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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (March 17, 1995)
ju st o u t f m arch t 7 , 1 0 0 5 ▼ 15 The case involved a Brazilian gay man who transvestites, gays and other people who are ith the likes of Jesse Helms in a feared he would be killed because of his sexual viewed as ‘socially undesirable,’ in these coun legislative leadership position orientation. Government guidelines state that re tries. What we’re hearing is that groups of vigilan and a conservative U.S. Su ligion, race, nationality, political opinion, and tes are going out and executing these people with preme Court about to consider particular social group are the categories under the consent of local law enforcement and govern the constitutionality of Colo which one can apply for asylum. In 1993, a judge ment officials,” he says. rado’s discriminatory Amendment 2, it’s some ruled that sexual orientation fell under “particular Other projects at the top of IGLHRC’s list right times hard to remember that the struggle for gay social group.” With that decision, the United now include efforts to include lesbian-related is and lesbian equality extends beyond this nation’s States joined a handful of other countries in defin sues at an international conference on women’s borders. ing “particular social group” to include sexual issues to be held later this year in China, and a But it does, and in many parts of the world the minorities. vigorous effort to dismantle a Romanian sodomy challenges faced by sexual minorities are consis Additionally, that same year IGLHRC suc law which Cortiftas says is being enforced against tently life-threatening. Just consider this: In Iran cessfully lobbied for the inclusion of lesbian and sexual minorities. homosexuality is punishable by death. In Mexico, gay persecution in the State Department’s annual A continuing concern of the commission in Columbia and Brazil, gangs—which some say human rights report to Congress. The commis volves immigration and asylum issues. It has set up are government-sanctioned—roam the streets dis posing of those deemed “socially unde sirable”: street youth, gay men and les bians, and transvestites. In Saudi Arabia one can be sent to prison for life for committing a crime of sodomy. In Burma prostitutes with HIV are in Recent visitors to Portland remind us that the struggle jected with cyanide. “I think it is critical we remember for sexual minority rights is a global one that sexual minorities globally are of ▼ ten living under very difficult circum stances,” explains Jorge Cortiftas, who by Inga Sorensen heads up the San Francisco-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Founded in 1991, IGLHRC monitors and documents human rights abuses against sexual mi norities and people with HIV and AIDS. “Traditional human rights groups like Amnesty Interna tional and Human Rights Watch simply ignored abuses against sexual m inorities,” explains Cortinas, who recently spoke at P o rtland-area colleges. “IGLHRC was created to fill this void and to mobilize opposition to these abuses.” A cco rd in g to C o rtin a s, IGLHRC has developed a global network of activists. “We don’t just step in and protest unless we have a contact in that country. If we did, it could cause more harm than good,” he says. So how does IGLHRC re ceive its information or requests for support? “We may get a fax from abroad or someone will call us collect from another country. Or there may be a wire service story that something is happening to gays in China or Iran,” he says. “If we don’t have a contact there, we’ll do a little digging to see if Vladimir Kabakov (right) with Robyn Hixon, one o f his U.S. sponsors, in Portland we can connect with a gay or traditional human rights activist. an Asylum Law Project, a watchdog group that sion has also organized a QueerCorps, whose It’s essentially old-fashioned investigative work.” researches and documents human rights violations volunteer members spend a few months on fact According to Cortiftas, IGLHRC is working against sexual minorities who may seek asylum. finding trips to other countries where they con with activists in several countries; its internal nect with local activists. This documentation is critical for those seeking advisory board includes representatives from more asylum because they must offer evidence of perse Yet, despite the organization’s growth and than 30 countries. To foster more efficient com cution. Without the successes, Cortiftas munications, the commission has donated com correlating documen “We 've got a Congress that seems says he remains a puters and other equipment to organizations in tation, many coun little wary given the Russia, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Mexico, to be promoting a sense of tries—including the current political cli Peru, India, Romania and Russia. It sends a news isolationism we haven 7 seen in mate in the United United States—will letter detailing HIV/AIDS treatment information typically deny an asy to groups in several other countries and sends out decades , ” Cortinas says. “This is States. lum request. “W e’ve got a “activist alerts” detailing abuses. a time when we should be joining The project has Not surprisingly, the agency, which has a paid Congress that seems with the rest of the world, not sponsored several to be promoting a staff of three, is inundated with requests for sup fact-finding trips port. At any single time, IGLHRC is investigating sense of isolation running away from it. ” abroad, and the infor several dozen incidents. “But, of course, situa ism v/e haven’t seen mation gathered is disseminated to immigration in decades,” he says. "This is a time when we tions where a gay person’s life is at immediate risk lawyers, the media, and activists. should be joining with the rest of the world, not take precedence over other cases,” Cortiftas says. Two years ago IGLHRC was instrumental in running away from it.” For instance, IGLHRC is currently trying to getting U.S. officials— for the first time in this He adds: “Like most United States citizens, I end what he describes as the “social cleansing” of nation’s history—to grant political asylum to sexual minorities in Brazil, Columbia and Mexico. think gays and lesbians are largely unaware of someone based on sexual-orientation grounds. "There appears to be a wave of violence against what’s happening globally. We must remember W Beyond our borders that our policies— and the policies of other gov ernments— have a direct impact on sexual mi norities.” C ortiftas, meanwhile, wasn’t the only person in Portland recently to advocate for interna tional cooperation and understanding among sexual minorities. Vladimir Kabakov is a Russian gay man who is currently working with the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches to translate church materials into the Russian language. Kabakov spoke before members of Portland’s Metropolitan Community Church, which special izes in outreach to sexual minorities, about the status of gay men and lesbians in Russia. “Things are hard, but not only for gays and lesbians,” says Kabakov, who adds Russia’s on going transformation from a com munist to a capitalist state has been difficult. “Many of our diffi culties stem from this transforma tion. Inflation is very high, and people are worried.” According to Kabakov, the economic, political and cultural instability faced by Russians has led to an in crease in fascist activity, which poses a serious threat to diverse groups of people. Human rights activists also say Russia routinely im prisons gay men and classi fies lesbianism as a type of schizophrenia. IGLHRC re ports that even today gay men and lesbians receive drug and electroshock treatment sim ply because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, the Russian parliament recently approved a measure that would require those visiting the country for more than three months to produce certificates proving they are HIV-free. Deputies in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, voted 276-0 (with three absten tions) to pass the draft, which must be signed by President Boris Yeltsin before it be comes law. The vote is likely to raise a storm of protest from lesbian and gay activist groups and western embas sies, who say the legislation infringes on human rights and is medically senseless. “For those who were edu cated in the old communist system, it’s hard to make them free theirminds,” says Kabakov. “They still think to be gay is to need a cure. But many people still feel that way around the world.” Kabakov stresses that things have gotten a bit better for Russian gay men and lesbians. He cites the recent opening of a gay and lesbian bar in Moscow. “Though the prices are high,” Kabakov says it’s a good place for people to meet and network. “Our country is in a new beginning. Though things are hard, we have hope,” says the 58-year- old energy engineer. “(The Russian gay and les bian community] invites Americans to come and visit us. We would love to meet you and show you our country. We would love to work together with you.” For more information about global human rights efforts, contact IGLHRC, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103; (413) 255-8680.