LGBTIQ*

On November 7, 2013, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided that homosexual asylum seekers be granted asylum in EU Member States. An important judgment that is, however, a drop in the ocean in the light of the EU’s policy of closure with regard to asylum and refugee policy.

Being queer is still a stigma in Kenya and leads to social invisibility. With his Book "Invisible" the Kenyan author Kevin Mwachiro challenges the myths about alternative ways of love and living.

What is the situation with regard to the rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, trans* and inter* (LGBTI) worldwide? The Director of the German Institute for Human Rights, Prof. Dr. Beate Rudolf in an interview with Caroline Ausserer.

2012 was a special year in terms of publicity of LGBTI community and LGBTI movement in all three South Caucasian countries. Several important steps have been made towards raising acute issues about sexual identity, differences/diversity and social constructs in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

This annual award was created to honor individuals who identify critical and unseen aspects of current political events and who are not afraid to enter the public realm by presenting their opinion in controversial political discussions.It is funded by both the state government and the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Bremen and awarded by an international jury. 

In May 2012, when the Euro Vision Song Contest took place in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital presented itself as open and liberal. But there is also a second reality: The Azerbaijani society is deeply conservative. In many families it is still a shame when sons or daughters come out as homosexual. Some of them are faced with violence from their own families.

The topic of sexual orientation is still a taboo in the Armenian society. Anyone who differs from the traditional beliefs must deal with social ostracism and violence. The gay singer Armine Oganezova, also known as Tsomak, fled from Armenia this summer, because she had to be afraid for her life.

On June 19 the St.Petersburg based LGTB organization "Coming Out" was found guilty before court of operating as a "foreign agent". Olga Lenkova, head of communications for Coming Out, talks about the consequences of the verdict and the strong social and legal oppression that the Russian LGTB community is subjected to today.  

In spite of formal efforts, people of the LGTB population are still subjects to discrimination and are not being treated equally in Serbia. The analysis of media contents shows periodically repeated incidence of homophobic, patriarchal patterns. Media actors have to become aware of their responsibility, and of the impact of public words on the society.