Archive for the ‘International & Immigration’ Category

This week, the State Department submitted a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council discussing what actions the U.S. has taken to address human rights issues in the U.S., including what it has done to address LGBT human rights issues in the U.S. The U.S. submitted this report as part of its upcoming Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council, which is scheduled for November 2010.

The following post comes from HRC Diversity Coordinator Hyacinth Alvaran:

Under the ya es hora iCiudadania! civic engagement banner, Human Rights Campaign steering committees and volunteers in Las Vegas, San Antonio, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., partnered with local and national organizations throughout the month of July (July 10th – 24th) to hold workshops providing assistance to the immigrant community in their applications for U.S. citizenship.

The annual Gay Pride parade in downtown Jerusalem took over the streets yesterday. This year was a slightly different than the years past, holding a much more “March on Washington-esque” attitude. Gone were the floats and most of the wild outfits from last year. Yesterday’s march was purely political and commemorative of last year’s Tel Aviv gay and lesbian center massacre.

Wow… what a Saturday! It was an amazing turnout! We had record attendance at the Citizenship workshop for both volunteers and Legal Permanent Residents (LPR’s) needing assistance.

On July 10th, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Harrah’s Entertainment, together with 16 other organizations, presented a community naturalization workshop at the Latin Chamber of Commerce under the historic ya es hora ¡Ciudadanía! (It’s time, Citizenship!) civic engagement campaign, assisting over 100 people in their questions about the naturalization process. More than 52 of them completed their applications to become citizens.

Today the Human Rights Campaign joined in a coalition of LGBT, immigrants’ rights, civil rights and faith groups calling on Congress to enact the Uniting American Families Act (H.R.1024) as part of any future immigration reform effort.

Last night, after hours of votes and vigils, lawmakers in Argentina voted to become the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages nation-wide. Lawmakers in the mostly Catholic country spent nearly 16 hours debating the issue, before deciding to grant all of the protections, rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.

Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, the outspoken advocate for the decriminalization of homosexuality in Uganda, graced Washington, DC this week and HRC was honored to ensure that his message of love for LGBT people was heard by legislators, opinion leaders, and Washingtonians concerned about securing LGBT equality globally.

Last week, HRC joined forces with the Council for Global Equality and other organizations to submit a report on civil and political rights to the U.S. Department of State. The report highlights ways in which the U.S.’s treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals does not comply with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and also suggests steps to ensure increased compliance going forward. Specifically, the report focuses on the U.S.’s need to eradicate employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, deter hate crimes against LGBT individuals, protect LGBT individuals in detention from physical and sexual violence, and offer asylum to LGBT individuals persecuted in their native countries. Suggested steps include passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), swift repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” law, passage of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), effective implementation of the new Hate Crimes Protection Act, and passage of the Refugee Protection Act of 2010.

One week before the mammoth Pride festival in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, the metropolitan desert city of Be’er Sheva celebrated it’s first ever city-recognized and funded Gay Pride Festival.

This is a breakthrough point for the Be’er Sheva community and the Negev Desert region. Even though Israel, which is the only state in the Middle East where one can live a gay life legally, it is still not an easy life for the LGBT community outside of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Many orthodox Jews were upset because city funds were used in order to make the event happen.