Noticias

ILGA is global federation that gathers the local and national groups dedicated to the promotion and protection of equality of rights to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, cross dressers, transexuals and intersexuals (LGBTI) around the globe. Founded in 1978, ILGA has among its members, more than 670 organizations, including small communities and national groups, which represents over 110 countries across all continents. In the meeting held at Curitiba, the section of the Latin American and Caribbean of ILGA was represented.
In this meeting, over 400 activists in defense of LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, crossdressers and transexuals) from 35 countries discussed the different aspects of the protection of citizens and the fight against prejudices and homophobia. In the same occasion, ILGA-LAC appointed its new representatives and members OF the Regional Council.
Simon Cazal from SOMOSGAY, was elected as Secretary of the Southern Cone of ILGA-LAC, the first post held by Paraguay since the consolidation of the Association.
In the conference a discussion took place and later the next steps towards the defense of the human rights for LGBT people in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) were marked. In the LAC region, in the last few years, several advances have taken place such as the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ecuador, Nicaragua, Chile and Panama. Nevertheless, there are eleven countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Santa Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago) where homosexuality is considered a crime, which shows the urgent need of the movement and the actions of the governments in the fight of this and other challenges. In this event, the representatives from these countries requested the other countries, their support to take actions on their local authorities in order to put pressure through their governments to make the decriminalization of homosexuality a reality.
In the preparatory meetings on the 26 and 26 several specific issues directly related with the defense of LGBT rights were discussed. These pre-conferences, set an agenda on HIV/AIDS topics, pride parades, priorities for lesbian women, LGBTI youth, executive power and public policies in the region, media, and coping strategies for religious fundamentalism.
As a result of the Gay Forum, MSM and Trans Latin and the Caribbean on HIV/AIDS - ASICAL, a call was made to all governments of the region to give a more definite answer to the epidemics of HIV and AIDS that are currently focused on gay males. The HIV pandemic in the region and Paraguay, affects excessively to gay males, being homophobia the main barrier to give an effective answer. Another call was made to the countries that are beneficiated by projects of the Global Fund, to give an explicit participation of gay males in the sectors of management, monitoring and execution of projects.
In the First Meeting of Homo-Lesbo-Transphobia in Schools - GALE, SOMOSGAY presented its strategies in terms of education. GALE is an International Alliance for LGBT Education being SOMOSGAY frequent collaborator of Paraguay to the alliance.
As a result of the First Regional Conference of InterPride, representatives to the region for the entity were elected, being appointed two regional coordinators of Brazil and Paraguay. It is also the first time that Paraguay takes such an important position in the organization. It is expected that this position will help with the visibility of activities and actions that take place in our country in regards to the defense of the rights for LGBTI people.
The Conference was supported by the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Global Fund for Women, Special Secretariat for Human Rights, Special Secretariat on Women's Policies and the Special Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality of the Presidency, The Department of STI, AIDS, Viral Hepatitis of the Health Ministry, Government of the Parana State, the Government of the City of Curitiba and Itaipu Binational.
SOMOSGAY considers the Conference successful in the paraguayan representations in international spaces and prepares itself for the LGBTI Global Conference to be held on December of this year in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where global actions on the international LGBTI movement will be coordinated.
SOMOSGAY achieved in this way to position as a leader in the regional level in its participation in the LGBTI movement, keeping its north as a solidary organization committed with the improvement of life quality for all paraguayans, beyond their sexual orientation and gender identity.