Workshop Sessions

In the mid 1970's the first politicians got elected running openly as lesbians and gays - namely Wechsler in Ann Arbour, Michigan, and Harvey Milk in San Francisco, California, USA. Three decades later almost 22 countries that recognize same sex marriage (7 countries) or civil unions and registered partnerships (15 countries). There are several out and open LGBT people in public offices like mayors and vice-mayors of cities (Paris, Berlin, Graz) or as ministers or prime ministers (Iceland) or in legislative assemblies - from local to regional to national to supranational parliaments such as the European Parliament. Legal changes and visibility in order to change people's mindsets (in their own parties and in the overall public) are the main objectives for openly LGBT politicians - be they active on LGBT topics or in other fields.
This workshop is to discuss the lessons learned from those who have come before us, and the outlook we take from here for the struggles to come for equal rights under the current challenging context and tensions. Party politics require leadership that stands for national and international human rights standards, and for politics which work to enhance people's freedom and rights and which work against fear and hatred. And for party structures that allow people to participate in all their diversity: It's normal to be different!

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Being Lesbian, Bi, Trans Woman in North Africa and in the Middle East:
Survival Kit

Lesbian, bisexual and trans women from this part of the world are probably the most invisible and discriminated in the whole world. In a very difficult political, economical and social context, they face multiple discriminations as women, where women have no or little rights and no freedom. Their life is being managed most of the time by the members of their family, even to what regards when to get married, with whom, how many children to have and, sometimes, even how to dress. Homosexuality is criminalized in most of these countries and where it is not, it is still highly stigmatized and being considered either a disease or a sin. Additionally most activists found it very difficult to work with their gay counterparts and sometimes the feminist agenda simply ignores lesbian, bisexual and trans women's rights. How to survive in this difficult context? Outstanding activists from this region will provide us with positive examples in the fashion of a survival kit. They will show how it is indeed possible to fight for one's rights by working with other Human Rights and feminist partners.

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Film Screening: Beyond the Pink Curtain

Homophobia remains an institutional practice in Eastern Europe, even after the fall of communism.  Other films suggest a pink curtain has replaced the iron curtain, but is the West in any position to pass judgment? “Beyond the Pink Curtain” questions this bias and investigates the power and responsibility of the European Union to protect us. Sexuality transcends nationality. Borders should not allow homophobia to prevail. We need to look “Beyond the Pink Curtain.”

The director Mathew Charles will introduce the film.

Directed by Mathew Charles; produced by Mathew Charles and Isabel Pudden.
2009 Daffodil Media (71 min.)

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Directive 2000/78/EC of the European Union (27 member states, 480,000,000 people) prohibits sexual orientation discrimination in employment and vocational training (including higher education). EU legislation on sex discrimination in these areas (as well as social security and goods and services) has been interpreted as covering discrimination "for a reason related to a gender reassignment". A proposed new directive (COM(2008) 426 final) would extend protection against sexual orientation discrimination to social protection, social security, social advantages (ie, benefits), healthcare, housing, other education, and other goods and services. Yet in another important area of EU competence, Directive 2004/38/EC does not sufficiently guarantee free movement of same-sex couples within the EU.
Two officials of the European Commission (the EU's Brussels-based "executive"), as well as a representative of ILGA-Europe, will present their work on these issues, while the Chair will comment on recent developments and prospects for the future.

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In many places in the world transgenders stand up to claim their rights. Some with fabulous success like Priya Babu and her team in Tamil Nadu, India. And transgenders start to organise themselves. It is a matter of time until the first worldwide and regional transgender networks will come into existence. Hivos supports the struggle of transgenders to claim their rights. This workshop will provide good practices and an overview of transgender rights work in various countries and continents.

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Los panelistas se enfocaran en avances para garantizar derechos y no discriminación a las personas LGBT. El l objetivo es compartir experiencias, procesos y logros, intercambiar estrategias, e identificar retos para consolidar y profundizar  los avances en la conquista de derechos. Pedro Paradiso, Presentará logros jurídicos y sociales relacionados con la promoción y aprobación derechos vinculados con la orientación sexual y la identidad de género en la República Argentina, su raigambre constitucional y el contexto jurídico internacional. Haciendo así mismo un recorrido sobre los 25 años trabajo de la Comunidad Homosexual Argentina. Jordi Valls, se enfocará en los avances logrados en Barcelona.Analizando el Plan transversal d municipal para el colectivo LGBT, que integra y garantiza  coordinación y coherencia de las políticas de la ciudad con los objetivos de reforzar el movimiento asociativo, visualizar la presencia del colectivo LGTB en la ciudad y luchar contra prejuicios y discriminación.

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In 2007, RFSL launched a toolkit on how to use an LGBT perspective in international development cooperation. With the toolkit as a starting point, RFSL will discuss how governmental and non-governmental bodies in the North are currently dealing – and not dealing - with LGBT in development cooperations. The workshop will also provide a background to how strategic advocacy from RFSL's side has contributed to putting LGBT issues on the agenda in Sweden’s international relations, foreign policy and development cooperation.

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In 2006, the Social and Cultural Planning Office of the Netherlands published the research report "Acceptance of Homosexuality in the Netherlands". The report states that this is not only a responsibility of the national government, but also of LGBT organisations, migrant organisations, education establishments, labour organisations and last but not least, local authorities.
The Dutch national government responded with a policy document, "Simply Gay", to promote emancipation of LGBT people and to tackle homophobia. Important is the role for local governments. Translating national policy to a local level requires leadership and involvement on both a national level as a local level. In this workshop we will present the conditions for a successful implementation of national LGBT policy on a local level as well as the challenges faced. The workshop will be interesting for LGBT organisations, policy advisors and (national and local) government officials. 

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Along with our experts, we will examine the numerous ways in which the International Business Equality Index is used as a catalyst for positive change in the business world. Through an interactive panel, we will present the concrete ways in which corporations can engage in advancing diversity while benefiting from a new international benchmark to position themselves as global leaders. By doing so, we will also point out the Index's positive effect on the entire LGBT community.

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While supplier diversity is a relatively well-established program within North America, it remains a great potential to explore in other continents. This workshop focuses on the success stories of LGBT business owners and of minorities in general that created business opportunities with multinationals. It will also reflect on European and Latin American entrepreneurial and cultural aspects to be considered for a successful implementation of supplier diversity programs.

Moderator:

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Even in a constantly changing world, business organizations still need new sponsors and new members to develop. The IGLCC exemplifies how its programs and initiatives are designed to specifically offer them the tools to thrive among the competition for membership and sponsorship opportunities.

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The "All Clear" partnership brought together all different kinds of organisations, with the common objective to create a working environment where everybody is respected, regardless of their sexual orientation. Employers organisations, trade unions, LGBT organisations worked together, offering seminars and training sessions as well as a variety of different publications. In this workshop, speakers will present methods and best practices on how to approach the issue of sexual orientation as a workplace issue for employers, employees and trade unions.
The focus of the workshop will be on the consequences of heteronormativity in the workplace. Relevant research about sexual orientation and related professional issues will also be presented, as will strategies to encourage employers to consider sexual orientation as an element of the working environment.

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In this workshop four members of CSN’s LGBT Committee will present result and goals for LGBT in Quebec. Marc de Repentigny: work and support to LGBT by our regional structures and links with social groups and the LGBT communities Production and distribution of our brochure No more no less : the same as everyone else; Donald Picotte: education sessions offered in our regional structure (Conseil central) in Montreal, Goals, methods, lessons; Andrée Lapierre: CSN’s efforts for recognition of same sex couples in Quebec and coming tasks for our LGBT CSN Committee within our organization and outward towards a national strategy on homophobia; Dominique Dubuc: National Table for fighting homophobia in professional colleges in Quebec: on going study and strategies to push for implementation of specific recommended actions in the education networks.

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The cities of Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, Tel Aviv, Antwerp and Aarhus are all presenting an open-air LGBT cultural programme called OutCities during World Outgames. At this workshop mayors and official representatives from the cities will present and discuss how major cities of the world can work with cultural diversity to strengthen innovation and growth.

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This workshop will look at journalistic coverage of gay rights issues in the Middle East and Muslim countries and how that helps - and sometimes hurts - human rights issues and gay people in those regions. The panel is a combination of journalists covering these issues, as well as activists from the region (who actually now work out of the West.) As an example of discussion for the theme, some of the coverage of gay rights in Iran by Western papers can be used as evidence in Iranian courts to execute men over there based on the wording in the publications. While in the West, we might want to cover an issue fully, the selection of words we use can be damaging in the home countries of the men and women covered. In addition, looking at the coverage of gays in the region in the context of the ongoing wars.

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The Rainbow Health Network (RHN), Toronto, Ontario, Canada will be discussed as a model of a community development approach to broad health and wellbeing issues of LGBT people. In the era of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, how do we address broader health and wellbeing issues of LGBT people? How can LGBT health professionals be accountable to our own communities, when larger systems may not be supportive? How can LGBT service users voice their concerns about health care and social services?
Objectives: 1. Overview of health and wellbeing issues of LGBTs in Toronto. 2. Present RHN model of community development (empowering LGBT service providers and service users). 3. Review RHN’s achievements and challenges.

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This workshop aims to engage participants in a form of ‘speed-dating’ to generate ideas to combat homophobia in schools worldwide. A technique unique to IGLYO will be used to share and disseminate results among participants, and to make sure the best ideas in the room are remembered by all. Participants will be self-organised in groups sharing similar situations (e.g. political or geographical similarities). They will briefly present good practices from their own home countries, which will then be shared within their local groups, and later with all the participants in the workshop. Minutes will be recorded for future reference. We are convinced that this will lead to a renewed interest in new techniques to combat LGBTQ discrimination in school worldwide, and empower participants to step up the fight against social exclusion.

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In this workshop FGG will propose a series of open questions and ask participants to discuss. Some of the questions are: What is your view of the current International LGBT Sport and Cultural Events schedule? What changes, if any, would you like to see? From 2011 onwards, what is the ideal calendar of events for your organisation? What role are you or your organisation able to play in implementing any proposed changes?

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In this workshop, the Love Exiles Foundation (www.loveexiles.org) based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, will tell people how it is for us to live outside our countries of origin, in order to be with our spouses or partners. We will also examine how countries such as the Netherlands handle the issues that face same-sex couples, with suggestions that other countries can follow. The workshop will deal with the following issues: The challenge of changing cultures/ being a foreigner, language issues, employment challenges, human stories of change, immigration and love, visa and immigration obstacles and possibilities. We will also highlight the loss of professional talent that countries that prohibit same-sex immigration experience when they force their citizens to emigrate as love exiles.

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This workshop will provide an overview of issues on body, sexuality and pleasure among LGB people in the Japanese context. Shimizu Akiko will examine the way in which queer genders and sexualities have been claimed in the last few years in Japan focusing especially, but not exclusively, on various on-line discussions.
Kazama Takashi will re-examine the 1990 trial case of an activist group OCCUR against Tokyo Metropolitan government regarding the discrimination, the only court case to date dealing with discrimination against gay men in Japan.
Yoshinaka Takashi will focus on high risk sexual behaviours among gay men in Japan and try to analyze the meanings behind so called “hidden” desire for intentional high-risk sexual behaviour. Horie Yuri will take up oft-ignored issue of women and HIV/AIDS in Japan looking into how “lesbian studies” emphasizes the invisibility of lesbians without paying attention to various elements within the lesbian identity/category, especially those relevant to sexual behaviours.
Kawaguchi Kazuya will look at how body and sexuality are constructed among gay men residing in non-urban areas in Japan from data obtained through interviews and explore how gay men think about their body, sexuality and politics.
Claire Maree will examine language used to refer to issues of gender and sexuality in the Japanese media focusing especially, but not exclusively, on the linguistic representation and positioning of non-normative gender(s) and sexualities.

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