for USA in fresh United Nations 'gay killings' vote
Last month we 'live blogged' the sensational outcome of an American move to reverse a UN vote on excluding sexual orientation in a resolution on extrajudicial killings. We were the first to post the result and the only news outlet to analyze the vote in depth, showing the massive and possibly game-changing vote by African, Caribbean and Pacific Island countries.

Damning report says practically all UK LGBT asylum claims are being refused; Border Agency "cruel and discriminatory"
In March we looked at a new report by UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG) which examined 50 LGBT asylum cases and found that nearly all had been turned down by British authorities. It also documented the then Home Office policy of 'go home and be discrete'. This report later informed Stonewall's 'No Going Back' report, released in May. In June came the historic Supreme Court decision which put an end to the 'go home and be discrete' policy.

Here's a Wordle showing the commonest words on LGBT Asylum News:

Our Twitter account, opened in September 2009, was almost at 2,000 followers at year's end and is now on 161 other 'Twitterers' lists. And we have 277 'likes' for our Facebook page - Facebook has proved an increasing source for referrals to the website in 2010.

We added 17 uploads to our YouTube channel, which we started in March, and 166 Favorites. Our video and audio has been viewed over 4000 times with In Phnom Penh, the amazing work of a 70-year-old transgender sex worker by far the most popular upload.

On the document sharing service Scribd, we've put 47 documents and these have been read over 13,000 times.

Content views by email last week

375 of you subscribe to the website by email and views of posts by this route now average over 1,000 per day - interestingly the content viewed this way is always very different to that viewed on the web. Our content also circulates widely via republishing on other websites as well as via web services like FriendFeed.

Our content has been widely picked up and repurposed by other news outlets - most notably by pinknews.co.uk, LezGetReal and the San Diego Gay and Lesbian News and later in the year by Pink Paper. We've had consistent links from the major US LGBT news outlet Towleroad, which has drawn in a huge new audience for the website.

We'd like to thank all those who have linked to, republished, 'liked' and retweeted our stories in 2010!

We'd also like to thank all those who have contributed to the website whether through their own posts or through suggesting stories or through helping with translations. We are always looking for help with translations so please let us know if you're able to help here.

Early in 2011 there will be major, exciting changes to the website. These will embed and make sustainable our goal of 'documenting the situations in countries from which LGBT people are fleeing to the UK hoping for a safe haven and the problems they can face from the UK asylum system' - and make this truly international. It will also provide a new way for our readers to talk to each other and for LGBT asylum advocates, lawyers, refugees and refugee workers to work together.

Keep watching this space! (And please give us your feedback by email or in the comments below!)

Gay Colombian denied US asylum

Image via Wikipedia

JARAMILLO-MESA v. U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL
JOSE RAUL JARAMILLO-MESA, Petitioner,
v.
U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL, Respondent.

No. 09-14788. Non-Argument Calendar.

United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit.

Filed December 20, 2010.
Before EDMONDSON, PRYOR and ANDERSON, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:

Petitioner Jose Raul Jaramillo-Mesa, a native and citizen of Colombia proceeding pro se, petitions for review of the order by the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA") affirming the Immigration Judge's ("IJ") denial of withholding of removal and relief under the United Nations Convention Against Torture ("CAT").1 No reversible error has been shown; we deny the petition.

We review the BIA's decision in this case and the IJ's decision to the extent that the BIA relied upon the IJ's reasoning. See Al Najjar v. Ashcroft, 257 F.3d 1262, 1284 (11th Cir. 2001) (noting that we review the BIA's decision; but "[i]nsofar as the [BIA] adopts the IJ's reasoning, we will review the IJ's decision as well").

We review legal determinations de novo. Id. Factual determinations are reviewed under the "highly deferential" substantial evidence test; and we must "affirm the . . . decision if it is supported by reasonable, substantial, and probative evidence on the record considered as a whole." Forgue v. U.S. Attorney Gen., 401 F.3d 1282, 1286 (11th Cir. 2005) (citation omitted). To reverse a fact determination, we must conclude "that the record not only supports reversal, but compels it." Mendoza v. U.S. Attorney Gen., 327 F.3d 1283, 1287 (11th Cir. 2003).

An alien seeking withholding of removal must show that his life or freedom would be threatened upon return to his country because of a protected ground, including membership in a particular social group. Id.; see also 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3)(A). The alien bears the burden of demonstrating that he more-likely-than-not would be persecuted or tortured upon return to his country of nationality by showing past persecution on account of a protected ground or demonstrating a future threat to his life or freedom on a protected ground. Id.; see also 8 C.F.R. § 208.16(b)(2).

Petitioner sought relief based on his conservative political beliefs and his status as an HIV-positive homosexual. When he was in college, Petitioner and three of his friends started a "socio-political" organization that aligned itself with the Conservative Party ("CP"). This organization chiefly sought to raise awareness of and advocate for the respect and recognition of the gay community. The group also participated in CP activities during elections. As the group became more involved with its social and political advocacy, Petitioner began receiving threats from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia ("FARC"). The threats increased and he decided to move to his mother's house, which was outside of the city.

While at his mother's house, Petitioner was kidnaped by the FARC and held captive for 13 days. About 10 days into his captivity, two FARC members sodomized him with an object and told him that they wanted him to stop his advocacy and renounce his rights as a homosexual. Later, after he escaped from the FARC, he received medical care at a clinic to correct an anal fissure. Shortly after his escape, Petitioner fled to the United States.

Read more »

Africans and Asians attracted to Latin America as a migration route

Image via Wikipedia   

Source: UNHCR

By Mariana Echandi

Yakpaoro is part of a new trend in South America. The refugee from Guinea is one of a growing number of Africans and Asians, many of them refugees, making their way to the continent before joining mixed migration routes from the south to the north.

UNHCR statistics show that so far this year between five and 40 per cent of total asylum applications submitted in various Latin American countries were lodged by nationals from Asia and Africa. In the past, these countries were almost exclusively hosting refugees from regional states, especially Colombia.

This new trend in the region as well, as the risks that people in migration flows face – kidnapping, extortion, rape and other serious human rights violations – will be discussed at an important meeting Thursday in Brasilia on refugee protection, statelessness and mixed migratory movements in the Americas. Senior UNHCR officials will join representatives from 20 countries at the gathering, to be hosted by Brazil’s Justice Ministry.

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In Colombia, at least ten LGBT 'cleansed' in one week

Image via Wikipedia 
Source: AG Magazine

[Google translation]

(Insurgent / RCN / Terra) - Police noticed the murder of three gay men in the Colombian city of Cucuta, capital of Norte de Santander department. Colonel Jorge Ivan Florez, police commander in Cucuta, has stated that the three men were killed in a street in the heart of the city. According to the officer, "could deal with a wrongly called" social cleansing campaign "since in the past few days have circulated leaflets in the city" in which strangers threaten thieves, drug dealers and sex workers. "

In addition, unknown have killed four men in a barn in the town of Caldas, northwestern Colombia. Their bodies, which have several gun shots were discovered in rural Chuscales, near Caldas, Medellin neighboring town.

According to the secretary of government of Caldas, Rodrigo Montoya, the authorities checked versions according to which the four men were taken to that place to be killed. The dead were identified as Eli Anderson Gomez Camargo Emerson and one child age 17. Minutes later, police captured a 26 year old man who allegedly would be one of the assailants.

According to authorities, during the weekend were killed between 7-10 people in different events in the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta.

Ask LGBT investigate two murders in Medellin

Read more »

Colombian gay rights activist wins asylum in Spain

Source: Colombia Reports

On Monday, Spain's Ministry of the Interior granted political asylum to Colombian gay rights activist Manuel Velandia, on grounds of sexual discrimination, reports Velandia's blog.

Velandia said that "the granting of his asylum demonstrated that Spain fully acknowledges sexual diversity and that sexual orientation is a right which is violated in Colombia for lesbians, gays and bisexuals".

Co-founder of the Movement for Homosexual Liberation of Colombia in 1976, Velandia left his country in 2007 after a grenade attack was carried out against him, reports magazine Semana. The attack followed recurrent anonymous death threats against him and his family.

His request for asylum was made in San Sebastian through the Spanish Red Cross with the help from the Commission for Refugees in Basque Country and from Basque LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) organisation Gehitu.

Indeed, in this country, distributions of pamphlets for "social cleansing" threatening such minorities as homosexuals are regularly reported.

• Wikipedia: LGBT in Colombia

España concede asilo por discriminación sexual a homosexual colombiano

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Video: 20 years of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission

Reflections on the work of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2010 as it works to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. IGLHRCs work spans the globe with staff in the Americas, Asia and Africa working to bring human rights to everyone, everywhere.

Related articles by Zemanta

• You're Invited to IGLHRC's A Celebration of Courage With Rep. Barney Frank (queerty.com)

Colombia Diversa, Sidibé and Frank Honored for Advancement of LGBT Rights

Source: IGLHRC 

On its 20th anniversary, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is dedicating its annual signature fundraiser - A Celebration of Courage - to marking the past two decades of activism for LGBT equality. As Cary Alan Johnson, Executive Director of IGLHRC noted, "We have come a long way from our beginnings as a small group of activists in San Francisco at a time when there were very few organizations dedicated to working on LGBT rights in an international way."

Many dedicated individuals and organizations have played a significant part in achieving progress in recognition of LGBT rights. This year's A Celebration of Courage galas - on March 15 in New York and March 18 in San Francisco - will honor Colombian LGBT organization Colombia Diversa, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, and Representative Barney Frank for their important contributions.

"In this movement that offers so many challenges, it is important that we take the time to honor the progress that has been made," says Johnson. These events offer an opportunity to remember milestones for equality; to honor those who have made a significant impact on the lives of LGBT people worldwide; and to acknowledge the supporters who have passionately and consistently sustained IGLHRC's work. It is also an important moment to gather support - including much needed financial support - that will allow IGLHRC to continue its work and partnerships with global LGBT activists.

It is the dedication to support local activists that is perhaps the hallmark of IGLHRC's work as it moves into the next decade. One such group, the Bogotá based LGBT group Colombia Diversa, will be awarded IGLHRC's Felipa de Souza award for 2010; this award, which includes $5,000 to further the recipients' work, is given annually to an outstanding grassroots group or individual in recognition of their courage and activism for the promotion and protection of human rights for all people. "In a context where human rights documentation, reporting and responding can be difficult and dangerous, Colombia Diversa is on the frontlines. Their tireless work to bring about change has made critical inroads for LGBT Colombians and for the human rights of all people," said Johnson.

Formed in 2003 by a group of LGBT activists, Colombia Diversa's work in the political, social, cultural and academic spheres has achieved significant advances for LGBT Colombians. Notably, their work led to a landmark Constitutional Court ruling in 2009 that achieved the same rights for same-sex couples as those of unmarried heterosexual couples. Colombia Diversa has successfully lobbied for political and legal change and widely reported on rights violations against LGBT people and homophobia in places like schools and the media; these efforts are placing LGBT people firmly on the regional and international human rights agenda. As a part of a broad coalition, Colombia Diversa launched the first LGBT community center in Latin America, pairing national advocacy with attention to the needs of LGBT individuals and communities. The organization is now working to secure the rights of same-sex parents and families, including the recognition of adoption by same-sex couples.

"The Felipa de Souza Award gives strong voice and respect to activists in human rights arenas all over the world," said Marcela Sánchez Buitrago, Executive Director of Colombia Diversa. "It gives Colombia Diversa a platform, allowing us to be heard and to improve our capacity to impact human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in Colombia and in Latin America."

The work of such local organizations is amplified and supported when prominent individuals or organizations use the power of their voice to advance the rights and understanding of LGBT people. UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé has done exactly this and is being honored by IGLHRC with the Outspoken Award. This award recognizes the leadership of an ally of the global LGBT community and has been accepted in previous years by luminaries such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. Mr. Sidibé has been a vocal supporter of LGBT rights, calling for inclusive HIV and AIDS programming and an end to criminalization and other discriminatory laws and practices. Since his appointment in 2009, Sidibé has used his position to stress the link between the AIDS response and global human rights. He has taken forward the message that ending the stigma and discrimination faced by LGBT people is absolutely essential to breaking the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic.

IGLHRC is also honored to present the Special Recognition Award to Representative Barney Frank, who has been a strong ally and supporter of the organization's work since its earliest days in San Francisco. Rep. Frank has been a powerful force for LGBT equality worldwide, from his trip to Russia to speak out against the country's sodomy law in 1992 to his three decades of sponsoring pro-LGBT legislation and policies as a member of the US Congress that is ongoing to this day.

The situation of LBT women in Colombia

Image by Hanoi Mark via Flickr

Source: ILGA

Document prepared by Colombia Diversa for The Beijing+15 review
1 - 12 March 2010 - UN Commission on the Status of Women, New York.

There is little information regarding the status of human rights of lesbian and bisexual women in Colombia. Difficulties related with the inexistence of state information systems or human rights organizations that include variables on the sexual orientation and gender identity of the victims, prevents the work of human rights defenders to shed some light on the real situation of this population.

Measures are not taken to eliminate the discrimination against women in all matters regarding marriage and family relationships.

Although the Colombian Government, through court rulings of the Constitutional Court C-075/2007, C-811/2007, C-798/2008, C-336/2008 and C-029/2009 has recognized rights for same sex couples – excluding marriage and adoption-, there are still obstacles for the enforcement of said rulings such as: prejudice and disinformation by public officials, requests for additional and different requirements to those applied to heterosexual couples, discriminatory interpretations of the rulings that limit the effective practice of rights.

Absence of neutrality of the Attorney General’s Office to defend the rights of same sex couples.

Attorney General Mr. Ordoñez, and Mrs. Hoyos, Delegate Attorney General for Childhood, Adolescence and Family, have stated that sexual and reproductive rights are not human rights and that the focus of gender is a dangerous “gender ideology” that is reduced to the promotion of abortion in anti-life campaigns and anti-family campaigns. On the other hand, through their documents, they have repeatedly shown little consideration and respect for human rights international law and international organisms and mechanisms in the defense of rights such as CEDAW, UNIFEM or have ignored vast interpretations of other committees of the United Nations regarding the concept of family.

Adoption by lesbian women

In concrete cases such as the request for acknowledgment to a lesbian woman to adopt a biological daughter of her permanent partner, this same organism decided to exercise an administrative surveillance of the case, to ensure that the standing of the Colombian Government be the aforementioned.

Violence and police abuse

For the years 2006- 2007 Colombia Diversa reports the murder of at least 17 transvestites dedicated to prostitution. These women are also the main victims of police abuse together with people who make their sexual orientation evident in public, such as same sex couples.

Prison situation

Lesbians, bisexuals and transvestites in prisons suffer violation of rights such as considering lesbianism as indiscipline, limitations of conjugal visits for their same sex partner in prison, control over affectionate and sexual relationships between inmates, prohibition to use clothes of the gender different to their biological one, degrading and humiliating treatments, such as denying access to cells or forcing them to shave their heads. All this was corroborated by the Human Rights Commission of the Senate.

Economic, social and cultural rights

The needs and rights of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women are not acknowledged, studied or contemplated by the public policies of the Government. It was established that lesbian and bisexual women are afraid to recognize their sexual orientation to medical personnel and for the case of transvestite women, their specific needs are not recognized by medical personnel, which implies a deficient medical attention, adding to the low subscription to the social security system in health by the latter.

• Download the report (PDF)