Hello, dear friends. This article is going to be published in
 the magazine "La Humanas de CODEHUCA" in the near future.

                     Leaving Silence:
            Human Rights of Gays and Lesbians

By  Alvaro Carvajal Villaplana
Program of information CODEHU
(Translated by Daniel Soto Mayorga
 DSOTO@ucs.indiana.edu)

In Costa Rica, there exist many situations which are kept in
silence- one of these is the discrimination and repression which
gays, lesbians and transvestites live and suffer. In recent years,
this situation has begun to change with the appearance of a series
of public demonstrations  which denounce the violation
of human rights of these minority groups.

For example, as in the month of September of 1993, several
organizations( The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport's
Movie Center, CODEHUCA, CODEHU, Women's Collective
Pancha Carrasco, Amnesty International, the Schools of Psychology and
Philosophy of the University of Costa Rica, CEFIDEHU and the Gay
University Group) organized,for the first time in the history
of our country, a movie fesitval whose theme centered around the human
rights of the groups in question.  The activity was called "Movies: Sex
and Repression", in which the winning movies of international prizes
were shown. Among the movies, the following stand out: Neil Jordan's
"The Crying Game"; James Ivory's "Maurice"; Claudia Echenique's
"Be'same Colombia"; Patrizia Rozena's "I've heard Mermaid Singing"
and Jaime Humberto Hermosillo's "Do~a Herlinda y su hijo".

During the festival, a series of debates were held in which a
series of problems and situations which affect this group of
people were discussed- from civil and political rights' violations
to their personal development. The debates were directed by specialists
in several subjects.

Some problems and attitudes concerning people and groups which
have a sexual orientation different from heterosexuality are those
 which we will now expound upon.

In the past two years, a series of outcries has been presented
to different human rights organizations in relation to the theme
which we are dealing with. In this sense, CODEHU, in 1992, received
at least 10 protests of cruel and degrading treatment to transvestites;
the same protests were heard by Amnesty International.

In that same year, the minister of Safety and Government, Mr. Luis
Fishman, proclaimed that homosexuals are not qualified to serve in
the police and the safety of citizens can not rest in their hands.
This arose from the debate in the USA about whether homosexuals and
lesbians should or should not serve in the military of that country.

During this year, in August, The International University of the
Americas (UIA), a  private university, in a paid campaign which
made reference to the recovery of moral values, affirmed that on
its campus, any manifestations of homosexuality or lesbianism can
not be allowed; this denies the right to education of a good section
of the national population.

Because of this latest development, "Radioperio'dicos Reloj", one
of the most important radio programs of the country, explained in its
editorial pages of Monday, the 30th of August, that "homosexuality
 must be fought with firmness and decision". "It is necesary to exile
homosexuality and return to the essential values of the human being".
and the worst, "human rights do not exist in homosexuality."

On the same line, the National Department of Radio, in its program
"Panorama" which is broadcast in the mornings, on a national radio
 station, the commentator, Ana Lorena Pinto, declared , "How is it
 possible that in the country there is a group like the Gay
University Group?  At the same time she said that more serious is that
the media transmits information about groups and problems which gays
and lesbians suffer and calls to the media that they cut all public
announcement of problems or violation of human rights of the groups
in question.

But, not all of this discrimination need be lamented- many voices
 were raised in defense of the minority groups.  CODEHU rallied for the
defense of civil and political rights of transvestites, with the
international support of Amnesty International. Together, CODEHU and
CODHUCA are carrying out actions which defend the right to an education,
in the case of the UIA.

Likewise, a movie festival was held, with the support
of governmental institutions, ONG's and the univeristy. Also, the
Ministry of Justice created the program for the defense of
minorities, in which it gives great weight to the concerns of gays
and lesbians.

On the other hand,the gay and lesbian community itself has begun to
organize itself for the defense of its rights, organizing in this moment
in the groups: Las Entendidas, el Gay Universitario  Group,Arenal the
Gay, Lesbians & Bisexuals electronic list for Latinoamerica, and the
Latin American Institute of the Prevention and Education of Health
(ILPES), the confidential Bulletin, musical and theater
groups, among others.

Gays have shown that their fight is for personal dignity; they have
proven that they are prevented from living their lives and must
play different roles and disguise themselves before a society
which represses their desire to develop, an legitimate human aspiration.






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*  Daniel Soto Mayorga  * Pledge of allegiance: "...with liberty and
*  DSOTO@INDIANA.EDU    * justice for all"   Why is "all" so hard to
*  DSOTO@UCS.INDINA.EDU *         understand ?
*  DANIELTICO@AOL.COM   *
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