separate, but equal...
Civil Society
We had been told that we were not going to be sitting at the same table as the Ambassadors and moderator.
I was surprised and a bit put off when I realised that that we were actually going to sit with the 'audience'.. and be speaking as though from the floor to the 'head table 'rather than from the head table to the floor - to add to the wonderful experiences in my life, I was going to be speaking to people who were sitting behind me.
Our plaques said 'civil society' .. last year, thankfully, the plaques of Vivek Divan, Viktor Mukasa, Kapya Kaoma, Indyra Mendoza and Sass Rogando Sasot had their names.
We heard someone say something like "this is civil society".. . just 'civil society'. So we shook hands with, but were not introduced to the UN Secretary General.
It is not sometimes human rights...
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed the gathering. All the stereotypes in my head.. quiet looking oldish man, I tried to imagine him talking to some of the oldish men here at the IRO and other places.
He talked about speaking to the President of Malawi to release a gay couple. He called for decriminalisation of homosexuality. Mr Ban Ki-moon's short presence at the panel was a mix of his own view of the importance of the issue, and from what we learnt, complex diplomatic negotiations with other people who would have invited him to other events.
He said "It is not called the partial declaration of human rights. .. "is not the sometimes declaration of human rights. it is the universal Declaration, guaranteeing all human beings their basic human rights ...without exception."
I wished I could have seen the faces of those on the floor, to see if they were bored or on their cell phones or reading magazines or if they were paying attention.
Making progress
The Ambassador from Croatia said that they were pleased to be associated with the event and spoke of his own country's progress - including a 2008 law on suppressing discrimination which includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
From the front of the bus..
H.E. Ms. Susan E. Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations spoke eloquently that the US intended to champion the rights of LGBT people at the UN.. well I guess those who are not doing sex work or drugs
She spoke of President Obama's administration and the whole thing of Dont Ask Dont Tell and marriage and so on - the problems in the US. She eloquently invoked Rosa Parks.. honouring the human rights defenders in the audience who refuse to go to the back of the bus.. and I thought of how the local embassy just could not find anyone to come to our film festival opening to talk about Bayard Rustin and the civil rights movement.
She did not talk of the American export of homophobia to Africa and the Caribbean which fuels some of the rhetoric and hate in those countries.
Something though, about sitting on that ground watching up.. when Ambassador Rice got to the part about the US determination to ensure that the final vote for the resolution on extra judicial executions " We are going to fight to restore the reference to sexual orientation. We’re going to stand firm on this basic principle. And we intend to win."..
I just thought of all the States who feel powerless before the US when they intend to win.. and thought, shoots, no negotiations here, you are with them or against them..
The well meaning Ambassador who had to leave early was open to meeting with the civil society people who "she was deeply moved to be there with".. but who she could not sit down at the same table. In trying to honour those who arranged the panel, and who negotiated to pull of the event, and while trying to offer some resistance to 'the intention to win'.. I lost out to my politics, and sat there.. terrified that the US intention to win would result in a whole set of collateral damage which is not my intention in doing this work.
Disapproval of homosexuality
Mr. Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke out against homophobia and the violence. He noted importantly that "People are entitled to disapprove of homosexuality. They are entitled to express their disapproval. But they are not entitled to use the force of the criminal law to arrest, detain, imprison and in some cases torture or execute their fellow human beings just because they, or even the majority in their society, disapprove of them.
Bishop Desmond Tutu's video message was also played.
What harm am I to you?
Linda Baumann, (Namibia) Interim Director of Out-Right Namibia spoke about the violence in Africa and the political support for such violence. Linda talked of the contradiction of South Africa whose constitution ensures protection on the grounds of sexual orientation, and their voting to join with others to remove sex
She asked "What harm do we cause to our immediate families, communities and our nations at-large? What harm am I causing to you all sitting here that could defer the developments of our national states?"
No place for the children of the mothers of Ashwan Williams and Irem Okam in this world
Buse Kilickaya, (Turkey) Founder of Pembe Hayat (Pink Life) had to send her statement which was read by by Justus Eisfeld. In addition to some delays in getting her visa, she brought it up in her statement
" I would like to talk about the discrimination that I faced trying to attend this
event. There was opposition by some countries sponsoring this event to my participation and presentation of a speech at the UN as a trans sex worker. Such a negative reaction insulted my dignity yet also showed me again how important it is to fight for human rights, something that I have been doing for years. "
Buse spoke of Turkey and the atrocities there.
Buse's statement also ended with the quotation of a woman whose child was killed "I can’t believe there was no place for my child to live in this big world."
Finding hope..
In order not to be tired or burnt out or full of rage, it is important, that whatever work is done, that small achievements are noted and celebrated. I had the image of some people killing Ashwan Williams and of others laughing around the body.
So, I wanted to talk about hope in the 5 to 7 minutes allowed, and wanted to pay tribute to the Caribbean citizens who are also working to end discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The time was limited.. and I felt confined that I could not make eye contact with the people in the audience. At the last minute, I decided to invoke Bob Marley's one love to any of the Caribbean people in the room who would disagree with what was being said. I had to leave out the things about the Jamaicans standing up to intolerance three times this year, and the Computer Science lecturer telling his students about Alan Turing .
The Interactive dialogue..
The man from the Philippines spoke about their recent Supreme Court decision to reverse a decision not to allow a trans group to run for Elections. The woman from Colombia spoke about the issues there, and said that they are recognising these things not because of the UN, but because it is the right thing to do. The man from the Netherlands talked about the Yogyakarata Principles, the Government's involvement in their Pride events. The man from Norway acknowledged the problems of violence and homophobia in Norway and that the laws were being implemented to deal with that violence. The man from Suriname said it was good that the UN was dealing with this issue, but that there were other groups which also needed attention. Brazil spoke about their various initiatives and also of the Government sponsoring of the panel event.
Hello neighbour
The man from Suriname came up afterwards to say Hello Neighbour. He asked for a copy of the statement and sent "Thanks you very much for sending me the text of your excellent presentation this afternoon. It was indeed an great honor to meet and to interact with you briefly."..
A girl came up to say as young Hindu she was glad that there were some Hindu voices which were not strident.
I am glad that IGLHRC, and the other NGOs worked to make this panel possible.I am also glad that there were two of Guyanese and one of Jamaican origins, all of whom I had met for the first time that day.
This is the video of the panel.
We had been told that we were not going to be sitting at the same table as the Ambassadors and moderator.
I was surprised and a bit put off when I realised that that we were actually going to sit with the 'audience'.. and be speaking as though from the floor to the 'head table 'rather than from the head table to the floor - to add to the wonderful experiences in my life, I was going to be speaking to people who were sitting behind me.
Our plaques said 'civil society' .. last year, thankfully, the plaques of Vivek Divan, Viktor Mukasa, Kapya Kaoma, Indyra Mendoza and Sass Rogando Sasot had their names.
We heard someone say something like "this is civil society".. . just 'civil society'. So we shook hands with, but were not introduced to the UN Secretary General.
 |
| Justus Eisfeld who read Buse Kilickaya's statement, Linda Baumann and me |
It is not sometimes human rights...
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon addressed the gathering. All the stereotypes in my head.. quiet looking oldish man, I tried to imagine him talking to some of the oldish men here at the IRO and other places.
He talked about speaking to the President of Malawi to release a gay couple. He called for decriminalisation of homosexuality. Mr Ban Ki-moon's short presence at the panel was a mix of his own view of the importance of the issue, and from what we learnt, complex diplomatic negotiations with other people who would have invited him to other events.
He said "It is not called the partial declaration of human rights. .. "is not the sometimes declaration of human rights. it is the universal Declaration, guaranteeing all human beings their basic human rights ...without exception."
I wished I could have seen the faces of those on the floor, to see if they were bored or on their cell phones or reading magazines or if they were paying attention.
Making progress
The Ambassador from Croatia said that they were pleased to be associated with the event and spoke of his own country's progress - including a 2008 law on suppressing discrimination which includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
From the front of the bus..
H.E. Ms. Susan E. Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations spoke eloquently that the US intended to champion the rights of LGBT people at the UN.. well I guess those who are not doing sex work or drugs
She spoke of President Obama's administration and the whole thing of Dont Ask Dont Tell and marriage and so on - the problems in the US. She eloquently invoked Rosa Parks.. honouring the human rights defenders in the audience who refuse to go to the back of the bus.. and I thought of how the local embassy just could not find anyone to come to our film festival opening to talk about Bayard Rustin and the civil rights movement.
She did not talk of the American export of homophobia to Africa and the Caribbean which fuels some of the rhetoric and hate in those countries.
Something though, about sitting on that ground watching up.. when Ambassador Rice got to the part about the US determination to ensure that the final vote for the resolution on extra judicial executions " We are going to fight to restore the reference to sexual orientation. We’re going to stand firm on this basic principle. And we intend to win."..
I just thought of all the States who feel powerless before the US when they intend to win.. and thought, shoots, no negotiations here, you are with them or against them..
The well meaning Ambassador who had to leave early was open to meeting with the civil society people who "she was deeply moved to be there with".. but who she could not sit down at the same table. In trying to honour those who arranged the panel, and who negotiated to pull of the event, and while trying to offer some resistance to 'the intention to win'.. I lost out to my politics, and sat there.. terrified that the US intention to win would result in a whole set of collateral damage which is not my intention in doing this work.
Disapproval of homosexuality
Mr. Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke out against homophobia and the violence. He noted importantly that "People are entitled to disapprove of homosexuality. They are entitled to express their disapproval. But they are not entitled to use the force of the criminal law to arrest, detain, imprison and in some cases torture or execute their fellow human beings just because they, or even the majority in their society, disapprove of them.
Bishop Desmond Tutu's video message was also played.
What harm am I to you?
Linda Baumann, (Namibia) Interim Director of Out-Right Namibia spoke about the violence in Africa and the political support for such violence. Linda talked of the contradiction of South Africa whose constitution ensures protection on the grounds of sexual orientation, and their voting to join with others to remove sex
She asked "What harm do we cause to our immediate families, communities and our nations at-large? What harm am I causing to you all sitting here that could defer the developments of our national states?"
No place for the children of the mothers of Ashwan Williams and Irem Okam in this world
Buse Kilickaya, (Turkey) Founder of Pembe Hayat (Pink Life) had to send her statement which was read by by Justus Eisfeld. In addition to some delays in getting her visa, she brought it up in her statement
" I would like to talk about the discrimination that I faced trying to attend this
event. There was opposition by some countries sponsoring this event to my participation and presentation of a speech at the UN as a trans sex worker. Such a negative reaction insulted my dignity yet also showed me again how important it is to fight for human rights, something that I have been doing for years. "
Buse spoke of Turkey and the atrocities there.
Buse's statement also ended with the quotation of a woman whose child was killed "I can’t believe there was no place for my child to live in this big world."
Finding hope..
In order not to be tired or burnt out or full of rage, it is important, that whatever work is done, that small achievements are noted and celebrated. I had the image of some people killing Ashwan Williams and of others laughing around the body.
So, I wanted to talk about hope in the 5 to 7 minutes allowed, and wanted to pay tribute to the Caribbean citizens who are also working to end discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. The time was limited.. and I felt confined that I could not make eye contact with the people in the audience. At the last minute, I decided to invoke Bob Marley's one love to any of the Caribbean people in the room who would disagree with what was being said. I had to leave out the things about the Jamaicans standing up to intolerance three times this year, and the Computer Science lecturer telling his students about Alan Turing .
The Interactive dialogue..
The man from the Philippines spoke about their recent Supreme Court decision to reverse a decision not to allow a trans group to run for Elections. The woman from Colombia spoke about the issues there, and said that they are recognising these things not because of the UN, but because it is the right thing to do. The man from the Netherlands talked about the Yogyakarata Principles, the Government's involvement in their Pride events. The man from Norway acknowledged the problems of violence and homophobia in Norway and that the laws were being implemented to deal with that violence. The man from Suriname said it was good that the UN was dealing with this issue, but that there were other groups which also needed attention. Brazil spoke about their various initiatives and also of the Government sponsoring of the panel event.
Hello neighbour
The man from Suriname came up afterwards to say Hello Neighbour. He asked for a copy of the statement and sent "Thanks you very much for sending me the text of your excellent presentation this afternoon. It was indeed an great honor to meet and to interact with you briefly."..
A girl came up to say as young Hindu she was glad that there were some Hindu voices which were not strident.
I am glad that IGLHRC, and the other NGOs worked to make this panel possible.I am also glad that there were two of Guyanese and one of Jamaican origins, all of whom I had met for the first time that day.
This is the video of the panel.
wow soooo proud of you V!! excellent, poignant, succinct speech ...
ReplyDeleteon a lighter note- you looked quite cute ;), and good job not being strident (for once..):)