On 1 August 2021 Listening2Lesbians provided submissions in response to the following from the Commission on the Status of Women:
“Any individual, non-governmental organization, group or network may submit communications (complaints/appeals/petitions) to the Commission on the Status of Women containing information relating to alleged violations of human rights that affect the status of women in any country in the world. The Commission on the Status of Women considers such communications as part of its annual programme of work in order to identify emerging trends and patterns of injustice and discriminatory practices against women for purposes of policy formulation and development of strategies for the promotion of gender equality.”
Information was provided to the UN on incidents dating back approximately 2.5 years across the 57 countries we have reported on in that time.
Legal, social and familial punishment of lesbians for failing to conform with the expectations imposed on women illuminates the status of women around the world. Homosexuality is understood to be a breach of sex-based expectations. Strictly enforced sex roles are accompanied by increased consequences for those who break them, individually or collectively. Lesbians, or women read as lesbians, are doubly punishable for their non-conformity, both overt and inferred.
Listening2Lesbians is not an expert on these countries and provided this information to augment and support the information provided by women from individual communities. We can only provide information on cases we have been able to locate and based our submissions solely around the available facts. Please note that we welcome corrections and updates.
We are painfully aware of the many communities not represented.
Anyone with information on missing communities is invited to contact us with information on reporting violence and discrimination against lesbians in their community.
Natalí fears for her life and that of her mother. They live together in an apartment in the northern area [of La Florida] and she is certain that her neighbors want to evict them for her being lesbian. She has reported them for harassment and threats in court. For a month she has had a panic button that, she says, she has used on several occasions. “They physically and verbally assaulted us. They tell us that they want the apartment and that we must leave here,” she said.
Her 64-year-old mother was one of the first residents of the La Florida monoblock apartments and Natalí has lived there since she was born 35 years ago. According to her, in 2019 the harassment began. The final straw which resulted in her seeking justice was a neighbour threatening her with a firearm. “I got to my house and a neighbor came out, verbally abused me and told me I had to go. He pulled a gun from his waistband and put it to my head. My mum heard noises and opened the door. I took advantage of his distraction to escape and enter my house,” she recalled.
(Translated)
Natalí teme por su vida y la de su madre. Viven juntas en un departamento de zona norte y asegura que sus vecinos las quieren echar por lesbiana. Los denunció por hostigamiento y amenazas en la Justicia y desde hace un mes tiene un botón antipánico que, asegura, usó en varias oportunidades. “Nos agredieron física y verbalmente. Nos dicen que quieren el departamento y que nos vayamos de acá”, contó.
Su madre, de 64 años, fue una de las primeras adjudicatarias de los departamentos del monoblock de La Florida y Natalí vive ahí desde que nació, hace 35 años. Según contó, en 2019 empezaron los hostigamientos. El límite que la llevó a la Justicia fue la amenaza con un arma de fuego de parte de un vecino. “Llegué a mi casa y un vecino salió, me insultó y me dijo me tenía que ir. Saco un arma de su cintura y me la puso en la cabeza. Mi mamá escuchó ruidos y abrió la puerta. Yo aproveché su distracción para escapar y entrar”, recordó.
5 June 2021: The Viva Shopping Center publicly apologized in compliance with the Constitutional Court’s ruling T-068 of 2021. According to the ruling, “there is a pattern of discrimination aimed at people of the same sex who express affection in public.” The ruling is a response of the Constitutional Court to the case of a couple of lesbian women who are members of the LBT women’s collective “Rare not so Rare”.
(Translated)
El Centro Comercial Viva pidió disculpas públicas en cumplimiento de la sentencia T-068 de 2021 de la Corte Constitucional. De acuerdo a la sentencia “existe un patrón de discriminación que tiene como objeto a las personas del mismo sexo que realizan manifestaciones de afecto en público”. El fallo es una respuesta de la Corte Constitucional al caso de una pareja de mujeres lesbianas integrantes de la colectiva de mujeres LBT “Raras no tan Raras”.
On Tuesday night (15 June)Angela Ro Ro posted an outburst on her Instagram profile about the homophobic attacks she continues to receive on social networks. The singer, who is a lesbian, criticized the “haters” and made an appeal on behalf of the large number of people who are also affected by this type of discrimination. “I’m tired of being a lone victim. Unfortunately, there are many victims. Leave us alone. We are not martyrs. We are being human. Angela Ro Ro with great pride. Gay pride forever,” she said in the message.
(Translated)
Angela Ro Ro publicou em seu perfil no Instagram, na noite de terça-feira (15), um desabafo sobre os ataques homofóbicos que continua recebendo nas redes sociais. A cantora, que é lésbica, criticou os “haters” e fez um apelo em nome do grande número de pessoas que também são afetadas por esse tipo de discriminação.”Cansei de ser vítima solitária. Infelizmente muitas são as vítimas. Deixem-nos em paz. Não somos mártires. Somos serem humanos. Angela Ro Ro com muito orgulho. Gay pride forever [orgulho gay para sempre, em inglês]”, disse na mensagem.
On Saturday afternoon, a video circulated on the internet showing Eddy Demarez making homophobic remarks towards the Belgian Cats as they arrived at the airport. The reporter said “there is only one straight on the team.” Not knowing he was on the air, he continued to say revolting things, comparing Billie Massey to “a mountain. Have you ever looked at her? She’s a colossus,” he said to a colleague before continuing his inappropriate monologue by making an inappropriate joke about Emma Meesseman and continuing to attack other players.
“The Mestdaghs, one is a lesbian, the other is not. Carpréaux is a man.”
Sporza and VRT have announced the immediate suspension of Eddy Demarez who will no longer comment until further notice.
(Translated)
Ce samedi après-midi, une vidéo a circulé sur internet. On y voit Eddy Demarez tenir des propos homophobes envers les Belgian Cats alors qu’elles arrivaient à l’aéroport. Le journaliste prétend “qu’il n’y a qu’une hétéro dans l’équipe.” Ne se sachant pas à l’antenne, il continue ensuite à tenir des propos nauséabonds en comparant Billie Massey à “une montagne. Tu l’as déjà bien regardée ? C’est une colosse”, déclare-t-il à l’un de ses confrères avant de poursuivre son monologue malsain en réalisant un jeu de mots douteux sur Emma Meesseman ou en continuant à attaquer d’autres joueuses.
“Les Mestdagh, une est lesbienne, l’autre pas. Carpréaux est un homme.”
Sporza et VRT ont annoncé la suspension immédiate d’Eddy Demarez qui ne commentera plus jusqu’à nouvel ordre. (Original)
Just a few hours after the Olympic Games’ Opening Ceremony, the volleyball champion [Katarzyna Skorupa], gave an interview to the Polish outlet Przeglad Sportowy. Katarzyna Skorupa was speaking openly about her homosexuality and how the sports world is still bigoted. “Homosexuals are often discriminated against by clubs or federations. Sometimes a lesbian is the second choice, even if her performance on the pitch indicates that she should be the first”, Skorupa declared loudly. She specified that since she openly stated that she’s a lesbian, “I made choices and I have paid for them”.
Just last March, the volleyball player clearly stated on the pages of the weekly Wprost that she was discriminated against not only on the pitch, but also in everyday life. “We live in a xenophobic, homophobic and closed society.” (Translated)
A poche ore dalla cerimonia inaugurale dei giochi olimpici, la campionessa di pallavolo ha però rilasciato una intervista al portale polacco Przeglad Sportowy Katarzyna Skorupa parlando apertamente della sua omosessualità e di come il mondo dello sport sia ancora bigotto. “Gli omosessuali sono spesso discriminati da club o federazioni. A volte una lesbica è la seconda scelta, anche se il suo atteggiamento in campo indica che dovrebbe essere la prima” – ha detto a gran voce la Skorupa che da quando ha dichiarato apertamente di essere lesbica ha precisato “ho fatto delle scelte e le ho pagate”.
Proprio lo scorso marzo, la pallavolista dalle pagine del settimanale Wprost aveva chiaramente dichiarato di essere stata discriminata non solo in campo, ma anche nella vita di tutti i giorni. “Viviamo in una società xenofoba, omofoba e chiusa.
Claudia had to leave El Salvador because her life was at risk. There she was in danger as a woman and as a lesbian – dual reasons to die she says. For this reason, she is now taking refuge in a country that constantly feels alien to her, although it protects her human rights. She is free, but she feels lonely. Given that, she hopes that in El Salvador LGBT people will not always have to give up something, everything, just to live without fear.
Claudia, who for security reasons prefers to remain anonymous, is an activist and human rights defender. In this interview, she talks about the implications of being an LGBT person in a country like El Salvador, where, among other things, hatred, violence and impunity reign. In addition, she explains how the actions of governments which, far from progressing, insist on going backwards, affect the LGBT community. And she explains what it means to live in a place where human rights aren’t an aspiration but a fact. That place, of course, is far, far from being El Salvador. …
What does it mean to belong to the LGBT + community in a country like El Salvador?
Death. That is what it means to be part of the LGTB community in El Salvador. …
Did your departure from the country have to do with your being a rights defender or your sexual orientation?
It was both. I can’t reveal many details, but it was the violence in El Salvador that forced me to leave. I’d continue the fight, but what would that cost? Perhaps my life? Saying: “No, enough is enough” was a super difficult decision, but it was because of crime, the lack of rights and, above all, because of the violence experienced by the LGBT community. There is a horrible widespread violence, in all aspects and in all sectors of the population.
Would you return to El Salvador?
Never.
Why not?
Because in El Salvador we are light years away from changing our mentality. We have nothing there. I don’t have a future in El Salvador. And I would not return to lose the freedom that I now have. I am a refugee woman. Two months after I arrived here, my brother was murdered in El Salvador. El Salvador hurt me a lot. I am proud to be a Salvadoran lesbian woman, very proud to tell everyone that I am from El Salvador. However, the living conditions that I have in this country I would not have there as an LGBT woman. I cannot do anything. And it is a very difficult situation because I love my country. I would like to be in my country and not here where I am, but there I have no guarantees of anything. (Translated)
Claudia tuvo que salir de El Salvador porque su vida estaba en riesgo. Aquí, corría peligro por ser mujer y por ser lesbiana. Eso le valdría, dice, estar muerta dos veces. Por eso, ahora se refugia en un país que, aunque le garantiza derechos humanos, no deja de parecerle ajeno. Es libre, pero se siente sola. Y, ante eso, anhela que en El Salvador las personas de la población LGBT+ no tengan que renunciar a algo, a todo, para poder vivir sin miedo.
Claudia, quien por seguridad prefiere mantener el anonimato, es activista y defensora de derechos humanos. En esta entrevista, habla de las implicaciones de ser población LGBT+ en un país como El Salvador, en el que, entre otras cosas, reinan el odio, la violencia y la impunidad. Además, explica cómo afectan a la comunidad LGBT+ las acciones de los gobiernos que, lejos de avanzar, se empeñan en retroceder. Y cuenta cómo se vive en un lugar en el que los derechos humanos dejan de ser una aspiración y se convierten en un hecho. Ese lugar, claro, está lejos, muy lejos de El Salvador….
¿Qué significa pertenecer a la comunidad LGBT+ en un país como El Salvador?
Muerte. Eso significa ser parte de la comunidad LGTB+ en El Salvador. …
¿Su salida del país tuvo que ver con que usted es defensora de derechos o con su orientación sexual?
Fueron las dos cosas. No puedo revelar muchos detalles, pero fue la violencia en El Salvador la que me sacó de ahí. Yo estaría en pie de lucha, ¿pero cuál sería el costo de eso? A lo mejor sería mi vida. Decir: “No, basta ya”, fue una decisión súper difícil, pero fue por la delincuencia, la falta de derechos y, sobre todo, por la violencia que se vive para la comunidad LGBT+. Hay una violencia generalizada horrible, en todos los aspectos y en todos los sectores de la población.
¿Regresaría a El Salvador?
Jamás.
¿Por qué no?
Porque en El Salvador estamos a años luz de cambiar de mentalidad. No tenemos nada en ese país. Yo no tengo un futuro en El Salvador. Y no regresaría a perder la libertad que ahora tengo. Soy una mujer refugiada, y a los dos meses de haber llegado acá, en El Salvador asesinaron a mi hermano. El Salvador me duele mucho. Yo estoy orgullosa de ser una mujer lesbiana salvadoreña, pero orgullosísima de decirle a todo el mundo que soy de El Salvador. Sin embargo, las condiciones de vida que tengo en este país no las podría tener allá siendo una mujer LGBT+. No puedo hacer nada. Y es una situación bien difícil porque yo amo mi país. Quisiera estar en mi país y no aquí donde estoy, pero allá no tengo garantías de nada.
Insulted and beaten bloody for looking too much at the attackers’ girlfriends. The subject of the latest homophobic violence was a young woman who was with her partner last Friday in the Roman Gay Street, which is the main road of San Giovanni which connects the Basilica to the Colosseum. She was there to spend a few hours quietly, having a relaxed drink and a chat with her girlfriend. She could not imagine the turn that the evening would take. It was an ending, unfortunately, which is similar to the many others that have been increasing in number recently throughout Italy, from north to south, in a series of offenses and attacks against the LGBTQ community.
After the attacks in the Neapolitan area, in Milan, and in Tuscany, this most recent one happened in the heart of the capital a few days ago. This incident was reported by the actor Pietro Turano, activist and vice president of the Roman chapter of Arcigay. On his Facebook page he recounted the episode he partially witnessed. A young lesbian was targeted by two contemporaries who allegedly first verbally abused her and then attacked her with a small knife, wounding her in different parts of her body. (Translated)
Insultata e colpita a sangue per uno sguardo di troppo rivolto alle fidanzate degli aggressori. Protagonista dell’ultima violenza omofoba una ragazza che lo scorso venerdì si trovava insieme alla sua compagna nella Gay Street romana, ovvero lo stradone di San Giovanni che collega la Basilica al Colosseo. Era lì per per trascorrere qualche ora tranquillamente, a bere un bicchiere e chiacchierare in totale relax con la sua ragazza ma non immaginava minimamente la piega che avrebbe preso la serata. Un epilogo, purtroppo, simile a tanti altri che negli ultimi tempi si stanno moltiplicando un po’ in tutta Italia, da nord a sud. Con una sequela di offese e aggressioni contro la comunità Lgbtq+.
Dopo gli attacchi nel Napoletano, a Milano e in Toscana l’ultimo nel cuore della Capitale qualche giorno fa. A denunciarlo l’attore Pietro Turano, attivista e vice presidente dell’Arcigay romana. Sulla sua pagina Facebook ha raccontato l’episodio del quale è stato in parte testimone: una giovane lesbica presa di mira da due coetanei che l’avrebbero prima insultata e poi aggredita con un coltellino ferendola in diverse parti del corpo. (Original)
Unknown people threw paint over the walls of the bar, with the sole intention of erasing murals showing the faces of victims of lesbophobic murder.
The LGBTIQ Chueca Bar, located in Rancagua 406, Providencia commune, suffered a lesbophobic attack at dawn on Thursday [22 July], an attack which was denouced by the Homosexual Integration and Liberation Movement (Movilh).
The owners of the building said that “in a clearly premeditated and calculated act”, three people, as yet unidentified, painted the walls of the building white to erase murals with the faces of Nicole Saavedra and Ana Cook, both murdered in lesbophobic attacks, “as well as the mural that showed a woman of African descent, a non-binary person and a drag king”.
“These acts make us feel more and more unsafe. Chueca is a space created for lesbians, a safe place for dissent and where solely women work. Clearly, this is intimidation.” (Translated)
Desconocidos lanzaron pintura sobre la fachada del lugar, con el único ánimo de borrar pinturas con rostros de víctimas fatales de la lesbofobia.
Un ataque lesbofóbico sufrió la madrugada del jueves el bar LGBTIQ+ Chueca Bar, ubicado en Rancagua 406, comuna de Providencia, hecho que fue repudiado hoy por el Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual (Movilh).
Las dueñas del recinto precisaron que “en un acto claramente premeditado y calculado”, tres sujetos, aún sin identificar, pintaron de blanco la fachada del recinto con el fin de borrar pinturas con los rostros de Nicole Saavedra y Ana Cook, ambas víctimas fatales de la lesbofobia, “al igual que el mural que mostraba una mujer afrodescendiente, una persona no binaria y una drag King”.
“Estos actos hacen que cada vez nos sintamos más inseguras. Chueca es un espacio creado para las lesbianas, un lugar seguro para la disidencia y donde trabajamos puras mujeres. Claramente, esto es amedrentamiento.” (Original)
Requests for a memorial token to commemorate lesbian prisoners in the former Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp have been submitted as far back as 2012. Now the management of the Ravensbrück Memorial and the Board of Directors of the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation have finally approved the installation, as announced by the foundation in a press release on July 14th.
The memorial is to be in the shape of a ceramic ball which will be permanently placed on the new memorial area on the former camp wall in spring 2022, as part of the observance of the 77th anniversary of the camp’s liberation. The inscription reads: “In memory of all lesbian women and girls in the Ravensbrück and Uckermark women’s concentration camps. They were persecuted, imprisoned and even murdered. You are not forgotten.”
Heated Debate: Have Lesbians Been Persecuted?
This decision was preceded by a decade-long dispute over recognition of a lesbian memorial. Applications for a memorial had been rejected by the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation for a long time on the grounds that, according to the criminal law of the Nazi state, only men were criminalized for homosexual acts and brought to the concentration camp for this. There was no comparable persecution of lesbian women under criminal law in Germany. The LSVD spokesman at the time, Alexander Zinn, therefore claimed that a memorial sign for lesbian women would create the “myth of lesbian persecution”.
As Marion Lüttig, head of the Lesbenring, explained in a press release today, how lesbian women and girls were considered “because of their independence they were considered to be ‘degenerate’ and anti-social during the Nazi era. They were psychiatricized, forced into prostitution in camps and imprisoned.” Lesbian acts were also punishable in the camps. The suffering and persecution of lesbian women under National Socialism have only been dealt with in part, to this day. This is also due to the difficulty of getting such research projects funded at all, as historian Claudia Schoppmann told our sister magazine Victory Column in 2018.
…
Lesbian Ring: “Undignified debate has finally come to an end”
LesbenRing board member Marion Lüttig was delighted with the decision: “We are relieved that the unworthy debate about whether lesbians have ever been persecuted and the years of rejection of a memorial sign are finally over. With the decision of the foundation to install the memorial orb, over three quarters of a century after the liberation of the camp, the suffering of lesbian women and girls is finally made visible. “
The LesbenRing criticizes the fact that lesbian history is hardly present in the historiography of mainstream society. The persecution and murder of lesbian women during the Nazi era was and is still denied. “To this day, the massive hostility towards homosexuality, in the context of which the traditional testimonies are shaped, determines the politics of rememberance and research.” (Translated)
Bereits seit 2012 liegen Anträge für ein Gedenkzeichen vor, das an lesbische Häftlinge des ehemaligen Frauen-Konzentrationslager Ravensbrück erinnern soll. Nun haben die Leitung der Gedenkstätte Ravensbrück und der Vorstand der Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten einem entsprechenden Antrag doch noch zugestimmt. Das gab die Stiftung in einer Pressemitteilung vom 14. Juli bekannt.
Das Gedenkzeichen soll die Form einer aus Keramik gestalteten Kugel haben und im Frühjahr 2022, im Rahmen der Feierlichkeiten zum 77. Jahrestag der Befreiung, auf dem neuen Gedenkareal an der ehemaligen Lagermauer dauerhaft niedergelegt werden. Die Inschrift lautet: „In Gedenken aller lesbischer Frauen und Mädchen im Frauen-KZ Ravensbrück und Uckermark. Sie wurden verfolgt, inhaftiert, auch ermordet. Ihr seid nicht vergessen.“
Hitzige Debatte: Wurden Lesben verfolgt?
Vorangegangen war ein jahrzehntelanger Streit um die Anerkennung lesbischen Gedenkens. Anträge für ein Gedenkzeichen waren von der Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten lange abgelehnt worden – mit der Begründung, dass nach dem Strafrecht des NS-Staats allein Männer aufgrund homosexueller Handlungen kriminalisiert und dafür ins KZ gebracht wurden. Eine vergleichbare Verfolgung lesbischer Frauen nach dem Strafrecht gab es in Deutschland nicht. Der damlige Sprecher des LSVD, Alexander Zinn, behauptete deswegen, mit einem Gedenkzeichen für lesbische Frauen würde die „Legende einer Lesbenverfolgung“ geschaffen.
Wie Marion Lüttig, Vorständin des Lesbenrings, heute in einer Pressemitteilung ausführte, galten lesbische Frauen und Mädchen in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus allerdings „durch ihre Unabhängigkeit als ,entartet` und asozial. Sie wurden psychiatrisiert, zur Prostitution in Lagern gezwungen und inhaftiert.“ Auch standen in den Lagern lesbische Handlungen unter Strafe. Das Leid und die Verfolgung lesbischer Frauen im Nationalsozialismus sind bis heute nur lückenhaft aufgearbeitet. Auch aufgrund der Schwierigkeit, entsprechende Forschungsprojekte überhaupt finanziert zu bekommen, wie die Historikerin Claudia Schoppmann 2018 unserem Schwestermagazin Siegessäule erzählte.
…
LesbenRing: „Unwürdige Debatte hat endlich ein Ende“
LesbenRing-Vorständin Marion Lüttig freute sich sehr über die Entscheidung: „Wir sind erleichtert, dass die unwürdige Debatte, ob Lesben je verfolgt worden seien, und die jahrelange Ablehnung eines Gedenkzeichens endlich ein Ende haben. Mit der Entscheidung der Stiftung für die Gedenkkugel wird das Leid von lesbischen Frauen und Mädchen über ein dreiviertel Jahrhundert nach der Befreiung des Konzentrationslagers endlich sichtbar gemacht.“
Der LesbenRing kritisiert, das lesbische Geschichte in der Geschichtsschreibung der Mehrheitsgesellschaft kaum präsent sei. So wurde und werde die Verfolgung und Ermordung lesbischer Frauen in der NS-Zeit geleugnet. „Bis heute bestimmt die massive Homosexuellenfeindlichkeit, von der die Mehrheit der überlieferten Zeugnisse geprägt ist, Erinnerungspolitik und Forschung.“
In Arzano (in the metropolitan area of Naples) two young women aged 21 and 23 were allegedly first approached by a man who had seen them kissing in the car, who then verbally attacked them, slapping the younger woman.
Arcigay Napoli denounced the attack, explaining that they had received a letter from one of the two girls: “I am contacting you,” one of the two young women wrote, “because we need help. I was lucky enough to fall in love with a beautiful woman. We were in the car, in the usual alleyway below our house. An angry and hate filled man approached us, screaming at us. Despite my calm answer, while my girlfriend was starting the car to get away, the man slapped me twice, threatening to set fire to the car with us inside if we showed up again in the same place”. (Translated)
Ad Arzano (nell’area metropolitana di Napoli) due ragazze di 21 e 23 anni sarebbero state avvicinate da un signore che le aveva viste baciarsi in auto e successivamente le ha aggredite verbalmente schiaffeggiato poi la ragazza più giovane.
Lo denuncia Arcigay Napoli, spiegando di aver ricevuto una lettera da una delle due ragazze: «Vi contatto – ci scrive una delle due ragazze – perché abbiamo bisogno di aiuto. Ho avuto la fortuna di innamorarmi di una bellissima ragazza. Stavamo in auto, nel solito vicoletto sotto casa e un signore con tanto odio e rabbia si è avvicinato urlando contro di noi e nonostante la mia risposta pacata, mentre la mia ragazza stava facendo partire l’auto per allontanarci, il signore mi ha aggredito con due schiaffi, minacciando di dar fuoco all’auto con noi dentro se ci fossimo ripresentati nello stesso posto». (Original)
The Observatory against Homophobia (OCH) has denounced a lesbophobic attack against a 31-year-old woman in a municipality of Tarragonès. As ACN has learned, the events took place on July 8 when the woman was on a terrace of a bar, when soeone in front of her in the bar began to verbally abuse her with also insulting gestures. Among the insults spoken, he said ‘shitty dyke’. (Translated)
El Observatorio contra la Homofobia (OCH) ha denunciado una agresión lesbofòbica contra una mujer de 31 años en un municipio el Tarragonès. Según ha podido saber ACN, los hechos tuvieron lugar el día 8 de julio cuando la mujer se encontraba en una terraza de un bar y una persona del bar de delante empezó a insultarla con gestos. Entre los insultos proferidos le dijo ‘bollera de mierda’. (Original)
During a meeting of the College of Niterói City Council leaders, the discussion about the processing of a bill ended up at the police station. Annoyed, councilor Paulo Eduardo Gomes (PSOL) fired sexist and lesbophobic insults against Verônica Lima (PT), who is a lesbian and the first black woman to occupy a seat in the House. After that, he went after her and had to be restrained by colleagues. After the incident, this Wednesday (7 July), Lima filed a police report at the Police Service for Women (DEAM) in Niterói, a municipality neighboring Rio de Janeiro, for verbal abuse and illegal duress against the councilor. She now wants her colleague’s to be removed from his position on the House Ethics Committee. “He managed to make me cry, but I won’t shut up,” she told UOL.
The councilor said that, during the discussion, Gomes even made reference to her being a lesbian: “Want to be a man? Then I’ll treat you like a man.” According to her, the councilor got up from his chair, walked towards her and with an attack only prevented because he was restrained by colleagues. (Translated)
Durante uma reunião do colégio de líderes da Câmara de Niterói, a discussão sobre o trâmite de um projeto de lei foi parar na delegacia. Contrariado, o vereador Paulo Eduardo Gomes (PSOL) disparou ofensas machistas e lesbofóbicas contra Verônica Lima (PT), que é lésbica e a primeira negra a ocupar uma cadeira na Casa. Depois disso, ele partiu para cima dela e foi contido por colegas.
Após o ocorrido, nesta quarta-feira (7), Lima registrou um boletim de ocorrência na Delegacia de Atendimento à Mulher (DEAM) de Niterói, município vizinho ao Rio de Janeiro, por injúria e constrangimento ilegal contra o vereador. Ela agora quer a expulsão do colega do cargo na Comissão de Ética da Casa. “Ele conseguiu me fazer chorar, mas eu não vou me calar”, disse ela ao UOL.
A vereadora contou que, durante a discussão, Gomes chegou a dizer em referência a ela ser lésbica: “Quer ser homem? Então vou te tratar como homem”. Ainda segundo ela, o vereador se levantou da cadeira, caminhou em sua direção e só não a agrediu por ter sido contido por colegas.
On the seaside of Capo Miseno, in the municipality of Bacoli, Naples, two women were expelled from the beach because they were lesbians. The radio host Gianni Simioli denounced what happened .
Francesca and Martina were literally attacked by an elderly gentleman, annoyed by their presence, which he said would ‘upset’ his niece. “Get back to the mountains, stupid!”, the man shouted clearly upset. He was flanked by his daughter in the attack on the two girls.
“A gentleman suddenly approached us and asked us to leave because our presence raised questions for his niece who was beginning to ask questions. In reality we had not engaged in obscene behavior of any kind – there was only a very chaste kiss and the child, as far as we saw, had not even looked at us and was intent on playing. The gentleman insisted that he wanted us to leave and began to rant but we refused to leave. He seemed to have given up when he returned, this time accompanied by his daughter. He began to attack us and some of the boys who were defending us. The old man hit a guy with the pole of an umbrella while the woman slapped my arm after throwing several accusations at me, blaming me for things I had npt done. For example, she constantly referred to my nudity but I was wearing a bikini, just like her. We felt deeply humiliated, we didn’t do anything wrong. We just wanted to spend a day at the beach like any other person.“, said Francesca, who turned to the Regional Councilor of Europa Verde Francesco Emilio Borrelli to express her indignation for what happened. (Translated)
In un lido di Capo Miseno, nel comune di Bacoli, Napoli, due ragazze sono state cacciate dalla spiaggia perché lesbiche. A denunciare quanto accaduto il conduttore radiofonico Gianni Simioli.
Francesca e Martina sono state letteralmente aggredite da un anziano signore, infastidito dalla loro presenza, che a suo dire avrebbe ‘turbato’ la nipote. “Vattene sulle montagne, stupida!”, urla l’uomo, affiancato dalla figlia nell’aggressione alle due ragazze, chiaramente sconvolte.
“Si è avvicinato all’improvviso un signore che ci ha chiesto di andare via perché la nostra presenza suscitava dubbi a sua nipote che cominciava farsi domande. In realtà noi non avevamo dato vita a comportamenti osceni di alcun tipo, c’era stato solo un bacio anche molto casto e la bambina per quello che abbiamo notato noi, neanche ci aveva guardato ed era intenta a giocare. Ma il signore insisteva, voleva che ci allontanassimo e ha cominciato a sbraitare ma noi ci siamo rifiutate di andarcene. Sembrava essersi arreso quando l’uomo è ritornato, stavolta accompagnato da sua figlia, ed ha cominciato ad attaccare noi e alcuni ragazzi che ci stavano difendendo. L’uomo anziano ha colpito un ragazzo con l’asta di un ombrellone mentre la donna ha preso a schiaffi il mio braccio dopo avermi lanciato diverse accuse, incolpandomi di cose mai fatte. Ad esempio faceva continuamente riferimento alla mia nudità ma io indossavo un bikini, proprio come lei. Ci siamo sentite profondamente umiliate, non abbiamo fatto nulla di male, volevamo soltanto trascorrere una giornata al mare come qualsiasi altra persona. “, ha raccontato Francesca, che si è rivolta al Consigliere Regionale di Europa Verde Francesco Emilio Borrelli per manifestare lo sdegno per quanto accaduto. (Original)
It seems that a lesbian couple commited a crime against public order, under La Ley de Vagos y Maleantes (the Vagrants and Cominals law) , by kissing in a park. They were in Arco de Cegó, in the Saldanha neighborhood, in the capital of fado. A group of several police officers approached the couple to respond to their behaviour, while a young witness, surprised by the fact, decided to secretly record the altercation. She was able to video events until a police officer from the group approached her to ask what she was doing.
When the police officers approached, one of the girls was lying down, the other was sitting and giving her a kiss. …
According to the complainant, who was forced to deactivate her cell phone, there were around eight policemen, and they were threatening the lesbian couple with fines if they repeated the behavior. “If they continue to engage in inappropriate behavior” were the literal words of the officers. (Translated)
Y parece que una pareja de lesbianas comete un delito de orden público, estilo Ley de Vagos y maleantes, por besarse en un parque. Estaban en Arco de Cegó, en el barrio de Saldanha, de la capital del fado. Un grupo de varios policías se acercó a la pareja para replicarles su actitud, mientras una joven testigo, sorprendida por el hecho, decidió grabar secretamente el altercado. Pudo captarlo en imágenes hasta que una policía del grupo se acercó a ella para preguntarle qué estaba haciendo.
Cuando se acercaron los policías una de las chicas estaba tumbada, la otra sentada y le daba un beso. …
Según la denunciante, a la que obligaron a desactivar el móvil, los policías eran en torno a ocho, y estaban amenanzándolas con multarlas si repetían la conducta. “Si siguen teniendo comportamientos impropios” fueron las palabras literales de los oficiales. (Original)
The Oral Criminal Court of Santiago sentenced brothers Miguel and Reynaldo Cortez Arancibia brothers to 15 and 12 years of jail, respectively, for the brutal beating of Carolina Torres, a young lesbian who was attacked while walking with her partner on the night before Valentine’s Day 2019.
At the beginning of July, the court declared both guilty of the crime of attempted murder, aggravated by their antagonism to the sexuality and gender non conformity of the victim (referencing the Antidiscrimination Act).
Prior to the beating, the Cortez brothers were following Carolina, who was holding hands with her girlfriend. They then verbally abused her because of her sexual orientation and presentation, before proceeding to attack her.
According to the prosecution claims presented by the Western Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office, “with the intention of killing her, the defendants approached her, trapping her and positioning themselves in such a way that she was left defenseless and prevented from escaping.” (Translated)
El Tribunal Oral en Lo Penal de Santiago sentenció a los hermanos Miguel y Reynaldo Cortez Arancibia a cumplir 15 y 12 años de presidio efectivo, respectivamente, por la brutal golpiza que perpetraron a Carolina Torres, joven lesbiana que fue atacada mientras paseaba con su pareja la noche antes del Día de los Enamorados del 2019.
A principios de julio, en su veredicto condenatorio, el mismo tribunal declaró a ambos culpables del delito de homicidio calificado en calidad de frustrado, con la agravante de haber sido motivados por la orientación sexual y expresión de género de la víctima, en alusión a la Ley de Antidiscriminación.
Previo a la golpiza, los hermanos Cortez estaban siguiendo a Carolina, quien iba de la mano con su polola, para luego insultarla por su orientación sexual y su forma de vestir, y proceder a agredirla.
De acuerdo a la acusación de la Fiscalía Metropolitana Occidente, “con la intención de matarla, los imputados la abordaron, encerrándola y ubicándose de tal forma que ésta quedó indefensa e impedida de arrancar”. (Original)
Massimo Sebastiani was sentenced to 20 years for the murder of Elisa Pomarelli, the young friend he strangled in August 2019 and whose body was hidden by the murderer in the hills in the province of Piacenza. The prosecutor had asked for 24 years for Sebastiani, who was arrested after a few days on the run hidden in the hills, before being accused of murder and concealment of a corpse.
The wrath of Elisa’s family – “This is not justice, 20 years is so short. She deserved a life sentence”, said the victim’s family after dscovering the sentence. Elisa was strangled by a man she had considered a friend. Sebastiani, on the other hand, was convinced that Elisa was his girlfriend. After killing her, the 47-year-old worker sent messages to Elisa with the intention of throwing off the investigation. (Translated)
Massimo Sebastiani è stato condannato a 20 anni per l’omicidio di Elisa Pomarelli, la giovane amica che nell’agosto del 2019 venne strangolata e il cui corpo fu nascosto dall’assassino sulle colline in provincia di Piacenza. La procura aveva chiesto 24 anni per Sebastiani, arrestato dopo alcuni giorni in fuga nascosto sulle colline, imputato per omicidio volontario e occultamento di cadavere e processato in abbreviato.
L’ira della famiglia di Elisa – “Questa non è giustizia, 20 anni sono pochi. Meritava l’ergastolo”, hanno detto i familiari della vittima dopo la lettura della sentenza. Elisa fu strangolata da quello che considerava un amico. Sebastiani, invece, era convinto che Elisa fosse la sua fidanzata. Dopo averla uccisa l’operaio 47enne inviò dei messaggi a Elisa con l’intenzione di depistare le indagini. (Original)
On June 1, a new case of intolerance was reported in Bogotá. According to the young woman’s account, on May 29 she took a taxi in Chapinero, to go to the Las Brisas neighborhood, in the town of San Cristóbal.
According to her account for W Radio, when they reached their destination the taxi driver charged her $ 40,000 for the ride, a price that seemed excessive.
She said that after appealing the price, the taxi driver closed the door, looked at her and asked if she was a lesbian, to which the woman replied that she was, but “that it had nothing to do with it.”
Onhearing that, according to the story by Yeimy Paola Triana, the man took a crossbrace and began to beat her until he smashed her head and broke her nose. (Translated)
Este 1 de junio se conoció un nuevo caso de intolerancia en Bogotá. Según el relato de la joven, el pasado 29 de mayo tomó un taxi en Chapinero y se dirigía al barrio Las Brisas, en la localidad de San Cristóbal.
De acuerdo con su relato para W Radio, cuando llegaron a su destino el taxista le cobró $40.000 por la carrera, un precio que para ella fue exagerado.
Aseguró que luego de reclamar al conductor por el cobro, el taxista cerró la puerta, la miró y le preguntó si era lesbiana, a lo que la mujer le contestó que sí, pero “que no tiene nada que ver”.
Al escuchar estas palabras, según el relato de Yeimy Paola Triana, el hombre tomó una cruceta y empezó a golpearla hasta reventarle la cabeza y romperle la nariz. (Original)
A civil rights group is threatening to sue a Kansas school district if it doesn’t train employees about LGBTQ rights in response to an eighth-grade student being suspended from riding a school bus after saying, “I’m a lesbian.”…
The ACLU is representing the student, Izzy Dieker, who graduated from eighth grade and plans to attend the district’s high school this fall. She was suspended from her bus for two days in January but didn’t ride again for two weeks because she felt humiliated, said Sharon Brett, the group’s legal director.
A Kansas Association of School Boards investigation found that the bus driver and the principal of Dieker’s K-8 school sexually harassed her, violating federal civil rights regulations and district policies.
by Violeta Molina Gallardo, Efeminista| Madrid – April 26, 2021 Women who openly experience their homosexuality have to “pay a price” for their lesbian visibility : they are still penalized , discriminated against and have to fight twice as much to prove that they are “valid and normal.”
As explained by the historical activist Rosa Arauzo and the “influencer” Verónica Sánchez (@ oh.mamiblue), who, on the occasion of World Lesbian Visibility Day , speak with Efe about the importance of having references for the lesbian community , even when They recognize that there is still a high cost to pay for being on the front line. (Translated)
as mujeres que viven abiertamente su homosexualidad han de “pagar un precio” por su visibilidad lésbica: aún son penalizadas, discriminadas y tienen que pelear el doble por demostrar que son “válidas y normales”.
Según explican la histórica activista Rosa Arauzo y la “influencer” Verónica Sánchez (@oh.mamiblue), que, con motivo del Día Mundial de la Visibilidad Lésbica, hablan con Efe de la importancia de que existan referentes para el colectivo lésbico, aun cuando reconocen que todavía hay que pagar un coste elevado por estar en primera línea. (Original)
Listening to Lesbians 