Raül Romeva i Rueda

En el marc de la commemoració, demà 17 de maig, del Dia Internacional contra l’Homofòbia (de fet es commemora el dia que l’OMS, l’any 1990, va eliminar l’homosexualitat de la llista d’enfermetats mentals) he tingut ocasió de parlar-ne avui a la UAB, conjuntament amb el professor de Política Europea i vell amic, Francesc Serra, en un acte organitzat per l’Ambit de Llibertats Sexuals d’ICV i per Joves d’Esquerra Verda. El guió de la xerrada, el qual adjunto més avall, és el que habitualment faig servir en aquesta mena de xerrades arreu de la UE (i de vegades fora). (segueix…)

The Fight Against Homphobia from the European Parliament: International Day Against Homophobia

Raül Romeva, ViceChair of the LGBT Rights Intergroup

Since
its inception, the European Union has been a strong supporter of human
rights. Having been founded upon the ashes of the Second World War, we
know all too well the risks and dangers that come from the denial of
the fundamental rights of individuals and minorities.

On
this significant Day – The International Day Against Homophobia I wish
to express my solidarity with Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender
persons worldwide who are still too often deprived their rights solely
on the ground of their sexual orientation.

I
wish to bring up some points which clearly show that homophobia is
still a horrible phenomenon harming too many citizens in Europe and
beyond.

1.
There are still 7 countries in the world where homosexual or bisexual
people are sentenced to death by the state. In Saudi-Arabia, Iran,
United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Mauritania, Nigeria and Sudan consensual
sexual acts between adults of the same sex is sentenced to the death.
In these countries LGBT people are deprived their fundamental right to
live just for the reason of love and affection towards persons of the
same sex.

2. But we do not have to look so far behind the boarders of Europe to find how homophobia harms.

The
Pride and Equality Marches are peaceful demonstrations that invoke the
core principles of a Europe that is tolerant and appreciative of its
diversity.

It
is sad to realise that still in some European countries these marches
are not organised as a celebration of love and happiness. In these
countries Pride marches are a call by local LGBT people to recognize
their human rights. And it is even sadder that often in the same Member
States LGBT people are met with big reluctance by governments and local
authorities even to get permission organising these demonstrations.

European
Court of Human Rights and other European Institutions have always
firmly confirmed rights of LGBT people to peaceful assembly, but it is
shame that the governments and local authorities in countries like
Latvia, Poland or Moldova do not want to respect these rights from the
very beginning.

3.
Infringed freedom of movement of LGBT persons within the European Union
is another burning issue. We all want increased mobility of workers
within the European Market. At the same time very few member states are
recognising same-sex partnerships of other countries. How likely is
that a same-sex couple will move to a country for work if their
relationship is not recognised in that country? This is a grave
infringement in LGBT peoples´ right of movement within the EU. This is
an infringement to influence around 50 million Europeans.

4.
And lastly I would like to touch upon an issue of anti-discrimination
legislation. It is important that LGBT people are protected against
discrimination, because that is a fact that discrimination on grounds
of sexual orientation is widespread.

It
is also a fact that most of the European countries have some kind of
legislation protecting LGBT people against discrimination. But level of
protection varies considerably from country to country.

This
makes it hard for European citizens to know what the level of
protection is when they move within the European Union. This also makes
it complicated for Equality Bodies to tackle discrimination cases,
since people can be discriminated on different grounds in the same
situations, but not all grounds are protected equally. It is also not
easy for companies to do businesses in several Member States, when the
rules to be complied with differ so widely.

There
is an urgent need for comprehensive anti-discrimination Directive
protecting European citizens against all kinds of discrimination. And
the European Commission has tools for that. Article 13 of the Amsterdam
Treaty states that the European Commission can take measures to combat
discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. The European
Parliament has called upon the Commission to deliver such a directive 6
times in past 4 years. Now it is up to political courage of the
Commission and President Jose Manuel Barroso to act accordingly.

Font foto: Desconeguda