Former Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels
enjoyed a double dose of happiness earlier this month after welcoming two
children into her home in two weeks.
As the MailOnline revealed this week,
the 38-year-old took home a two-year-old
girl, Lukensia, from Haiti on May 12 following a lengthy adoption process.
And now it has emerged that her secret lesbian
partner Heidi Rhoades gave birth to a son Phoenix just two weeks
earlier.
The modern family were first pictured together
earlier this week looking relaxed and at ease on a shopping trip.
Jillian, who revealed she was bisexual in
2011, has been quietly dating Rhoades, 31,
for three years and says she is thrilled to watch her family grow.
'Seeing my two kids together is a magical
feeling,' she tells People magazine.
'Motherhood changes your DNA. My kids are now an integral part of who I am.'
But the rapid expansion certainly came as a
surprise, with Rhodes adding: 'It's not the way we had planned it! But that's
how our life works. It's always big. It could never be something like one child
at a time.'
The
couple declined to reveal details of their son's biological father or what
method Rhoades used to conceive.
Jillian told the publication that she hadn't
been to the gym for two weeks and had a new appreciation for the many mothers
she coached.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2148775/Jillian-Michaels-lesbian-partner-Heidi-Rhoades-gave-birth-baby-boy-2-WEEKS-adpoted.html#ixzz1vmUyfbni
jeudi 24 mai 2012
mercredi 23 mai 2012
UK may allow IVF for older women, same-sex couples
LONDON -- A powerful health advisory agency says Britain should extend free fertility treatments to women up to age 42 as well as same-sex couples, recommendations likely to be followed by many of the U.K.'s medical centers.
The British health system generally pays for up to three cycles of in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, for couples who have been trying to get pregnant for at least three years. Previously, women had to be under age 40 to qualify. Many government-funded clinics already treat gay and lesbian couples, but the recommendations now make that explicit, though they are not binding.
The guidelines are likely to affect only a minority of patients and it will be up to hospitals to decide whether to pay for IVF treatments. Britain's health service is being forced to trim
20 billion ($31 billion) from its budget by 2015 and many hospitals often ration who gets IVF and deny the treatment to eligible patients. One IVF cycle typically costs about
3,000 ($4,730).
Adam Balen, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said the new draft guidelines recognized the importance of treating infertility, citing the psychological harm it can cause. "No one who stands a reasonable chance at conception should be denied the opportunity," he said in a statement. "These (new) guidelines outline how that can be achieved."
The draft guidelines issued Tuesday also say the government should pay for IVF in people with diseases such as HIV who request it or patients facing cancer treatment, who want to preserve their fertility. About one in four IVF cycles results in a baby; that drops to about one in 10 for women over 40.
Elsewhere in Europe, many countries including France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland ban gay and lesbian couples from receiving IVF and often impose similar age limits for eligible women, cutting off treatment to women over 40.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/health&id=8673483
The British health system generally pays for up to three cycles of in-vitro fertilization, or IVF, for couples who have been trying to get pregnant for at least three years. Previously, women had to be under age 40 to qualify. Many government-funded clinics already treat gay and lesbian couples, but the recommendations now make that explicit, though they are not binding.
The guidelines are likely to affect only a minority of patients and it will be up to hospitals to decide whether to pay for IVF treatments. Britain's health service is being forced to trim
20 billion ($31 billion) from its budget by 2015 and many hospitals often ration who gets IVF and deny the treatment to eligible patients. One IVF cycle typically costs about
3,000 ($4,730).
Adam Balen, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said the new draft guidelines recognized the importance of treating infertility, citing the psychological harm it can cause. "No one who stands a reasonable chance at conception should be denied the opportunity," he said in a statement. "These (new) guidelines outline how that can be achieved."
The draft guidelines issued Tuesday also say the government should pay for IVF in people with diseases such as HIV who request it or patients facing cancer treatment, who want to preserve their fertility. About one in four IVF cycles results in a baby; that drops to about one in 10 for women over 40.
Elsewhere in Europe, many countries including France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland ban gay and lesbian couples from receiving IVF and often impose similar age limits for eligible women, cutting off treatment to women over 40.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/health&id=8673483
lundi 21 mai 2012
Journée de lutte contre l'homophobie : nous sommes toutes des lesbiennes politiques
LE PLUS. Difficile d'accéder à des données sur les violences envers les lesbiennes, déconsidérées, moquées et mises à l'écart. En cette journée de lutte contre l'homophobie, nos contributrices, Lucille Besombes, militante d'Osez le féminisme, et Magali de Haas, porte-parole, attirent l'attention sur ces femmes, discriminées dans une société normée
En octobre dernier, deux jeunes femmes sont violemment agressées par deux hommes en pleine rue à Charleville-Mézières. Leur forfait : être un couple de femmes qui ose s’embrasser en public. Ceci n’est pas un malheureux fait divers, mais la manifestation extrême d’une double discrimination, à la fois homophobe et sexiste. En ce 17 mai, journée mondiale de lutte contre l’homophobie, "Osez le féminisme !" juge fondamental de dénoncer les violences spécifiques à l’encontre des lesbiennes, trop souvent oubliées et ignorées dans un système de domination hétérosexuel et patriarcal.
Les données quantitatives sur les agressions à caractère lesbophobe sont rares, mais elles ne doivent pas pour autant être minorées ! Il s’agit de violences faites aux femmes, à toutes les femmes, à l’égard de leur genre et de leurs orientations sexuelles qu’elles soient réelles ou supposées.
Comme nous le montre l’enquête nationale de "SOS homophobie" datant de 2008, les manifestations de la lesbophobie sont nombreuses : incompréhension, rejet, invective verbale, discriminations au travail, allant parfois jusqu’à l’agression physique et le viol horriblement surnommé "correctif". Cette enquête souligne également la violence symbolique et l'invisibilité dont souffrent les lesbiennes : le poids de la norme sexuelle dominante qui renvoie l’homosexualité à une sexualité marginale et illégitime, entretenant le tabou qui l’entoure.
Rappelons que l’enquête ENVEFF a estimé que la prévalence d’une tentative de suicide au cours de la vie est 2,5 fois plus importante parmi les femmes qui ont eu des rapports homosexuels que parmi les femmes déclarant être exclusivement hétérosexuelles.
Une sexualité moquée, niée, déconsidérée
Comment se construire sereinement, dès lors que la sexualité entre femmes est niée, moquée, considérée comme une sous-sexualité et assimilée à un prolongement ludique de l’hétérosexualité (représentations véhiculées notamment dans la pornographie de masse) ? Ces poncifs témoignent de notre difficulté à penser la sexualité indépendamment du masculin, et notamment hors de la pénétration hétérosexuelle et reproductive : comme le disaient si justement les militantes du MLF dans les années 1970, "quand les femmes s’aiment, les hommes ne récoltent pas".
Cette invisibilité se traduit aussi au sein du mouvement LGBT (Lesbienne-gai-bi-trans), dans laquelle les lesbiennes sont sous représentées par rapport à leurs homologues masculins, ce qui a pour conséquence un faible poids dans les prises de décision concernant les revendications politiques et l’avenir du mouvement. La santé sexuelle des lesbiennes en est la première victime, avec un retard important dans les politiques de prévention des IST (infections sexuellement transmissibles).
La question de la reconnaissance de l’identité lesbienne ne relève pas simplement de la sphère intime, elle est éminemment politique dans le sens où elle permet de déconstruire les stéréotypes liés au genre et aux modèles organisationnels qui soutiennent une économie de la domination masculine. Lutter contre la lesbophobie est donc un combat féministe, car il s’agit d’un outil subversif de résistance à l’oppression patriarcale et de revendication de l’égalité femmes-hommes.
Une lutte politique
Ainsi, à "Osez le féminisme !", indépendamment de nos orientations sexuelles respectives, nous refusons que nos sexualités et nos désirs soient subordonnés à ceux des hommes, dictés par la norme dominante et réduits à la reproduction et c’est à ce titre que nous affirmons avec fierté que nous sommes toutes des lesbiennes politiques !
Nous profitons aussi de cette journée pour exiger une réelle politique de lutte contre la lesbophobie. Le développement des connaissances sur les violences lesbophobes doit être rendu possible par des enquêtes nationales régulières. L’éducation à l’égalité des sexes, intégrant un volet contre les LGBT-phobies, doit être développée.
Les actions de prévention sur la santé sexuelle et les infections sexuellement transmissibles doivent prendre en compte la situation des lesbiennes. L'adoption et l'accès à la procréation médicalement assistée doivent être facilitée pour les couples lesbiens qui les désirent. Enfin, parce que ce qui n’est pas nommé n’est pas reconnu, il est grand temps que le mot "lesbophobie" fasse son entrée dans les dictionnaires.
Lucille Besombes (militante OLF, groupe LGBT) et Magali de Haas (porte-parole).
jeudi 17 mai 2012
SOS Homophobie dévoile son rapport annuel
L’association SOS Homophobie publie aujourd’hui son rapport annuel sur les faits de discriminations, de violences ou d’injures faites aux personnes homosexuelles en France. A Strasbourg, l’association présente son rapport à La Station, le centre Lesbien, Gay, Bi, Trans et Intersexe.
Le rapport est extrêmement complet et montre que les faits d’homophobie recensés ne cessent d’augmenter, surtout depuis 2004, date où la loi a aggravé le délit d’injure ou d’agression lorsqu’il est de nature homophobe. Le Bas-Rhin est malheureusement dans la catégorie où le plus de cas sont déclarés, un classement qui peut s’expliquer par la présence d’une antenne locale de l’association, selon Stéphane Galas, membre de l’antenne strasbourgeoise :
Le rapport est extrêmement complet et montre que les faits d’homophobie recensés ne cessent d’augmenter, surtout depuis 2004, date où la loi a aggravé le délit d’injure ou d’agression lorsqu’il est de nature homophobe. Le Bas-Rhin est malheureusement dans la catégorie où le plus de cas sont déclarés, un classement qui peut s’expliquer par la présence d’une antenne locale de l’association, selon Stéphane Galas, membre de l’antenne strasbourgeoise :
« Comme toujours, les faits constatés augmentent quand il y a une association locale, qui fait connaître son existence. Car il y a de nombreux faits non signalés, les personnes victimes ne sachant pas où se rendre ni qui appeler… Les faits homophobes sont aussi plus nombreux là où il y a de grands centres urbains. Et puis, il y a les tabous… Par exemple, alors que nous allons régulièrement faire de la prévention dans les lycées du Bas-Rhin, aucun lycée du Haut-Rhin ne nous a invité, malgré nos propositions à la suite de signalements. »http://www.rue89strasbourg.com/index.php/2012/05/17/breve/sos-homophobie-devoile-son-rapport-annuel/
mercredi 16 mai 2012
Sibérie: le quotidien des lesbiennes «invisibles et silencieuses»
REPORTAGE. D'un côté, il y a Julia et Anna qui vivent leur amour au grand jour. De l'autre, il y a des dizaines de lesbiennes en souffrance. Nous sommes en Sibérie occidentale, à mi-chemin entre traditions et modernité.
L'une est juriste, l'autre travaille dans l'immobilier. La première a 20 ans, l'autre 33. Julia et Anna (photo ci-dessus) ont toutes deux grandi à Tioumen, capitale de la Sibérie occidentale… et ce n'est pas demain la veille qu'on les délogera, homophobie ambiante ou pas! Non, comme dit Anna, «je suis Russe» et «je resterai en Russie».
«Je suis têtue!»
Les deux jeunes femmes se sont rencontrées il y a cinq mois, lors d'une soirée d’Halloween. Peu de temps après, elles emménagent ensemble, travaillent dans la même société, affichent leur relation naissante dans les rues de Tioumen, une petite ville de province russe qui compte tout de même plus de 500.000 habitants.
À écouter les deux jeunes femmes raconter leur quotidien, être lesbienne en Sibérie paraît facile: «En ce qui me concerne, je suis vraiment têtue!», explique Julia, qui vit comme si elle et Anna étaient seules au monde. «Je ne vais pas attendre que la société m'accepte. Je m'impose!», assène-t-elle. «Je m'habille comme il me plait, je tiens la main de ma copine dans la rue, je l'embrasse… Au pire, un passant se demandera si je suis un homme. Mais jamais nous n'avons subi d'agression ou encouru de reproche.»
Boîtes homosMême en Sibérie, on trouve des boites homos, et pas qu'une. Même si elles ont du mal à survivre, faute de clientèle. Le Paradise en est la preuve. Julia et Anna nous y conduisent un samedi soir. Arrivées à l'adresse indiquée, pas de pignon sur rue. Rien qu'une porte close. Cinq minutes d'attente et la porte s'ouvre. «Pour entrer il faut connaître du monde…»
Il semble que les deux jeunes femmes constituent un cas isolé, forts caractères aidant. En réalité, «ce n'est pas simple», confie Sanya Bikina (photo ci-contre), psychologue de l'association Rainbow House, une organisation qui vient en aide à la communauté LGBT de la région. «Notre association n'est même pas autorisée par l'Etat!», regrette Sanya, elle-même bisexuelle. Avec deux juristes, la jeune Tiouménite anime des ateliers, des cercles de parole, des consultations particulières et diverses actions publiques.
«Une gay pride à Tioumen? Ce n'est pas la priorité»
Se balader main dans la main dans les rues de la ville? Mieux vaut ne pas y penser. C'est effectivement risqué. «Dans les clubs homos, d'accord. Ou alors à Saint-Pétersbourg, qui reste la capitale gay russe, malgré la nouvelle loi homophobe en vigueur depuis peu (lire notre article). Mais pas ici.»
Une gay pride à Tioumen? Inenvisageable. «Ce n'est de toute façon pas la priorité pour le moment, estime la psychologue. Et puis nous ne sommes pas assez nombreux à nous manifester. Nous devons d'abord retrouver notre dignité, dit-elle. Beaucoup de lesbiennes et plus généralement d'homos souffrent ici et se pensent anormaux. La situation nous rend invisibles et silencieuses.»
http://www.tetu.com/actualites/international/siberie-le-quotidien-des-lesbiennes-invisibles-et-silencieuses-21542
L'une est juriste, l'autre travaille dans l'immobilier. La première a 20 ans, l'autre 33. Julia et Anna (photo ci-dessus) ont toutes deux grandi à Tioumen, capitale de la Sibérie occidentale… et ce n'est pas demain la veille qu'on les délogera, homophobie ambiante ou pas! Non, comme dit Anna, «je suis Russe» et «je resterai en Russie».
«Je suis têtue!»
Les deux jeunes femmes se sont rencontrées il y a cinq mois, lors d'une soirée d’Halloween. Peu de temps après, elles emménagent ensemble, travaillent dans la même société, affichent leur relation naissante dans les rues de Tioumen, une petite ville de province russe qui compte tout de même plus de 500.000 habitants.
À écouter les deux jeunes femmes raconter leur quotidien, être lesbienne en Sibérie paraît facile: «En ce qui me concerne, je suis vraiment têtue!», explique Julia, qui vit comme si elle et Anna étaient seules au monde. «Je ne vais pas attendre que la société m'accepte. Je m'impose!», assène-t-elle. «Je m'habille comme il me plait, je tiens la main de ma copine dans la rue, je l'embrasse… Au pire, un passant se demandera si je suis un homme. Mais jamais nous n'avons subi d'agression ou encouru de reproche.»
Boîtes homosMême en Sibérie, on trouve des boites homos, et pas qu'une. Même si elles ont du mal à survivre, faute de clientèle. Le Paradise en est la preuve. Julia et Anna nous y conduisent un samedi soir. Arrivées à l'adresse indiquée, pas de pignon sur rue. Rien qu'une porte close. Cinq minutes d'attente et la porte s'ouvre. «Pour entrer il faut connaître du monde…»
Il semble que les deux jeunes femmes constituent un cas isolé, forts caractères aidant. En réalité, «ce n'est pas simple», confie Sanya Bikina (photo ci-contre), psychologue de l'association Rainbow House, une organisation qui vient en aide à la communauté LGBT de la région. «Notre association n'est même pas autorisée par l'Etat!», regrette Sanya, elle-même bisexuelle. Avec deux juristes, la jeune Tiouménite anime des ateliers, des cercles de parole, des consultations particulières et diverses actions publiques.
«Une gay pride à Tioumen? Ce n'est pas la priorité»
Se balader main dans la main dans les rues de la ville? Mieux vaut ne pas y penser. C'est effectivement risqué. «Dans les clubs homos, d'accord. Ou alors à Saint-Pétersbourg, qui reste la capitale gay russe, malgré la nouvelle loi homophobe en vigueur depuis peu (lire notre article). Mais pas ici.»
Une gay pride à Tioumen? Inenvisageable. «Ce n'est de toute façon pas la priorité pour le moment, estime la psychologue. Et puis nous ne sommes pas assez nombreux à nous manifester. Nous devons d'abord retrouver notre dignité, dit-elle. Beaucoup de lesbiennes et plus généralement d'homos souffrent ici et se pensent anormaux. La situation nous rend invisibles et silencieuses.»
http://www.tetu.com/actualites/international/siberie-le-quotidien-des-lesbiennes-invisibles-et-silencieuses-21542
mardi 15 mai 2012
'I'm a lesbian': Bold and the Beautiful star Joanna Johnson reveals she has a wife and children
She has returned to the show that made her a
star in a storyline that has seen her character Karen Spencer come out of the
closet.
And now Joanna Johnson has revealed it was a case of art imitating life, as she has been married to her lesbian lover for the last four years.
The 50-year-old said she shares two children with Los Angeles club promoter Michelle Agnew.
She told TV Guide: 'I'm married to [L.A. club promoter] Michelle Agnew and we have two beautiful children, Julian, who is five, and Harlow, who is two.
'And now we're finding out that Karen is married to this great lady Dani and together they have raised her daughter Caroline, so times have certainly changed.
'I guess that's why I'm ready to open up. It feels weird and wrong to play this revelation about Karen's life and not talk about my own.'
And she said the reason she did not reveal her orientation before was because she feared it would damage her career.
She said: 'Daytime is a whole different world than prime time or theater or film.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2144448/Im-lesbian-Bold-Beautiful-star-Joanna-Johnson-reveals-wife-children.html#ixzz1ux2tmF38
And now Joanna Johnson has revealed it was a case of art imitating life, as she has been married to her lesbian lover for the last four years.
The 50-year-old said she shares two children with Los Angeles club promoter Michelle Agnew.
She told TV Guide: 'I'm married to [L.A. club promoter] Michelle Agnew and we have two beautiful children, Julian, who is five, and Harlow, who is two.
'And now we're finding out that Karen is married to this great lady Dani and together they have raised her daughter Caroline, so times have certainly changed.
'I guess that's why I'm ready to open up. It feels weird and wrong to play this revelation about Karen's life and not talk about my own.'
And she said the reason she did not reveal her orientation before was because she feared it would damage her career.
She said: 'Daytime is a whole different world than prime time or theater or film.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2144448/Im-lesbian-Bold-Beautiful-star-Joanna-Johnson-reveals-wife-children.html#ixzz1ux2tmF38
lundi 14 mai 2012
President Obama is being heralded as the "first gay president"
President Obama is being heralded as the "first gay president" in a Newsweek cover out today.
The magazine's headline for the May 21 issue and its cover photo, which features a rainbow-colored halo over Obama's head, comes after Obama last week said for the first time that he believes same-sex marriages should be legal.
The accompanying story is by Andrew Sullivan, a conservative writer who is gay, who recounts how he was moved to tears when Obama endorsed gay marriage in an interview last week with ABC News.
While Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney are focusing today on the economy and jobs, the gay marriage debate has become a part of the presidential campaign. A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows 51% of Americans approve of Obama's stance, yet 6 in 10 say the president's support for same-sex marriage will have no bearing on their vote in November.
Sullivan argues that Obama's life, as the son of a black father and white mother, helps him understand the plight of gay men and lesbians. He writes:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/05/obama-newsweek-cover-gay-president-/1?csp=34news
The magazine's headline for the May 21 issue and its cover photo, which features a rainbow-colored halo over Obama's head, comes after Obama last week said for the first time that he believes same-sex marriages should be legal.
The accompanying story is by Andrew Sullivan, a conservative writer who is gay, who recounts how he was moved to tears when Obama endorsed gay marriage in an interview last week with ABC News.
While Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney are focusing today on the economy and jobs, the gay marriage debate has become a part of the presidential campaign. A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows 51% of Americans approve of Obama's stance, yet 6 in 10 say the president's support for same-sex marriage will have no bearing on their vote in November.
Sullivan argues that Obama's life, as the son of a black father and white mother, helps him understand the plight of gay men and lesbians. He writes:
I have always sensed that he intuitively understands gays and our predicament—because it so mirrors his own. And he knows how the love and sacrifice of marriage can heal, integrate, and rebuild a soul. The point of the gay-rights movement, after all, is not about helping people be gay. It is about creating the space for people to be themselves. This has been Obama's life's work. And he just enlarged the space in this world for so many others, trapped in different cages of identity, yearning to be released and returned to the families they love and the dignity they deserve.Provocative magazine covers have been a talk of the news recently. The Newsweek cover follows a Time magazine cover last week featuring a mother breastfeeding her toddler son.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/05/obama-newsweek-cover-gay-president-/1?csp=34news
samedi 12 mai 2012
Gay, lesbian donors give Obama a fundraising boost
NEW YORK — President Barack Obama has seen an uptick in fundraising since he announced his shift on gay marriage, with some Democratic rainmakers citing renewed interest from gay and lesbian donors who had been urging the president to clarify his stance on the divisive social issue.
"The phone calls went on until one in the morning after the president spoke — people calling saying 'Where do I go, what can I do to help, what events are coming up,'" said Robert Zimmerman, a Long Island, N.Y., Obama bundler. "People I've been seeking out for campaign support for months have been calling me saying, 'I'm ready to give.'"
Obama's campaign has declined to say how much it has collected since the announcement, but some staffers have asked supporters to give money as a way of expressing their approval. Following the Obama interview with ABC News, Rufus Gifford, Obama's national finance director, said in a posting to the campaign website that "if you're proud of our president, this is a great time to make a donation to the campaign."
Chad Griffin, an Obama bundler and incoming president of the gay advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, said most prominent gay donors had been supporting Obama all along despite his reluctance to champion gay marriage. Most had already given the maximum contribution to his campaign, Griffin said. But he said Obama's announcement had boosted enthusiasm among many gay donors.
"There was a tad bit of uncomfortableness because of his position on marriage, even though most people saw where he was headed," Griffin said. "The thing he did (Wednesday) cleared any uncomfortableness anyone had."
Obama said Wednesday he supported gay marriage, marking a shift in his personal view on the issue after once opposing it and saying more recently that his views were "evolving."
Even before the gay marriage news, Obama has long stressed his commitment to gay rights. The president repealed the military's 18-year-old ban on openly gay service members, called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and instructed the Justice Department last year to stop enforcing the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages.
Some gay rights advocates have pressed Obama to sign an executive order barring discrimination against gays and lesbians who work for companies with federal contracts.
Obama was attending a New York fundraiser Monday with gay and lesbian donors hosted by singer Ricky Martin, his first fundraising event with gay supporters since his announcement. The president is scheduled to attend a major fundraiser with gay supporters in Los Angeles on June 6, with tickets priced as high as $25,000 per couple. Griffin, who is co-hosting the event, said he was confident it would sell out.
At least one leading gay activist has said he will attend the June 6 event after pledging to withhold support for Obama if the president did not embrace gay marriage.
Lance Black, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter based in Los Angeles, penned a column in the Hollywood Reporter last month saying he would not contribute to or vote for Obama and urged other gay activists to withhold support as well. Obama's statement Wednesday changed his mind, Black said.
Now I can do all I can to help him financially. I am going to go big, and I'm not alone there," Black said. "He blew me away (Wednesday). I walked around for the first time in three years thinking, 'Yes we can.'"
vendredi 11 mai 2012
Mariage gay: l'exemple d'Obama pour l'UE
La commissaire européenne chargée des Affaires intérieures Cecilia Malmström a encouragé aujourd'hui les dirigeants européens à suivre l'exemple du président Barack Obama qui s'est engagé en faveur du mariage entre personnes du même sexe.
"Je crois qu'un couple qui s'aime devrait pouvoir se marier partout en Europe, que ce soit un couple hétéro ou homosexuel", a-t-elle écrit sur son compte twitter. "Obama fait preuve d'un grand leadership sur cette question", a-t-elle ajouté.
Cecilia Malmström, une libérale suédoise, avait été l'une des premières personnalités à saluer hier soir la décision du président Obama. Elle s'exprimait en son nom personnel et non en celui de la Commission européenne.
Le mariage entre homosexuels est autorisé dans cinq des 27 pays de l'UE (Belgique, Espagne, Pays-Bas, Portugal et Suède). D'autres pays de l'UE, dont la France, autorisent les unions civiles entre partenaires de même sexe.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2012/05/10/97001-20120510FILWWW00705-mariage-gay-l-exemple-d-obama-pour-l-ue.php
"Je crois qu'un couple qui s'aime devrait pouvoir se marier partout en Europe, que ce soit un couple hétéro ou homosexuel", a-t-elle écrit sur son compte twitter. "Obama fait preuve d'un grand leadership sur cette question", a-t-elle ajouté.
Cecilia Malmström, une libérale suédoise, avait été l'une des premières personnalités à saluer hier soir la décision du président Obama. Elle s'exprimait en son nom personnel et non en celui de la Commission européenne.
Le mariage entre homosexuels est autorisé dans cinq des 27 pays de l'UE (Belgique, Espagne, Pays-Bas, Portugal et Suède). D'autres pays de l'UE, dont la France, autorisent les unions civiles entre partenaires de même sexe.
http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2012/05/10/97001-20120510FILWWW00705-mariage-gay-l-exemple-d-obama-pour-l-ue.php
mercredi 9 mai 2012
First White House conference on gay aging held in Miami
Gay seniors, like seniors in general, worry about safe housing, good health care and having enough money in retirement.
But according to those attending the first White House conference devoted to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender aging, held at the University of Miami on Monday, they also face unique obstacles because of discrimination, health-care inequities and fear of retaliation.
Connie Kurtz, a 75-year-old activist who lives in a West Palm Beach retirement community, said she and her partner Ruth Berman, 77, fear they would face discrimination and possibly get poor care if one of them had to go into a nursing home.
"Ruthie and I want sensitivity training for every person working in a nursing home," Kurtz said. "We are talking about the cafeteria worker up to the administrator."
The conference, one of a series focusing on LGBT Americans taking place around the country, was co-hosted by the University of Miami Center on Aging and the White House Office of Public Engagement. About 200 advocates, researchers and policy makers attended.
Jim Crochet, head of Florida's Long-term Care Ombudsman program, put out his first call for openly gay and lesbian volunteers during the conference.
Crochet said he recently realized gay ombudsmen — volunteers who help protect residents' rights and investigate complaints — could better connect with seniors who might be afraid to reveal their sexual orientation. Their presence also could persuade care staff to be more sensitive to LGBT issues, he said, adding that he plans to actively recruit in the gay community.
"We want to advocate for everyone," said Crochet, who doesn't know if any of the several hundred ombudsman volunteers statewide are gay.
No one knows exactly how many gay and lesbian seniors there are in South Florida. There could be as many as 53,520 in Palm Beach and Broward counties by the common estimate that 10 percent of the overall population is homosexual.
The fact that there is so little research and data available on elder gays continues to make it hard to plan services and make policy, several at the conference said.
SunServe Executive Director Mark Ketcham said his nonprofit agency for Broward's LGBT community is expanding senior services, starting with a daily telephone check for shut-ins. He suggested gay elders be classified as a vulnerable population under the Older Americans Act, which would expand federal dollars for programs.
Representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said rules passed two months ago broadened the definition of "family," so that same-gender couples can no longer be banned from subsidized senior apartment buildings and other public housing because they are not married.
"Now we have to make sure the policy is applied so that everyone has the experience they deserve," said Raphael Bostic, a HUD assistant secretary for policy and research.
mardi 8 mai 2012
Biden's backing of gay marriage pressures Obama
Was it a signal by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, designed to attract gay and lesbian supporters? A trial balloon to test voters' feelings about same-sex marriage? Or just a case of the vice president wandering from the campaign's message?
Whatever it was, Vice President Joe Biden's endorsement on Sunday of the right of gay couples to marry revved up the activist community - and created a bit of a headache for Obama's re-election campaign, which wanted to spend Monday talking about the economy and other issues.
Biden declared on NBC's "Meet the Press" program that he was "absolutely comfortable" allowing same-gender couples to wed.
That, and a subsequent comment on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" from Education Secretary Arne Duncan that gay marriage should be legal, led White House and campaign officials to spend the day fending off questions about the president's views.
Obama, who enjoyed broad support from the gay and lesbian community in the 2008 election, opposes same-sex marriage but has said gay couples should have the same rights as married straight couples. He has characterized his stance as evolving.
David Axelrod, the president's senior campaign strategist, told reporters Biden's comments were "entirely consistent with the president's position, which is that couples who are married, whether they're gay or heterosexual couples, are entitled to the very same rights and the very same liberties."
Some gay rights activists saw Biden's remarks as more significant.
Biden's candid response, they said, could be seen as a sign that Obama had arrived at the same conclusion on the divisive issue - even if he is waiting until after the November 6 election to make that clear.
"Any reasonable person watching that broadcast of 'Meet the Press' yesterday walked away with the impression that Vice President Biden supported marriage equality," said Fred Sainz of the Human Rights Campaign, a group that lobbies for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people's rights.
"If, as Axelrod says, the vice president's position is equal to that of the president, well then the president just came out for marriage equality."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said there was no change in the president's position.
"I have no update on the president's personal views," he said. "What the vice president said yesterday was to make the same point that the president has made previously: that committed and loving same-sex couples deserve the same rights and protections enjoyed by all Americans, and that we oppose any effort to roll back those rights."
Since becoming president in January 2009, Obama has signed a repeal of the policy that prevented gays from openly serving in the military. The White House also has declined to defend the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
'YOU CAN'T GO BACK NOW'
An increasing number of Americans now favor gay marriage.
In a survey released last month, the Pew Research Center found 47 percent of people favored same-sex marriage while 43 percent opposed legal marriages by gay and lesbian couples. In 2008, 39 percent favored gay marriage and 51 percent opposed it.
Biden belongs to the Catholic Church, which opposes gay marriage. However, his views seem to be in line with most Catholics in the United States: Pew recently found that 52 percent of church members favor gay marriage, up from 46 percent in 2010.
Gay rights activists said Biden's comments could help Obama with the gay community if his advisers did not overshadow them.
"I don't know whether it's a trial balloon. I don't know whether it was just the vice president speaking freely about how he feels. But you can't go back now and try to undo what he said," said Winnie Stachelberg, executive vice president of the liberal Center for American Progress and a former official at the Human Rights Campaign.
"The notion that he actually didn't come out for marriage equality is somewhat ludicrous," she said.
Biden has a well-established reputation for wandering off script.
In 2010 he greeted the signing of Obama's healthcare overhaul with a widely reported expletive. And in 2007, as a senator, he had to apologize for calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American (presidential candidate) who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
As the 2012 campaign has heated up, the vice president has played the role of attack dog, leading the assault on Republican challenger Mitt Romney with a series of addresses in politically divided states that likely will decide the November 6 election.
An Obama endorsement of gay marriage could help energize core Democratic supporters but it could alienate some independent voters with conservative social views.
"Voters will respect you if you tell them the truth, even if they disagree with you," said Richard Socarides, a gay rights advocate and former adviser to President Bill Clinton.
"It's clear to everyone that (Obama's advisers) have made a political calculation to try to avoid this issue, but I think ultimately it will backfire on them because this is too big an issue and it's at the center of a national conversation we're having. The president can't be silent."
Obama's campaign has not been silent about Romney's record on gay rights.
After an openly gay foreign policy spokesman resigned from the Romney campaign last week, Obama's spokesman accused the former Massachusetts governor of not being able to stand up to conservative Republicans who had complained about the policy aide's appointment.
Marriage equality advocates note that a few prominent Republicans - including former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter, Mary, is openly lesbian - have emerged as leaders in the fight for gay marriage.
In 2011, it was primarily wealthy conservatives such as Paul Singer, a money manager who has given $1 million to a pro-Romney "Super PAC," who provided the resources for the campaign in New York that made same-sex marriages legal in the state last year.
Six states, plus the District of Columbia, have extended marriage rights to gay couples. Twenty-eight states ban such marriages.
On Tuesday, voters in North Carolina, the state where Democrats will hold their national convention in early September, are widely expected to approve a measure that would ban gay marriage there.
Whatever it was, Vice President Joe Biden's endorsement on Sunday of the right of gay couples to marry revved up the activist community - and created a bit of a headache for Obama's re-election campaign, which wanted to spend Monday talking about the economy and other issues.
Biden declared on NBC's "Meet the Press" program that he was "absolutely comfortable" allowing same-gender couples to wed.
That, and a subsequent comment on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" from Education Secretary Arne Duncan that gay marriage should be legal, led White House and campaign officials to spend the day fending off questions about the president's views.
Obama, who enjoyed broad support from the gay and lesbian community in the 2008 election, opposes same-sex marriage but has said gay couples should have the same rights as married straight couples. He has characterized his stance as evolving.
David Axelrod, the president's senior campaign strategist, told reporters Biden's comments were "entirely consistent with the president's position, which is that couples who are married, whether they're gay or heterosexual couples, are entitled to the very same rights and the very same liberties."
Some gay rights activists saw Biden's remarks as more significant.
Biden's candid response, they said, could be seen as a sign that Obama had arrived at the same conclusion on the divisive issue - even if he is waiting until after the November 6 election to make that clear.
"Any reasonable person watching that broadcast of 'Meet the Press' yesterday walked away with the impression that Vice President Biden supported marriage equality," said Fred Sainz of the Human Rights Campaign, a group that lobbies for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people's rights.
"If, as Axelrod says, the vice president's position is equal to that of the president, well then the president just came out for marriage equality."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said there was no change in the president's position.
"I have no update on the president's personal views," he said. "What the vice president said yesterday was to make the same point that the president has made previously: that committed and loving same-sex couples deserve the same rights and protections enjoyed by all Americans, and that we oppose any effort to roll back those rights."
Since becoming president in January 2009, Obama has signed a repeal of the policy that prevented gays from openly serving in the military. The White House also has declined to defend the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
'YOU CAN'T GO BACK NOW'
An increasing number of Americans now favor gay marriage.
In a survey released last month, the Pew Research Center found 47 percent of people favored same-sex marriage while 43 percent opposed legal marriages by gay and lesbian couples. In 2008, 39 percent favored gay marriage and 51 percent opposed it.
Biden belongs to the Catholic Church, which opposes gay marriage. However, his views seem to be in line with most Catholics in the United States: Pew recently found that 52 percent of church members favor gay marriage, up from 46 percent in 2010.
Gay rights activists said Biden's comments could help Obama with the gay community if his advisers did not overshadow them.
"I don't know whether it's a trial balloon. I don't know whether it was just the vice president speaking freely about how he feels. But you can't go back now and try to undo what he said," said Winnie Stachelberg, executive vice president of the liberal Center for American Progress and a former official at the Human Rights Campaign.
"The notion that he actually didn't come out for marriage equality is somewhat ludicrous," she said.
Biden has a well-established reputation for wandering off script.
In 2010 he greeted the signing of Obama's healthcare overhaul with a widely reported expletive. And in 2007, as a senator, he had to apologize for calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American (presidential candidate) who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
As the 2012 campaign has heated up, the vice president has played the role of attack dog, leading the assault on Republican challenger Mitt Romney with a series of addresses in politically divided states that likely will decide the November 6 election.
An Obama endorsement of gay marriage could help energize core Democratic supporters but it could alienate some independent voters with conservative social views.
"Voters will respect you if you tell them the truth, even if they disagree with you," said Richard Socarides, a gay rights advocate and former adviser to President Bill Clinton.
"It's clear to everyone that (Obama's advisers) have made a political calculation to try to avoid this issue, but I think ultimately it will backfire on them because this is too big an issue and it's at the center of a national conversation we're having. The president can't be silent."
Obama's campaign has not been silent about Romney's record on gay rights.
After an openly gay foreign policy spokesman resigned from the Romney campaign last week, Obama's spokesman accused the former Massachusetts governor of not being able to stand up to conservative Republicans who had complained about the policy aide's appointment.
Marriage equality advocates note that a few prominent Republicans - including former Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter, Mary, is openly lesbian - have emerged as leaders in the fight for gay marriage.
In 2011, it was primarily wealthy conservatives such as Paul Singer, a money manager who has given $1 million to a pro-Romney "Super PAC," who provided the resources for the campaign in New York that made same-sex marriages legal in the state last year.
Six states, plus the District of Columbia, have extended marriage rights to gay couples. Twenty-eight states ban such marriages.
On Tuesday, voters in North Carolina, the state where Democrats will hold their national convention in early September, are widely expected to approve a measure that would ban gay marriage there.
lundi 7 mai 2012
Minnesota teens, Jane Lynch honored at NCLR event
Kyle Rooker was in the eighth grade when he was pushed down the stairs at his school and urinated on because other kids thought he was gay. After three years of daily bullying and name calling, he decided enough was enough.
For Damian McGee-Backes, the bullying started in the sixth grade, when a group of kids found out he had two dads. By the eighth grade, after being stabbed in the neck and labeled a "faggot," Damian was determined to fight back.
The boys were two of six students from Minnesota to enlist the help of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco and file a lawsuit against the Anoka-Hennepin School District. In March, student plaintiffs reached an agreement with the Minnesota school district that established a comprehensive, district-wide plan to counter and prevent harassment of students perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
On Saturday night, the six students were honored as heroes by a standing-room-only crowd of more than 1,500 gathered at the Metreon in San Francisco to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR).
"These six kids were very courageous and fierce clients," said center Executive Director Kate Kendell, who joined forces in the suit with the Southern Poverty Law Center. "These kids were the subject of relentless bullying and truly vile behavior in their schools, and they stood up and said, 'we are not going to take it anymore.' "
The National Center for Lesbian Rights, opened in San Francisco in 1977 to protect and advance the rights of lesbians, has grown into a national educational and legal force fighting for equal access to civil and human rights for lesbians, gays, transgender people and bisexuals.
The center's landmark legal victories span from a 1984 case involving a gay, HIV-positive dad fighting for custody of his son to the ongoing litigation to allow same-sex couples in California to marry. The NCLR serves as lead counsel in the case.
"Almost from the beginning, our organization has represented gay men, bisexuals and transgender individuals," said Kendell, executive director since 1996. "Even though our name is important to elevate lesbian leadership, we still have that sort of 1970s feminist view that no segment of our community can succeed unless we are all given the rights and opportunities to live free from stigma."
The 35th anniversary gala, held at San Francisco's Metreon following a dinner at the Westin St. Francis hotel, was a way to present a snapshot of the center's work, Kendell said.
Honored along with the six students was actress Jane Lynch, star of TV's "Glee."
"Jane is the real deal," Kendell said. "She's unapologetic about the fact that she's a lesbian, and has never really been in the closet. It's made her a tremendous role model. We want LGBT people to grow up not being ashamed of who they are, and to have role models who are inspiring."
Lynch spent time before the party with the six teens. Besides McGee-Backes and Rooker, they were Brittany Geldert, Dylon Frei, Ebonie Richardson and Kyrstin Schuette. Lynch applauded the kids, and the center.
"NCLR has given LGBT people and their families hope through its tireless work to gain dignity, respect and equality for all," Lynch said. She attended the gala with her wife, Lara Embry, whom she met at the center's 2009 anniversary event.
Frei, who turned to home schooling after years of bullying, said, "This is a very special day for us. It was through the lawsuit that I found myself, as someone who is young, someone who is proud to be out, and someone who is unafraid to speak up."
For McGee-Backes, who now attends a school in a different district, victory is simply summed up. "We are hearing from kids in the Anoka-Hennepin district that there is no bullying," Damian said. "My goal was just for kids to come home from school happy."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/06/BAF41OD568.DTL#ixzz1uBs1QbiT
For Damian McGee-Backes, the bullying started in the sixth grade, when a group of kids found out he had two dads. By the eighth grade, after being stabbed in the neck and labeled a "faggot," Damian was determined to fight back.
The boys were two of six students from Minnesota to enlist the help of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco and file a lawsuit against the Anoka-Hennepin School District. In March, student plaintiffs reached an agreement with the Minnesota school district that established a comprehensive, district-wide plan to counter and prevent harassment of students perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
On Saturday night, the six students were honored as heroes by a standing-room-only crowd of more than 1,500 gathered at the Metreon in San Francisco to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR).
"These six kids were very courageous and fierce clients," said center Executive Director Kate Kendell, who joined forces in the suit with the Southern Poverty Law Center. "These kids were the subject of relentless bullying and truly vile behavior in their schools, and they stood up and said, 'we are not going to take it anymore.' "
The National Center for Lesbian Rights, opened in San Francisco in 1977 to protect and advance the rights of lesbians, has grown into a national educational and legal force fighting for equal access to civil and human rights for lesbians, gays, transgender people and bisexuals.
The center's landmark legal victories span from a 1984 case involving a gay, HIV-positive dad fighting for custody of his son to the ongoing litigation to allow same-sex couples in California to marry. The NCLR serves as lead counsel in the case.
"Almost from the beginning, our organization has represented gay men, bisexuals and transgender individuals," said Kendell, executive director since 1996. "Even though our name is important to elevate lesbian leadership, we still have that sort of 1970s feminist view that no segment of our community can succeed unless we are all given the rights and opportunities to live free from stigma."
The 35th anniversary gala, held at San Francisco's Metreon following a dinner at the Westin St. Francis hotel, was a way to present a snapshot of the center's work, Kendell said.
Honored along with the six students was actress Jane Lynch, star of TV's "Glee."
"Jane is the real deal," Kendell said. "She's unapologetic about the fact that she's a lesbian, and has never really been in the closet. It's made her a tremendous role model. We want LGBT people to grow up not being ashamed of who they are, and to have role models who are inspiring."
Lynch spent time before the party with the six teens. Besides McGee-Backes and Rooker, they were Brittany Geldert, Dylon Frei, Ebonie Richardson and Kyrstin Schuette. Lynch applauded the kids, and the center.
"NCLR has given LGBT people and their families hope through its tireless work to gain dignity, respect and equality for all," Lynch said. She attended the gala with her wife, Lara Embry, whom she met at the center's 2009 anniversary event.
Frei, who turned to home schooling after years of bullying, said, "This is a very special day for us. It was through the lawsuit that I found myself, as someone who is young, someone who is proud to be out, and someone who is unafraid to speak up."
For McGee-Backes, who now attends a school in a different district, victory is simply summed up. "We are hearing from kids in the Anoka-Hennepin district that there is no bullying," Damian said. "My goal was just for kids to come home from school happy."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/06/BAF41OD568.DTL#ixzz1uBs1QbiT
samedi 5 mai 2012
Feminist Friday: Rachel Maddow puts in her 77 cents
Hello and happy Friday, you gutsy dames! As always, we will move from the barftastic to the sublime.
This Week in Complete Suckage
Ugh. A Texas judge ruled that the state couldn’t block Planned Parenthood from it’s women’s health program, but within hours Judge Jerry E. Smith said they totally could. ThinkProgress pointed out several irregularities with the situation, including the fact that Smith may not have had the authority to do that.
Also, jerkbags in the House GOP are trying to strip out important parts of the Violence Against Women Act. Specifically, they want to cut out protections for Native Americans, undocumented immigrants, and members of the LGBT community. Way to be horrible, gentlemen.
I have a couple of legitimate questions here, and if you have contacts in the Republican community, I would like your help in getting them answered. First, how the hell did House Republicans not notice that all the GOP women in the Senate voted for the strong version of the Violence Against Women Act? And if they did notice, why didn’t they ask said women some freaking questions about why they did so?
Second, to the wives, girlfriends, daughters, sisters, moms, and female friends of the current crop of anti-women GOP politicians: Why on earth are you putting up with this crap? Take a political tip from the members of the LGBT community, ladies: The view from under the bus isn’t pretty. And that’s where you’re headed.
Hey, you know those Zynga game updates you get on Facebook from games like Farmville? They’re often vaguely wink-wink naughty, like “Bettina has ripe tomatoes to share!” or “Prudence needs energy! What has she been doing to get so tired?”
Well, this week, this popped up in my feed from the Zynga game Castleville.
vendredi 4 mai 2012
Vienne : immigrées et lesbiennes sur une autre planète
Face à la présence grandissante de l’extrême droite, troisième force politique en Autriche, des groupes de citoyens s’organisent et militent pour l’intégration des communautés discriminées. Nous nous rendons à Vienne pour y faire la connaissance d’une planète, satellite d’un astre appelé liberté.
Linda, nigérienne, la quarantaine, habite à Vienne. Elle est noire, immigrée et lesbienne : trois raisons d’être victime de discrimination. « En tant que lesbienne, je suis discriminée par ma propre communauté. »En plus, « tu ne parles pas la langue, tu es noire, alors impossible de louer une maison au même prix que tout le monde. » Il y a trois ans, elle a rejoint Planet10, qu’elle définit comme « une organisation politique fondée par des femmes » qui réunit « des gens différents, aux idées différentes, qui se sont alliés pour fonder une planète avec un objectif : la redistribution de la richesse et des idées. »
À la limite de l’(il)légalité
En 2009, six femmes issues de différentes associations qui réprouvaient les « politiques migratoires » et n’intervenaient pas toujours au moyen d’« actions légales », ont décidé d’acheter une maison, « un endroit où les gens pourraient faire quelque chose » explique Helga. Elles ont mis de l’argent en commun pour acquérir la propriété. Ce point de départ est l’une des particularités de Planet10 : « Deux personnes nous ont fait des dons. Il s’agissait d’héritages de leurs familles, qui avaient fait des affaires dans l’Allemagne et l’Autriche nazies, et les descendants avaient décidé de faire quelque chose de bien avec cet argent. » Elles y ont ajouté un prêt de 150 000 euros, et 10 000 euros venant de la mère d’Helga.
Planet10 a une politique gay, féministe, antiraciste et antifasciste. « 50 % des personnes qui ont créé Planet10 sont gays » raconte Linda. Helga nous précise qu’ « À l’origine de tout ça, il y a eu un groupe de femmes, de féministes et, évidemment, de lesbiennes, car en Autriche le lesbianisme, la politique et le féminisme sont étroitement liés. » Le plus important : « soutenir les immigrés, peu importe de quelle façon » raconte Linda.Pendant ce temps, une jeune fille traverse le salon, portant trois verres d’eau : « J’ai pensé que vous deviez avoir soif. » Dans le groupe, il existe une hiérarchie claire, bien répartie entre immigrés et Autrichiens : « Il ne faut pas que ce soit seulement les Blancs autrichiens qui aident les immigrés » insiste Helga. « Nous ne voulons pas décider pour les étrangers, nous voulons décider ensemble » renchérit Linda.
http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/40953/planet10-immigres-homosexuels-femmes.html
Linda, nigérienne, la quarantaine, habite à Vienne. Elle est noire, immigrée et lesbienne : trois raisons d’être victime de discrimination. « En tant que lesbienne, je suis discriminée par ma propre communauté. »En plus, « tu ne parles pas la langue, tu es noire, alors impossible de louer une maison au même prix que tout le monde. » Il y a trois ans, elle a rejoint Planet10, qu’elle définit comme « une organisation politique fondée par des femmes » qui réunit « des gens différents, aux idées différentes, qui se sont alliés pour fonder une planète avec un objectif : la redistribution de la richesse et des idées. »
Une maison comme toutes les autres
Nous nous enfonçons dans Favoriten, le quartier de Vienne connu pour son importante concentration d’immigrés. « Dans d’autres quartiers, les gens ne sont pas très sympas avec eux » commente une passante. Après avoir regardé le plan à plusieurs reprises, nous arrivons à la maison de Planet10, qu’absolument personne ne connaît, y compris les voisins de la rue. C’est un immeuble comme tous les autres, à la différence que les murs extérieurs sont couverts d’affiches en plusieurs langues qui refusent que l’apprentissage de l’allemand soit obligatoire. Pourtant, à peine franchi le seuil de la porte, nous plongeons dans une société parallèle, guidés par Helga, l’une des fondatrices. Elle nous offre un thé et des biscuits faits maison, et nous emmène faire la visite guidée des trois étages, où se répartissent salon, garage, cuisine (pleine de messages de protestation), salle de travail, un rez-de-chaussée aménagé en salle de concert, et quatre chambres. Tout est à tout le monde et rien n’est à personne.À la limite de l’(il)légalité
En 2009, six femmes issues de différentes associations qui réprouvaient les « politiques migratoires » et n’intervenaient pas toujours au moyen d’« actions légales », ont décidé d’acheter une maison, « un endroit où les gens pourraient faire quelque chose » explique Helga. Elles ont mis de l’argent en commun pour acquérir la propriété. Ce point de départ est l’une des particularités de Planet10 : « Deux personnes nous ont fait des dons. Il s’agissait d’héritages de leurs familles, qui avaient fait des affaires dans l’Allemagne et l’Autriche nazies, et les descendants avaient décidé de faire quelque chose de bien avec cet argent. » Elles y ont ajouté un prêt de 150 000 euros, et 10 000 euros venant de la mère d’Helga.
Planet10 a une politique gay, féministe, antiraciste et antifasciste. « 50 % des personnes qui ont créé Planet10 sont gays » raconte Linda. Helga nous précise qu’ « À l’origine de tout ça, il y a eu un groupe de femmes, de féministes et, évidemment, de lesbiennes, car en Autriche le lesbianisme, la politique et le féminisme sont étroitement liés. » Le plus important : « soutenir les immigrés, peu importe de quelle façon » raconte Linda.Pendant ce temps, une jeune fille traverse le salon, portant trois verres d’eau : « J’ai pensé que vous deviez avoir soif. » Dans le groupe, il existe une hiérarchie claire, bien répartie entre immigrés et Autrichiens : « Il ne faut pas que ce soit seulement les Blancs autrichiens qui aident les immigrés » insiste Helga. « Nous ne voulons pas décider pour les étrangers, nous voulons décider ensemble » renchérit Linda.
http://www.cafebabel.fr/article/40953/planet10-immigres-homosexuels-femmes.html
jeudi 3 mai 2012
"Vous êtes un livre très intéressant"
A Moscou, des citoyens organisent des rencontres appelées "bibliothèques vivantes", au cours desquelles des individus victimes de discrimination narrent leur histoire aux participants. Récemment, une séance a rassemblé des homosexuels avec le public-lecteur.
Elena, une dame d'un certain âge aux allures d'intellectuelle, est installée devant une petite table dans une salle en sous-sol de l'un des cafés du passage Milioutine [dans le centre de Moscou]. Assis près d'elle, Ilia, un jeune homme à lunettes, et Dacha, une jeune fille tranquille à l'air concentré, l'écoutent : “On recommence à mener une double vie, comme au temps de l'Union soviétique. Cela vaut pour tout le monde, pas uniquement les gays et les lesbiennes, c'est général. A l'époque, on était une personne au travail, et une autre à la maison. Cette schizophrénie était la norme. Toute ma vie j'ai joué un personnage alors qu'en réalité j'étais quelqu'un d'autre. Il est très difficile de garder le cap dans ces conditions, de ne pas sombrer”. Ilia l'interroge : “Y a-t-il eu un moment où vous vous êtes sentie libre en Russie ?” “Non, jamais. J'ai toujours dû dissimuler, pour que les enfants n'aient pas de problèmes, pour qu'on ne me chasse pas de mon travail. J'enseigne dans un institut supérieur de langues de Moscou. On a de ces barbus, là-bas, s'ils apprenaient que j'aime les femmes, ils me rendraient la vie impossible”.
“Elena, vous êtes un livre très intéressant”, conclut Ilia. Cet échange a lieu au cours d’une journée de la Bibliothèque vivante, consacrée ce jour-là aux problèmes de la communauté des lesbiennes, gays, bisexuels et transgenres (LGBT). Les règles du jeu sont les suivantes : les participants sont divisés en "Livres" et "Lecteurs". Le “livre” est représenté par une personne qui se heurte dans son quotidien aux stéréotypes et aux préjugés.
Pour cette édition de la Bibliothèque vivante, les "livres" étaient des gays, lesbiennes, androgynes, a-genres, travestis, un couple de femmes avec un enfant, une personne qui avait été contrainte d'émigrer à cause de son orientation sexuelle. Le public, les “lecteurs”, pouvaient choisir un “livre” à lire, c'est à dire un interlocuteur à qui s'adresser, et qui devait répondre à toutes les questions, même les plus provocatrices.
“Ce projet de Bibliothèque vivante, qui a fait son apparition en Russie à l'automne 2011, nous a beaucoup plu. Nous avons décidé d'organiser des échanges centrés sur la communauté LGBT durant la semaine contre l'homophobie, parce que dans notre pays, rares sont les personnes aussi stigmatisées que celles dont l'orientation sexuelle n'est pas traditionnelle”, explique Maria, l'organisatrice de cette manifestation. Elle trouve que le concept de Bibliothèque vivante est l'initiative la plus intéressante parmi celles qui ont pour objectif de créer une société tolérante.
“Durant la phase de préparation, nous avons axé nos efforts sur la sécurité, en évitant de faire trop de publicité à notre action et en instaurant un contrôle, pour ne pas laisser entrer des visiteurs inadéquats”. Plus de cinquante personnes sont venues “chercher de la lecture” - des hétérosexuels pour la plupart. “Je pensais que tous les gays étaient maniérés, mais toi, tu ressembles tout à fait à un garçon ordinaire”, constate Anastasia, une toute jeune fille, étudiante en psychologie. Alexeï, un jeune homme en pull bleu et lunettes de soleil à la mode, se sent rassuré : “Tu ne me trouves pas maniéré du tout, alors ? Quand on me voit, on n'a pas envie de me faire déguerpir avec dégoût ?”
C'est la première fois depuis longtemps qu'il s'est décidé à voir du monde. D'habitude, il reste chez lui. “Ce que je veux, c'est une relation sérieuse, rien d'autre. Mais à Moscou, où est-ce qu'un gay discret, intello, a des chances de faire des rencontres ?”, se désole Alexeï, en jetant un coup d'œil intéressé à la table voisine. Sacha, qui se considère comme androgyne, a une frimousse d'enfant. Mince, les cheveux roux et en bataille, elle s'adresse à ses “lecteurs” avec assurance, passion, fume cigarette sur cigarette en parlant à toute vitesse d'une voix d'adolescent.
Ses interlocutrices fixent le sol, mal à l'aise. “Du point de vue biologique, je suis une femme, mais qui je suis en réalité, je n'en sais encore rien. Tout ce que je sais, c'est que j'aime les femmes. Disons que je suis à la fois un homme et une femme. D'autres questions ?” Les deux jeunes filles qui lui font face n'en ont pas. Elle poursuit alors ses réflexions, explique qu'elle travaille avec des enfants et cache soigneusement son orientation sexuelle. “Mes préférences sexuelles ont toujours constitué un gros obstacle à ma carrière. Un jour, on m'a dit que je ne progresserais jamais à cause de cela”. Vadim et Vassilissa sont venus “lire” “pour apprendre”. Vadim précise : “Je cherche à comprendre pourquoi les gays, lesbiennes et autres sont montrés du doigt. Selon moi, ils ne font de mal à personne”.
L'histoire d'Ouliana les a particulièrement touchés. En tant que “titre”, elle s'était choisi “Lesbienne qui a été contrainte d'émigrer à cause de son orientation sexuelle”. Elle a dû quitter la petite ville du Kazakhstan où elle vivait. “Là-bas, les lesbiennes étaient frappées, maltraitées. Le jour où j'ai rencontré la femme que j'aime, j'ai compris que je devais fuir le pays. J'ai eu peur pour ma famille, parce que nous avons aussi un enfant”. Ouliana, sa compagne et leur fille habitent désormais en Russie, depuis un an, et ont le plus grand mal à gagner leur vie.
http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/2012/04/30/vous-etes-un-livre-tres-interessant
Elena, une dame d'un certain âge aux allures d'intellectuelle, est installée devant une petite table dans une salle en sous-sol de l'un des cafés du passage Milioutine [dans le centre de Moscou]. Assis près d'elle, Ilia, un jeune homme à lunettes, et Dacha, une jeune fille tranquille à l'air concentré, l'écoutent : “On recommence à mener une double vie, comme au temps de l'Union soviétique. Cela vaut pour tout le monde, pas uniquement les gays et les lesbiennes, c'est général. A l'époque, on était une personne au travail, et une autre à la maison. Cette schizophrénie était la norme. Toute ma vie j'ai joué un personnage alors qu'en réalité j'étais quelqu'un d'autre. Il est très difficile de garder le cap dans ces conditions, de ne pas sombrer”. Ilia l'interroge : “Y a-t-il eu un moment où vous vous êtes sentie libre en Russie ?” “Non, jamais. J'ai toujours dû dissimuler, pour que les enfants n'aient pas de problèmes, pour qu'on ne me chasse pas de mon travail. J'enseigne dans un institut supérieur de langues de Moscou. On a de ces barbus, là-bas, s'ils apprenaient que j'aime les femmes, ils me rendraient la vie impossible”.
“Elena, vous êtes un livre très intéressant”, conclut Ilia. Cet échange a lieu au cours d’une journée de la Bibliothèque vivante, consacrée ce jour-là aux problèmes de la communauté des lesbiennes, gays, bisexuels et transgenres (LGBT). Les règles du jeu sont les suivantes : les participants sont divisés en "Livres" et "Lecteurs". Le “livre” est représenté par une personne qui se heurte dans son quotidien aux stéréotypes et aux préjugés.
Pour cette édition de la Bibliothèque vivante, les "livres" étaient des gays, lesbiennes, androgynes, a-genres, travestis, un couple de femmes avec un enfant, une personne qui avait été contrainte d'émigrer à cause de son orientation sexuelle. Le public, les “lecteurs”, pouvaient choisir un “livre” à lire, c'est à dire un interlocuteur à qui s'adresser, et qui devait répondre à toutes les questions, même les plus provocatrices.
“Ce projet de Bibliothèque vivante, qui a fait son apparition en Russie à l'automne 2011, nous a beaucoup plu. Nous avons décidé d'organiser des échanges centrés sur la communauté LGBT durant la semaine contre l'homophobie, parce que dans notre pays, rares sont les personnes aussi stigmatisées que celles dont l'orientation sexuelle n'est pas traditionnelle”, explique Maria, l'organisatrice de cette manifestation. Elle trouve que le concept de Bibliothèque vivante est l'initiative la plus intéressante parmi celles qui ont pour objectif de créer une société tolérante.
“Durant la phase de préparation, nous avons axé nos efforts sur la sécurité, en évitant de faire trop de publicité à notre action et en instaurant un contrôle, pour ne pas laisser entrer des visiteurs inadéquats”. Plus de cinquante personnes sont venues “chercher de la lecture” - des hétérosexuels pour la plupart. “Je pensais que tous les gays étaient maniérés, mais toi, tu ressembles tout à fait à un garçon ordinaire”, constate Anastasia, une toute jeune fille, étudiante en psychologie. Alexeï, un jeune homme en pull bleu et lunettes de soleil à la mode, se sent rassuré : “Tu ne me trouves pas maniéré du tout, alors ? Quand on me voit, on n'a pas envie de me faire déguerpir avec dégoût ?”
C'est la première fois depuis longtemps qu'il s'est décidé à voir du monde. D'habitude, il reste chez lui. “Ce que je veux, c'est une relation sérieuse, rien d'autre. Mais à Moscou, où est-ce qu'un gay discret, intello, a des chances de faire des rencontres ?”, se désole Alexeï, en jetant un coup d'œil intéressé à la table voisine. Sacha, qui se considère comme androgyne, a une frimousse d'enfant. Mince, les cheveux roux et en bataille, elle s'adresse à ses “lecteurs” avec assurance, passion, fume cigarette sur cigarette en parlant à toute vitesse d'une voix d'adolescent.
Ses interlocutrices fixent le sol, mal à l'aise. “Du point de vue biologique, je suis une femme, mais qui je suis en réalité, je n'en sais encore rien. Tout ce que je sais, c'est que j'aime les femmes. Disons que je suis à la fois un homme et une femme. D'autres questions ?” Les deux jeunes filles qui lui font face n'en ont pas. Elle poursuit alors ses réflexions, explique qu'elle travaille avec des enfants et cache soigneusement son orientation sexuelle. “Mes préférences sexuelles ont toujours constitué un gros obstacle à ma carrière. Un jour, on m'a dit que je ne progresserais jamais à cause de cela”. Vadim et Vassilissa sont venus “lire” “pour apprendre”. Vadim précise : “Je cherche à comprendre pourquoi les gays, lesbiennes et autres sont montrés du doigt. Selon moi, ils ne font de mal à personne”.
L'histoire d'Ouliana les a particulièrement touchés. En tant que “titre”, elle s'était choisi “Lesbienne qui a été contrainte d'émigrer à cause de son orientation sexuelle”. Elle a dû quitter la petite ville du Kazakhstan où elle vivait. “Là-bas, les lesbiennes étaient frappées, maltraitées. Le jour où j'ai rencontré la femme que j'aime, j'ai compris que je devais fuir le pays. J'ai eu peur pour ma famille, parce que nous avons aussi un enfant”. Ouliana, sa compagne et leur fille habitent désormais en Russie, depuis un an, et ont le plus grand mal à gagner leur vie.
http://www.courrierinternational.com/article/2012/04/30/vous-etes-un-livre-tres-interessant
mercredi 2 mai 2012
Lesbian married in the US faces deportation to Pakistan
US Senator John Kerry appeals to Department of Homeland Security on the couple's behalf
A binational lesbian couple married in the state of Massachusetts is grappling with possible deportation.
Gloria and Jacquelyn, whose surnames are ommitted for security reasons, risk deportation from the United States because Jacquelyn can't legally sponsor Gloria's visa.
Though the state of Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 mandates that federal law only recognize the marriage rights between a man and a woman.
Former presidential candidate in the 2004 election and Massachusetts senator John Kerry has written to the Department of Homeland Security in defense of Gloria and Jacquelyn, who married in Beverly, Massachusetts in October 2011.
Kerry's letter addressed to Janet Napolitano, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, requests that the couple's petition be put on hold until the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is repealed.
The Department of Homeland Security has rejected Jacquelyn's petition to sponsor Gloria through a marriage-based visa.
Kerry wrote of Gloria: 'She is certain that if she is forced to return to Pakistan, her life will be in danger, not only because of her sexual orientation and her marriage to a United States citizen, but for religious reasons as well.'
The last names of the women, Gloria and Jacquelyn, are not published to protect their security should Gloria be forced to return to Pakistan. The couple fears for Gloria's safety since homosexuality is illegal in Pakistan.
The women have said an an interview that they were brought together by their Christian faith when they met in college. Gloria stopped attending university last year when she could no longer afford tuition. She lost her student visa and was informed she would be deported.
'No other citizen who falls in love and marries a citizen of Pakistan would be discriminated against in this fashion,' said Lavi Soloway, the couple's lawyer and cofounder of a group called Stop the Deportations.
'They should not be put through this wringer. Both are 24 years old. They are young women; they should have the same opportunity to fulfill their hopes and dreams as all other couples'.
Last year, President Obama announced DOMA was unconstitutional but that the law would still be held in court. Since then, John Kerry has led a group of 12 senators petitioning to the Obama administration that the green card-based petitions of binational gay and lesbian couples who faced deportation be suspended until DOMA is repealed.
http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-married-us-faces-deportation-pakistan020512
A binational lesbian couple married in the state of Massachusetts is grappling with possible deportation.
Gloria and Jacquelyn, whose surnames are ommitted for security reasons, risk deportation from the United States because Jacquelyn can't legally sponsor Gloria's visa.
Though the state of Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 mandates that federal law only recognize the marriage rights between a man and a woman.
Former presidential candidate in the 2004 election and Massachusetts senator John Kerry has written to the Department of Homeland Security in defense of Gloria and Jacquelyn, who married in Beverly, Massachusetts in October 2011.
Kerry's letter addressed to Janet Napolitano, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, requests that the couple's petition be put on hold until the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is repealed.
The Department of Homeland Security has rejected Jacquelyn's petition to sponsor Gloria through a marriage-based visa.
Kerry wrote of Gloria: 'She is certain that if she is forced to return to Pakistan, her life will be in danger, not only because of her sexual orientation and her marriage to a United States citizen, but for religious reasons as well.'
The last names of the women, Gloria and Jacquelyn, are not published to protect their security should Gloria be forced to return to Pakistan. The couple fears for Gloria's safety since homosexuality is illegal in Pakistan.
The women have said an an interview that they were brought together by their Christian faith when they met in college. Gloria stopped attending university last year when she could no longer afford tuition. She lost her student visa and was informed she would be deported.
'No other citizen who falls in love and marries a citizen of Pakistan would be discriminated against in this fashion,' said Lavi Soloway, the couple's lawyer and cofounder of a group called Stop the Deportations.
'They should not be put through this wringer. Both are 24 years old. They are young women; they should have the same opportunity to fulfill their hopes and dreams as all other couples'.
Last year, President Obama announced DOMA was unconstitutional but that the law would still be held in court. Since then, John Kerry has led a group of 12 senators petitioning to the Obama administration that the green card-based petitions of binational gay and lesbian couples who faced deportation be suspended until DOMA is repealed.
http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-married-us-faces-deportation-pakistan020512
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