ΔΗΜΗΤΡΗΣ ΠΟΤΑΜΙΤΗΣ 1

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ΤΑ ΟΝΕΙΡΑ ΜΟΥ

Τα όνειρά μου οδοντωτός σιδηρόδρομος
Άλλοτε πολύχρωμος αητός
Τα όνειρά μου ομφάλιος λώρος
Άλλοτε φυγόκεντρος δύναμη
Τα όνειρά μου άλλοτε Ίκαρος
Άλλοτε Ίκαρος νεκρός

Δημήτρης Ποταμίτης: Ποιήματα 1964 -2003 (Καστανιώτης, 2007)

ZAGREB PRIDE. ENA GAY PRIDE ΜΕ ΑΠΟΨΗ

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History of Zagreb Pride
By Marco Jurcic
Zagreb Pride is the annual gay pride festival of Zagreb, Croatia, which first took place in 2002 and now occurs in June (sathurday closest to June 27) of each year, lasting for a few days. Five Pride events have been organized in Zagreb by 2006. It is organised by Zagreb Pride Committee that is formed in January of the new Pride year. Zagreb Pride Committee is a group of individuals and it is logisticaly supported by various human rights and LGBTIQ groups. The Pride receives funding from the City of Zagreb, as well as a number of other international human rights organisations and embassys. Pride manifestations have high public visibility and are of great importance in Croatia.
First Zagreb Pride
In Croatia, the organization of the first Zagreb Pride event in 2002, Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 - "Coming out against prejudice", presented the first major attempt to change the status of sexual and gender minorities. This Pride event marked the beginning of the LGBTIQ movement in Croatia by opening public debates about the visibility of LGBTIQ population. Approximately 300 individuals participated in the 2002 Pride event in Zagreb, including top state officials. During the first Pride March through the city center, numerous by-standers insulted and verbally abused the participants of the march. Tear gas was thrown at the attendees gathered at Zrinjevac Park. After the Pride March, organized groups of Nazi-skinheads beat up about 20 people. 27 people were arrested. No one was ever charged with vandalism, assault or discrimination.
Non-sanctioning of violence after the Gay Pride Zagreb 2002
On Saturday, June 29, 2002, the first Pride parade of sexual and gender minorities was held in Zagreb’s park Zrinjevac. Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 was entitled "Iskorak KONTRA predrasuda" (Coming out against prejudice)
Sometime around 9 AM just before the gathering unknown attackers beat up Mario Kovač, Croatian theatre director, who was supposed to be Pride’s master of ceremonies, at Kvaternik Square and took his cell phone. As the gathering progressed, homophobic opponents to Gay Pride Zagreb rallied at the western side of Zrinjevac Park, yelling "Go to Serbia!", "Kill the Serb!", "Fags to concentration camps!", "Heil Hitler!", "Sieg heil!", "Die!", and "We are Aryan!", and then invoked the name of Franjo Tuđman. Some of them tried to jump over the iron fence put up at Zrinjevac Park, but were prevented from doing so. Throughout the gathering the police used video cameras to record it.
As the gathering was coming to an end, tear gas was thrown at the Pride crowd assembled at Zrinjevac.
Most citizens managed to leave the gathering peacefully, and security and police vehicles took the speakers to safety. However, it was then that the bullies started rounding the city center and attacking participants of the gathering, as well as passers-by. During and after the gathering, some twenty people were attacked and injured. The police brought in 27 disorderly persons (11 as a preventive measure, 10 for disorderly conduct, and 6 in order to establish their identity).
Several skinheads who threatened them and cursed them, which led to another police intervention, met the organizers of the manifestation, who after the gathering attempted to take the props to a van that was waiting for them in Đorđić Street. The organizers left the gathering with the help of the police.
Following the gathering, approximately twenty citizens were beaten up in about ten incidents. Net club Mama was attacked. According to Teodor Celakoski, manager of Mama club, seven skinheads stormed into the club, receiving instructions on where to go via the cell phone. Upon their arrival, they started to harass people, asking them who had gone to the Gay Pride. They randomly chose three people and beat them up. After the gathering, nine attackers attacked the guests of Močvara in Tomić Street. Most commentators agree that had it not been for the police cordon, the gathering would have ended in an explosion of violence.
After the gathering, only 27 people were charged – with a misdemeanor.
The failure to sanction the violence that followed the Gay Pride is the severest form of human rights violations in the Republic of Croatia in 2002, when it comes to sexual and gender minorities.
Second Zagreb Pride
Between 200 and 300 participants of the Zagreb Pride gay parade gathered on Zrinjevac again and proceeded, with ever stronger police protection than the first year.
Yelling "Gay is OK" (that is the most famous Croatian and Serbian Pride slogan, something like "We're here we're queer..." in the US) and "Love is Love" (the name of tv gay rights campagne that has been banned by Croatian Radiotelevision in 2001 also the most significant slogan of Croatian LGBTIQ movement) slogans, the participants in the parade promoted the rights and demanding a "New legislation" that soon after that followed.
After the first and second Pride
It was only after the second Pride event in Zagreb that anti-discrimination laws started being adopted within the national legislation (Penal Code, Gender Equality Law, Law of Science and Higher Studies, Media Law, Law of Same-sex Relationships, Labour Code).
Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender, since 2003. is forbidden in the Labour Legislation, Gender Equality Law as well as in the Law of Science and Higher Studies.
According to this law it is forbidden to discriminate against homosexuals applying for higher studies at universities. According to the Croatian Penal Code, it is also forbidden to produce, sell, import/export or by Internet propagate homophobic material to the wider public. People who do so can be sentenced up to a year in prison. It is also forbidden to present homosexuals and homosexuality in media in a degrading or discriminatory way.
New legislation now provides gay couples the same legal rights as their unmarried straight counterparts. The law on same-sex civil unions are unregistered cohabitationgrants of same-sex partners. It is a move that has been hailed as the first step to full recognition in the country. The legislation gives same sex partners of at least three years the same rights as unmarried cohabiting opposite sex partners, including the right to legal regulation of property and mutual responsibility for financial support. Also, LGBTIQ persons victims of violence and discrimination started to speak up about their problems, reporting violations of their human rights to the police and LGBTIQ organizations.
Third Zagreb Pride
Again, under strog police protection Pride parade marched through the streets of downtown Zagreb. The parade lasted about half an hour, after which the participants talked against homophobia and intolerance of the Catholic church and other denominations in Croatia. Another special focus was transphobia within gay and lesbian community, as well as in the rest of society. Organizers stood for the right for gay and lesbian marriages and the right to adopt children for partners in such marriages. The establishment of advisory centres was announced, to work on the prevention of AIDS and the participants promoted the use of condoms as the best way of protection.
Fourth Zagreb Pride
The fourth Pride was organized by a femminist group Epikriza, and it promoted Registrated partnership law proposal by two Sabor members, one of Social-democratic party oc Croatia and one liberal independent member.
At the begining of June, most prominent LGBTIQ group Iskorak ("Coming out", also can be translated as "Step forward") announced that it's activists won't organize Pride before the summer break, also stating that Pride march is iritating citizents of Zagreb by blocking the public transport for a few minutes, and that Pride is nowdays useless to the LGBTIQ community in Croatia. However, they gave notice that the concert with "big names" outside of city centre, is more appropriate.
In just a few weeks of preparations and about 1500 US dollars, informal and anonymous feminist group organized a small march in July with about 100 people and without any program. The group got a media support and suggestions of some former Pride organizers that didn't engaged with Iskorak for organizing Pride that was supposed to happen in June. Iskorak since 2003 didn't involve in Pride organizating or Pride supporting.
First Eastern European Pride - fifth pride in Zagreb
Even after 5 years, the Croatian society is not willing to respect civil, human and constitutional rights of the LGBTIQ population as one of the segments of this society, especially regarding the right to freedom of assembly.
First Eastern European Pride, called The Internationale Pride, was assumed to be a promotion of the human right to freedom of assembly in Croatia and other Eastern European states where such rights of the LGBTIQ population are not respected and a support for the very organizing the first Prides in that communities. Out of all ex-Yugoslav states, only Slovenia and Croatia have a tradition of organizing Pride events, whereas the attempt to organize such an event in Belgrade, Serbia in 2001, ended in a bloody showdown between the police and the counter-protesters, with the participants heavily beaten up. This manifestation was held in Zagreb from June 22 - 25 2006, and brought together representatives of those Eastern European and Southeastern European countries where the sociopolitical climate is not ripe for the organization of Prides, or where such a manifestation is expressly forbidden by the authorities. From 13 countries that participated, only Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania and Latvia have been organizing Prides, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo/a, Bulgaria, Albania, Slovakia and Lithuania have never had Prides before.
As a result of solidarity and support to Eastern European states and societies, inter-regional Pride events took place from june 22, till july 1, and it was called The Internationale Pride 2006, Zagreb. It was the first Eastern European, and Southeastern European Pride, which was simultaneously Zagreb’s fifth Pride event.
Although this was fifth LGBTIQ Pride in Zagreb, it was the very first one organized jointly with other states and nations, which only ten years ago have been at war with each other. Weak cultural, political and social cooperation exists among these states, with an obvious lack of public encouragement for solidarity, which organizers hoped to initiate through that regional Pride event.
This Pride event is not only based on regional solidarity but is also jointly organized on the principles of non-violence and human rights standards.
Details about Zagreb Pride
Zagreb Prides consist from public assembly, usually at Zrinjevac Park, pride march and pride program. Sometimes some other pre-programs are held few days before the pride march.
The theme of the central event is different one every year. Zagreb Pride theme has always a slogan of the entire event. During the Pride March, participants yell out slogans and bear banners containing messages of importance to the LGBTIQ community, demanding fundamental human rights for the LGBTIQ population. After the 40-minute long Pride March, participants gather at Zrinjevac Park where speeches are being delivered by prominent LGBTIQ activists. These speeches address the importance of Pride Marches and express Pride theme.
Zagreb Pride every year cherishes its political principles and values that organizers accept in a form of a Pride platform just before the first organizing meeting. These principles and values are actively used and implemented throughout whole organization of the Pride, public relations, and public and political activism before and during the Pride events. Program of the Pride doesn't not include performances and speeches which violate platform or promote hate specifically based on ethnic/race origin, or any other kind.
Operational platform of the Pride is queer-feminist and it stems from: peace and antiviolence movement, feminist movements, environmental movement, union rights movement, human rights movement, LGBTIQ movements. Pride principles imply public activism which openly works on diminishing of: homo/bi/trans–phobia, sexism, violence against animals, violence against nature and environment, nationalism, racism, inequality and discrimination of any kind.
Some slogans and banners that are the most significant for Zagreb Pride
• Love is love - the most significant slogan of Croatian LGBTIQ movement
• Gay is okay - the most famous Croatian and Serbian Pride slogan
• Jesus loves me - jelled on third Zagreb Pride
Banners:
• Come out of the silence
• Let's be brave
• Thanks to the goddess' that I'm a lesbian
• I'm a proud fag
• I'm sick of explaining
• Transgender is pretty
• Even heteros are peple
• No sex before registration
• Homophobia is illness
• Sex education is schools!
• Fags and dykes against pedophilia
• I love who I want
• Long live perversity
• No to NATO
• Nothing is goint to spoil this day for me
• I love Carla del Ponte (two way interpretation - identification with the "anti-icon" of far right wing population; or autor's lust of Carla's gender transgressive looks)
List of Zagreb Prides
Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 - "Coming out Against Prejudice"
Time: June 29 2002
Theme: Steping out against prejudice and homophobia.
Zagreb Pride 2003 - "Proud Again"
Time: June 28 2003
Theme: Demanding for the New legislation
Zagreb Pride 2004 - "Vive la difference!"
Time: June 16 2004
Theme: Transphobia; homphobia and intolerance of the Catholic church
Zagreb Pride 2005 - "Surely Pride!"
Time: July 10 2005
Theme: Registrated partnership law
The Internationale Pride 2006, Zagreb - "To Live Freely"
Time: June 22 - 25 2006.
Theme: Importance of Pride Marches, freedom of public assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, right to participation, right to information, and right to culture.
Groups that have been involved in supporting or organizing Pride, or Pride programs
• Gay Pride Zagreb 2002 - Iskorak (Group for the rights of sexual and gender minorities) and Lesbian group Kontra
• Zagreb Pride 2003 - Iskorak and Kontra
• Zagreb Pride 2004 - Kontra
• Zagreb Pride 2005 - Epikriza, Kontra and Center for Peace Studies
• The Internacionale Pride 2006, Zagreb - Kontra (Croatia), Queer Zagreb (Croatia), Miks (Croatia), Cultural Street Gay Action - kugA (Croatia), Center for Peace Studies (Croatia), Women’s Room (Croatia), Inqueerzicija (Croatia), DIH (Slovenia), Organization Q (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Queer Belgrade (Serbia), Labris (Serbia), Spy (Serbia), Duga (Serbia), Gaj straight alliance (Serbia), Gayten LGBT (Serbia), NLO (Serbia), Lambda (Serbia), ACT women (Serbia), Masso (Macedonia), QESh (Kosovo/a), GISh (Albania), Campaign Against Homophobia (Poland), Altera (Slovakia), ACCEPT (Romania), Queer Bulgaria (Bulgaria), Lithuanian Gay League (Lithuania), Mozaīka (Latvia), Southeastern European Queer Network (SEEQ)

BRUCE OF LOS ANGELES

ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΟΙ ΑΝΔΡΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΤΑΘΛΙΨΗ

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Report Links Gay Men's High-Risk Behavior to Depression
By Troy Espera (GayMonkeyWeb.com)
NEW YORK CITY - A new report by a leading gay men's health group says scientific research shows that much of gay men’s risky sex and drug use is fueled by high levels of depression and related disorders, such as anxiety and dysthymia, a type of mild chronic depression.

The report, titled "Living on the Edge: Gay Men, Depression and Risk-Taking" was released Friday by the Medius Institute for Gay Men’s Health, a gay men’s health advocacy group in New York City.

In one key study of gay men’s mental health cited by the report, more than 17 percent of participants had active symptoms of depression ”about twice the rate of current depression in general.

Other studies indicate that the lifetime risk of depression is roughly three times higher for gay men.

"Clearly depression and related disorders are a major challenge for gay men’s health," said Spencer Cox, executive director of the Medius Institute and author of the report, in a media release. "We need to educate gay men about the symptoms of depression and related disorders, and to increase the availability of quality mental health services.

"In addition, studies show strong links between depression and high-risk behaviors that are alarmingly frequent in gay men. Substance use, high-risk sex, HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases are all more common in people with signs of depression.
"For the most part depression doesn't seem to cause high-risk behavior directly, but it certainly 'pumps up the volume' on risk-taking," said Cox. "And risky behavior may increase the likelihood of depression." Cox pointed to methamphetamine use, which is associated with depression, and which can cause long-term changes in the brain that lead to depression.

Cox added, "For gay men, depression seems to play a central role in health, similar to obesity for Americans in general. Just as overweight people have increased risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other serious illnesses, gay men with depression and related disorders are at increased risk for a host of bad things."

ΑΝΔΡΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΤΑΘΛΙΨΗ

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Άνδρες και Κατάθλιψη
Η κατάθλιψη γενικά θεωρείται «γυναικείο πρόβλημα». Πράγματι, τα παρατηρούμενα ποσοστά εμφάνισης της νόσου είναι διπλάσια για τις γυναίκες σε σύγκριση με τους άνδρες. Παρόλα αυτά, η κατάθλιψη είναι μια ασθένεια που προσβάλλει και άντρες και γυναίκες. Πρόσφατες έρευνες δείχνουν ότι οι άνδρες είναι το ίδιο πιθανό να πάθουν κατάθλιψη με τις γυναίκες, αν όχι περισσότερο. Όμως, είναι λιγότερο πιθανό να ζητήσουν βοήθεια από το περιβάλλον τους ή από κάποιον ειδικό. Η κατάθλιψη στους άνδρες συχνά δεν αναγνωρίζεται από το ίδιο το άτομο, την οικογένειά του, ακόμα και από τους γιατρούς γενικής ιατρικής (παθολόγους), γιατί καλύπτεται κάτω από άλλες καταστάσεις. Παρ' όλα αυτά, κάποιοι μελετητές υπολογίζουν ότι το ποσοστό κατάθλιψης στους άνδρες μέσης ηλικίας αγγίζει το 40% -ποσοστό σημαντικά υψηλότερο από αυτό που παρατηρείται στις γυναίκες (25%).
Υπάρχουν διάφοροι λόγοι για τους οποίους η κατάθλιψη στους άνδρες δεν αναγνωρίζεται εύκολα. Η ανδρική κατάθλιψη τείνει να εμφανίζεται σε διαφορετικό στάδιο της ζωής από ότι συμβαίνει στις γυναίκες. Συνήθως προσβάλλει τους άνδρες στην ηλικία μεταξύ 40 και 60 ετών, ενώ το σημείο αιχμής για την εμφάνιση της κατάθλιψης στις γυναίκες εντοπίζεται στην εφηβεία ή στη δεκαετία μεταξύ 20 και 30 ετών. Πολλές φορές η κατάθλιψη δε διαγιγνώσκεται στους άνδρες μέχρι την ηλικία των 60 ή 70 ετών.
Η κατάθλιψη είναι μια ασθένεια που μπορεί να πάρει διάφορες μορφές, συχνά συγκαλυμμένες, εμφανίζοντας ποικίλα συμπτώματα, ψυχικά και σωματικά, με αποτέλεσμα ακόμα και οι ειδικοί ψυχικής υγείας κάποιες φορές να δυσκολεύονται να την αναγνωρίσουν. Αυτός είναι και ο κυριότερος από τους λόγους για τους οποίους η κατάθλιψη στους άνδρες πολλές φορές δεν ανιχνεύεται. Το γεγονός αυτό είναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντικό, αν αναλογιστεί κανείς ότι η κατάθλιψη είναι μια ασθένεια που αντιμετωπίζεται εύκολα, αλλά αντιμετωπίζεται καλύτερα όταν αντιμετωπίζεται όσο γίνεται νωρίτερα.
Επιπλέον, τα συμπτώματα της κατάθλιψης μπορεί να διαφέρουν ριζικά μεταξύ ανδρών και γυναικών. Στους άνδρες η δυσθυμία, η μελαγχολική διάθεση, που είναι τυπικό σύμπτωμα της κατάθλιψης στις γυναίκες, δεν είναι τόσο έντονη. Οι άνδρες έχουν την τάση να βγάζουν προς τα έξω το καταθλιπτικό συναίσθημα μετατρέποντάς το σε θυμό, ενώ οι γυναίκες κατά κανόνα το εσωτερικεύουν, στρέφοντας τα αρνητικά συναισθήματα προς τον εαυτό τους.
Οι διαφορές μεταξύ των δύο φύλων στην εκδήλωση της κατάθλιψης οφείλονται και σε πολιτισμικούς παράγοντες που έχουν να κάνουν με το πώς ο άνδρας αντιλαμβάνεται το ρόλο του. Ο τρόπος με τον οποίο οι άνδρες σκέφτονται για τον εαυτό τους δεν βοηθάει πολύ στην αντιμετώπιση του προβλήματος. Σε σύγκριση με τις γυναίκες, τείνουν να ασχολούνται πολύ περισσότερο με το πώς να είναι ανταγωνιστικοί, δυνατοί και επιτυχημένοι. Οι περισσότεροι άνδρες δε θα ήθελαν να παραδεχτούν ότι νιώθουν εύθραυστοι και ευάλωτοι και κατά συνέπεια είναι λιγότερο πιθανό να μιλήσουν για τα συναισθήματά τους με τους φίλους τους, τα αγαπημένα τους πρόσωπα ή το γιατρό τους. Αυτός πιθανότατα είναι και ο λόγος για τον οποίο δεν αναζητούν βοήθεια όταν έχουν κατάθλιψη. Οι άνδρες έχουν την τάση να πιστεύουν ότι πρέπει να βασίζονται στον εαυτό τους και ότι είναι κατά κάποιον τρόπο ένδειξη αδυναμίας να πρέπει να βασιστούν σε κάποιον άλλο, ακόμα και για ένα μικρό χρονικό διάστημα.
Συχνά, αντί να μιλήσουν για το πώς αισθάνονται, ίσως να προσπαθήσουν να νιώσουν καλύτερα με τη χρήση αλκοόλ ή άλλων ουσιών. Αυτό συνήθως κάνει τα πράγματα χειρότερα καθώς περνάει ο καιρός. Δημιουργούνται προβλήματα στον τομέα της εργασίας και οι καταχρήσεις συχνά οδηγούν σε δυσάρεστη ή επικίνδυνη συμπεριφορά. Οι άνδρες συνήθως δίνουν προτεραιότητα τον τομέα της εργασίας σε σχέση με την οικογενειακή ζωή, γεγονός που δημιουργεί συγκρούσεις με τις συζύγους ή τις συντρόφους τους. Όλοι αυτοί οι παράγοντες έχει αποδειχθεί ότι κάνουν την κατάθλιψη πιο πιθανή ή επιδεινώνουν το πρόβλημα όταν ήδη υπάρχει, δημιουργώντας ένα φαύλο κύκλο.Η κατάθλιψη μπορεί να έχει καταστροφικές συνέπειες στη ζωή του ατόμου που πάσχει, όπως επίσης στην οικογένειά του και τις σχέσεις του με τους άλλους. Μπορεί να οδηγήσει σε ουσιαστική πτώση της παραγωγικότητας και της εργασιακής απόδοσης (πάνω από 30%), στο διαζύγιο (ο δείκτης διαζυγίων στους μεσήλικες άνδρες είναι πολύ υψηλότερος συγκριτικά με άλλες ηλικίες και η κατάθλιψη έχει αποδειχθεί ότι είναι η βασική βαθύτερη αιτία διαζυγίου), ακόμα και στην αυτοκτονία (ο δείκτης αυτοκτονιών για τους άνδρες ηλικίας 40-60 ετών είναι τρεις φορές μεγαλύτερος από το μέσο όρο -και το 80% του συνόλου των αυτοκτονιών διαπράττονται από άντρες!).
Σεξουαλική ζωή: Οι άνδρες που υποφέρουν από κατάθλιψη δε νιώθουν καλά με το σώμα τους και έχουν μειωμένη σεξουαλική διάθεση, σε σχέση με περιόδους στις οποίες είναι καλά. Πολλοί απλώς παραιτούνται από το σεξ εντελώς. Παρ' όλα αυτά, αρκετές πρόσφατες έρευνες υποδεικνύουν ότι οι άνδρες που έχουν κατάθλιψη έρχονται σε συνουσία με την ίδια συχνότητα, αλλά δεν νιώθουν την ίδια ικανοποίηση όπως συνήθως. Μάλιστα, κάποιοι αναφέρουν αύξηση των σεξουαλικών ορμών και της συχνότητας της σεξουαλικής συνεύρεσης, που πιθανότατα χρησιμοποιούν ως μέσο για να νιώσουν καλύτερα. Άλλο ένα πρόβλημα που προκύπτει επίσης είναι ότι κάποια αντικαταθλιπτικά φάρμακα μπορεί να μειώσουν τη σεξουαλική ορμή. Ωστόσο, καθώς η κατάσταση του ασθενή με κατάθλιψη βελτιώνεται, το ίδιο συμβαίνει και με τη σεξουαλική επιθυμία, επίδοση και ικανοποίηση. Είναι σημαντικό να θυμάται κανείς ότι οι σχετικές με την κατάθλιψη συνέπειες στη σεξουαλική ζωή μπορεί να παρατηρηθούν και αντίστροφα. Η κατάθλιψη μπορεί επίσης να επέλθει ως συνέπεια της ανικανότητας, η οποία και πάλι είναι ένα πρόβλημα στο οποίο μπορεί κανείς να βοηθηθεί αποτελεσματικά.
Εργασία: Η απώλεια της εργασίας, για οποιονδήποτε λόγο, είναι ένα στρεσογόνο γεγονός. Πρόσφατες έρευνες έχουν δείξει ότι 1 στους 7 άνδρες που μένουν άνεργοι θα παρουσιάσουν καταθλιπτική διαταραχή στους επόμενους έξι μήνες. Η αναλογία αυτή είναι κατά πολύ υψηλότερη από αυτή που παρατηρείται στους εργαζόμενους άνδρες. Μάλιστα, μετά τα προβλήματα στις σχέσεις, η ανεργία είναι η πιο σημαντική αιτία που οδηγεί τους άνδρες σε βαριά κατάθλιψη. Το γεγονός αυτό δεν είναι παράδοξο, αφού η εργασία είναι συχνά ο βασικός παράγοντας που δίνει σε έναν άνδρα την αίσθηση της αξίας του και τον αυτοσεβασμό του. Χάνοντας κανείς τη δουλειά του, πιθανότατα χάνει τα σύμβολα της επιτυχίας του και ίσως πρέπει να προσαρμοστεί στο ρόλο της φροντίδας του σπιτιού και των παιδιών. Έτσι, μπορεί να βρεθεί κανείς από μια θέση άσκησης ελέγχου σε μια θέση που επιτρέπει μικρό βαθμό ελέγχου, ιδιαίτερα αν πάρει πολύ χρόνο να βρει μια καινούρια εργασία. Βέβαια, αν ένα άτομο υποφέρει από κατάθλιψη, είναι πολύ πιθανό να αντιμετωπίσει μεγαλύτερες δυσκολίες στην ανεύρεση νέας εργασίας, γεγονός που μπορεί να επιδεινώσει περισσότερο την κατάστασή του.
Αυτοκτονία: Οι άνδρες έχουν 3 φορές περισσότερες πιθανότητες να φτάσουν στην αυτοκτονία από ό,τι οι γυναίκες. Η αυτοκτονία είναι πιο συχνή ανάμεσα σε άνδρες που έχουν πάρει διαζύγιο ή έχουν χηρέψει και πιο πιθανή ανάμεσα σε άνδρες που καταναλώνουν πολύ αλκοόλ. Τα τελευταία χρόνια το ποσοστό αυτοκτονιών των ανδρών έχει αυξηθεί, ειδικά στις ηλικιακές ομάδες μεταξύ 16 και 24 ετών και μεταξύ 39 και 54.
Γνωρίζουμε ότι 2 στους 3 ανθρώπους που αυτοκτονούν έχουν συμβουλευτεί τον οικογενειακό γιατρό τους μέσα στον προηγούμενο μήνα και σχεδόν 1 στους 2 μέσα στην αμέσως προηγουμένη εβδομάδα πριν την αυτοκτονία. Επίσης γνωρίζουμε ότι 2 στους 3 ανθρώπους που αυτοκτονούν έχουν μιλήσει γι' αυτό σε φίλους ή στο οικογενειακό τους περιβάλλον. Το να ρωτήσει κανείς κάποιον αν έχει αυτοκτονικές τάσεις δενσημαίνει ότι θα του «βάλει ιδέες» ή θα αυξήσει τις πιθανότητες της αυτοκτονίας. Γι' αυτό, αν και πολλοί άνδρες δείχνουν κάποια αδυναμία ως προς το να μιλούν για τα συναισθήματά τους, είναι σημαντικό να ρωτηθούν ευθέως αν κάνουν σκέψεις σχετικές με την αυτοκτονία. Επίσης σημαντικό είναι, όταν διατυπώνονται τέτοιες ιδέες ή τάσεις, να τις παίρνει κανείς στα σοβαρά. Για κάποιον που έχει τάσεις αυτοκτονίας δεν υπάρχει τίποτα που να ρίχνει περισσότερο το ηθικό του από το να αισθανθεί ότι οι άλλοι δεν τον αντιμετωπίζουν με σοβαρότητα. Συχνά χρειάζεται χρόνος για να επιστρατεύσει κανείς το κουράγιο που χρειάζεται και να μιλήσει για την αυτοκτονία, αλλά το να μιλήσει κανείς γι' αυτό μπορεί να προσφέρει μεγάλη ανακούφιση.
Οι αυξημένοι δείκτες αυτοκτονίας στους άνδρες, ειδικά στην ηλικιακή ομάδα στην οποία κυρίως παρουσιάζεται η κατάθλιψη σε αυτούς, δείχνουν ότι υπάρχει μια σύνδεση μεταξύ αυτοκτονίας και κατάθλιψης, ειδικά στις περιπτώσεις που η τελευταία δεν ανιχνεύεται και δεν παρέχεται στον ασθενή θεραπευτική υποστήριξη. Είναι ιδιαιτέρα σημαντικό, λοιπόν, να μπορούμε να αναγνωρίσουμε την κατάθλιψη και να την αντιμετωπίσουμε έγκαιρα.

(Αναδημοσίευση από το site depressionanxiety.gr)

ΤΡΟΠΟΙ ΧΑΛΑΡΩΣΗΣ 6. ΣΤΑ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΠΩΛΕΙΑ 6

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Calamus Bookstore
92B South Street, Boston
Our Mission
November 10, 2000
A neighborhood woman dropped into Calamus today to buy a book I’m selling by one of the local residents (the book is THE BIG DIG, about the famously expensive project whereby a surface highway is being put underground). She runs a hair salon across the street. She looked at me as she bought the book and said: “So, who was it who came up with the idea of a gay and lesbian bookshop?”
I didn’t miss a beat. “It was [the late] Craig Rodwell who opened Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop in Greenwich Village in New York in 1967. Since then, many cities feature bookstores based on his model serving our communities.” She liked the answer. People like satisfying answers.
In the many years I have been a bookseller, for 16 years at Glad Day Bookshop in Boston, and now at Calamus Bookstore, I get this question all the time. Why a GLBT bookstore? Even my dear friend, the novelist David Plante, once posed this question: What was the need for a gay bookstore?
For those of us who have created these spaces, the answer is self-evident. Early on, most of the gay bookstores were founded by gay activists, just as, in the women’s community, community activists founded most feminist bookstores. A bookstore serving the community was simply seen as an extension of our developing cultures, just as with publications, theatre groups, publishers, and on.
It comes down to the business of custodianship. Someone must be the vendor, archivist, warehouser, etc. of our community’s efforts. I hear horror stories all the time of people in situations wherein they must remove their collections of gay literature and erotica. One guy told me, that in cleaning out his house after he sold it, he—who had been an early Colt model, and possessed a fabulous collection of Colt photos from decades back—just chucked them in the trash before a friend recommended he bring them to the bookshop to find some new owner for them.
Think of the problems over the past three decades that prospective donors have found in trying to set up archives for our community’s literature. There are notable exceptions, and some university libraries are now collecting. A lot of stuff just disappears. And it’s not coming back. For many years, there was the issue of “gay invisibility.” Well, of course, a community will be “invisible” if you it has no document stream. Think of all the letters burned, journals destroyed, paintings trashed when the gay man dies and his relatives come to clean up his estate. Either the family members don’t understand or are embarrassed by it all. This was the situation when the generation of gay activists, to which I belong, came on the scene.
We came out of a time when the active opposition to gay publishing was still strong. The case of ONE MAGAZINE versus the US Mail loomed very large. The Sixties provided an opening, and the 70s saw an explosion of publishing for our community. Only a bookstore with a commitment to our community, its diversity, and the significance of it all, could fully serve its purpose. It is all important—from that little poetry chapbook published back in the 70s, to today’s famous author’s first book of short stories published by a small, and now defunct, gay press—to...well all the rest of it. Each book, each pamphlet, each and every publishing effort is that one small step along the way. In totality, we have created a critical mass. A bookstore like Calamus takes as its mission the task of cherishing what has come before, celebrating the continuing strength of the writers and the publishers, and doing what booksellers should do best: getting the material into the hands of the readers, most intended, some first-timers, for whom, at least some of them, new doors open.
I will end on a personal note. So much of our history has developed because individual men and women could no longer tolerate a society of injustice and lack of access. I was born in 1948. In the 60s, as a teen, I was a devoted shopper of bookstores. I was aware of titles of “controversy,” the nascent gay literature. Looking back, I can only imagine how useful a bookstore like Glad Day, Giovanni’s Room, Different Light and, now, Calamus, would have been to me. Gay friendly, stuffed with books—which, admittedly, would have been a little thin in 1967, though, somehow Craig Rodwell made it work as a successful shop back then—and the development of the culture to which we are creating every day. We cannot trust our culture to “the marketplace.” Selling itself is not everything, but to “the marketplace” it is the only thing.
George Orwell once wrote: “People write the books they can’t find on library shelves.” I’ll take that further. People create the bookstores not available to them when they were young.
This is our mission.
John Mitzel, Proprietor

ΤΡΟΠΟΙ ΧΑΛΑΡΩΣΗΣ 6. ΣΤΑ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΠΩΛΕΙΑ 5

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Prinz Eisenherz
vorgestellt von Lore Logorrhoe
Als Prinz Eisenherz als erster schwuler Buchladen in Deutschland vor 23 Jahren eröffnete, gab es so gut wie keine schwulen Bücher. Dafür war das Bedürfnis nach einem solchen Ort als einer Art Kristallisationspunkt der Szene um so größer. Der Buchladen war einer der wenigen öffentlich zugänglichen schwulen Ort der Stadt (und der Republik). Heute ist das Angebot an schwulen und irgendwie "queeren" Büchern so gross, dass es fast unmöglich ist, dem Anspruch, "alles" verfügbar zu haben, gerecht zu werden.
Aus dem Szene-Treff mit heimeligem Identitätsfaktor wurde allmählich eine Fachbuchhandlung zum Thema "Homosexualität". Statt der politischen Diskussionszirkel von einst, die auch unbelesene Schwule in den Laden lockten, gibt es heute Lesungen für Literaturfreunde und -freundinnen. Trotzdem ist für viele "Eisenherz" eine Art schwule Familie geblieben, gerade für jene, die die Selbstverständlichkeit schwuler Räume in den Metropolen nicht gewöhnt sind.
In gewisser Weise ist "Prinz Eisenherz", ein Opfer des Erfolges seiner Strategie geworden. Der politische Kampf darum, dass schwule Bücher überall zu haben sind, hat dazu geführt, dass heute jede grössere Buchhandlung ihr mehr oder weniger verschämtes schwullesbisches Eckchen hat und dass "Prinz Eisenherz" damit eine seiner Funktionen an andere Buchläden abgegeben hat. Obwohl es jetzt überall schwule Bücher gibt, sagt das natürlich noch nichts über deren Qualität.
Diese steht aber im Mittelpunkt der meisten Auseinandersetzungen innerhalb des dreiköpfigen Kollektivs, das den Laden führt. In wie weit soll auch die Verkäuflichkeit von Büchern ein Kriterium für ihre Anschaffung sein? Es geht um den berühmten Spagat zwischen Anspruch und Kommerz, den auch andere Unternehmen kennen, die ursprünglich aus Bewegungsprojekten entstanden sind und sich heute an die üblichen ökonomischen Spielregeln halten müssen.
Diese zwingen letzten Endes dazu, genauso zu funktionieren wie jeder andere Betrieb auch. Erst wenn die Kasse stimmt, kann man sich auch mehr "Anspruch" leisten. Der regelmässige Katalog, der zusammen mit anderen in einem Verbund organisierten schwulen Buchläden herausgegeben wird, versucht, Bücher vor allem danach zu bewerben, für wie gut sie von den HändlerInnen gehalten werden.
Seit vor drei Jahren der Berliner Frauenbuchladen geschlossen hat, wird das lesbische Sortiment mit Erfolg stetig ausgebaut. Diskutiert wird noch, ob diese neue Säule des Ladens sich auch einmal in der Mitarbeit von Frauen niederschlagen soll, da diese Form der Zusammenarbeit noch nicht überall in der Homo-Szene angekommen ist. Die Zahl lesbischer Käuferinnen und Lesungen nimmt jedenfalls zu.
Einerseits gibt es die Vorstellung, ein Laden für "alle" Schwulen zu sein, andererseits möchte man sich aber auch politisch positionieren. Beides zu vereinbaren. wird angesichts sinkender Streitkultur allerorten immer schwieriger. Viele Kunden verlangen deshalb zeit- und SVD-gemässe Neutralität in weltanschaulichen Fragen, die über die gemeinsame Klammer "schwul" hinausgehen.
Die "Eisenherzen" sind jedoch nicht immer bereit, diese einzuhalten, auch wenn die Zeit für politische Arbeit wegen des steigenden Arbeitszwanges immer knapper wird. So beteiligten sie sich mehrmals am "autonomen" Block auf der CSD-Demo. Für die einen stehen sie deshalb als die "Linken" in der Ecke, für die anderen als die "Kommerz-Heinis". Auf keinen Fall dürfen jedoch die persönlichen Kompetenzen und Vorlieben der drei Chefs, "Stil bildend" zu wirken, übersehen werden. Oder wie sonst kommt ein "Nutella-Kochbuch" in eine schwule Buchhandlung?

ΤΡΟΠΟΙ ΧΑΛΑΡΩΣΗΣ 6. ΣΤΑ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΠΩΛΕΙΑ 4

..............Berkana...............Cómplices............

.....Antinous.......

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Berkana (Calle Holrtaleza 64, Madrid)
En 1993 Berkana se convirtión en la primera librería gay y lésbica de España. Dispone de un amplio fondo de narrativa, ensayo, biografía, poesía, fotografía, guías y cómic. Cuenta con una amplia sección de revistas de actualidad española y extranjera. Así como un extenso surtido de productos relacionados con el mundo gay y lésbico.

Cómplices (Calle Cervantes 2, Barcelona)
La primera librería de temática gay y lesbiana de Barcelona. En ella se puede encontrar todos los libros de temática gay y lésbica que existen en el mercado español: sean novela, ensayo, biografía, libros de fotos, revistas, etc.También hay libros en inglés y francés y una gran variedad de vídeos y DVD.
Antinous (Calle Josep Anselm Clavé 6, Barcelona)
Antinous, es un ambicioso proyecto que nace en 1997 con la intención de colaborar a la normalización del “hecho homosexual” desde la cultura y desde una participación activa en la sociedad.
Tiene un espacio amplio de visibilidad absoluta, donde se pueda encontrar la mayor oferta posible de libros, revistas, postales y regalos. Además de diversas secciones especializadas en videos, libros en inglés, ropa interior complementos etc... De ahí que la librería-café Antinous cuente con 150 m2 distribuidos en una única planta rectangular y diáfana, que convierten a Antinous en la librería más grande de todo el Estado español y muy próxima al modelo de librería «Gay-lésbico» del norte de Europa. En Antinous la apuesta por la normalidad es total.
Una cafetería que sirviera de punto de reunión de gays y lesbianas. Un espacio donde la gente pudiera pasar un rato agradable en un ambiente distendido y que a la vez sirviera como espacio de exposición de pintura y fotografía. Asimismo, la zona de cafetería debía ser compatible con la presentación de libros (en poco más de dos años han pasado por la librería más de 50 autores, algunos tan conocidos como Lawrence Schimel, el televisivo Boris Izaguirre, Alexandra Martí, Rubén Mettini, Lluís Mª Todó, Luis Antonio de Villena o Terenci Moix, por citar sólo a algunos).
La librería-café Antinous se ha convertido, en sus más de dos años de vida, en un verdadero referente cultural del mundo gay barcelonés y, en general, de todo el Estado español.
Antinous ni es ni pretende ser neutral o apolítica, y sí, por el contrario, toma partido por la militancia en el asociacionismo gay, que desde el advenimiento de la democracia en España inicia una lucha por los derechos y libertades de los gays y las lesbianas, con grandes aciertos y seguramente también con errores, pero en cualquier caso con el trabajo desinteresado de muchos voluntarios anónimos.En definitiva, Antinous opina, toma partido, apoya iniciativas y nunca se abstiene.

ΤΡΟΠΟΙ ΧΑΛΑΡΩΣΗΣ 6. ΣΤΑ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΠΩΛΕΙΑ 3

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Löwenherz - die schwule Buchhandlung in Wien
1993 wurde die Buchhandlung Löwenherz eröffnet. Damals übrigens zusammen mit dem Café Berg in einer gemeinsamen Firma - man kann sich vorstellen, dass dies eine gewaltige Anstrengung bedeutete. Die Idee und die Energie eine lesbisch-schwule Buchhandlung zusammen mit einem Tagescafé auf die Beine zu stellen hatte Leo Kellermann, der Löwenherz & Berg dann auch bis 2002 leitete und zu einer Wiener Institution etablierte.
Mit ca. 3.500 Titeln startete die Buchhandlung Löwenherz damals, Ende Juni 1993. Jürgen Ostler und Andreas Brunner hatten die Bücher ausgewählt und waren Wiens schwule Buchhändler der ersten Stunde. Damals gab es noch einige Lücken in den Regalen. Heute mit mehr als 10.000 lagernden Titeln quillt das Sortiment förmlich über: sehr zum Nutzen und zur Freude der vielen Kundinnen und Kunden aus dem In- und Ausland.
Schon immer war das Programm nicht nur auf schwule Literatur beschränkt, bis heute steht österreichische Literatur von Ilse Aichinger bis Stefan Zweig, ein umfangreiches Sortiment zu Sozialwissenschaft, Psychologie und Psychoanalyse, sowie Geschichte mit Schwerpunkt Holocaust und Nationalsozialismus in den Regalen. Dass die wesentlichen Bücher, die sich mit dem Leben von TransGender-Personen auseinander setzen, zum Sortiment gehören, versteht sich von selbst.
Im Laufe der Jahre haben die Löwenherzen auch ein umfangreiches Programm mit mehreren Tausend Titeln für Lesben aufgebaut, importieren alles, was das lesbische oder schwule Herz begehren könnte aus den USA, Großbritannien, aber auch aus Frankreich und natürlich aus Deutschland. Zeitschriften, CDs, Videos, DVDs sowie ein reichhaltiges Angebot an Accessoires von Aufklebern bis hin zu den Regenbogenfahnen füllen heute den Laden in der Berggasse oder lassen sich online bestellen. Vierteljährlich informieren die Löwenherzen in ihren Katalogen über aktuelle Neuerscheinungen auf dem schwul-lesbischen Buchmarkt.
In diesen Jahren, seit es Löwenherz gibt, hat sich viel getan im lesbisch-schwulen Österreich. Seitdem fanden auch "Wien ist Andersrum", der Life-Ball und das Queer-Film-Festival Identities zum ersten Mal statt. Drei Jahre später zog die erste Regenbogen Parade über die Wiener Ringstraße und ist seither "aus dem liturgischen Kalender der Stadt" (Hermes Phettberg) nicht mehr wegzudenken. Leidliche Paragrafen fielen (wenn auch nach zähen Kämpfen), und Wien ist inzwischen geprägt von einem grundsätzlich liberalen Klima, in dem Lesben, Schwule und Transgender relativ frei ihr Leben gestalten können. Auch an der Buchhandlung Löwenherz ist die Zeit nicht spurlos vorüber gezogen. Mehrere Buchhändler haben im Laufe der Zeit den Sortimentsbereichen, die ihnen am Herzen lagen, jeweils einen unverwechselbaren Stempel aufgedrückt und so zum vielfältigen Eindruck der Buchhandlung beigetragen, die den internationalen Vergleich nicht scheuen muss. Seit Oktober 2002 steht die Buchhandlung als Eigentum der Buchhändler Veit Schmidt und Jürgen Ostler ökonomisch auf eigenen Beinen. Der Dritte im Bunde der Löwenherzen ist Benny Quirico, der Auszubildende.
Und vor allem ist die Buchhandlung Löwenherz kein abgeschlossenes Projekt. Wir freuen uns auf Leseerfahrungen, Ideen und Gespräche mit allen, die zu uns kommen - denn eine lesbisch-schwule Buchhandlung wie Löwenherz ist ein Ort für Überraschungen und Entdeckungen.
(Αναδημοσίευση από το site του βιεννέζικου λοατ βιβλιοπωλείου Löwenherz)

ΤΡΟΠΟΙ ΧΑΛΑΡΩΣΗΣ 6. ΣΤΑ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΠΩΛΕΙΑ 2

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Authors campaign to save Britain's only gay bookshop
Charlotte Higgins (The Guardian, 22-3-2007)
Authors are campaigning to save the UK's only dedicated gay and lesbian bookshop, threatened with closure because of rising rents and pressure from the internet.
Gay's The Word, which has been selling books in Bloomsbury, central London, since 1979, is hoping to secure its future by raising £20,000 to pay the rent, building a strong internet presence and beefing up community activities.
Ali Smith, the Whitbread award-winning novelist, said: "It'd be a political, cultural, communal and human loss if it went. The independents will be on the up again soon in a big way as readers get increasingly fed up of the three-for-two faceless chainstores."
American novelist Edmund White, author of A Boy's Own Story, said: "It's a shop that keeps gay titles on the shelves for years in a way no regular bookshop, even one with a gay section, would ever do. The staff know the books and can give advice. It would be very sad to see it go."
Booker-nominated novelist Sarah Waters said: "For me it's more than a bookshop. It was one of those places you went to when you first arrived in London; it had its noticeboard and it was a meeting place. It felt very empowering that it was here and it is still important that there is a visible place for people to go."
Andrew Johnson, a librarian from Birmingham, said while browsing the shelves: "I always make a point of coming here because it stocks such a great range. I'm holding a novel - Armistead Maupin's Further Tales of the City - but in the past I've bought lifestyle titles, non-fiction books. This is one bookshop that covers a multitude of interests." The range of titles, described by manager Jim MacSweeney as everything "from academic studies to trash", includes Sodomy in Early Modern Europe, edited by Tom Betteridge; The Gendering of Men 1600-1750 - The English Phallus, by Thomas A King; and The Clitoral Truth: The Secret World at Your Fingertips, by Rebecca Chalker. Then there's Charles Anders's The Lazy Crossdresser, the favourite title of assistant manager Uli Lenart.
Mr Lenart said the shop is an important social resource. "We get teenagers coming in on the verge of tears. This is a place where you can feel less alone."
It hosts a gay writers' group, and Mr Lenart is considering setting up a reading group for rent boys.
The shop has survived peril before: in 1984 it was raided by Customs and Excise and the shop's directors were charged with conspiracy to import indecent books. The case collapsed.

ΤΡΟΠΟΙ ΧΑΛΑΡΩΣΗΣ 6. ΣΤΑ ΒΙΒΛΙΟΠΩΛΕΙΑ 1

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Πολύχρωμο βιβλιοπωλείο
του Πέρη Αποστολάκη
Από το Νοέμβριο του 2004, σε μια πάροδο της Πατησίων, μπορείς κανείς να βρει εκατομμύρια λέξεις που μιλάνε για τους γκέι, τις λεσβίες και τις τρανς.
Ο Πολύχρωμος Πλανήτης ήρθε να καλύψει ένα μεγάλο κενό. Πρωτύτερα, όποιος ήθελε να βρει βιβλία με ομοφυλοφιλικό περιεχόμενο ή από γκέι συγγραφέα έπρεπε να περάσει από μια προσωπική δοκιμασία θάρρους, αφού εμμέσως ήταν σαν να φανερώνεται ο ίδιος στον πωλητή. Για κάποιους εύκολο, για άλλους δύσκολο ή αδύνατο.Ένα γκέι βιβλιοπωλείο δεν είναι απλώς ένας βολικός χώρος για να ζητήσεις χωρίς ντροπή γκέι βιβλία. Στον Πολύχρωμο Πλανήτη βρίσκεις συγκεντρωμένη σχεδόν όλη την ελληνική ομοφυλοφιλική βιβλιοπαραγωγή, πράγμα πολύ χρήσιμο, αφού μπορείς να ανακαλύψεις και άλλα βιβλία, των οποίων την ύπαρξη αγνοούσες.
Ο Πλανήτης εκδίδει και βιβλία. Όπως μας λέει η ιδιοκτήτρια, Μαρίνα Γαλανού: «εκδίδουμε βιβλία ομοφυλοφιλικού περιεχομένου με στόχο να ακουστούν οι φωνές ομοφυλόφιλων συγγραφέων». Οι δύο πρώτες εκδόσεις Καιάδας και Αμφί και Απελευθέρωση, αμφότερα του Λουκά Θεοδωρακόπουλου, έχουν μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον. Στα σχέδια είναι η έκδοση και άλλων λογοτεχνικών έργων, ελληνικών και ξένων.
Παράλληλα, ο Πολύχρωμος Πλανήτης οργανώνει λογοτεχνικές βραδιές αφιερωμένες σε γκέι συγγραφείς, με στόχο τη δημιουργία ενός χώρου για ανταλλαγή απόψεων και προβληματισμού.
(...) Είτε ο Πλανήτης θεωρηθεί καθαρά εμπορική επιχείρηση είτε κομμάτι του γκέι ακτιβισμού, παραμένει γεγονός ότι επιτέλους οι γκέι, λεσβίες και τρανς έχουμε ένα χώρο όπου μπορούμε να βρούμε βιβλία από εμάς για εμάς. Κι αν ισχύει αυτό που λέει ο Τζον Κίραν «Είμαι κομμάτι όλων όσων έχω διαβάσει», τότε το ειδικά για εμάς τους ομοφυλόφιλους, με τις κρυμμένες, ανομολόγητες ιστορίες μας, το να διαβάζουμε για τις ζωές άλλων ομοφυλόφιλων είναι κάτι παραπάνω από ψυχαγωγία. Είναι απόδειξη ότι υπάρχουμε.
(Αναδημοσίευση από το περιοδικό 10%)

UN AMOUR À TAIRE (A LOVE TO HIDE)

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A Love to Hide (Un amour à taire)
Dir. Christian Faure 2005 France 103 min 35mm
An elegant, nuanced drama with horrific subject matter, A Love to Hide is set in Paris in 1942. Jean and Philippe, two young gay lovers in occupied France, risk their lives to hide a childhood Jewish friend, Sarah, whose family has been killed by the Gestapo. They struggle to survive as a makeshift family in a pitiless society. When Jean’s black-sheep brother —a Nazi collaborator—arrives, their fragile bond is threatened. The spectre of tragedy slowly closes in when Jean is exposed as a member of the “third sex” and falsely accused of having an affair with a Nazi.

With remarkable performances by Jérémie Renier (Criminal Lovers) and Bruno Todeschini (Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train), the film features meticulous attention to period detail and crisp, constantly gliding cinematography. A Love to Hide provides a powerful complement to the documentary Paragraph 175 (Frameline 2000), which also dealt with gay persecution during the Nazi era. Winner of both the Best Fiction Feature Award and the Audience Favorite Feature Film Award at the 2006 Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

J. SHEPARD

ΛΕΣΒΙΕΣ, ΚΑΡΚΙΝΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΜΑΣΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΚΑΡΚΙΝΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΤΡΑΧΗΛΟΥ ΤΗΣ ΜΗΤΡΑΣ

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Being lesbian or bisexual does not directly influence
the frequency of these cancers. But there are
certain risk factors that are particularly prevalent
among women who love women. For that reason, it’s
important to be informed.
Loving yourself as a lesbian or bisexual woman also
means taking care of yourself and watching your health!
For all women who love women...
... are you at higher risk of developing
breast or cervical cancer?

Why should you read this brochure?
¦ Lesbians and bisexual women fear homophobic reactions, or use contraception less frequently,
and therefore are less likely to see medical professionals and often hesitate to talk about their
emotional or sexual lives. They are also less likely than other women to undergo screening
examinations (mammograms or pap smears) that would allow early detection of possible breast
or cervical cancer.
¦ Because of social and family pressures, lesbians and bisexual women can sometimes feel
depressed and pay less attention to their health.
¦ Some studies have shown that lesbians and bisexual women are more reluctant to regularly
self-examine their breasts.
¦ On average, lesbians and bisexual women are less likely to have children before the age
of 30, which increases the risk of breast cancer.
¦ Certain studies indicate that lesbians or bisexual women can occasionally overindulge in alcohol
and tobacco. They may also become overweight. This increases the risk of breast cancer or
cervical cancer.
Lesbian and bisexual women who do not struggle with these speci.c risk factors have
exactly the same probability of developing cancer as heterosexual women.
This brochure is the result of a project coordinated in French and in Dutch by ILGA, the International Lesbian and
Gay Association, with the Belgian Foundation Against Cancer and the help of Belgian lesbian groups.
Copyright ILGA 2006.

Breast Cancer
Risk Factors
¦ Being a woman, especially if you are over 50 years old.
¦ Having had one or more cases of breast cancer in your family.
¦ Having certain non-cancerous abnormalities in your breasts.
¦ Not having a child or having had your .rst child after the age of 30.
¦ Menstruating before the age of 12.
¦ Going through menopause after the age of 52.
¦ Taking hormones for several years after going through menopause.
¦ Drinking a lot of alcoholic beverages.
¦ Gaining weight after menopause.
¦ Having a sedentary lifestyle (with little sports or physical activity).
But remember: Breast cancer often affects women who do not display any particular risk
factors. Likewise, having one or more of these predispositions does not mean that you will
automatically develop the disease!
What should you do?
Every woman can take three complementary precautions:
¦ Change your lifestyle if necessary (take advantage of physical activities, avoid
obesity, limit your consumption of alcohol to a maximum of one glass per day).
¦ Regularly self-examine your breasts from the age of 25.
¦ Undergo screenings with mammograms from the age of 50.
Self-Examination
¦ From the age of 25, each month, ideally one week after menstruation.
¦ Pay attention to the look of both breasts.
¦ Watch for any changes in your breasts compared to the previous month.
If you .nd abnormalities, it does not automatically mean that you have cancer, but it is still necessary
to see your doctor even if you were screened recently.
Once a year, ask your general practitioner or gynecologist to examπine your breasts (a visual and physical examination).
Screening
Screening is performed with a mammogram, also called a Mammotest.
This x-ray of the breasts allows detection of potential cancers well before they become visible
or palpable, which strongly increases the likelihood of treating them successfully.
Another advantage is that discovering cancers when they are still very small increases the likelihood
that the breast can be preserved. In some countries, the screening is free for
women from the age of 50.

Cervical Cancer
Risk Factors
¦ A chronic infection by certain strains of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which is transmissible through sexual contact between women.
¦ The use of tobacco.
Traces of a chronic HPV infection can be found in approximately 90% of cervical cancers.
Whoever has (or has had) sexual contact with other persons, regardless of their
sex, may be a carrier of HPV. More than 50% of women “encounter” the virus
over the course of their sex life.
Fortunately, the majority of HPV viruses are incapable of developing into cancers. The typical
mode of transmission is direct contact with the genital organs or the mouth of an infected person.
Sometimes, these viruses produce warts on the genital organs, the anus, or (more rarely) on the mouth. But generally, the infection goes unnoticed and spontaneously heals within two years. Since there are often no symptoms, it is impossible to say exactly when a person was infected. You can carry HPV without knowing it and without ever
noticing anything abnormal. The majority of these viruses do not heighten
your risk for cancer. But if certain strains of HPV survive near the cervix, they can foster the development of cervical cancer after a number of years.
What should you do?
¦ Avoid smoke or stop smoking. It is generally bene.cial for your health and lowers your risk
of developing cervical cancer.
¦ Undergo screenings.
¦ If you notice small amounts of blood by the vagina (between your periods, after menopause,
or following sexual intercourse), often accompanied by painless vaginal discharge, consult
your doctor.
Most Important:
Screening Examinations
The examination is done by taking a smear of the cervix. The doctor removes some cells from the uterine collar with a spatula or small brush, then examines them with a microscope. The sampling is painless and is done between periods.
The screening requires the use of a speculum (the cervix is not directly accessible during an
examination of the external genital organs).
¦ All women should begin screenings within a year of their .rst sexual encounter (whether
with a man or a woman).
¦ After the .rst normal pap smear, a second smear will be done to con.rm results one year later.
¦ If the second pap smear is also normal, additional smears will be repeated every three
years, until at least the age of 65. If the routine is interrupted, it is repeated from the beginning.
If an abnormality is discovered under the microscope, a second smear or another thorough
examination is immediately conducted to con.rm the results.
If a pre-cancerous lesion (dysplasia) is discovered during the smears, a targeted treatment
makes it possible to prevent it from developing into cancer.
If the beginning of a cancer is discovered thanks to the screening, the treatment will be more
effective and contained since the illness has been detected at an early stage.

Η ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΟΒΙΑ ΣΚΟΤΩΝΕΙ 4- ΓΑΛΛΙΑ

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Un gay est toujours dans le coma, après avoir été violement agressé par deux jeunes hommes
par Emmanuelle Cosse (tetu.com 26-4-2007)
Un homosexuel de 50 ans, transporté au CHU de Limoges, a été placé dans un coma artificiel. Et mercredi, son état était jugé grave par le procureur en charge du dossier. Il a été agressé dans la soirée du dimanche 22 avril dans un square de Brive-la-Gaillarde, un lieu de drague homo. Les deux agresseurs présumés, âgés d'une vingtaine d'années ont été mis en examen mardi 24 avril à Tulle pour «violences en réunion à caractère homophobe». L'un d'eux a été écroué en raison des coups violents qu'il aurait porté à la victime. Selon le procureur, ces individus s'étaient rendus dans ce jardin «dans l'intention avouée de s'en prendre à l'un des représentants» de la communauté gay. Après avoir déversé un flot d'injures à caractère homophobe, les agresseurs auraient passé à tabac le quinquagénaire. Sous les coups, la victime a heurté un banc et le choc l'a assommée. Les agresseurs encourent jusqu'à cinq ans de prison et 75.000 euros d'amende.

ΑΝΑΠΛΑΣΗ ΤΑΥΤΟΤΗΤΑΣ

«Aνάπλαση ταυτότητας» με ιατρική βοήθεια

Oι τεχνικές βελτίωσης αντανακλούν μιαν ανησυχητική κοινωνική εμμονή, που βλέπει τον κόσμο σαν κάτι που πρέπει να χειραγωγούμε
Tου Carl Elliot (1)- The Guardian (Καθημερινή 1-8-04)
«Γίνε αυτός που είσαι», έγραψε ο Φρειδερίκος Nίτσε. Eναν αιώνα αργότερα, εκατομμύρια άνθρωποι παίρνουν τη συμβουλή του Γερμανού φιλοσόφου κατά γράμμα. Aντί να στραφούν στη φιλοσοφία, ωστόσο, χρησιμοποιούν φάρμακα και χειρουργική. «Aισθάνομαι πάλι ο εαυτός μου με το Seroxat», λέει η γυναίκα στη διαφήμιση του αντικαταθλιπτικού· και το ίδιο λένε εκείνοι που χρησιμοποιούν Prozac, Ritalin, Botox, Propecia, Xenical, στεροειδή αναβολικά, αισθητική χειρουργική, θεραπεία ορμονικής υποκατάστασης, ακόμα και χειρουργική αλλαγής φύλου.
Kαι καθώς οι άνθρωποι προχωρούν σε δραματικές αλλαγές, μεταβάλλοντας την προσωπικότητά τους με ψυχενεργά φάρμακα και το σώμα τους με το χειρουργικό νυστέρι, περιγράφουν τη μεταμόρφωσή τους ως μια διαδικασία μετατροπής σε αυτό που πραγματικά είναι. Mόνο χρησιμοποιώντας αναβολικά, γράφει ο μποντιμπίλντερ Σάμουελ Φάσελ, «έγινα εξωτερικά όπως αισθανόμουν εσωτερικά». Mε τη χειρουργική «επαναπροσδιορισμού φύλου», γράφει η Tζαν Mόρις, «απέκτησα επιτέλους ταυτότητα». Aν ο Nίτσε ζούσε σήμερα, θα διαφήμιζε αντικαταθλιπτικά της φαρμακευτικής εταιρείας Pfizer.
Tο ιδεώδες της αυθεντικότητας
Παρότι είναι παράδοξο να ακούς να συνδέουν την αυτο–μεταμόρφωση με την αυθεντικότητα, οι περιγραφές αυτές δεν είναι τόσο παράλογες όσο αρχικά φαίνονται. Tο ιδεώδες της αυθεντικότητας έχει βαθιές ρίζες στη δυτική σκέψη. Πολλοί άνθρωποι της όψιμης νεοτερικότητας δεν αναζητούν πλέον να βρουν το νόημα της ζωής απευθυνόμενοι στον Θεό, στην αλήθεια ή σε όποιο άλλο εξωτερικό ηθικό πλαίσιο. Aντίθετα, προσδοκούν να το βρούν κοιτάζοντας μέσα στον εαυτό τους.
Tο να είναι κανείς σε επαφή με τα βαθύτερα συναισθήματα, τις επιθυμίες και τις προσδοκίες του, θεωρείται τώρα απαραίτητη προϋπόθεση για μια γεμάτη ανθρώπινη ζωή. H γλώσσα της αυθεντικότητας έχει γίνει ένας φυσικός τρόπος έκφρασης των προσδοκιών, της ψυχοπαθολογίας, ακόμα και της προσωπικής μεταμόρφωσης.
Tο καινούργιο είναι η εμπλοκή των γιατρών στην εκπλήρωση της επιθυμίας για αυτο–μεταμόρφωση. Tι τελευταίες δεκαετίες οι γιατροί προσφέρουν με μεγαλύτερη προθυμία σωματικές θεραπείες για την επίλυση ψυχολογικών και κοινωνικών προβλημάτων. Δίνουν συνθετική αυξητική ορμόνη σε κοντά αγόρια για να εξουδετερώσουν το στίγμα του χαμηλού αναστήματος. Kάνουν ρινοπλαστική για να εξουδετερώσουν το στίγμα της «εβραϊκής» ή της «νέγρικης» μύτης· και χορηγούν Propesia σε μεσήλικες άντρες για να εξουδετερώσουν το στίγμα της φαλάκρας. Tώρα που η τόνωση της ψυχολογικής ευμάρειας θεωρείται από πολλούς ως θεμιτός στόχος της ιατρικής, το φάσμα των δυνητικά θεραπεύσιμων από την ιατρική ενοχλημάτων έχει διευρυνθεί πάρα πολύ.
«Πολιτιστική συνενοχή»
Aποτελεί πρόβλημα η επιτυχία αυτών των τεχνολογιών; Σε πολλές περιπτώσεις, όχι. Mερικά από αυτά τα φάρμακα και τις τεχνικές ανακουφίζουν κάποια από τα πιο οδυνηρά είδη ανθρώπινης δυστυχίας. Για κάθε άτομο που παίρνει αντικαταθλιπτικά για να αισθανθεί «καλύτερα από καλά», υπάρχει ένα άλλο που παίρνει το ίδιο φάρμακο για να αντιμετωπίσει μια κατάθλιψη που απειλεί τη ζωή του. Kαι αν μια επέμβαση αλλαγής φύλου απαλλάσσει πραγματικά έναν άνθρωπο από έντονη ψυχική οδύνη, τότε το ζήτημα του αν έτσι θεραπεύεται μια πραγματική αρρώστια, δεν έχει νόημα.
Eίναι ωστόσο δύσκολο να μην ανησυχήσεις με όλη αυτή την ιατρικώς επιβοηθούμενη μεταμόρφωση. Eνας λόγος ανησυχίας είναι αυτό που η φιλόσοφος Mάργκαρετ Oλίβια Λιτλ αποκαλεί «πολιτιστική συνενοχή». Oσο δύσκολο κι αν είναι να καταδικάσει κανείς τα άτομα που παίρνουν φάρμακα ή μπαίνουν στο χειρουργείο για να μεταμορφωθούν, οι διαδικασίες αυτές, σε κοινωνικό επίπεδο, απλώς εδραιώνουν τα προβλήματα που υποτίθεται ότι διορθώνουν. Oσο περισσότεροι Aσιάτες καταφεύγουν στην πλαστική χειρουργική για να φαίνονται πιο ευρωπαϊκά τα μάτια τους, τόσο περισσότερο ενισχύεται η κοινωνική προκατάληψη που λέει ότι τα «σχιστά» ασιατικά μάτια είναι μειονέκτημα. Tο ίδιο ισχύει για την προτίμηση στο ανοιχτόχρωμο δέρμα, το πλούσιο στήθος, τη λεπτή μύτη ή την αστραφτερή προσωπικότητα.
Tην ανησυχία αυτή ενισχύουν οι πιέσεις της αγοράς. Για αρκετά χρόνια τώρα, τα αντικαταθλιπτικά είναι η πιο επικερδής κατηγορία φαρμάκων στις HΠA και μία από τις πιο επικερδείς στη δυτική Eυρώπη. Oμως, τα αντικαταθλιπτικά δεν καταναλώνονται μόνο για να αντιμετωπιστεί η σοβαρή κλινική κατάθλιψη. Xρησιμοποιούνται επίσης ευρύτατα για να αντιμετωπιστούν η «διαταραχή κοινωνικού άγχους», το μετατραυματικό στρες, η ιδεοψυχαναγκαστική νεύρωση, οι διατροφικές διαταραχές, το προεμμηνοροϊκό σύνδρομο. Πολλές από αυτές τις διαταραχές θεωρούνταν κάποτε σπάνιες ή και ανύπαρκτες. Ωστόσο, από τη στιγμή που μια φαρμακευτική εταιρεία αναπτύξει μια θεραπευτική αγωγή για μια ψυχιατρική διαταραχή, αποκτά οικονομικό συμφέρον να διαγιγνώσκουν οι γιατροί τη διαταραχή αυτή όσο γίνεται συχνότερα. Aυτό μπορεί να σημαίνει τη μετατροπή μιας κατάστασης που κάποτε θεωρούνταν φυσιολογική παραλλαγή της ανθρώπινης συμπεριφοράς –να είσαι ντροπαλός, τελειομανής ή απαισιόδοξος– σε ψυχιατρικό πρόβλημα. Oσο περισσότεροι άνθρωποι πιστεύουν ότι έχουν μια διαταραχή που επιδέχεται φαρμακευτική αγωγή, τόσο περισσότερα φάρμακα θα πουλήσουν οι εταιρείες.
Eπικίνδυνες συνέπειες
Tα αποτελέσματα δεν είναι πάντα καλοήθη. Tη δεκαετία του ’90, στις HΠA, η Wyeth– Ayerst προώθησε επιθετικά τον συνδυασμό φαρμάκων αδυνατίσματος Fen–Phen. Oταν όμως το Fen–Pheσυνδέθηκε με την πνευμονική υπέρταση και την καρδιακή ανεπάρκεια, η εταιρεία βρέθηκε αντιμέτωπη με μια από τις μεγαλύτερες αγωγές αποζημίωσης στην αμερικανική ιστορία. Tις δεκαετίες του ’60 και του ’70, η θεραπεία ορμονικής υποκατάστασης είχε εξυμνηθεί ως θεραπεία αντιγήρανσης. Tο βιβλίο με τα επιχειρήματα υπέρ των οιστρογόνων που έγραψε ο γυναικολόγος Pόμπερτ Oυίλσον (Feminine for Ever) πουλησε 100.000 αντίτυπα τους πρώτους έξι μήνες και μεταφράστηκε σε 17 χώρες. Ωστόσο, τον Iούλιο του 2002, η μεγαλύτερη έρευνα που είχε γίνει ποτέ για την ορμονική υποκατάταση χρειάστηκε να διακοπεί πρόωρα γιατί αποδείχτηκε επικίνδυνη. Oι γυναίκες που έκαναν αγωγή ορμονικής υποκατάστασης είχαν περισσότερα περιστατικά στεφανιαίας νόσου, περισσότερα εγκεφαλικά, περισσότερες πνευμονικές εμβολές και περισσότερα περιστατικά καρκίνου του μαστού από εκείνες που δεν έκαναν.
Tώρα βλέπουμε μια παρόμοια αλλαγή γνώμης σε σχέση με τα αντικαταθλιπτικά. Eπί χρόνια τα αντικαταθλιπτικά SSRI (επιλεκτικοί αναστολείς επαναπρόσληψης σεροτονίνης) ήταν μια εξαιρετικά επικερδής κατηγορία φαρμάκων, γιατί συνταγογραφούνταν για πολλές διαταραχές και ενοχλήματα πέρα από τη μείζονα κατάθλιψη. Πρόσφατα, ωστόσο, οι υγειονομικές αρχές στη Bρετανία, τον Kαναδά και τις HΠA προειδοποίησαν γιατρούς και ασθενείς ότι, σε μερικές περιπτώσεις, τα αντικαταθλιπτικά μπορεί να συνδέονται με αυξημένο κίνδυνο αυτοκτονίας.
H μεγαλύτερη ανησυχία, ίσως, γύρω από τις τεχνικές σωματικής και ψυχικής βελτίωσης είναι αυτό που ο πολιτικός θεωρητικός Mάικλ Σάντελ αποκαλεί «η τάση για έλεγχο και υπεροχή». O Σάντελ ανησυχεί λιγότερο για τις πιθανές συνέπειες των τεχνικών βελτίωσης και περισσότερο για την κοινωνική εμμονή που αντανακλούν – μια εμμονή που βλέπει τον κόσμο σαν κάτι που πρέπει συνεχώς να ελέγχουμε και να χειραγωγούμε. Oταν, λόγου χάρη, κάποιοι άνθρωποι κατηγορούν τη γενετική μηχανική ότι «παίζει τον Θεό», τουλάχιστον μερικοί από αυτούς αντιτίθενται στην έλλειψη ταπεινοφροσύνης που εκφράζει αυτή η εμμονή – την αλαζονεία που μας οδηγεί να επενδύουμε τόση εμπιστοσύνη στην ανθρώπινη λογική.
Iσως να μπορούμε να σχεδιάσουμε έναν κόσμο όπου όλοι θα έχουμε πρόσβαση σε φάρμακα ευεξίας και στην αισθητική χειρουργική, όπου οι αθλητές θα έχουν όλοι πρόσβαση σε ασφαλή φάρμακα μεγιστοποίησης της απόδοσής τους, όπου θα μπορούμε όλοι να επιλέγουμε και να χειριζόμαστε με ασφάλεια τα γενετικά χαρακτηριστικά των παιδιών μας και όπου θα μπορούμε να τρώμε βιομηχανικής παραγωγής κοτόπουλα και γουρούνια, γενετικά τροποποιημένα ώστε να μην πονάνε. Πολλοί από μας, ωστόσο, θα είχαμε αντιρήσεις γι’ αυτόν τον κόσμο, όχι επειδή θα ήταν άδικος ή επειδή, αντίθετα, θα οδηγούσε σε έναν κόσμο με περισσότερη αδικία και πόνο, αλλά λόγω της έκτασης στην οποία αυτός ο κόσμος θα ήταν προκατασκευασμένος και προκαθορισμένος. Θα αντιστεκόμασταν στην ιδέα ότι ολόκληρος ο κόσμος υπάρχει για να χειραγωγείται για ανθρώπινους σκοπούς.
(1) O Kαρλ Eλιοτ είναι ο συγγραφέας του βιβλίου «Better ThaWell: AmericaMedicine Meets the AmericaDream» («Kαλύτερα από καλά: H αμερικανική ιατρική συναντά το αμερικανικό όνειρο»).

Ο 1ος ΔΙΑΓΩΝΙΣΜΟΣ ΘΕΑΤΡΙΚΩΝ ΚΕΙΜΕΝΩΝ ΜΕ ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΙΚΗ ΘΕΜΑΤΙΚΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΙΣΠΑΝΙΚΗ ΓΛΩΣΣΑ

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Nace el primer certamen de textos teatrales de temática homosexual
Será el primer certamen de escritura teatral en lengua española con temática gay y lésbica
Quieren que el colectivo homosexual esté presente en los escenarios
El Festival Visible y la Fundación Autor ponen en marcha el primer certamen internacional de escritura teatral en lengua española con temática gay-lésbica. Su objetivo es "estimular la presencia de este colectivo en la dramaturgia y en los escenarios, como un reflejo natural de la sociedad".
El director del Festival Visible y presidente del jurado, Pablo Peinado, explicó que el premio tiene una dotación de 2.000 euros, además de un trofeo acreditativo y la publicación del texto ganador en la colección teatral SGAE.
Además, el texto será presentado en la siguiente edición del Festival Visible a través de una lectura dramatizada, producida por el propio festival.
Las bases del concurso las ha creado el dramaturgo Juan Carlos Rubio, Premio SGAE de Teatro 2005 por Humo y autor de Las heridas del viento, actualmente en escena en la madrileña sala Triángulo.
Para este certamen el jurado admitirá obras premiadas en otros concursos, siempre y cuando ese galardón se haya recibido dentro de los 12 meses anteriores al fallo del jurado nombrado por el Festival Visible. El trofeo nunca se declarará desierto, ni podrá ser compartido.
La idea, según los organizadores, es que puedan concurrir al certamen todos los autores que lo deseen, de cualquier nacionalidad, con cuantos textos teatrales quieran.
Los textos deben estar escritos en castellano y su argumento o el perfil de alguno de los personajes protagonistas deberá ser de carácter gay, lésbico, transexual o bisexual.
(Αναδημοσίευση από το site 20minutos.es)

LIFE BALL 2007

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LIFE BALL,
Πλατεία Rathausplatz, Βιέννη (Σάββατο 26 Μαϊου 2007)
H εταιρία Paul Sofianos Creations επιλέχτηκε από τον Αυστριακό Οργανισμό Τουρισμού & τις Αυστριακές Αερογραμμές ως η μοναδική ελληνική lgbt εταιρία που θα αποκτήσει το Life Style Ball Ticket αλλά και ταξιδιωτικό πακέτο για να παρακολουθήσει από κοντά το μεγαλύτερο ετήσιο φιλανθρωπικό gala της Ευρώπης.
Τι είναι όμως το Life Ball;
Η ετήσια φιλανθρωπική εκδήλωση είναι το μεγαλύτερο γεγονός φιλανθρωπίας της Ευρώπης στην πάλη ενάντια στον ιό του AIDS. Ιδρύθηκε το 1992 με το στόχο για να συλλέξει τα κεφάλαια προκειμένου να βοηθηθούν επιλεγμένες μη κερδοσκοπικές οργανώσεις που αγωνίζονται για ανθρώπους που πάσχουν από τον ιό του HIV.
Τις εκδηλώσεις παρακολουθούν κάθε χρόνο περισσότεροι από 40.000 ενθουσιώδης θεατές στην πλατεία Rathausplatz (μπροστά από το Δημαρχείο της Βιέννης) και ξεκινά με μια μεγάλη τελετή από πλούσιο καλλιτεχνικό πρόγραμμα με Fashion Show από τους μεγαλύτερους σχεδιαστές και φυσικά ζωντανές εμφανίζεις από διεθνούς φήμης τραγουδιστές. Το θέαμα στην πλατεία του Δημαρχείου είναι ΔΩΡΕΑΝ για όλους.
Στο εσωτερικό χώρο του Δημαρχείου ένα Fancy Dress Party διοργανώνεται για έναν οριοακό αριθμό 4.000 καλεσμένων στο οποίο περιλαμβάνεται και η γιορτή των μαγειρικών απολαύσεων. Η παρουσία των καλεσμένων στον χώρο θα πρέπει να εναρμονίζεται με τους 12 Life Ball Style Rules.

(Μερική αναδημοσίευση ενημερωτικής επιστολής που λάβαμε μέσω e-mail)

ANTON KOLIG 2

GAY PRIDE 2007 -1

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Gay Pride Maspalomas, Gran Canaria 12-5 Maspalomas Spain
Moscow Pride Festival '07 27-5 Moscow Russia
GAYMAT 2007 0-6 Luxembourg-city Luxembourg
CSD Zürich 2-6 Zürich Switzerland

Friendship Day/Riga Pride 2007 2-6 Riga Latvia
Glbt National Pride 6-9 Rome Italy
CSD Berlin 23-6 Berlin Germany
Athens Pride 23-6 Athens Greece
EuroPride mado 2007 30-6 Madrid Spain

Roze Zaterdag Bergen op Zoom 30-6 Bergen op Zoom Netherlands
Regenbogen-Parade 30-6 Vienna Austria
Pride London 30-6 London United Kingdom
CSD Würzburg 30-6 Würzburg Germany
Porto Pride 7-7 Porto Portugal
Swiss Pride 2007 7-7 Fribourg / Freiburg Switzerland

Budapest Pride - LGBT Festival 7-7 Budapest Hungary
ColognePride 8-7 Cologne Germany
CSD am See - Pride on the Lake 14-7 Konstanz Germany

CSD-Leipzig 21-7 Leipzig Germany

Hamburg Pride 4-8 Hamburg Germany
Stockholm Pride Festival 4-8 Stockholm Sweden
Christopher Street Day Mannh... 5-8 Mannheim Germany

Reykjavik Gay Pride 11-8 Reykjavik Iceland
Munich Pride 11-8 Munich Germany

ΜΟΥΣΕΣ (MUXES)

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Μούσες (Muxes)
(Ντοκιμαντέρ)

Σύμφωνα με το μύθο, ο Άγιος Βισέντε ήταν επιφορτισμένος από το Θεό με μια δύσκολη αποστολή. Είχε στην πλάτη του ένα τσουβάλι γεμάτο Mούσες και έπρεπε ν’ αφήνει μία σε κάθε πόλη που ανήκε στο Βασίλειο των Ζαποτέκων. Όταν όμως ο Άγιος έφτασε στη Χουσιτάν, παραπάτησε, σκόνταψε και όλες οι Μούσες που είχε στο τσουβάλι του, του έπεσαν εκεί. Από τότε, η πόλη αυτή του Νοτιανατολικού Μεξικού γνωρίζει μια απρόσμενη, όχι μόνο για το Μεξικό αλλά και για ολόκληρο τον πλανήτη, σεξουαλική απελευθέρωση. Οι ομοφυλόφιλοι άνδρες που το επιθυμούν, κυκλοφορούν ντυμένοι γυναίκες, και ζουν μια ζωή μέσες-άκρες όμοια με αυτή των ετεροφυλόφιλων συμπολιτών τους. Στη Χουσιτάν οι Μούσες που κυκλοφορούν στο δρόμο όχι μόνο δεν κρύβουν, αλλά προβάλλουν με κάθε τρόπο την διαφορετικότητά τους. Κι οι συμπολίτες τους, απλά συνεχίζουν το δρόμο τους, χωρίς το θέαμα ενός άντρα που είναι ντυμένος, χτενισμένος και βαμμένος σαν γυναίκα να τους εντυπωσιάζει, να τους προκαλεί ή να τους κάνει να δυσφορούν.Οι ίδιοι(ες) λένε ότι ανήκουν στην κοινότητα των «ατρόμητων», «αυτών που δεν φοβούνται τον θάνατο» και κάθε χρόνο γιορτάζουν την επιθυμία τους και τη χαρά τους να είναι γυναίκες σε μια γιορτή που συμμετέχει ολόκληρη η πόλη…

*Μούσες (στα μεξικάνικα Muxes), λέγονται οι ομοφυλόφιλοι άνδρες που ντύνονται γυναίκες ή, όπως λένε οι ίδιες, οι γυναίκες που γεννήθηκαν κατά λάθος άνδρες.
Σκηνοθεσία: Γιώργος Αυγερόπουλος

ΔΥΟ ΝΕΕΣ ΤΑΙΝΙΕΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ HARVEY MILK

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Gus Van Sant, Bryan Singer Both Slotted for Harvey Milk Films

GayWired.com 04.14.07

Hollywood directors Bryan Singer and Gus Van Sant are in a race to begin production on similar films—each based on the life Harvey Milk, the openly gay San Francisco supervisor who was assassinated in 1978.
According to All Headline News, Singer has teamed up with Warner Independent Productions to direct The Mayor Of Castro Street, based on the book by Randy Shifts.
All Headline News also reports that Van Sant is said to be working with Big Love writer Dustin Lance Black, whose agents will shop the yet-untitled script to studios next week.
According to Variety, Van Sant previously was attached to the Castro Street film and even wrote a draft of the script.
Castro Street producer Craig Zadan told Variety it's likely his film will begin production soon.
"We're seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel," he said to Variety. "Warner Independent is pushing us to get the film made right away."

MI QUERIDA SEÑORITA - CAMBIO DE SEXO

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Mi querida señorita (1972)
Director: Jaime de Armiñán
This strange film takes the story of a Spanish country matron into new ground. Adela (Jose Luis Lopes Vasquez) lives a conservative life in her village with her maid. When she scolds her maid for having an affair, the indignant maid runs off to Madrid. Adela receives the courtship of a local businessman, but, after accepting his engagement ring, she is disgusted by his further advances. Disturbed by this, she follows her priest's advice to seek psychiatric help. The psychiatrist, a doctor, tells her that she is, in fact, a man. Adela, horrified, cannot bear to return to her village and takes up life in Madrid as Juan. Her identification papers list her as a woman, and she must improvise in order to survive. There is a lot more to this odd story, made odder still because it is not a comedy, but a romantic drama.

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Cambio de sexo (1977)
Director: Vicente Aranda
José Maria is a seventeen year old boy; his father is a successful restaurant owner in a town some distance from Barcelona, in Spain. The boy is intelligent and sensitive, but his mannerisms and habits, and lack of masculine drive, lead him to get bullied at school. The school principal decides that José is the disruptive influence, and asks for him to be removed from the school. The father berates the boy, and his mother, for his failure to be a red-blooded young man, and sends him away for a while to live with a friend in the country. Father visits the boy, and takes him to a strip club in Barcelona, run by a lady friend of his, intending that this will "cure" him of his sexual reserve. However one of the acts is a pre-operative transsexual, and there is a full frontal exposure at the end. [The transsexual is Bibí Andersen, in her first big screen wole; she went on to play is several of Pedro Almodovar's films.] Father has arranged that after the show, the lady friend will take José back to her place for sex. José evidently has no idea what is going on; "Everything will be all right: you'll see", she says. José doesn't look very sure of that, and in fact refuses to co-operate. Father is furious and threatens José with violence if, in a repeat visit in a month's time, José "fails" him again. José takes some clothes belonging to the lady of the house where he is staying, and dressed as a girl he leaves and goes to Barcelona. Dressed as a girl, José gets picked up by a man, Álvaro, who finds him a room to stay in. But José changes back into male clothes before actually seeing the owner of the house, and when Álvaro calls back later, to see Maria, the lady says there is no-one of that name there. For the time being, José stays in male mode so far as the rest of the world is concerned. Later, José buys a newspaper and sees that his Father has put a description and photograph in an announcement, and José sends a latter home saying that he is safe. He successfully gets a job in a hair stylist's, and soon his sister arrives to see him. Everything is bad at home, but the sister is sympathetic. The go out for a milk shake, and José goes to the lavatory, and, without giving his sister any warning, comes back in female mode, to her amazement. Nonetheless they go to a dance club together, as two girls, and indulge in some flirting. Afterwards back at José's room, sister asks how José feels when dancing with a guy. "Well, I suppose I feel the same way you do.". Sister (looking confused): "Oh, but that's impossible ... you're not a woman!" Back at the hair stylist's, Bibí Andersen comes in as a customer, and José is told to look after her. In case we have forgotten, a colleague comes up and tells José who she is ... "They say she's a man." Back at the digs, José overhears the landlady and her manfriend going for a day at the beach. José takes the opportunity to dress in some feminine clothes, but inevitably the people come back unexpectedly. The manfriend is appalled but the landlady is entirely sympathetic and goes to great lengths to let José know that they are going out again and won't be back until late. José, as Maria, goes to the dance club and a previous admirer is there. They dance, and both parties enjoy it, but apparently they don't go on to anywhere afterwards. The next day in the hair salon, José asks Bibí Andersen for advice about seeing the man again, and she advises against it, without really explaining why. So Maria sees him anyway; they go to have sex, although Maria says she doesn't know what to do. We have to infer how it turned out, and back at the digs, she goes to the bathroom, and takes an open razor, and has a go at removing her unwanted appendages. Despite a visit in hospital by Bibí José decides to abandon the independent life in Barcelona and returns home. However Father is still very hostile, and José soon is back in Barcelona. Luckily the landlady still has a room free, and welcomes José and gives her some old clothes and helps on other ways. From now on, José is Maria all the time. Maria hasn't got a job now, but when she goes to see Bibí she gets a job at the club as a waitress. Bibí explains that she has had a sex change operation since they last met, and shows Maria the results. Matria is impressed, even though Bibí explains that "showing her dick" was enough before, but now they tell her she has to learn how to dance. After an impromptu dance at the club with Bibí, the club owner is clearly impressed with Maria and offers her stardom if she will train herself to "turn into a woman". With a lot of help in grooming and dancing, she achieves success on the stage, and the club owner finds her attractive enough to risk a relatively chaste kiss, which Bibí observes, provoking a scene. Nonetheless things develop between them, and he wants her to be his wife, and to have the necessary operation. Will they live happily ever after ... ?

DON'T GO. Η ΝΕΑ ΛΕΣΒΙΑΚΗ ΤΗΛΕΟΠΤΙΚΗ ΣΕΙΡΑ

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DON’T GO
"Don't Go" is the intimate story of the lives and loves of a group of vibrant individuals living in a Los Angeles fourplex. In apartment #1, JADEN struggles with the rapid change of identity an unexpected pregnancy can bring. Jaden's journey is all the more riveting because she is a butch lesbian and her long-term partner, MELODY, was born a hermaphrodite. After four years of domestic bliss and joint ownership of the fourplex and a thriving sex shop, Jaden and Melody find their foundation shaken to the core when Melody, the more feminine partner, accidentally impregnates her bodybuilding, masculine-identified spouse.
Across the hall, CINDY's "traditional" family has problems of its own. Cindy, a talented lawyer, left her comfortable life as a partner in a corporate law firm to pursue a job as a talent agent in the entertainment industry. Currently paying her dues as the assistant to an anal, controlling, perfectionist agent, Cindy struggles to maintain her focus as she deals with a mother who suffers from a mental illness and the return of a father she's never known. Sometimes family obligations threaten the pursuit of our dreams.
JESS, the tenant in #4, hides behind his family. Five years after the death of the love of his life, Jess works in the family security business after selling his interior design firm. When Jess unexpectedly agrees to redecorate the home of a female client of the family business, he is surprised to find himself reawakening to life, both professionally and personally, as this gay man starts to have feelings for his client.
SHANTI, the new tenant in #2, is full of new and confusing feelings. This young woman moves into the fourplex in order to escape the cultural restraints of her traditional Indian family. Intent on finding the husband of her dreams without her parent's interference, Shanti discovers that her "husband to be" may not arrive in the package she expected.
Finally, please meet BONE, a frequent visitor to the fourplex and Jaden's best friend. Bone is a constant support to Jaden during her pregnancy. A mirror-image of Jaden's muscular, butch persona, Bone should be the rock necessary to help Jaden maintain her identity while defining motherhood on her own terms. Unfortunately, Bone harbors a secret, which may irreparably harm their relationship.
These people struggle with the same issues we face every day: love, loss, change, and family. But rather than a static representation of our daily problems, this television series introduces us to new characters that may be our neighbors in real life but are rarely seen on our television screens. Please join us as writer-director Amber Sharp takes us on a unique and fascinating journey which might take us right back to our own realities.

NO REGRET. ΜΙΑ ΤΑΙΝΙΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΗ Ν. ΚΟΡΕΑ

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No regret (South Korea, 2006)
Turning 18 years of age, Su Min (Lee Young Hoon) leaves his orphanage and moves to Seoul, working various jobs to save up money for university. After losing his job at the factory, Su Min ends up working as a male escort at a gay bar. Already close to hitting rock bottom, Su Min’s life gets both more chaotic and more meaningful when Jae Min (Lee Han) walks into his life. Coming from a wealthy, conservative background, Jae Min keeps his sexual orientation hidden from his family. Although he is already engaged, Jae Min is willing to give up everything to be with Su Min, and the two fall into a passionate relationship. But when the realities of life catch up, love may not be enough.
Directed by Lee-Song-hee-il
Cast: Lee Hana(a), Lee Yeong-hoon

ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΟΙ ΑΝΔΡΕΣ, ΚΟΝΔΥΛΩΜΑΤΑ, PAP TEST ΚΑΙ ΚΑΡΚΙΝΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΕΝΤΕΡΟΥ

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Doctors want Pap test for gay men
San Francisco Chronicle 21-4-2007
Bay Area doctors are leading a campaign to bring gay men into their offices for a basic exam that women have been enduring for decades -- the Pap test.
The goal is to push back rising rates of anal cancer, a preventable disease that has increased 37 percent in the United States since a decade ago, when the total number of cancer cases increased only 1 percent.
Anal Pap smears would help doctors spot precancerous lesions and wipe them out before they have a chance to turn malignant, say supporters of widespread use of the exam among gay men. But nationwide, doctors have been reluctant to embrace the screening test, partly because there is disagreement over whether it's effective or even necessary.
Dr. Joel Palefsky, director of the Anal Neoplasia Clinic at UCSF, encourages anal Pap tests for gay men and other groups at high risk of developing anal cancer.
"We haven't proven it yet, but we believe that we are likely to be preventing anal cancer," said Palefsky, who hopes this summer to publish results from a study on anal cancer prevention. "Our approach is to move forward on the assumption that we are preventing cancer and working in parallel to the kind of research studies that will convince everyone else."
Anal cancer is one of the rarer and less deadly forms of cancer in the United States. In 2006, there were about 4,660 cases, and 660 deaths, accounting for less than 1 percent of all cancer cases, according to the American Cancer Society.
While rates of anal cancer are low in the general population -- and more women than men get anal cancer every year -- they're disproportionately high among gay men and people who are HIV-positive or have other immune-suppressive conditions. Part of the explanation for increased cases of anal cancer is better reporting of the disease, but Bay Area doctors say it also could be tied to HIV rates.
Studies have shown rates of anal cancer as high as 35 cases for every 100,000 people among gay men -- a figure comparable to rates of cervical cancer in women before Pap tests were introduced as a screening tool 60 years ago. Since then, rates of cervical cancer have fallen 70 percent.
"Anal cancer is a silent issue that's been building for at least 10 years," said Jason Riggs, a spokesman for the Stop AIDS Project. "You've got consumers who are for the most part completely unaware that there's a health issue going on until it hits the cancer stage. And it's sad because it's incredibly preventable."
Like cervical cancer, anal cancer is caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that will infect the vast majority of adults in their lifetime. Most people are able to shake off HPV without ever knowing they have it. But a small group of men and women will get lesions that could turn into cancer in the cervix, vulva, anus or penis.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first vaccine for certain strains of HPV that are most likely to cause cancer. But it was approved for use in women and girls only, with the most likely candidates for the vaccine being preteen girls who have not yet had sex. The vaccine is considered most effective when used before someone has become infected with
HPV.
Clinical studies are under way to determine whether the vaccine, called Gardisal, should be used by men and boys, too. In the meantime, gay men have started asking for the vaccine even without FDA approval.
Bay Area doctors who work with patients at risk for anal cancer say the Pap test appears to be an effective preventive tool. Pap tests, which use swabs to get samples of cells in the cervix or the anus, can show whether abnormal lesions have developed, a condition known as dysplasia.
Not all anal lesions will turn into cancer, but the same is true for dysplasia in the cervix and breast, and generally those lesions are removed without question, say doctors who support widespread anal Pap tests.
But some doctors say they can't support a standard policy on Pap testing until they see studies proving that screening really prevents cancer.
"Pending really definitive clinical trials, at this point we advocate for a physician's best judgment," said Dr. Michael Horberg, director of HIV-AIDS for Kaiser Permanente and an HIV specialist at Kaiser Santa Clara Medical Center. "It's up to the discretion of the clinician as to whether they'd want to do a formal Pap test or a visual inspection."
That said, if a patient requested an anal Pap test, "I'm sure it would be an honored request," he added. And Horberg said doctors and nurses who work with gay men are vigilant about checking for HPV and signs of anal dysplasia.
Technology for removing anal lesions has improved significantly in the past decade, so that a procedure that in the past was very painful and took months to recover from often is now an outpatient procedure with a week or two of recovery.
The UCSF clinic that specializes in removing anal lesions has a four-month waiting list, in part because of the increase in cases, and in part because patients and doctors are more comfortable with the new technology.
But outside the Bay Area, not many communities have the infrastructure to remove anal lesions, or even the expertise to read the results of an anal Pap test. And because anal cancer itself is very treatable with chemotherapy and radiation, doctors nationwide haven't seen much point in performing a Pap test when there's not much they can do about an abnormal result. Instead, they wait for the cancer to develop.
"Anal cancer does very well with chemotherapy and radiation. It's very effective treatment," said Dr. Mark Welton, a colorectal surgeon with the Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center who treats patients with anal dysplasia. "But if you're given a choice between treating it and preventing it, I'd certainly choose the latter."

ΟΙ ΟΜΟΦΥΛΟΦΙΛΟΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΟΥΚΡΑΝΙΑ

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Report on the Situation of Homosexuals in Ukraine in 2006
Nash Mir (Our World) Gay and Lesbian Centre (www.gay.org.ua)
I. Introduction
Our public organization has followed the situation of homosexual people in Ukraine for a number of years now. We collect information about society's attitudes towards gays and lesbians, keep track of related issues in the media, monitor observance of homosexual rights, and watch the position of the country's authorities in regards to this issue. Nash Mir has already conducted specialized research and made several reports about these various topics in the past.
Now we have decided to make annual reports based on collected information. They will be circulated to Ukrainian and international organizations that deal with human rights. The information reflected in this document can be used in other reports concerning human rights in Ukraine.
II. Society
In December 2006, the Kiev International Institute of Sociology conducted a poll on how societal attitudes towards gays have been changing for the last 15 years. Their findings showed that although the level of homophobia had slightly fallen from 34.9 % in 1991 to 28.5 % in 2006, the number of Ukrainian citizens who experience fear and unreasoned hatred against homosexuals is still too big (diagram 1). The number of Ukrainians who see gays as normal has nearly not changed at all (33.7 % in 1991 to 33.3 % in 2006). On the other hand, the number of those who neither agree nor disagree that gays should have equal rights has doubled (8.9 % in 1991 to 16.3 % in 2006). Based on these data, it’s possible to draw the conclusion that Ukrainian society is becoming, although fairly slowly, more tolerant towards homosexuals.
In 2006, the so-called public initiative "Love Against Homosexuality" continued their appearances. Specifically, on September 9, these groups organized a street protest in the center of Kiev in which 50 people – neo-Protestants, Orthodox, and Catholic church-goers – took part. Later, organizers of the movement appealed to Ukrainian political parties to express their own attitude towards homosexuals and urged them to condemn this phenomenon.
III. The Churches
C) In November 2006 the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations published an open letter about same-sex unions (registered partnership). In particular, it was stated that: "The All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations representing the main Christian, Jewish and Muslim confessions of Ukraine, propose that the Supreme Council of Ukraine clearly and unequivocally fix in the laws of our state that a family can only be established by a man and a woman.
Family, as a union of man and woman, is set by God.
<...> The experience of countries which register same-sex marriages or partnerships shows that the process of liberalising public morals by the state ends in abyss. Where prostitution and drug addiction, same-sex marriages and euthanasia are legalized, there is already a question about the legalization of paedophilia. At the same time such states suffer most from a demographic crisis and spiritual degradation. Already in the near future, extinction threatens the native population of these countries. We do not want Ukraine to go this way."
IV. Media
In 2006, the national media repeatedly covered topics related to homosexuals. We gathered not less than fifty instances in print and television news where issues related to Ukrainian gays and lesbians were mentioned. These articles were in the newspapers Sevodnya, Commersant-Ukraine, Facti, Kiev Post, and Ekonomicheskiye ezvestia; broadcast in reports and talk-shows in the national television channels 1+1, NTN, 1st national channel, STB, Hovi kanal, 5 channel; and published on the Internet on the websites, Korrespondent and Obozrevatel, as well as several others. The amount of informational material, TV news reports, and films from abroad was considerably higher.
Some of the events that attracted the interest of Ukrainian journalists were these: an attempt to hold a gay pride parade in Moscow in May, an open letter from Ukrainian organizations of lesbians and gays to government authorities, officials' answers to this letter, campaigns and addresses related to the "Love Against Homosexuality" movement, and statements from priests about related problems. One of the principal topics which interested the media was same-sex marriages.
As a whole, journalists of print and TV mass-media presented information objectively and allowed all sides to present their opinion. Publications on the Internet more often only reflected one side or the other depending on the opinion of its owners.
IV. Authorities
In the summer of 2006, Ukrainian public and charitable organizations for gays and lesbians sent an open letterto the President of the country and to other top authorities. In the letter we described the problems that homosexuals face in Ukraine, and consolidated a list of questions which need to be solved on legislative levels. In particular, we made these demands:
· to introduce a legislative prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in all spheres of public life;
· to legalise civil partnership for people of homosexual orientation;
· to grant homosexual families the whole range of social and economic rights on a par with heterosexual married couples;
· to recognise as valid same-sex marriages between citizens of Ukraine or between citizens of Ukraine and foreigners, lawfully contracted in another country, as well civil partnerships, lawfully registered abroad;
· to introduce state-level programs of social support for gays and lesbians;
· to take into account the rights and needs of gays and lesbians while drafting and implementing normative and legislative acts.
Below are excerpts from the official answers that we received
Ministry of Ukraine in the Affairs of Family, Youth and Sports (on behalf of the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine):
"First of all it is necessary to establish as fact that preconceived attitudes towards gays and lesbians on the basis of their sexual orientation exist in Ukraine.
Ukraine needs to work out the state attitude towards the currently existing forms of matrimony and living together when forming and realising the family policy of the state. In particular we need to take into account the necessity of legalising same-sex marriages with regard to the adoption of international documents, in which the recognition of such marriages is bound to the possibility of joining the European community.
However, for complete and in-depth study of public opinion concerning the recognition of same sex marriages and the legalisation of civil partnerships for people of homosexual orientation in Ukraine, we consider it essential to bring this issue to public discussion".
Ministry of Justice of Ukraine:
"Regarding the legislative changes for the protection of sexual minorities, we point out that for this it is necessary to determine a clear subject of legal regulation, <...> looking for an alternative to legal ways of solving existing problems".
Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of Ukraine:
"We inform, that in the draft of the Labour Code of Ukraine it is foreseen to prohibit any discrimination in the sphere of labour, in particular <...> on the basis of <...> sexual orientation".
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine:
"Taking into account international legal norms and the necessity to bring national legislation in line with the European standards, to the requirement expounded in the letter relating to the recognition in Ukraine of same sex marriages between the citizens of Ukraine or between the citizens of Ukraine and foreigners which were justly concluded in other state, and also the justly registered abroad civil partnerships, on the whole there is no objection.
We hope that bills, which deal with the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and foresee criminal responsibility for discriminatory actions, and which are being considered by the Supreme Council of Ukraine, will be passed in the nearest future, and that they will diffuse the contention around these matters.
At the same time, it follows that according to part 1 of article 58 of the law of Ukraine: "About international private rights" from June 23, 2004, "marriages between citizens of Ukraine, marriages between citizens of Ukraine and foreigners, and marriages between citizens of Ukraine and people without citizenship, which are concluded outside the borders of Ukraine in accordance with the rights of the foreign state, are valid in Ukraine on condition that the compliances regarding the citizen of Ukraine meet the requirements of the Family Code of Ukraine concerning invalidity of marriage"
Ministry of Defence of Ukraine:
"The necessity of adopting <...> actions against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation on the whole is perceived with understanding by military personnel.
That is why one of directions of activity within the organs of military management has to be <...> preventing cases of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation".
Also in 2006, several politicians expressed their own opinions about homosexuality. Some examples follow below.
In November, 2006 the head of the Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and International Relations of the Supreme Council of Ukraine communist Mr. Leonid Grach in an interview given to the Ukrainian issue of Commersant newspaper stated that "homosexuality is an anomaly, which is caused by the amorality and the depravity of man. And, although the rights for such people are indeed necessary to be protected, society will consider them as renegades". He expressed confidence that the present Parliament will not vote for a law legalizing same-sex families and letting them adopt children. According to his opinion, in the next Parliament this question will not be raised at all, "and we (in Ukraine) will have a healthy society".
The same opinion was expressed by the MP Socialists Nikolai Danilin and Ivan Bondarchyk. In answer to the "Love Against Homosexuality" movement, Danilin wrote to them that "On the instructions of the leader of Socialist party group I took up your address to all political parties regarding the anti-societal and anti-state demands of sexual minorities. Personally, I won't support political ideas and demands of homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people. I believe that we need to protect the family and spiritual values of Ukrainian society".
Commenting on the issue of same-sex marriage in Ukraine, Tatyana Ezhova, the minister of youth, families, and gender politics of Crimea, said: "On the one hand, as a person who grew up under Soviet power, I don't approve of this. On the other hand, as a politician who lives in modern times, I understand that the issue is unavoidable. There's a saying which I support: 'if you can't stop it, then you need to lead it or legalize it'. This is what has happened in Ukraine! I believe that it should thus be accepted," she concluded.
In an interview in the paper Sevodnya, Dimitri Tabachnik, the vice-prime minister who handles humanitarian issues for the government of Viktor Yanikovitch, assessing the possibility of legalizing same-sex marriages in Ukraine stated the following: "If such a bill will appear in Ukraine, then according to the traditions of this Christian country, it will seem at the least, strange".
On December 14, 2006, this question was asked to the head of state during an Internet conference: "What do you think about the legalization of same-sex marriages in Ukraine?" President Victor Yushenko didn't give a direct answer, but he didn’t deny the existence of a problem: "Can I answer in one word? – Complicated". He added, "Though by this I would not like to give a differing opinion from that which is given by the society and law".
In conclusion, we must take note that the letters received from the Ukrainian ministers show marked progress in the official position of the state regarding sexual minorities. Authorities don't deny that there is a problem in this sphere and that it should be solved. However, there is still a huge divide between the cautious declarations represented here and real actions.
At the present time in Ukraine, there are no actual legislation acts that mention sexual orientation or gender identity.
VI. Rights of homosexuals
Throughout the year, we continued to monitor observance of rights of homosexual people in our country. We did not receive information about serious incidents.
An analysis of the documented cases of violations of rights shows that LBGT people have problems the most often in personal relationships (with family, neighbors, and strangers), at work, and in interactions with law-enforcement authorities. In diagram 2 is displayed the rights violation statistics from 2000 - 2006. Very often these types of violations occur: psychological abuse, insults, threats, blackmail, and even physical violence and sexual harassment.
Throughout the year Nash Mir received messages from gays that regional subdivisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (police) continue to keep and use 'albums' in which confidential information about local homosexuals is collected. These 'albums' contain personal facts, contact information, photos and fingerprints.
Following are some examples of these incidents from 2006.
1)
On July 23 in Nikolaev, three unknown men forced their way into the apartment of gay couple, Oleg and Andriy. The attackers threatened them with weapons, insulted and humiliated them, and beat them badly. Fortunately, they were able to escape from the apartment and made enough noise in the corridor that the neighbors called the police. When the attackers heard all the commotion, they fled the scene, successfully stealing two mobile phones. Obviously, the motive of the attack was personal property theft.
During the resulting investigation, the police came across Pavel, who is also gay. On August 30 around 11pm, the police took Pavel from his home in handcuffs and led him to the police station where he spent the night. According to his account, the policemen insulted and humiliated him there. Pavel was later proved not guilty, and only then did the authorities began to treat him better. They recorded his testimony, took his photo and fingerprints, and released him.
Although Pavel endured several difficult hours at the police station, he didn't press charges or pursue any legal action against the police. He said that in general he thinks about police actions with understanding, because "they should catch the criminal".
2)
This incident happened in one of the regional centers in Ukraine. In this city Alexander for some time has organized and led discos for gays and lesbians. Announcements about a New Year's party at the beginning of 2006 were posted on one of websites for LGBT people. Alexander's contact telephone was also listed in the announcement.
On November 2, a girl who named herself as a lesbian called him and said that she wanted to get a ticket to the party. They agreed to meet in a city park the next day. Alexander and his girlfriend, Oksana, went to the meeting where the young girl was waiting.
After talking for a minute, two men walked up to them. They identified themselves as SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) agents, showed their identification badges, and asked Alexander and Oksana to come with them to the SBU station.
At the station, Alexander and Oksana were led to two different rooms where the agents began to take down their testimony. As they were interrogating Alexander, they used psychological abuse in the form of humiliation and insulted him with foul language. During all this, they said things like "gays don’t have the right to live on Earth", and "they should be isolated and sent to Siberia". Alexander kept silent and protected himself and the LGBT community.
Afterwards, the SBU agents insisted that Alexander collaborate with them, but he refused. They told him that they would interfere with the parties and discos for homosexuals and then threatened and insulted him again. Alexander was then finally released after more than five hours.
Oksana was scared by the threats from the agents that they would spread rumors about her sexual orientation and stopped communicating with Alexander and other homosexual friends after this incident
3)
Twenty-eight year-old Evgeniy lives in a village in the Cherkasy area. A few years ago, he got married and had a baby. Not long afterwards, he separated from his wife and got custody of their baby. Evgeniy has bad vision, and his baby was blind from birth.
Evgeniy is gay and, in his own words, not masculine enough according to village norms. His countrymen always insulted and humiliated him. In the summer of 2006, five drunk men accosted him, pushed him to the ground, broke his glasses, and beat him.
Surviving, he called the police who, in his words, "came, laughed, and left", since he could not identify any of the men with his broken glasses. Evgeniy complains that because of the constant psychological abuse, he wants to kill himself. Only the thought that his young son can't survive without his father stops him.
4)
Leonid and Slava, a gay couple, have lived together in a village for 14 years in the Donetsk area. On November 18, 2006, there were on the television program, "Unbelievable Love Stories", on one of the main TV channels. On this night, an unknown person threw a stone through their window, breaking the glass and damaging the frame.
5)
Roman, 36, was found stabbed to death with a knife in the middle of August, 2006 in his apartment that he rented in Dontesk. Roman was head engineer at one of the city factories and earned a good salary. Expensive things were stolen from his apartment. During the investigation, it became known that Roman communicated with male strangers on the WAP-Internet.
Later, the police found and arrested the murderer – Stanislav, 23, a worker at the factory. According to Stanislav, he was interested in many homosexual sites on the WAP-Internet and made a plan to meet with rich gays to steal from them. Although he himself was not a sexual minority, Stanislav posted a personals ad on the Internet and received a few responses. In the resulting Internet communications with several respondents, he decided to choose Roman to be his victim because he seemed to be the most wealthy.
Roman invited Stanislav to his apartment. They drank, and then Stanislav took a knife from the kitchen and killed Roman with a few blows.
Unfortunately, homosexuals very often do not speak out about violations of their rights, because they are afraid to be open about their sexual orientation as openness can lead to homophobic reactions and even more violence against them. This is why information about discrimination and hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation often remains hidden.
VII. LGBT community
In 2006, there weren't any significant changes in the Ukrainian LGBT community. The community, however, is more noticeable in the big cities, especially in the capital, where there are more freedoms and possibilities. To enjoy these qualities of lifestyle is why so many gays and lesbians want to move to Kiev from the provinces.
In several big cities there are some entertainment establishments for homosexuals. Most famous are these clubs: "Androgin", "Pomada", and "Kiber" in Kiev; "California" in Donetsk; "Drive" in Kharkov; and "Tema" and "Chernomorez" in Odessa. In a few cities activists through their own initiatives have led "themed" parties.
People are using the Internet more often as their main source for information, acquaintanceships, and communications regarding LGBT issues. There are two specialized publications for them – the newspaper Gay.Ua, and the magazine, Odyn z Nas.
Currently in Ukraine there exist a small number of public and charitable organizations for gays and lesbians, as well as HIV-service organizations which deal with these target groups. Their main sources of funding are from foreign donors, and most of the projects focus on HIV prevention and solving other concomitant problems.
We think that homosexuals are one of the most marginalized, secretive, and misunderstood groups of people in Ukrainian society.
The number of homosexual people in Ukraine by our estimations is more then one million persons. According to official estimations by UNAIDS done in 2005, the number of men having sex with men in our country totals from 177 to 430 thousand people.
VIII. Other issues
In this section, we bring to light questions which do not have direct connection to this report, but still are important for certain parts of our target group.
Since the spring of 2003, Nash Mir has published the newspaper Gay.Ua. In this publication is information, entertainment, and erotic material for gays and lesbians. The newspaper is sent to subscribers by mail in opaque envelopes. Our readers' opinions make it obligatory for this specialized outlet to have homoerotic stories and illustrations.
At the end of 2003 in Ukraine, a law was passed titled "Protection of Public Morality". In the spring of 2006, according to this law the National Expert Commission of Ukraine on Protection of Public Morality started its work.
According to the law, this commission conducted an investigation of Gay.Ua newspaper. In its conclusion the Expert Commission stated that some material in the publication was of a pornographic nature. In particular, it was stated: "The articles and pictures placed in the newspaper have a primitive subject, the unique purpose of which is to cause sexual arousal among the users of such products through the demonstration of crudely naturalistic sexual intercourse, detailed images of excited genitalia, description of oral and anal sex, masturbation, and ejaculation".
The Law of Ukraine "Protection of Public Morality" determines pornography as "vulgarly naturalistic, cynical, obscene fixing of sexual intercourse, as an end in itself, special demonstration of genitalia, anti-ethical scenes of sexual intercourse, sexual perversions, drawings from nature, which do not correspond to moral criteria, do hurt the honour and dignity of a person, and induce base instincts".
In Article 2 it is said that the "making and circulation in any form of products of a pornographic character is forbidden in Ukraine".
In Article 11 it says that "selling and distribution of printed goods <...> of erotic nature is only allowed with the approval of the National Expert Commission of Ukraine on Protection of Public Morality <...>.
Article 21: "Violation of the norms of legislation of Ukraine according to the protection of social morals and distribution of products which contain elements of pornography, will result in civil, disciplinarian, administrative, and criminal prosecution under existing legislation".
In the Criminal Code of Ukraine is Article 301, "Imported, manufactured, and distributed pornographic subjects". Manufacturing and distributing pornographic goods provides [entails] a jail term of up to three years. For the same actions performed by a group, the jail term is 3 to 7 years.
In our opinion, the existing situation violates Nash Mir's rights and the rights of the readers of Gay.Ua to free access to information. In particular, it contradicts Article 34 of the Constitution of Ukraine which states that "Everyone has the right to freely collect, store, use and disseminate information by oral, written or other means of his or her choice". Further, this situation contradicts part 1, Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers".
This question was brought to court by Nash Mir, and is currently being considered there.