Lunch with Ambassador Guest

If you hurry, you can join in the GLIFAA lunch with Ambassador Michael Guest.

Ambassador Guest and his colleagues from the Council for Global Equality were at the Department for this morning for a briefing on LGBT issues for EUR Desk Officers. Immediately thereafter, they've agreed to join GLIFAA members for a brown bag lunch in Room 4517. So if you are at or near Main State, head over, lunch in hand, at 12:15.

Ambassador Guest served as the first out career Foreign Service Officer to be confirmed as an Ambassador by the U.S. Senate in 2001. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor at the Council for Global Equality, a non-profit serving to advance LGBT rights as part of U.S. efforts to promote human rights.

Ambassador Guest to Lead U.S. Delegation to International Human Rights Conference

I got this yesterday from the Council for Global Equality:

Ambassador Guest to Lead U.S. Delegation to International Human Rights Conference

The State Department has asked Michael Guest, a Senior Advisor to the Council for Global Equality, to lead the U.S. delegation to an upcoming human rights review conference to be held in Poland. The conference, to be held September 30-October 8 in Warsaw, will review the degree to which the 56 member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which embraces all of North America and Europe, are implementing their international human rights commitments. The Warsaw meeting is the first step in preparations for a Summit-level OSCE meeting in Kazakhstan later this year.

During his previous 26-year State Department career, Ambassador Guest worked directly on OSCE policy, as well as on broader human rights policy concerns. He retired in December 2007, in protest of State Department regulations that discriminated against gay and lesbian Foreign Service personnel. His career displays a record of commitment to the ideals that underlay the creation of the OSCE. We salute the State Department for tapping him to lead efforts in Warsaw to reaffirm the transatlantic community's commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms.

This is the first time that the United States has named an openly gay individual to serve on its official delegation to an OSCE conference. Of note, the United States delegation to a related OSCE human rights conference last year raised, for the first time, concerns over violence directed against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender minorities in many states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This issue is expected to be a feature of the Warsaw discussions, along with other U.S. concerns about challenges to journalist protections, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association.

Secretary Clinton Addresses GLIFAA Members on LGBT Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy

Needless to say, I am excited about this:

Secretary Clinton Addresses GLIFAA Members on LGBT Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy

When: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 11:00am - 12:00pm

Where: Loy Henderson Auditorium, Main State, 2201 C Street NW

Metro: Foggy Bottom

Secretary Clinton will speak on integrating LGBT human rights with U.S. foreign policy and speakers from the Council for Global Equality and other LGBT human rights groups will hold a panel.

Please email glifaa@glifaa.org for more information.

Note: You must arrive by 10:30 am.

State Dept. report identifies LGBT abuses abroad

That wind that was blowing yesterday was the collective sigh of relief of all of the people within the State Department who have to work on the annual Human Rights Report. The report is ginourmous (someone said 13 volumes this year...not sure if that is accurate) Every embassy contributes, usually having some poor political JO do the grunt work and then send it up the chain of command for changes, clearances, etc. Then they get it back, fix stuff, do all that all over again. Rinse, repeat.

My wife was working on the HRR in Jerusalem and our acting DPO, feeling sympathy for her efforts, said, "At least you'll only have to do this once in your career." To which my wife grumbled, "This is my THIRD time." She had to do the report twice in Baku.

I am especially gratified to see the emphasis on LGBT issues globally. It is nice to see that we matter, that the lives and the experiences of our LGBT brothers and sisters abroad matter.

This has certainly not always been the case.

State Dept. report identifies LGBT abuses abroad

A new State Department report reveals LGBT people in many foreign countries continue to endure discrimination and human rights abuses.

The annual State Department report on human rights abroad, made public Thursday, describes the state of human rights in each country, including the sometimes difficult conditions faced by LGBT people.

For the first time, most of the entries for each country have a section on “societal abuses, discrimination, and acts of violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” giving these acts particular attention.

In remarks to the press, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlighted the importance of the report as a means to educate those who are interested in human rights.

“These reports are an essential tool – for activists who courageously struggle to protect rights in communities around the world; for journalists and scholars who document rights violations and who report on the work of those who champion the vulnerable; and for governments, including our own, as they work to craft strategies to encourage protection of human rights of more individuals in more places,” she said.

The new report identifies serious abuses against LGBT people in many countries, including cases where the government is threatening the lives of LGBT people or where LGBT people are facing torture.

The introduction for the report makes particular note of Uganda, where an anti-gay bill was introduced in September.

Homosexual acts are already illegal in Uganda, but the proposed legislation would institute the death penality for repeatedly engaging in homosexual acts or for having homosexual sex while HIV positive. Additionally, the bill would require citizens to report LGBT people to the government or risk fines and imprisonment.
The report states the introduction of the anti-gay bill in Uganda ”resulted in increased harassment and intimidation of LGBT persons during the year.”

“Public resentment of homosexual conduct sparked significant public debate during the year, and the government took a strong position against such conduct despite a December 2008 ruling by the High Court that constitutional rights apply to all persons, regardless of sexual orientation,” the report states.

The report also details the alleged human rights abuses against LGBT people in Iraq. Following a congressional fact-finding tour to the country last year, Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), who’s gay, had worked to draw attention to these alleged abuses.
Although homosexuality between adults isn’t illegal in Iraq, the State Department notes various reports of violence against gay men at the hands of non-governmental actors.

The report cites accounts in the media indicating that around 60 gay men were killed in the first few months of 2009, mostly in Baghdad, and the U.N.’s refugee agency found 30 gay men or boys were murdered because they were perceived to be gay.
“Numerous press reports indicate that some victims were assaulted and murdered by having their anuses glued shut or their genitals cut off and stuffed down their throats until they suffocated,” the report states. ”The government did not endorse or condone these extra-judicial killings, and the [Ministry of the Interior] publicly stated that killing men or lesbians was murder.”

The report also notes serious assaults against LGBT people in Jamaica. The country has a law against “acts of gross indecency” between men, which is generally interpreted as any kind of physical intimacy.

According to the State Department, human rights abuses against LGBT people in Jamaica include “arbitrary detention, mob attacks, stabbings, harassment of homosexual patients by hospital and prison staff, and targeted shootings of such persons.” The report says police often didn’t investigate these incidents.

Individuals perceived as gay were often the targets of extreme violence, according to the report. In September, an honorary British consul in Montego Bay was strangled in bed. The perpetuator left a note at the scene reportedly denouncing the victim as gay.
“On October 12, a passerby accused a pedestrian on a Kingston sidewalk of being gay because he had been walking in an ‘effeminate manner,’” the report states. ”That person was subsequently attacked with a machete and four fingers were nearly severed.”
In a statement, Mark Bromley, chair of the Council for Global Equality, commended the State Department for providing detailed information on assaults against LGBT people abroad.
“The level of reporting on LGBT abuses this year is remarkably detailed and truly commendable, and unfortunately this new level of detail shows just how dangerous it is for LGBT individuals to go about their daily lives as ordinary citizens in so many parts of the world,” he said.

Michael Guest, who’s gay and a former U.S. ambassador to Romania, also praised the report, noting “many of the most egregious abuses have been committed in countries considered to be friends and allies of the United States.” He urged the State Department to develop strategies to counter these abuses in every part of the world.

Public Protests Worldwide on Uganda Anti-Gay Measure

I got this in the email a few minutes ago from the Council for Global Equality:

Public Protests Worldwide on Uganda Anti-Gay Measure
Demonstration at 2 pm ET, Thursday, November 19
Washington, D.C.

WHAT:

A global public protest against a proposed "Anti-Homosexuality" Bill in Uganda will take place this week in Washington, DC aligned with global human rights protests in other cities including New York.

WHERE:

Embassy of the Republic of Uganda
5911 16th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

2 PM to 3 PM ET, Thursday, November 19, 2009

WHY:

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and its partners in civil society have requested that supporters stage protests against the homophobic legislation at the diplomatic missions of Uganda leading up to Human Rights Day on December 10, 2009. The demonstration in Washington, D.C. is organized by a coalition of supporters, including Advocates for Youth, the African Services Committee, AIDS Institute, Amnesty International, the Council for Global Equality, Global Rights, Health Gap, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, Immigration Equality, the International Gay and Lesbian human Rights Commission, Human Rights Watch, Metropolitan Community Churches, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. A counterpart demonstration protesting the bill will also be held at Uganda's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City the same afternoon. For more information on the New York protest visit http://www.iglhrc.org

BACKGROUND:

A broad coalition of civil society groups in Uganda have united against the legislation, warning that it will severely undermine human rights and the work of human rights defenders in the country. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Ugandans are already persecuted under Penal Code Article 145a, which prohibits "carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature." The proposed bill specifically criminalizes homosexuality, and punishes anything from sexual stimulation to "touch[ing] another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality" with life imprisonment. Worse, "aggravated homosexuality" - including activity by "serial offenders" or those who are HIV positive - would merit the death penalty.

The bill's draconian restrictions on homosexuality have drawn public criticism from a diverse coalition of professional and civic organizations in Uganda, who warn that it also undermines civil society, the rule of law, and public health outreach in the country. The bill not only criminalizes the "promotion of homosexuality," but states that any person in authority who fails to report known violations of the law within 24 hours will also be subject to a significant fine and imprisonment. It would have negative repercussions for HIV prevention activities in Uganda, which rely on an ability to talk frankly about sexuality and provide condoms and other safer-sex materials, will be seriously compromised. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent by revoking the basic human rights of a marginalized group in the name of tradition, with potentially serious repercussions for women, sex workers, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 violates multiple protections guaranteed by the Constitution of Uganda, but also contravenes the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and other international human rights treaties to which Uganda is a party. By withdrawing from agreements which acknowledge sexual orientation and gender identity, the bill sets a dangerous precedent, undermines Uganda's commitment to the international human rights regime, and threatens the basic human rights of all Ugandans. More shocking, the bill claims jurisdiction over Ugandans who violate its provisions while outside of the country, provoking condemnation from the international community and the governments of the United States and France.


FOR SPOKESPERSONS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Advocates for Youth, Donald Hitchcock, 202-251-4351 (Cell), Donald@ADVOCATESFORYOUTH.org

AIDS Institute, James Sykes, 202-557-6389 (Cell),
jsykes@theaidsinstitute.org

Amnesty International, Media Office, 202.544.0200,
SEdwards@aiusa.org

Council for Global Equality, Mark Bromley, 202-607-6813 (Cell),
Mark@GlobalEquality.org

Global Rights, Stefano Fabeni, 917-209-0118 (Cell),
StefanoF@globalrights.org

Hartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, Amy Carlton, 312-660-1317 (Cell),
ACarlton@heartlandalliance.org

Health Gap, Matthew Kavanagh, 202-486-2488 (Cell),
Matthew@healthgap.org

Human Rights Watch, Scott Long, 646-641-5655 (Cell),
LongS@hrw.org

Immigration Equality, Steve Ralls, 202-347-7007 (Cell),
sralls@immigrationequality.org

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Hossein Alizadeh,
212-430-6016, halizadeh@iglhrc.org

Metropolitan Community Churches, Rev. Pat Bumgardner, 212-629-7440, RvPatMCCNY@aol.com

National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), Calla Devlin, 415-205-2420 (Cell),
cdevlin@nclrights.org


FOR ACTION:

Following the call from SMUG, all human rights defenders are encouraged to join the demonstrations or contact Uganda's diplomatic missions using the information below. The bill's repercussions for human rights and human rights defenders stretch far beyond Uganda, and merit strong support for SMUG and its civil society partners from allies around the globe.

Jerry P. Lanier, US Ambassador to the Republic of Uganda
P.O. Box 7007,
Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-414-259-791/2/3/5
Fax: 256-414-259-794
kampalawebcontact@state.gov

Perezi K. Kamunanwire, Ambassador to the US
Tel: 1-202-726-4758
Fax: 1-202-726-1727
pkamunanwire@ugandaembassyus.org

Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uganda to the United Nations
336 East 45 Street
New York, NY 10017
Tel: 1-212-949-0110
Fax: 1-212-687-4517
ugandaunny@un.int


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About Council for Global Equality

The Council for Global Equality brings together international human rights activists, foreign policy experts, LGBT leaders, philanthropists and corporate officials to encourage a clearer and stronger American voice on human rights concerns impacting LGBT communities around the world.

www.globalequality.org