Date: Tue, 09 Sep 1997 09:51:13 +0200 From: Jordi Petit Subject: 2nd ILGA Annual Report Barcelona / Sydney, 29 August 1997 Summary of the second ILGA ANNUAL REPORT, International Lesbian and Gay Association. SOUTH AFRICA, FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO INCLUDE NON-DISCRIMINATION DUE TO SEXUAL ORIENTATION IN ITS CONSTITUTION HAWAII SUPREME COURT RECOGNISES THE RIGHT OF HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE FOR 24 HOURS 13 COUNTRIES NOW ALLOW PROSECUTION FOR DISCRIMINATION DUE TO SEXUAL ORIENTATION HOMOSEXUALITY IS ILLEGAL IN 44 COUNTRIES FOR LESBIANS AND IN 83 COUNTRIES FOR GAY OR BISEXUAL MEN HOMOSEXUALITY IS LEGAL FOR LESBIANS IN 49 COUNTRIES (NOT MENTIONED IN 98 COUNTRIES) AND LEGAL FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN IN 59 COUNTRIES (NOT MENTIONED IN 49 COUNTRIES) Simultaneously in Barcelona and Sydney today, the summary of ILGA's Second Annual Report is being presented, on occasion of its 19th anniversary. The International Lesbian and Gay Association was founded in August 1978, in Coventry, UK. At present, this federation includes over 300 homosexual organisations in 80 countries from every continent, individual members and associated members such as the City of Amsterdam amongst others. In its time, ILGA has contributed to the legalisation of homosexuality in several countries, promoted numerous international legal action and solidarity campaigns and rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals. ILGA also played a decisive role in removing homosexuality from WHO's list of diseases and in Amnesty International's inclusion of people imprisoned due to their homosexuality as prisoners of conscience. 96/97 Report: ADVANCES IN LEGAL RECOGNITION OF HOMOSEXUALITY. In the last twelve months homosexuality has been legalised in a new country, San Marino, and in the states of Tennessee (USA) and Tasmania (Australia). With the inclusion of Iceland and Luxembourg, there are now 13 countries that penalise discrimination due to sexual orientation. The reformed Treaty of the European Union finally includes an anti-discrimination clause which mentions sexual orientation. However, the greatest advance, nothing short of historic, occurred in South Africa, the first country in the world to include non-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in its new constitution. Recognition of couples has also moved forwards. A decision of the Supreme Court in the State Hawaii recognised the right to homosexual marriage, though only for 24 hours as the decision was appealed; new countries have legalised homosexual couples - Iceland, Greenland, Hungary and Holland from 1st January 1998; the new government in France has explicitly promised a similar law; the new British government has just declared its intention to concede the right of residence to foreign partners of its citizens, including same-sex partners. Another important advance occurred in Argentina where, for the first time, a homosexual partner received equal treatment within the social security system for teachers in that country. Same-sex couple recognition is also gaining ground in the private sector in companies such as IBM, General Motors and South African Airlines, and in institutions such as the Civil Service in Canada and the EU. On the other hand, there is also reaction against this progress. In the USA, last September, a Matrimony Protection law was promulgated which vetoes conjugal recognition of same-sex couples. AIDS: MORE SUPPORT FOR THE HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY 80% of HIV/AIDS transmission occurs in developing countries, where homo/bisexual cases may be as much as 45% of the total. This is the case in the Latin America / Caribbean area. Negligence by governments of these countries in not supporting prevention within the homosexual community can only be described as criminal. In countries such as Chile and Ecuador, where homosexuality is still illegal, it is extremely difficult if not impossible, to carry out minimum prevention programmes which reach homosexuals and bisexuals. At ILGA's recent Conference in Cologne, it was decided to lobby the pharmaceutical companies to reduce the cost of drugs in order to make them accessible to all people that require them. CONCLUSIONS We condemn the 83 countries and various states of the USA where homosexuality continues to be illegal. Romania is the most flagrant case in Europe, Middle Eastern states such as Iran or Saudi Arabia where the death penalty is applied for sodomy, Chile and Ecuador in South America, Nicaragua in Central America, where homosexuality was recently criminalised. Police round-ups of gays continue in Turkey, Ecuador, Chile and Cuba, although guidelines for such pernicious police action and arbitrary arrests were abolished in Rosario and Buenos Aires in Argentina, which have now adopted sexual orientation anti-discrimination clauses. Such non-discrimination is also making progress in numerous cities in Brazil, a country where AIDS prevention within the homosexual community is promoted and same-sex couples legislation is within sight, and yet it is the scene of appalling violence with frequent murders of gays, lesbians and transvestites. Certainly the most significant battle-ground in Asia is currently Japan, where the OCCUR organisation is taking legal action against Tokyo City Corporation which denies access of young gays to youth hostels. Throughout this report there is a clear current of progress in lesbian and gay rights, culminating at a point where the President of a State (Israel) is forced to retract homophobic declarations. The countries which penalise discrimination due to sexual orientation increase, as do those which recognise same-sex couples. Moreover, it is impossible to overstate the importance of South Africa, the first state in history to include non-discrimination due to sexual orientation in its constitution. A clear sign of this progress may also be seen in the consolidation and growth of participation in Lesbian and Gay Demonstrations everywhere. Provisional figures for this year indicate that over 5 million people will have attended such events. For 1998, ILGA is launching a campaign for NGOs and celebrities to sign a manifesto "Lesbian and Gay Rights are Human Rights", coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The ILGA Annual Report is available at http://www.pangea.org/org/cgl/ilga/ Jordi Petit (Barcelona) and Jennifer Wilson (Sydney) ILGA Co-General Secretaries ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ILGA - International Lesbian and Gay Association 81 Kolenmarkt, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Phone/Fax +32-2-502-2471, E-mail: ilga@ilga.org http://www.ilga.org A federation of over 300 groups from 80 countries fighting for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. We also have over 100 supportive associate and individual members. Will you join us? Contact us for more info!