Residents Jeer & Picket Women's Home

An lesbian couple in south central Jamaica home was picketed by residents and their car tyres deflated after they left to report the matter to the police.

While they women proceeded to replaced the tyres (now inflated) some men living nearby started jeering and mocking the females and threatened them to leave the house.

The incident according to one of the victim's was the product of an ongoing dispute between the tenant who resides on the same premises and one of the women whose father is the owner of the property and who resides overseas.

The tenant was reportedly upset that she was given notice to leave the premises and decided to enact her revenge by inciting the neighbours against the women.

The women have since removed from the house and are now happy in better surroundings.

Even our sistas aren't immune to the stupidity of homophobia.

They Were Lesbians (Flashback)

( L - R ) Phoebe Myrie. and Candice Williams - FILE

A steamy DVD found with the bodies of Candice and Phoebe last week and statements about a love triangle that went all wrong...WAS IT FORBIDDEN love between lesbians that cost two young women their lives?Statements to the police and evidence at the murder scene of two women in their 20s strongly suggests this.The bodies of 20-year-old Candice Williams and Phoebe Myrie, 22, were found dumped in a pit at a home they shared in Taylor Land, Bull Bay, last week Wednesday, and police investigations are now confirming rumours of a 'murder of passion!'As a result, police are now on the hunt for the father of the one-year-old child of Candice Williams, Dwayne Lewis, who is wanted for questioning in the matter.

Police who were on the scene when the bodies were found, say the evidence found at the scene, suggested that the killer might have been angered by their suspected lesbian relationship.
"From yuh see di lesbian DVD whe di man throw in di pit, yuh know seh di lesbian ting have something to do with the murders ... The assailant bun up mattress an fling weh sheet, so it obvious," said an officer, who was at the scene when the bodies were taken from the pit.
Police confirm that an adult DVD case, sheets, and a pillow were found in the pit along with the bodies of the young women. A burnt mattress was also found in the yard of the house.

MIXED FEELINGS
Although residents of Taylor Land expressed "mixed feelings" toward the alleged lesbian couple, they all concur that they were much more than friends. "Everybody know a two lesbian dem dat. U fi see how one a dem timid like gal, an di oda one guan like man ... The only time dem apart a when di Samantha (Candice) gu check har mother ina di morning," said a resident.
"Mi hear seh a lef one a dem lef her baby fada fi di nex uman, an tek di baby carry guh live," said another resident.

CHAT ROOM
Statements given to the police by a relative of one of the deceased confirmed a lesbian affair between the two women, and explained the history of the affair, including the conflict over the child.
According to the relative's report, the two young women met in a cellular 'chat room,' earlier in the year (when Candice was still living with the father of her child), adding that the common-law husband not only knew about the budding relationship, but actually encouraged it.
The police document highlighted the temporary presence of a third woman at the house, but due to her alleged "nasty ways," she was soon asked to leave. It is also said that Myrie would go and stay with another female friend with whom she was also intimately involved.
The statement indicated that Candice slowly progressed from a bi-sexual, to an outright lesbian, which led her to end the relationship with her common-law husband, who soon after, left the premises. The relative wrote that a conflict began when Candice decided to keep their child.
"Due to the cooperation of citizens, this case will soon be cleared up. We have leads on the only person wanted for questioning in the matter, and should apprehend him before next week," said Ins. Williams.

"We are now appealing to Mr. Lewis that he come to the station as we need to ask him some questions ... Right now we know every move he makes and it is in his best interest to come in," said Ins. Williams.

"We heard that they were very, very good friends, and they were killed because they were very good friends ... True or not, the nature of their relationship has nothing to do with investigations, as hearsay doesn't go to law," said sub-officer in charge of the Bull Bay Police Station, Inspector Hornet Williams.

link

BY FABIAN LEDGISTER

Jamaican Gays Flee to Save Their Lives (Flashback)

Homophobia runs so deep in Jamaican society that asylum can be the only chance of survival. Every one of David's scars tells a terrifying story. There is the one where his throat was slashed by a mob that chased him through the streets of downtown...

Every one of David's scars tells a terrifying story. There is the one where his throat was slashed by a mob that chased him through the streets of downtown Kingston, the incident in which his arm was broken in two places, the horrific ordeal during which his right hand was almost severed at the wrist by a blow from a machete. Then there are the marks on his feet where he was beaten with sticks, the eardrum perforated by a blow from a baton and the emotional scars of the time he was forced to run into the sea close to Norman Manley airport and swim against the tide for four exhausting hours to escape certain death. All the attacks occurred for the same reason - David is gay. Last week, it was revealed that David, 26, had been granted asylum in the UK on the basis that homophobia in Jamaica is so severe it represents a serious threat to his personal safety.

The fate of gays reveals a deep strain of homophobia in Jamaican society. In Jamaica, homosexual intercourse is a crime. Buggery is punishable by 10 years imprisonment with hard labour, and any two men caught in a compromising position - the definition of which is left up to individual police officers and in the past has involved nothing more than holding hands - can be charged with gross indecency and sent to prison. More than 30 gay men have been murdered in Jamaica in the past five years. Last year, one was shot dead as he sought refuge in a churchyard. A few weeks later, a group of university students were almost beaten to death. The issue of gay rights is one to which few Jamaicans have any sympathy. Homophobia is all but sanctioned by society - often at the highest levels.

The slang phrases 'batty boy' or 'chi chi man' are in common usage. Antoinette Haughton, one of the country's most influential radio talkshow hosts recently attacked gay culture, telling her listeners: 'They want to corrupt our children and tell them it's OK to live immoral and nasty lives.' Last year Jamaica's head of state sanctioned the exclusion of gays from the Boy Scouts: 'These are not the type of persons we wish to be part of the Scout movement,' he said. Jamaican music often celebrates the beating and killing of gays. In the early 90s, Buju Banton scored with 'Boom Bye Bye', which included the lyric: 'Batty boy get up and run ah gunshot in ah head man'. More recently the band TOK topped the charts with 'Chi Chi Man' - in which the chorus advocates burning gay men. For many Jamaican men, an allegation of homosexuality is the ultimate slur. Such claims were made against heads of both political parties during the recent election campaign.

In 1997, when prison authorities attempted to distribute condoms to inmates at Kingston's main prison, it led to riots in which 16 allegedly gay men were murdered and 40 more injured. Jamaica's Prime Minister, PJ Patterson, vowed last year that he would make no changes to anti-homosexual legislation, despite the fact that the law is in breach of human rights regulations. Speaking from his central Kingston home, Fitzroy, a 28-year-old musician, explains the harsh realities of life as a gay man in Jamaica. 'It's terrible. I can't have peace and freedom like everyone else. If I walk down the road, all I hear is "batty man, him hafi dead, shoot him, slit him". 'I can't find work - I had to leave my last job when my boss found out - and I can't find a home. It doesn't matter how much you try to hide it. If you are seen in certain places or with certain people, you get branded as gay.

Once the torment starts, it never stops. 'I was going downtown with two friends. Suddenly I saw a group of men coming towards us with big sticks. We ran to the police station and told them what was happening. But then the policeman took up a big stick and ran us out of the station. When we got to the steps, the mob was waiting for us. So we had the policeman behind us with his stick and the men in front of us with sticks. Luckily a cab with some girls we knew went past. We ran to it and managed to get away. If that had not happened, the three of us would have been dead that night.' David's experiences are equally terrifying. 'I was walking one night down a road where a lot of gay men go cruising. I was attacked by two men and stabbed. The knife went right through my back and came out my stomach.

Two taxi drivers refused to take me to hospital. They told me: "You are a faggot, you cannot come with us or people will think we are gay too." I had to walk a mile to hospital, bleeding all the way. When I got there I had to lie and say I had been robbed otherwise I would not have got any treatment.' On another occasion David was arrested and charged with buggery. At the door to a holding cell with 15 other prisoners, the policeman said: 'There you go batty boy' and pushed him inside. Within seconds David had been beaten senseless, losing hearing in one ear. 'It is hell being gay in Jamaica.'

Published: 10/20/2002

Guardian Unlimited

A Culture of Intolerance: Insights on the Chi Chi Man Craze and Jamaican Gender Relations with Julius Powell of JFLAG (Flashback)

DJ-RJ and Gregory Stephen's Radio show on Equal Rights and Justice features clips from the Julius Powell Interview.

There are different Quick Clips in MP3 format on each page of this interview, or you can listen to the whole show.

Admin - You may need realplayer to plat the clips
http://www.realplayerlive.com/co/real/01/realplayerlive.asp?sid=M5_0001

Gay Jamaican Petition (Flashback)

On June 5, 2001, the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG), made a historic presentation to the Jamaican Parliament (the Joint Select Committee on the Charter of Rights) to make the case for protecting Jamaicans from discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation. Readers may be aware that the Jamaican Constitution does not provide protection from discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation.

JFLAG believes that sexual orientation "ought properly to be brought under the protective umbrella of the anti-discrimination clause with our Bill of Rights since gays, lesbians and bisexuals are being marginalized by society, and are not being afforded the rights of legal equality and privacy by our government".

On behalf of JFLAG, we would greatly appreciate it if you could sign this petition to be presented to the Jamaican government. We want to show them that the outside world is concerned about what is happening to our brothers and sisters in JA.

http://www.ukblackout.com/

EU will include sexual orientation in discrimination directive

The European Commission has announced that disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age will be included in a new directive on discrimination.
The European Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights congratulated the Commission on what they called "the right decision."
The Parliament has called for such a directive at least on seven occasions in the past eight years.
However the Commission announced in April that opposition from Germany and other member states meant that European Union citizens would not be protected from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
EU directives are legislation that requires member states to, for example, deal with discrimination, but leaves it up to the states to decide on the best course of action to take.
Earlier this month the European Parliament's all-party social affairs committee voted for a framework directive against all forms of discrimination, despite firm opposition by right-wing MEPs.
Now the Commission has had a change of heart.
"We thank all those who have been involved in the campaign for an all inclusive non-discrimination directive," said Michael Cashman, President of the Intergroup.
"We congratulate the Commission and in particular Commissioner Spidla and President Barroso on doing the right thing.
"As ever the details of the proposal will be keenly awaited and scrutinised.
"And we will work with the Council and Commission to achieve our goal of making Europe a brighter, fairer, equal place to work and to live."

The HIV Life Cycle Summary

The HIV Life Cycle

Introduction

Definitions

Step 1: Binding

Step 2: Reverse Transcription

Step 3: Integration

Step 4: Transcription

Step 5: Translation

Step 6: Viral Assembly and Maturation

Pictures

Printable Version

for more info: http://www.aidsmeds.com/

AIDS: Not a Heterosexual Disease?

AIDS should not be considered a global concern for heterosexuals outside sub-Saharan Africa, asserts the HIV/AIDS director for the World Health Organization (WHO), Kevin De Cock, according to London’s The Independent newspaper (independent.co.uk, 6/8).

De Cock made the declaration despite a discouraging report that his own organization—along with UNAIDS and UNICEF—issued less than a week ago showing that while 3 million HIV-positive people worldwide were getting lifesaving antiretroviral treatment in 2007, 2.5 million others became infected. “It is very unlikely there will be a heterosexual [HIV] epidemic in other countries,” De Cock told The Independent. “Ten years ago a lot of people were saying there would be a generalized epidemic in Asia—China was the big worry with its huge population. That doesn’t look likely. But we have to be careful.”De Cock acknowledges that AIDS should remain at the forefront of public health concerns, along with other chronic diseases like malaria.

He suggested that more prevention efforts should be focused on men who have sex with men (MSM).“In the developing world, [prevention for MSMs] has been neglected,” he says. “It is astonishing how badly we have done with men who have sex with men. It is something that is going to have to be discussed much more rigorously.”

Articles on Sex and Sexuality (Flashback)

• I was born this way July 25,2001

• Sexuality and the law July 25,2001

• Homophobia remains HIGH July 26,2001

• Bisexual woman struggles with identity July 26,2001

• Is there a gay gene? July 26,2001

• Homos at risk July 26,2001

• Sexual orientation: Is there a conclusion? July 278,2001

• 'I was sleeping with their husband and father' July 27,2001

• Sexual orientation:Critiquing the theories, looking at the realities (new) August 13, 2001

• US Church divided on issue (new) August 13, 2001

What's wrong wid Bounty Killer?

Click the Post Title or pic for the story, 

eh eh mi nuh know a wah do Bounty, damage control afta di Guyana embarrassment ........................ whoaaaa!

(The following is the first of a three-part interview done with Bounty Killer. Look out for part two and three on Thursday and Friday.)

A cross and angry Rodney 'Bounty Killer' Price spoke out for the first time about his recent European tour that saw three shows being cancelled ,allegedly because of gay activist groups.

It was reported that gay human rights groups had coordinated a European-wide campaign to halt Bounty's Deadly Alliance tour of the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy, England and Switzerland, and were successful in stopping concerts in Bradford and Birmingham, England, and another in Essen, Germany.

Successful tour

However, Bounty Killer in an exclusive interview with THE STAR says on the contrary, his European tour was very much a success and that gay activist groups were only exaggerating that they were successful in stopping a number of the shows.

"It was a successful tour in terms of meeting and greeting and connecting with the people. The tour lasted for four weeks, we did a week in London and then three weeks in Europe. They (gay activists) cancelled like three concerts out of 21, so all yuh hear dem a talk bout gay dis and gay dat, they were just exaggerating, they always try to exaggerate bout they cancel show," Bounty said.

A violence thing

He continued, "Di show in Birmingham, it was a violence thing that was going on in Birmingham in the black community and they (promoters) were feeling like it was very dangerous to try and get Bounty and Mavado in dis place at this moment, it wasn't any gay-bashing thing because if that was the case, we couldn't go in London."
"London is the heart of it, yuh understand, so if it was a gay problem, why Birmingham would have a problem and London don't have a problem? London show is the biggest one and that's the most successful one, dat's di one they would have tried to stop, not the little one down Birmingham. 

So it was just a violence thing in Birmingham and they came 'bout it's a gay thing. Even di concert wey dem claim dem cancel a Germany, a Munich, dem cancel di show inna di day an wi have to guh to court di afternoon and won," Bounty said.

So despite these minor setbacks, Bounty says, "the tour went well, but most people never want to see it a success, but it was a success ... yea because they expect that we were going to get turn back like Sizzla an all these things, they try but it jus neva work."

Artistes Need To Unite

Bounty says he is also calling on dancehall artistes to "be more unified in the fight against gays, ca' if wi nuh unite, wi will neva win dis battle."

"The artistes, they are not for the music, they are for the success, and the wealth and all this excitement and super stardom. Ca' for instance, if there wasn't a Bounty, a Beenie, a Buju, a Ele, a Capleton, a Sizzla an it was jus a Kartel an a Mavado, where di music would be? Or if it was jus a Bounty an a Beenie an no Mavado an no Kartel an no Buju an Capleton, wey di music woulda be?"

"When these artistes see other artistes going through problems like what happening to Sizzla now, yuh know nuff a dem a laugh, like ... Beenie, mi know him a laugh. 'Cause .... sey dem ban Bounty an Mavado an dem call him (Beenie) fi do di show an him run gone pon it. How you mus ban my fellow Jamaican an den you guh bond wid dem?" 

Bounty questioned.

According to Bounty, some of these artistes are not concerned about their culture,"these artistes nuh care if yuh nuh love Jamaica ... 'cause dem only a do dis fi come model pon Killa, dem jus waan have more money dan Bounty Killa, dem nuh business if Jamaica sink tomorrow."

Rumours & gays

Rumours & gays
published: Wednesday June 11, 2008

The Editor, Sir:
Leslie Lloyd in supporting PM Golding's declared exclusion of gays from his Cabinet said he agreed with the stance especially since having served in both politics and the army he had experienced first-hand the manipulation and lies supposedly common to gays - traits which made them unfit for public office.

In the first instance, these vices are not the exclusive domain of gays. Irrespective of race, sexual practice and education, people are capable of doing and have done the same things from the beginning of time.

potential implications
More important is the potential implications of the PM's exclusion policy. In Jamaica, just the mere rumour of someone being homosexual is enough to ostracise him/her and in some cases "invite" violent attacks among the more ignorant. If the PM's position is to be maintained, he would have to investigate every potential rumour about persons being considered for his Cabinet.
I am, etc.,

CHADWICK BARNSWELL
barnswellc@yahoo.co.uk
Kingston 6

Top 5 Gay and Lesbian Friendly Destinations in the Caribbean

According to Travel Expert Robert Curley

With its fun-in-the-sun destinations, carefree attitude, and myriad couples-oriented resorts, the Caribbean seems an ideal vacation spot for gay and lesbian couples. But not all Caribbean islands are created equal: some (notably the French, Dutch, and U.S. islands) roll out the welcome mat for gay couples, while others, like Jamaica, Barbados, and the Cayman Islands, have a reputation for homophobia. With the help of the travel experts at Gay.com, here's my picks for the top Caribbean destinations for gay travelers.

1. St. Barts
With its laissez-faire French culture and a myriad of private villas to choose from, St. Barts is has been called the most gay-friendly island in the Caribbean. This is the place to get lost in the Caribbean for a few days, far from the cruise-ship crowds.

2. St. Martin/St. Maarten
Both Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin have long had a gay-friendly reputation, with many private villas for rent and beaches and bars where gay and straight couples peacefully coexist. St. Maarten's reputation was sullied somewhat by a 2004 incident where a gay couple was assaulted near a popular beach bar, but island tourism officials were quick to apologize, and the island remains near the top of the list for many gay Caribbean travellers.

3. Puerto Rico
Gay travelers in Puerto Rico will find the Caribbean's only real gay nightlife scene: San Juan highlights include the Atlantic Beach Bar (with a weekly drag show) and clubs like Eros. On both the mainland and the island of Vieques you can find gay-friendly resorts, and gay travelers in Puerto Rico have the benefit of protection by U.S. antidiscrimination laws.

4. U.S. Virgin Islands
The U.S. Virgin Islands -- St. Croix, in particular -- has become a mecca for gay travellers, many of whom wind up at the welcoming Sand Castle on the Beach Resort in Fredericksted. Gay travellers can expect a friendly and tolerant attitude throughout the U.S.V.I., and if public displays of affection are not exactly embraced, the reaction is not likely to be more than a second glance.

5. Curacao
While some Caribbean island privately welcome gay travellers, Curacao has been the most public in its embrace: "With exceptional gay friendly hotels and attractions, [Curacao] encourages gay and lesbian travellers to visit the island and experience its 'live and let live' atmosphere for themselves," says the Curacao Tourist Board, which has launched a marketing campaign aimed at gays and lesbians and includes information on gay-friendly hotels and clubs on its website.

Which Islands are Gay Friendly?Gay Caribbean Report CardQT Magazine

Someone misses a Penis

A man was laying in bed with his new girlfriend. After having great sex, she spent the next hour just stroking his penis, something she seemed to love to do.

Enjoying it, he turned and asked her, 'Why do you love doing that?' She replied, 'Because I really miss mine

South Africa's gay union laws await President's nod

South Africa's gay marriage legislation is now just awaiting the signature of President Thabo Mbeki

South Africa's gay marriage legislation is now just awaiting the signature of President Thabo Mbeki before it can become law.
The Civil Union Bill was approved by the National Council of Provinces this week and faces one final hurdle before it is passed allowing the "voluntary union of two persons, which is solemnised and registered by either a marriage or civil union."
The law was approved earlier this month by 230 votes to 41, making South Africa the only part of the continent to allow gay marriage, amongst many gay hostile countries.
It has received a rather negative reaction from religious leaders within the country and on the continent.


Somalia's Islamic leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told Reuters that the law was brought in because of outside influence, "This is a foreign action imposed on Africa.
"This is not something that is indigenous to Africa, it is something that has come from abroad."
In Tanzania, Nicklaus Mwanaseri, a taxi driver, (well known even in Africa for their political views,) told the news agency that the law would bring about the end of the world.
"I see a big flood coming soon because of going against God's teaching," he said.
However, gays and lesbians in neighbouring countries say the law sets a good example.
Laurent Laroche, spokesman for Mauritian gay rights group, Collectif Arc-en-Ciel, is proud of the country, "I feel very, very proud for South Africans. It is a great model for us, for Africa."
In Uganda, where the community has come under increasing scrutiny, lesbian Faridah Kenyini, who was deported earlier from this week from the UK, said: "In Uganda, I have to hide myself. I can't bring my girlfriend here or risk being persecuted."


However, a Kenyan gay man warned that the law could lead to anti-gay incitement, he told Reuters: "What this will do is open up a flood of gay bashing. No one will say, let's think about this, lets talk about it. No one will say, these people exist, let's give them a voice."
Last December the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that same-sex marriages should enjoy the same legal status as those between men and women, thereby giving the parliament a year to amend the 1961 marriage law.

“J-FLAG disappointed by GOJ’s attempts to block its participation in

For immediate release
(Kingston, Jamaica -----June 8, 2008)

“J-FLAG disappointed by GOJ’s attempts to block its participation in
UN AIDS High Level meeting”

The Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-sexuals and Gays, J-FLAG, is disappointed by the Jamaican government’s attempt to block its participation in a June 10 – 11 United Nations meeting in New York to review global progress on the fight against HIV and AIDS. The organisation was denied accreditation for the meeting after the government objected to its presence on an international list of non-governmental organisations. Jamaica is one of three countries that objected to their national gay and lesbian non-governmental organisations attending the meeting. The other Governments were Zimbabwe and Egypt.

That the government of Jamaica should find itself on a list alongside countries such as Zimbabwe
and Egypt that suppress dialogue and are known for their poor human rights records is worrying.
Coming on the heels of Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s declaration on the BBC programme
HARDtalk that there was no place in his cabinet for gays, the attempt to bar J-FLAG from
participating in this meeting is even more troubling, since it does further damage to Jamaica’s
reputation on the international scene. Together with the ongoing perception that some of the
country’s Dancehall artistes routinely incite violence against gays and lesbians, this interference on the part of the government further cements the view that Jamaica is a country where the silencing of gays and lesbians is not only preached by cultural icons but actively supported by the government.

As a legally registered human rights non governmental organisation, J-FLAG believes that it has
the right to advocate and press its concerns in national and international forums. Further, it views the right to voice, especially where there is disagreement, as a fundamental principle in any democratic society. J-FLAG therefore considers the attempt to bar it from participation in the UN meeting as a violation of the right to expression and a hostile move against all civil society.

J-FLAG is particularly disappointed because the government itself has acknowledged that homophobia fuels the HIV epidemic and this attempt at silencing J-FLAG, Jamaica's leading LGBT organisation, further undermines the country’s efforts to combat HIV.

Like our Dancehall artistes, the government has been willing to risk tarnishing the country’s name on the international stage in such quick succession indicating that it will stop at nothing to make its gay and lesbian citizens into pariahs. J-FLAG reminds the government that this is not only contrary to the democratic traditions it claims to uphold but also contrary to the interests of the country. It also calls on the government to desist from its illogical targeting of gays and lesbians for discrimination.

Jason McFarlane, Programmes Manager, J-FLAG
Tel: (876) 978-8988
Email: admin@jflag.org

UN: Open AIDS Meeting to All

UN: Open AIDS Meeting to All
General Assembly Should Reverse Ban on Human Rights and Sexual
Health Groups
(New York, June 5, 2008) -The United Nations General Assembly should reverse its
decision to exclude three human rights and sexual health non-governmental organizations
from its June 10 high-level meeting on HIV and AIDS, a coalition of human rights
groups and international AIDS organizations said today.

Assembly members Egypt, Zimbabwe and Jamaica blocked the participation of the
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ)
and the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG).

According to a resolution passed last year, the President of the General Assembly was
responsible for compiling a list of relevant civil society organizations, which Member
States reviewed and approved. The three organizations were initially included on the
General Assembly President’s list but denied accreditation after the General Assembly
accepted their respective governments’ objection to their participation.

“This meeting is about expanding access to HIV prevention and treatment,” said Joe
Amon, HIV/AIDS Program Director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s hypocritical of UN
member states to block organizations from attending who are working to ensure that
access truly is universal.”

The UN meeting is intended to review global progress made in the fight against AIDS.
General Assembly meetings in 2001 and 2006 resulted in commitments by all member
states to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic by 2010 and to achieve “universal access” to
HIV prevention, care and treatment. Greater involvement of civil society has been
identified by the UN as a critical strategy to combat AIDS. In a resolution tabled late in
2007, civil society was specifically encouraged to be involved in this year’s meeting.
“J-FLAG is extremely disappointed by this move,” said Jason McFarlane, Programme
Manager of J-FLAG. “The Jamaican government itself has acknowledged that
homophobia is fuelling our HIV epidemic. Silencing J-FLAG – Jamaica’s only LGBT
organization – undermines Jamaica’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS.”

This is not the first time that key human rights groups have been excluded from the UN
high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS. The South African government caused an uproar in
2006 by excluding the internationally acclaimed and outspokenly critical group
Treatment Action Campaign, which has challenged South African Health Minister
Manto Tshabalala-Msimang for statements questioning the efficacy of anti-retroviral
medicines and promoting garlic, beetroot, olive oil and lemon.

“If the United Nations is to allow member states to exclude organizations, they should
insist that the process be transparent,” said Hossam Bahgat, Director of Egyptian
Initiative for Personal Rights. “We applied for accreditation to attend the meeting along
with dozens of other NGOs that we work with daily. All of these groups were approved
while we were – without explanation – excluded.”

Human rights groups and international AIDS organizations—including Human Rights
Watch (HRW), the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO), and
the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), joined the three excluded NGOs in
appealing to the UN General Assembly to ensure that the rhetoric of “universal access” is
matched with participation and inclusion, and to each individual government to withdraw
their objections and allow representatives to attend the meeting.

“We are all in this fight together,” said Samuel Matsikure, Programmes Manager for
GALZ. “To succeed in the fight against AIDS we must come together. We can not allow
governments to divide and exclude certain NGOs.”
For more information:
Joe Amon
Rebecca Schleifer
Soha Abdelaty, EIPR + (202) 2794 3606- 2796 2682; Mobile: +2012-3107147

Gay groups gain observer status at UN

One of Europe's best-known gay rights organisations has been recommended for consultative status at the United Nations.

COC Netherlands, along with Spanish Federacion Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales, will be considered by ECOSOC at its meeting in July in New York.
ECOSOC, the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, assists the General Assembly.
Both groups had been denied a recommendation at a January meeting of the NGO Committee, a UN body of 19 member states from all regions whose responsibility includes evaluating NGO applications for consultative status.

In 2005, International Lesbian and Gay Association began its ECOSOC campaign, an initiative aimed at allowing gay, bisexual, lesbian and trans human rights defenders to address the UN "in their own name."

In 2006 and 2007, after lengthy consideration by the ECOSOC, consultative status was granted to five LGBT organisations:
ILGA-Europe, the Danish, Swedish and German national LGBT federations (LBL, LSVD and RFSL) and the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Quebec, CGLQ.
This development has already allowed ILGA members to address the floor of the Human Rights Council (HRC) plenary, which prompted the High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour to state her support for LGBT rights in that international forum.
The US-based International Wages Due Lesbians and Australian-based Coalition of Activist Lesbians have had consultative status at the UN for some years.

Prior applications from LGBT NGOs were rejected by the NGO Committee, and later approved by ECOSOC.
The positive recommendation for COC Netherlands came as a result of a vote called for by the UK in the last hour of the NGO Committee session last week.
States voted as follows:
Columbia, Dominica, Israel, Peru, Romania, UK and the USA In favour of granting the consultative status.
Against granting the status were China, Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Sudan. Five nations abstained: Angola, Burundi, Guinea, India, Turkey. Cuba as not present.
"Burundi is the country that made the difference," COC said in a statement.
"They abstained this time instead of voting against (as they did for instance at the January 2008 session of the NGO Committee when the application of the Spanish LGBT Federation was rejected).

"The NGO Committee works by consensus, so the motions for a vote are rare."
During this second session in 2008 held between May 29 and June 6, the NGO Committee also considered a new application from Lestime, a lesbian women’s group from Geneva, Switzerland, and the deferred application from the Brazilian LGBT Federation (ABGLT).
Both NGOs received more questions from and were deferred without a vote to the NGO Committee session in January 2009.

The questions posed by some NGO Committee members to the applicant NGOs revolved around sexual crimes, particularly paedophilia and relations with people under the age of consent.
Two new questions appeared in this session’s comments from Egypt, Qatar, and Pakistan. One is whether the LGBT NGOs recognised genders beyond male and female.

Qatar’s questions in particular showed confusion between gender and sexual orientation.
The other (rethorical) question was which international human rights treaties explicitly refer to sexual orientation/LGBT people.
The Yogyakarta Principles also made their way into the NGO Committee’s session. Egypt asked COC to express their position in regards to the Yogyakarta Principles, which they introduced as a "Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but only for homosexuals."

In the explanation of the vote, the UK reiterated a principle they have been stressing across all NGO Committee sessions, "we may disagree with an NGO, but it does not mean that we should exclude them." Romania added: "this is a break through for this committee, especially as regards the values and principles we are defending in this distinguished forum."

More Transgender Information Links

Transsexual Road Map (lots of information about transitioning and links to many sources)http://www.tsroadmap.com/ Lynn Conway's home page (University of Michigan professor with a very comprehensive site about transitioning - many people start here)

http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/conway.html her links pagehttp://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/TGTSISLinks.html

Another well-known transsexual resource pagehttp://www.annelawrence.com/twr/

U.S. - National Center for Transgender Equality (lots of information about legal rights and links to many sources - a very good resource)
http://www.nctequality.org/

Asylumlaw.org - Sexual Minorities & HIV Status information
http://www.asylumlaw.org/legal_tools/index.cfm?fuseaction=&countryID=233

Wikipedia list of transgender rights organizations around the world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transgender-rights_organizations

World Professional Association for Transgender Health
http://www.wpath.org/