JOIN US, MARCH 21st in Strasbourg, France, at Place Kleber at 11 a.m.
�When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.� from the tombstone of Leonard P. Matlovich, a gay Vietnam veteran.
The Brazilian Resolution (Please SIGN the petition)
IGLYO
We write to you as a coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth organizations and individuals from around the world. We have gathered here in Strasbourg for the IGLYO (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth and Student Organisation) study session and this is our way to give support to the Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Human Rights, introduced by the Brazilian delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
In April 2003, the Brazilian delegation to the UN CHR introduced a historic Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Human Rights. The Resolution will be voted upon mid April during the 60th session of the UN CHR that started on 15th March 2004.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face repression and violations of basic human rights all over the world. People from sexual and gender minorities suffer harassment, humiliation, verbal and/ or physical abuse on a regular basis and in some cases murder. More than 80 countries still prosecute their citizens for same sex consensual relationships, and in numerous countries the maximum penalty for homosexuality is death.
Schools teach intolerance contributing to harassment that denies the basic right to education to young people whose sexualities or gender identities do not conform to traditional social norms. We are targets of media propaganda campaigns that call us a �foreign disease�, �sexual deviants�, �evil� or �sick�. Some political leaders promote hatred against us for their own political agendas, both directly and indirectly in approaches ranging from homophobic remarks to discriminatory policies.
The Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Human Rights: �Reaffirms the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and all the other relevant international instruments on human rights.�
It recognizes human rights as universal, inalienable, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. It affirms the basic principle that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are human beings and are entitled to be protected from human rights abuses by placing sexual orientation into the broader context of human rights.
In many countries people are facing violations of their basic human rights because of their gender identity and/or gender expression. The laws against �public scandals� or �indecent behaviour� are used to penalise people whose only crime is looking, dressing or behaving, differently from rigidly forced social norms. Transgender people are particularly at risk of hate induced violence, abuse and in some cases murder and that is the reason why LGBT NGOs proposed amendment to the resolution including gender identity/ gender expression as the basis of non discrimination.
In order to demonstrate our support for this we are holding an event on Sunday 21st March in Place Kl�ber in Strasbourg city centre to commemorate those who have been persecuted for their sexuality worldwide.
We urge you to support the Resolution on the Sexual Orientation and Human Rights and amendments that include gender identity and gender expression as the basis of non discrimination, and in that way give your support to improvement of human rights of sexual and gender minorities worldwide. We recommend that you demonstrate such support internationally through the organising of collective events educating people of the nature of the Resolution and the great need to maximise its chances of success. We hope that we can count on your support.
Accept Bucharest / Romania
ALTERA- Civil Association for Lesbian and Bisexual Women / Slovakia
Campaign Against Homophobia / Poland
Centre for Civil and Human Rights / Macedonia
Expreszo / Nederlands
FSS- Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Students of Iceland / Iceland
FZS National Students Union of Germany / Germany
Gender Doc M / Moldova
Helem, Lebanese Protection for LGBT People / Lebanon
Hatter Support Society for LGBT People in Hungary / Hungary
Homozygote / France
IGLYO (International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered Intersex Youth and Student Organisation)
International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network / Poland
Israeli Gay Youth / Israel
LABRIS / Serbia & Montenegro
LEGEBITRA / Slovenia
Lesbian Group Kontra / Croatia
Lithuanian Blue Angels Club / Lithuania
LORI Lesbians / Croatia
Malta Gay Rights Movement / Malta
National Council Combating Discrimination / Romania
Nash Mir / Ukraine
rede ex aequo - Braga / Portugal
rede ex aequo - Lisbon / Portugal
Q Bosnia-Herzegovina / Bosnia-Herzegovina
Queer Youth Alliance / United Kingdom
SKUC � LL / Slovenia
Gay Iniciativa v CR / Czech Republic
