World's first pro-gay reggae album

Jamaican singer bids to challenge homophobia

Tolerance album features 11 gay-positive tracks

London - 26 August 2011

"Jamaican reggae singer Mista Majah P has released the world's first pro-gay reggae album. Called Tolerance and featuring rainbow stripes on the cover, the album includes 11 songs, variously in support of same-sex marriage and adoption by gay couples, as well as attacks on homophobic bullying and the US military policy, Don't Ask Don't Tell. The tracks also feature swipes at the anti-gay prejudices of 'murder music' reggae singer Beenie Man and of the Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding," said human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.

Mr Tatchell is the international coordinator of the Stop Murder Music campaign, which since 2004 has protested against eight reggae singers who have put out songs encouraging and glorifying the murder of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

Although Mista Majah P is not gay, he supports the LGBT communities and gay equality. Explaining why he created the album, Mista Majah P said:

"I want to counter the myths that all Jamaicans are homophobic and that all reggae music is violent and anti-gay. I'm seeking to challenge ignorance and reach out to gay people."

He added:

"My hope is that this cd, Tolerance, will break down the homophobic stance that certain reggae artists and heads of government have taken towards the LGBTQ community. Because of the hateful songs that some performers have been singing, gay people have been threatened and harmed. Some foolish people act upon what these artists are preaching because they worship these artists like gods. My music is about tolerance. It shows that reggae music can respect gay and lesbian people. Reggae music used to be about love, peace and unity. Now it is too often about bigotry and violence. I want to bring the music back to its progressive roots," said Mista Majah P

"Since releasing the album, Mista Majah P has received numerous death threats and has been warned to not return to Jamaica (he currently resides in California). He's undeterred and defiant, stating that 'murder music' has given reggae a negative image, which is bad for the music industry and for all reggae artists," noted Mr Tatchell. 

Listen to samples of all 11 tracks on the Tolerance album here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mistamajahp22

QUEEN'S SUPPORT FOR UNBELIEVERS

24 November 2010

The gay Humanist charity, the Pink Triangle Trust (PTT) has warmly welcomed the Queen’s recognition that people of no faith can lead moral lives and make an equally important contribution to society.

Addressing the Church of England General Synod, the Queen told members that believers and atheists were equally able to contribute to the prosperity and wellbeing of the country.

The Queen, who is supreme governor of the Church of England, said: "In our more diverse and secular society, the place of religion has come to be a matter of lively discussion. It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue and that the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation depend on the contribution of individuals and groups of all faiths and none."

The PTT secretary George Broadhead commented: "This is a remarkable and very welcome recognition. Coming as it does from the Head of State, it is also extremely important. For far too long religionists, even relatively moderate ones, have tried to claim that only they can lead moral lives and that religious faith of some sort is vital to society's wellbeing. The Queen's words knock this on the head and should be a lesson to all those who denigrate unbelievers and - in the case of Islamists - threaten them with hellfire and death.

Transsexuality No Longer a Mental Disorder in France

Several decades have passed since the West stopped considering homosexuality a mental illness. But for transsexuals, that kind of milestone has been elusive — until now. Last month, France became the first country in the world to remove transsexualism from its official list of mental disorders — a major victory when it comes to acceptance of this oft misunderstood condition. "I'm relieved. People might begin to look at us differently," says transsexual blogger Caphi (a blended name she's chosen to represent Philippe, the man she was born as, and Caroline, the woman she's transforming into). "It's a start."
But only a start, many transsexuals in France say. In practice, the declaration will do little to improve their legal or medical rights in the country. For example, transsexuals are still required to have a sex-change operation before they can change their gender in the eyes of the law. And to get the green light for surgery, they must still undergo extensive medical and psychiatric evaluations. "It's a symbolic victory," says Georges-Louis Tin, president of the Paris-based IDAHO committee, which fights homophobia and what it calls "transphobia," or discrimination against transsexuals. "Transsexuals are no longer mentally ill," he says. "They're normal citizens. But we haven't yet reached the point where they're allowed to make their own decisions instead of depending on doctors and psychiatrists." (See "The Year in Health 2009: From A to Z.")
Some transsexuals say the country's open-minded Health Minister, Roselyne Bachelot, removed transsexualism from the list of mental disorders because it was an outdated classification and because she wanted to acknowledge the work transsexuals have done to further their cause. But others see a potentially more troubling motive. Tin worries that politicians may be making allowances on this front to avoid engaging in debate on legalizing gay marriage or removing barriers to allowing gay adults to adopt. (See pictures of the gay-rights movement.)
Indeed, the French transsexual community doesn't exactly consider the country to be at the forefront of promoting the rights of sexual minorities. A just-released study commissioned by the Health Ministry, for example, paints a dreary picture of the treatment of transsexuals from a legal and medial standpoint. Sex-change surgeries and treatments are covered by the state — as in some other countries — but those who opt for surgery have little choice in selecting their doctor. Surgeons complain that they are poorly equipped to perform the complicated procedures and that few have received specialized training, according to the survey. And some even say they are ostracized by their colleagues if they perform such surgeries. For these reasons, many transsexuals choose to undergo the procedure — at their own cost — across the border in Belgium, home to some of the best sex-change specialists in the world.
Laure Laudet, who is scheduled to have an operation in France to become a woman in the fall, has been so worried about French doctors' lack of expertise in the field that she's done much of her own research, particularly on which hormones she should take. "In the trans community, people have to find their own information, figure out who the good doctors are and negotiate their treatments," she says. Recently, she had to travel 250 miles (400 km) to visit with a second psychiatrist — not the one she's been seeing for two years — to sign off on her operation. At the last minute, she says, the psychiatrist canceled the appointment to travel abroad. "And then they're surprised that some people try to commit suicide or castrate themselves," she says. (See the top 10 news stories of 2009.)
But what advocacy groups find most egregious is that France, like many other countries, requires transsexuals to undergo surgery — and become sterilized — before they can receive identity cards and other official documents confirming their new gender. "If we refuse, we're basically undocumented," says Caphi. According to most advocates, about half of transgender people — a term many prefer, though the French state doesn't use it — have no desire to go under the knife, preferring instead to simply live their lives as a member of the opposite sex in their dress and behavior.
This will be the next big battleground. Spain and Great Britain have adopted more lenient stances, even though transsexualism is still technically on the books in both countries as a mental illness. Spain requires transsexuals only to undergo some form of hormonal treatment to modify their physical appearance before it will issue new documents, while the British simply ask applicants, with recommendations from their doctors, to promise to live out the rest of their lives as their chosen sex. (See 10 things to do in Paris.)
In France, several members of the advocacy organization TransAide have unsuccessfully sued the state in recent years to try to obtain a legal sex change without an operation. They've since lodged appeals and intend to bring their cases before the European Human Rights Court if necessary. "We want to prove that sterilization is what's really at play here," says Delphine Ravise-Jiard, one of the plaintiffs. And the group's got friends at the European level. Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, has been fighting to end the mandatory sterilization of transsexuals in the European Union, calling it a human-rights violation.
The tide may be turning. At least that's what IDAHO's president hopes. The French Health Ministry has already agreed to push other countries in the E.U. to drop transsexualism from their lists of mental disorders. And that, Tin says, is a start.

Church of Sweden says yes to gay marriage

22 Oct 09

The Synod of the Lutheran Church of Sweden has come down in favour of church
weddings for homosexuals in a vote held on Thursday morning.

The decision, which is based on a proposal from the church’s governing
board, means that the Church of Sweden will conduct wedding ceremonies for
both heterosexual and homosexual couples.

The proposal was approved by 176 of 249 voting members.

The decision comes just three days after the 30th anniversary of the date
when homosexuality stopped being classified as a disease in Sweden.

“The Synod’s decision takes a stance in favour of an inclusive view of
people. Regardless of whether one is religious or not, this affects the
entire social climate and the view of people’s equal value,” Åsa Regnér,
head of the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) - the
country's largest gay rights group, said in a statement.

In June, the church board took the first step towards permitting same-sex
marriages by submitting a petition to the Church of Sweden Synod – the
church's highest decision-making body.

The board proposed the church continue to perform wedding ceremonies
following new legislation which came into force on May 1st and grants
same-sex couples in Sweden the same legal marriage status as heterosexuals.

Current church regulations will likely continue to apply in practice, with
some alterations, such as replacing “man and wife” with “lawfully wedded
spouses” when a homosexual couple is married.

Individual pastors would also still be able to refuse to perform marriage
ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Since 2007, the Church of Sweden, which counts around 74 percent of Swedes
as members, has offered gays a religious blessing of their union.

The ruling by the Synod, which has 251 delegates - two of which were absent
from Thursday's vote, puts Sweden among the first countries in the world to
allow gays to marry in a major church.

Representatives from the Catholic and Orthodox churches in Sweden, however,
were disappointed by Thursday’s decision.

“It is with great sorry that we receive news that the Church of Sweden’s
Synod has today decided to wed same-sex couples that it will be referred to
as marriage. This is a step backwards, not only from Christian tradition,
but also from all of the major world’s religions views of what marriage is,”
write Vicar Fredrik Emanuelson of the Catholic Church and Father Misha
Jaksic, coordinator of the family of Orthodox Churches at the Christian
Council of Sweden (CCS), in a joint statement.

“We don’t wed same-sex couples in our churches and faith communities because
doing so stands in clear opposition to the church’s tradition and to our
entire view of creation.”

In moving ahead with the decision to perform same-sex marriages, the Church
of Sweden also ignored concerns expressed earlier this year by the Church of
England in a strongly worded letter to Swedish archbishop Anders Wejryd that
the move could lead to “an impairment of the relationships between the
churches”.

Church of England spokesperson Steve Jenkins confirmed that relations
between the two churches may be headed for a turbulent phase in the wake of
the decision.

“Those concerns remain,” he told The Local, referring to the letter from
English bishops Christopher Hill and John Hind.

He added that he didn’t know of any plans by the English Church to issue a
formal statement in response to the Church of Sweden’s decision.

http://www.thelocal.se/22810/20091022/

BARACK OBAMA: LGBT PRIDE MONTH, 2009

From the White House:
LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New
York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common
for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America
was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June
1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT
Americans.

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting
contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American
society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all
professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT
Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic
HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this
country’s response to the HIV pandemic.

Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT
rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly
today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to
appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the
first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best
qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration —
in both the White House and the Federal agencies — openly LGBT
employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is
more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the
fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to
live their lives with dignity and respect.

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a
wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined
efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around
the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the
full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures
include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and
Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the
workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing “Don’t
Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and
our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the
HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and
providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS
across the United States.

These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire
Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains
unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to
advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every
American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT
community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to
promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or
gender identity.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the
people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice
everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of
June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

Arresting o f the LGBT activists in Russia on May, 16th, 2009

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2009/05/photo-gallery-gay-rights-protesters-arrested-by-riot-police-in-moscow-on-saturday.html

Social workers reject ‘reparative therapy’ for gays

Irish Examiner, 5 May 2009

Social workers have taken a stand against therapies which claim to "cure" homosexuality on the grounds that they add to the mental distress of gay and lesbian people.
Declan Coogan, spokesman for the Irish Association of Social Workers (IASW), said sexual orientation conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, "is based on the erroneous belief that homosexuality is an illness".

"There is no evidence that conversion therapy is effective, though there is evidence of mental health risks associated with the use of such approaches with gay, lesbian or bisexual people," he said.

Mr Coogan’s comments are on foot of a motion passed last week by social workers attending the AGM of the IASW where delegates voted to oppose use of reparative therapy in Ireland. Mr Coogan said IASW discouraged social workers from making referrals to agencies that claim to "cure" homosexuality.

GLEN, the gay and lesbian equality network, said attempting to change lesbian and gay peoples’ sexual orientation did not work "and can be harmful, especially for younger and more vulnerable gay people".

Odhrán Allen, GLEN director of mental health strategy, said people would be surprised to hear that "reparative therapy" is still being offered by some professionals.

He said the new IASW policy "clearly identifies this practice as wrong".

Mr Allen said having the support of family and friends was "the most helpful factor for lesbian and gay people as they become comfortable with their sexual orientation".

Mr Allen said those who sought reparative therapy often did so because of the stresses arising from their experience of prejudice and stigmatisation as a result of their homosexuality.

Last month the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Britain issued a statement saying there was no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed.

It also criticised "so-called treatments of homosexuality" as recommended by NARTH, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) in the United States".

The college said gay and lesbian people had a right to protection from therapies that are potentially damaging, "particularly those that purport to change sexual orientation".

A study in Britain published in March found, of 1,848 mental health professionals surveyed, 222 reported having assisted at least one client/patient to reduce or change his or her homosexual or lesbian feelings. Counselling was the commonest (66%) treatment offered and there was no sign of a decline in treatments in recent years.

More than two-thirds of the 222 therapists who had provided such treatment believed a service should be available for people who want to change from homosexual to heterosexual

The study concluded that, given lack of evidence for the efficacy of such treatments, "this is likely to be unwise or even harmful".

Croatia: Children`s Book With Gay Characters Presented

14/04/2009

Zagreb readership will have the opportunity of encountering the children`s book “Zvijeri plisane”  (meaning Stuffed Monsters) which has raised wind because of its homosexual characters. The book does not include a mother and a father, but Doris and her girlfriend.
The authors says that the reason for writing this book has nothing to do with his sexual orientation.
- No, I`m not homosexual, I have never had such an experience, this is not my reason to write this book. I`ve written about aliens, therefore what is that supposed to mean – author Zoran Krusvar said.
- If there are 5-10 percent people with homosexual preferences in the world, the important this is to have the same percentage of representation in literature. Furthermore, children need to be informed at a certain point – Zoran Krusvar added.
In his story “Zvijeri plisane”, the stuffed animals start their adventure forced to change their owner. None of the animals have sexual insignia, apart from the turtle which wants to be a squirrel and gives the innuendo of transgender persons. The initial owner of the toys, Doris, has a girlfriend and the story ends with a happy end.
- We are not all the same and it is very important to develop tolerance towards others. The theme of homosexuality in this book is in the background, it is not intrusive – it only promotes tolerance. There are physiological differences in the brains of homosexual and heterosexual persons, they are just different.
Will the children understand?
Although he is pleased with the story he has written in a month, Krusvar claims that it many not have been perfectly written for children, seeing how this was his first attempt in this  genre.
Children`sunderstanding of this book depends on their age, the older ones might understand everything, while Krusvar did not wish to guess about the understanding of the younger audience.
- There is no text in Croatia which would introduce children to information on homosexual persons, this is necessary information. When something is new, it can be controversial, but when other examples follow, it is no longer a problem. During the middle of last century, Americans had problems with integrating African-Americans into society, and now, they have an African-American president – Krusvar concludes.
We do not need what is not in nature and God’s laws
Totally expectedly, the conservative HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) member Andrija Hebrang, who has already publicly said that a child cannot be brought up well by a mother alone, was also not impressed with the “mum + mum” variant, or “dad + dad”, and considers the distribution of the book amongst the school population to be inappropriate:
“That is unallowable from pedagogic and moral reasons, because it imposes a public opinion of unnatural relationship in the community. It is also illegal” says Hebrang.
His party colleague Nedjeljka Klaric was even harsher, and said that it violates God’s laws:
“That is totally inappropriate. A children needs a positive identification of the mother and father. I do not know in which way the child could do this in a same-sex union. When you ask me about same-sex marriages and their rights to be parents, I am against what is absent in nature and in God’s laws. That is against God and that book should be banned”.
Mrsic: I vote for same-sex marriages
Mirando Mrsic from SDP (Social Democratic Party) considers that politics should not decide on this, but the experts, according to the good of the children:
“Absolutely in all of that the good of the children must be looked at. First the experts must speak their opinion if the book should be distributed amongst children. We already know that children brought up in a same-sex parenting environment do not have tendencies for same-sex sexual relationships. I think those people should be allowed to live how they want, and the legalization of same-sex marriages needs a national consensus. Personally I would vote for”.
Ratko Gajica from SDSS (Independent Democratic Serbian Party) agrees that the book is a “cute spark”.
“As far as parenting in a same-sex union, I am against all prohibitions, let the people have their will and arrange their lives as they like. This can violate some usual stereotypes, but if the law and morals are not violated, let them do what they want.

The SDP member has already publicly advocated for gay right on many occasions. Sime Lucin considers that a book that advocates “gay is okay” is totally necessary:

“Certainly from youth the children need to be educated that gay unions are not anything unnatural. Only that way can we reduce homophobia, and we are an “envious” homophobic society. Unfortunately, since the last nine years when there has been more talk about the rights of the gay population in Croatia, it has pushed homophobia into the public domain. I do not think the Church is the problem here, it has its doctrines and I do not have anything against them promoting them. However, the state institutions are the problem, which should be secular, which do not look at the greater benefit of the society. Now we all are disgusted by the underage pregnancies in Great Britain, as if they do not occur in Croatia”.

Ajova legalizovala gej brakove

05/04/2009

Vrhovni sud američke države Ajova legalizovao je gej brakove u toj državi.
Kao rezultat tajnog glasanja, sudije su izjavile: „Zakon koji limitira građanski brak na uniju između muškarca i žene nije u skladu sa Ustavom države Ajova, koji garantuje ravnopravnost.“
Parnica Varnum protiv Briena, u kojoj šest istopolnih parova tuži matičara Timothija Briena jer je 2005. godine odbio da venča istopolne parove. Oni su pred sudom izazvali državni zakon koji kaže da brak mogu da sklope samo muškarac i žena.
Lambda Legal je krajem 2005. godine podnela tužbu i ime tih parova, tvrdeći da uskraćivanje braka istopolnim parovima krši Ustav države Ajova. U avgustu 2007. godine sud je doneo odluku da je uskraćivanje prava na brak istopolnim parovima protivustavno.
Nakon dve godine tu odluku je potvrdio Vrhovni sud i Ajova je postala treća američka država koja je legalizovala gej brakove.

Švedska legalizovala gej brakove

Nakon šest sati debate, velikom većinom glasova švedski parlament je legalizovao istopolne brakove.
Šest od sedam parlamentarnih partija je podržalo predlog zakona koji rodno neutralno definiše brak, odnosno definiše ga kao zajednicu dve osobe.
Samo je Demohrišćanska stranka bila protiv zakona. Yvonne Andersson iz ove partije je saopštila da oni žele da održe „nekoliko hiljada godina stari koncept braka“.
Evon Frid iz Levičarske partije, koja podržava ovaj zakon, izjavila je da ovo nije negativna promena, već pozitivna.
Zakon je izglasan sa 261 glasom za, 22 protiv i 16 uzdržanih.
Zakon će stupiti na snagu 1. maja i zameniće zakon iz 1995. godine koji je dozvoljavao istopolnim parovima da registruju partnerstvo. Parovi koji su registrovali partnerstvo mogu da zadrže taj status ili da zatraže promenu u brak.
Soren Juras, predsednik švedske LGBT federacije RFSL, izjavio je da je ovo velika pobeda.
Ova promena za sada neće uticati na crkvene bračne ceremonije.

Srbija: Usvojen Zakon o zabrani diskriminacije

http://www.mondo.rs/v2/tekst.php?vest=129098

26.3.2009.

Skupština Srbije završila je danas rad, a prethodno su poslanici
opozicije napustili skupštinsku salu nezadovoljni što u vreme
predviđeno za postavljanje poslaničkih pitanja nisu došli premijer
Mirko Cvetković i većina ministara. Skupština je danas usvojila Zakon
o zabrani diskriminacije koji treba da uspostavi sveobuhvatan i
integralan sistem zaštite od diskriminacije.

Za zakon, koji je izazvao burne reakcije u javnosti i koji je bio
povlačen iz skupštinske procedure na zahtev verskih zajednica, glasalo
je 127 poslanika iz vladajuće koalicije i Liberalno demokratske
partije.

Protiv zakona glasalo je 59 poslanika, uglavnom opozicionih stranaka,
ali i poslanici iz Jedinstvene Srbije koji su deo vladajuće koalicije,
kao i jedan poslanik Partije ujedinjenih penzionera. Poslanici Srpske
napredne stranke nisu učestvovali u glasanju.

Zakon zabranjuje diskriminaciju po bilo kom osnovu, a naročito po
osnovu rase, pola, nacionalne pripadnosti, društvenog porekla,
rođenja, veroispovest i s obzirom na zdravstveno stanje.

Diskriminacija je, prema zakonu, zabranjena i po osnovu političkog ili
drugog uverenja, imovnog stanja, kulture, jezika, starosti i psihičkog
ili fizičkog invaliditeta.

Njime je utvrđena opšta zabranu diskriminacije na načelu jednakosti i
propisuje oblike i slučajeve diskriminacije, kao i postupke zaštite od
diskriminacije.

Zakon ustanovljava poverenika za zaštitu ravnopravnosti kao
samostalnog državnog organa, nezavisanog u obavljanju poslova
utvrđenih zakonom.

Nadležnost poverenika je da ukazuje na nedozvoljene oblike ponašanja i
da izriče preventivne mere opomene.

Poverenika bira Skupština na period od pet godina, na predlog
skupštinskog odbora nadležnog za ustavna pitanja. Svaka poslanička
grupa ima pravo da predloži Odboru kandidata za poverenika.

Za poverenika može biti izabran državljanin Srbije koji je diplomirani
pravnik, ima najmanje deset godina iskustva na pravnim poslovima u
oblasti zaštite ljudskih prava.

Zakon predviđa i sudsku zaštitu od diskriminacije, a propisano je da
su kazne prekršajne, u skladu sa Zakonom o prekršajima. Zakon utvrđuje
da svako ima pravo da ga nadležni sudovi i drugi organi javne vlasti
Srbije efikasno štite od svih oblika diskriminacije.

Svi su jednaki i uživaju jednak položaj i jednaku pravnu zaštitu, bez
obzira na lična svojstva, a svako je dužan da poštuje načelo
jednakosti, odnosno zabranu diskriminacije.

Oblici diskriminacije su neposredna i posredna diskriminacija, kao i
povreda načela jednakih prava i obaveza, pozivanje na odgovornost,
udruživanje radi vršenja diskriminacije, govor mržnje i uznemiravanje
i ponižavajuće postupanje.

Novčane kazne za kršenje ovog zakona iznose od 10.000 dinara do
100.000 dinara.

Taj zakonski predlog povučen je iz skupštinske procedure 4. marta, dan
pre nego što je trebalo da se nađe na prvoj sednici redovnog prolećnog
zasedanja republičkog parlamenta. U skupštinsku proceduru vraćen je
nakon što su razmotrene primedbe verskih zajednica.

Ključne primedbe verskih zajednica bili članovi 18. i 21, koji se
odnose na zabranu diskriminacije u pogledu verskih prava i seksualne
orijentacije.

Kako je rečeno u Vladi nakon razmatranja primedbi odbačene su primedbe
verskih zajednica koje bi promenile karakter zakona, a prihvaćene su
pojedine sugestije i neki termini su precizirani.

U članu 18. je precizirano da se neće smatrati diskriminacijom
postupanje sveštenika i verskih službenika koje je u skladu sa
doktrinom, uverenjima ili ciljevima crkava i verskih zajednica
registrovanih u skladu sa zakonom.

Iz člana 21. izbrisan je stav tri koji se odnosi na transseksualce,
jer je njegova suština sadržana u drugim odredbama istog predloga u
kojima je predviđena zabrana diksriminacije prema rodnom identitetu i
seksualnoj orijentaciji. [prim. moderatora: ovo nije tačno. iz člana
21. izbačeno je u potpunosti svojstvo rodnog identiteta, pored stava
3., te tako ne postoji posebna zakonska zaštita za transrodne,
interseksualne, a ni za pre-operativno transseksualne osobe. ni jedan
od prihvaćenih amandmana se nije bavio vraćanjem ovog svojstva nazad u
zakon. utoliko, zakon štiti privatnost i pravo na izjašnjavanje samo
svojstva seksualne orijentacije, a zaštita post-operativno
transseksualnih osoba je zamišljena članom 20. koji štiti od
diskriminacije po polnoj osnovi ili zbog promene pola. na ovaj način,
doneti zakon je minimalni stepen zaštite lgbt populacije, i u mnogim
situacijama neće biti moguće ga sprovesti. takođe, zakon i dalje
dvostruko definiše seksualnu orijentaciju: kao orijentaciju i kao
opredeljenje - u članu: 13, kao i obrazloženju koje je pisao
zakonodavac, što dovodi u pitanje poznavanje materije od strane
zakonodavca - figures, right?]

U članu 21, koji je izazvao najviše polemike, navodi se da je
seksualna orijentacija privatna stvar i da niko ne može biti pozvan da
se javno izjasni o svojoj seksualnoj orijentaciji. Svako ima pravo da
se izjasni o svojoj seksualnoj orijentaciji, a diskriminatorsko
postupanje zbog takvog izjašnjavanja je zabranjeno, piše u tom članu.

Zakon je jedan od uslova za stavljanje Srbije na belu šengen listu, a
nadzor nad sprovođenjem zakona vrši ministarstvo nadležno za ljudska i
manjinska prava.

Zakon će na snagu stupiti osmog dana od objavljivanja u Službenom
glasniku osim članova koji se odnose na poverenika, koji će se
primenjivati od 1. januara 2010. godine.

Na Zakon o zabrani diskriminacije podneto je ukupno 446 amandmana, od
kojih je Vlada Srbije usvojila šest amandmana.

Najviše amandmana, oko 400, podneli su poslanici Srpske radikalne
stranke (SRS).

Poslanici Skupštine završili u sredu pre ponoći dvodnevnu raspravu u
pojedinostima o zakonu tokom koje su poslanici u predviđenom vremenu
koje dozvoljava poslovnik razmotrili amandmane, a od kojih je vlada
prihvatila šest.

Ministar za ljudska i manjinska prava Svetozar Čiplić je, zaključujući
višednevnu raspravu, rekao je da je ovo jedan od reformskih zakona
koji će biti donet sa razlogom.

On je ponovio da je član 18 predložen uz saglasnost crkava i verskih
zajendica, a osporavani član 21 ne daje novo već štiti postojeće pravo
iz Ustava.

"Svi znamo da je Srbija jaka koliko je ljudska i čovečna, a ovaj zakon
tome doprinosi," rekao je ministar.

Poslanici vladajućih stranaka, osim Jedinstvene Srbije, i poslanici
opozicione Liberalno demokratske partije najavili su da će podržati
zakon jer je on jedan od najznačajnijih propisa koje parlament usvaja
i kojim se garantuje zaštita i jednakost svih osetljivih grupa.

Tokom rasprave poslanik PUPS Konstantin Arsenović najavio je da neće
glasati za zakon.

Ostale opozicione stranke najavile su da neće podržati zakon, navodeći
da je loš i neprimenljiv, a njihove kritike bile su naročito usmerene
na rešenja koja se odnose na seksualnu orjentaciju, tvrdeći da se time
favorizuju određene grupe u društvu na štetu većine.

Suština amandmana SRS, DSS, NS i SNS odnosila se na brisanje ili
izmenu odredbi o pravu da se slobodno izražava seksualna orjentacija
što je definisano članom 21.

Ta rešenja najviše su kritikovali radikali navodeći da je
homoseksulanost devijacija koja se ne može stavljati u istu ravan sa
drugim oblicima diskriminacije u društvu.

Ovaj propis predstavlja i poslednji pravni uslov za stavljanje Srbije
na belu šengen listu.

Hungarian Government Approves New Registered Partnership Bill

Budapest, February 11, 2009 – The Hungarian Government has approved today a new bill on registered partnership. The bill replaces a previous law on registered partnership that was struck down by the Constitutional Court in December 2008 just weeks before its supposed entry into force. As opposed to the previous version, the new bill introduces the institution of registered partnership only for same sex couples, however, it also introduces a different scheme of domestic partnership registration for both same sex and different sex couples. Support for the bill in the Parliament is still an open question.

Two months ago, on December 15, 2008 the Hungarian Constitutional Court ruled that the law on registered partnership adopted by the Hungarian Parliament a year earlier was unconstitutional. The Court found that the solution chosen by the legislator – i.e. creating an institution similar to marriage for both same sex and different sex couples – duplicates the institution of marriage for different sex couples, and thus contradicts the special protection of marriage enshrined in the Constitution. On the other hand the Court also held that same sex couples have the right to an institution similar to marriage. Within a day Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány instructed the Minister of Justice and Law Enforcement to prepare a new bill on registered partnership taking into account the opinion of the Court. After consultations with various LGBT organizations, the Ministry prepared a new bill that has been approved by the Government today.

The new bill retains much of the content of the previous bill with one exception: the institution of registered partnership would only be available to same sex couples. Establishment and dissolution of registered partnerships would be the same as for marriage, and registered partners would be entitled to most of the rights available for married couples. Notable exceptions are the right to take the partners' name and the right to adopt children. Besides introducing registered partnerships for same sex couples, the bill would also introduce a new scheme for registering domestic partnerships. Unlike registered partnership, this new opportunity would not grant any new rights or duties to couples cohabiting without marriage, but would only make it easier for them to prove the existence of such a relationship. This second registration scheme would be available to both same sex and different sex couples.

Although the Government fully supports the new bill, its adoption by the Parliament is still an open question. Hungary currently has a minority government after the liberals left the government coalition early last year. Conservative opposition parties heavily criticized the previous bill on the account that it introduced same sex marriage under a different name. It is yet to be seen whether their position has changed as a result of the Constitutional Court declaring such an institution a constitutional right. Based on "parliamentary mathematics" the bill has a high chance of being passed: governing parties hardly ever vote against proposals by their own government and the liberals fully support the new bill. It is, however, very hard to predict how delicate negotiations involved in running a minority government will affect voting on the bill.

First gay premier takes helm in Iceland

February 2, 2009

Iceland's political parties have reached an agreement that will
give the country its first female prime minister and the world its first
openly gay leader.
Johnanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader.

Johnanna Sigurdardottir is a former flight attendant and union leader.

Johanna Sigurdardottir, 66, will lead the government when it is sworn in at
6 p.m. (1 p.m. Eastern) on Sunday, her political advisor Hrannar Arnarsson
told CNN via e-mail.

A former flight attendant who entered politics via the union movement,
Sigurdardottir was minister of social affairs and social security in the
outgoing Cabinet, which resigned Monday.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/01/iceland.pm/

06/01/2009

Serbian celebrities for gay rights

"Queeria center" from Belgrade presented the calendar for the year 2009, called „Dreams".
Message of this year's calendar is the cooperation among people and realization of their own dreams through overcoming boundaries and borders.
Photos for this year's calendar were taken in Belgrade (Serbia), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Zagreb (Croatia). Models on the calendar are public figures, but also queer activists and friends of Queeria.
Among the models are: Lena Bogdanovic (actress), DJ Marko Nastic, Maja Uzelac (director and TV personality), Milica Tomic (artist), Aleksandar Macasev (designer), Ida Prester (Croatian singer and TV personality), Gordan Bosanac (queer activist from Croatia), activists from Bosnian LGBT group "Q", and many others.
This calendar is an autonomous project of Queeria center which has the goal to create wide public support for the queer community in Serbia. The concept of this calendar is to bring celebrities and human and gay rights activists together in promoting queer culture.
So far Queeria center has published three calendars: "Friends" (2007), "Freedom" (2008) and "Dreams" (2009). Some of the biggest Serbian stars have been the models for this calendar, for example: actress Mirjana Karanovic, actor Svetozar Cvetkovic, MTV award winner and singer Aleksandra Kovac, writer Marko Vidojkovic, playwright Biljana Srbljanovic, writer Srdjan Valjarevic, female painter Biljana Cincarevic, drag queens Viva La Diva and Diva Grazia, human right layer Biljana Kovacevic Vuco...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01UUGv_qT3w

Srbija osudila nasilje po osnovu seksualne orijentacije i rodnog identiteta

Saopštenjem Generalne skupštine UN

66 država potvrdilo prava za sve

Njujork, 18. decembar

U Generalnoj skupštini UN, 66 država[1], a među njima i Srbija, podržalo je saopštenje kojim se potvrđuje da međunarodna zaštita ljudskih prava uključuje seksualnu orijentaciju i rodni identitet. To je prvi put da je izjava, kojom se osuđuju povrede ljudskih prava lezbejki, gej muškaraca, biseksualnih i transrodnih osoba, predstavljena Generalnoj skupštini.

Saopštenjem se osuđuju ubistva, tortura i hapšenja LGBT osoba ali i lišavanje ekonomskih, društvenih i kulturnih prava, uključujući i pravo na zdravstvenu zaštitu. Zemlje potpisnice podstiču sve nacije da „promovišu i štite ljudska prava svih osoba, bez obzira na njihovu seksualnu orijentaciju i rodni identitet,“ i da ukinu sve krivične kazne zbog seksualne orijentacije ili rodnog identiteta.

Iako ovo saopštenje nije pravno obavezujuće – ono šalje snažnu poruku nedeljivosti ljudskih prava i prepoznavanja LGBT osoba kao ravnopravnih i jednakih. Labris – organizacija za lezbejska ljudska prava, izražava zadovoljstvo što se Srbija, juče, našla među onim državama koje su branile pravo na seksualnu orijentaciju i osudile nasilje i diskriminaciju po ovom osnovu.

Saopštenje je dobilo podršku sa pet kontinenata, uključujući i šest afričkih nacija a Argentina je pročitala saopštenje pred Generalnom skupštinom. Među potpisnicama se, između ostalih, nisu našle Amerika, Rusija i Kina. Ipak, države koje su podržale ovo saopštenje, prevazišle su snažan otpor grupe zemalja koje redovno pokušavaju da blokiraju pažnju UN-a po pitanju kršenja prava na osnovu seksualne orijentacije i rodnog identiteta. I Vatikan je bio među onima koji su se snažno protivili ovom saopštenju. Ovakav stav Katoličke crkve je izazvao oštre kritike organizacija za ljudska prava širom sveta pa je Vatikan ipak pozvao na ukidanje krivičnih kazni za istopolno orijentisane osobe.

Potpisnice Saopštenja Generalne skupštine su:

Albanija, Andora, Argentina, Jermenija, Australija, Austrija, Belgija, Bolivija, Bosna i Hercegovina, Brazil, Bugarska, Kanada, Kape Verde, Centralnoafrička Republika, Čile, Kolumbija, Hrvatska, Kuba, Kipar, Češka Republika, Danska, Ekvador, Estonija, Finska, Francuska, Gabon, Gruzija, Nemačka, Grčka, Gvineja Bisao, Mađarska, Island, Irska, Izrael, Italija, Japan, Letonija, Lihtenštajn, Litvanija, Luksemburg, Malta, Mauricijus, Meksiko, Crna Gora, Nepal, Holandija, Novi Zeland, Nikaragva, Norveška, Paragvaj, Poljska, Portugalija, Rumunija, San Marino, Sao Tome i Principe, Srbija, Slovačka, Slovenija, Španija, Švedska, Švajcarska, FNRJ Makedonija, Timor-Leste, V.Britanija, Urugvaj i Venecuela.

66 countries back UN statement for LGBT human rights

18 December 2008

Sixty-six countries signed a joint statement in support of LGBT human
rights, which was tabled at the United Nations General Assembly today
(18 December 2008).

The statement, which includes a call for the decriminalisation of
homosexuality worldwide. was read by Argentina.

"This was history in the making. Totally ground-breaking. It is the
first time that the UN General Assembly has been presented with a
statement in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
human rights. Securing this statement at the UN is the result of an
inspiring collective global effort by many LGBT and human rights
organisations. Our collaboration, unity and solidarity have won us
this success," said Peter Tatchell of the British LGBT human rights
movement, OutRage!, which lobbied for countries to support the
statement.

"To decriminalise homosexuality worldwide is a battle for human
rights," added Louis-Georges Tin, the President and founder of the
International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), which in 2006 initiated
the global campaign to end the criminalisation of same-sex
relationships and secured the support of dozens of international
public figures, ranging from Nobel Prize winners to writers, clergy,
actors, musicans and academics.

"IDAHO has worked hard for two years to promote this issue. For us,
this is a great achievement. I want to thank the many other people and
organisations who have worked with us since the beginning, and more
recently. I also want to remind everyone that ending the
criminalisation of same-sex love will be a long, hard battle. To love
is not a crime".

"IDAHO expresses its particular appreciation to the French Secretary
of State for human rights, Ms Rama Yade, for her role in organising
this statement and bringing it to the UN," said Mr Tin.

Mr Tatchell added:

"The original initiative for the universal decriminalisation of
homosexuality campaign came from the inspiring French black activist
and gay rights campaigner, Louis-Georges Tin, coordinator of the
International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). He lobbied the French
government, which agreed to take the lead in organising the
presentation of the statement at the UN.

"As well as IDAHO, I pay tribute to the contribution and lobbying of
Amnesty International; ARC International; Center for Women's Global
Leadership; COC Netherlands; Global Rights; Human Rights Watch;
International Committee for IDAHO (the International Day Against
Homophobia); International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
(IGLHRC); International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Intersex Association (ILGA); International Service for Human Rights;
Pan Africa ILGA; and Public Services International.

"The UN statement goes much further than seeking the decriminalisation
of same-sex acts. It condemns all human rights violations based on
sexual orientation and gender identity, urges countries to protect the
human rights of LGBT people and to bring to justice those who violate
these rights, and calls for human rights defenders who oppose
homophobic and transphobic victimisation to be allowed to carry out
their advocacy and humanitarian work unimpeded.

"Although not binding on the member states, this UN statement of
principle has immense symbolic value, given the six decades in which
homophobic and transphobic persecution has been ignored by the UN
General Assembly.

"LGBT human rights have, however, been previously raised in other UN
forums and commissions. In the 1994 decision Toonen v Australia, the
UN Human Rights Committee ruled that sexual orientation is a status
protected against discrimination by the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights.

"Even today, not a single international human rights convention
explicitly acknowledges the human rights of LGBT people. The right to
physically love the person of one's choice is nowhere directly
enshrined in any global humanitarian law. No convention specifically
recognises sexual rights as human rights. None offer explicit
protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or
gender identity.

"Some international human rights instruments have, of course, been
interpreted to include sexual orientation, but this is not the same as
the explicit prohibitions that exist concerning discrimination based
on race, nationality, gender and so on.

"Currently, 86 countries (nearly half the nations on Earth) still have
a total ban on male homosexuality and a smaller number also ban sex
between women. The penalties in these countries range from a few years
jail to life imprisonment. In at least seven countries or regions of
countries (all under Islamist jurisdiction), the sentence is death,
including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania and parts of
Nigeria and Pakistan," said Mr Tatchell.

Fr. Lombardi Clarifies Holy See's Position on Decriminalisation of Homosexuality

02/12/2008

The Catholic Church never has and never will support the violation of human rights or any form of unjust discrimination against the human person.
That was the message at the heart of a statement released today by Director of the Vatican Press Office, Fr Federico Lombardi in response to press reports regarding an interview given by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican’s permanent observer at the United Nations in New York, to a French news agency, following a proposal led by the French president Nicolas Sarkozy to decriminalise homosexuality.
In the statement Fr. Lombardi points out that Archbishop Migliore’s interview, read in it’s entirety, is clear; no-one can or wants to defend the death penalty for homosexuals, as some people aim to insinuate.
The statement continues that the well-known principals of respect for the fundamental rights of the person and the refusal of all forms of unjust discrimination – which are also clearly enshrined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church – not only exclude the death penalty, but all forms of penal legislation that are violent or discriminatory towards homosexual persons.
However Fr Lombardi continues that Archbishop Migliore’s concerns were regarding another issue, not the decriminalisation of homosexuality per say, but the introduction of a declaration of political value, which could result in control mechanisms according to which, norms (not only legal, but also relative to the life of social and religious groups) that do not place each sexual orientation on the same level, would be considered contrary to respect for human rights.
The statement concludes that this clearly could become a means to put pressure on or discriminate against those who – to give a very clear example – consider marriage between a man and a woman the fundamental and original form of social life.

Germany's Gay and Gray Get a New Home

12/05/2008

Discrimination is a fact of life for gays and lesbians over 60, and fears about going to an old people's home are widespread.  But a new batch of care services in Germany are catering specifically to aging homosexuals -- and demand will likely grow.

    Hans-Paul finds reading the paper difficult, he lets television pictures wash over him and he doesn't like to leave his little flat in the Nippes neighborhood in Cologne, Germany.  For decades he has been plagued by an eye illness.  It won't be long before the 69-year-old will need to be helped out with his daily life.  Hans-Paul, who prefers not to give his second name, expects that he will soon have to move into some sort of old people's home.
    But a normal old people's home doesn't come into consideration for the former probation officer.  "I would rather not live under one roof with heterosexuals," he says.  Hans-Paul is gay and for people from the 60+ generation, that can often pose problem.

The pensioner is afraid of discrimination: He fears he could be rejected when he is at his weakest.  A survey of 2,500 homosexual pensioners in Munich showed that more than 70% are concerned that old people's home care workers or other residents may exclude and treat them with hostility.  "I don't want to take the risk that I might have to live with former Nazis or others who would have reported me to the authorities in the 1960s," Hans-Paul says.     The Cologne resident, whose long-term partner died in 1998, is interested in "Villa Anders," which translates as Villa Different, a new home for gays and lesbians which should be completed at the end of next year.  In the mixed-generational project, young people will be there to support older people in their daily life.
'Pink Godparents'
    The initiative is one of many similar projects.  There is Rosa Paten (Pink Godparents) in Frankfurt, a gay nursing service in Berlin and a homosexual flat share in Hamburg.  In Frankfurt an old people's home is reserved for homosexuals and in Berlin the Village Care Home recently opened, providing rooms for 23 aging gays and lesbians.
    Thousands share Hans-Paul's wish to live among other homosexuals.  Those interested in Villa Anders meet regularly in a Cologne community center.  Over coffee and cake, the men share very different life stories.  But they have all experienced one thing over the past decades: extreme discrimination.
    Hans, 63, sits at the table.  His wish for privacy was shattered when someone saw him surfing on a gay Web site.  His middle-class lifestyle fell apart: He was snubbed at the office and the golf club, people whispered and tried to avoid talking to him.
    Manfred, 69, dared to openly show his love for another man and was punished with a fine by a local court in his hometown in 1965.  Back then Germany's criminal code still contained Paragraph 175, which made homosexuality a punishable crime -- it was only deleted in 1994.
Michael Bochow of the Social Science Center in Berlin has been working with gay senior citizens for years.  The sociologist has met hundreds of fearful, vulnerable and "extremely lonely people."  He says the suicide rate among homosexuals is five times as high as it is among heterosexuals.  "It is a group which is, in part, deeply traumatized," says Bochow.  "And for that reason they need special care."     Nedzad Ignatenko, 34 years old and himself openly homosexual, has responded to the situation by co-foundeding a nursing service for gays and lesbians in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin.  He says he discovered a "gap in the market."
    He says many of his customers were "extremely happy" that they didn't have to hide their sexuality, that he didn't ask about children or grandchildren, but rather asked about what gay bars they used to go to.  Ignatenko also thinks that senior care will have to increasingly cater specifically to homosexuals because in the future there will be greater numbers of pensioners with AIDS.
    Critics of the new approach to care homes warn of "ghettoization."  But that fear is incomprehensible to Kerstin Wecker, who leads the Village Care Home in Berlin.  The men and women she and her co-workers look after see their new home as "a sort of protected area" not as a "ghetto".  Recently a man moved into her center from another "normal" old people's home.  But it was only after he arrived at the Village Care Home that he dared to put up a picture of his late partner.

An article from the magazine 'Physical Culture' from January of 1937

Can Sex in Humans Be Changed?
By Donald Furthman Wickets
ALL the old landmarks are going, nothing is static, everything flows. Old dreams and old nightmares become realities. Life is created in the laboratory. Sex is no longer immutable. Recently the astonishing news made the rounds that science had actually succeeded in changing the gender of two female athletes. The miracle was accomplished by surgery and duly acknowledged by law.
Mary Weston, who held (and still holds) the shotput record for women in Great Britain, is Case No. One. In 1926 Mary won the British javelin championship of her sex. "She" also, at one time or another, represented her country's womanhood at the Olympic Games. Today, Mary Weston, now known as Mark Weston, is a young man legally and is happily married to a normal young woman. Dr. L. R. Broster, a London surgeon, certifies: "that Mark Weston, who has always been brought up as a female, is a male and should continue to live as such." Discussing his athletic records before his transformation, Weston insists that he believed at the time that he was a woman.

The medals awarded to him were won in good faith. Equally sensational is Case No. Two. A native of Czecho-Slovakia, Zdenek Koubkov (nee Zdeneka Koub-kova) reaped athletic honors as a woman. In 1932 he won the hundred-meter championship at the Women's Olympics. Sports writers called him "the fastest woman on legs." For twenty-three years Zdenek lived as a womanâ€"at one time as a corset fitterâ€"an occupation which, as his nascent masculinity asserted itself, he found at times decidedly embarrassing. No one, except himself, doubted his femininity. However, in 1935, while he was wearing his running togs, suspicion as to his true sex arose. An investigation ensued. Shortly afterward (according to his story related to Gordon Kahn in the New York Daily Mirror), Professor Milosh Kilcka, head of a surgical institute in Podol, decided to emphasize Zdenek's masculinity by means of an operation. The operation was so successful that the Czecho-Slovakian government officially sanctioned Zdenek's transfer from the female to the male classification.
The two cases led to a request at the recent Olympics in Berlin for a medical examination of all female contestants. No action was taken by the committee, but the fantastic possibility of a complete sexual metamorphosis in human beings has aroused world-wide discussion. How is such a transformation possible? Can science alter the sex of a human being? To answer this question intelligently, we must review the evolution of sex.
There are many theories as to when and how sex is determined. Three major factors are generally considered decisive. The first factor is intimately connected with the creation of life itself. Sex, it is believed by many, is determined when first the male and the female chromosomes join each other in the sex act. The chromosomes transmit hereditary characteristics; they preordain our nervous, mental and physical being. Although the external organs are not visible in the human embryo until the fifth week, it is probable that every cell of the unborn infant bears the stamp of its sexual constitution from the moment of its conception.
When I speak of a person's sex, I refer to his or her preponderant sex. Sex is relative. No man is 100 per cent male, no woman 100 per cent female. Every male, even the lustiest, retains certain rudimentary characteristics of the other sex. Similarly every woman inherits certain male organs. Each sex carries within itself the potentialities of the other. Concealed from the naked eye many similarities exist in the male and female structures.
The second major factor in the evolution of sex are the glands of internal secretion. While sex is determined in the chromosomes, it nevertheless requires the proper male or female sex hormones to develop naturally. If an endocrine disturbance exists, a faulty sex development may take place. This faulty development, being of an endocrine nature, may be amenable to endocrine treatment.
The investigations of Professor Eugen Steinach and other students of biology have shown that our so-called secondary sexual characteristics are largely influenced by our hormones. Various differences in bodily structure, some patent, some elusive, are controlled by the glands of internal secretion. Steinach has reversed the sex of animals by transplanting a female gland upon a male, or a male gland upon a female.
He has also, by similar methods, created animals having the sex equipment and the characteristics of both sexes. Men, who have been mutilated by accident or in war, have been saved from the fate of becoming human capons in appearance, behavior and feeling by such transplantations and (more lately) by injections of the male hormone, which is now manufactured synthetically.
Steinach's experiments reveal that the hormones have a two-fold purpose! One, to strengthen the specific sex characteristics of the individual. Two, to inhibit the development of the characteristics of the opposite sex. For man is a bisexual animal fundamentally and when the dominant gland ceases its vigilance, the characteristics of the suppressed sex assert themselves.
Nature tends to return, within certain limits, to its original bisexual state. This does not mean a complete reversal of sex in its primary aspect. It does not imply a transformation of the sex organs themselves, but a pronounced modification of the secondary sexual characteristics and, in some instances, of the direction of the sex instinct.
Injuries to a gland which impair its inhibiting secretion produce startling changes in the appearance and the behavior of the person affected. When the damage is repaired the normal sex appearance and behavior return. The equilibrium is restored.
Dr. Oscar Riddle, of the Carnegie Institute, reports the case of a girl whose tumor, pressing upon a gland, changed her sexual characteristics. It seemed as if she had turned into a boy. After the removal of the tumor the changes which had startled her family disappeared and she becameâ€"what she was beforeâ€"a pleasing specimen of her gender.
The basic bisexuality of man as a species is confirmed by another, more recent discovery. Every male produces certain female hormones, and every female certain male hormones. By increasing the supply of female hormones in the male beyond the normal percentage, the secondary sexual characteristics are profoundly affected.
SIMILARLY, by increasing the male hormones in the female beyond the amount needed for her endocrine balance, a parallel change is wrought in the female. These effects have been illustrated most strikingly in rats, guinea pigs, mice and monkeys. In human beings, experiments of this type are not feasible. It is, moreover, far more difficult to affect the constitution of men, because it is infinitely more complex than that of the lower animals.
This brings us to the third major factor in determining sex: the impressions received by the senses through the central nervous system. No person is completely male, or completely female, unless his brain has been "eroticized" in a manner harmonious with the sex organs and with his glands of internal secretion.
Early experiences, psychic shocks, "fixations" (to use the term of the psycho-analysts) on the father or the mother, etc., have a powerful influence which proves frequently stronger than the inherited sexual constitution. This explains some variations of the sex instinct in persons who are physically entirely normal.
"But," the bewildered reader will ask, "who is normal?" A person may be said to be normal, if he or she reacts in harmony with his or her primary and secondary sexual characteristics.
The man or the woman who receives a balanced sexual constitution when the male and female element first join together, whose glands secrete the requisite hormones and who achieves sex maturity without being sidetracked from the path of evolution by some psychic or nervous disturbance, will be normal in his or her sexual behavior.
All human beings pass through a stage where sex is more or less undifferentiated, where they are attracted almost equally by either sex. But in 95 out of a 100 cases the bisexual or homosexual components, present in all, sink to the bottom of the stream of consciousness, not to be dislodged except by some emotional or physiological explosion, or by the analyst delving in the deeps of the unconscious.
HOWEVER, any stage in the threefold development outlined may be interrupted or impeded; the slightest variation, the slightest derangement, may, consciously or unconsciously, anatomically or psychically, affect the direction of the sex instinct and constitution. Even within the compass of the "normal" there are infinite variations. My friend, the late Dr. Magnus Hirsch-feld, of the Institut fur Sexualwissen-schaft in Berlin (suppressed by the Nazis), calculated that the number of different sexual types equals 46,046,721, or three raised to the sixteenth power.
Hirschfeld's calculations were based upon the various elements which enter into the determination of sex. He insisted that he under-rather than overestimated the possible number of combinations. The number is equal roughly to 1/40 of all human beings. But, since no human being equals any other human being, since every thumb-print differs, however minutely, from every other thumb-print, we may assume that, theoretically, the sexual behavior and the sexual constitution of every human being differs in some manner from that of every other human being.
The vagaries, variations, vacillations, fluctuations, of the sex instinct are amazing. There is the historic case of the Chevalier d'Eon de Beaumont, who served the King of France as Ambassador to England, but who looked like a woman and spent the larger part of his life in petticoats. The public debated excitedly whether he was a man or a woman. In London more than 100,000 pounds were wagered on the subject. The question was not decided until his death when the testimony of three physicians established that, according to the tests then existing, he was in every respect a "male."
The Chevalier's bearing was not effeminate, althoughâ€"physically at least â€"he had certain feminine characteristics. This did not prevent him from being an expert duelist. According to The Winged Foot, ably edited house-organ of the New York Athletic Club, he bested Saint George, the most adroit British fencer of his generation.
The Chevalier's love affairs, judged by the evidence available, were entirely orthodox. Nevertheless, some queer psychic or endocrine twist made him prefer the habiliments of the other sex. For a season he lived as a woman, then again as a man. He was (sartorially at least) a human oyster, a subject on which more will be said anon. The singular craving of one sex to garb itself with the garments of the other has been called "Eonism" after Eon by Havelock Ellis. Hirschfeld designates persons so afflicted "transvestites."
In view of the mutation of sexual characteristics and in view of the fact that both male and female elements are present in all of us, it is not surprising that nature should produce "freaks" who possess both male and female sex organs. It is only surprising that such cases do not occur more frequently! Persons who are at once male and female are "hermaphrodites." Hermaphrodites have been known from the dawn of history. They are mentioned in the lore of the ancient Greeks, in the Bible and in the Talmud. They play an important part in Hindu mythology.
The term "hermaphrodite" is derived from an ancient Greek story. The nymph Salmacis fell in love with the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, whose ancestry is perpetuated in his name. When the beautiful youth spurned her affection, she threw herself into his arms and beseeched the gods to unite him with her forever. The gods listened, and thus was created the first being possessing the attributes of both sexes. Certain rabbis of old expounded the theory that Adam was a hermaphrodite before the creation of Eve. An English poet, the late Edward Carpenter, disciple of Walt Whitman, echoes this conviction: "Was Adam perchance like this ere Eve from his side was drawn?"
Lawgivers of all nations took cognizance of the hermaphrodite. He is called "tumtim" in the Talmud. The Hebrews excluded the "tumtim" from the priesthood. According to the laws of Romulus, founder of Rome, hermaphrodites were placed in wooden caskets and cast into the sea. The Emperor Constantine ordered them to be executed. They were proscribed in Egypt. The Florida Indians imposed upon them the hardest of labors. In Prussia (under Frederick the Great) a person of dubious sex could decide to which side of the fence he wished to belong on reaching his eighteenth year. The same is, or was, French law. There is a case in French legal annals of a hermaphrodite who, after making the fateful decision, changed his mind andâ€"was burned at the stake!
Sculptors, painters, poets celebrate the son of Hermes and Aphrodite. However, in spite of the poets and in spite of popular legend, the hermaphrodite in whom both organs are completely developed and function is practically unknown. According to two students of the subject, Professor Sauerbruch and Franz Ludwig von Neugebauer, only sevenâ€"possibly twoâ€"authentic cases are recorded in medical history.
In the animal kingdom, hermaphro-dism is a frequent occurrence. It is the normal state of the snail. The oyster, too, has an interesting time, for it changes its sex every season. The tapeworm passes through various stages. It is at various times mono-sexual, asexual and bisexual. In the human species we deal principally, if not only, with "pseudo" or "false" hermaphrodism.
The hermaphrodite may be "lateral": one side of the body may be pronouncedly male, the other side pronouncedly female. He may be "complex." The internal sex organs may belong wholly or in part to one sex, and the external organs to the other. The hermaphrodite may be "male"; that is to say, he may have completely developed male organs, while the female organsâ€"though coexistingâ€"may be only incompletely developed. Or, he may be predominantly "female". Perfect hermaphrodites are rare in the human species, but there are cases where the real sex cannot be determined except by a post-mortem.
Cases of pseudo-hermaphrodism, or dubious sex, figure frequently in the news. Recently the newspapers reported the case of a sergeant in Warsaw, aged twenty-five, who asked for admission to a hospitalâ€"to give birth to a baby. Until his eighteenth year his sex was in doubt. He considered himself a male, entered the army and was accepted. His accouchement altered his status!
One of the most famous cases in recent years is that of the Danish painter, Einar Wegener. Wegener was married and considered himself a man. At twenty he fulfilled his marital duties. Some years later, in deference to some accidental suggestion, he disguised himself as a woman. The masquerade was so successful that he adopted it frequently. His friends, including his wife, called him "Lili". Lili's second, probably his real self, began to assert itself.
He began to suffer from disturbances which resembled the monthly cycle of woman. He finally concluded that, although his external organsâ€"though perhaps rather undeveloped â€" were those of a male, his body was essentially female.
A GERMAN doctor surmised that Wegener actually possessed rudimentary female sex glands, which were unable to develop because of the inhibiting influence of the male sex glands. An investigation confirmed the doctor's theory.
In 1932, Wegener's story, based on his diary, was given to the world in a book entitled: "Man into Woman," with an introduction by Dr. Norman Haire, the celebrated London gynecologist. After many consultations Wegener's doctors embarked upon a complicated series of operations. His male sex glands were removed. A few months later, according to Dr. Haire, he went to Dresden, where the male organ was also removed, his abdomen was opened, and the presence of rudimentary female sex glands was established, and at the same time ovarian tissues from a healthy young woman of twenty-six were transplanted into him. "A little later," I am quoting Dr. Haire, "he underwent another operation, the nature of which is not explained. By this time he felt himself to be entirely a woman. The Danish authorities issued him a new passport as a female in the name of Lili Elbe, and the King of Denmark declared his marriage null and void. With his consent, and indeed at his suggestion, his former wife married a mutual friend of theirs in Rome."
Another mutual friend now proposed marriage to Lili. "Before" (I am again quoting Dr. Haire) "consenting to the marriage, Lili made another journey to the German surgeon at Dresden to tell him that she had received the offer of marriage and to ask him if he could carry out yet another operation on her to enable her to function completely as a woman . . . and to become a mother. An operation for this purpose was carried out; but shortly afterwards Lili died in Dresden of heart trouble.
"There is," Dr. Haire goes on to say, "a small number of curious cases of this sort, but that of Wegener is the most extreme."
I am inclined to agree with Dr. Haire that it is unwise to perform operations, even at the patient's own request, until we know more about sexual physiology.
WE are now in the position to revert to our original query. Is it possible to change the sex of human beings? We cannot reply categorically. Our answer must be a conditional "yes" or a conditional "no." It is possible to correct certain errors of nature, but it is impossible, with the present limits of medical science, to change the sex of a mature, normally developed human being. It is possible, at least theoretically, to induce lactation in a male by stimulating the mammillary gland, if he subjects himself to the experiment before puberty. It is possible, under similar circumstances, to accentuate the growth of rudimentary male organs in the female. Science can, age may, and accident will, bring about marked changes in the secondary sexual characteristics, even of a mature individual. But it is not possible to turn a full-fledged male into a female, or a full-fledged female into a male. The surgeon's knife can dissolve (with certain qualifications) the marriage between Salmacis and Hermaphroditus. The endocrinologist can enhance the male or the female characteristics of the pseudo-hermaphrodite; the plastic surgeon can eradicate some malformations. But complete transformation of sex is not accomplished even in animals; Steinach's laboratory males and females are incapable of reproduction.
The two athletes cited in the beginning of this article never were normal females; if they had been, no medical hocus-pocus, no surgical miracle, could have transformed them into men.

The First Iranian Queer Radio Has Been Broadcasted

02/12/2008

Dear Friends,

We proudly announce that the first Iranian queer radio called RAHA has been
re-broadcasted. RAHA means "Liberated" which started to broadcast from April
2005. Its aim was to deliver the message of Iranian queer population nation
wide.

Due to some technical difficulty the radio has been off for a while. But now
we are back again with new team, new mottos, and new goals.

We are a group of Iranian queers who decided to work on this project in
order to express and prove that "We Do Exist"



With especial thanks to IRanian Queer Railroad - IRQR for being with us in
the all steps of this broadcast.



 Radio Raha Team

www.radioraha.net

Catholic leaflet's gay support

1 December 2008

English Catholics reject Vatican homophobia
A new leaflet produced by the Catholic Church in England and Wales
urges priests and churchgoers to be respectful and welcoming towards
lesbian and gay people.

It also acknowledges and rejects the "oppression" suffered by
homosexuals; and suggests that Catholics "express appreciation for the
gifts that homosexual Catholics bring to their faith community."

Catholic traditionalists have condemned the leaflet's liberal message
and accused the English and Welsh Church of defying Vatican orthodoxy.

"This leaflet is a welcome, positive initiative which will bring great
comfort to gay Catholics and their families. Its sympathetic,
understanding message is a big improvement on the stern,
uncompromising homophobia of most Vatican pronouncements on
homosexuality," said Peter Tatchell of OutRage!, the UK lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender human rights campaign.

"Its liberal stance has provoked condemnation from traditionalist,
conservative Catholics. They denounce the leaflet as a maverick,
renegade move by the English and Welsh Catholic Church, acting in
defiance of Vatican orthodoxy," said Mr Tatchell.

"This leaflet challenges these outdated, bigoted attitudes. It
reflects the growing acceptance of loving, loyal, long-term same-sex
relationships by grassroots Catholics."

Serbian government funds LGBT information website

The Ministry of Culture in Serbia has given financial support to an online news website dedicated to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and transgender population within the country and the Serbian Diaspora.
Queer Serbia Web Portal, today GayEcho , features news about events in Serbia and abroad, as well as features on gay on lesbian culture and art.
It aims to increase LGBT visibility and fight homophobia in society.
The site received financial support of 256.500 RSDinars (£2,500).
In 2003 the Ministry of Culture pledged funding for the portal, but it was never paid after a change of minister.
Later an adviser to the new Minister for Culture, Bora Đorđević, told the press: “he has no intention to give money to faggots.”
“This is a big step for the gay-lesbian population in Serbia, which received for the first time a support from the State, which is financed back also by them through taxes and contributions, and which did not do a lot till now regarding the respect of gay-lesbian rights,” said Predrag M. Azdejkovic, Editor in Chief of the Queeria Web Portal.
Serbia is not a member of the EU but the government has declared European integration to be one of the strategic priorities for the Republic and it has been a potential candidate country for the EU accession since 2003.
A recent progress report from the European Commission on candidate countries said that in Serbia violent attacks, hate speech and discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity is prevalent.

Vlada novčano podržala gej sajt

Ministarstvo kulture dodelilo 256.500 dinara internet-prezentaciji organizacije Kvirija centar

Ministarstvo kulture je na nedavnom konkursu za projekte u oblasti informisanja dodelilo 256.500 dinara portalu nevladine organizacije Kvirija centar, koji promoviše prava homoseksualne populacije. U dva navrata ukupno je, kako je zvanično saopšteno, podeljeno 42 miliona dinara za dela koja doprinose pravovremenom i objektivnom informisanju i medijskom pluralizmu.
Dušan Radulović, glavni i odgovorni urednik Radio Beograda, bio je jedan od pet ravnopravnih članova komisije koja je većala o projektima pristiglim na konkurs za dodelu novca iz Fonda kulture i informisanja, tačnije za ove druge – projekte u vezi sa informisanjem.
– Projekata je bilo sigurno oko dvesta, izbor je napravljen pre dva meseca, sada je ta odluka postala izvršna – objašnjava Radulović. – Smatrali smo da internet-sajt Kvirije koji, kako je navedeno u prijavi, ima za cilj širenje saradnje, može da koristi razumevanju u sredini u kojoj ima homofobije. Dopis je bio intoniran tako da nas je ubedio da portal može da pomogne da se ljudi bolje upoznaju sa sugrađanima koji žive pokraj njih, a imaju sva prava dok ne počnu da ugrožavaju druge. Odlučivao je kvalitet projekta, izgled portala dostupnog svakome, bez agresivnosti koje organizacije te vrste ponekad imaju. Dakle, jedna stvar, em savremena, em potrebna ovom našem društvu.
Ipak, on nije želeo da otkriva imena kolega u komisiji sa kojima je delio odgovornost za deobu „kulturnog dinara". U Ministarstvu kulture sve je transparentno, komisija je radila javno, pa se zna da su sem Radulovića novac za projekte, od onih za lokalne medije do Kvirijinog sajta, a inače NUNS-ovi i UNS-ovi predstavnici, raspodeljivali još Ivica Milosavljević, Mirko Miletić, Miroslav Kos i Vera Barišić.
Želje onih koji su konkurisali nadmašivale su pet puta sumu kojom je komisija raspolagala. Ni Kvirija centar nije dobio onoliko koliko je tražio. Ali, izgleda da je prvi put neko gej-lezbijsko društvo dobilo pomoć od srpske države.
– Najvažnije je da nas je ova država priznala kao legalne građane. Od novca je mnogo bitnija simbolika. Za šest meseci rada portala potrebno nam je još ovoliko, ali zadovoljni smo, imaćemo novac do kraja februara, a onda ćemo konkurisati negde drugde – kaže Predrag Azdejković, urednik sajta „Kvirija veb portal".
On podseća da im je svojevremeno Ministarstvo kulture, u vreme Lečićevog mandata, odobrilo pomoć od sto hiljada dinara. Vlada je pala, novac nikad nije uplaćen jer je novi budžet odobren u vreme predsednikovanja Dragana Kojadinovića, čije je ministarstvo konkurs odmah poništilo, a savetnik Bora Đorđević je u medijima tim povodom izjavio da mu „ne pada na pamet da daje pare".