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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 1995)
JiM tm it ▼ » — b « c 6 . I M S ▼ 1 « U.N. C onference Continued from page 17 see some of these women it was very friendly.” Tinker was also among a group who made a media splash at the U.N. conference when they brought in signs reading ‘‘Lesbian Rights Are Human Rights” and a long purple banner carrying the same message. “We were sitting in the front row of the balcony section when we put our signs up. We did this in between speakers so we wouldn’t disrupt them,” says Tinker. “We also hung the banner over the balcony. It took a moment before the [U.N. secu rity guards] responded, but they eventually came over and snatched our signs and our banner.” Tinker says two Canadian lesbians who were involved in the demonstration were taken away by guards who allegedly grilled the duo about who orchestrated the action and whether similar up coming protests were planned. “They were released about an hour later with out any sanctions. Their credentials could have been pulled,” she says. “We all felt it was critical that the conference delegates know that there are lots of people who believe that lesbians should have human rights protections.” bian love” made some parties uncomfortable, to say the least. IGLHRC brochures that were printed in Chinese were confiscated by Chinese security officials, and there were reports that guards were using telephoto lenses to film women in the Les bian Tent. “I had met some women who had their rooms searched,” says Godfrey. “These women were associated with lesbian concerns.” Many also felt the Chinese government had purposely created a logistical nightmare for forum and conference participants. The forum, which was initially set to be held alongside the U.N. conference in Beijing, was later moved many miles away to Huairou, making com munication between the camps extremely diffi cult. The switch has widely been viewed as the government’s attempt to shelter the greater popu lation from the forum’s goings-on. (The Chinese government regards homosexuality as nonexistent in that country and prohibits the official media from mentioning it.) According to The Washington Post, one Chi nese work unit had even been instructed to wear bug spray “because the flies might transmit AIDS carried by lesbian attendees.” Continual rainfall created muddy conditions, which made mobility more difficult. "The tents [at the forum] were placed far away. You had to walk a lot,” says Godfrey. “It was hard enough if you were able-bodied, and it was virtually impossible for women with disabilities.” U.N. Villar says she was on her way to a meeting when she came upon a demonstration which in cluded women in wheelchairs. The group was protesting the fact that disabled people could not attend some NGO workshops because the gather ings were held above ground level and many buildings did not have elevators. (Villar says even those workshops held at ground level posed hard ship in some cases because some floors were muddy due to the rain.) “A blind woman from Ghana was talking for the group. She spoke with full lung and from her heart about being disabled and what it meant,” Villar says. ‘T o hear her, you knew how powerful these women were in spite of the situation.” achel Rosenbloom of the San Francisco- based International Gay and Lesbian Hu man Rights Commission took her group’s concerns directly to José Ayala Lasso, the high commissioner for human rights, when she presented him with IGLHRC’s newly published report, entitled “Unspoken Rules: Sexual Orienta tion and Women’s Human Rights.” The document, which highlights human rights violations against lesbians in 31 countries (includ ing the scenarios detailed at the beginning of this article), was released during the conference as part of IGLHRC’s campaign to increase the visibility of lesbian concerns. “This is the beginning of dialogue with the high commissioner,” said Rosenbloom, who pinned a “Lesbian Rights Are Human Rights!” button on Ayala Lasso’s lapel during an NGO workshop. (According to IGLHRC, hough a last- 11 lesbian and gay organi minute decision zations were accredited to by conference the official conference, and delegates dropped all representatives from more mention of sexual ori than 30 accredited organi entation in the final Plat zations were active in the form for Action, some Lesbian Caucus, which met lesbian rights backers daily.) are hailing the confer In another high-profile ence as a success. moment, Palesa Beverley “At the last World Ditsie, a South African les Conference on Women bian, addressed the U.N. 10 years ago, only one conference, telling del country—The Nether egates: “Every day in coun lands— spoke out in fa tries around the world, les vor of lesbians, and at bians suffer violence, ha this conference more rassment and discrimination than 30 countries have because of their sexual ori done so ,” says entation. Their basic human IG L H R C ’s R osen rights— such as the right to bloom. “The debate that life, to bodily integrity, to occurred gives some in freedom of association and dication of the battles expression—are violated.” that lesbians must keep She continued: “Women fighting all over the who love women are fired world to gain recogni from their jobs, forced into Fifteen-year-old Jesse Clay (left) o f Portland tion of their rights, but marriages, beaten and mur with a Sudanese woman (name unknown) this conference lays a dered in their homes and on firm groundwork for future action at the local, the streets, and have their children taken away by national and international levels.” hostile courts.” One of the paragraphs in question states in its During a Lesbian Caucus press briefing, Rebeca final form that many women face particular barri Sevilla of Peru told reporters: “[I]n my region, Nicaragua, Chile, [and] Ecuador have laws that ers because of such factors as “their race, age, language, ethnicity, culture, religion, disability or criminalize homosexuality. There is still a high incidence of physical and psychological violence other status or because they are indigenous people.” While sexual orientation was removed from this in public as well as in private life__We know list, several countries went on record as saying they women-loving women [are] everywhere— any social, economic or political condition. And now interpreted “other status” to include sexual orien we are speaking out internationally about lesbian tation. life, our lesbian love.” Those countries voicing support for lesbians’ The speaking out about “lesbian life, our les- human rights include: Australia, Barbados, Brazil, R f t « » 4 4 « » % • • • » 4 4 f t * 4 « « * 4 Women demonstrating prior to a hearing o f the U.N. Human Rights Commission where an interna tional petition with thousands o f signatures was delivered asking that violence against women be considered a human rights abuse Canada, Cuba, Israel, New Zealand, Spain (on Delegates ultimately adopted the plural form, behalf of the 25 European Union countries), a move Tinker applauds and says “clearly leaves Slovenia, South Africa, room for inclusion of les Sw itzerland and the bian-headed families in United States. all of the provisions of Cook Islands, Ja the document.” maica, Latvia and Nor “The [Platform for way expressed support Action] is a lot of com for sexual orientation promise, so it’s not sur protections through their prising sexual orientation interpretive statements. was not included,” adds Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Godfrey. “What I think Chile, Colum bia and is perhaps most impor Venezuela said they did Members o f the Concerned Women o f the World tant is that women not support discrimina charged that the U.N. conference was “anti- walked away from the tion. fa m ily” forum and the conference The countries that feeling em pow ered. actively opposed language protecting lesbians They’ll take that strength home with them.” against d iscrim in atio n included: A lgeria, A gathering called "Beyond Beijing: From Bangladesh, Benin, Egypt, Ghana, Guatemala, Iran, Global Vision to Community Action—Bringing Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Senegal, Syria, the 1995 International Conference Home, ” Sudan and Uganda. will be held from 1 to 5 pm Saturday, Nov. 11, Also among the contentious issues aired in at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1624 Beijing was the question of whether the family unit NE Hancock St., in Portland. The discussion should be referred to in the singular, which would will feature firsthand reports from women who refer to married heterosexuals and their children, attended the China gatherings. The gathering or the plural, which would imply approval for is free, but as seating is limited, please many types of families— including those headed preregister by calling 848-8107. up by lesbians and gay men.
