A report on events that shaped
lesbian and gay life over the past year
I L G A Annual Report 1996/97A report on events that shaped
lesbian and gay life over the past year
From the International Lesbian
and Gay Association
In honour of ILGA Day: August
8th.
On the occasion of ILGA's
19th Anniversary
|
FOREWORD The second ILGA Annual Report aims at giving a picture of the progress made and the challenges to be undertaken in GLBT rights throughout the world. In the last twelve months several historic gains have been made, such as the new South African Constitution, the first one in the world to include a non-discriminatory provision on grounds of sexual orientation. We also celebrate the unprecedented court decision in the American state of Hawaii recognising same-sex couples' right to marriage, despite the fact it was in effect for only for 24 hours before an appeal dismissed the decision. This progress was further undermined by the U.S. bill that stopped any recognition of same sex marriages formed in other states of the union - in blatant disregard for the cross-border cooperation that the states are all signatories to. On the other hand, the European Union Intergovernmental Conference finally included an anti-discriminatory clause on grounds of sexual orientation in the text of the Union Treaty. The last 12 months have been a time of increased visibility and formation of GLBT organisations in Latin America, and the last ILGA World Conference in Cologne registered a record number of delegates from various regions of the world. The present report cannot be an exhaustive one, but aims at contributing to social awareness in the same way as the ILGA Human Rights'98 Manifesto: GLBT Rights are Human Rights. We wish to congratulate the thousands of activists who have once more been out in the streets during the '97 celebrations, with a record of 250,000 participants in the New York march and 300,000 at the EuroPride in Paris.
Future: In line with ILGA's commitment to spread information, more charts have been made available concerning the legal situation of gays in the world, same-sex partnership laws, and non-discrimination laws. This year our list has expanded: homosexuality is illegal for men in 83 countries, and women are penalized in 44 countries, whereas it is legal in 59 countries for gays and 49 countries for l esbians. There are currently 12 countries that have enacted non-discrimination laws and 6 that now have partnership laws. ILGA reaffirms its commitment to the fight against AIDS and for solidarity with the HIV community. This was reiterated in a resolution from the Cologne conference. We hope that the present report will be useful in continuing our work for our rights and against AIDS and we wish to thank all the collaborators who have made it possible.
Barcelona / Sydney
Jordi Petit / Jennifer Wilson |
Index:
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Tables: |
For the first time in India (Bombay) a group of women, Stree Sangam, proposed to recognise same-sex relationships during a governmental Conference about family (July 1996).
The United States Congress passed a motion defending marriage by an overwhelming majority (342 vs. 67 votes). This federal rule defines marriage solely as a bond between a man and woman and denies any legal and connubial benefits to couples of the same sex. (September 10th, 1996). This law is a response to the favourable verdict from Hawaii's Supreme Court supporting homosexual marriage, as well as the recognition of same sex couples in some North American cities. Hawaii's historical verdict was in effect only 24 hours and was revoked on appeal.
During 1996 Brazil opened an important debate in the Parliament concerning the legalisation of lesbian and gay couples. This process is still going on. The project would assure same-sex couples the rights of inheritance, succession, common property, joint income tax returns, citizenship for foreign partner...
Barcelona's (Spain) High Court handed down a favourable verdict last October which recognised Spanish citizenship for a gay Catalonian's Colombian companion. Furthermore, it ordered an insurance company to pay a claim on a death policy caused for an accident involving a gay couple in which one companion died on the road.
On the 16th of May, for the first time, the Argentinean press covered the story of a gay couple who received Social Security benefits through Hospeda (Educational Social Work Fund). It is the first Argentinean association to establish the right to medical coverage for gay members. Eduardo Vázquez and Rafael was the first settled case.
On May 21, 1996, the Hungarian Parliament amended the existing law on non-married heterosexual couples living together in an economic and sexual relationship (common-law marriage) to also cover same-sex couples. This amendment became necessary by a 1995 decision of the Constitutional Court which declared the limitation of this law to opposite-sex couples unconstitutional.
About 10,000 gays and lesbians marched from Madrid's Puerta de Alcalá to the Puerta del Sol Feb. 22 demanding legal recognition of gay partnerships. It was Spain's largest gay demonstration since the 1970s. More than 40 organisations joined in. (February, 1997).
On May 27, 1997, the Spanish Congress passed, in a first reading, a bill regarding domestic partnerships (hetero and homo) establishing rights concerning retirement, Social Security and Labor Rights, with the exception of adoption and citizenship on behalf of aliens. The parliamentary debate will resume next autumn.
Last May San Francisco's Mayor Willi Brown linked contracts for services provided by private companies to the City Hall contingent upon recognition of their employees' gay rights. The Catholic Church, which manages many city hospitals, opposed the measure, citing the Free Awareness clause.
Last May in Madrid (Spain) Social Security agreed to insure a gay member ´s companion, while a lesbian employee of the Autonomous Government received 15 days leave of absence to go on her "honeymoon ".
The new French Government announced last June that, according to its socialist political agenda, it will shortly pass a Civil Union Contract Law for all kinds of couples.
Last July, a "Registered Partnership law" based on the Scandinavian model was passed in The Netherlands, although the Dutch version is also open for opposite-sex couples, while Parliament is also debating to completely open marriage for same-sex couples.
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Zimbabwe has banned discrimination against people with HIV, the nation's PANA Wire Service reported. At least nine percent of Zimbabweans are believed to be HIV-positive. (February, 1997)
The 18th ILGA Conference in Cologne agreed to a general resolution expressing their concern about AIDS in the gay community. According to the data produced by epidemiologists, homosexual and bisexual intercourse is still the predominant mode of transmission of HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean (approximately 45%), North America (approx. 40%) and Europe (approx. 40%). In Africa and Asia, homosexual and bisexual activity has been assumed to be the predominant mode of transmission since the beginning of the epidemic in a majority of countries. Only in a few African and Asian countries has this been realised and appropriate measures of prevention taken. As 80% of HIV occurred in developing countries, this negligence is even greater. Neglect by the majority of governments and international agencies in this matter can only be qualified as criminal. In countries such as Ecuador, Chile and Colombia, where between 60 and 80% of HIV transmission is through homo and bisexual relations, their governments have spent less than 1% of their budgets for prevention of HIV/AIDS in the homosexual community. In Kenya, Sri Lanka and many other countries, homosexual organisations have been informed that it is not necessary to work on this subject because the problem does not exist. Interestingly, in Australia the incidence of HIV amongst gay men is possibly on the increase due to confidence in the combination therapies leading to reduction in the practice of safer sex.
ILGA has demanded more resources from governments, national AIDS programs and international institutions in the fight against AIDS, as well as the governmental implementation of policies which will enable the pharmaceutical laboratories to lower the prices of drugs. Among other protests and recommendations ILGA insisted on rejecting the Argentinean government's decree for mandatory HIV tests to all civil and military members of the army in that country.
In Costa Rica, magistrates recognized in a controversial verdict that the national social security system had violated the rights of patients by denying access to medical tests for HIV+ persons.
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Despite the protests against Zimbabwe's President Mugabe's homophobic comments (July 24, 1996), several presidents in the region followed his negative example. At the opening of the Women's Congress of Swapo last December 6th, Namibia's president denounced the country's gay citizens, which raised a huge international protest.
On December 20th, Ezer Weizman, president of Israel, stated in public that gays and lesbians stink and that he was against homosexual marriage. As a result of the upheaval in Israel and abroad, Mr. Weizman was forced to retract his comments.
On July 9, 1996, in Sofia (Bulgaria), the Flamingo Center publishing headquarters was raided by the police, who confiscated printed material and the data base for its 2000 members.
The Turkish Supreme Court ruled in 1996 that lesbian mothers present a moral threat to the development of their children. On these grounds it removed the child from the custody of its lesbian mother.
On July 31, 1996, the Turkish parliament passed a law denying homosexuals the right to join the army.
The Government of Singapore, with obvious homophobic intentions, passed on July 11, 1996, a law against "public morality " offenses as well as "religious harmony" offenses. This included provisions for the policing of the internet.
Last year in Turkey continuous attacks and police raids took place against gays and transsexuals.
On August 5 1996, 37 gay inmates were forced to take the HIV test with limited number of syringes at the Colina State prison in Santiago de Chile. Such abuse and contagion (it was already know that some of them were HIV positive) raised protests from the AIDS and gay associations of Chile. Other gay inmates died in the same prison from medical malpractice.
The InfoAIDS offices in Zagreb were stoned, and later computers and furniture were destroyed. Their back garden was set on fire. The police did not find the offenders.
On 18th of August in Buenos Aires, strangers broke into the offices of the SIGLA organization. Further damage was avoided due to the intervention of neighbors.
Saudi Arabian authorities arrested 24 Philippino workers in October 1996 for homosexual misconduct. The punishment was 200 lashes, according to Amnesty International.
On the night of 16th December, strangers attacked the premises of Triángulo Rosa de Costa Rica, an unprecedented occurrence in a country where human rights are traditionally respected.
The European Parliament made an explicit declaration expressing its profound indignation for the insufficient reform of the notorious article 200 of the Romanian Penal Code. In autumn 1996, the Romanian Parliament abolished the total ban on homosexuality, but included provisions which criminalise homosexual acts which cause "public scandal" and prohibit gay and lesbian associations and all forms of "proselytism" for homosexuality (possible sentences: up to five years in prison).
One hundred twenty-six gays, lesbians and transvestites were murdered in Brazil in 1996 because of their sexuality, according to data collected by Grupo Gay da Bahia. That is a 12 percent increase over 1995. Eighty-five of the victims were gay, 37 were transvestites and four were lesbians. (January, 1997)
ILGA reiterated in 1997 its opposition to homosexuality laws in Rumania. ILGA will boycott Rumanian wine until article 200 is removed from its Penal Code.
Amnesty International: The 1997 Annual Amnesty International Report includes several cases of repression caused by sexual orientation. A.I.'s updated Special Report "Breaking the Silence" was particularly successful in covering various cases of murder, torture and anti-gay repression in many countries around the world.
In Kuwait a university professor's employment was terminated for discussing lesbianism. In recommending Shoaib`s firing, university president Fazia Khorafi, a woman, said homosexuality must not exist in a Muslim society.
The gay/lesbian action group GALZ of Zimbabwe protested against homophobic propaganda, published by Michael Mawenma in The Herald (3rd March 1997), in which he calls for the death sentence for homosexuals.
Swazi Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini said March 13, 1997, that the newly formed Gay and Lesbian Association of Swaziland will not receive government recognition. Dlamini said the government will not condone homosexuality until a majority of citizens believe it is normal and acceptable.
The Council of Europe is urging Cyprus to implement the 1993 decision of the European Court of Human Rights which ruled that the total ban on homosexuality in Cyprus is a violation of the European Human Rights Convention.
The Singapore Gay Group People Like Us has been denied legal registration. After 5 months the application was rejected. No reason was given. (May, 1997)
Delfino Martinez Galvez, openly gay head of Mexico's Green Ecology Party, was found shot dead in a bathtub at his party's offices in Ometepec, Guerrero, NewsPlanet reported. Police have not identified any motive or suspects in the case. (June 6, 1997)
As reported by several gay/lesbian organizations of Ecuador, in June 1997, 14 gay men were arrested by the local police during a raid in the gay bar Abanicos of Cuenca. Several were beaten, and one was raped by a private security agent. Another one was denied medical attention. In Ecuador, article 516 of the 1938 Penal Code punishes homosexual relations between consenting adults with a maximum of 8 years in prison. The international solidarity campaign launched by Ecuadorian organizations led to an official protest by ILGA co-secretary general Jordi Petit, to which the governor of the province of Azuay responded in assuring that such human rights violations would not be repeated.
In Lodz (Poland) an archive has been set up based on documentation about lesbians.
During ILGA's conference in Cologne the "Lesbian's rights are Human Rights" workshop established a series of short sentences to be used on Christopher Street Day's Parade describing briefly the world's facts:
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In Canada government employees obtained the right to medical coverage for same sex couples.
In the state of Tennessee in the USA, the anti-sodomy law was finally abolished.
The airlines of South Africa offer the same travel discount to married employees as well as same sex couples.
September - December 1996:
Global electronics giant IBM extends full spousal benefits to same sex partners of its 350.000 employees. About 500 U.S. companies recognize same sex partnerships for their employees.
The Argentine cities of Buenos Aires (Aug. 30, 1996) and Rosario have legislated a non-discrimination provision for sexual orientation. In addition, they abolished police edicts (Sept. 24, 1996) that permitted random acts against homosexual and transvestites (Grupo Arco Iris and'Escrita en el Cuerpo')
The Denver, Colorado, city council extends spousal benefits to same sex partners of its employees.
Canadian autoworkers gain same-gender spousal benefits as part of their union´s new contract with General Motors.
The state Parliament in Western Australia rejected a measure to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Western Australia still has an age of consent for gay men of 21 as opposed to 16 for everyone else.
Police harassment in Sitges, Spain: During the summer months of 1996, gay men were stopped and received citations by the police at the beach and the maritime boulevard in Sitges, Spain. 253 names were collected, and information was filed. After the intervention of Coordinadora Gai-Lesbiana, police stopped the controls and destroyed the citations on the 20th of August. Nevertheless, the police official in charge denied responsibility for the abusive measures taken. This official made homophobic statements exacerbating the situation. The media echoed the widespread condemnation. Unnamed assailants attacked a gay man from Sitges, who was hospitalised with severe injuries. As a result, the Catalan organisations and NGO's launched street demonstrations in protest. In summer 1997, normality returned to Sitges, and there have been no further police measures.
Without a doubt the most important event that occurred this year took place in South Africa in October 1996, when the new constitution of that country included for the first time in the world a non-discrimination clause for sexual orientation.
On November 27, 1996, Austria abolished existing laws prohibiting gay and lesbian associations and any positive information on homosexuality. The discriminatory age of consent for male homosexual relations at 18 (compared to 14 for heterosexuals and lesbians) failed to be repealed.
January - July 1997
The Parliaments of Iceland and Luxembourg (June 1997) enacted anti-discrimination provisions to be included in the penal codes, which also list "sexual orientation" as a non-discrimination category.
Russia's parliament has equalised the age-of-consent for gay and straight sex at 16, reports the Austrian organisation Homosexual Initiative Vienna. The new law will take effect Jan. 1, 1997.
Iceland became the 12th country in the world to legislate anti-discrimination laws against offences related to the sexual orientation of individuals.
In Portugal, the new penal code abolished the difference in the age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual relationships and established the age at 16 for both groups.
On May 1, 1997, Tasmania, a state of Australia, finally abolished its anti-sodomy laws after years of struggle.
The new constitution of Poland finally articulates its anti-discrimination policy without expressly mentioning sexual orientation. Although the constitution defines matrimony as between man and woman, it does not exclude the possibility of recognizing other form of domestic partnership in future legislation.
The legislature of British Columbia in Canada, revised the term "spouse" in order to include same-sex couples rights to marriage, children support and custody. The legislation may be a precedent for the rest of Canada.
Mexican Zapatista National Liberation Army leader Subcommander Marcos remembered gays in a speech closing "The International Conference for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism" held in the remote jungles of southern Chiapas state. (August, 1996)
In San Francisco, his Holiness the Dalai Lama, for the first time ever, discussed issues of homosexuality, human rights and Buddhism with a small group of gay and lesbians leaders. He voiced his support for full human rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation.
December 10, 1996. President Nelson Mandela from South Africa signed into law the nation's new constitution -- the only one in the world that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The chair of the South African Human Rights Commission, Barney Pityana, an Anglican priest, says churches should accept the "reality of homosexuality" and stop trying to wish it away. (RIN # 168, July,97)
On 9 July, 1997, the Parliament of San Marino repealed Article 274 of the Penal Code, the only anti-gay provision, that was introduced in 1975.
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August 1996:
From 8th to 11th of August the 10th Southeastern and Central Europe Conference took place in Ljubljana, where fifty delegates from the region attended.
Workshops were held about the Phare/Tacis project, domestic partnership, Internet, Safe sex workshops and AIDS. The 1998 Amsterdam Gay Games were presented to the press.
September 1996:
From 13th to 18th of September the Regional Committee of Latin America gathered in Bogotá (Colombia), in a meeting organised by the Liga Colombiana contra el Sida. This meeting was suggested at an earlier ILGA conference held in Rio de Janeiro. 22 delegates attended from several organisations from Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Argentina and from ARCEGAL (Central America). There was a full debate over the strategy in the region, identifying the principal needs such as, setting up a computer network for better communication and the publication of materials in Spanish. This meeting received wide coverage in the Colombian press and among local organisations of Bogotá.
November 1996:
ILGA attended, as an NGO, the Vienna Review Conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). ILGA representative Kurt Krickler submitted a written presentation and gave two oral statements in the Human Dimension Working Group stressing the importance of including a clear commitment to non-discrimination based on sexual orientation in a binding OSCE document.
December 1996:
Madrid hosted the European Regional Conference of ILGA on December 27-31 1996, which was attended by 100 delegates and organised by COGAM. Several delegates and the secretaries general were greeted by Spanish Congress representatives. A new regional constitution was passed and a new Board elected. A first draft of an "Action Plan" with "24 ideas for European Commission-led initiatives" towards equality for lesbians and gay men in Europe was presented and discussed. The Action Plan was widely distributed within the EU system and led to a very dynamic relationship with this institution in the last months.
The International Lesbian and Gay Association has grown substantially in the past year, picking up 44 new organisational members and 63 individual members. Groups joined from, among other nations, India, Russia, Turkey, Austria, China and Bolivia. Individual memberships increased from such nations as Switzerland, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States after ILGA lowered the annual fee to $50 and began accepting credit cards payments.
April 1997:
ILGA had a stand on the 4th Annual Gay and Lesbian Consumer and Business Exhibition in New York, with great acceptance from visitors.
ILGA Annual report was edited and published in Spanish in Barcelona for the Latin American countries, with funding from Catalan institutions.
OCCUR Japan (Asian Secretariat) translated and distributed Japanese editions of the ILGA Manual, the Annual Report and a series of documents to publicize ILGA in this country.
May 1997:
A summarized version of the news of the ILGA Bulletin was edited in Barcelona in Spanish. It was distributed in Latin America and Spain with funding from Catalan institutions.
July 1997:
The 18th ILGA World Conference was held in Cologne (Germany) on 29 June - 5 July organised by the Lesbian and Gay Liberation Front (LGLF) on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary. 250 delegates from 48 countries attended the conference, with a great number of participants from developing countries. ILGA passed its new constitution and elected a new Executive Board among its regional representatives. The central issue during the conference was that of the future of ILGA, and different priorities were set: improvement of communications and information, publishing of materials in various languages, developing the role of world conferences, increased solidarity actions, and visibility of ILGA in international forums. Different protest actions were launched to address various problems (Thailand, Austria...), and a fund-raising campaign plan was drafted (advertising, individual membership, ILGA card...) as well as working in closer contact with Gay Pride organisers in Europe and the U.S.A.
The issue of Human rights and the Manifesto'98 will be a working instrument for all ILGA members in order to gather support from NGOs and personalities in the next 18 months, under the following slogan: Lesbian and Gay Rights are Human rights.
The Cologne World Conference was partly funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs of North Rhine Westfalia and the Dutch foundation HIVOS. Conference delegates were greeted in the Cologne city Hall and in the German Bundestag in Bonn. The GLBT community of Cologne was very welcoming and supportive on the occasion of the Christopher Street Day gay pride day. At the same time, Amnesty International held its first meeting for groups working on Homosexuality and Human Rights (July 4).
LGLF will shortly distribute the minutes and documents of the Cologne conference, which will be remembered as the most global gathering in the history of ILGA world conferences, with participants from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Philippines, Guatemala, Venezuela, Israel, South Africa, etc. Our next world conference will be held in South Africa in 1999.
The Cologne conference also asked the German government to build a monument in memory of the homosexual victims of the nazi holocaust.
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On October 27, during the second local elections after democracy was reestablished in Chile, for the first time, a gay and a lesbian were candidates for the Council, Roberto Pablo for the Santiago district and Miky San Martín for Concepción. The 530 votes that went to the candidate Roberto Pablo were significant in a country where homosexuality is still penalized and are a step ahead in the overall strategy applied by the Chilean organizations for these elections.
In the 1 May 1997 elections at the United kingdom, four openly gay Labour Party candidates were elected. One of them, Chris Smith, was appointed cabinet minister - he is the first openly gay minister in British history. And he officially joined the crowded London Gay Pride Parade on 5 July.
An open lesbian was elected to the Western Australia state parliament last month. Liz Watson, a member of the Green Party, is Australia's first openly lesbian MP. (January, 1997)
Philippines Senate President Pro Tempore Blas Ople revealed that the Philippines has a law prohibiting gays from registering as a party, organization or coalition in the party-list system used in elections. (May, 1997)
In the 2 June 1997 elections in Canada, two openly gay members of Parliament were re-elected: Svend Robinson (New Democratic Party) who has been holding the seat for a Vancouver constituency for 18 years, and Real Menard of the "Bloc Québecois".
In recent Mexican elections, Patria Jiménez was elected deputy for the PRD (Party for the Democratic Revolution). She is the first overtly gay candidate to obtain a seat in the Parliament. Her slogan for the campaign was: "Safe sex, sure vote". She was interviewed by CNN last 27th. of July. Patria Jiménez is a member of Closet de Sor Juana, the organization that headed the Woman's Secretariat for ILGA during 1994-95. Congratulations!
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Austria saw its first gay church wedding. Two women, known only as Jutta and Irene, got married in an Evangelical Lutheran Church after the local preacher opted to ignore his bishop's instructions not to perform the ceremony. (August, 1996)
South Africa's Anglican Church officially apologized for jeopardizing gay and lesbian interests over the years.
On May 8th -11th, 1997, the 15th Gay and Lesbian Christian European Forum was held in Toulouse (France). A group of 125 participants from 14 different countries attended the meeting organized by David & Jonathan, a veteran French group. They worked on Christian and Homosexual subjects, individually and on a whole. The Forum's intentions were to act as a pressure group before the World Church Council and it will attend next year's meeting in Harare (Zimbabwe). It was decided that Women's quota in the Executive Staff should be 50% and European Forum next edition will take place in Frankfurt (Germany) in May, 1998, organized by HUK.
In Tel Aviv (Israel), a lesbian wedding celebrated according to the Jewish rite by Rabbi David Ariel-Joel raised a controversy among the different Jewish tendencies. During the last 2 years, the Rabbi's Council and the Movement for the Jewish Progress have been divided on the matter of religious weddings between gays. The conclusions have not yet been published.
Last June 23rd., Barcelona (Spain) Gay and Lesbian Association (Coordinadora G-L) sued the President of the Spanish Catholic Conference, Monsignor Elías Yanes, on the basis of a statement he declared in 1995 on homosexuality's lack of human dignity. Furthermore, last April 21st. he opposed the Spanish domestic couple's law and stated that homosexual behaviour is a "moral evil". Coordinadora G-L's suit was based on the new Spanish Penal Code penalising discrimination on a sexual orientation basis.
1,000 participants from 16 countries attended the Annual Conference of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches held in Sydney, Australia. (July, 1997).
The Church's General Synod adopted a new rule earlier this month that allows bishops to ignore complaints from parishioners if the core of the complaint is merely that a vicar is homosexual Anglicans vote to protect gay priests. The Church GS of England has voted to protect priests from being fired just for being gay, reported the BBC's Out This Week.
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In Tomsk (Siberia) the gay and lesbian film festival held September 6-15, 1996, had the support from local authorities.
Valentine's Day, 1997 (February, 14) was a bisexual celebration date in Australia.
GALESWA is the new association in Swaziland fighting against homosexual social rejection.
The World Sexology Congress in Valencia (Spain) from June 23rd. to 28th., 1997, was dealing with sexuality and human rights. ILGA sent best regards.
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After the recent news on "sleeping" Swiss bank accounts, presumed to belong to nazi victims, ILGA made public a proposition suggesting that all funds without a legal owner or heir should be distributed to non profit organizations related to all Holocaust victims, including homosexuals.
In relation with the swearing of Mohammed Jatami as Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, ILGA encourages to send letters and telegrams to this country's embassies demanding the stopping of executions based on sodomy (homo- and bisexuals).
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| City | Date | Number of demonstrators |
| Barcelona | 28-06-97 | 1.500 (including a demonstration, previous events and a party) |
| Berlin | 28-06-97 | 100.000 (plus 150.000 visitors and 250.000 participants at a two day street-party the weekend before, TV Broadcast) |
| Brussels | 03-05-97 | 4.000 |
| Cologne | 06-07-97 | 30.000 (60.000 visitors / participants in a two day street festival) |
| Frankfurt | 19-07-97 | 4.000 (30.000 in two days of events) |
| Hamburg | 21-06-97 | 15.000 (25.000 in a three-day festival) |
| Lisbon | 28-06-97 | 3.000 |
| London | 05-07-97 | 100.000 (330.000 participants in festival, TV Broadcast, 1.000.000 pounds sponsoring) |
| Madrid | 28-06-97 | 7.000 (12.000 participants in a week of events) |
| Paris (Europride 1997) | 28-06-97 | 300.000 (plus 300.000 visitors. 30.000 at the Eurosalon and 35.000 at the Closing Party, large media broadcast) |
| Rome | 28-06-97 | 4.000 |
| Venice | 14-06-97 | 3.000 |
| Vienna | 28-06-97 | 15.000 (30.000 visitors / participants at the street festival after the parade) |
U.S.A.
Atlanta and Los Angeles both registered 300.000 participants in three days of celebrations. Houston gathered 100.000 participants in its first night parade. 250.000 demonstrated in New York and San Francisco gathered 700.000 participants in two days of celebrations with the city mayor's participation and broadcast by TV (Channel 20, KOFY TV).
More information will be available after the annual EPOA-Conference (26-28 September 1997, Stockholm) and the IAL/GPC-Conference (16-19 1997, New York City)
| City | Date | Number of demonstrators |
| Melbourne (Pride March) | 2-2-97 | 23,000 (18,000 participants with 5,000 watching). |
| Sydney (Mardi Gras) | 1-3-97 | 6,000 participants with 700,000 watching. TV Broadcast around the world. |
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Gay Pride data have been made available by Hartmut Schönknecht, secretary of EPOA (European Pride Organizers Association) and Teddy Witherington, vice-president of IALGPC (International Association of Lesbian
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| Country | Lesbian | Gay Male |
| Algeria | Illegal | Illegal |
| Angola | Illegal | Illegal |
| Benin | Illegal | Illegal |
| Botswana | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Burkina Faso | Legal | Legal |
| Burundi | Not available | Not available |
| Cape Verde | Illegal | Illegal |
| Camerun | Illegal | Illegal |
| Comoros | Not available | Not available |
| Congo | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Ivory Coast | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Chad | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Djibouti | Not available | Not available |
| Egypt | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Ethiopia | Illegal | Illegal |
| Gabon | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Gambia | Not available | Not available |
| Ghana | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Guinea | Not available | Not available |
| Guinea Bissau | Not available | Not available |
| Equatorial Guinea | Not available | Not available |
| Kenya | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Lesotho | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Liberia | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Libya | Illegal | Illegal |
| Madagascar | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Malawi | Illegal | Illegal |
| Mali | Not available | Not available |
| Morocco | Illegal | Illegal |
| Mauritania | Illegal | Illegal |
| Mauritius | Illegal | Illegal |
| Mozambique | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Namibia | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Niger | Not available | Not available |
| Nigeria | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Central African Republic | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Reunion | Legal | Legal |
| Rwand a | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Not available | Not available |
| Senegal | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Seychelles | Illegal | Illegal |
| Sierra Leone | Not available | Not available |
| Somalia | Not available | Not available |
| South Africa | Legal | Legal |
| Sudan | Illegal | Illegal |
| Swaziland | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Tanzania | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Togo | Illegal | Illegal |
| Tunisia | Illegal | Illegal |
| Ugand a | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Zaire | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Zambia | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Zimbabwe | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Country | Lesbian | Gay Male |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Netherland s Antilles | Legal | Legal |
| Argentina | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Aruba | Legal | Legal |
| Bahamas | Illegal | Illegal |
| Barbados | Illegal | Illegal |
| Belize | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Bermuda | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Bolivia | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Brazil | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Canada | Legal | Legal |
| Colombia | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Costa Rica | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Cuba | Illegal | Illegal |
| Chile | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Ecuador | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| El Salvador | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| United States of America | see below | see below |
| Grenada | Not available | Not available |
| Greenland | Legal | Legal |
| Guadaloupe | Legal | Legal |
| Guatemala | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Guyana | Illegal | Illegal |
| French Guyana | Legal | Legal |
| Haiti | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Honduras | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Cayman Island s | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Falkland Island s / Malvinas | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Turks and Caicos Island s | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Jamaica | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Martinique | Legal | Legal |
| Mexico | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Nicaragua | Illegal | Illegal |
| Panama | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Paraguay | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Peru | Legal | Legal |
| Puerto Rico (USA) | Illegal | Illegal |
| Dominican Republic | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Not available | Not available |
| Saint Lucia | Illegal | Illegal |
| Surinam | Legal | Legal |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Illegal | Illegal |
| Uruguay | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Venezuela | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Lesbians | Gay Male | ||
| Legal, by state: | Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York (State Court decision), New Jersey, Pennsylvania (State Court decision), West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois (the first, 1961), Winconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Tennesse, California, Alaska and Hawaii. | Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York (State Court decision), New Jersey, Pennsylvania (State Court decision), West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois (the first, 1961), Winconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Tennesse, California, Alaska and Hawaii. | |
| Homosexual anal and oral sex is illegal, by state: | Massachusetts, Maryland , District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Idaho, Utah and Arizona | Massachusetts, Maryland , District of Columbia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Idaho, Utah and Arizona | |
| Anal and oral sex is illegal for both homo and heterosexuals, by state: | Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma (in 1986 the State's highest criminal court decided that application to heterosexual sex was unconstitutional), Texas, Montana and Nevada. | Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma (in 1986 the State's highest criminal court decided that application to heterosexual sex was unconstitutional), Texas, Montana and Nevada. |
| Country | Lesbian | Gay Male |
| Afganistan | Illegal | Illegal |
Australia (Federal)
|
|
|
| Bangladesh | Illegal | Illegal |
| Bhutan | Illegal | Illegal |
| Brunei | Illegal | Illegal |
| Burma/Myanmar | Not available | Not available |
| Cambodia | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Corea del Norte | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Corea del Sur | Legal | Legal |
| China | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Philippines | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Guam | Not available | Not available |
| Hong Kong | Legal | Legal |
| India | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Indonesia | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Cook Island s(New Zealand Associated State) | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Fiji Island s | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Marshall Island s | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Solomon Island s | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Japan | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Kazakhstan | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Kiribati | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Kyrgyzstan | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Laos | Not available | Not available |
| Macau | Legal | Legal |
| Malaysia | Illegal | Illegal |
| Maldives | Not available | Not available |
| Micronesia | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Mongolia | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Nauru | Not available | Not available |
| Nepal | Illegal | Illegal |
| Niue (New Zealand Associated State) | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| New Caledonia | Legal | Legal |
| New Zealand | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Pakistan | Illegal | Illegal |
| Papua New Guinea | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Polynesia Francesa | Legal | Legal |
| Western Samoa | Illegal | Illegal |
| Singapore | Illegal | Illegal |
| Sri Lanka | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Thailand | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Taiwan | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Tajikistan | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Tokelau (New Zealand Associated State) | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Tonga | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Turkmenistan | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Turkey | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Tuvalu | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Uzbekistan | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Vanuatu/New Hebrides | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Vietnam | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Country | Lesbian | Gay Male |
| Albania | Legal | Legal |
| Germany | Legal | Legal |
| Andorra | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Armenia | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Austria | Legal | Legal |
| Azerbaijan | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Belgium | Legal | Legal |
| Belarus | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Bosnia Hercegovina | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Bulgaria | Legal | Legal |
| Vatican City | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Croatia | Legal | Legal |
| Chipre | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Denmark | Legal | Legal |
| Slovakia | Legal | Legal |
| Slovenia | Legal | Legal |
| Spain | Legal | Legal |
| Estonia | Legal | Legal |
| Finland | Legal | Legal |
| France | Legal | Legal |
| Georgia | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Grece | Legal | Legal |
| Hungary | Legal | Legal |
| Ireland | Not mencioned | legal |
| Iceland | Legal | Legal |
| Faroe Island s | Legal | Legal |
| Italy | Legal | Legal |
| Latvia | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Liechtenstein | Legal | Legal |
| Lithuania | Legal | Legal |
| Luxembourg | Legal | Legal |
| Macedonia | Not mencioned | Illegal |
| Malta | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Moldavia | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Monaco | Legal | Legal |
| Montenegro | Legal | Legal |
| Norway | Legal | Legal |
| Netherland s | Legal | Legal |
| Polonia | Legal | Legal |
| Portugal | Legal | Legal |
| United Kingdom | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Czech Republic | Legal | Legal |
| Romania | Illegal | Illegal |
| Russia | Not mencioned | Legal |
| San Marino | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Serbia | Legal | Legal |
| Sweden | Legal | Legal |
| Switzerland | Legal | Legal |
| Turkey | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Ukraine | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Country | Lesbian | Gay Male |
| Saudi Arabia | Illegal | Illegal |
| Bahrein | Illegal | Illegal |
| United Arab Emirates | Illegal | Illegal |
| Irak | Not mencioned | Not mencioned |
| Iran | Illegal | Illegal |
| Israel | Not mencioned | Legal |
| Jordania | Illegal | Illegal |
| Kuwait | Illegal | Illegal |
| Lebanon | Illegal | Illegal |
| Oman | Illegal | Illegal |
| Qatar | Illegal | Illegal |
| Siria | Illegal | Illegal |
| Yemen | Illegal | Illegal |
Back to the index.
| Canada |
| Denmark |
| France |
| Luxembourg |
| Netherlands |
| New Zealand |
| Norway |
| Slovenia |
| South Africa |
| Spain |
| Sweden |
|
Note: there are a significant number of countries where such legislation is currently being discussed in parliament. These include Belgium, Brazil, Finland, the Czech Republic, and France. In cities and municipalities in France, Spain, Belgium and the United States, same-gender relationships are recognised. They are also recognised by some provinces in Canada and Spain, and by various international corporations. |
| | ||
| Illegal | | |
| Not mencioned | | |
| Not available | | |
| Legal | | |
Africa: 53 Countries
|
Americas: 93 Countries (excepting USA)
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Asia - Pacific: 50 Countries
|
Europe: 50 Countries
|
Middle East: 13 Countries
|
Back to the index.