From: steff@inet.uni2.dk
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 14:36:44 +0200 (METDST)
Subject: PRESS release from ILGA-Europe

ILGA-Europe launches EU report

ILGA-Europe's brand-new report "Equality for Lesbians and Gay Men - A Relevant
Issue in the Civil and Social Dialogue" which was first presented at the
European Social Policy Forum organised by the European Commission in Brussels
24-26 June 1998, is now available at ILGA-Europe's internet page under the
following address: http://inet.uni2.dk/~steff/report.htm

The publication of this 104-page report is part of a project (with the same
title) for which ILGA-Europe had received funding from DG V; the project is
also financially supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Labour, Health
and Social Affairs and the Austrian Federal Minister for Women's Affairs and
Consumer Protection. Donations to the costs of the project were also received
from UNISON (the public sector trade union in the United Kingdom) and two of
ILGA-Europe's project partners, Landsforeningen for bøsser og lesbiske (LBL),
the Danish National Association for Gays and Lesbians, and HOSI Wien,
Austria's First Lesbian and Gay Association.

The report contains two general chapters on the manifold forms of
discrimination gays and lesbians are exposed to in the Member States of the EU
and on the recent developments of EU law and policy on sexual orientation
discrimination as well as contributions about the situation of lesbians and
gays in the fifteen Member States. These articles draw an exhaustive picture
of the many forms of social and legal discrimination against lesbians and gays
throughout the EU, but also of the many positive developments in the pursuit
of achieving full equality for them. They also highlight examples of good and
best practice in this context.

ILGA-Europe has produced this report as part of a project to promote the
co-operation between non-governmental organisations and to strenghten the
social and civil dialogue. A dialogue in which ILGA-Europe wishes to
participate in a very active way at the European level. One of the first steps
in order to pursue this aim was to apply for membership in the Platform of
European Social NGOs which was granted in March 1998. The Platform has at the
moment 25 members, all of them European federations of NGOs working in a
variety of areas, such as disability, migration, women, children, youth, age,
poverty, unemployment, homelessness, etc. ILGA-Europe board members already
participated in the Platform's steering group meeting (Brussels, May 1998) and
a mini-conference to prepare for the Social Policy Forum (London, June 1998).
The report is designed as a tool and instrument to inform other NGOs and
associations in the social and human rights field about the legal and social
situation of lesbians and gay men in the 15 Member States, and provides a
basis for discussion with potential allies and partners in the fight against
all forms of discrimination.

On 25 May, ILGA-Europe had invited European social and human rights NGOs to a
first one-day meeting in Brussels to enter into this dialogue and specifically
to discuss the draft version of the report and its recommendations. The
meeting was attended by several NGO representatives. ILGA-Europe board members
and other experts presented various aspects of the report. MEP Outi Ojala
(GUE/NGL, FIN), president of the EP Equal Rights for Gays and Lesbians
Intergroup also gave a presentation, as did Kevin Walsh of DG V. The NGO
representatives gave valuable input both to the main chapter of the report and
for the recommendations. This meeting was also part of the ILGA-Europe
project, another meeting with social and human rights NGOs is scheduled to
take place in November of this year as part of the project.

The report formulates a series of recommendations to improve the situation of
lesbians and gay men in the Union – recommendations directed both at other
NGOs, the social partners, the Member States and the European Union which has
been given the competence by the Treaty of Amsterdam to `take appropriate
action to combat discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin,
religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation'.

The report will also be presented at a number of other forums during the year
1998, including the international conference on `Trade Unions, Homosexuality
and Work' in Amsterdam in July, EuroPride in Stockholm, the EP Intergroup
mentioned above in September, and of course, the ILGA-Europe Conference in
Linz in October 1998. At that time, French and German translations of the
report should also be available.

For more information, contact:
Jackie Lewis: Phone +44-171-926-4771; Fax: +44-171-498-7807; e-mail: 
jackielewis@compuserve.com
Kurt Krickler: Phone & Fax: +43-1-545 13 10; e-mail: hosiwien@via.at
Steffen Jensen: Phone: +45-3324-6435; Fax: +45-4049-9257; e-mail: 
steff@inet.uni2.dk


***************************
Steffen Jensen
E-mail: steff@inet.uni2.dk 
http://inet.uni2.dk/~steff
Tel. +45 3324 6435 or +45 2033 0840  Fax: +45 4049 5297