From: International Gay Lesbian Human Rights Commission Date: 20 Jan 94 23:45 PST Subject: Intro & First Mailing Welcome to the IGLHRC ERN Mailing List This first message is a test. We have put into our e-mail database all the addresses that have requested to be put on the mailing list. If we have made a mistake with your particular address, please send us a message to have it removed. We apologize for any inconvenience. Below is our genral information. What is the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission? The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) was formed in Moscow the summer of 1990 by U.S. and Russian lesbian and gay activists to focus the spotlight of world opinion on the oppression of lesbians and gay men around the world. Two glaring examples of such oppression are Article 121 of the Russian Criminal Code (Recently stricken) and the existance of anti-sodomy laws in the United States. IGLHRC moniters, documents, exposes, and mobilizes urgent response to human rights violations against lesbians, gay, bisexual, and people with HIV and AIDS all over the world. Some of Our Recent Accomplishements..... *Organizing and sponsorship of the first International Lesbian and Gay symposium and Film Festival in the Soviet Union in July 1991. *Successful lobbying of Amnesty International to change their mandate to include lesbian and gay prisoners of conscience through pressure tactics, publicity, and sharing documentation of abuses. *Supported the successful struggle to legalize a lesbian and gay rights organization in Argentina. *Support for La Red, the network of Latino/a lesbian and gay groups, preparing for a historic organizing conference in 1994. *Mobilizing a successful international pressure campaign to secure the release of two men who faced up to 20 years in prison for sodomy cahrges in the Bahamas. *Development of AIDS support for HIV+ people in the former Soviet Union and dissemination of AIDS treatment and prevention information to health care providers in the CIS. The World Health Organization donated 41,000 condoms to this project. *Generation of over 5,000 column inches of press, television, and radio coverage on gay human rights struggles in other countries. *Provided documentary support for attorney's working on asylum, sodomy, and other discrimination cases in Canada, United States, England, Argentina, Sweden, Australia, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (Five gay men received asylum or refugee status in 1992 alone). *Completion of a Romanian Fact Finding Mission in May 1992, documenting the situation of gays and lesbians, establishing allies with domestic human rights organizations, and lobbying parliamentary and ministry officials to abolish the Romanian sodomy law. Program's of IGLHRC include...... Latin American Support Section. Collaboration with groups and individuals in Central and South America on issues ranging from sodomy law repeal to AIDS education and prevention. Emergency Response Network. Network of over 200 regular participants responding to monthly action alerts produced by IGLHRC and committed to urgently acting on behalf of others facing human rights abuses through letter writing campaigns, phone/fax zaps, and lobbying of other human rights groups and government officials. Research/Documentation Center. Coordination of a volounteer research committee establishing a clearing-house of information on gay and lesbian persecution country by country. TEMA International. IGLHRC's quarterly journal bringing articles from non-U.S. sources to English-speaking readers. International Outreach & Solidarity. Coalition building among lesbian and gay rights organizations and individual activist from around the world, including Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. International Volounteer Training and Support. Providing U.S. volunteers living and/or travelling to other countries the necessary orientation, skills, and contacts to work as international activists. IGLHRC currently has volunteers in Russia, Czechoslavakia, Mexico, Columbia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, India, Hungary, Taiwan, and Argentina. International Computer Network. Establishing a network of gay and lesbian activists via e-mail; currently on line are groups in the CIS, Croatia, U.S., and Peru. Community Education. Publicizing of human rights violations through the media, organization of international workshops for gay and lesbian conferences, speaking engagements with corporations, professional associations, student groups,a nd mainstream human rights organizations, and video presentations of documentary footage highlighting the situation of gays and lesbians in other countries.