Building the Capacity of the LGBT Movement

The Dutch Experience of Capacity Building in Central and Eastern Europe

In this workshop, the speakers will share some of the background behind the work of COC Netherlands, an organisation who is implementing international capacity building programmes in Central and Eastern Europe. They will present the co-operation between COC NL and Genderdoc M in Moldova as a case study. The Dutch and Moldovan Project Co-ordinators will share their experiences and the lessons learned. In addition to their story, Henry Kol, who during the project was working at the Dutch Embassy in Kiev, will also emphasis the reasons why Dutch embassies and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs support LGBT projects such as the empowerment project in Moldova.

Arjos Vendrig, Consultant, COC Netherlands (The Netherlands)
Henry Kol, Consul (The Netherlands)
Maxim Anmeghichean, Former Director, Genderdoc (Moldova)
Representative of HIVOS (The Netherlands)

Room:
515-A
Language:
English

Successful Strategies against Oppression

LGBT Art and Rights in Estonia and Latvia

The workshop will be discussing the role of culture in the small, divided and weak Latvian lesbian and gay rights movement – harassed by leading politicians try to ban any Pride parade, a mass media denouncing homosexuals and neo Nazis violently attacking lesbians and gays. The workshop will also discuss LGBT – activism in post-Soviet country – case-study of actions, mistakes and successes such as the description of past and current situation, media-relations and lobby for legal issues.

Bill Schiller, General Secretary, ILGCN (Sweden)
Gaston Lacombe (Latvia)
Kristiina Keerov (Estonia)

Room:
512-C
Language:
English

Building Strategic Alliance

Fighting Discrimination against Lesbians: A Feminist Perspective Regarding the Defence of Equality Rights

This will be an interactive workshop. Exchanges will allow participants to identify the different strategies adopted by different countries. The presentation will highlight the contribution of the Fédération des femmes du Québec to advancing lesbian rights in Québec and on the international scene through the World March of Women. Founded in 1966, the Fédération des femmes du Québec is celebrating 40 years of fighting and action towards female equality this year.

Michèle Asselin, President, Fédération des femmes du Québec (FFQ) (Canada)
Évangéline Caldwell, Coordinator, Comité pour la reconnaissance des lesbiennes de la FFQ (Canada)
Diane Matte, Coordinator of the International Secretariat, World March of Women (Canada)

Room:
512-G
Language:
English

French

Since sexual orientation was added to the equality provision of its transitional Constitution in 1993, the LGBT community in South Africa has made amazing progress. The Constitutional Court has struck down discriminatory laws in a series of decisions, beginning with the criminal law in 1998 and culminating with the rules excluding same-sex couples from marriage in 2005.  Yet in the rest of Africa, progress has been much slower, and some countries have threatened to adopt even harsher laws, with the express purpose of preventing South Africa’s reforms from spreading north. Is South Africa proof that LGBT human rights are an African issue, rather than a foreign import? Should its example be persuasive in other African countries? What obstacles make it difficult to achieve the same reforms in other African countries? A panel of Conference participants from several parts of Africa, will discuss these and other questions.

Tom Abong’o, Director, Equality NOW (Kenya)
Zackie Achmat, Treatment Action Campaign (South Africa)
Dorothy Aken’Ova, INCRESE (Nigéria)
Cary Johnson, IGLHRC (USA)
Cheikh Doudou Mbaye (Senegal)
Phumzile Mtetwa, LGBT South-South Dialogue (South Africa)
Alice Nkom, Lawyer (Cameroon)

English

French

Room:
521-C
Language:
Spanish

Preventing HIV Transmission in Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cub

This workshop is based upon the experience of the HIV/AIDS prevention programme directed towards the gay population as implemented by Action Solidaria. This programme has become the principal project of this social group. The objective of this workshop is to demonstrate the various factors involved in social change.

Feliciano Reyna, Acción Solidaria (Venezuela)
Carlos Rivas, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Venezuela)

“We’re Different, We’re Equal” is a communication for social change strategy to promote the empowerment of young men and women and to prevent HIV/AIDS in Nicaragua. Through a combination of mass media and social mobilisation, the strategy focuses on addressing the social and cultural issues that are obstacles to prevention of HIV transmission; such as social norms, gender inequity, HIV stigma and discrimination.

Evelyn Flores, Puntos de Encuentro in Managua (Nicaragua)
The last speaker will discuss the Cuban HIV situation.
Ada Alfonso, CENESEX (Cuba)

Room:
513-A
Language:
Spanish

Between Taboos and Hate: Homosexuality in Africa

The first part of this workshop will be dedicated to the reassertion of the African LGBT community as the only weapon against homophobia, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and AIDS. This workshop thus will study this question as well as discuss concrete examples as portrayed in a film and a supporting project. The second part of the workshop will discuss the flagrant examples of problems facing the sub-Saharan Africa and the constant fear felt by the LGBT community. In conclusion, the fatal effects of forbidding colonial Christian morality on the cultural terrain of black Africa.

Landri Betchele (Cameroon)
Joel Gustave Nana Ngongang, President, Movement Minorities Network Africa (Nigeria)
Thoto Tshipama Beya, CODECO (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Room:
512-D
Language:
French

LGBT Human Rights in Central and Eastern Europe and in Central Asia

LGBT Human Rights in Central Asia and the Role of the OSCE

This workshop will treat of the relevance of LGBT identities in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, of immigration, asylum and freedom of movement. Lecturers will speak of the lives of lesbian women and transmen in Central Asia and of the formation of a grassroots LGBT group in a Muslim post-soviet state and of LGBT rights at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Kiromiddin Gulov, Legal Support for Youth (Tajikistan)
Anna Kirey, Girlz Get United (Kyrgyzstan; Ukraine)
Vladimir Tiupin, Chairman, OASIS (Kyrgyzstan)
Kurt Krickler, Board member, ILGA-Europe and EPOA (Austria)

Room:
512-F
Language:
English

LGBT Human Rights in Latin Ameria

Sexual Diversity in Cuba:Transgender and Transsexual Person

As part of its work on raising public awareness of sexual diversity in Cuba, the Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual (CENESEX) in Havana has made the treatment of transgender (travesti) and transsexual persons a priority. It has established a training programme that teaches transgender sex workers to be “Promoters of Sexual Health”. It is also working on medical and legal reforms that would permit the resumption of gender reassignment surgery (suspended since the 1980s) and legal recognition of gender reassignment. The speakers will discuss these developments.

Robert Wintemute, Law Professor, King’s College London (United Kingdom; Canada)
Mariela Castro Espin, Director, Centro Nacional de Educacion Sexual (CENESEX) (Cuba)
Alberto Roque Guerra, Internal Medicine Specialist, Centro Nacional de Educacion Sexual (CENESEX) (Cuba)
Livan Soto Gonzalez, Lawyer, Centro Nacional de Educacion Sexual (CENESEX) (Cuba)
Danielle Pulido Alamo, Transsexual group, Centro Nacional de Educacion Sexual (CENESEX) (Cuba)

Room:
513-E
Language:
Spanish

LGBT Human Rights in the Muslim and Arab Worlds

LGBT and Heterosexual Muslims in Canada, the UK, the Netherlands and Pakistan

The first part of the workshop will present prominent themes drawn from a government-funded research project on LGBT British Muslims primarily of South Asian origin. LGBT Muslims straddle the majority ‘Western’ culture and the minority Asian/Muslim culture (that is religious and prioritises social obligations). Their experiences offer important insights into the socio-cultural, religious, and political issues encountered by this minority within a minority, in managing social exclusion. Also, the workshop will discuss the book “My teacher is gay”, about changing homophobic behaviour of Muslim students by being open as a gay teacher. Finally, the workshop will study gay life in Muslim Pakistan, based in part on the speaker’s experience.

Adnan Ali, Activist (United Kingdom)
Andrew Yip, Reader in Sociology, Nottingham Trent University (United Kingdom)
Peter van Maaren, Teacher (The Netherlands)
Jawed Akhter, Community & Human Rights activist (Canada; Pakistan)

Room:
513-D
Language:
English

Transgender, Transsexual and Intersexual

Transsexual Diversity in Québec: International Legal Issues

One of the objectives of this workshop will be to sensitise the group of participants to the daily lives of transsexuals. Based upon, in part, the autobiography of Patrick Verrat, and also, in part, a state comprised of challenges lying in wait for Québécois transsexuals, we will clarify the ethical and judicial stakes of related draft legislation. Once this ethical sensitisation and judicial reform is launched, the next step will be to equip the Québécois transsexual communities with the devices for individual and family support of transsexuals in transition. In comparison to the other provinces, there is much work to be done in Québec in this regard. Understanding of their daily lives, pre-operation, and most importantly, psychiatric follow-up, post-operation, are not only important but mandatory. Based upon a strong ethical and critical philosophy of the history of allo-sexual communities, this draft legislation would make Québec a leader in the matter of institutional transsexual discrimination and social trans-phobia.

David Risse, Université Laval (Canada)
Patrick Verret, French Author (Canada)
Samuel Singer, National Representative, Syndicat Canadien de la Fonction Publique (Canada)
Julie-Maude Beauchesne, CTTQ (Canada)

Room:
521-A
Language:
French

Transgender, Transexual and Intersexual

Diversity Within Canadian Queer Asian Communities

In this workshop, the elements of successful social support programming for families and friends of LGBTQ people in newcomer and ethno-cultural communities will be presented. Working across generations and communities, these training tools have proven effective in stimulating not just culturally appropriate, but “culturally nurturing” dialogue which centralises newcomer and ethno-cultural communities’ perspectives and experience.

Shimpei Chihara, MSM Program Coordinator, Asian Society for the Intervention of AIDS (Asia) (Canada)
Andre Goh, ACAS (Canada)
Yaya Yao, Youth Education & Outreach Coordinator, Asian Community AIDS Services (Canada)
Shannon Soropia (Canada)

Room:
513-B
Language:
English

Issues of Older LGBTs

Senior Gays and Lesbians in The Netherlands and Canada

The workshop will discuss the controversy of same-sex relationships and marriage in Canada. Speakers will present the findings of an innovative, qualitative research study which explored the attitudes of front line staff toward same sex couples living in long term care facility. In conclusion, The RainbowVision Project, which was created for and opened its doors to a first LGBT community, will be presented.

Robert Cosby, Senior in Intervention, McMaster University (Canada)
Cherilyn van Berkel, Social Worker, McMaster University (Canada)
Joy Silver, President, RainbowVision Properties (United States)

Room:
512-H
Language:
English

Issues of Younger LGBTs

Youth Video OUTreach: Stand Up. Speak Out. Create Change

This workshop, led by Youth Video OUTreach Director and youth filmmakers will discuss the power of video as a tool for self expression and social change in our schools and our communities. During the workshop, the presenters will discuss ways that media can be used to help young people tell their stories with honesty, strength and humour. Workshop participants will view samples of student work, and will learn about ways to develop similar projects in their own communities. The workshop will also include a screening of the completed Youth Video OUTreach production and a Q & A with the youth producers.

Liv Gjestvang, Director, Youth Video OUTreach (USA)
Michelle Lang, Youth Filmmaker, Youth Video OUTreach (USA)
Wayne Hughes, Youth Filmmaker, Youth Video OUTreach (USA)
Angelo Dunlap, Youth Filmmaker, Youth Video OUTreach (USA)
Kevin Buettner, Youth Filmmaker, Youth Video OUTreach (USA)

Room:
511-C
Language:
English

Issues of LGBTs in Rural and Remote Areas

Regional Mobilisation as a Promotional Tool for LGBT Rights and as a Way to Improve the Lives of Homosexuals

In this workshop, the question of regions assuming responsibility for themselves, in conjunction with national organisations in a perspective of exchange and cooperation, all the while respecting the limits of each will be discussed, as will the difficulty experienced by regions to mobilise while surpassing meeting needs and this, notably and now above the steps of Coming out into the community.

Yvan Lapointe, General Manager, CGLQ (Canada)
Normand-Jimmy Gamache (Canada)
Johanne H. Gaudreault (Canada)
Louis-Phillippe Tremblay (Canada)
Kaven Beauchesne (Canada)

Room:
512-B
Language:
French

Education

The Power of “We-Queer” Teachers in New Zealand Schools Today

This will be an interactive workshop, beginning with a presentation on the situation for queer teachers in New Zealand schools today, and describing the work being done to improve that situation. Following the presentation will be group activities, role playing and others, centering on the workshop themes.

Judie Alison, Advisory Officer, New Zealand Post Primary Teachers (New Zealand)
Josephine Belgrave, Union Activist, New Zealand Post Primary Teachers
(New Zealand)
Robin Duff, Junior Vice-President, New Zealand Post Primary Teachers (New Zealand)

Room:
515-B
Language:
English

EDUCATION

Unlearning Homophobia in Schools in Australia, Canada and the US

Pride & Prejudice is one of many ways for teachers and workers to work with young people around sexual diversity and homophobia in Australia. The essence of the program is to provide real examples of gay and lesbian people as well as to provide a safe, supportive and nurturing environment where students can explore issues of sexual diversity and homophobia with their peers.

Daniel Witthaus, Pride & Prejudice (Australia)

This part of the workshop will illustrate and provide tools to anyone who aspires to eradicate homophobia in schools.

Raymond Johnson, Member, RCH Liaison (Canada)

“Unlearning Homophobia: Utilizing Effective Media Strategies’’: Productions have joined forces to produce strategic media that effectively educates about homophobia. The Unlearning Homophobia Series DVD is a compilation of three groundbreaking films. This presentation will present clips from these films and will be led by leading media activists who have demonstrated the power of film to reach hearts and change minds.

Dee Mosbacher, Founder, Woman Vision (USA)
Sylvia Rhue, Woman Vision (USA)
Peter Barbosa, Eyebite Productions (USA)

Room:
513-C
Language:
English

Employment, Workplace and Trade Unions

Law, Defence and Responsibility: Role and Issues of the Legal Profession in a dynamic world

This workshop will first discuss the philosophy of international law, the role of defence on the international scene, the principal of equality processes and future perspectives of the legal profession with regards to the defence of individual rights. Then, the workshop will broach the subject of social responsibility of businesses and sexual diversity.

Jean-Patrick Laflamme
Elise Groulx, President, International Criminal Defence Attorneys Association (Canada)
Carolin Hillemanns, Doctor in Law and Executive Director, International Criminal Defence Attorneys Association (Canada)

Room:
515-C
Language:
French

Health Care and Other Services

Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health: Common Concerns and Local Issues

This workshop features the promotion campaigns implemented by local lesbian and bisexual groups from summer 2005 to March 2006. ILGA called on lesbian groups to present the campaigns they were running to promote health in their communities. The outcome is a report which tells of creativity and Pride but also outlines major differences in the health concerns lesbians and bisexual women shares around the world.

Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, Co-Secretary, ILGA-World (Sri Lanka)
Mira Ofreno, Director, Can’t live in the closet (Philippines)
Toni Kruger, Senior Project Officer, Sexual Health, OUT (South Africa)
Margherita Graglia, Coordinator, Lesbian Health Arcilesbica (Italy)

Room:
513-F
Language:
English

Parenting

Adoption and New Family Realities

This workshop will present the different family types, their particularities and their realities. More precisely, the workshop will discuss the cohabitation of new family realities within the school environment. It will also present a study of lesbian mothers which evaluated the lesbian mothers’ reported tolerance for a lesbian identity and the degree of disclosure with which the lesbian mother and her children live. Finally, the workshop will analyse the inconsistency between two groups of U.S. cases involving homosexual parents. The purpose of this presentation is to point out these inconsistencies and, in the custody and visitation cases, to examine the judicial enforcement of the heterosexual parent’s homophobia and the requirement that homosexual parents be “closeted” in order to obtain any parenting time with their children.

Caroline Tremblay, Professor and Member, Comité des droits des gais et lesbiennes (Canada)
Mary Ann van Dam, Professor, San Francisco State University (USA)
Nancy G. Maxwell, Professor, Washburn University (USA)
Richard Donner, Assistant Professor, Washburn University (USA)

Room:
512-E
Language:
English

Parenting

Film: Politics of the Heart: How Lesbians and Gays Achieved Equality in Québec

In the past few years, Québec has adopted laws for gays and lesbians which are nothing short of revolutionary. Currently, Québec has the distinction of being the most progressive place in the world for families with same-sex parents. The Civil Union Bill (Bill 84), which passed unanimously in the Québec National Assembly in June 2002, gave queer parents and their children full and equal rights. In this workshop, the film “Politics of the Heart”, which tells the story of how these changes came about, will be shown. The screening will be followed by an open question and answer period with two prominent Québec lesbian activists who were at the forefront of these changes and the filmmaker who documented this story.

Nancy Nicol, Producer / Director (Canada)
Mona Greenbaum, Member, Lesbian Mother’s Association of Québec (Canada)
Irene Demscuk (Canada)

Room:
511-A
Language:
English
French

Recognition of same-sex couple

Same-Sex Marriage in China

This workshop will concentrate on same-sex marriage in China. It will develop topics such as whether or not Chinese LGBT people need same-sex-marriage, the main obstacles of same sex-marriage in China, the methods to overcome the obstacles of same-sex marriage in China and the possible influences of same-sex marriage on LGBT rights in China.

Hongxia Zheng, China Remin University (China)
Yinhe Li, Head of Sociology of Marriage and Family Section, Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (China)
Dan Zhou, Lawyer (China)

Room:
521-B
Language:
English

Recognition of Same-Sex Couples

The Road to the Altar: How Equal Marriage Was Achieved in Canada

In Canada, the issue of equal marriage, that is, the access of same-sex couples to legally-recognised civil marriage formed a “perfect storm”, involving the legal system, the political process and many religious institutions. Thrust upon the federal legislative agenda because of court decisions in the three biggest Canadian provinces, the “hot-button” issue garnered substantial media coverage to become one of the defining issues of 2004-2005. This workshop will retrace the campaign by the LGBT community in achieving this right. It will include reviewing the legal challenges that made their way through the courts, the broader framework in which the issue evolved and an analysis of the tactical deployment of the campaign.

Gilles Marchildon, Executive Director, Egale Canada (Canada)
Ariel Troster
Michael Hendricks, Long-time Activist (Canada)
René Leboeuf, Long-time Activist (Canada)

Room:
512-A
Language:
English

Recognition of Same-Sex Couple

Marriage Equality Worldwide: Strategies, Successes, Failures -- What’s Next?

This panel will examine the worldwide work to end the discriminatory exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. It will highlight upcoming marriage equality battles, explore the various methodologies and pieces that are part of a successful effort (litigation, legislation, public education, enlistment of allies, cultural change, etc.), and consider how to move the non-gay public and decision-makers to support for marriage equality and fairness for families, including same-sex couples and their children.

Evan Wolfson, Lawyer, Freedom to Marry (USA)
Douglas Elliott, Lawyer, International Lesbian & Gay Law (Canada)
Martha McCarthy, Lawyer (Canada)
Roddy Shaw, Lawyer (Hong Kong, China)
Francesc Jaurena, Lawyer, Observatory of the Family (Spain)
Pierre de Vos, Law Professor (South Africa)

Room:
516-E
Language:
English

LGBT persons who wish to participate in politics face a number of difficult decisions. First, to come out publicly or not, and if so when. Can they achieve more by remaining in the closet after they are elected? Or should they remain in the closet until they are elected, and then come out? Or should they run as openly LGBT candidates? Second, how to strike a balance between working on LGBT human rights issues and the vast range of other political issues their electorates will expect them to address. A panel of openly LGBT politicians will discuss these questions, consider how differing legal and social circumstances in different countries will affect the answers, and share their experiences of receiving support or suffering discrimination for being openly LGBT in their political work.

Svend Robinson, First openly gay politician in Canada (Canada)
Agnès Maltais, Deputy, National Assembly of Québec (Canada)
Georgina Beyer, The world’s first transsexual Member of Parliament (New Zealand)
Epsy Campbell, Member, Legislative Assembly (Costa Rica) (Costa Rica)
Ulrike Lunacek, Co-Spokesperson, European Green Party and MP (Austria)
Volker Beck, Member, German Bundestag (Germany)
Oras Tynkkynen, Member, Parliament of Finland (Finland)

English
French