Forced Out: LGBT People in Georgia and Azerbaijan

I mentioned earlier in my blog, and it's official now. Reports on LGBT life in Georgia and Azerbaijan have been formally released by ILGA-Europe and COC Netherlands. A truly historic event for gay rights movement in South Caucasus. For the first time ever, a comprehensive report on situation with LGBT people in South Caucasus states have been prepared based on fact-finding mission conducted locally. To my knowledge, similar report on Armenia is ready and will be released soon. Today I am posting formal joint releases by ILGA-Europe and COC Netherlands. I will review these reports later.

***

16/10/2007
Georgia and Azerbaijan must stop discrimination and incitement to hatred and put in place an inclusive anti-discrimination law in line with Council of Europe and EU standards if they aspire to EU membership. This is according to the joint ILGA-Europe and COC Netherlands reports on the position of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in the two South Caucasian countries.

The comprehensive reports are the result of a joint fact-finding mission and reflect the vulnerable social and legal situation of LGBT people. They also reflect the position of national authorities and international organisations. Finally, the reports give a particular focus to lesbian and bisexual women and transgender people and give examples of human rights violations on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The reports seek to raise awareness of European and international organisations, put pressure for positive change on national governments and encourage donors to support LGBT organising in these countries.

Patricia Prendiville, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, said:

“The reports illustrate the vulnerable position of LGBT communities and the systematic nature of human rights violations against them. This situation runs against Georgia and Azerbaijan’s obligations under the European Convention for Human Rights and against European Union laws and values these countries have to respect if they aspire to EU membership in the future”.

Frank van Dalen, President of COC Netherlands, said:

“Upon completion of the fact-finding mission to South Caucasus, COC Netherlands with ILGA-Europe and other partners has started a five-year project aimed at strengthening LGBT movements in the Newly Independent States and prevention of HIV/AIDS in this community. First results give very positive hopes: where there has been hardly any movement before now there are strong, registered NGOs advocating for human rights and social equality and providing a range of services for the community”.

***


A high level of hostility towards same-sex relationships and diverse gender identities prevails in virtually every aspect of Georgian society. Many believe them to be a disease, some see them as a sin, others as a perversion. Human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are opposed by some prominent human rights defenders and other high-level figures. Stigmatisation is so pervasive that most LGBT people are forced out of communities, deprived of any chance to openly express their sexual orientation or gender identity, and suffer from discrimination and hate crimes. And yet they are forced to come out and organise into associations and groups if they want to be able to stand up for who they are.

This joint ILGA-Europe and COC report is the first of its kind to be published about same-sex relationships and LGBT people in Georgia. It explores identities, common human rights violations, the landscape of LGBT organising, health and HIV/AIDS, and relevant legal aspects. It also provides recommendations to the Georgian government, donors, LGBT activists and international organisations.

Full report on Georgia is available here

***


Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are not invisible in the predominantly Muslim Azerbaijani society. Tens of transgender sex workers go into the main street of the capital city Baku every night, prominent showbiz figures barely hide their sexual orientation, mass media gives more space every day to the subject of sexual orientation and gender identities. And yet one should not be misled by this relative visibility: there is a price of estrangement from family, bullying, social exclusion, discrimination, blackmailing and hate crimes attached to it.

This joint ILGA-Europe and COC report is the first of its kind to be published about same-sex relationships and LGBT people in Azerbaijan. It explores identities, common human rights violations, the landscape of LGBT organising, health and HIV/AIDS, and relevant legal aspects. It also provides recommendations to the Azerbaijani government, donors, LGBT activists and international organisations.

Full report on Azerbaijan is available here

European gay activists gather for annual conference in Vilnius amid controversy

ILGA-Europe [European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association] members gather for annual conference in Vilnius, but their public event is banned by Mayor

On 25-28 October 2007, almost 200 delegates from all over Europe gather in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius for the 11th ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference. While the Conference goes ahead, the Rainbow Flag public event planned by the Lithuanian hosts during the conference was banned by the Mayor of Vilnius. A legal challenge of the ban has been already initiated.

ILGA-Europe’s Annual Conference is traditionally an opportunity for ILGA –Europe members to gather together to discuss the organisational priorities, strategies and tactics on advancing equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Europe. The Annual Conference is also ILGA-Europe’s annual general meeting when new board members are elected and various organisational issues and documents are discussed and adopted. During this year’s conference the delegates will discuss ILGA-Europe’s strategic plan for 2008-2011.

During the conference’s workshops, plenary panels and sessions, a variety of subjects will be discussed: addressing the rights of LGBT people at the UN level, mental health needs of LGBT people, inclusion of trans issues in lobbying and advocacy work, reacting to religious right, making trade unions LGBT friendly, developing advocacy strategies, using video in monitoring LGBT human rights abuses, reconciling sexuality and spirituality, and many more topics.
[...]

Unfortunately, the public event to coincide with the Annual Conference and display a 30 meters long rainbow flag was once again banned by the Mayor of Vilnius. Instead the Rainbow Flag Reception inside the Conference hotel is taking place. Deborah Lambillotte, Co-Chair of ILGA-Europe’s Executive Board, said:

“We are appalled that an EU member states repeatedly violates the right to a free and peaceful assembly. We are glad that the Lithuanian Gay League has already initiated legal proceedings against the Vilnius City Council which did not authorised the Rainbow Flag event during our conference. We hope that our conference and our presence in Vilnius will attract international attention and pressure on the Mayor of Vilnius. Our message is simple and clear – LGBT people have the same right to express their views and concerns publicly, and as any other citizen of the European Union, to enjoy the rights guaranteed in the Lithuanian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. We feel sorry that the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in a similar case does not mean much to the Mayor of Vilnius and that the court rooms will need to be used to get this message to him."

* ILGA-Europe press release

P.S. Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are included within the European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). Main LGBT-related organisations from these countries are members of ILGA-Europe. Gay activists from all South Caucasus countries will participate in this conference.

AGLA France: Armenian gay rights organisation ceased to exist

Speaking to Unzipped: Gay Armenia blog, Micha Meroujean, Chairman of AGLA France, announced the closure of this prominent Armenian gay rights organisation. Sad news for anyone directly or indirectly related to AGLA France. Sad news for anyone who cares about LGBT rights in Armenia.

It was several years ago, when I googled “gay Armenia” and found AGLA France and GayArmenia.com website run by the Association. AGLA France was the only Diaspora organisation directly connected and involved in Armenia related gay rights issues. As Burma’s detained prominent human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi would say, “Please, use your liberty to promote ours". Of course, ‘liberty’ is very relative notion in this case since although living in much more tolerant French society, Diaspora LGBT Armenians have too had problems arising from conservative traditional Armenian families and communities – not exactly the most gay friendly environment, to say the least. However, I felt kind of secure by the fact that AGLA France exists. It felt like you are a child and you could always rely on your parents, you feel safe that they exist, you feel that you are not alone, you will get support when needed. It was fun place too, a place to meet other LGBT Armenians. "Aglushka", as some would lovingly refer to AGLA France in Russian. Well, it’s time to grow up.


Micha Meroujean: “What's urgent today is to get the Armenian LGBT out of closet!”


Artmika: I assume AGLA France was established for reasons. What were the reasons back then and why you decided to go forward with setting up gay rights organisation within Armenian Diaspora in France?

Micha Meroujean: My personal motivation for founding AGLA France back in 2001 was the widespread homophobia in Armenia. I, myself, fled Armenia in early 90s to find "security" in the West. It took me years to get my refugee status in Europe as a gay asylum-seeker. During many years I was indifferent to what was going on in Armenia, until once I stumbled on a news article about hate crimes in Armenia. The article was informing that in 2001 there were seven gays murdered in Armenia without specifying if all the victims were subject to a hate crime. That news shocked me and also has awakened my conscience. I said to myself that something needs to be done to change the situation in Armenia. This is how I started to look for other gay Armenians in Paris in order to establish an LGBT group. When AGLA was finally founded in December 2001, I realized that the Armenian Diaspora and the Parisian community, in particular, was very hostile to us. So we also decided to come out in the community and fight homophobia here as well. And especially to promote public awareness on our issues.

A: So what has changed now? What were the reasons behind the closure of AGLA?

M: I've been the Chairman since the very foundation. Last year, I asked our members to replace me since I was having difficulties to keep the activity going on. Being a leader of an organisation requires lots of time and personal implication on almost daily basis. Sometimes, it's a full time job (LOL). Unfortunately, nobody wanted to take these responsibilities and replace me, so I asked to close the organisation. It was a very difficult decision to take.

A: What would you consider the main accomplishments of AGLA France? Is there anything you are especially proud of?

M: There is nothing to be proud of. Unfortunately, there is lots of work yet to do in terms of LGBT rights in Armenia. We didn't really succeed to create an organisation in Armenia, neither to boost a gay movement. But there are many gays and lesbians who are eager today to make the step and start a group. I'd say the existence of AGLA has definitely changed the way gays were looking at themselves before. I mean the fact that there was Armenian LGBT group, even though in Spiurk (Diaspora), fighting homophobia and pressing the Armenian government, has changed the mindset and encouraged many to a better self-acceptance. The biggest achievement of AGLA is that we were the only Diaspora organisation doing pressure on the Armenian government and authorities in order to defend a minority group. When in 2003-2004 Armenia was caught up by ugly homophobic campaigns orchestrated by the leading political elite, we have used all our connections and networks to put pressure and we went also picketing in front of the Armenian embassy here in Paris. Nothing like that ever happened in Spiurk. AGLA also has co-sponsored the participation of the gays and lesbians from Armenia in the European LGBT network. For example, in 2005 we have invited two gay delegates from Armenia to participate in ILGA-Europe conference. Since then, some young gay people in Armenia now want to establish gay groups, and they take part in the European networks. In France, AGLA has been actively participating in the Armenian community's life. Meeting other associations, organising cultural events, fighting against the "genocide denialism" as well. During 4 years we have marched each 24th of April with Armenian and Rainbow flags. It was important to us that the local community sees gays and lesbians and accepts them. Many Armenian parents are rejecting their gay children here in the community. So we wanted to show to the parents but also to the children that you can be Armenian and gay at the same time and there is nothing to be ashamed of. We had also the support of many progressive local French-Armenian intellectuals. That was also a good point.

[a selection of photos from campaigns, picketing and demonstrations by AGLA France - at the end of the interview]

A: Now the opposite question, I suppose. Was there anything particular you regret you did not push for, you were not able to accomplish?

M: My biggest regret probably is that I didn't succeed to open the gay and lesbian center in Yerevan. But even now, after the closing AGLA, it still remains my dearest and also very personal project. I don't know yet how, but I'll try to help local LGBT people to build their center. There is a huge need for that.

A: Will you keep accessible AGLA France website with all its news, reports, forums etc? I think it will be a great pity to lose it, since it's a part of our history and contains important factual material. And what will happen with GayArmenia.com, AIDS Prevention in Armenia and The Pink webzine which are being run by you?

M: The website (including the AIDS prevention pages and the Pink webzine) will be archived and most probably remain accessible to visitors for at least another year. But the board has decided to remove some photographs and personal information from the existing content. GayArmenia.com will be separated and I'll take the domain name in order to create a community website - meeting place, social network - for the LGBT Armenians around the world. That's my next web project.

A: I know, there has not been yet an official announcement on closure, but what sort of reaction, if any, you got from within community, from people you worked with?

M: Most of people who heard about the closure of AGLA France have expressed their sadness. For many it was a surprise.

A: Why do you think no one expressed the desire to continue your work?

M: I think the main reason is that being a chairman requires lots of time investment. Another reason I think is that not many are ready to be in a public eye and assume the responsibilities it requires. I still think that the homophobia issue is still critical among Armenians. On the other hand, we have done lots of awareness work and the attitude of the community towards gays is not the same as it was in the beginning. Today it is much easier to be a chairman of AGLA then back in 2001. But still you should have a motivation and some courage to be a leader. Motivation comes first! Looks like we found no motivated people among the LGBT Armenians of France. Sad for us!

A: Any reaction from sister-organisations – GALAS, AGLA NY and so on?

M: As you know, we didn't announce yet officially, so there are no reactions. May be we will get some feedback after this interview is published.

A: You have unique experience and insight of both Armenia's and Diaspora's LGBT life. What are the most urgent and practical steps need to be done to develop gay rights movement in Armenia and Diaspora?

M: I think today Spiurk and Armenia are more connected and interacted than it was 15 years ago. In my view, the urgent actions should be taken in Armenia. The Diaspora Armenians, no matter where they live, they are dependant on the local situation. For example, being gay in France, US or even in Lebanon is much easier than being gay in Armenia. The Diaspora gay Armenians benefit from achievements of local gay movement while in Armenia there isn't any movement. There are some underground activities but no action on the surface. The urgency is to create an atmosphere in Armenia where local gays and lesbians can get together and create their groups. It's not only about activism. Not all gays and lesbians want to do activism; some want just get together and have fun. Even for this objective nothing exists yet. I think if there would be a Gay and Lesbian Center for non-profit organisations, if there would be some magazines, newspapers for LGBT people the situation will start changing. For the time being the whole gay community is in the closet. What's urgent today is to get the Armenian LGBT out of closet!

A: What is next for you, Micha? Any personal or activist plans?

M: As I said, the dearest project would be the opening of the LGBT Center in Yerevan, and my next web project is GayArmenia.com - an online meeting place.

A: And the last question. When can we expect a formal announcement from AGLA France?

M: You can consider this interview as a formal announcement. But our treasure is working now on formalities, paper work. When it's done, we will release a PR and we will also announce that the remaining money, something about 300 euros, will be transferred to the French-Armenian youth organisation "DA Connexion". This was the collective decision voted on September 23, 2007 ;)

A: Many thanks, Micha! Good luck and, please, keep posted on developments.

Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner to meet with Armenian LGBT representatives

For the first time, gay rights will be on the agenda of European Human Rights chief's visit to Armenia. On 7 October, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, will meet with representatives of We For Civil Equality (WFCE) NGO, the first (and so far the only) LGBT-related NGO in Armenia which was formally registered in July 2006. Mr Hammarberg will hold meetings with a range of Armenian human rights and non-governmental organisations, along with Armenian authorities, including president, prime minister and head of parliament. It's an important opportunity for Armenian LGBT representatives to present the situation with gay rights in Armenia in its broader context and lobby equality and anti-discrimination legislation.

Currently WFCE NGO is working on two main projects:

• Prevention and Empowerment in the Newly Independent States: Responding to HIV/AIDS amongst Sexual Minorities (2006-2010. Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Non official name is ARMENIAN RAINBOWS )
• LGBT Human Rights violation documentation – “Armenian LGBT Human Rights Campaign”, funded by ILGA – Europe (European branch of International Lesbian and Gay Association).

A report on homophobic incidents and hate crimes in Armenia will come out soon. Similar reports, sponsored by ILGA-Europe, have just been released in Georgia and Azerbaijan.

A scope of activities by WFCE includes regular HIV consultation/testing, film screenings and occasional club nights in Yerevan. In collaboration with various international organisations, WFCE is also involved in HIV/AIDS and LGBT-related trainings.

I am pleased to see that WFCE website is now being updated more regularly and gives clearer idea of programmes and activities. However, Armenia and World News sections on its front page remain outdated and are in need of more actual face-lift.

WFCE NGO: Calendar of events for October

October 7

‘We For Civil Equality’ NGO will have a meeting with Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner who is in official visit in Armenia.

October 7-12

President of Moldova's LGBT organisation GenderDoc-M will be in Armenia

October 8

HIV consultation and testing

October 11

Film club

Below is the press release by A1+ on Hammarberg's visit to Armenia:

Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, starts on Sunday 7 October a 5-day high-level official visit to Armenia to assess the human rights situation in the country.

At the centre of Mr Hammarberg's agenda there will be a broad range of human rights issues, including the functioning of the judiciary, conditions of detention, prohibition of torture and ill-treatment, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, minorities' rights, conscientious objectors, rights of refugees, social and economic rights. The visit will also focus on trafficking in human beings and vulnerable groups. Commissioner Hammarberg will visit various police stations, detention centres, shelters and psychiatric institutions in Yerevan and Gyumri.

During the visit, the Commissioner will hold meetings with the highest authorities of the State, including the President, Robert Kotcharian, the Prime-Minister, Serzhe Sargsyan and the Chairman of the Parliament, Tigran Torosyan. He will also meet parliamentarians, the Presidents of the Constitutional Court and the Cassation Court, the Ombudsman, local authorities, the Head of the Armenian Church, as well as representatives of the civil society.

On the afternoon of Thursday 11 October, Mr Hammarberg will hold a press conference to present the first findings (Council of Europe's Office in Yerevan - 10, David Anhagt street).

Is AIDS stigma diminishing in Yerevan?

Just got a call from close relative who said that someone whom she knew died of AIDS in Yerevan… I might have known him too, although can’t remember for sure. Sad news. But what astonished me was the way she told me about it, without usual scare or hysteria of HIV/AIDS. She did it the way people usually announce tragic news. She, of course, added that this guy was known for his ‘irresponsible’ sexual behaviour. What also astonished me is the fact that everyone around knew that the guy died of AIDS-related complication.

Is this the indication that AIDS stigma is slowly fading away in our society? I wish I could believe it, but it may be just my relative, or just the fact that medical privacy is very relative in Armenia. I can’t help myself but ‘hear’ all those conversations within the crowd gathered for funeral, those comments about his ‘immoral behaviour’, you know, the usual stuff…

On the other hand, people did not turn their back to that family; friends, neighbours and relatives showed up for the ceremony to offer their support and condolences, which is encouraging. But you know, when someone dies we all are ready to ‘show’ our support. What is lacking at times is support to those who are alive…

New French anti-AIDS campaign ad - striking!

The human sand-glass (Le sablier humain)



Tagline: "Every 10 seconds, someone dies of AIDS in the world."

Director: Dimitri Daniloff

*French association against AIDS: Sidaction

European Trans People Being Surveyed for Major EU Research Project

Inequalities and discrimination issues across Europe to be highlighted

A Europe-wide survey of people who identify themselves as ‘trans’ – in the widest sense – is being undertaken this month and will be looking at inequalities and discrimination issues in the member states of the European Union.

European citizens who are trans people – including transvestite, transgender, a-gender, poly-gender, transsexual etc., are being invited to take part in the online survey.

Gay men and lesbians are urged to point their trans friends to the survey, which is completely anonymous.

“With this survey we want to get to know more about the situation of trans people – in the broadest possible sense – in Europe,” said Justus Eisfeld, chair of TransGender Europe. “It is extremely important that as many trans people as possible from all over Europe fill in this questionnaire. With the data we collect in this survey, we will finally know a lot more about the situation that trans people live in, and will be able to put a lot more pressure on politicians and other decision makers to do something about the sometimes horrible situations that way too many trans people in Europe live in.”

The results of the project will inform the European Union, together with many other public authorities across Europe, and help them develop new ways of promoting equality.

*via UKGayNews

Argentine team beats British side to win Gay World Cup

*An Argentina's Dogos player (C) and an England's London Stonewall player (L) react at the end of the final match of IGLFA Football World Cup 2007 in Buenos Aires, on 29 September. Argentina's Dogos won the match by 1-0 and the championship. © 2007 AFP - Juan Mabromata

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) — Argentina's Los Dogos captured the gay football World Cup Saturday, defeating British title-holders Stonewall 1-0 in Buenos Aires in the first final held in Latin America.

The two teams were among 28 squads from Europe, the Americas and Australia that participated in the 10th gay football world championship aimed at highlighting the fight against homophobia and discrimination.

With their victory, Los Dogos, named after an Argentine dog breed, automatically qualified for the 2008 tournament hosted by London.

"The people supported us and I hope it's always like this," said Dogos coach Nestor Gammella, 51, after the final held at the Defensores de Belgrano stadium. "We beat the world champions and we are happy."

It was the first time Latin American teams played in the tournament organized by the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA), with squads from Mexico, Chile and Uruguay.

IGFLA president Tomas Gomez said Buenos Aires was chosen to host the cup this year for its "respect and social acceptance of the gay community."

Buenos Aires is increasingly seen as a gay-friendly city. In 2002, the city's government approved gay and lesbian civil unions.

Arts Review Yerevan: The Artist as Anarchist - Arman Grigoryan

"The Armenian community suppresses individuality and forces people to be similar to each other. The characters on my paintings are in communities as well, but each of them decides for himself the way he wants to be, what community to choose and underlines his individuality upon his own choice", says Arman Grigoryan, one of the founders of the avant-garde movement of the 1980s in Armenia, whose exhibition opened at the Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (NPAK) in Yerevan.

"I want us to understand that the Northern Avenue is a symbol of socialist revolution. Tamanyan’s design plan symbolizes the victory of the Bolshevik revolution and not that of wealthy people as it is interpreted today,” says Grigoryan. The naked soldier of Slavonic appearance and the woman symbolize also sexuality and freedom: “North is a kind of a dream for Armenians. Everyone speaks of the West, but we say the North. North has been a kind of a symbol of modernism; individualism has come from there. They are naked because progress for me is tied up with nakedness. True heroes are naked. Statues of people in overcoats cannot express the heroism of the shown persons," he says.

As Vahan Ishkhanyan from ArmeniaNow pointed out, "...so much effort and sacrifice would be needed to have the conservative Armenian community revolutionized and tolerate nudists, anarchists and punks. It’s easy to have it on the canvas: there is no need for revolution and struggle, and Grigoryan realizes the dream for freedom in the Armenian surrounding making those things compatible."

For more about artist and his work, read ArmeniaNow here

*pictures via ArmeniaNow.com

OSCE: Hate Crimes Report

By no means could this report be considered a comprehensive. Reporting and recording hate crime is never an easy task. "Most countries lack accurate data about the nature and extent of hate crimes. This is often compounded by an absence of legislation specifically on hate crimes, making it difficult to prosecute such cases." However, it is a good indication that hate crimes will be taken more seriously. Although this report focuses on 2006, it contains earlier and more recent references too.

Only 5 countries did not respond to the call to submit information for inclusion in this report: Kyrgyzstan, San Marino, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and... Armenia.

However, there are news on some positive developments in this area in Armenia too. A report on homophobic incidents and hate crimes in Armenia has been finilised and soon will be published by WFCE NGO. I look forward to reading it. It could potentially serve a good basis for further and continuous work in this direction, involving, along with homophobia, other types of hate crimes too.

Full OSCE Report on Hate Crimes can be accessed here

Definition of a hate crime

The ODIHR [Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights] has developed a working definition of hate crime that can be used across the OSCE region to reflect the diversity of victims targeted. A hate crime can be defined as:

(A) Any criminal offence, including offences against persons or property, where the victim, premises, or target of the offence are selected because of their real or perceived connection, attachment, affiliation, support, or membership of a group as defined in Part B.

(B) A group may be based upon a characteristic common to its members, such as real or perceived race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or other similar factor.

This working definition takes national differences into account, such as differences in legislation, resources, approach and needs, and thus allows each state to amend the definition as it sees fit.

*http://www.osce.org/odihr/20052.html


(selected extracts from the Report)

*On 26 August, fans of the Khazar-Lankaran football club harassed a goalkeeper of the Baku club who was of Senegalese origin by chanting racist slogans and throwing objects onto the pitch during a national championship match. The Disciplinary Committee of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan reportedly fined the club the equivalent of 9,000 euros for the incident. [this is apparently the only incident reported by Azerbaijan]

*In Georgia, on 2 November, about 50 people, including secondary-school teachers and pupils, gathered in front of a building belonging to Jehovah’s Witnesses and attacked it with stones. The organizer of the incident, who had already committed similar criminal acts against Jehovah’s Witnesses in the past, was jailed.

*During the reporting period, the religious extremist group David Agmashenebeli Society of Orthodox Parish Protesters organized a protest in front of a building assumed to belong to the Catholic Church. The group used anti-Catholic slogans describing Catholics in abusive and offensive language. In a separate event, a Catholic priest experienced physical and verbal abuse during the presentation of a newly released book at the National Library of Georgia. During the event, members of the David Agmashenebeli Society even forced the priest to say he was an Orthodox Christian.

*Explicit instructions for racist attacks on particular individuals in Russia were found on the websites of skinhead groups throughout the year. Some 150 active racist and extremist sites were reportedly maintained on Runet.ru, an Internet portal.


LGBT-related hate crimes

There is relatively large section on homophobic hate crimes (in particular, pages 51-56 and page 74).

(selected extracts)

*Numerous hate-motivated incidents and hate crimes against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people (LGBT) occurred in the OSCE region in 2006. Homophobic and transphobic incidents and crimes targeting LGBT people are believed to be among the most underreported and under-documented, and the perpetrators of such crimes often go unpunished.

*The problem of underreporting and under-documentation can partly be explained by the fact that, out of 56 participating States, only 10 have reported to the ODIHR that they include sexual orientation as grounds for bias and/or an aggravating circumstance within their national hatecrime legislation.

*Homophobic attitudes among law enforcement staff and the belief that reported incidents will not be handled seriously and only lead to a forced “coming out” to family, friends, and colleagues are among the main reasons that victims of homophobic and transphobic crimes and incidents do not report and document their case with the police.

*Homophobic hate crimes and incidents often show a high degree of cruelty and brutality. They are also very likely to result in death. Transgender people seem to be even more vulnerable within this category.

*Media and political discourse have served to heighten hostility and intolerance, as well as to incite violence against LGBT communities in some cases. The main trend that could be identified in 2006 was that leading politicians and public figures, sometimes in positions dealing with antidiscrimination, protecting human rights, and promoting tolerance, were among those engaging in intolerant discourse towards LGBTs.

*Homophobic and transphobic incidents and hate crimes in 2006 were reported to, or identified by, the ODIHR with respect to, among others, Austria, Belarus, Croatia, France, Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It should also be noted that two OSCE participating States (Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) criminalize consenting same-sex acts between adults.

*In Georgia, the head of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration stated in an interview that “a mass change of sexual orientation could be more harmful than our youth embarking on the road to organized crime”.

*In the Russian Federation, an online poll among 35,000 users of the Qguys.ru website showed that 26.5 per cent of respondents claimed to have suffered from physical violence due to their sexual orientation at least once, whereas almost 40 per cent said they had suffered from threats, blackmail, and psychological pressure. The percentages for provincial towns are higher than for Moscow.

Ahmadinejad: "No homosexuals in Iran"

Today, in a speech at a top US university in NY, asked about hostile treatment against homosexuals, Iranian President Ahmadinejad said that 'there are no gays in Iran':

"In Iran, we don’t have homosexuals like in your country. We don’t have that in our country. In Iran, we do not have this phenomenon. I do not know who has told you that we have it."

Of course, you "don't have" homosexuals:

Personal style

Personal style isn’t about buying the trendiest labels or most expensive suits. It’s about establishing a look that’s all yours and sticking with it.

*GQ

Gay World Cup 2007

*International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA)

The opening ceremony for this week-long event, supported by FIFA, local and state authorities, will take place on 23 September 2007, in Buenos Aires (Argentina). It is the first time in the tournament's 16-year history that Latin American country has hosted the World Championship of gay and lesbian fooball teams. The choice of Argentina is not a random one. Besides brilliant football traditions, it is the only Latin American country where same-sex civil partnerships (aka marriage) are permitted.

Reuters reports that "twenty-eight teams, many representing cities in Europe, the United States, Australia and Latin America, as opposed to countries, will play in the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association's competition."

"If gay-lesbian soccer exists it's because gays and lesbians can't play the sport without suffering discrimination," said Cesar Cigliutti, president of the Argentine Homosexual Community gay advocacy group. "The sports world is very homophobic, very discriminatory and soccer is a prime example... That's exactly why these championships were born," he said.

London will host the 2008 IGLFA World Championship (24-30 August).

No reports on Armenian participation... as yet.

Ima Robot - Lovers in Captivity

"...But Armenians aren't gay"

Here are some bits from very recent observations of Armenia by one bisexual foreigner who happened to know too many languages.

His first day impression of Yerevan was that "Both the men and the women here are HOT. Perhaps even HAWT. It's a bisexual dreamland, rendering the language well worth learning." While it is almost amusing to read of Armenia as 'bisexual paradise', I bet for locals, gay, bi or straight, it would be very hard to picture it as such. Not that I am rejecting the possibility or fact... It's just when we think of 'paradise', we think of something open, wide, filled with love and tolerance... may be a bit boring... I'd love to think of Armenians as 'hot'. Actually, when they are hot, they are HOT. The taste of unknown, risk and pretty much underground nature has its own appeal and thrill, but only for some time. When it's becoming a norm, it's becoming a serious pain in the ass... I'll stop myself here.

At the end of his trip, waiting for Yerevan -Paris transit flight, on the way to DC, he evidenced more typical, weird, at times painfully hilarious things:

"I entered the airport and passed through an interminable line to get to the ticket counter. After getting my boarding pass, I made my way to the checking line. I heard a voice calling out in Russian "Does anyone here speak English?" at which point I walked up and volunteered. I was then asked to interpret for an American male whom a border officer apparently needed to ask about his trip.

Here's the exchange that happened between them:

Russian border officer: What is your business in Armenia?
American flyer: I wasn't on business, I'm just here to visit my boyfriend.
Border officer: What do you mean by "boyfriend?"
American: My romantic partner. I'm gay.
Border officer: (Scrunching his face in fairly obvious disgust) But Armenians aren't gay.
American: Well, he's Armenian and gay.
Officer: (Proceeds to ask lots of invasive and personal questions.)

At this point I was positively LIVID. But he eventually let the American pass. He then turned to me, since I was next. He looked at my blue American passport and asked me why I spoke Russian, to which I replied that I learned it in my early teens in order to read Dostoyevsky and Pushkin. He refused to believe me (as if that were so fucking impossible!) and said that my passport looked fake (which, of course, it isn't.) I demanded that he tell me what, exactly, was fake about it and he got indignant, saying that I had no right to tell him how to do his job, and that I looked Georgian. He then asked me what my real name was (apparently because the name on the passport was too American-looking.) I said that I was prepared to stand there till judgement day while he ran whatever checks on my passport he deemed satisfactory. Oddly enough, he then simply snorted and tossed my passport back at me with a stamp through the booth, saying that it was my right to abandon my people if I wished. What a weird fuckwad.

If any of my readers familiar with the former USSR know why this happened, I'd be greatly indebted.

...The only saving grace was the voluptuous and flirtatious half-Iranian, half-Armenian flight attendant who spoke French with an accent to die for.)..."

Make Love Not War

Photostory by Steven Meisel in Vogue (Italy)

*via me-me-me.tv

see Unzipped

Neo-nazi in Israel. A call for actions in Armenia

Israeli police have broken up a gang of neo-nazi who are accused of carrying out attacks on foreigners, gay people, the homeless, drug addicts and religious Jews.

It is hard to believe that a group of Jewish neo-nazi may exist, but shocking weekend news proved seemingly impossible. What an irony! A group of neo-nazi in a country which was founded in the wake of Nazi Holocaust!

This should have implications for Armenia too, taking into account recent resurgence of hate graffiti and other signs of intolerance.

For more details, see Unzipped

Teenage boy who gave Nureyev the first lesson in gay sex

Fascinating reading from biography of one of the world's greatest dancers - Rudolf Nureyev

***
Vadim Kiselev was a young ballet fan who first spotted Nureyev throwing snowballs. “Even then I could see the beautiful catlike plasticity of his movements.”

Five years older than Nureyev, with wavy blond hair and Cupid’s-bow lips, Kiselev was “an exotic” by Leningrad standards, one of a coterie of homosexual friends who, he says, were already aware of Nureyev’s true sexual orientation. “We understood that his volatility came about partly as a result of this.”

One night Kiselev invited Nureyev to his apartment. With seduction in mind, he had bought a bottle of Armenian cognac and 200 grams of caviar, which he served on bone china. But the evening did not go according to plan.

His delicate sensibilities already affronted by the young Tatar’s gross table manners, Kiselev then found his advances rudely repelled. They parted “almost enemies”, and had no further contact until Nureyev turned up one day, saying: “I think I offended you.” He apologised, and while continuing to flirt with Kiselev (addressing him as “Adonis”), resumed an acquaintance free of sexual ties.

*A teenage Rudik displaying his innate, unconfined elevation in an Ufa, capital of Bashkiria (Russia), ballet studio

He was not yet willing to consider male love as an option for himself. (Years later he told a lover in London that when he had found himself attracted to a boy on a Leningrad bus he had felt so ashamed that he got off at the next stop.)

When Nureyev met Teja Kremke, however, his attitude changed. Not only that, their relationship would lead to his defection from the Soviet Union.

Teja was a 17-year-old East German boy with an erotic presence as visible as a heat haze. A student at the Vaganova ballet school, he had shiny chestnut hair, pale skin, full lips and intense grey-blue eyes.

He was invited to the apartment of his teacher Alexander Pushkin, where Nureyev – already a star with the Kirov Ballet – still lived. Pushkin’s wife Xenia, who had already seduced Nureyev, was instinctively drawn to this beautiful youth. She adopted him as a new protégé, shaping his thoughts and tastes. Pushkin, whom Teja worshipped, soon became a father figure for him, too. A deep bond developed among all four. “It was a liaison à quatre. They were kind of bound together,” said a friend of the Pushkins.

Like Nureyev, Teja had no interest in contemporary politics but hated the constraints of communism. One evening they were talking in the Vaganova student kitchen while Ute Mitreuter, another East German, was brewing coffee.

She remembered: “Teja was telling Rudolf that he should go to the West. ‘There you’ll be the greatest dancer in the world,’ he said. ‘But if you stay here you’ll be known only to the Russians’.” “‘Yes of course I know that,’ answered Rudolf. ‘It’s how Nijinsky became a legend. And I’m going to be the next one’.”

Teja confided to his sister that he and Nureyev had become blood brothers, cutting themselves to mingle their blood. But their growing intimacy was too risky to reveal to anyone at the school, even to Mitreuter, to whom Teja had always confided his sexual history in the past.

“Teja talked to me about all the things he did with girls. There were many of them who were mad about him. I heard he was a very good lover and that’s why I didn’t think there was anything more than a friendship between him and Rudolf. It was only later that I knew it was a love affair.”

Teja had been only 12 when he was seduced by a 35-year-old woman, an encounter that left him with a far from conventional sexual outlook. At school he had been caught in the shower with a boy. (In the mid-Sixties he would persuade his adoring Indonesian child-wife to live in a ménage à trois with a beautiful Aryan youth with whom he was having an affair.)

“Teja was always open to new experience,” said someone who knew him at the time. “There was a perverse strain in his character. Something other people didn’t find normal was very exciting to him.”

When Konstantin Russu, another student from East Germany, went to the ballet school shower room one day, he found that Nureyev and Teja had locked themselves in and were refusing to open the door. It confirmed what he had suspected for some time: often, when he came back in the evening to the room he shared with Teja, he had seen Nureyev climbing out of the window. (Nureyev would one day tell a mutual friend that it was Teja who first taught him “the art of male love”.)

At the same time, Teja was constantly goading Nureyev to leave Russia.

“He’d say, ‘Go! Get out! At the first opportunity you have. Don’t stay here or no one will hear of you!’” said their friend.

Earlier in the winter of 1960 Janine Ringuet, a 20-year-old assistant impresario who worked for a Parisian organisation specialising in artistic exchanges between France and the Soviet Union, came to Leningrad for several weeks to observe the Kirov Ballet. She reported back that Nureyev, almost unknown in the West, was “the best male dancer in the world”. He was engaged for a Kirov visit to Paris.

Only days before he was due to leave, Nureyev and a colleague were taken before the special committee responsible for vetting dancers for the tour. Why, the KGB officer chairing it demanded, had neither of them joined the Komsomol, the young communist organisation?

“Because I’ve far more important things to do with my time than waste it on that kind of rubbish!” exclaimed Nureyev impulsively.

He got away with it but it was clear he had to leave. “In Russia,” he later told a friend, “I did not belong to myself. I had a feeling that I had a big talent which people would recognise anywhere.”
It was hard for Nureyev to accept that his dream of seeing Europe was about to be realised. His defection was “prepared inside”, but he felt that he needed to gauge the reaction of his friends. During a long walk with one of them a few days before his departure, he asked: “What would you think if I stayed in the West?”

The friend reminded him of the lifestyle he loved and would be leaving behind – Leningrad’s “kitchen culture’, where a gathering of friends around a table had come to mean more to him than his family.

But Nureyev felt increasingly trapped at the Pushkins’ apartment. Now that Xenia could see how much of a hold Teja had on him, she had reverted to being jealous and contentious, going out of her way to cause trouble between them. But at the same time she found herself involuntarily attracted to Teja.

If Rudolf sensed the growing sexual chemistry between them he would have felt the kind of distaste and disenchantment experienced by Chinko Rafique, a student taken up by the Pushkins a decade later: “Xenia was predatory. She was sexually predatory.”

Liuba Romankova, Nureyev’s close friend, has always believed that his involvement with Xenia was a key reason why he “escaped to the West”. Ninel Kurgapkina, a Kirov dancer and confidante, agrees that it was a situation from which he badly wanted to extricate himself. “He was not very proud when he talked of Xenia. He didn’t feel good thinking about her.”

But even more of an incentive to leave Russia was the realisation that he would never be free to follow his true sexual instincts while he was there. As he said himself: “I did not have the possibility of choosing my friends according to my taste. It was as if someone battered me morally. I was very unhappy.”


*Rudik sits on his suitcase for a moment. It is an old Russian superstition.

Teja stayed in Russia. Even a decade later, Pushkin remained afraid that he would have the same malign influence on the budding new star Mikhail Baryshnikov as he had had on Nureyev. If Teja happened to drop in, Pushkin would usher the young Baryshnikov into another room, keeping him hidden until the East German had left. Baryshnikov nonetheless defected.

*The Sunday Times

Declaration of civil society organisations on the recognition of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression in the OSCE

This Declaration will be presented within the framework of the next meeting of the Human Dimension of OSCE, in Warsaw (24 September 2007–5 October 2007)

We, the undersigned representatives of civil society, call upon the OSCE participating states to recognise sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression explicitly as grounds of discrimination, intolerance, hate-motivated crimes and human rights violations in the OSCE commitments.

There is substantial evidence that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities are especially vulnerable to hate crimes, and therefore have a particular need to be included in programmes addressing this issue. We therefore commend the inclusive and comprehensive approach of ODIHR [Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights] in its work on hate crimes, data collection, police trainings, which includes awareness raising and promotion of measures to fight discrimination on all grounds. We call upon the OSCE participating states to continue supporting this work and provide adequate resources.

We recall the participating states of their obligation under various international treaties and national constitutions to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the human rights of all persons without discrimination. It is therefore our great concern that the OSCE participating states do not have a consensus on interpretation of “all people” and exclude certain social groups from exercising their human rights, such as the right to life and physical integrity, freedom of assembly and association, right to private life, and freedom of expression. These rights, if protected, ensure the dignity of all people, and there can be no justification for exclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons from enjoyment of these rights.


Signed by:

European Social Platform
Human Rights First, USA
International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE)
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, USA
European Women’s Lobby
European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA-Europe)
Amnesty International EU Office
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
NGO Platform “Coalition Europe”
European Humanist Federation
European Network Against Racism (ENAR)
European Organisation for Human Rights (EHOR), Strasbourg
European Roma Rights Centre
Youth for Human Rights International, USA and Austria
Quaker Council for European Affairs
World Organisation Against Torture – Europe (OMCT Europe)
European Anti-Poverty Network
Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Switzerland
Ascedent, Romania
OSCE-NGO Network
Conseil de la Jeunesse Pluriculturelle (COJEP International)
Organisation Sociale de St. Petersburg «Union Africaine», Russia
Jewish Cultural Centre “Menora”, Armenia
Roma Education Fund, Hungary
Romo Amaro, Belarus
Memorial of Saint Petersburg, Russia
TransGenderEurope
Spanish LGBT Federation (FELGBT)
Movimiento contra la Intolerancia, Spain
The Islamic Commission of Spain
GlobalSIDA, Spain
SOS Rassismus Deutschewerz, Switzerland
Swiss African Forum, Switzerland
RFSL, Sweden
Campaign Against Homophobia, Poland
Georgian Young Lawyers Association, Georgia
NGO Nash Mir (Our World), Ukraine
Coalition of HIV-Service Organisations of Ukraine
Information Centre GenderDoc-M, Moldova
National Roma Centre, Moldova
LADOM (Moldovan League for Human Rights Protection), Moldova
National Youth Council of Moldova
NGO Labrys, Kyrgyzstan
NGO Gaudeamus, Moldova
AntiAIDS Association, Kyrgyzstan
Resource Centre for Human Rights in Moldova “CReDO”, Moldova
Association ACCEPT, Romania
Centre for Legal Resources, Romania
Metropolitan Community Churches, USA
Crisis Centre for Women, Kyrgyzstan
Inclusive Foundation, Georgia
NGO “We for Civil Equality”, Armenia
NGO “Gender and Development”, Azerbaijan
Ursari Roma Association, Romania
NGO “LIGA”, Ukraine
Gay Forum, Ukraine
Latvian Centre for Human Rights. Latvia
NGO LBL, Denmark
Institute for Peace and Democracy, Azerbaijan
Gay Alliance, Ukraine
SOVA Centre, Moscow, Russia
Magenta Foundation, the Netherlands
African Caribbean Leadership Council, London, UK
“Never Again” Association, Poland
AIDS Network, Moldova
Youth Union Siin, Estonia
Homosexuelle Initiative (HOSI) Wien, Austria
Lesben und Schwulenverband Osterreichs, Austria
Croydon Area Gay Society, UK
Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), Ireland
Helsinki Human Rights Committee for Serbia
Women’s Initiative for Equality, Georgia
NGO ADALI, Kazakhstan
NGO “Tais +”, Kyrgyzstan
Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group, Georgia
Donetsk Law Initiative, Ukraine
All-Ukrainian Youth Organisation “Foundation of Regional Initiatives”, Ukraine
Youth Organisation “Bizim Qirim”, Crimea, Ukraine
TV Antena 1, Romania
Alianta Nationala pentru Unitatea Romilor (National Roma Unity Alliance), Romania
Association of Nordic LGBT Student Organisations (ANSO), Sweden
The Federation of Swedish LGBT Student Organisations (SFG), Sweden
Youth Group for Tolerance “ETHnICS”, Russia
Open Viewpoint Public Foundation, Kyrgyzstan
NGO “Transformation”, Sweden
Gender Group of Gothenburg University, Sweden
International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC), UK
Union “Century 21”, Georgia
Canadian Arab Federation
Kulturburo Sachsen (Cultural Office), Germany
Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe (CEJI)
Youth Against Intolerance and Discrimination, Georgia
Netherlands Helsinki Committee
Advocates for Lesbian and Gay Rights International (ALEGRI), UK
LSVD, Germany
Qendra per Emancipim Shoqeror (Center for Social Emancipation) QESh, Kosovo
The Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan
Democracy Monitor, Azerbaijan
Malta Gay Rights Movement, Malta
COC Haaglanden, the Netherlands
Informational Medical-Psychological Centre Tanadgoma, Georgia
ILGA Portugal
International Gay and Lesbian Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO)
YouAct, the Netherlands
GAT - Grupo Português de Activistas sobre Tratamentos do VIH/SIDA, Portugal
The Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG)
National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Centers, USA
RFSL Ungdom - The Swedish youth federation for LGBT rights, Sweden
Hudson Pride Connections, USA
The National Council of German Women's Organizations, Germany
Centre for Legal Resources, Romania
ALEAS Izquierda Unida La Rioja (Spain)

*source: ALEAS IU Rioja

***
The term "human dimension" describes the set of norms and activities related to human rights, the rule of law, and democracy that are regarded within the OSCE as one of the three pillars of its comprehensive security concept, along with the politico-military and the economic and environmental dimensions.

Every year in Warsaw, the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) organizes a two-week conference, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM). The HDIM is a forum where OSCE participating States discuss the implementation of human dimension commitments that were adopted by consensus at prior OSCE Summits or Ministerial Meetings.

These commitments are not legally binding norms; instead, they are politically binding - a political promise to comply with the standards elaborated in OSCE documents. Follow-up meetings to review the implementation of the commitments are based on the principle that the commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the state concerned.

*for more info about ODIHR and Human Dimension of OSCE, see here