From owner-euro-queer@QueerNet.ORG Wed Jun 28 02:20:41 1995 Received: from gate.oxy.edu (root@gate.oxy.edu [134.69.1.2]) by abacus.oxy.edu (8.6.10/8.6.11) with ESMTP id CAA24861 for ; Wed, 28 Jun 1995 02:20:33 -0700 Received: from queernet.queernet.org (queernet.queernet.org [140.174.78.68]) by gate.oxy.edu (8.6.11/8.6.11) with SMTP id CAA09664 for ; Wed, 28 Jun 1995 02:20:26 -0700 Received: by queernet.queernet.org (Smail3.1.29.1 #5) id m0sQqBs-000D3Ma; Tue, 27 Jun 95 23:01 PDT Sender: owner-euro-queer@QueerNet.ORG Received: from columba.udac.uu.se by queernet.queernet.org with smtp (Smail3.1.29.1 #5) id m0sQqBZ-000D33C; Tue, 27 Jun 95 23:01 PDT Received: from strix.UDAC.UU.SE by columba.udac.uu.se with SMTP id AA32448 (5.67b/IDA-1.4.4 for euro-queer@queernet.org); Wed, 28 Jun 1995 08:07:31 +0200 Received: by strix.udac.uu.se (AIX 3.2/UCB 5.64/4.03) id AA15146; Wed, 28 Jun 1995 08:00:31 +0200 Date: Wed, 28 Jun 1995 08:00:30 +0200 (MSZ) From: Bj|rn Skolander To: euro-queer Subject: ILGA RIO 1995 Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: owner-euro-queer@QueerNet.ORG Precedence: bulk Content-Length: 4741 X-Lines: 94 Status: RO 17th ILGA World Conference Rio de Janeiro, Brazil June 26, 1995 PRESS RELEASE: CONSOLIDATION AND DIVERSITY The 17th ILGA World Conference, which started on the 18th in Rio de Janeiro, came to a rousing close yesterday with a grand lesbian and gay pride demonstration. The colorful and gay march, complete with samba bands, was the largest ever in South America. Demonstrators carried a two-block long rainbow flag all along Copacabana beach. The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) is a world federation of over 350 gay, lesbian, and bisexual organizations from 70 countries. More than 300 delegates from all over the world participated in this annual conference that consolidated the strength and diversity of ILGA. The delegates represented close to 60 countries from Australia to Zimbabwe, including Russia,Japan,Thailand, and a strong showing from South and North America and Europe. Every continent was represented. During this congress, for the first time ever, ILGA welcomed two transvestite groups into its membership. As a culmination of 17 years of work, the member organizations of ILGA have set a process of regionalization in motion, giving the global movement a more dynamic and locally-responsive organization. Yesterday's demonstration in Copacabana proved that the gay and lesbian movement is growing in every part of the world, not only in Europe and North America. ACTIONS -The 17th ILGA World Conference involved preparations for the participation of lesbians in the 4th United Nations World Conference for Women to take place in Beijing. -ILGA denounced anti-homosexual violence and assassinations perpetrated in Brazil and other Latin American countries, as well as executions of homosexuals in the Middle East. -ILGA lauds the decriminalization of homosexuality in Tasmania, Australia. Rodney Croome, one of the main forces behind the favorable court case, was given the Felipa de Souza Award by IGLHRC of San Francisco (ILGA's outgoing Action Secretariat), in recognition of his group's work. -ILGA will iniciate campaigns to denounce the governments of Chile, Ecuador and Nicaragua that continue to criminalize homosexuality. -ILGA has continued and will continue to work on AIDS issues all over the world -ILGA lauds the positive advances made in many parts of the world such as the Registered Partnership laws in Sweden, and specifically supported the bill introduced into the Brazilian Congress by congresswoman Marta Suplicy (honorary president of the Conference). A national public opinion poll published yesterday shows a heartening 60% of Brasil's population in favor of recognizing domestic partnerships - a direct reflex of the ILGA Conference having been held here. -Following its efforts to assure its full consultative staus with the United Nations (ECOSOC), ILGA has ratified all of the human rights conventions of the United Nations (Rights of the Women, of the Child, etc...) ILGA DAY A symbolic date was chosen to strengthen the sense of unity among the diverse intercontinental membership of ILGA. The Association was founded in Coventry, England on August 8, 1978. This new day of solidarity and festivity will help orient fundraising activities of members in all parts of the world to benefit ILGA. Declarations of the new Secretary Generals. At this 17th ILGA World Conference, Jordi Petit from Barcelona, Spain and Inge Wallaert from Antwerp, Belgium were elected as new Secretaries-General. Jordi Petit brings with him 18 years of activism in the gay and lesbian movement and is currently Secretary-General of the Catalunyan group, Coordinadora Gai-Lesbiana. According to Jordi "We are going to continue to denounce governments of countries which make homosexuality illegal such as Chile, Ecuador and Nicaragua. We will also request a meeting with the new president of the European Union (who is a Spaniard) to talk about the advancement of rights for lesbians and gays in Europe and its implications for the rest of the world." Inge Wallaert, in charge of international affairs for FWH, a federation of 45 Flemish Belgian gay and lesbian groups, declares, "I hope that we will have the occasion at the Beijing Women's Conference to show lesbian visibility to the world and obtain favourable results against discrimination based on sexual orientation. We need to show the necessity that gays and lesbians make themselves visible and claim their rights every day in all parts of the world. As well, ILGA will work to strengthen its battle against AIDS and its solidarity with those affected." **** For more information, contact Andy Quan, Administrative Coordinator, ILGA at (322-4150) in Rio until July 4th, and after in Brussels (phone/fax) at 32-2-502-2471.