November 2015
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ILGA-Europe |
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Memories of Athens 2015 - videos, photos and moreWant to see what the largest gathering of LGBTI activists in Europe looks like? Watch Athens 2015 after-movie here [3]. Conference host Miguel Vale de Almeida summed up the main points from each day in Athens. He has collected all of these thoughts together in one document. Read his Annual Conference 2015 report here [4]. And finally, a photo gallery [5] with lots of pictures of our time together in Athens is available on our website too.
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Decorate our white walls with European LGBTI activismEarlier this year, the ILGA-Europe staff team moved into new offices with a lot of nice white walls. We would like to decorate these walls with what we care most about, our members. Members of ILGA-Europe constantly produce a lot of creative posters and visuals. We would like to showcase this creativity from our friends from all over Europe. Use this opportunity and send your poster/visuals to: ILGA-Europe, att. Nanna Moe, Senior Communications Officer, Rue du Trône 60, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
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Activists from Western Balkan and Turkey visit European UnionOn 16-17 November, 16 LGBTI activists from the Western Balkans and Turkey have taken part in an EU study visit organised by ILGA-Europe.
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Asylum |
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ILGA-Europe declaration of solidarity with refugees and asylum seekersAt the Annual Conference 2015, the delegates issued a declaration in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers.
Read the declaration here [8] |
Bias motivated violence |
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Trans woman killed in IstanbulOn 24 November, a trans woman was been found dead in her home. She was first stabbed and then strangled with the bathrobe cord. Police has been reported saying to Istanbul LGBTI activists who requested information, that “Already dead, why do you care?”.
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Istanbul Convention: Ireland signs and the Netherlands ratifiesOn 5 November, Ireland signed the Istanbul Convention – the convention on action against violence against women and domestic violence. Later in November, The Netherlands ratified the convention, and which brings the total number of ratifications to 19.
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Life of Mikhail Pischevsky celebrated at ILGA-Europe Annual Conference 2015ILGA-Europe joined a group of NGOs in a statement to the Turkish government to express our grave concern about the lack of a political response over recent attacks, discriminatory treatment and incitement to violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people in Turkey.
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Education |
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Seminar: How to support youth to start GSAs in schoolCOC-Netherlands and ILGA-Europe jointly organised a capacity-building seminar on supporting youth to start GSAs in schools on 6-8 November in Amsterdam. GSAs are groups of LGBTI and non-LGBTI people that want to create a safer school for everyone. GSAs are often named Gay-Straight Alliances but can also mean Gender and Sexuality Alliance..
Read more about the event here [13] |
Employment |
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Ukraine approves anti-discrimination clause in labour codeOn 5 November, Ukrainian Parliament voted in support of a non-discrimination provision [14] in the country’s labour Code. The provision includes, inter alia, sexual orientation and gender identity as protected grounds. This bill, being the first one in Ukraine to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity, was signed into law by President Poroshenko later in November. The amendment has been facing a strong opposition and might be at risk. A bill was tabled to the parliament that calls for withdrawal of the adopted non-discrimination amendment, referring to procedural violations. Additionally, the Parliament is still considering a new version of the Labour Code [15], which does not include a non-discrimination provision. The new draft is up for two more readings in the Parliament.
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Equality and non-discrimination |
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Two calls for international projects from the European CommissionOn 27 November 2015, the European Commission published a call for transnational projects to combat homophobia and other forms of intolerance [17]. Moreover, other calls related to hate crime and victims’ support are coming up soon [18]. If you are interested in applying, please inform Michael Cerulus, Senior Policy Officer [19], if you want us to help you bring different organisations together, e.g. for transnational projects.
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EU Enlargement |
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Latest EU enlargement reports will be litmus test for accession countriesFundamental rights and protections for LGBTI people in the Western Balkans and Turkey were put under the microscope by the European Commission in their latest enlargement annual reports.
Read the joint statement here [20] |
Family |
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Civil unions to become a reality in CyprusOn 26 November, the Cypriot parliament has voted in favour of the Civil Partnership Bill, meaning that same-sex couples in Cyprus will be legally recognised for the first time.
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Irish presidential commission signs equal marriage act into lawFive months after the widely celebrated referendum, marriage equality has become a reality for same-sex couples in Ireland.
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Portuguese parliament votes to allow same-sex couples to apply for joint adoptionOn 20 November, the Portuguese parliament voted in favour in the first reading to allow same-sex couples to apply for joint adoption. The law proposal will now be discussed in a parliamentarian committee on fundamental rights, and then will have to be submitted to a final vote before it can be signed into law.
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Greek government commits to laws promoting LGBTI equalityOn 30 October, in an unprecedented show of political support for the rights of LGBTI people, representatives from all the main parliamentary parties signed an equality pledge in Athens during the Annual Conference 2015.
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Freedom of expression [27] |
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Lithuanian parliament removes 'anti-propaganda'-style amendment from agendaOn 12 November the Lithuanian parliament, Seimas, had been due to vote on a bill designed to restrict freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Before the vote took place, 65 members of the Lithuanian parliament voted to remove the controversial amendment from the parliamentary agenda. The bill could reappear on the voting schedule at any time.
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Health [29] |
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PrEP available in France from 2016On Monday 23 November, the French Minister of Health, Marisol Touraine, announced that PrEP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) will be available in France from 2016. France will become only the second country, after the USA, to authorize access to PrEP. The treatment will be covered by social security. PrEP means the use of anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs) by HIV-negative people before carrying out an action that could put them at risk of HIV transmission (such as injecting drugs or having unprotected intercourse). ILGA-Europe believes it is a step in the right direction, as PrEP should be made available to all who decide to use it, provided that it is offered as one element among a combination of preventive tools.
Read more about the decision here [31] |
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European HIV-Hepatitis Testing Week 2015ILGA-Europe united with organisations, institutions, key opinion leaders and government leaders throughout Europe, to encourage people who may be at risk of HIV and/ or hepatitis to become aware of their status.
Read more about the testing week here [33] |
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EATG treatment literacy training: STEP-UP 2016 Call for applicationsThe European AIDS Treatment Group has launched a call for trainee applications for the 3rd STEP-UP programme of the EATG Training Academy. The aim of the programme is to equip a new cohort of 20 HIV activists with the knowledge and skills they need to advocate for the best HIV practices in their countries. The deadline for applications: Friday, 4 December 2015.
Find more information on the programme as well as the application materials here [34] |
Legal gender recognition |
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Italian Constitutional Court says legal gender recognition does not depend on medical treatmentsOn 5 November, the Italian Constitutional Court confirmed that trans people in Italy do not have undergo surgery as a perquisite for legal gender recognition. This decision follows the earlier finding of the Italian Supreme Court in July this year that sterilisation is not a requirement for gender recognition. ILGA-Europe is delighted to see that the Italian judiciary is taking positive steps to protect the rights of trans people. Before this judgment, trans people often faced varying levels of invasiveness and barriers to recognition, depending on where in Italy they lived.
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Two new publications on legal gender recognition from Council of Europe and Open Society FoundationsDuring November, two new publications on legal gender recognition were published: The Council of Europe launched their Protecting human rights of transgender persons - A short guide to legal gender recognition, and the Open Society Foundation published their report called License to Be Yourself: Trans Children and Youth.
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Notice board |
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TGEU is 10 years old!Over the past 10 years, Transgender Europe (TGEU) has played a pivotal role in highlighting the human rights of trans persons on a European level. Finally trans rights are on the agenda, and in this short film Julia, Nicolas, Sasha, Clemence, and Wiktor share how this has happened, and how TGEU has helped to build a movement. Congratulations from ILGA-Europe!
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Job opportunity - Programs Officer with AstraeaAstraea, Lesbian Foundation for Justice, seeks a dedicated, passionate and collaborative Program Officer to expand their international grantmaking and join their growing Program Team based in New York. Deadline for applications: 7 December.
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Film to watch - CredenceCredence tells the story of a family torn apart during the last evacuation on earth after violent storms have made survival impossible. Our story follows 2 fathers’ decision to make the ultimate sacrifice to give up all their possessions to ensure the survival of their daughter, and the entire human race.
Read more the film here [39] |