| Link? | Lara - 20.03.2007 10:05
"Je vindt hier ook een link naar de site van IDAHO-day waar je de petitie kunt tekenen die de Verenigde Naties oproept een eind te maken aan homoseksualiteit als misdaad."
Link?
| | 17 mei = Dag tegen Homofobie in Eindhoven | Roy Shaw - 24.03.2007 22:45
Hier de link naar de petitie: www.idahomophobia.org
en een link naar de engelse IDAHO-day site: www.idaho.org.uk
LATEST NEWS IDAHO-day FROM LOUIS-GEORGES TIN
Here is the latest monthly IDAHO newsletter from Louis-Georges Tin, founder of IDAHO. It may be of interest.
Dear IDAHO friends
First of all, I would like to wish you a very happy new year. May 2007 bring peace and "gayness" to all of you !
Today, I would like to tackle 4 issues.
I The 2007 IDAHO campaign, "No to homophobia, Yes to Education"
II The 2006 IDAHO campaign, "For a universal decriminalisation of
homosexuality"
III The 2005 IDAHO campaign, "For an international recognition of the
IDAHO"
IV Global organisation of MPs on LGBT rights
I The 2007 IDAHO campaign, "No to homophobia, Yes to Education"
As you already know, "No to homophobia, Yes to education" is the theme I have suggested for the 2007 IDAHO campaign. To focus on education is a way to focus on the very roots of homophobia. Some of you have already planned several events. Please don't hesitate to tell us about your projects so that we may share good practice. I think that Marco and Luiz in Brazil have a few suggestions ; I know Derek, who had already had the idea of a "1 minute noise", has also planned a few events in UK. Perhaps he will tell us a little bit about what he is doing.
As for me, I may give you 3 examples of what we are doing in France. If you want to know more about some of these projects, just ask:
-in a trainstation, whe are going to invite a dozen of human rights and LGBT organisations ; several artists and pop singers ; and many students and pupils with theirs teachers so that they may discuss with us about homophobia. Several interactive activities will be organised during that time during three afternoons ;
-we are planning an international conference about education and homophobia in Paris.
-I am also trying to create a "Coalition for Respect" with the most significant French organisations working on LGBT, feminist, black, Arab and Jewish issues. The idea is to fight against hate speech, murder music, and to encourage medias to promote cultural diversity. A "contract for respect" should be proposed to medias, an annual report will be issued. Hopefully, the coalition should be launched on may 17 2007. As a result, we should be stronger against homophobia, sexism and racism in general.
On an international level, I am trying the get the support of the UNESCO. This body of the UNO is supposed to fight for better education in the world, but I don't know if they will agree to help us.
Moreover, if some of you have some education material against homophobia online, please, could you let me know ? I would like to publish a list of places where people may find material against homophobia on line. It would be very helpful, I think.
II The 2006 IDAHO campaign, "For a universal decriminalisation of
homosexuality"
As you know, we have launched the campaign for a universal decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2006, and it is still going on in 2007 of course ! It has been a very big job, and more has to be done in the future, but we were able to contact many international NGOs, VIP, politicians, artists, Nobel Prizes, etc, as you can see on www.idahomophobia.org. I would like to thank in particular our friends Doug Ireland, Yoav Sivan, Derek Lennard, Paulo Corte Real, and all who have helped us in that exhausting task.
Quality, but also quantity matters ! 5200 people have already signed the petition and I hope we will be able to reach 10 000 signatures, which would be fine. Of course, the 17 may 2007 campaign should be an opportunity to call people to sign on line, but if possible, could you have a permanent link to our petition on your own website ?
The next step of our campaign is to ask governments to support the initiative, and to bring it in the Council of human rights. Of course this will take some time, but I will let you know as soon as there is any significant advance in the process.
III The 2005 IDAHO campaign, "For an international recognition of the
IDAHO"
The 2005 IDAHO campaign is going on also. We recently received good news from Luiz Mott. The IDAHO has been approved in Minas Gerais, so, after Belgium, and as it is in Spain, there are now several cities and states in Brazil where the IDAHO is officially recognised. Thank you Luiz Mott, and congratulations, for this very good piece of news !
Unfortunately, in France, the situation is more complicated. Though the prime minister had promised to recognise the IDAHO before summer 2006, nothing has been done yet. We are very angry, but still trying to fight. We'll see.
I hope we will be luckier with the Council of Europe, but I still don't have any piece of news from them. However, the fact that Mr Hammarberg, the commissionner for human rights of the Council, had signed our petition willingfully allows us to be optimistic.
If some of you have some piece of information about any advance in your own country, please let us know about it.
IV Global organisation of MPs on LGBT rights
Last but not least, I would like also to inform you about the project I am working on with our friend Yoav Sivan, who is the LGBT coordinator of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY). Hello, Yoav ;-) The idea is to promote a GLOBAL ORGANISATION OF MPs FOR LGBT RIGHTS.
We all know the crucial role the European Intergroup on gay and lesbian rights has played in Europe, and in particular in the recognition of same-sex couples, and we think it would be more than useful to have a similar structure on an international level. Michael Cashman, the president of this Intergroup, seems to be interested by our project. Through the IUSY and the IDAHO Committee, and through the Intergroup hopefully, we are trying to reach some MPs who might be interested, but I would like to know if you could identify some members of Parliament in your own country, who might support such an initiative and take part in it.
This project is very important, and is likely to help us all very much in the future ; please, help us to do it ; don't hesitate to ask me, or Yoav, any question about it. Thank you in advance for all the support you might provide ;-)
Louis-Georges Tin President of the IDAHO Committee
00 33 6 19 45 45 52
 E-Mail: jrshaw@canoemail.com | |
