European Parliament adopts a new comprehensive report on fundamental rights in the EU.

Yesterday, the European Parliament adopted a new comprehensive report on fundamental rights in the EU.

Copyright 2015 ILGA-Europe

Defying an attempt by the EPP group to adopt an alternative report which would have deleted nearly all content on LGBTI rights and other relevant human rights issues, the final report includes an extensive section of the situation for LGBTI people (par. 85 – 92).

For the first time, a parliament report also specifically addresses the human rights violations experienced by intersex people (par. 92). The report condemns medically unnecessary genital surgery on intersex infants and calls on Member States to outlaw such practices.

Genital “normalisation” surgery currently occurs throughout Europe, and is only explicitly forbidden in Malta.

Furthermore, parliament spoke out in favour of making legal gender recognition procedures easier for transgender people, and to review mental health catalogues as to exclude transgender people as being considered mentally ill (par. 89 – 91).

Parliamentarians also highlight that same-sex couples everywhere should have access to marriage or registered partnerships, the effects of which should be recognized across the EU (par. 86).

Lastly, Parliament underlined its demand for the development of a comprehensive action plan/strategy against homophobia, as well as the pending horizontal anti-discrimination directive (par. 44 and 85).

The Rapporteur, Laura Ferrara MEP, Member of the LGBTI Intergroup, reacted: “By this report, the European Parliament has clearly stated that the rights of LGBTI people need to be further consolidated and better protected.”

“Whereas in many countries the situation has improved, we need to ensure that other Member States ensure equal rights too. The Commission has a key role to play here, and this report also calls on them to show political leadership in this regard.”

Ulrike Lunacek MEP, Co-President of the Intergroup on LGBTI Rights and shadow rapporteur on the report, continued: “It is sad that the EPP has again tried to get an alternative text adopted, virtually lacking all content on LGBTI rights.”

“However, good sense prevailed for the majority of MEPs, and I am very glad that the Parliament stood up for the ideals of equal rights and non-discrimination, including for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people.”

Read more:

Read the full report

UN launches Intersex Fact Sheet ............

As part of its Free&Equal campaign, the United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (UN OHCH) has launched an intersex fact sheet to better explain intersex issues.

The fact sheet includes a basic explanation of intersex and outlines many of the human rights issues faced by intersex people: including forced sterilisation and gender assignment surgery.

According to the UN OHCHR fact sheet, intersex people are born with sex characteristics that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies and being intersex is much more common than most people think. 1.7 percent of the world’s population is born with intersex characteristics. According to experts there are as many intersex people as there are natural red-heads.

The fact sheet also makes clear that intersex is a matter of biology not orientation or gender identity and that an intersex person may be straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or asexual, and may identify as female, male, both or neither.

“Because their bodies are seen as different, intersex children and adults are often stigmatised and subjected to multiple human rights violations, including violations of their rights to health and physical integrity, to be free from torture and ill-treatment, and to equality and non-discrimination,” states the document.

The fact sheet also outlines the discrimination intersex children face – often subjected to unnecessary surgeries to conform to binary stereotypes – and suggests action is needed to ensure an end to unsolicited and medically unnecessary surgeries.

The UN also points out the lack of training health care professionals have around intersex issues and the failure of adequate protections for intersex people in anti-discrimination law.

Morgan Carpenter, President of Organisation Intersex Australia (OII Australia) descrimed the fact sheet as a well balanced an informative document.

"This is a fantastic and very welcome resource. It doesn’t just clearly explain who intersex people are and the issues we face, it also provides a list of action points for all Australian and other governments to address, to ensure that intersex people have the same rights and freedoms as everyone else.”

The fact sheet called for a number of action points to better protect the human rights of LGBTI people.

Prohibit medically unnecessary surgery and procedures on the sex characteristics of intersex children, protect their physical integrity and respect their autonomy.

Ensure that intersex people and their families receive adequate counselling and support, including from peers.

Prohibit discrimination on the basis of intersex traits, characteristics or status, including in education, health care, employment, sports and access to public services, and address such discrimination through relevant anti - discrimination initiatives.

Ensure that human rights violations against i ntersex people are investigated and alleged perpetrators prosecuted, and that victims of such violations have access to effective remedy, including redress and compensation.

National human rights bodies should research and monitor the human rights situation of intersex people.

Enact laws to provide for facilitated procedures to amend sex markers on the birth certificates and official documents of intersex people.

Provide health care personnel with training on the health needs and human rights of intersex people and the appropriate advice and care to give to parents a nd intersex children, being respectful of the intersex person's autonomy, physical integrity and sex characteristics .

Ensure that members of the judiciary, immigration officers, law enforcement, healthcare, education and other officials and personnel are trained to respect and provide equal treatment to intersex persons.

Ensure that intersex people and organizations are consulted and participate in the development of research, legislation and policies that impact on their rights.

Celebrate Bi Visibility Day, 23 September 2015 ...........

Bi Visibility Day, also known as International Celebrate Bisexuality Day, has been marked each year since 1999 to highlight bi-phobia and to help people find the bisexual community. Jamaica had events some years ago hosted by the Couture Elements team and others but recently it is as if bi-invisibility is back with us but I hope someone picks it up soon.

Events for 2015:

Will be listed here as we get them! Tell us about yours.

United Kingdom

11 September: Bristol. Bi clubbing. More here.

18 September: Manchester screening of the film Acceptable Behaviour & after-film talk. More here.

19 September: Leeds – Running for visibility in purple in the park. More info here.

20 September: London: Queer Alternative bi meetup in Camden. Details here.

23 September: Bolton. Library display. More info here.
23 September: Brighton. Coffee meet from 5pm, details here. Pub meet from 7pm, details here.
23 September: Bristol bi chat at a bookshop. Details here.
23 September: Derby info coming soon
23 September: Grimsby bi talk – more here
23 September: Hull info coming soon
23 September: Leeds Bi Student Stall. More here.23 September: Leeds Central Library bi exhibition. More soon.
23 September: Leeds early evening workshop/training on bisexual visibility in the workplace. More here.23 September: Manchester BiPhoria are making plans.
23 September: Nottingham BiTopia are making plans.
23 September: Swansea Info soon.
24 September: London social at the O Bar. Details here.
25 September: Edinburgh. Bi film night. Details here.
25 September: London. Bi women & lesbians – panel debate at Goldsmiths college. Details here.

26 September: Salford. Bi Coffee morning at the Imperial War Museum. Details here.26 September: Manchester – BiPhoria bi picnic and bi history project filming, details tbc.

Tuesday 8th to Wednesday 30th September: Bradford bi exhibition. Details here.

USA

20 September: Madison, Wisconsin. Bi Picnic organised by the 521 bi group. Details here.
22 September: Washington DC -HRC, AmBi and the Mayor’s office team up. Details here.
23 September: Chicago, Illinois. Panel discussion at Center on Halstead. More here.
23 September: Denver, Colorado: Eliel Cruz guest speaker. Details tbc.
23 September: Lafayette, Indiana. Pub meetup. Details here.
23 September: Los Angeles, California. LA Bi Arts Festival. Lots more info here.
23 September: Minneapolis/St Paul – BOP’s annual Community Recognition Awards and much more. Details here.
23 September: Montclair State University, New Jersey – bi tie-dye & free t-shirts. Details here.
23 September: New York – Open mic night. Details here.
23 September: San Francisco – music, burlesque & more. Details here23 September: possibly one extra event in San Francisco, details when we have more ourselves

25 September: Chicago, Illinois. Play, burlesque & much more. More info here.
25 September: Columbus, Ohio. Burlesque, spoken word & more. Details here.
26 September: New York – My Brother’s A Keeper stage performance. Details here.

All week: Atlanta bookstore bi writers and characters celebration. Details here.

Austria

2nd September. Austrian Radio Orange 94.0 had a show about bisexuality. More here.

Australia

23 September. Sydney. Bi women’s social mixer. Info here.

Belgium

23 September: Hasselt – documentary screening. More here.

France

September 22: Paris: 9am, Bisexuality research launch. More here.
September 22: Paris: evening of film, poetry & more. More here.
September 23: Paris: bi march for visibility, details here
September 23: Toulouse: Street stall. Details here.
September 26: Bordeaux. Bi academic talks. More here.
September 26: Paris. Details soon.

Netherlands

Date to be confirmed: The Hague. Screening of film “The Best of Both Worlds”: more here
25-27 September: Rotterdam – BiCon Netherlands. Details here.

Norway

7th September, Trondheim – Panel discussion on bisexuality. More here.

Inclusion Top Tip:

For 2015 the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur aka “Day of Atonement” begins in the evening of Tuesday, September 22 and ends in the evening of Wednesday, September 23. It’s a major holiday and fasting day but as it falls on a different date each year it only clashes this time. As many events to mark Bi Visibility Day are held on other days that week it will mostly only impact things on 23rd itself.

Bisexuals accounted for 40 per cent of new HIV infections in 2012

MINISTER of Health Dr Fenton Ferguson July 13 disclosed that men who have sex with both men and women accounted for almost 40 per cent of new HIV infections in 2012.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the approval of funds for the National HIV/STI Programme at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston, Dr Ferguson said although the HIV/STI programme has made significant strides in achieving a decline in new infections and is on track to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, it continues to face challenges with respect to the prevalence rate among vulnerable groups.

“While we have a prevalence rate of 1.8 per cent among the general population, female sex workers have a prevalence of 4.2 per cent, young men under 25 years who have sex with men are at 24.3 per cent as at 2013, and adult men who have sex with men (MSM) have a prevalence rate of 32 per cent,” the health minister explained.

“In addition, men who have sex with men and their female partners accounted for almost 40 per cent of new infections in 2012,” he said.

“I want to further note that MSM who reported being involved in sex work, reported an HIV prevalence of 41 per cent, transgender women 45 per cent, and transgender populations in sex work reaching as high as 56 per cent.”

Insisting that the prevalence rate among these groups are “way too high”, Dr Ferguson said that much of the efforts must be concentrated on these vulnerable groups, adding that there is the ever present challenge of implementing mechanisms to effectively deal with the issue of stigma and discrimination.

The approved funds include US$14.9 million from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, to be used from January 2016 to December 2018; US$5 million from the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDs Relief (PEPFAR)/United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the 2015/2016 financial year, and increased budgetary allocation from the Jamaican Government.

The funds, according to the minister, will facilitate support geared at reaching those most at risk of becoming HIV infected, as well as those who are already infected through the provision of treatment, care and support services.

Dr Ferguson said the PEPFAR grant has already been approved and that they are now in the final stages of completing the ministry’s work plan, while a mission from the Global Fund is now in the island working through funding requirements and guidelines with stakeholders to develop an integrated plan.

He told the Jamaica Observer that the additional funds being pumped into the programme will enable them to focus on vulnerable groups, instead of just the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among the general population.

“I think we have done extremely well to get to 1.8 per cent, but you would've heard the startling statistics I spoke to and unless you are able to target those groups and while targeting them, increasing your public education component that's going to be important because even as you [set] targets, people must know what they should do, what puts them at risk, etc,” the minister said.

“And I think this funding during this period would really help us to break the back to get Jamaica to be, undoubtedly, the leader within the Caribbean relative to HIV/AIDS.”

The minister admitted that for some the identified vulnerable groups is a controversial topic, but he remained committed to ensuring the stigma and discrimination that is often demonstrated is removed, even as public education is boosted.

“You would have noted [the figure of] men who have sex with men but also with women, you are talking about 40 per cent, that's extremely high,” the minister reiterated, while speaking to the Observer.

“You know sometimes you are focusing on the MSM alone, and not realising that our women are also at risk in those situations.

“So, we will just have to continue the public education, even as we continue to deal with those issues that mitigate treatment of these specific vulnerable groups,” Dr Ferguson insisted.

Meanwhile, in calling for continued partnerships to multiply the gains, the minister thanked both the mission from the Global Fund and USAID for their “consistent support of the national effort to fight the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among the Jamaican population”.