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AFRICA - International pressure on anti-gay laws must not stop

21-04-2011

When the Ugandan government announced that the anti-homosexuality bill was on hold, those pushing it immediately blamed international pressure on President Yoweri Museveni. Pastor Martin Ssempa said that the bill was "being deliberately killed largely by the undemocratic threats of western nations".

He has a point. A campaign delivered half a million signatures to Museveni, various governments lobbied, the Germans said they had cut aid, and now the US Congress has amended financial legislation (with bipartisan support) that would cut aid to countries deemed to be persecuting gay people. Introducing the legislation, congressman Barney Frank highlighted Uganda and noted that "the US has a fairly influential voice in the development area".

Timothy Geithner, the US treasury secretary, has now said in a letter to Frank that his Treasury department "will continue to instruct the US executive directors at each of the MDBs [multilateral development banks] to seek to channel MDB resources away from those countries whose governments engage in a pattern of gross violations of human rights".

Pressure is also mounting from Europe. The European parliament passed a resolution in December "reminding" Africa that "the EU is responsible for more than half of development aid and remains Africa's most important trading partner" and that "in all actions conducted under the terms of various partnerships" that sexual orientation is a protected category of non-discrimination.

How financial pressure will play out remains to be seen. This month massive US funding for improving Malawi's power supply network went through despite that country criminalising lesbians.

Someone blinked regarding Malawi but there is undoubtedly more pressure on governments who repress gay people than ever before. Germany did not blink and did cut Malawi aid.

Like Uganda, moves in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to criminalise gay people have also stalled – again diplomats have raised their concerns. But now there's a backlash.

In Uganda, Ssempa presented a two-million-signature petition to parliament on 7 April demanding that the anti-gay bill be passed (and damn the consequences). In Cameroon there is a huge fuss over European Union funding for a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy group.

Cameroon's foreign minister, Henri Eyebe Ayissi, summoned the head of the EU delegation to protest against their support for people who "violate the laws of Cameroon".

Like others in Africa, Cameroonian activists have received death threats, but this has not led those Africans I speak to wanting international pressure to stop – on the contrary.

The criminalisation of homosexuality in countries such as Cameroon is also increasingly questioned by bodies such as the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Funding for HIV/Aids prevention which involves LGBT people, and which governments are being required to tolerate, has led to LGBT community development in many countries (and not just in Africa).

Hillary Clinton has said that the US is "elevating our human rights dialogues with other governments and conducting public diplomacy to protect the rights of [LGBT people]." Her state department has quietly funded and brought activists to the US so they can hone their skills, and moved to support LGBT refugees – supporting major developments at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as well as funding inclusive programs.

President Obama has backed this up. His comments against Uganda's anti-gay bill made headlines across Africa.

The annual state department human rights reports just released all now cover LGBT rights but they vary widely. Many note no "official reports" of arrests, for example, or refer to "societal discrimination", which avoids criticising the government. Perhaps to the surprise of many this does not include Iraq, where the government is effectively slammed. (Pointedly the Foreign Office's copycat human rights report ignores LGBT in its Iraq coverage.)

Leaders such as Museveni are obviously mindful of both international and local concerns. So the Zimbabwean prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai spent last year telling local gay people one thing and the country's media another. Raila Odinga, his counterpart in Kenya, made a bizarre threat to "arrest all gays" at a rally in December.

This, according to Kenyan activists, followed a meeting with European ambassadors, but they point out that the US ambassador in Nairobi didn't join in criticising Odinga.

Explaining the disparities, Mark Bromley of the Council for Global Equality says the state department reports are "more of a kabuki dance than a liberation march" and many diplomats have not "done enough homework" but adds that: "If an embassy turns a cold shoulder to an LGBT human rights activist, or refuses to meet with that activist, then please let us know. We consider it part of our job to help facilitate those connections, and to scream to senior-level officials in Washington if an embassy is not open to such contacts."

The US and others are often accused of hypocrisy on human rights but this year the US has submitted to the UN's Universal Periodic Review process. Of the 228 recommendations received by the US during the review, three relate to LGBT rights and they were accepted.

And increased international attention to LGBT rights is also showing up cracks in the anti forces.

Last November, a group of Islamic and African countries struck out "sexual orientation" from a UN resolution on extrajudicial – non-state – killings. The US announced they would try to get the vote reversed and in December it was. By a landslide. Over a quarter of member states positively changed their votes – including a third of Africa – and many made clear it was domestic, not US, pressure which changed their minds. The Rwandan delegate, Olivier Nduhungirehe, reacting to claims that "sexual orientation" isn't defined, said: "Believe me, sir, that a human group doesn't need to be legally defined to be the victim of execution or massacre, since those who target their members have previously defined them. Rwanda has experienced this 16 years ago indeed, and for this reason our delegation will vote for the amendment, and calls on other delegations to do likewise."

Support for LGBT rights internationally from western countries should be welcomed. Critics and headshakers (such as the New York Times editor, Bill Keller, who just warned of America's "missionary impulse") should remember that another source of international pressure (and funding) exists. Having lost at home, American evangelicals have transferred their culture war against gay people to countries such as Uganda.

Their propaganda lines – LGBT people are a threat to children, homosexuality can be "unlearned", homosexuality is "un-African", any "concession" means "special rights" – can be heard repeated around the world by pastors such as Martin Ssempa and also, in Muslim areas, by imams.

Source: CRIN.org

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Mideast Youth Adds Bilingual Gay Platform with Game Mechanics (video)

19-04-2011

Mideast Youth has launched a new bilingual online platform for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in the Middle East. Ahwaa.org, created by Mideast Youth, is "a bilingual tool for LGBTQ youth in the Middle East that leverages game mechanics to facilitate authentic, high-quality interactions."

"By creating Ahwaa, we're crossing a red line in the society," said Ahmed Zidan, Mideast Youth's Arabic Editor, "trying to tackle and address the ignorance of the stereotypes here, and at the same time acknowledge the problem of homophobia and try to solve it. It's absolutely deadly here for the mainstream! But for the civilized small communities here, liberals and seculars, our friends come out to us. I have a handful of homosexual friends. Their families don't know, but as close friends in a small circle of special communities, homosexuals come out!"

The site's attitude and functionality are both open. You don't have to be gay to join, though you do have to be respectful; nor do you have to use your real name. Specific issues discussed range from religious issues surrounding homosexuality to whether Facebook is homophobic to simply saying it loud (she's gay and proud).

The site allows users to decide how much to make public and how much to keep private. It also has a section for those seeking, and looking to offer, support.

What distinguishes the site is how they establish relevance and dissuade haters, according to Mideast Youth's director Esra'a Al-Shahei.

"The functionality is what makes this unique - the site uses game mechanics (point system) which, based on how many you collect, gives you access to more hidden sections of the site, which will be introduced in version 2. You collect points depending on how many people find your comments to be useful. When you click 'This was helpful!' on a comment, that user gains 10 points. By leaving a comment / advice / experience, you get 5 points. It's a way for us to deal with trolling, the system takes care of them by gradually making them irrelevant - and they disappear. The community helps decide who is helpful and trustworthy enough to graduate to other levels depending on how engaged and interactive they are on the site. You can also filter by the type of response, or hide them all, or to view only the helpful ones."

By making the site bilingual in Arabic and English, Ahwaa throws out bridges from the Arabic and Muslim worlds to Western Muslims and non-Arabs. This is as groundbreaking as the site's topic. Not only can gay Muslims benefit from the advice and perspective of those living in less restrictive societies but those outside can lend support and get to know those within, dispelling, among other things, the myth of non-existence.

"The LGBTQ community in this region goes through so much with so little support," said Esra'a Al-Shahei, Director of Mideast Youth. "We felt a tool like this can help build a vibrant and supportive community in a way that was unique and interesting."

Making connections, across the Arab world and across the globe, makes it harder for people struggling with their sexuality to disappear, figuratively or by their own hand or otherwise.

Source: ReadWriteWeb.com

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What leads gay, straight teens to attempt suicide?

18-04-2011

CHICAGO (AP) -- Suicide attempts by gay teens - and even straight kids - are more common in politically conservative areas where schools don't have programs supporting gay rights, a study involving nearly 32,000 high school students found.

Those factors raised the odds and were a substantial influence on suicide attempts even when known risk contributors like depression and being bullied were considered, said study author Mark Hatzenbuehler, a Columbia University psychologist and researcher.

His study found a higher rate of suicide attempts even among kids who weren't bullied or depressed when they lived in counties less supportive of gays and with relatively few Democrats. A high proportion of Democrats was a measure used as a proxy for a more liberal environment.

The research focused only on the state of Oregon and created a social index to assess which outside factors might contribute to suicidal tendencies. Other teen health experts called it a powerful, novel way to evaluate a tragic social problem.

"Is it surprising? No. Is it important? Yes," said Dr. Robert Blum of Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The study "takes our relatively superficial knowledge and provides a bit more depth. Clearly, we need lots more understanding, but this is very much a step in the right direction," he said.

Blum serves on an Institute of Medicine committee that recently released a report urging more research on gay health issues. Blum said the new study is the kind of research the institute believes has been lacking. The independent group advises the government on health matters.

The new study was published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Previous research has found disproportionately high suicide rates in gay teens. One highly publicized case involved a Rutgers University freshman who jumped off a bridge last year after classmates recorded and broadcast the 18-year-old having sex with a man.

The study relied on teens' self-reporting suicide attempts within the previous year. Roughly 20 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual teens said they had made an attempt, versus 4 percent of straight kids.

The study's social index rated counties on five measures: prevalence of same-sex couples; registered Democratic voters; liberal views; schools with gay-straight alliances; schools with policies against bullying gay students; and schools with antidiscrimination policies that included sexual orientation.

Gay, lesbian and bisexual teens living in counties with the lowest social index scores were 20 percent more likely to have attempted suicide than gays in counties with the highest index scores. Overall, about 25 percent of gay teens in low-scoring counties had attempted suicide, versus 20 percent of gay teens in high-scoring counties.

Among straight teens, suicide attempts were 9 percent more common in low-scoring counties. There were 1,584 total suicide attempts - 304 of those among gays, lesbians and bisexuals.

Hatzenbuehler said the results show that "environments that are good for gay youth are also healthy for heterosexual youth."

The study is based on 2006-08 surveys of 11th-graders that state health officials conducted in Oregon classrooms; Oregon voter registration statistics; Census data on same-sex couples; and public school policies on gays and bullying.

The researchers assessed proportions of Democrats versus Republicans; there were relatively few Independents. Information on non-voters wasn't examined.

Zachary Toomay, a high school senior from Arroyo Grande, Calif., said the study "seems not only plausible, but it's true."

The star swimmer, 18, lives in a conservative, mostly Republican county. He's active in his school's gay-straight alliance, and said he'd never been depressed until last year when classmates "ostracized" him for being vocal about gay rights.

Toomay said signs of community intolerance, including bumper stickers opposing same-sex marriage, also made him feel down, and he sought guidance from a school counselor after contemplating suicide.

Funding for the study came from the National Institutes for Health and a center for gay research at the Fenway Institute, an independent Harvard-affiliated health care and research center.

Michael Resnick, a professor of adolescent mental health at the University of Minnesota's medical school, said the study "certainly affirms what we've come to understand about children and youth in general.

"They are both subtly and profoundly affected by what goes around them," he said, including the social climate and perceived support.

Source: Hosted.ap.org

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CA Senate bill mandates gay history in schools

15-04-2011

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people would be added to the lengthy list of social and ethnic groups that public schools must include in social studies lessons under a landmark bill passed Thursday by the California Senate.

If the bill is adopted by the state Assembly and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, California would become the first state to require the teaching of gay history.

Supporters say the move is needed to counter anti-gay stereotypes and beliefs that make children in those groups vulnerable to bullying and suicide.

Opponents counter that such instruction would further burden an already crowded curriculum and expose students to a subject that some parents find objectionable.

The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Mark Leno of San Francisco, passed on a 23-14 party line vote. It also would add disabled people to the curriculum.

The bill gives school districts flexibility in deciding what to include in the lessons and at what grades students would receive them.

But starting in the 2013-14 school year, it would prohibit districts and the California Board of Education from using textbooks or other instructional materials that reflect adversely on gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.

Appealing to colleagues for support, Leno said gay children still struggle routinely with verbal and physical abuse at school, even though society is more accepting than when he was a gay youth in the 1960s.

"We are second-class citizens and children are listening," he said. "When they see their teachers don't step up to the plate when their classmate is being harassed literally to death, they are listening and they get the message that there is something wrong with those people."

Republican Sen. Doug La Malfa of Butte opposed the bill.

"I'm deeply troubled kids would have to contemplate at a very, very early age, when many of us are teaching abstinence ... what is sexuality," he said.

California law already requires schools to cover the contributions to the state and nation of women, African Americans, Mexican Americans, entrepreneurs, Asian Americans, European Americans, American Indians and labor

Source: Boston.com

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Kobe fined $100,000 by NBA for gay slur

14-04-2011

LOS ANGELES -- The NBA fined Kobe Bryant $100,000 on Wednesday for using a derogatory gay term in frustration over a referee’s call.

NBA Commissioner David Stern issued a swift disciplinary ruling after the Los Angeles Lakers’ five-time NBA champion guard cursed and used the homophobic slur when referee Bennie Adams called a technical foul on him Tuesday night in the third quarter of a victory over the San Antonio Spurs.

“Kobe Bryant’s comment during last night’s game was offensive and inexcusable,” Stern said. “While I’m fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. ... Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society.”

Stern’s action drew praise from gay-rights organizations that had demanded a fuller apology from Bryant and condemnation of his words by the Lakers. Bryant, the sixth-leading scorer in NBA history, issued a statement earlier Wednesday saying his words came strictly out of anger and shouldn’t be taken literally.

“We applaud Commissioner Stern and the NBA for not only fining Bryant but for recognizing that slurs and derogatory comments have no place on the basketball court or in society at large,” Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said. “We hope such swift and decisive action will send a strong and universal message that this kind of hateful outburst is simply inexcusable no matter what the context.”

Bryant’s words and actions were captured by TNT’s cameras during the network’s national broadcast of the Lakers’ regular-season home finale.

Bryant punched his chair before taking a seat on the bench, throwing a towel on the court near his feet in frustration after picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter. He got his 15th technical of the season for arguing the call, one shy of the cumulative trigger for a one-game NBA suspension.

“What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period,” Bryant said in a statement issued through the Lakers. “The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”

The 32-year-old Bryant is a former league MVP, a 13-time All-Star, the leading scorer in Lakers franchise history and sixth on the NBA’s career list after passing Moses Malone last month. He was the MVP of the last two NBA finals while leading the Lakers to back-to-back titles.

Bryant has been among the NBA’s most popular players worldwide for most of his 15-year career, spent entirely with the Lakers, even after he was arrested and accused of sexual assault in 2003 in a case that was later dropped. He has several lucrative endorsement deals with companies ranging from Sprite to Turkish Airlines.

His No. 24 jersey was the league’s best-selling uniform among fans during each of the past two seasons, and Bryant’s jersey finished second to LeBron James’ new Miami uniform in the NBA’s annual rankings released earlier Wednesday.

Gay-rights groups quickly denounced Bryant’s actions against Adams. Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, saw an opportunity to put a spotlight on the unacceptable nature of anti-gay slurs.

“Professional sports players need to set a better example for young people who use words like this on the playground and in our schools, creating a climate of intolerance and hostility,” Barrios said. “The LA Lakers have a responsibility to educate their fans about why this word is unacceptable.”

Known as a fierce competitor with a nasty edge, Bryant has ranked among the NBA’s top 10 accumulators of technical fouls during each of the past six seasons, and he has edged right up to the line of serious NBA discipline this spring. He ranks second only to Orlando’s Dwight Howard in technical fouls this season, mostly for arguing with referees.

Bryant was called for an additional technical foul that was rescinded Monday. If Bryant gets another T in the Lakers’ season finale at Sacramento on Wednesday night, he would be suspended for the first game of next season, not for a playoff game.

The Lakers will open the playoffs this weekend at Staples Center.

Source: NYPost.com

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