Venezuela: Meet Tamara Adrián, Venezuela’s crusading trans politician

Among those elected in Venezuela's recent election was Tamara Adrián, a lawyer and human-rights campaigner. She is the first transgender member of the Parliament in Venezuela and only the second trans member of a legislature in the whole of Latin America, the first being Michelle Suárez Bértora in Uruguay last year.

That Adrián won the seat at all is an achievement—but that it happened in Venezuela is extraordinary. Venezuela now has chronic food shortages, an official unemployment rate of 18%, and inflation of 159%, the highest in the world. The Bolivar, the nation’s currency, is so worthless people have begun using it as napkins. Adrián said her demands for equality and a better economy for Venezuela are closely bound, citing studies by organizations like the World Bank which show that equality not only makes society more just, it raises productivity as well.

In the short term, Adrián will also force the Venezuelan Parliament to be more civilized. She said: “In the past, in this Assembly, people have been calling each other ‘mariconson,’ which is ‘faggot,’ basically. It’s unacceptable to say that in a Parliament. My presence will require tolerance and I will very strongly request that respect.

“On the other hand, as I have in my agenda the fight for equality, as soon as possible I will be pushing forward for getting a discussion on a gender identity law, anti-discrimination law, and equal marriage law. These three laws are indispensable.”  Read more via the Daily Beast 

Sweden: Teenagers 'murdered gay man before wrapping snake around his neck and dressing him in women's clothes'

Two teenagers have been accused of murder after allegedly launching a brutal assault on a gay man which was filmed on a mobile phone. The pair of Moroccan refugees, aged 16 and 19, had travelled from their home country to Sweden. They followed a gay man back to his home in Bergsjön after he offered them clothes and food upon hearing they were in need. However after arriving at the apartment the two refugees allegedly beat him to death, police claim. Read more via Mirror

 

Truvada True Colors

Remembering World AIDS Day 2015

UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé marked World AIDS Day in Zimbabwe with civil society members, people living with HIV, and other participants of the Community Village of the 18th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa.

Speaking at the opening of the village, Sidibé noted: “Key populations are helping us to break the conspiracy of silence. I commend your courage and leadership for building an inclusive and effective response to HIV.”

Visit the UNAIDS World AIDS Day 2015 website for powerful educational graphics, social media messages, and campaign material. We have what it takes to break the AIDS epidemic. Read more via UNAIDS 

Turkey: Gays seeking military exemption no longer need to provide visual proof of their homosexuality

Turkey makes it difficult for potential conscriptees to avoid the draft, generally making exceptions only for those who are sick, disabled or homosexual. To receive an exemption based on their sexuality, men must publicly declare they are gay — a declaration that ensures discrimination will follow them for the rest of their lives. It's either that, or they must successfully hide their gay identity for a year.

As if that isn't bad enough, until last week, to receive the exemption men also had to prove their homosexuality by undergoing nude examinations and submitting photos of themselves engaged in homosexual intercourse.

Last week, however, the military silently amended the most controversial provisions in the regulation. Doctors will now merely observe the behaviors homosexuals display and the verbal declarations they make. In other words, a homosexual can choose to disclose or not to disclose his identity. If he does, this declaration will constitute the sole basis for the doctor's decision. The change represents a major step toward aligning Turkey's military with the norms for basic human rights. 

Serbia: Police helpline for LGBT people

The Police Department in Kragujevac is the first in Serbia to initiate a pilot project to support LGBT people and their families. THe program includes a hotline to which people can report hate crimes, violence and discrimination. 

"These crimes are extremely important... because if we do not know what is happening and do not act in a timely manner, the victim suffers. LGBT people should be encouraged to report crimes because of our common goal of combating every form of discrimination."  says Inspector John Jeremic.

It is estimated that 64% of these people have experienced some form of violence, while only 8% reported that discrimination. Victims will talk police officers who have undergone adequate training. The next step is to create a Facebook profile, also to communicate and help people of different sexual orientation. 

Read more via Gay Echo
 

Openly gay Imam creates online school for LGBTQ-friendly Islamic philosophy

13 years ago, Washington, DC-based Muslim religious leader Daayiee Abdullah was asked to conduct a funeral for a man who had died of AIDS. "Several imams had been approached about this but wouldn't do it," he said. "Since I believe everyone has the right to religious rites, I did not hesitate to officiate."

This seemingly benign act attracted enmity from critics worldwide, but Abdullah did not flinch. Instead, as the first openly gay imam in the US, he became even more outspoken, advocating not only religious access for people with HIV and AIDS, but also mixed-gender worship, support for reproductive justice, full acceptance of LGBTQ people in Muslim communities, LGBTQ inclusion in Muslim liturgy and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. His positions, he says, are firmly rooted in the Quran, and he references the earliest Chinese and Arabic translations to support his assertions - books he's read in their original languages.

This stance - that the written word is open to interpretation and can be made relevant to contemporary life - has rankled many Muslim leaders. But their criticism has neither silenced him nor kept him from contesting homophobic, racist or sexist commentary. In fact, they've inspired him to establish the MECCA Institute, an online school and think tank that will, by the fall of 2016, offer classes in modern-day explication of Islamic philosophy and tenets. Read more via Truthout 

Ireland: End exemptions to LGBT equality law for schools and hospitals

Fresh off of the country’s first same-sex weddings, Ireland’s government is pushing forward with more changes – amending LGBT equality law exemptions for schools and hospitals.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, the Minister of State for Equality, confirmed plans to push ahead with a bill this week that will alter the state’s Employment Equality Act. Section 37 of the existing law grants specific exemptions from sections protecting LGBT people to “religious, educational or medical institutions” – permitting them to discriminate “in order to maintain the religious ethos of the institution”.

However, the TD pledged: “As marriage equality becomes a reality today, on Wednesday we amend Section 37 to end LGBT & other discrimination in schools & hospitals.” He said: “Marriage equality was a wonderful achievement, and Ireland should be very proud of being the first country to bring in marriage equality by popular vote. But if you’re 13 years of age, and you’re just coming out and you’re nervous, marriage equality might feel a very long way away."  Read more via PinkNews