LGBT Group 44 members participated in the XXX LGBT Pride Parade as a group / individual distributing flyers about the activism that Amnesty International does for the respect and implementation of our human, civil and political rights.
Unlike other years, the participation was from different points of the March and the entire length interacting with people.
On 15 June, the Mexican Section of AI did an activity based on the principle of international solidarity on behalf of displaced children in Darfur, Sudan's troubled region.
Two volunteers from the LGBT Group 44 participated in this action was to invite children to draw a picture with different elements that were in the workshops. The end result would be sent to children displaced by the armed conflict with images and messages of solidarity.
While this was happening, and Mexico would give us volunteers at the same time information to parents and mothers on this difficult situation, and encouraging them to leave a message of support on a blanket also be sent the African continent.
Looking
World Day Against Homophobia and our exhibition "Discriminate dehumanizes" last May 15 at the Museum of Estanquillo as LGBT Group 44 of Amnesty International Mexico, we conducted a panel on "Women lesbian, bisexual and transgender people: Turning Against Homophobia, for their rights" , involving activists Angie Castillo Rueda, Myriam Domínguez Brito, Paulina Peredo and Magalli Piña Martínez Bedolla.
was a space for exchanging experiences and ideas about combating lesbophobia, biphobia and transphobia attended by 60 people.
Women
various
The first step was Angie Rueda, a transgender woman who is responsible for the Programme of the Presidency of CONAPRED on non-discrimination by gender, sexual orientation and gender identity.
She said: "In Mexico and in the world, habemos many types of women: women whose health reasons they removed the womb or breast, which are sterile, they decide not to have children who are lesbian, who are transgendered and transsexual people, and we're not going to the norms of heterosexism, and heteronormativity heterocentralidad who want to impose a dichotomy of what is to be a man and woman, and a monogamous family model, neutral and heterosexist. "
From the uniqueness of their social and institutional activism, she said that in LGBT activism today are four key areas: 1) the defense of human rights, 2) non-discrimination and the right to diversity, 3 ) gender, 4) the fight against all forms of homophobia.
Angie, who is participating in the Front for the initiative of the Gender Identity Law, a BA and MA in Sociology, and has a Ph.D. in Social Sciences at the Universidad Iberoamericana. However, referred the documents to support their studies do not correspond to their gender identity, your name and your current life plan; it is an illegal immigrant.
Lesbian and Bisexual mainly discriminated by their families
In turn, Paulina Martinez Perez, known lesbian activist, founder and coordinator Metal Muses AC Gay Women's Group, said that his organization has existed since 1995 and its main task is to provide workshops for lesbian and bisexual women, who were used to find themselves and their like, and not identify with life histories similar to yours, and it helps them lower their enormous anxiety and tension, and break the silence and freedom from many repressive chains.
Paulina, who is also co-founder of Group 44 LGBT said that, among other projects, during the last two have been working on an investigation into sexual orientation discrimination focused on lesbians and bisexuals, to record and make visible the ways in which they are discriminated against for being female and being lesbians.
Regarding the results of the investigation of his organization, Paulina, who has a degree in Graphic Design at the UNAM, the IMESEX sexologist and psychotherapist by the Gestalt Psychotherapy Institute, said: "The majority said that because women do feel they are discriminated against, but also said it is common and the everyday, which leads me to see that we are very used to being discriminated against. Intersect other discrimination, may be by skin color, physical appearance, age, origin of women, or even obesity. And all these are being added to sexual orientation. "
For the analysis of the results, it became a division of the stages of life: childhood, adolescence, living moment, and then places: school, family, street and work. According to the majority of women who participated in the interviews, the strongest discrimination occurs in the home, the family is the place where there are more examples discrimination. We are the streets and other spaces.
The women interviewed said that the speech that "it is wrong to be homosexual" and abuse occurs within families and at school. On the street, trigger violent reactions, especially if they go hand in hand with your partner and express affection (kissing, hugging given) or if they show male. Paulina
told: "Even in the Zona Rosa which is apparently an area where it is assumed that many wander in peace, as either, because there also people react with insults immediately if they kiss or hug in many cases. Addition many of them do not feel like to report because, for example, had the story of some girls who were in a park chatting: "I did not give him kiss or anything," then a guy came and started to masturbate in front of us, we went to the police, the police told us "why are you here?" better and get out. They should not be here at this time "."
still lacking a culture of reporting on cases of discrimination and violence. This is a problem that is compounded by distrust and indifference that no effort to show themselves responsible to respect and enforce the law. "Most are in the belief that does not help, that is very tedious, or in the case of these girls that if they did, lest he reached over. There were many cases of dismissal for being lesbians, where some say "So I have no way to verify it was for being lesbian or bisexual to be", said Pauline.
In fact, said that bisexual women face discrimination on the part of both LGBT and heterosexual sectors therefore bisexuality remains well hidden and there is little knowledge about it, hence it comes as a side to investigate. He noted that bisexual women are afraid to open their bisexual orientation because they are exposed to propose them form groups or hold meetings with a guy and a girl, do not want to be sexually harassed. "
Stigma and discrimination against women bisexual visibility
"When we talk about these problems is very important to take a gender perspective and to clarify the first entry that gender and feminism come together and attached home, "he said at the beginning of his speech Myriam Domínguez Brito, a bisexual activist, co-founder and active member of the group Bi, which participates as part of coordination.
"And I want to highlight, he said," because usually Now, with the right in power, but international pressure to take into account the gender perspective, suddenly wants to talk with a gender perspective more vaccines, more light, more ligerita. As if talking about women outside perspective and nothing more. "
Myriam, BA in Sociology from the UAM-Azcapotzalco and Master in Political Philosophy from the same university, also referred to "the dictatorship of gender stereotypes." "If there is a group that clearly shows how serious are the violations of the dictatorship of gender, gender stereotypes are just transgender people. For what is what we see every day, is the appearance of gender. So when someone sees on the street to someone who is not for what he believes should be or how it is socially constructed, the shock is brutal until the violence ends. "
also described the forms that constitute the stigma of bisexuality. He said that is composed of the following: "all women are promiscuous bisexual," "all women are unfaithful bisexual," "do not have lasting relationships," "got HIV because we sleep with men," "are undefined, "We are in transition", "no know what we want "," certainly we want everything, "we are confused, that poor little us."
But in addition to the above, the most serious is the invisibility of bisexuality: "We are totally invisible." This leads to the formation of a stigma. "People assume we as bisexual, we say our guidance, we are stigmatized, and from there, then there are all conditions to generate any form of discrimination, which can be rejection, contempt, exclusion, violence in various areas and different places, "said Myriam, who attended the Diploma at UNAM Law to Non-Discrimination (IIJ-Conapred) and III Diploma in Sexual Diversity Studies University Program of Gender Studies.
In fact, she said that one of the deepest discrimination of women is bisexual lesbians coming from because he still sees bisexuality as an orientation law and socially unaccepted, is not recognized, is marginal and have serious consequences on saying it. Bisexual women are in search of an integration, which is what all human beings seek: love, love, friendship, companionship, a group of integration, but in these same areas are otherwise. "It is here where women have sought their peers, understanding, support ... How could someone who has had this marginalization, which has suffered the stigma, in turn do the same?" Reflected Domínguez Brito.
"All these elements violate our rights, our condition, our human dignity as women and bisexual women," said Myriam, and then ask: "Only the state and its institutions violate human rights? I do not believe. It has been shown and have been showing all the research and activism that has been made in recent years, no, also in private, privacy, human rights are violated, the feminists say they began several decades ago: "the private, the personal is political". "
International Solidarity with LGBT
world "It is terrible to see that we live in a world in which, to a greater or lesser degree in almost every country in the world are violated human rights of persons belonging to the community LGBT "said Piña Magalli Bedolla, co-founder member of Group 44 of Amnesty International LGBT Mexico. She is also co-founder of Metal Muses Women Gay Groups AC
This fact is shown through the reporting done on this topic Amnesty International. "From there to be an activist of Amnesty puts me face this reality is not only local but international," said Magalli, who is a surgeon and Homeopath by the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), and psychotherapist for the Humanist Institute for Gestalt Psychotherapy .
And from the testimony of activist said: "The work that the activists who belong to this human rights organization, we can represent an oasis in the desert, and returns me the confidence that if enough people we can raise our voices make this world a better and safer world for all and all who live in it. "
also able to share some specific cases, through the testimonies of lesbian and transgender (Senegal, Romania and Argentina), related to situations of homophobia, discrimination and intolerance against different people. Thanks to the guiding principle of Amnesty International, which is the International Solidarity behind the cases of those many people who feel very committed, working for them.
Magalli Piña, who also attended the Diploma in Sexual Diversity Studies at the University Program of Gender Studies at UNAM, he recalled: "Amnesty International believes that acts of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual and transgender people in the community and at home are torture to which the State must answer when nature and severity compared with the concept of torture as defined by international standards and the State has not fulfilled its obligation to provide effective protection, then you must demand it, because it is his duty. "
Over the last decade, Amnesty has documented alarming levels of abuse against transgender people, including torture and ill-treatment. The vast amount of information received from these attacks is due largely to the courageous work of local activists have to defend the rights of transsexuals, despite threats and marginalization that involves exposing these abuses.
"The prevalence of sexism and homophobia in society creates a climate in which lesbians are at serious risk of abuse in the community and at home. Young women who reveal their sexual identity are sometimes forced by their families to marry or have sex with men, force women-especially young women-a marriage or other relationships that involve sex acts repeatedly and without consent, and This is not only discriminatory but can be equated to torture and sexual slavery, and that made by the families. "
Finally, Magalli recalled that Amnesty International makes recommendations to governments, such as immediately release all those imprisoned for their sexual orientation only, revise existing laws to make sure there are no laws that discriminate .
In this regard, he highlighted one of the last actions of Amnesty International: "And here we also share a recent success, which actively 44participó Group, and was that in Nicaragua there was an article condemning sodomy, and driving even as sodomy. And the group worked hard with other groups in the region, to ask the government to repeal this law, this article. This is a great achievement that one can do when we unite and call on governments to make them work properly. "
Note prepared by Manuel Herrera.
Amnesty International calls on European governments to guarantee the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to celebrate their identity in various demonstrations and other public events held every year between April and November for that purpose.
"Equality before the law without discrimination, this is the message that defenders of gay rights lead to the street" said Nicola Duckworth, director of the Regional Programme for Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International. However, most of the time holding them back safely. "
In several countries, mainly from Eastern Europe, participants in pride events too often face threats and official hostility even before begin to celebrate. They make fun of them, spat at, punched and beat them they throw bottles, eggs and excrement, sometimes right in front of the police.
11 May 60 people who sought to travel to the Moldovan capital to attend the Gay Pride march, although once again (the sixth since) had been banned, were surrounded by a group of protesters nearly three times as many, which rose to forcing the bus doors and took away the banners and flags while police had watched it all from a half-dozen patrol cars parked nearby.
Even the song contest Eurovision to be held in Belgrade from 20 to 24 May, is guaranteed the absence of actions against gays. In Serbia, where security problems have prevented the Homo and Hetero Alliance to organize an event Gay Pride celebration, a militant group threatened to attack any person gay or lesbian appearance at the event.
In several Eastern European countries, some acts are totally forbidden, which constitutes a violation of international law. The authorities do not fulfill their obligations, citing security concerns or violation of what they consider spiritual and moral values.
Amnesty International is campaigning for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to be free from physical assault, verbal abuse or threats, to assemble and freely organize events and receive the proper protection of the officials responsible for enforcing the law.
end of this month and for the second consecutive year, Amnesty International activists from over 20 countries will participate in the Gay Pride march in Riga as a sign of international support and solidarity. The march will demonstrate to what extent there is widespread respect for equality.
"No matter what obstacles stand in your way, people who fight for the rights of lesbians and gays are claiming their human rights," said Nicola Duckworth. Governments must fulfill their obligations. "
AI press release.
For more information on the Gay Pride march in Riga in 2008, see:
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