Important notification : NEW IDAHO WEBSITE !
Our website has been hacked few hours ago. We therefore launch our new website sooner as planned.

From now, go on http://www.dayagainsthomophobia.org/ to follow the IDAHO activities.

Thanks for, forwarding this information to your contacts and network.

[Europe]
Top EU Leaders Mark International Day Against Homophobia
Today, the International Day Against Homophobia, leaders from the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission have issued strong messages condemning homophobia.

[Portugal]
Insultos em marcha contra a homofobia
Cerca de três centenas de pessoas participaram esta segunda-feira à tarde, em Coimbra, numa «marcha contra a homofobia e transfobia», promovida por 17 organizações, com o apoio de 11 outras instituições.

[Portugal]
Cavaco dá "sim" a casamento gay para não desviar atenções da crise
O Presidente da República, Cavaco Silva, promulgou o casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo. Contrariado, crítico e a pensar na crise financeira.

[Spain]
Gays piden que se equipare legalmente la homofobia al racismo o la xenofobia
Colectivos gays han pedido hoy que la homofobia, la transfobia y la bifobia (odio a homosexuales, transexuales y bisexuales) sean legalmente equiparadas con el racismo, la xenofobia y el machismo, para que "no resulte gratuito proferir insultos de ese tipo en el terreno mediático y político".

[Spain]
PSOE propone al PP que el 17 de Mayo sea el Día Mundial del colectivo de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales
El PSOE de Cartagena presentará mañana lunes una Moción en el Pleno Municipal para la aprobación del Día Mundial del colectivo de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (LGTB) al cumplirse el vigésimo aniversario de la supresión por parte de la Asamblea General de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) de la homosexualidad de la lista de enfermedades mentales, según informaron fuentes socialistas en un comunicado.

[Spain]
Rivero se compromete a dar respuesta sin más demora a protocolo transexuales
El presidente del Gobierno de Canarias, Paulino Rivero, destacó hoy la necesidad de acabar con la homofobia y la transfobia y anunció la intención del Ejecutivo de "dar respuesta sin más demora" al protocolo de atención sanitaria a personas transexuales.

[Spain]
La transexualidad no es una enfermedad mental
Las Juventudes Socialistas de Guadalajara reivindica la necesidad de que las instituciones adopten las medidas necesarias para conseguir que la transexualidad desaparezca del Catalogo de Enfermedades Mentales de la OMS, como hace 20 años hizo con la homosexualidad, ya que la “despatologización” de la transexualidad contribuirá a una progresiva desaparición de las trabas sociales y legales hacia este colectivo.

[UK]
Theresa May releases message for International Day Against Homophobia
Home secretary and equalities minister Theresa May has released a message in support of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO).

[France]
Cynical French Ministerial publication for IDAHO
The French Ministry of "Justice and Liberty" has announced that "genital removing surgery" will no longer be an absolute requirement in order for a French citizen to change gender labels (from M to F or from F to M) on their identity papers.

However, the Ministry underlines that the person's "metabolism must have been modified in an irreversible manner", meaning that the requirement for obligatory sterilization, (hence also psychiatric, and pathologizing treatments) is maintained for gender recognition to be made, contrary to the recommendations made by Commissioner Hammarberg in 2009.

The Ministry announces that for gender recognition to be obtained, the degrading and humiliating procedure of genital examination by a state approved doctor will remain necessary "in cases where there is doubt of the transsexualism of the requestor". In other words, numerous French transgender people will continue to have to pay to undergo this humiliating process and many of them will continue to be refused gender recognition on the grounds of the appearance of their genitals.

In its announcement, the Ministry admits that since France was condemned by the European Court of Human Rights on 25th March 1992, no legal mechanism, other than jurisprudence, covers people who undergo treatments or surgery to modify their gender expression.

The wording of the announcement is highly transphobic, stating that following genital surgery, the persons' genital organs are "artificial", and insisiting upon wording of a highly pathologizing nature.

The original documents (three pages, in French) are visible here:
http://lulla.free.fr/circ1.jpg
http://lulla.free.fr/circ2.jpg
http://lulla.free.fr/circ3.jpg

[Turkey]
Extreme Violence Against Trans Individuals Today- Including The Founder of Pink Life !!!

Trans Individuals in Turkey- Ankara were severely beaten by the police force in Ankara tonight at around 23.00 p.m.. Five Transexual women who are all Pink Life activists were stopped in their car and asked to show their identity cars by the police. They all showed their IDs but the police wanted to get them out and they resisted since this was one of the extreme implementations of the fascist Ankara police against trans individuals.

We as human righst activists came along the car they were stopped and asked the police about what they were doing and they did not provide us with any lawful reason about their violence. After a while, the police force started to beat the human rights defenders (namely us who were out of the car - including me and the trans individuals) and they severely beated us!!

We resisted and some of our friends were severely injured. The trans individuals within the car- including two founders of Pink Life were forcibly taken out of the car and were kicked from their stomach and legs, arms and they were severely bloody !!! The silicons of the trans persons were forced and they are severely injured.

The 5 trans people were taken to the police station forcibly- and the police continued to beat them and us - and they are now under custody without any reason!! We human rights activists are waiting in one of the houses of the beaten trans individuals. Tomorrow we will have a press release, most probably..

I will give the required information soon ! Pls try to spread this information since we as trans activists need your solidarity and overt support!!!

Best,

Kemal Ordek
Pink Life LGBTT Solidarity Association
Ankara - Turkey

[Malawi]
Casal gay pode ser condenado a 14 anos de trabalhos pesados no Malauí
Um casal gay do Malauí que celebrou sua união em uma cerimônia tradicional pode ser condenado a 14 anos de trabalhos pesados, informaram à CNN advogados envolvidos no caso. Steven Monjenza, 26 anos, e Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20 anos, casaram-se em dezembro, em Blantyre, e foram descobertos pela polícia após jornais locais noticiaram a cerimônia de noivado deles, conhecida como chinkhoswe.

[China]
China's Got Talent, but transgender (and overweight) talent's not welcome
As mentioned earlier, China's Got Talent has been launched and auditions are going to be hosted soon -- but don't bother signing up if you're not going to fit into the rigid gender "boxes" as defined by the show's very narrow-minded producers and judges. More specifically, if you're a male-to-female transgender, or a "fake lady", as show director Jin Lei (金磊) puts it, you are especially not welcome because he finds you "disgusting" and just out to attract attention.
China's Got Talent! Unless you're a 'disgusting fake lady'

[Australia]
Say No To Discrimination In Sport
The State Government, through Sport and Recreation Tasmania and the Office for the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, is giving its full support to today’s International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), with countries all over the world taking action.
In Australia, the Australian Football League (AFL) is promoting IDAHO through advertisements picturing AFL players holding placards that oppose homophobia.

[USA]
Bill could ENDA Democrats' congressional careers
There is a slim possibility that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) could come up for a vote this week -- perhaps as soon as Wednesday.

[FL, USA]
Transgender candidate a label-free conservative
Donna Milo, a transgender conservative Republican running in the GOP primary for Congress, will speak Monday night to a gay Republican club in Fort Lauderdale.

[FL, USA]
LGBT Community Supports Health Care Reform
In a national survey following President Obama’s signature on the final health care reform legislation, 46% of all Americans expressed support for the plan.
That measure of support, however, escalates sharply among gay men and lesbians, 79% of whom say they either strongly support or somewhat support President Obama’s plan for health care reform.

[Mexico]
Capacitan a personal médico para prevenir la homofobia
“Es muy aventurado decir si un asesinato es una práctica homofóbica o es parte de los hechos violentos que han ocurrido últimamente, lo cierto es que en Chihuahua también se hacen cosas buenas” opinó Luis Adrián Quiroz, miembro de Derechohabientes Viviendo con VIH del IMSS (DVVI).