Pride Now! This month, in Sofia, on 28 June

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39 years after the Stonewall events

First LGBT pride parade in Bulgaria
http://www.bgogemini.org/eng/

Imagine now that today is not 2008, but about 10 years earlier. Leave aside that you are 10 years younger – besides now you are much more mature, you have broader perspective on life, gained quite some living experience, now you can say in a seriously manner “ten years ago the life was different…”

Imagine now that today is not 2008, but about 10 years earlier. Now the first gay pride in Tel Aviv, Israel, takes place. Fifteen years have passed from the first gay pride in Ireland. In 8 year will be organized the first pride in Moscow. The Europride has already taken place twice. There are only 3 years until the first and the most bloody till then pride march in Berlgrade, Serbia. The idea for holding Eastern European Pride is born and it will take place in June 2006, in Zagreb, Croatia. In only two years after today the first pride in Jerusalem will take place. Until the symbolic and unique first demonstration in Riga, when the march ended in a local church, there are 7 years pending. After just 4 years Poland will witness cruel violation of the humanity, when nationalistic groups throw stones and fired bottles towards the marching people in Cracow in 2003. The first pride in Bulgaria, with one of the best anti-discrimination legislations in Europe, will take place in 18 years. Or more.

The time is now.

The time is this month, in Sofia, on 28 June’s afternoon. The Pride starts at 16:30 at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. We, gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people, have families. We dedicate this Pride to Our Families – we are fathers and daughters, mothers and sons. You don’t have to be gay to join us. You don’t even have to know someone, who is gay. But you must believe that we are all equal and we all have the right to live normal life with dignity!

Unde poate duce etica medicala “pro-life”

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[http://protv.ro/stiri/eveniment/fetita-de-11-ani-din-neamt-va-pastra-sarcina.html – ro]

[http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gN5evrcNbeqDJWPqBOfmfTJQ4soQ – en]

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“O comisie de etica medicala din Romania a refuzat vineri aprobarea avortului, in cazul fetitei de 11 ani care a fost violata de unchiul sau”, a declarat purtatorul de cuvant al spitalului.

“Conform Codului Penal, dupa a paisprezecea saptamana de sarcina, avortul este permis doar daca viata mamei se afla in pericol sau daca fatul sufera malformatii” a declarat Vica Todosiciuc, director al maternitatii din Iasi .

In urma examinarii, comisia a decis ca sarcina decurge normal, iar avortul nu ar trebui impus.

Parintii fetitei au aflat de sarcina in urma unui control medical la doua saptamani dupa ce aceasta a semnalat dureri abdominale. Politia il cauta pe unchiul acesteia care se pare ca a fugit de acasa.

“Faptul ca sarcina a rezultat in urma violului nu a fost luta in calcul de comisie din 2 motive: primul, deoarece violul nu a fost dovedit; iar al doilea deoarece codul penal nu permite nici o exceptie” a declarat Todosiciuc.

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[http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/06/20/pro-life-ethics/]

Ce sa spunem?! Adevarate valori pro-viata, sa fortezi o victima de 11 ani a unui viol si incest sa dea nastere impotriva vointei sale.

De notat cateva lucruri: In primul rand, violul nu a fost luat in calcul pentru ca nu a putut fi dovedit. Pentru ca da, bineinteles, fetita de 11 ani s-ar putea sa fi intretinut relatii cu unchiul sau consensual.

In al doilea rand, tot ceea ce conteaza este faptul ca sarcina decurge normal. Nu conteaza faptul ca fetita va fi traumatizata psihic si emotional datorita faptului ca este obligata sa pastreze sarcina si sa dea nastere. Nici ca ar mai fi si alti factori de luat in considerare – ca de exemplu fetita in sine. Numai ca incubatorul isi face datoria. Chiar daca si ea este la randul ei un copil. Chiar daca ea e dispusa sa se umileasca in fata consiliului pentru a avea permisiunea sa intrerupa sarcina provenita de pe urma violului de catre unchiul sau.

De asta ma aprind eu atat de tare din cauza problemelor “mai minore”, de exemplu farmaciile care refuza sa prescrie retete contraceptive in SUA. [http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/06/20/anti-choice-pharmacies-help-to-increase-the-abortion-rate/] Este o intreaga gama de control si abuz in jurul sistemului reproductiv al femeilor. Si nu este acceptabil. Nu e vorba de un exercitiu religios, nici de unul comercial. Nu e vorba de simple certuri politice in care putem cadea de acord ca nu suntem de acord cu ceva deoarece toti suntem oameni buni, sau unde putem sa discutam libertatea reproductiva ca si cum ar fi doar un alt subiect de dezbatere din punct de vedere legal si filosofic.

E vorba de controlul sistematic asupra corpului femeii. E vorba de abuzul fizic asupra corpului femeii in numele unei ideologii. E vorba de dorinta atat de puternica de a controla si de a a face rau femeilor incat pana si fetele de 11 ani care au suferit violul si incestul devin victime colaterale.

Dorinta asta de control si de a face rau e atat de acceptata, incat, din pacate, singurul caz in care incepe sa devina clar cat de mult poate dauna e cand i se intampla unei fete de 11 ani care e victima violului si incestului. O femeie “tipica” nu merita atata simpatie.

penalizari criminale pentru avort respinse in toata lumea

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“Criminal Penalties for Abortion Rejected Across the Globe” (Alternet)wpo_abortion_jun08_graph1.jpg

Cand traiesti intr-o tara in care dreptul la avort ramine o problema dezbatuta la fiecare alegere si activistii contra dreptului-de-a-alege se simt destul de incurajati incat sa demonstreze impotriva pastilei contraceptive, avem multe motive sa fim pesimisti in privinta viitorului libertatii reproductive. Dar la nivel international, sunt si cateva stiri bune: peste tot in lume, cetatenii sustin personal dreptul la avort, chiar atunci cand propriile lor guverne criminalizeaza avortul.

Programul privind Atitudini asupra Politicilor Internationale (The Program on International Policy Attitudes) a efectuat un sondaj cu barbati si femei in 18 tari care impreuna alcatuiesc 59% din populatia planetei. In 17 din aceste 18 tari, majoritatea participantilor la sondaj au raspuns ca resping penalizarile criminale pentru avort. In 9 din 18 tari, majoritatea a raspuns ca avortul este o decizie individuala in care guvernul nu ar trebui sa intervina. Din cele 9 tari unde se crede ca guvernul ar trebui sa aiba un cuvant de spus despre dreptul la avort, numai intr-una – Indonesia – majoritatea sustine sanctiuni criminale pentru femei care intrerup o sarcina.

Sunt valorile “pro-choice” imbratisate peste tot? Nu. Dar e greu sa negi efectele politicilor “anti-choice” asupra sanatatii publice si vietii de familie peste tot in lume. Mai este clar ca statutul legal al avortului nu este corelat cu rata avorturilor in nici o tara anume – mai exact, interzicerea avortului nu inseamna ca avortul se practica mai putin. De fapt, unele din tarile cu cele mai ridicate rate de avort din lume sunt locuri in care procedura este cu desavarsire interzisa prin lege. Pe de alta parte, tarile cu cea mai scazuta rata de avort au cateva lucruri in comun: Avortul si metodele contraceptive sigure, legale si accesibile (si deseori gratuite, acoperite de un sistem national de ingrijire medicala), plus educatie sexuala comprehensiva si un mediu socio-cultural in care sexul este vazut ca o placere si o responsabilitate, nu un act rusinos. Alte lucruri care sunt corelate: Faptul ca lipsa de acces la contraceptie creste rata de avort si faptul ca avortul ilegal inseamna de cele mai multe ori avorturi nesigure, ceea ce duce la cresterea semnificativa a ratelor de boli si morti materne.
— de la feministe

(linkuri in engleza)

Concerns over trafficking at Euro 2008

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The Women’s Rights Committe at the European Parliament is tackling football and sex trafficking in two days of debate in Brussels. There is concern that Euro 2008 hosted by Austria and Switzerland is tempting traffickers to force more women into prostitution. The parliament committee will ask the European Commission what it is doing to prevent this. An EU plan adopted in 2005 includes details of specific actions to be regularly reviewed and updated.

Two years ago, before World Cup in Germany, the committee launched the Red Card campaign against forced prostitution – claimed as a success. Slovakian Christian Democrat Anna Zaborska says: “This initiative came at the urging of German NGOs, warning us what’s being prepared, and that transport is being organised to bring in young women especially for this event.” The host cities are eager to make Euro 2008 a happy experience for fans. But Austrian Socialist MEP Christa Prets, noting that organised crime was ready, willing and able to spoil the good clean fun, said: “Trafficking in women is a Europe-wide crime and an extraordinarily cruel form of modern slavery.” The International Labour Organisation says more than two million people are trafficked worldwide every year, and four out of ten of them are believed to be forced into sex.

Source: euronews

also: “Europe Reconsiders Prostitution as Sex Trafficking Booms”

An argument against the ‘Identity’ in Identity Politics by Torrance

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This text appeared in the Aotearoa (New Zeland), Anarchist journal Imminent rebellion issue #9. I think it’s quite relevant so i’ve decided to paste it in here.

This is an argument against identity politics, but it is not an argument against feminism, or queer liberation, or anti-racism work. It is instead an argument that the oppressions usually combated through identity politics — a strategy based on the affirmation of Identity — could be better fought through its abandonment, or in the least through a radical destabilisation of existing Identities. —- I believe that Identity — always mythical and invented — is in itself oppressive, and that a politics founded upon one or another particular Identity is a dangerous strategy. These dangers are numerous, and include: the creation and policing of arbitrary boundaries of Identity, rigorous essentialism, the intensification of the norms associated with the Identity, the suppression and homogenisation of difference within, and the failure to recognise commonalities across boundaries of Identity.

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Vocea romilor se face auzita!

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Printr-un protest al tacerii, dar foarte sonor din prisma imaginilor recente din campurile de romi din Italia ce vor fi afisate, vocea romilor din Romania se va face auzita maine, 3 iunie 2008, incepand cu orele 13.00, in fata sediului Ambasadei Italiei (Str. Henri Coanda, nr.9). In acelasi timp, se va depune un document prin care protestatarii solicita masuri de incetare a atacurilor recente care continua sa se desfasoare in diferite orase italiene, la intervale mici de timp.

Simultan, organizatiile de romi din Spania organizeaza un protest in fata Ambasadei Italiei din Madrid.
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on feminism, violence, patriarchal culture, religion (& more)

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REFLECTIONS ON ‘ARTEMIS’ – A ROMANIAN FEMINIST PROJECT (PDF)
by Maria Diaconescu

… Even so, with these East-West differences, violence and sexual abuse against children and women is a reality in Eastern European countries, as it is in the Western countries. The East and the West share the same patriarchal ground that makes possible the cultural and structural violence that we live in. Violence of any kind means taking advantage of the power difference. The societal/ cultural or structural violence refers to all actions, attitudes and values of a society which block or delay the development of the other who has no “voice” in society, or who is not heard (children, women, people from a different ethnic or religious background, etc.). This kind of values and attitudes are responsible for inequalities of chances, and violence against women, children, Roma people, etc.

What do I want to highlight in this paper? There is a high support of patriarchal culture via the educational environment, the political environment, and the church. In the name of the so-called national and traditional values, strongly supported by the church, there is a high support of patriarchal culture. In my opinion, patriarchal values have to do a lot with the skin of religion – the temporal and social norms, known in Romania as “the national and traditional Christian values.” The patriarchal values have nothing to do with the core of spiritual and religious meanings. The spiritual, transcendent, essential part of any religion of the world has to do with the essence of the human being which transcends any skin: gender, culture and religion differences; this is the core part of any religion. According to Peseschkian, the religious externals that are influenced by time, the rituals and dogmas – the skin – are put in the foreground, while the actual religious contents – the core – are put aside. This produces a shift in form and content, misunderstanding and confusion because of the lack of differentiation between faith – religion – church.

My hypothesis is that the religious skin ideology – put in the foreground – patterns in a paradoxical way any other subsequent ideology/ politics or philosophy of life, even if (and especially when) people reject or ignore the core religion. This is what happens after any revolution. Subsequently, the revolution patterns the relationships in the same way: another form of patriarchal, changed roles. …

the SAGE project / great statement re: legalizing prostitution

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fwd sarah l., londonfeministnetwork list

Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE)

“The mission of the SAGE Project is to improve the lives of individuals victimized by, or at risk for sexual exploitation, violence and prostitution through trauma recovery services, substance abuse treatment, vocational training, housing assistance and legal advocacy.”

SAGE was founded by Norma Hotaling, a woman who had experienced homelessness, addiction and prostitution, and in their own words: “Many of the STAR Center staff are survivors of sexual exploitation and/or are recovering addicts. Some of us also have incarceration experiences.”

Q: Does SAGE support legalizing prostitution?
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