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".