24/03/2009
News sent - 24th March 2009
In this week's e-mail newsletter: Equality Network News: Harassment Legislation Survey – and Scotland’s Future; Forums News: Hate crimes "cannot be tolerated"; Extensive transphobia in "Moving Wallpaper"; Avaaz: Petition the Pope on condoms; Talk Scotland Events: Inverness: "Chai and a chat"; Glasgow: Free radio workshops; Glasgow: "Look mummy, I’m dancing"; Edinburgh: Pride Scotia; UK News: NI: Iris Robinson will not be prosecuted; London: GALOP report on homophobic hate crime; International: France: Recognition of civil partnership as PACS; UK: Response to petition on LGBT asylum seekers; US: Obama endorses decriminalisation at UN but American discrimination continues; Working for All: LGBT Youth Scotland: three Glasgow posts (Head of Policy & Mainstreaming, Research & Evaluation Officer, and Policy & Training Officer); LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation: Backstairs ban on civil partnerships?; US: Portia de Rossi apologies for marriage
If you're interested in using the Equality Network's bulletin boards to share information about local and international news and events in your area, e-mail ENnews@equality-network.org by close of day Friday each week for inclusion in next week's mailing.
If you have a Facebook account, you can join the
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The boards at
equality-network.invisionzone.com are now available only for posting news and events. A community discussion board is under development. Please send material for inclusion on the boards and in the weekly e-bulletin by end of day Friday each week.
This week’s LGBT News is a day early due to staff personal leave: next week’s LGBT News will be on Wednesday 1st April, sent out after 12 noon to avoid any April Fools.
Equality Network News
Harassment Legislation Survey
In the past five years, there have been some big changes to the laws which ban discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. In this survey we are asking you about the impact of these new laws, and whether you think they are improving life for LGBT people.
We are also asking you what else needs to change to make Scotland truly equal and welcoming for LGBT people.
Click here to give us your views.
Forums News
Hate crimes "cannot be tolerated"
Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has said that extending hate crime laws to protect LGBT people and the disabled will send out a "clear message" that such crimes cannot be tolerated. MSPs voted unanimously in favour of making homophobic, transphobic, or anti-disability crimes aggravated offences that can be tracked through the justice system and more severely punished: the bill will now be examined by committee before returning to Parliament for second-stage voting. (
Pink News,
BBC,
Scotsman)
Extensive transphobia in "Moving Wallpaper"
A number of complaints have been lodged with ITV and OFCOM about extensive transphobia (such as comparing trans people to zombies) in the ITV programme ‘Moving Wallpaper’ broadcast on Friday 20th March.
Facebook campaign
Episode can be viewed at the
ITV site.
Avaaz: Petition the Pope on condoms
The global web-based organisation
Avaaz is petitioning the Pope to reconsider his public statements about the use of condoms in AIDS prevention programmes. Last week Pope Benedict XVI said: "[AIDS] cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems". (
BBC,
Guardian)
"To His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI: We appeal to your compassion to consider the men, women, children - and the poor - who are at grave risk from the spread of HIV/AIDS. We urge you to exercise care in your public statements, and refrain from undermining life-saving public education and AIDS prevention programs on the use of condoms." (
link)
Talk Scotland Events
Inverness: "Chai and a chat"
Next women's group meets on Tuesday 7th April, 7-9pm, at the Terrence Higgins Trust office in Inverness. (Carrie, Eveline or Agnes will be facilitating the group which will meet fortnightly, every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month from 7-9pm.) Meetings open to all women and offer "a cosy space to meet other women, to have a cup of tea and a chat",
THT Scotland Highland Services blog
Glasgow: Free radio workshops
"What do you know about radio? Someone talks, plays music and talks?
Wrong. Do you know how to time a script? Do you know what Backtiming is? Can you structure a programme? Would you like to learn?" Awaz FM, Scotland’s only Asian Radio Station, are running free classes in radio production where you will learn all of these things plus more. You will gain an understanding into how radio works, what goes into creating a programme, meet new people... and plus it looks good on the CV. If you’re interested then phone our Training Officer on 0141 420 6666 or email manjot@awazfm.co.uk
www.awazfm.co.uk
Glasgow: "Look mummy, I’m dancing"
The Tramway, 17th & 16th April. The acclaimed stage version of Belgian artist Vanessa Van Durme’s autobiography of the same name, performed by herself. This is the only performance of "Look mummy, I’m dancing" outside of London. T4, Tramway, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow, G41 2PE.Box Office: 0845 330 3501 (
Scottish Transgender Alliance)
Edinburgh: Pride Scotia
Provisional date for Pride Scotia is Saturday 27th June. If you'd like to be involved, phone 0131-556 9471 or e-mail: edinburgh@pride-scotia.org.
www.pride-scotia.org
UK News
NI: Iris Robinson will not be prosecuted
The DUP MP, who is her party's spokesperson for Health, Youth and Women, last year advocated on Ulster Radio that the victim of a homophobic hate crime, then still in hospital, should try to be "cured" of his sexual orientation. She also asserted, in a House of Commons committee meeting, that homosexuality is ‘viler’ than child abuse, though later retracting "viler" and saying she had merely meant to say that they were "comparable". Last week the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it was not taking any action against Iris Robinson, after taking advice from the Public Prosecution Service. She still chairs the Health Committee for Northern Ireland. The DUP have made a public statement that in their view Iris Robinson did nothing wrong. (
Lesbian and Gay Foundation,
Belfast Telegraph,
Irish Times)
Tim Teeman, arts and entertainment editor of
The Times, says: "There must be a balance between the right to free speech, the right to express one's faith and gay people's right to live equally and free from fear. Let us be equal before the law, and let common sense do the rest."
London: GALOP report on homophobic hate crime
The results of a survey conducted by Galop and the Metropolitan Police on unreported crimes and service provisions in London, show that a "significant" number of officially unreported homophobic and transphobic are informally reported to a range of agencies across London, but in most cases, such information was not recorded or shared with other organisations. (
Pink News)
www.galop.org.uk
International
France: Recognition of civil partnership as PACS
The French government's refusal to recognise a civil partnership as a PACS or as equivalent to civil marriage has meant significant difficulties for same-sex couples living in France. However, from a press release forwarded to the Equality Network on 20th March (text and translations on the boards) La Commission des Lois du Sénat (The Committee on Legislation of the Senate) has given a favourable opinion to a proposal by Senator Alima Boumediene-Thiery to allow recognition of civil partnerships from other countries, overriding the current requirement for civil partners to divorce before they can register a PACS. This proposal will be voted on today (24th March).
Equality Network > Civil Partnership > International
UK: Response to petition on LGBT asylum seekers
On 5th February this year, a petition was submitted to the office of the Prime Minister to review the treatment of people seeking asylum in the UK from countries where being LGBT carries a death penalty: "In the light of the cases of Pegah Emembakhsh and Mehdi Kazemi, Iranian LGBT asylum seekers, who sought asylum in the UK, we call upon the Prime Minister for an urgent review of the treatment of all LGBT asylum seekers."
The PM's office
responded today (24th March), saying in part: "We recognise that the conditions for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in some countries are such that there may be individuals who are able to demonstrate a need for international protection... However, we do not accept that there should be a presumption that each and every asylum seeker of a particular nationality who presents themselves as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender should automatically be afforded protection in the UK."
US: Obama endorses decriminalisation at UN but American discrimination continues
Last week, the Obama administration formally endorsed a UN declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalisation of homosexuality, a measure that the previous President George W. Bush had refused to sign. When it was voted on in December, 66 of the UN's 192 member countries signed the non-binding declaration, including all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia and Mexico. 70 UN members outlaw homosexuality and in several, homosexual acts can be punished by execution. The declaration was also opposed by members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the Vatican. (
Guardian,
VOAnews)
This week, Senator John Kerry has asked the Obama administration to grant asylum to a Brazilian citizen Genesio "Junior" Oliveira, who married an American citizen in Massachusetts in 2005, and had been forced to return to Brazil in 2007. Writing in the Huffington Post, Emma Ruby-Sachs says this "misses the point": "As long as federal law doesn't recognize same-sex relationships, immigration laws won't allow for spousal sponsorships and that means those LGBT people unfortunate enough to fall in love with someone from a different country are destined to live with constant insecurity and pain." (
Boston.com,
Huffington Post)
Working for All
LGBT Youth Scotland: three Glasgow posts
Head of Policy & Mainstreaming: The national organisation to support LGBT young people is looking to recruit an energetic and highly effective person to join its senior management team and to lead the continued development and delivery of its highly successful policy and mainstreaming work.
Also looking to recruit:
Research & Evaluation Officer and
Policy & Training Officer.
Closing date for applications for all posts is Thursday 2nd April 2009. For further information or an informal discussion please call 0131 555 3940 or email admin@lgbtyouth.org.uk. Application packs available from the
LGBT Youth Scotland website.
LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation
Backstairs ban on civil partnerships?
Trustees of the Castle of Mey, the late Queen Mother's Scottish home, believe they may have found a legal way to ban civil partnership ceremonies from taking place at the castle, by allowing only religious marriages on the property. Mixed-sex couples may choose to have either a civil or a religious ceremony for their marriage, but same-sex couples cannot choose to register their civil partnership at a religious ceremony, and so would be unable to book this venue if the ban is upheld. (Many same-sex couples also choose to have a religious ceremony, but this must be clearly separated from their civil partnership ceremony.) (
Scotsman,
Telegraph)
However, the page on
wedding services in the Visitors centre at the Castle of Mey says: "The Trust has decided that without discriminating against creed, colour, gender or sexual orientation, offering such a service from our new Visitors Centre is an opportunity that should be explored."
US: Portia de Rossi apologies for marriage
Australian actor Portia de Rossi, who married Ellen DeGeneres in California last August, recorded a PSA apology to "all those people whose lives have been affected by me getting married", including people "who suffered painful and debilitating paper cuts from holding up a simple message of intolerance." (
Geelong Advertiser)
Watch the video (
youtube) /
Transcript
The Equality Network’s website for information on all aspects of LGBT family law – including civil partnership, cohabitation, having children, breaking up – is
www.lgbtfamilies.org
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