"Ich bin ein Niemand" ["I'm a nobody"]: Gay Iranian refused German asylum

Sepehr Nazari

Source: Frankfurter Rundschau (via Google translate)

By Von Marian Brehmer

Sepehr Nazari is gay and comes from Iran. Where gays are executed when they are discovered. Nazari took refuge in Germany, presented an application for asylum, and learned that he is not welcome here.

Sepehr Nazari, 25 years old, would like to start a new life without fear. But it's not that simple.

In Iran, the country Sepehr Nazari comes from, men like him do not exist. At least, says the  Iranian president,Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When asked in 2007 during a visit to New York's Columbia University about homosexuality in Iran, he shrugged his shoulders. He did not know what was the question. There are gays in America perhaps, but not in Iran.

The country Nazari talks of seems to be another one to Ahmadinejad's. He knew many gay men in Iran. He tells of secret hangouts and gay cafes, five queer identified online newspapers he has written for. At an international Online Dating Service for homosexuals were just in his home city of Tehran thousands of gays with profiles - more than in Berlin, he says.

Being gay in Iran is dangerous. The article 110 of the "hadd punishments for homosexuality" is: "The hadd punishment for homosexuality in the form of transport is the death penalty. The method of killing is at the discretion of the judge." But even "who has a kissing another of sensuality, is punished with a Tazir penalty of up to 60 lashes." Since 1979, according to Iranian human rights activist, four thousand homosexuals have been executed.

Sepehr Nazari in the spring of 2011 sought asylum in Germany, he currently resides in Dresden, and often comes to Berlin. As a meeting place the 25-year-old has picked his favorite cafe, located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin Reichenberg. In perfect English he tells his story.

Sent to the psychologist

At fourteen, he knew he was gay. Once, when his friend was visiting, Sepehr's mother burst into the room. She saw her son, entwined with a man, "This is immoral! I knew that you're spoiled," she shrieked. The friend fled from the apartment. Sepehr locked himself in the shower, until his father persuaded him to come out. This is only a phase that will pass soon, his father said. Since then the two have never spoken a word about his homosexuality.

Homosexuality is against nature, it is contrary to God's will. How often has Sepehr heard this. However, his parents are not religious, but rather concerned about the family, neighbors and friends. What to think? "I've always asked my mother what she really thinks," said Sepehr. He never received a reply.

Instead, his mother sent him to a psychologist. Some doctors in Iran are focused on the "disease" of homosexuality, prescribing electric shocks as therapy. Sepehr Nazari was lucky. The lady examined him and asked many questions. The result: He had a strong personality. Nothing more.

Sepehr never had trouble with the police. In the university no one knew about his homosexuality, he never talked to anyone about it. A double life? He laughs. "No, a multiple life. A life for the university, one for work, one for friends, one for close friends and one for the family. "

Once, Sepehr complained about a professor at the university because the language students had been only hours to translate Koran verses. He wrote a complaint letter to the dean.

Shortly after Sepehr got a call from the Secret Service. They want to meet with him to clarify a few things, it said. Through friends at the university he learned that the agency knew of his homosexuality. In March, the Persian New Year holidays, Nazari was flying on a Schengen visa to the Netherlands. There he wanted to visit some friends he knew from student exchange. The return ticket was already booked for Iran. But then he came to Berlin, met old friends from the German course. They convinced him not to return to Iran. Only then did he realize that his return could actually be dangerous for him.

He applied for in June 2011. Priority is given to applicants who have been tortured or leave their homeland for political reasons. Homosexuals are not considered hardship cases and thus can not count on a quick settlement of the asylum application. Not even when they face the death penalty in their homeland.

"War zone" in Chemnitz

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New comic book examines gays' fate in Nazi Europe

By Paul Canning

French graphic artists Michel Dufranne and Milorad Vicanovic-Maza with Christian Lerolle have produced the first comic book about the gay experience of the Holocaust.

It tells the story of "discreet, cheerful and romantic" designer and advertising art teacher, Andreas from the early 1930s in Berlin.

Life then is OK if you are gay - but the "brown plague" gradually invades the streets, and the city's institutions. Laws are enacted. Andreas experiences violence. He is sent to prison, then a concentration camp.

Surviving the abuse, post-war does not bring more rest. Taken prisoner again, a new fight begins for his rehabilitation. This fight, which seems lost in advance, will be won by betraying his identity. Like many other gays, he disguises his history, saying he was a "red triangle" (political prisoner). He marries a lesbian and together they raise the child she was forced to have with a Nazi officer.

The pink triangle ('Triangle rose') was the symbol in the Nazi concentration camps used to mark gay men. The deportation of homosexuals by the Nazis was part of a logic of repression of "undesirables" (antisocial, criminal, etc.).

The memory of the deportation of homosexuals is fairly recent. On 25 September 2010, a plaque in memory of "victims of Nazi barbarism, deported on grounds of homosexuality" was placed in the Struthof camp (Alsace). Elsewhere, plaques and monuments recall the deportation of homosexuals by the Nazis. These include ones in the cities of Amsterdam, Berlin, Bologna, The Hague, Frankfurt, Cologne, Anchorage, Sydney, San Francisco and Montevideo.

The last known survivor of the deportations was Rudolf Brazda, who was sent to Buchenwald for almost three years. He died this year at the age of 98 years.

The anti-gay Paragraph 175 law was finally amended in West Germany in 1969, and homosexuality ceased to be a reason for imprisonment, it was finally repealed in 1994 in the reunited Germany. The authors note that the French Article 331 of the Penal Code in the Vichy regime was only deleted in 1982.

In Germany a foundation dedicated to research in the memory of gay people persecuted under the Nazis during the Holocaust has been awarded more than $20 million.

The establishment of the Magnus Hirschfeld National Foundation, named after the late founder of the former Institute for Sexual Research, by the Department of Finance, comes after more than three decades of lobbying by volunteers of the Magnus Hirschfeld Society.

Hirschfeld was an openly gay Jewish sexologist driven from Germany with his work burned when the Nazis came to power.

"The foundation comes far too late to compensate the GLBT survivors of the Nazi period, but it will help the research to commemorate their names and fates," Ralf Dose, founder of the Hirschfeld society, told Bay Area Reporter. The establishment of the foundation comes a decade after the first bill regarding its establishment passed the Bundestag in 2001.

Some of the few remaining original works of Hirschfeld will be on display in an exhibit at the Schwules Museum, Berlin, from December 6 through the end of March.

Related articles

• Video: Last gay Holocaust survivor dies (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• AFA's Bryan Fischer Claims Christians are Hate Crime Victims, Says Nazi Party Started in Munich Gay Bar: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
• French national tribute to last 'pink triangle' survivor (madikazemi.blogspot.com)

Ugandan lesbian refugee in Germany tells her story

Lillian

Source: Deutche Welle

By Author: Naomi Conrad

"Some guys broke into my house and started raping and beating me," Lillian said, playing with her short, spiky dreadlocks while explaining why she had to leave Uganda. "The men told me: Until you stop being a lesbian, we will continue to do this to you."

Homophobia runs deep in Uganda. Known gays and lesbians are ostracized, said Musaazi Namiti, a Ugandan journalist who lives in Qatar. "Most employers would never hire a known homosexual." Homophobia is fueled by many of the country’s Pentecostal churches where sermons against homosexuals are common and widely accepted, he added.

Homosexuality is an 'evil'

David Bahati, a member of the Ugandan Parliament, said he believes homosexuality is an "evil" that needs to be "cured" and claimed that some 95 percent of Ugandans hold the same view. As in 36 other African countries, homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and those caught face imprisonment. The laws date back to the colonial times and the British penal code. For Bahati, imprisonment is not enough. He introduced a bill in 2009 that called for the death penalty in certain cases.

The bill was dropped, following an international outcry and condemnation - and the threat to cut development aid. An attempt to reintroduce it in August of this year was blocked by the Ugandan government. But Bahati said he hopes it will be reintroduced at some point in the future. "The bill is now the property of the parliament," he said.

The main danger is from the public

The main danger homosexuals face come from the public and their own families. When someone told Lillian's family she was homosexual, they lured her back to her village from Kampala, where she worked as a journalist. Her grandmother was dying, they told her. She had to see her before she died.

When she arrived at the village, the elders confronted her, called her a disgrace to the clan and beat her. Someone pushed her, she fell and cut her face and throat on pieces of glass. "One of my relatives said: If you die now, we don't care." Thick scars run down her cheek, framing her face. She managed to return to Kampala, where she said she thought maintaining a low profile would keep her safe.

Like Lillian, many homosexuals try to hide their sexuality to stay out of danger, according to Amnesty International's Stephen Cooper.

In 2009, Lillian wrote an article in a small magazine criticizing the proposed anti-homosexuality bill.  The response to the article was immediate - and violent.

"I got a lot of threats, a lot of attacks," she said, adding that she changed her house three times only to have the threatening phone calls continue. She was harassed in public and beaten up on several occasions. "The public beating up homosexuals is quite a usual thing in Uganda."

No help from the police

She went to a police station after a group of men had broken into her flat and raped her only to have the police officer threaten to put her behind bars. Lillian realized that she had to leave Uganda. She won a journalism scholarship to Germany and decided to apply for asylum.

She was lucky, her lawyer Gisela Seidler said. Lillian's case was processed quickly and she was granted asylum within a couple of months. She had proof that she was a journalist and had worked as an activist in Uganda. This is very unusual, as cases often drag on for months, according to Seidler.

While the legal framework for asylum seekers has improved within the last few years, Seidler said many judges still work upon the assumption that as long as homosexuals keep their sexuality private they are no danger in their country - an assumption the lawyer called ludicrous.

"It’s like saying that political activists should just keep their mouth shut," Seidler said.

Asylum lottery

There are no figures as to how many homosexuals apply for asylum. But the chances of getting asylum approved depend on the judge who is assigned to a case. While some judges do serious research, others sometimes reply on outdated sources. A positive decision can depend on "whether you file your case on a Tuesday or a Thursday, or whether you file it in Munich or in neighboring Nuremberg," Seidler said.

One of her other clients, a gay Nigerian, was recently denied asylum. The people who see their application rejected, Seidler said, still are not in a position to pack their bags and return to their home countries.

"They know that they're in real danger." Lillian said. "Had I not been granted asylum, I would have gone to a neighboring African country."

Even now, Lillian continues to hide her homosexuality: she is still living in an asylum hostel.

"My councillor told me to keep quiet about being homosexual," Lillian said, adding that a gay asylum seeker was beaten up when the others in the hostel found out.

Lillian only shares her secret with close friends and asked not to be identified here out of fear for her own safety. At the end of the year she wants to leave the hostel and move into an apartment of her own. She said she wants to find a job and apply for a visa for her girlfriend, who she hopes to marry.

Gay 'conversion therapy' government funded in Hong Kong

By Paul Canning

The Hong Kong government is paying for discredited Reparative or Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy (SOCT) for LGBT citizens.

Since June, the Hong Kong Government Social Welfare Department has been using the Christian SOCT organisation New Creation, to train the department's social workers in ”converting” their young clients' sexual orientation.

The concept has long been promoted by US evangelical groups. Now it is reaching around the world with 'conversion' a major component of anti-gay efforts by evangelicals in Africa and hundreds of 'Christian' clinics in Ecuador inflicting physical and psychological torture on lesbians to try to “cure” them.

In the Bavarian city of Munich the Union of Catholic Physicians in Germany recently announced it had found a cure for homosexuality.

Germany's LSVD gay and lesbian association executive director, Klaus Jetz, says conversion therapists are a growing problem in Germany.

"They are copying what has been going on in the US for a long time, and now they're coming to Germany," he told Deutsche Welle.

Mainstream medical associations universally pan the idea that you can 'pray away the gay' and the movement has lost ground in the US due to media exposure and general mockery of some of its more patently absurd elements.

Michelle Goldberg at the Daily Beast, just wrote about the 'End of the Ex-gay Movement'.

This followed the news that a 21 year veteran of the primary American 'ex-gay' group Exodus International, with 11 years on the board of directors, John Smid just wrote that:

I also want to reiterate here that the transformation for the vast majority of homosexuals will not include a change of sexual orientation. Actually I’ve never met a man who experienced a change from homosexual to heterosexual.

In Hong Kong a coalition, Tongzhi Community Joint Meeting, was formed to launch a global petition campaign against the Hong Kong government paying for 'pray away the gay' training. More than 20,000 signatures have been collected. In addition, a solidarity protest led by LGBT Asian American groups took place in New York back in August.

They say that the government is violating the Guidelines on Code of Practice for Registered Social Workers, the World Health Organization's position on sexual orientation, the Hong Kong Bill of Rights, the Convention of the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Guidelines on Sex Educations in Schools issued by the Curriculum Development Council of HKSAR, the Code of Professional Conduct by Medical Council and the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders.

The Social Welfare Department refused to publicize the details of what they were planning, but LGBT activists managed to collect a list of related documents which they published on a webpage “WiGayLeaks” [zh]. The documents show that the efforts are based on the “sick model” assumption with an attempt to convince the attendees that “same sex attraction is curable” and draw co-relation between homosexuality with AIDS and other sexual transmitted diseases.

In Ecuador, activists have managed to get numerous 'pray away the gay' clinics shut down. Hopefully the people in Hong Kong will have similar success.

Related articles

• Ecuadorian clinics torture LGBT to "cure" them (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• Small gain as Hong Kong extends relationship visas to LGBT families (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• Hong Kong's Pink Season, Sep 30 - Dec 4 (fridae.asia)

Europe's 'last dictator' can't pronounce 'homosexuality'

Picture by Ethan Zuckerman

By Paul Canning

The Belarussian gay website gayby reports that Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenkо - who has been described as "Europe's last dictator" - was unable to pronounce the word homosexuality on the first try at a 7 October press conference with Russian journalists.

They say:

After several unsuccessful attempts, he specified: "Well, what you may call it, when a man with a man… homosexuality.”

At the press conference Lukashenkо explained how he had "unwillingly" offended the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland by criticizing homosexual relations.

Guido Westerwelle, the German Foreign Minister, is gay and lives openly with his partner, Michael Mronz. A year ago at a state dinner Lukashenko is reported to have advised Westerwelle on how to lead a "normal life"

"Westerwelle remembers this even now. I still feel guilty – who made me say this? I did not mean to offend him. If he likes this and this is normal for them… But it’s beyond my comprehension. I said this honestly,” Lukashenko said on Friday .

Der Spiegel described the apology as "too late .. and unconvincing."

Lukashenko added:

"As for lesbians, this is the blame of men, this is tolerable. But if men – I do not understand this.”

LGBT are repressed in Belarus and Deputy Chairman Sergey Yenin of Belorussian LGBT rights group IDAHO-BELARUS is currently touring with showings of the documentary East Bloc Love.

In advance of a visit to the UK 15 October he said:

“I’ve been beaten by police, thrown out of my university by the secret police and exiled to Warsaw, but I will not be silenced by the dictatorship of Alexander Lukashenka."

“Gay people in Belarus have no voice, so I’m grateful for being given the opportunity to highlight our cause to the wider European community.”

According to the results of a survey conducted by Gay.by in April 2011, 65.6% of respondents have thought of leaving Belarus because of homophobia.

In June the Executive Committee of the Belarus' capital Minsk banned the display of the rainbow flag, the international symbol of the LGBT movement designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978.

Last month the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, said
that Europe needed to defend human rights workers on the continent. He wrote:

The clampdown on human rights defenders in Belarus continues unabated. In early August, Ales Bialiatski, the chair of the Human Rights Centre Viasna and vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), was arrested. He is still being held in pre-trial detention. Activists who have demonstrated for his release have been summoned by the police and one of them is awaiting trial.

Related articles

• Belorussian gay leader to visit UK (madikazemi.blogspot.com)
• Germany wants tougher sanctions against Belarus (rt.com)

In Georgia, an attempt to kill three gay German tourists

Omalo image via Wikipedia

Source: Interfax

Three German tourists, which turned out to be gay, were beaten and thrown into a river in the mountainous village of Omalo in Georgia on the border with the Russian republic of Chechnya.

Several young Georgians, who had arrived in Omalo as tourists from [Georgian capital] Tbilisi, invited the three German tourists to their table at a local restaurant, the Kakhetia information center said, citing a representative from a travel agency.

After traditional Georgian toasts, including one for love, the invited guests started passionately kiss each other in the lips. The hosts, having misunderstood the same sex love, felt affronted - first they beat up the German gays, and then tied their hands and legs and threw them into the river.

The foreigners were pulled from the river by local residents, who also helped the victims to descend safely into the valley.

No criminal investigation has been launched into the incident, as the German tourists quickly left Georgia, having complained neither to the Georgian police, nor to the German Embassy in Tbilisi.

New study shows increasing German support for 'global south' LGBT

Source: CSDSO

By Rene Mertens

The German Institute for Human Rights has called for more systematic work for human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in developing and transition countries.

"Human rights are universal to all people equally, but obviously not to people whose sexual orientation and gender identity [are effected by] the majority of social norms. So far there are hardly any examples and strategies [as to] how their rights can be promoted," said Beate Rudolf, director of the German Institute of Human Rights.

To mark the publication of the study 'Menschenrechte fördern! Deutsche Unterstützung für lesbische,  schwule, bisexuelle, trans* und  inter* (LSBTI) Menschenrechtsarbeit  im Globalen Süden und Osten' (Human rights support! German support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans * and * international human rights work in the Global South and East) Rudolf warned of a need for greater flexibility in the eligibility criteria as LGBTI organisations must often operate in secret and could often pay no co-payment. This hampers their access to funding

Ise Bosch, CEO of Linden Three gGmbH and co-editor of the study, urged the German foundations to take the precarious situation of human rights of LGBTI increasingly into consideration:

"Only 9 of 16,500 German foundations promote the human rights of LGBTI in the Global South and East," he said.

This is surprising given the great need for action to protect people who because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, in many parts of the world, are particularly vulnerable to violence, poverty, disease and social exclusion. The research presented shows the financial scope and purpose on LGBTI funding of both government and private organisations. It calls for the involvement of local LGBTI actors, targeted funding in areas where LGBTI be criminalised, and the expansion of research to promote social change and to reduce discrimination.

Executive Summary

In 2010, 17 German donors gave a total of 1,916,885 Euro to LGBTI human rights projects in the global South and East, 715,790 Euro of which were regrants. Compared to financial flows in 2008, covered in our 2009 study, LGBTI grantmaking has more than tripled. Since state actors participated in the survey for the frst time, this increase is largely due to their involvement since they were the most generous donors. But even without considering the funding supplied by state actors, LGBTI grantmaking is shown to have risen modestly – from 622,200 Euro to 766,715 Euro.

In addition, the number of donor organisations has increased to 17 (2008: 11) as has the number of projects funded (105 in 2010 from 47 in 2008) and the number of countries, from 11 in 2008 to now more than 30 countries worldwide.

The detailed analysis of the figures demonstrates that the inclusion of LGBTI issues in HIV/AIDS programming has progressed greatly. Funding activity for direct services, organisational development and international networking could be increased. Countries in North Africa and Eastern Asia have not been targeted by German LGBTI funders.

For the frst time, lesbians and transgender people received specialised funding, which is an encouraging development. Intersex and bisexual people, as well as LGBTI people who suffer from multiple forms of discrimination, remain conspicuously absent from the list of grantmaking recipients.

Menschenrechte fördern! Deutsche Unterstützung für lesbische, schwule, bisexuelle, trans* und inter* (LSB...

Related articles

• Video: How the European Union is supporting international LGBT rights (madikazemi.blogspot.com)

Paper: Who is paying the Price? Queer Refugees and the Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Partnerships

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By Petra Sußner

Let me start in 2001. This is when the Life Partnership Act was passed in Germany, legalizing registered partnerships for same-sex couples, and thus turning so-called ‘gay marriage’ into legal reality. Equal rights activists celebrated. Fatima El Tayeb used this step as an opportunity for raising the issue of the category of race within this discourse around the legal recognition of sexual outlaws, respectively certain same-sex lifestyles. Under the title “Limited Horizons“she did not mince her words:

“[The analysis of German society itself] is still dominated by the conviction that ‘race’ is a concept which – with the exception of the years between 1933 and 1945 – is irrelevant in the German context and can thus be safely disregarded. [...] A practice which in the case of queer identity with increasing exclusiveness is directed at the assimilation of white lesbians and gays to a European system whose practices of exclusion, in turn, are more and more clearly based on racist criteria.” (El Tayeb 2003: 130) And further: “The question, to what extent lesbians and gays, who are part of the German majority population, benefit from the increasing racial exclusion – as they have the right passports, skin colour and religion – is barely asked.” (El Tayeb 2003: 132)

Notably Fatima El Tayeb's critique was published before Jasbir Puar broke an important ground by coining the term homonationalism, thereby adressing the national inclusion of 'proper' lesbian or gay subjects contingent upon the segregation and marginalisation of racial 'others'. (Puar, 2007)

Meanwhile both in academia and in activist circles the critique of normative queerness and the discursive framing of Western LGBTQ people as persons, who are in need for protection from 'homophobic migrants', has gained currency (cf Haritaworn, 2010). As a matter of fact this critique does not spare LGBTQ contexts and their tendency to frame whiteness as the normal condition. A well known example was offered by Judith Butler turning down the Berlin Pride Civil Courage Prize in 2010. Referring to the concept of homonationalism, she harshly criticised the organisers' lack of distance from racialist politics and stated that she would pass the prize to queer of colour organisations, if she were able to.

Recently Christa Markom and Ines Rössl addressed an aspect of this debate that is of peculiar interest for my contribution:

“Thereby the ‘turkish woman' and the 'turkish man' are assumed to be heterosexual. There is hardly space for the picture of a 'gay or lesbian turk' within the (political, media and everyday-) discourses.“ (Markom/Rössl, 2010: 321)

In my contribution I want to take up the issue of invisibility of LGBTQ people, who do not have their origins in the modern 'enlightened' West, and ask which legal mechanisms of segregation we implicitly serve, if we turn to a Politics of Rights (cf Hark, 2000). In concrete terms I will turn to the introduction of the Registered Partnership Act (RPA) in Austria and the corresponding ancillary chances within Asylum Law. The legal recognition of same-sex partnerships shall thereby serve as my point of departure, as it is considered as one of the most evident manifestations of LGBTQ equal rights politics and thus offers an exemplary arena to untangle the mechanisms of exclusion that are coming along with such politics.

Who is paying the Price? Queer Refugees and the Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Partnerships

Video: Last gay Holocaust survivor dies

By Paul Canning

Update: Alice Murray, director of the Dallas Holocaust Museum, has told Dallas Voice that another gay Holocaust survivor, Gad Beck, is still alive. You can view a film about him here.

Rudolf Brazda, believed to be the last surviving person sent by the Nazis to the death camps for homosexuality, has died aged 98.

He died 3 August, a statement by LSVD Berlin-Brandenburg announced yesterday. The group said that a memorial event would take place for Brazda later today in Berlin.

The group had proposed Brazda be awarded the German Federal Cross of Merit, however it is not awarded posthumously. In April Brazda received France's top honour Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour).

Brazda's life has been documented in the book 'Das Glück kam immer zu mir' ("Happiness always came to me," which is sort of his motto as he believes he survived through unbroken humor and optimism). Author Alexander Zinn. filmed his research and interviews, as well as Brazda's shattering return to the Buchenwald concentration camp, for a new documentary, which he hopes should come out this year.

It was only in 2008 that Brazda's story first came to light. After hearing of the unveiling of the Berlin monument to the 'pink triangles', he decided to tell his story. He previously received the gold medals of the cities of Toulouse and Nancy

In spite of his old age, and health permitting, Brazda was determined to continue speaking out about his past, in the hope that younger generations remain vigilant in the face of present day behaviour and thoughts similar to those which led to the persecutions endured by homosexuals during the Nazi era.

His funeral will be held Monday, 8 August at 10am in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. In accordance with his will, his remains will be cremated and his ashes placed alongside those of his life partner of more than 50 years, Edward Mayer, who died in 2003 in Mulhouse.

UPDATE, 8 August: TÊTU reports that around 40 people including representatives of veterans and gay rights associations attended Brazda's funeral today. The presiding priest, Father Leonard Basler, particularly cited the "high price paid for his homosexuality" by referring to "32 months of hell" spent in the concentration camp Buchenwald. "Whatever our beliefs, our faith in man or God, we can go a long way together," Basler added.

Yagg reports that instead of flowers, donations to either the nursing home The Molènes or to the group Les "Oublié(e)s" de la Mémoire:: Association Civile Homosexuelle du Devoir de Mémoire be given in his name.

Philippe Couillet, national president of Les "Oublié(e)s" de la Mémoire said that there would probably be a national tribute to Rudolf Brazda in September, without giving further details at this time.

French Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Marc Laffineur, said in a statement that he "salutes the memory of thousands of men and women who were persecuted for their sexual orientation. Their trials and their martyrdom require us to remain adamant against intolerance and exclusion. "

Interview with Brazda by Yagg magazine.



The Nazi treatment of gay people first came to light in the late 1970s through the efforts of the very few remaining survivors, especially the play Bent, which was based on the first testimony to be published, in the book the Men with the Pink Triangle.

Bent was made into a film ten years ago with Clive Owen and Lothaire Bluteau - Trailer:

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Report: In six EU countries refugee protection "significantly divergent"

Image by solidether via Flickr

Source: UNHCR

"Safe at Last? Law and Practice in Selected EU Member States with Respect to Asylum-Seekers Fleeing Indiscriminate Violence" examines the application in particular of Article 15(c) of the EU's Qualification Directive (QD), under which Member States are required to grant subsidiary protection to persons fleeing ''serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of internal or international armed conflict."

The research has focused on the practice of six EU Member States who received together 75% of EU asylum claims in 2010: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. The study looked in particular at the assessment of claims for protection by Afghans, Iraqis and Somalis.

The study found, among other things, that the approaches to application of Article 15(c) of the Qualification Directive are significantly divergent between the six Member States examined. In some cases, it would appear to be applied in such a narrow manner that protection is denied to many persons which Article 15(c) was originally intended to cover. In some States, it is applied to an extremely small percentage of people fleeing situations of violence and armed conflict overall.

In addition, it appeared that States are not granting refugee status under the 1951 Refugee Convention to some people fleeing indiscriminate violence who, in UNHCR's view, would be entitled to it. It is found moreover that the added value of Article 15(c ) QD compared to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is not clear; that approaches to assessing the level of violence required to trigger
application of the provision vary widely; and that the concept of a "real risk" is interpreted in a way that imposes a heavy burden on applicants to show they are exposed to individual risks.

Based on these findings, UNHCR puts forward nine recommendations to Member States and the EU in order to ensure that protection is granted to persons fleeing indiscriminate violence.

Safe at Last? Law and Practice in Selected EU Member States with Respect to Asylum-Seekers Fleeing Indiscri...

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EU surveys LGBT rights Union-wide

Image via Wikipedia

By Alex Wright

The European Union's European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has produced research reports on LGBT issues since 2008. The 2011 report builds on previous FRA legal and social research from 2008 and 2009, enabling, for the first time, a review of legal trends.

The latest periodical report from the FRA takes a broad look at LGBT discrimination over the whole of the EU focusing on six key areas: Sterotyping, violence, asylum, family rights, employment and freedom of assembly and expression. The research was done in a holistic and wide-ranging manner, involving working groups, meetings with NGOs, experts and policy bodies.

Key findings

Public opinion across the EU seems to show that perception of LGBT discrimination being widespread to be slightly down. Unsurpisingly, the report notes some recurring ideas, that younger people are more accepting of LGBT than older, that some seek ‘invisibility’ to avoid persecution and that actions by political and religious figures can be spurred on by negative public opinion towards LGBT people.

The report finds that violence and abuse can stem from public figures making discriminatory statements, which often characterise LGBT people in a sub-human manner or in a way which implies they are going against societal norms. Attacks do seem to take different forms based on gender and sexual orientation: lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to be attacked in the home, gay and bisexual men are more likely to be attacked in public by groups and there is an implication that attacks on trans people tend to be more violent and can in some cases lead to death . There is also a focus on the impact of bullying in schools on emotional and educational development.

Discussions of violence lead directly into discussions about Pride. There is a reiteration of the unlawfulness of the Russian ban (although they are outside of the EU). It is also mentioned that although many countries will allow Pride parades, they will not provide adequate protection for participants

Although there is an appropriate EU framework to ban homophobic and transphobic discrimination in the workplace, it is not uniformly implemented across Europe. On a positive note, the recent Maruko judgment said that in all instances where a country has registered partnerships for same-sex couples rather than marriage, such partners must be treated as spouses for the sake of employee benefits. Multiple discrimination in employment is also mentioned, the report commenting that understanding and dealing with this is in its early
stages and most NGOs remain single issue eg. Women or disabilities, and are often able to provide advice for such multi-dimensional experiences.

The difficulties of free movement within the EU for same-sex couples are noted as only couples moving from one country to another that both have at least same-sex partnership laws equivalent to marriage can still bring along their spouse. A series of recent cases are analysed, focusing on the need of States to realise the nature of family life is shifting to newer and non-nuclear definitions.

As regards LGBT asylum seekers, proposals to recast the Refugee Qualification Directive are praised for taking into account gender identity issues. Mention is also made of a recent European Parliament resolution calling for experts to educate states on the experience of LGBT asylum seekers and ending fast-track
deportations.

Previous research is used by ILGA-Europe for their country-by-country guide on LGBT asylum in Europe. An in-depth research project by Sabine Jansen (COC) and Thomas Spijkerboer (VU University Amsterdam) is underway and will be presented at the Fleeing Homophobia conference taking place in Amsterdam in September.

Recommendations

The report makes several recommendations for progress in each section. The most significant ones are:

Combating predjudice and misunderstanding against LGBT people by educational campaigning. Governments and appropriate EU institutions should support these.

The FRA mention that data regarding hate crime is lacking and calls for better categorisation and submission of data by EU Member States. This should help to enable the EU to better monitor where, when and why discrimination happens.

Neither Public order interests nor active counter-events should not be allowed to halt the ability of LGBT communities to have public events such as Prides Parades.

Schools should actively deal with LGBT issues in order to shape attitudes of young people towards acceptance.

Gender identity issues are not clearly understood enough both within employment and in larger society. It is suggested that the European Commission add gender identity to the prohibited grounds for discrimination.

More must be done regarding mutual recognition between Member States of registered same-sex couples in order to facilitate free movement.

It is hoped that the creation of the new European Asylum Support Office will be able to support countries in dealing with LGBT asylum issues. Surprisingly nothing is mentioned regarding recent questions raised by Germany as to the legality of returning LGBT people on the grounds that they can act discreetly to avoid persecution.

Country initiatives:

Sweden: A project has shown that schools are taught in a heterospecific context and has challenged this, trying to show the problems of assuming a heterosexual norm. The Government’s ‘Living History Forum’ are also working to combat institutionalised heterosexuality’. Of particular note is the ‘Normgiving diveristy’ project, working with the police, church and defence forces to create inclusive workplaces.

Greece: Homophobic intent has been expressly included as an aggravating factor in criminal cases.

Latvia: A group have created a monitoring system for evaluating political speeches regarding gays and lesbians.

Lithuania: Homophobic intent has been expressly included as an aggravating factor in criminal cases however on the flip side, recent law has brought in a ban on ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in the classroom.

The Netherlands: A national plan called ‘Simply Gay’ includes 24 projects by government agencies to improve social acceptance.

The UK: The Government Equalities office is praised for its plan to tackle outdated prejudice regarding sexual identity and gender orientation.

Alex Wright lives in Manchester where he is studying for his Masters in Law at Manchester Metropolitan University. He is currently writing his dissertation on the right of free movement for same-sex couples within the EU. He previously studied at the College of Law and at the University of Birmingham where he was also LGBTQ Officer. You can follow him on twitter @ShinyAlex.

Homophobia, transphobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in the EU M...

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Video: Protest continues on Nigerian football homophobia

Source: guddi1108



A flashmob was held in Frankfurt, Germany yesterday before the opening whistle of the FIFA Women’s World Cup semi-final calling "loudly against discrimination" in protest at the banning of lesbians from Nigeria's women's football team.

The controversy began with a report in a Nigerian newspaper which was subsequently covered by the New York Times. In the report Nigeria Coach Eucharia Uche, the former NFF technical assistant Sir James Peters, and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)'s Chief Media Officer, Ademola Olajire, had all bragged to a Nigerian newspaper about driving lesbians out of the women's team.

45,000 people have signed a petition organised by allout.org. They say that FIFA has dodged the reports of homophobia in the Nigerian team with a bland statement broadly denouncing "discrimination" without mentioning homophobia explicitly or the specific allegations against Nigeria's coach.

Before leaving Germany Uche denied making the statements she'd been reported as making.

Amnesty wants overhaul of UK forced removals

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Amnesty International

The UK Government must conduct a complete and radical overhaul of the current system of enforced removals from the UK, according to a new briefing and campaign launched today by Amnesty International UK.

Private security companies, contracted by the UK Government, have reportedly used dangerous and improper control and restraint techniques. In the 2010 case of Jimmy Mubenga at least, these appear to have resulted in someone’s death. One such technique was nick-named by contractors “Carpet Karaoke”, as it involved forcing an individual’s face down towards the carpet with such force that they were only able to scream inarticulately ‘like a bad karaoke singer’. It involves the seated detainee being handcuffed, with a tight seatbelt through the cuffs and their head pushed down between their legs. There is a serious risk of death by positional asphyxia when this technique is used.

Other cases featured in the Amnesty briefing include a Moroccan national who claims his arm was broken when he was restrained by his arms and legs and was dropped down the stairs of the airplane; and a refused asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who said he struggled to breathe and feared he was going to die when security staff put a knee on his chest and sat on him, after he resisted his removal at Heathrow.

Sources with direct working experience of enforced removals have told Amnesty about serious failings in the training of private contractors conducting forced removals. Staff are trained in control and restraint techniques that are unsuitable for use on aircraft; there is no mandatory training in the safe use of handcuffs and restraints; and there is no watertight system in place to ensure that those accredited to conduct removals have received the required level of training. The reportedly widespread use of sub-contractors to fill staff shortages also raises further serious concerns about training and accountability.

The new campaign, backed by Jimmy Mubenga’s widow Adrienne Makenda Kambana, urges people to go to www.amnesty.org.uk/removal and take action by writing to Home Secretary Theresa May, urging independent monitoring of all enforced removals and improved training for removals staff.

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Nigeria coach: 'I never said I banned lesbians'

No lesbians here

By Paul Canning

The controversy over the banning of lesbians from Nigeria's women's football team is dominating coverage of their bid for World Cup in Germany.

Today they face the German World Champions and are expected to lose and hence be out of the Cup.

The controversy began with a report in a Nigerian newspaper which was subsequently covered by the New York Times. In the report Nigeria Coach Eucharia Uche, the former NFF technical assistant Sir James Peters, and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)'s Chief Media Officer, Ademola Olajire, had all bragged to a Nigerian newspaper about driving lesbians out of the women's team.

In Germany, Uche has said that she cannot understand the fuss over her remarks. "What has this got to do with the World Cup," she told the German broadcaster ARD.

After Nigeria lost their opening game 1-0 to France on Sunday, Uche repeated her remarks that she had acted to remove any lesbians from the team, known as the Super Falcons.

Then on Wednesday she claimed it was a misunderstanding, saying "I'm sorry that such a situation has arisen. I've never made such statements."

World football body FIFA has been the subject of a campaign on the issue of the Nigerian lesbian ban. allout.org which is coordinating the campaign today reported that 35,000 petitions had gone to the organisation.

The campaign is asking FIFA president Joseph 'Seph' Blatter to:

"Play by FIFAs own rules, and investigate the harassment and termination of players “suspected” of being gay. Blatter needs to condemn this blatant discrimination, as well as make moves to include sexual orientation and gender identity into FIFA’s anti-discrimination policy."

Speaking to German television channel ARD, Tatjana Haenni, FIFA's head of women's competitions, said that "FIFA is against all forms of discrimination." Haenni said FIFA will be talking to Uche about her comments and reminding the coach of the governing bodies statutes.

After initially refusing comment the German Football Federation issued the following statement yesterday:

"Our association resolutely combats any kind of discrimination. This also includes the fight against homophobia. The current issue around the coach of the Nigerian national team certainly requires further discussion. But this can only be done by the tournament host, which is FIFA."

Nigerian exiled activist Rev. Rowland Jide Maccauley, who has supported the campaign, warned, however, in comments to the Associated Press, that homosexuality was perceived in Nigeria as 'western decadence' and therefore it was important that African gay voices are heard. Any 'knee-jerk outcry from the West' was not always helpful, he said.

"We tell our European friends:.... Support us, but go with us on the small steps. Recognise our concerns Discuss with us before you act on our behalf"

Discussion in German media about the Nigeria scandal has also focused on how the World Champion German team includes a number of lesbian and bisexual women whose presence arouses little interest. However six years ago they became the focus of tabloid interest after a 'love triangle' between players Inka Grings, Linda Bresonik and coach Holger Fach was exposed.

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New memorial to gay holocaust victims in city that gave us the Nazis

Remnant of pink triangle on concentration camp uniform

Via: Süddeutsche Zeitung

By 2012, Munich should have a new memorial to homosexual victims of Nazism. It is a highly symbolic move as Munich was the site of the beginning of the Nazis terrible persecutions against homosexuals in 1934.

The memorial will form part of a new pedestrian development in the center of Munich and will be placed at the corner of Oberanger and Dultstrasse, outside what was the Scwharzfischer (The black fisherman), a famous gay bar in the 30s. On 20 October 1934, the Nazis conducted a major raid in the gay scene of Munich, including the Schwarzfischer. This was the beginning of Nazi persecution against homosexuals: it is estimated that more than fifty thousand people were eventually arrested and most were interned in concentration camps. Most of those who survived the war were kept in jails as homosexuality remained criminalised.

The project has broad political support: from both parties currently in power (red and green) and the opposition Christian Democrats. Richard Quaas, spokesman for the Christian Democrats said: "Until now, there was a consensus not to establish differentiation of victims on monuments or monuments. Other groups of victims of Nazism have no specific memorial in the public arena in Munich."

It is the brainchild of Thomas Niederbühl, a Councillor for the Rosa List Party, who is gay. He has been working on the idea since 2008. Niederbühl recalls how long was the struggle of gays and lesbians for recognition of the persecution they were subjected to under Nazism. The sinister paragraph 175 which criminalized homosexuality was in effect until 1969. In 1985, gays and lesbians had wanted to place a plaque in the camp at Dachau, but it was not until 10 years later, in 1995, that gays and lesbians have been recognized as a group of victims.

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Audio: Problems with LGBT asylum in Europe - and correcting a report

Source: Deutche Welle



By Laura Schweiger

Fearing for their lives in nations where homosexuality is illegal, some gays and lesbians seek asylum in Europe. But not all EU countries treat LGBT refugees equally and many claims are reportedly dismissed unfairly.

Same-sex sexual acts are illegal in over 70 countries, including seven which invoke the death penalty for breaking this law. It's therefore no surprise that some gays and lesbians seek asylum in more gay-friendly countries, including in European nations like Belgium, Germany and the UK.

Yahia Zaidi is one such refugee. He arrived in Belgium almost three years ago seeking asylum on account of his sexual orientation, as well as his political activism in Algeria for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people.

The young gay man had spearheaded an HIV/AIDS prevention organization for the gay community in the cities of Algiers and Oran. Persecution from the general public as well as government officials was a part of life for Zaidi in his homeland.

"I got arrested in Algeria once when I was 17 years old. I was just hanging out on the street with a friend, but I looked a bit effeminate with my long hair," he remembered.

"The policeman was trying to force me to sign something that I didn't admit to, so I didn't sign it. Then another policeman signed it on my behalf. Since that time I have been publicly outed with the police and the government in Algiers, and they even keep a register containing all the names of gay people in Algeria."

Most LGBT asylum claims dismissed

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Last gay Holocaust survivor to receives France's top honour

Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur

By Paul Canning

The last known survivor of the Nazi holocaust of homosexuals is to be awarded France's top honour, Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour), on the recommendation of French President Nicholas Sarkozy.

97 year old Rudolf Brazda spent nearly three years at the Buchenwald concentration camp. His prisoner uniform was branded with the distinctive pink triangle. The award was announced 66 years to the day that he finally left Buchenwald.

Philippe Couillet, president of Les Oublié(e)s de la Mémoire (the association which campaigns for recognition of the suffering of so-called 'pink triangles'), said Brazda's award "marks a further step in the recognition of the deportation of homosexuals" and rewards his bravery in speaking publicly about his experience.

Brazda's life has been documented in a new book 'Das Glück kam immer zu mir' ("Happiness always came to me," which is sort of his motto as he believes he survived through unbroken humor and optimism). Author Alexander Zinn. filmed his research and interviews, as well as Brazda's shattering return to Buchenwald, for a new documentary, which he hopes should come out this year.

It was only in 2008 that Brazda's story first came to light. After hearing of the unveiling of the Berlin moment to the 'pink triangles', he decided to tell his story. He has previously received the gold medals of the cities of Toulouse and Nancy

In spite of his old age, and health permitting, Brazda is determined to continue speaking out about his past, in the hope that younger generations remain vigilant in the face of present day behaviour and thoughts similar to those which led to the persecutions endured by homosexuals during the Nazi era. 

Brazda will receive his award Thursday 28 April during a speech to students at College Puteaux (in Hauts-de-Seine). It will be presented to him by Marie-José of Chombart Lauwe, a former resistance fighter who was deported to the Ravensbrück work camp and who is now president of la Fondation pour la mémoire de la déportation (the Foundation for the memory of the deportation).

HT: Têtu

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Last gay Holocaust survivor celebrated in book, documentary

Via queer.de and Têtu

A new book published by Routledge documents the life of 97 year-old Rudolf Brazda, the last known gay survivor of the 3rd Reich deported for homosexuality, and, says its author, it will also soon be a documentary.

Brazda spent nearly three years at the Buchenwald concentration camp. His prisoner uniform was branded with the distinctive pink triangle.

The new book 'Das Glück kam immer zu mir' ("Happiness always came to me," which is sort of the motto of Rudolf Brazda, he believes he survived through unbroken humor and optimism) is by the sociologist Alexander Zinn.

Berlin openly gay Mayor Klaus Wowereit says in his preface: "His life almost novelistic, as this book recounts, is an example of persecution of homosexuals have been, as the successful struggle for a free and happy life,"

Says Zinn: "Brazda's history differs markedly from that of the majority of homosexuals persecuted under the 3rd Reich - because he survived. The majority of the 'pink triangles' died in the camps." He has filmed his research and interviews, as well as Brazda's shattering return to Buchenwald. These sequences should give rise to a new documentary, which he hopes should come out this year.

Années 1950: en compagnie d'Edi (à gauche) sur les marches du Temple Saint-Étienne à Mulhouse

Brazda has lived in Alsace, France since his release from Buchenwald. There he lived with partner Edi for fifty years until Edi's death in 2003. It was only in 2008 that his story first came to light. He was conspicuously absent from the launch of his biography this week in Berlin. Says Zinn: "After a heavy fall last week, he should be back up next week."

In spite of his old age, and health permitting, Brazda is determined to continue speaking out about his past, in the hope that younger generations remain vigilant in the face of present days behaviour and thought currents similar to those which led to the persecutions endured by homosexuals during the Nazi era.

> Google translation of the chapter 'Detention Leipzig'

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Video: new German film examines lives of young gay Muslims

Source: Yagg

By Yannick Barbe

[Google translation]

Shahada in Arabic means "testimony of faith." The Shahada, a pillar of Islam is a faith that can be translated as: "There is no other God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger." How to reconcile faith and desires, religious practice and lifestyle, sometimes in contradiction? That is the question that the film 'Shahada' attempts to meet, crossing the stories of three young Muslims living in Berlin, including that of Sammi, a young gay who can not live openly his love affair with Daniel.

Ensemble film, then, but whose very form is often his greatest weakness: to want too many stories intertwine, Shahada loses strength. The first feature Burhan Qurbani then the costume is a little too light on the "message movie", which is not necessarily synonymous with good movies.

Its merit, however, is to break taboos, to show how fundamentalism can creep in us all, like Maryam, the daughter of Imam - Progressive - Ward, who, after having an abortion, opts for a radical vision of religion, inflicting a kind of divine punishment. Fate certainly the most striking of this work we would have liked unequal love more.

EU court to rule on gay asylum 'discretion test'

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Migration News Sheet

The German judiciary has referred questions for a preliminary ruling concerning homosexual asylum-seekers to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), more specifically asking whether and to what extent they may lay claim to provisions of protection contained in Council Directive 2004/83/EC of 29 April 2004 on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals or Stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection and the content of the protection granted [the 'qualification directive'].

The case (C-563/10) concerns an Iranian asylum-seeker, Mr Khavand, who arrived in Germany from Turkey in November 2000 and applied for asylum, claiming to have fled from persecution on account of his homosexuality.

His application was rejected in April 2001 and he has since challenged the negative decision on several occasions, the latest with the claim that since his arrival in the Netherlands he has espoused the Christian faith.

The new ground for asylum was also rejected with the argument that “converts” in Iran are only persecuted if they carry out “missionary” activities.

As for his homosexuality, the German authorities argue that he should not face any persecution as long as the Iranian authorities do not know about it.

They have also dismissed his fears about being flogged or subject to the death penalty, insisting that he should have no problems in his home country as long as his homosexuality experiences are not shown openly.

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