[A-List] LATIN AMERICA: For a Day against Homophobia

["Yoshie Furuhashi" <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

The IPS article by Diego Cevallos below fails to mention the major
legislative break-through -- legal recognition of same-sex unions --
in Mexico City thanks to the PRD, as well as the fact that not a
single homophobic murder has happened in Cuba during the period when
"In Brazil, 2,511 people were the victims of homophobic murders
between 1980 and 2005, in Mexico 1,000 were killed in the last nine
years, and in Argentina, 50 were murdered between 1989 and 2004."
Citing a study by the Pan-American Health Organisation, Cevallos
writes that "Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the
largest number of homophobic crimes in the world."  If that is true,
it is another evidence of the complexity of the sexual question in the
South: surveys generally show that greater proportions of peoples in
Latin America are more tolerant toward sexual minorities than those in
Asia, Africa, and the Middle East (relatively speaking -- attitudes in
Mexico, too, are still divided, negative ones being predominant), but
GLBTQ individuals in Latin America are at the same time at greater
risk of homophobic violence than those in Asia, Africa, and the Middle
East. -- Yoshie

<http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37776>
LATIN AMERICA:
For a Day Against Homophobia
Diego Cevallos

MEXICO CITY, May 17 (IPS) - "We don't want more or less rights than
anyone else; we want exactly the same rights," says Mexican
transsexual Sofía Valero, one of millions of Latin Americans who
suffer discrimination and are at risk of gay bashings and murder
because of their sexual orientation.

In Brazil, 2,511 people were the victims of homophobic murders between
1980 and 2005, in Mexico 1,000 were killed in the last nine years, and
in Argentina, 50 were murdered between 1989 and 2004.

These figures were presented in Mexico by Pan-American Health
Organisation (PAHO) representatives, activists and Mexican officials
in a conference held Thursday, the International Day Against
Homophobia celebrated in the Mexican capital in accordance with a city
government decree.

May 17 was chosen in 2005 as the day of the event by the International
Day Against Homophobia Committee (IDAHO) because the World Health
Organisation (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of mental
disorders on May 17, 1990.

Activists in Latin America want the United Nations and cities and
countries in the region to officially recognise the international day.

May 17 "is a very important date, because it is the occasion to
recognise that our rights are still being violated, that we are still
being killed, and that there is a long way to go before we achieve
respect for our rights," Valero, an activist with the Mexican Citizen
Front for the Rights of Transsexual and Transgender persons, told IPS.

Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the largest number
of homophobic crimes in the world, says PAHO in a study on
anti-homophobia campaigns carried out in the past few years in
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Valero, 23, almost joined the ranks of the victims. She said police
officers once picked her up and threatened to haul her in on charges
of public indecency even though she was only walking home.

She was driven around in the patrol car for several hours. "When they
saw I didn't have any money, they told me I had to pay in a way that I
would even enjoy; they told me I would have to give them both head.
When I refused, they pulled out a pistol, put it to my head and forced
me to do it. After that they abandoned me in the middle of nowhere,
all alone, humiliated and abused."

"Is that the price I have to pay for being different, for being honest
with myself and for being brave enough to be what I feel I am: a
woman?" she asked.

There are no available statistics on the number of homosexuals,
bisexuals and transsexuals in Latin America and the Caribbean, but
PAHO estimates that between six and 20 percent of men in the region
have had sex with other men at some point.

Discrimination against and violations of the human rights of millions
of people because of their sexual orientation are seen across the
region, said PAHO/WHO representative in Mexico, Dr. Philippe Lamy.

That complicates the fight against the spread of HIV, the AIDS virus,
and makes it difficult to ensure that those living with HIV receive
the necessary treatment, he said.

Some two million people between the ages of 15 and 49 in Latin America
and the Caribbean are HIV-positive, and gays, transsexuals and
bisexuals are among the highest-risk groups.

"We are vulnerable because we are discriminated against and suffer
harassment, ridicule and aggression," said Valero.

Transsexuals are calling for laws that would make it easier for them
to change their identity documents and carry out sex-change surgery.
"Without those rights, we are harassed by society and trapped in a
body that doesn't fit," said Valero.

To fight homophobia and curb the spread of HIV, governments, with the
support of activists, carried out media campaigns between 2002 and
2005 in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico at a total cost of 4.2
million dollars, according to PAHO.

The campaigns showed non-heterosexual couples in everyday situations,
and took advantage of the controversy triggered by the ads to generate
a public debate, "which in some cases was without precedent," between
civil society and government, said PAHO.

The theme of the campaign in Argentina, carried out from August to
November 2004 and March to May 2005, was "There are more things that
DON'T transmit HIV/AIDS than things that DO".

In Brazil, where the ads ran in June and July 2002, the theme was
"Respecting differences is just as important as using condoms". And in
Colombia, the slogan of the 2004-2005 campaign was a play on words
referring to the transmission of HIV/AIDS that ended with "What side
are you on?"

In Mexico, the ads were aired from April to December 2005, under two
slogans: "Homosexuality is not a disease; homophobia is", and "For an
inclusive, tolerant and plural Mexico".

PAHO applauded the initiatives, but suggested that mechanisms for
assessing their impact be included in the future.

But among the signs that indicated that the campaigns had been
successful, PAHO pointed to the strong support they enjoyed from the
authorities, despite the political risks, the broad dissemination of
the ads in the media, and the fact that new actors joined the fight
against homophobia and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Activists urged that such initiatives be continued. "We have made a
lot of progress, but new laws are needed, as well as a change of
attitude, so that we all have the same rights," said Valero.
(END/2007)

<http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/15044>
Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Homosexuals Still Shunned in Mexico
March 15, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Mexican adults are divided on the way to
acknowledge gay and lesbian partnerships, according to a poll by
Consulta Mitofsky. 45.7 per cent of respondents believe homosexual
couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples, while
47.3 per cent disagree.

In November, Mexico City became the first municipality in the Latin
American country to legally recognize same-sex partners. The local
legislature, dominated by the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), voted
43-17 to grant specific pension and inheritance rights to gay and
lesbian couples. These same-sex unions will not be called marriage,
and homosexual partners will remain unable to adopt children.

In January, the northern state of Coahuila passed legislation which
effectively gives same-sex couples property and inheritance rights,
which were usually reserved for married heterosexuals. At least 58 per
cent of respondents in the country believe gay or lesbian couples
should not be able to get married or adopt children.

Earlier this month, federal PRD lawmaker David Sánchez expressed
satisfaction with the recent changes, saying, "There is going to be a
domino effect across the country. This movement cannot be stopped."

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium,
Spain, Canada and South Africa, and at least 18 countries offer some
form of legal recognition to same sex unions.

Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples

Agree          45.7%
Disagree     47.3%
Not sure       7.0%

Two homosexual women should be allowed to adopt a child

Agree          33.6%
Disagree     58.2%
Not sure       8.2%

A homosexual couple should be allowed to get married

Agree          32.5%
Disagree     58.3%
Not sure        9.2%

Two homosexual men should be allowed to adopt a child

Agree         22.9%
Disagree     68.5%
Not sure       8.6%

Source: Consulta Mitofsky
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,000 Mexican adults,
conducted from Feb. 16 to Feb. 20, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per
cent.
--
Yoshie