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Michael Gfroerer - My Blog
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Migrations and Proud Art Culutral Conference Report / Article
Related to country: Canada

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The International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network,
Toronto, Canada

November, 2008

WHEN PRIDE IS NOT ENOUGH..
…we demand freedom, equality and justice!

Migrations and Proud Art, the International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network's first conference in Canada was greeted with great enthusiasm and support! The three-day conference--co-presented by LGBTOUT, a student group at the University of Toronto, and the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies--focused on the issues of LGBTQ immigration in Canada. Also featured, was an evening of queer culture, with live music, dance, an author's reading, and a multi-media presentation by the Evolutionary Girls' Club.
Many queers around the world look to Canada as a source of inspiration and hope, as though Canada is a LGBTQ Utopia. Though Canada is composed of a relatively liberal and accepting populace, we were informed by respected immigration lawyer El-Farouk Khaki and immigration consultant Peter Bernier that recent changes to Canada's immigration law by the minority Conservative government, as well as other recent changes have diluted the fairness and compassion of the Immigration and Refugee Board (the IRB).
Instead of being an agency which protects immigrants from being returned to their country of origin and further persecution, the IRB has become a number-crunching, partisan government agency, playing Russian roulette with the lives of those in danger.
Briefly attended by the local Member of Parliament, Olivia Chow, we were also informed by Supporting Our Youth community worker Suhail Abualsameed, and Black CAP (which assists black peoples arriving in Canada with HIV / AIDS issues from Africa and the Carribean) about discrimination within the LGBTQ community and the homophobia within ethnic groups.
These topics can seem disheartening and over-whelming, but ignoring them does not make them disappear.
Participants were deeply moved by the struggles of our brothers and sisters in Eastern Europe and the Baltics. I only wish that our Dykes on Bikes, the Gay Men's Fraternity, Totally Naked Toronto Men, Spearhead Leather and Denim Social Club or P-Flag could have been there with you to face the violent homophobic fascists who threaten your freedom, dignity and innate selves.

But we must not be let trampled and crushed. What we lack in numbers, we make up for in spirit and hope.
Where do we go from here?
Several participants and organizers suggested having a Pride event. This could greatly increase the visibility of the ILGCN, however, in my experience, it's difficult to lure people away from the village-especially during Pride.
What is needed, in my opinion, is the cementing of the connections and networks that the ILGCN has established in Toronto, which could be easily done by including the participating people and organizations in the ILGCN's mailing list.
Of particular concern to me, is the plight of those in Riga, Moscow and Cracow who were the victims of homophobic violence. I have suggested to Bill Schiller, the Secretary General of the Information Secretariat of the ILGCN in Stockholm, that there be some follow-up: investigation of the violence directed at Pride in Riga, Moscow and Cracow. This could be done by reporting the violent events to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and / or the International Justice Mission. The video of Cracow Pride is evidence enough of the violence and injustice our brave friends in that city encountered. As a former member of Amnesty International, I know that human rights abuses must be reported from outside the country of concern. [see footnotes 1 & 2]
I believe that these actions could help not only to reveal the injustice in these cities, but also protect LGBTQ peoples from future harm.

Michael Gfroerer
Toronto ILGCN Coordinator

These attacks, could be in violation of the following international agreements…

1) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1; "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…";

2) The Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II), 8 June 1977. Part IV. Civilian Population, Art 13. Protection of the civilian population: 2. The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack. Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.

December 3, 2008 | 7:06 PM Comments  0 comments

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