Building Strategic Alliances

Interplay or Match? Co-operation between Government and NGOs in The Netherlands on LGBT issues

In this workshop, the way in which the Dutch gay and lesbian movement plays an active role in shaping gay and lesbian politics in the Netherlands will be discussed. This workshop would like to show how what has been called the “politics of accommodation’ have developed and how they work in practice. Good practices will be demonstrated and discussed both on the national and the local level. However, besides the advantages of this approach, the speakers won’t hesitate to also discuss the potential pitfalls.

Judith Schuyf, Senior Consultant, Expertise centre on LGBT issues (The Netherlands)
Juul van Hoof, Consultant, COC Netherlands (The Netherlands)
Bernard Baks, Senior Consultant, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (The Netherlands)

Room:
512-D
Language:
English

Public Education and Policies to Combat Homophobia and Discrimination

Human Rights Education as a Tool to Combat Homophobia at School

This workshop will provide information on the nature and extent of the problem of homophobia in schools across Canada, discuss the human rights issues in question and present ongoing initiatives currently undertaken in Canadian schools to promote equality, safety and well-being of all staff and students. It will highlight some of the successes and difficulties in implementing an anti-discrimination program. It will be of interest to educators, policy-makers, parents and anyone concerned about school reform and improvement.

Shirley Sarna, Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (Canada)

Marc-André Dowd, Interim President, Commission des droits de la personne et des droits des la jeunesse (Canada)

Room:
513-C
Language:
French

Public Education and Policies to Combat Homophobia and Discrimination

Diversity in LGBT Organisations: Lesbian Visibility and the Intersectional Approach

This workshop will present the strategy of Gai écoute to encourage and improve the role of lesbians in Québec society. Then, it will explore the basic issue of joint participation in community groups and what that means for social and political action. Finally, Egale Canada will present its intersectional approach which has become more conscientious and systemic during recent years.

Magali Deleuze, Vice-President and Coordinator, Gai écoute (Canada)
Janik Bastien, PhD Candidate in GRIS-Montréal, UQAM (Canada)
Gilles Marchildon, Executive Director, Egale Canada (Canada)
Chris Khang, Member, Egale’s Intersectional Issues Committee (Canada)
Chris Boodram, Member, Egale’s Intersectional Issues Committee (Canada)

Room:
513-A
Language:
English

Challenging Religious Homophobia

Challenging Religious Homophobia: Arguments to Confront It

At first, a speaker will offer a “religious defence course” for activists of faith and secular activists alike. This workshop will give specialised training in how to challenge religiously-based arguments against equality for LGBT persons and their families. Then, the issue of why Christian churches insist on heterosexism will be addressed. The last part of the workshop will discuss the ways in which Catholic school boards tie their policies to the Vatican and sidestep progressive initiatives undertaken by teachers’ associations in favour of Catholic solutions to contemporary issues in schools.

Michael J. Adee, More Light Presbyterians (USA)
Marja Suhonen, Department of Systematic Theology (Finland)
Tonya D. Callaghan, Graduate student, University of Alberta (Canada)

Room:
512-H
Language:
English

HIV and other Health Issues in China and South Asia

The Hong Kong AIDS Foundation has been running a project named "Together We Teach Them Safe Sex", a program for men who have sex with men. The secretiveness and sensitivity surrounding AIDS and MSM has hampered the implementation of HIV prevention. It is necessary to adopt an innovative approach using normalisation and integration concepts. This approach is adopted to negate the adverse effect of labelling and stigmatisation. The workshop will also address the successes and challenges of AIDS prevention work for MSM in China, as well as health priority issues regarding sexual, psychological, emotional and physical health of LGBTs in Asian region.

Suben Dhakal, Member, Blue Diamond Society (Nepal)
Chung To, Overview of AIDS, Chi Heng Foundation (China)

English

Room:
513-C
Language:
French

LGBT Human Rights in Malaysia and the Philippines

This workshop will be dedicated to LGBT issues in the Philippines and in Malaysia. The first part of the workshop will discuss the instances of discrimination in the Philippines based on actual interviews with lesbians. An overview of sexual orientation issues in Philippine social work curriculum and practice will follow, by looking at how selected schools of social work and the (government’s) Department of Social Welfare and Development address sexual orientation issues particularly those of LGBTs. Then, the many challenges faced by LGBTs in Malaysia will be addressed, as Malaysia still condemns sodomy. Finally, the last part will treat of how the LGBTs are being targeted by state authorities for public prosecutions and will also address the recent changes in Islamic legal systems in tarnishing same-sex identities and sexual practices.

Eddie Loh, PT Foundation Malaysia (Malaysia)
Angie S. Umbac, Membre, Rainbow Rights Project et Lesbian Advocates Philippines (Philippines)
Yuen Mei Wong, University of Malaya (Malaysia)
Bruce P. Amoroto, Membre, Lesbian & Gay Legislative Advocacy (Philippines)

Room:
513-F
Language:
English

LGBT Human Rights in central and Eastern Europe and in central asia

Developments in the Western Balkans

This workshop is intended to provide information on major development issues for the LGBT community of Southeast Europe. The region of Southeast Europe has undergone dramatic conflicts, challenges, and changes in the past 15 years. However, even if there is a public consensus about both indubitable incorporation of human rights of national and ethnic minorities into national legislation and improvement of general societal conduct and treatment of such groups, there is still unclear, ambivalent and sometimes hesitating attitude when, if at all, the protection of LGBT comes on the agenda.

Vanja Hamzic, Member of Executive, ILGA-Europe (Bosnia)
Amar Basic, Member, South East European Queer Network (Bosnia)
Ninoslav Mladenovic, President, Association of Citizens Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) (Macedonia)
Miha Lobnik, Društvo Legebitra (Slovenia)

Room:
512-A
Language:
English

LGBT Human Rights in central and Eastern Europe and IN central asia

LGBT Human Rights in Russia and the Former Soviet Republics

This workshop will address the outbreak of HIV infection in Russia, the fight with homophobia of the elderly part of population and the fact of being brought up in Soviet times, when homosexuality was treated either as a crime or an illness only. It will also examine the modern problems of the lesbigay community of today, the experience of the countries with similar background and the possible ways for further development discussed. Another part of the workshop will be dedicated to questions such as: how Amnesty International after many years finally agreed to work with LGBT prisoners and LGBT human rights issues, but how it has failed to defend LGBT rights in Russia.

Alexander Kukharskiy, President, LGBT “Krilija” Centre (Russia)
Bill Schiller, Member, ILGCN (Sweden)
Andrey Kuvshinov, Siberian Human Rights Network (Russia)
Slava Bortnik, LGBT-Amnesty (Belarus)

Room:
513-E
Language:
English

LGBT Human Rights in Latin America

LGBT Human Rights in Brazil: The Role of the Courts and the Media

Although there is no federal act, either criminal or civil, to secure homosexual rights, the judicial rulings issued by the courts-of-law in some Brazilian states have been favourable to the claims to acknowledge a civil union between two persons of the same sex, including for the purpose of sharing property. However, such judicial rulings are substantially modified when they reach a higher court of law, the Supreme Court of Justice, which does not acknowledge the existence of durable and stable same-sex unions. Progress with regards to the recognition of the homosexual rights has gone through several movements in the Brazilian judiciary system. The final outcome is still not satisfactory but appears to be promising. A speaker will present his study of the arguments, techniques of interpretation and decision fundamentals touching sexual orientation issues that represent innovation of the current understanding, principally whether concerning social security, private health insurance schemes and relationships at work.

Eduardo Piza Gomes de Mello, président, Instituto Edson Neris (Brésil)
Marcio Farias Lobato, département de justice, Para Society in Defense of Human Rights (SDDH) (Brésil)

Room:
521-B
Language:
Portuguese

LGBT Human Rights in Latin America

Legal and Psychological Strategies for the Struggle of Latin American LGBTs

The first part of the workshop will demonstrate and analyse legislative and jurisprudence issues in Latin America. A compilation of documentary videos will present the successful experiences of CIPAC and subsequent consequences. Finally, a general portrait of how psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapist and psychoanalysts approach sexual diversity so as to improve their intervention methods will be addressed.

German Rincón Perfetti, G & M de Colombia Abogados (Colombia)
Anibal Guimarães, Scientific Coordinator, Social Policy Commission (Brazil)
Francisco Madrigal, Administrative Director, CIPAC (Costa Rica)
Daria Suárez Rehaag, Executive Director, CIPAC (Costa Rica)
Carlos Rivas, Professor/Researcher, Centro de Investigación y Formación (Venezuela)

Room:
510-B
Languages:
Spanish

The Diverse LGBT Community

Issues of Younger LGBTs

LGBT Youth in Canada

This specific workshop will be dedicated to LGBT issues related to youth. It will first address the reaching, motivating, and the arming of youth for a better tomorrow in a faster way. It will examine the LGBT youth movement from many angles and posits what the fundamentalist anti-gay factions have already figured out and are desperately trying to curtail: that this group is the one to take contemporary North American society’s view on LGBT rights to new and better levels faster than any other. Another speak will discuss how the fact of being gay and attending high school is often perceived as hell. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss their own experience of working with or being an LGBT youth.

Benjie Nycum, Co-founder / Publisher, Young Gay America / YGA Magazine (Canada)
Krin Zook, Coordinator, Out and The Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (Canada)
Melissa Luhtanen, Educator, Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre (Canada)

Room:
513-B
Language:
English

Social Inclusion of LGBT Youth: Transition from School to Work

The preliminary results of the research ‘Social Inclusion of LGBT Youth: the transition from school to work’ will be presented. Best practices and obstacles will be shared, and strategies will be discussed. From the angle of social inclusion the lecture will move to the role of the LGBT Youth movement within the workshop.

Evelyne Paradis, ILGA-Europe (Belgium)

Room:
513-B
Language:
English

Transgender, Transsexual and Intersexual Issues

Trans-Inclusion and the International Movement for LGBT Rights

Beyond a simple information session, this workshop will make room for a dialogue about trans- inclusion in which participants will have a chance to voice their concerns and questions relating to the inclusion of trans-people. Therefore, this workshop will include a much-needed information session, designed specifically for gay, lesbian, and bisexual activists, on the basic issues of transgenderism and gender transgression. It will also include techniques for including trans- people in the international movement for queer rights. Lastly, utilising a human rights approach, this workshop will cover specific mechanisms for working for the rights of trans-people, both inside and outside of the LGBT movement(s).

Jakob Hero, Trans-activist (United States)
Patrick Califia, Author of the books Sex Changes: The Politics of Transgenderism, Speaking Sex to Power, and Public Sex (United States)

Room:
521-C
Language:
English

Regime Change Starts at Home: Eliminating the Two-Sex System from Speech

This workshop discusses the history of gender neutral pronouns back to radical feminist activists and the original push to establish non-sexist standards of English language usage. Gendered pronouns enforce public disclosure of sex identity for everyone and render those who are gender ambiguous more vulnerable to prejudice and violence. Replacing gendered with neutral pronouns is the next responsible step in the struggle to create a non-discriminatory common language insofar as it expands the definition of sexism to include the bias inherent in a rigid two-sex system as well as gender bias.

Linda Wayne, University of Western Ontario (Canada)

Issues of LGBTs of Colour

Coming Out: Challenges Faced by LGBTQ Ethnic Minorities in Montréal

This workshop will address the challenges faced by LGBTQ persons belonging to an ethno-cultural community. Where coming out is already a complex and challenging period for all LGBTQ, persons belonging to an ethno-cultural community often have to overcome more obstacles and the decision of coming out often involves deciding between continuing to be part of their community and facing rejection and alienation. Representatives from various ethno-cultural communities in Montréal will share their personal experiences of coming out and the influential factors surrounding their decision to do so.

Roberto Jovel, PhD candidate, Université du Québec à Montreal (Canada)
Alan Wong, GLAM (Canada)
Benjuí Pereira, Gay Line (Canada)
Sandra Callender, EPM (Canada)
Tiago, Coallition Multimundo (Canada)
Ghayas Fadel, Séro-Zéro (Canada)

Room:
515-A
Language:
English

Education

The U.S. Model of Professionally-Staffed Campus LGBT Resource Centres

The purpose of this workshop is to explore the (predominantly) U.S. model of professionally-staffed campus LGBT resource centres, to explain how and why they start, what purposes they serve on what kinds of campuses, and to have an open discussion about other ways in which campuses have responded to the needs of LGBT students, faculty, and staff. Discussion about the National Consortium of Directors of LGBT Resources in Higher Education, which is a professional networking, advocacy, and development organization of which we are all members, will also be raised.

Nicholas Shigeru Sakurai, Program Coordinator, American University, GLBT Ally (USA)
Dona Yarbrough, Director, Tufts University, LGBT Center (USA)
Patricia Tetreault, Coordinator, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (USA)
Gwendolyn Alden Dean, Coordinator, LGBT Resource, Cornell University (USA)

Room:
512-G
Language:
English

Education

Fighting Against Homophobia in the Educational System and Networking Our Achievements

The presentation will give a summary of a global needs assessment and start of a global network of educators who focus on LGBT issues. Furthermore, the workshop will address the delicate problem of the Groupe de recherche et d’intervention sociale gaies et lesbiennes de Montréal (GRIS-Montréal) of pairing homosexuality and the school environment. GRIS-Montréal uses the method of having a gay and a lesbian testify in classes and have students ask them questions.

Peter Dankmeijer, Empowerment Lifestyle Services (The Netherlands)
Erwin Kunnen, President, AOB group for Homosexual Education (The Netherlands)
Grada Schadee, AOB (The Netherlands)
Stéphan Giroux, Training Coordinator, GRIS-Montréal (Canada)

Room:
512-C
Language:
French

Employment, Workplace and Trade Unions

Homophobia, Career Choices and the Workplace

The first part of the workshop will address the question “What are the ways in which our sexual orientation can influence our career choice?” Because of homophobia and heterosexism, LGBT people can face difficulties when choosing careers and searching for work - compared to our “straight” counterparts. And why do so many of us still remain closeted at work – keeping our queerness a partial or complete secret? Then, a presentation called “Creating Visibility for LGBT in the Workplace - An Asian Perspective” will be discussed. This part will address issues of support and advocacy for the LGBT community in the workplace in Asia.

Gregg Blachford, Director, McGill University Career and Placement (Canada)
Cindy Mancuso, Career Counsellor, McGill University Career & Placement (Canada)
Hayden Majajas, Co-Head, Lehman Brothers Gay & Lesbian Network (Japan)

Room:
512-E
Language:
English

Employment, Workplace and Trade Unions

LGBT Equality and Participation in the Military and the Judiciary

Exclusion from military service is a part of maintaining the second class citizen status of LGBT persons. Dramatic gains have been made worldwide in the effort to end the exclusion and lift the ban on service. In the United States, the military continues to exclude LGBT persons, however, many other countries have changed their policies to allow open service by LGBT and in some cases, even Transgender service members. This workshop will focus on the different ways LGBT persons are excluded, or included, in the military in nations around the world and the impact on the LGBT movement in those countries. Questions the panel will address will include: How has the military’s policy affected, negatively or positively, the struggle for LGBT equality in various countries? What lessons can be learned from the countries that have lifted the ban on military service?

C. Dixon Osburn, Executive Director, Service Members Legal Defense (USA)

Krister Fahlsted, Swedish Military (Sweden)

The second part of the presentation has two main objectives. The first is to examine the specific challenges that sexual orientation offers to the judicial diversity debates. A major focus will be upon situating sexual orientation issues within the parameters of existing scholarship on judicial diversity. Another will be to isolate the distinctive challenges that sexual orientation offers to the judicial diversity debates. The second general objective of the paper is to offer the first scholarly analysis of the experiences of lesbian and gay judges. This will be undertaken by way of an analysis of some empirical data that the author has generated by way of a series of semi structured interviews with ‘out’ lesbian and gay judges in South Africa.

Leslie Moran, Law Professor, School of Law, Birkbeck College (United Kingdom)

Room:
514-C
Language:
English

Health Care and Other Services

Access to Health Care for LGBTs in Australia, New Zealand and Canada

This presentation will analyse results from doctoral research which seeks to deepen our understanding of the disparities by investigating gay men’s constructions of health, healthiness, and health promoting and demoting behaviours and activities and consider the ways these are related to gay masculinities, identities, and cultural practices. Furthermore, the workshop will profile The Solace Project – a volunteer-based group of concerned individuals advocating for suicide awareness and prevention within LGBT Communities. It will explain how tragic events such as suicide can inspire grass roots activism in communities determined to take care of themselves. Finally, the last part will be dedicated to the fact that, within the appeal to a general practioner, Australian lesbian and bisexual women, when compared with heterosexual women, are shown to have experienced higher levels of abuse and are more likely to use illicit drugs and to suffer with depression and anxiety.

Jeffery Adams, Department of Psychology, University of Auckland (New Zealand)
Omar Dominguez, Gayway/AIDS Vancouver (Canada)
Ruth McNair, PhD Student, University of Melbourne (Australia)

Parenting

Family and Homosexuality: Links between Research and Community

Building on the Canadian and Belgium legislative changes concerning gay and lesbian conjugal and parental rights, the workshop will focus on three areas: First, it will examine the past contribution of empirical research to inform stakeholders in parental rights. Second, it will present state of knowledge base in the field of gay and lesbian parents and their children, specifically in three areas: multi-parents families, gay fathers’ parental involvement, and adaptation of lesbian mothers’ teens in school settings. Third, using the knowledge of these specific areas, it will delineate the specific needs of the parents and their children, and outline the social implications of research.

Danielle Julien, Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada)
Mona Greenbaum, Coordinator, Lesbian Mothers Association of Québec (Canada)
Johanna Vyncke, Doctoral Student, University of London (United Kingdom)
Emilie Jouvin, Doctoral Student, Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada)
Cathy Herbrand, Doctoral Student, Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)
Alexandre L’Archevêque, Student, Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada)

Room:
516-A
Language:
French

Recognition of Same-Sex Couples

Marriage, Conjugality, and the Role of the State: Lesbian Strategies

The workshop will consist of a panel discussion of how lesbian women are located in relation to the movement for same-sex marriage and what their competing needs are. Drawing on reform strategies in the United States, Canada and other countries, it will address the tension between meeting the immediate material and security needs of lesbian women, couples, and their families and the longer-term importance of eradicating discrimination as they are considered from the gendered perspective of lesbian women.

Nancy Polikoff, Professor, Law School, Georgetown University (USA)
Katherine Arnup, Associate Professor, Carleton University (Canada)
Kathleen Lahey, Professor, Law School, Queen’s University (Canada)

Room:
513-D
Language:
English

Recognition of same-sex couples

The International Case for Same-Sex Marriage: Strategies and Prospects

This workshop will survey the various forms of state recognition for Lesbian & Gay Unions, with theories for why we have made such progress, new evidence relevant to the debate & strategies for further progress.

Robert Wintemute, Law Professor, King’s College London (United Kingdom)
Kees Waaldijk, Law Professor, University of Leiden (The Netherlands)
William N. Eskridge, Law Professor, Law School, Yale University (USA)
Darren Spedale, Lawyer, formerly with White & Case (USA)

Room:
511-A
Language:
English

Religions

Christian and Jewish LGBTs in France and in Canada

Following an in-depth study to explore the situation of homosexual Christians, their beliefs and personal practices, their attitudes and opinions concerning sexuality and related institutional positions on the subject, and their involvement in the Christian community, this workshop will present the two categories by demonstrating how in both cases, the religion and the choice of the religious community allows for living in harmony with the apparent opposition between Christianity and homosexuality. The second part of the workshop will discuss a related study dealing with the question of living an affirmed multiple yet conflicting identity. Finally, the official position with regards to homosexuality of the Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada will be presented and discussed.

Martine Gross, Research Engineer, Centre National de la Recherche (France)
Nicole Hamel, Co-Founder and Co-Animator, altersexual group Entre nous (Canada)

Room:
512-F
Language:
French