Brenda is a young lesbian who has fled Uganda last February because she was persecuted. After more than 10 months, she has obtained the status of refugee in France. She explains what happens to her in a video interview for Yagg.
«We insist on reminding others that everyone of our religious confessions intends to respect the dignity of every human being without excluding anyone. In our respective religious traditions we affirm our fundamental attachment to love, to life and to its transmission for the future of humanity.»
It is by a joint letter that Gilbert Aubry, bishop of Réunion, Houssen Amode, president of the regional Council of the mussulman cult of Réunion and Daniel Minienpoulle, president of the Federation of associations and Hindu religious and cultural Tamul groups of Réunion, have responded to the letter sent at the end of November by LGBT Réunion, SOS Homophobia and The Refuge (read: Réunion elected officials called to condemn homophobia).
«FUNDAMENTAL ATTACHMENT»
The representative of the three solicited religions have therefore united to emphasize the right to dignity of everyone (LGBT people included), while slipping in the following sentence an implicit condemnation of sexual relations between people of the same sex, putting the accent on their «fundamental attachment» to the «transmission [of life] for the future of humanity.»
The associations have also sent this letter [IMAGE], in which they demanded a simple public condemnation of homophobia, to the local responsible politicians. To this day, they have only received one response. It comes from Jacqueline Farreyrol, UMP senator of Réunion and deputy mayor of Tampon. «You have managed, I believe, to notice my stand, last June in Congress, in favor of the proposal of the law introduced by M. Patrick Bloche, putting forward the opening of marriage to couples of the same sex», wrote the elected official. «Also, faithful to my convictions, I insist on assuring you that I, of course, declare myself to be against homophobia.»
Translated by Guy Estinvil, Chicago
The original article in French, on Yagg.
The first season of the web series Unicorn Plan-It just ended. It took almost 6 months for Yagg to interview one of its creators, Haviland Stillwell (with Sarah Croce on her right and Ashley Reed on her left), but it was worth the wait!
How was Unicorn Plan-It born? I love creating, especially on set, collaborating, and raising an idea from start to finish. I thought of doing a web series, and mentioned it one day at the Abbey, at a table of women that included Ashley Reed and Sarah Croce. I also knew since the beginning of the idea for Autostraddle, Riese had always wanted a web series, so she was thrilled that we wanted to house the show there. Ashley, Sarah and I brainstormed and came up with a character driven comedy.
Why did you choose the web series format? Simply because it was the most accessible. I actually think Unicorn Plan-It will work very well as a half hour sitcom, and we can really expand on the stories and characters in that format, but our resources were limited for season one, and we all felt it was better to get started and produce the show, first as short webisodes, before actively shopping it to networks.
Why «Unicorn»? There’s this private joke among our bisexual readers/members who call themselves unicorns, because many people believe bisexuals don’t exist, just like unicorns. We chose Unicorns because we love them! I think they’re sort of the gay mascot. And regarding bisexuality, it totally exists, and anyone who believes it doesn’t is clearly living a very limited life, and not allowing their brains to expand! Harmony would council these people to release their old paradigm ways of thinking. Gallop on, Unicorns.
How do you work? Who writes what?
In terms of writing, all three of us wrote all six episodes for season one. It took us about a month and many writing sessions, and we just banged it out, as J would say. There are parts that were more heavy on one of the three of us, jokes that are very clearly one person’s humor or opinions that certain characters expressed that quite clearly came from one of the three of our brains.
It’s the end of the first season already, will there be a second one? You’ll just have to wait and see. 
We would like to, will just depend on funding and schedules. And what that means is, it depends on how much the fans of the show want more!
What have you heard from viewers? How did they receive the series? Were you surprised by some reactions (either positive or negative)? I am grateful that so many people love it! I’ve heard personally from many people, as well as on Autostraddle, facebook, etc., everything from «yay! this is hilarious!» to «the presence of this show is making it easier for me to be who I am».
If you could do it all over, what would you do differently? That is a great question. I’d like to throw it to your readers – what would you all like to see, if there is a season two? What are your thoughts and suggestions?
On Autostraddle.com, the webseries is presented as «written, directed, produced and edited by Real Lesbian Females». How important is it? Most of the projects I work on aren’t gay-themed in any way, but I felt like creating a sitcom with lesbian characters for «the mainstream» that everyone finds funny, regardless of their gender or orientation, was really key. I also feel like, as an artistic professional in the entertainment industry, I want to be a consistent example of how being open leads to the most happiness and success. I am blessed to have examples all around me, and it’s our job to keep paying it forward.
You received a Power Up award as one of the «10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz», you, along with Sarah Croce and Ashley Reed, were named «entrepreneurs of the Year» by Go Mag. You’re ending 2011 really well. What do you expect in 2012? Lots of mindblowingly fun work, kick ass good times, and a total raising of consciousness on a global level! I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to create every day, to work with amazing collaborators, and to constantly be challenged. It truly is just the beginning. Stay tuned!
Watch Unicorn Plan-It on Yagg TV.
Unicorn Plan-It on Facebook and Twitter
Haviland Stillwell on Facebook
Want a Unicorn Plan-It t-shirt? Go to Autostraddle’s store!
Photos WingSpan Pictures
Riad Chaibi, member of the political board of Ennahda, the Islamic political party which is ahead in the Tunisian elections, assured the press Agency Efe that his party would not penalize atheism or homosexuality if they have a right to control the government (read the ABC site [es]). «They have a right to exist», he says, before adding in speaking more precisely of gays and lesbians, «it’s a matter of dignity, since society despises them». The political leader explains that his model is rather more like the Islamist moderates of Turkey and Malaysia than those of Iran or Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality may get the death penalty.
According to Ilga, homosexuality is not legal in Tunisia and article 230 of the penal code stipulates that sodomy may be punishable by up to three years of imprisonment. Riad Chaibi does not say whether his party will ever reconsider such a law if they control the government.
Many thanks to Guy Estinvil (gestinvil@yahoo.com) for his translation.
The original article in French, on Yagg.
A few weeks ago, a peaceful Pride demonstration in Split, Croatia, was brutally attacked by thousands of hooligans, wounding over a dozen people. The counter-demonstrators by far outnumbered the police officers and Pride participants. The police did not fully succeed in protecting the demonstrators, who simply wanted to raise awareness about the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons. These events unfolded after weeks of hate speech, threats, graffiti, flyers and social media inciting to hatred.
This is not the first time a manifestation against homophobia and transphobia has suffered assaults and threats from extremists.
In 2010 in Belgrade, Serbia, the police made heroic efforts to protect the first ever Belgrade Pride, but around 150 persons were injured during the confrontations, most of them police officers. Again, the counter-demonstrators outnumbered by far those marching in favour of LGBT rights.
In Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2010, the authorities had to mobilise a large police contingent to shield the Baltic Pride March from violent attackers.
There is a growing awareness among local authorities that peaceful Pride events must be allowed and protected; LGBT persons have the same rights as others to freedom of assembly and expression. This acknowledgement is of course positive.
The continued need for massive police protection however is very negative. It is high time for European politicians to seriously tackle the phenomena of homophobia and transphobia and their root causes. The first step is to recognise that the problem is serious and that systematic action is needed to promote awareness on all levels in society. Then there is an urgent need to counter all tendencies of discrimination against this group of people – also in official human rights and equality policies.
In the past five years I have monitored the implementation of human rights for LGBT persons in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. The result was recently published in a report: Discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity in Europe.
The report lists a number of obstacles to the full enjoyment of their universal human rights. It shows, for example, that homophobic and transphobic harassment in the workplace and bullying of LGBT persons in schools is common in practically all member states. The official registration of LGBT organisations was obstructed or refused in five countries in Europe, and attempts to criminalise «propaganda or promotion of homosexuality» were identified in three member states.
There has been little response to national studies and reports which flag that a disproportionate number of young LGBT persons see no other way out than committing suicide due to the non acceptance of their sexual orientation or gender identity by their peers and families. Very few countries recognise homophobic or transphobic violence in their hate crime legislation.
Transgender persons face particularly severe human rights problems in almost all areas of life. If they want their preferred gender to be legally recognised, in 29 member states they face a legal requirement to undergo gender reassignment surgery, leading to infertility. Some 15 member states even require the transgender person to be unmarried in order to obtain recognition, which entails mandatory divorce if the person is already married.
Too often politicians and policy makers ignore the human rights of LGBT persons when designing policies or drafting legislation. There are disturbing examples of debates in national parliaments which are characterised by a high level of prejudice, bias and outdated information, including claims that homosexuality is an illness.
Governments need to pursue legislative reforms and social change to enable LGBT persons to fully enjoy universally recognised human rights. National and international monitoring, including by Equality Bodies and Ombudsman Offices, is needed to measure progress.
Change is only possible if European countries show more genuine political will to address this problem with much more determination than has so far been demonstrated.
Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
The Yagg team is happy to announce that from now on, From Paris with Yagg will publish eurOut Magazine every month. So here’s the April edition, filled with all kinds of articles and columns about European lesbian entertainment, lifestyle and politics. Click on the image below to view the magazine in full screen mode.
eurOut.org is the largest website for European lesbian entertainment, human interest and political news in the English language.
It’s one of the trials whose results are the most anticipated; however they do not come up to the desired expectations. iPrEx is the first trial of the treatment of AIDS prevention in men and transgenders (male to female) who have sex with other men.
A 44% DROP IN THE RISK OF INFECTION
The 2499 participants (in six different countries) included in iPrEx have received every day during the time of the trial either a placebo or Truvada, an antiretroviral drug, already on the market. During the time of the trial, 36 patients in the Truvada group have become seropositive as opposed to 64 in the placebo group. This suggests a 44% drop in the occurrence of HIV due to the use of the drug, a product of the Gilead laboratory. The authors, who publish the first results of the trial in the November 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, stressed that this drop is very significant but not as high as what was expected during the preparation of the trial. Our sources tell us that the investigators counted on the drop being nearer 55 to 60%.
BAD ADHERENCE TO TREATMENT
A remarkable fact is that even if the patients said that they were using Truvada every day, the exposure to the drug was lower as far as the biological measures were concerned. It’s in part this bad adherence to the treatment that might explain such a low result of protection compared to the expectations. The treatment has been more often rediscovered in the seronegative patients than in the seropositive in the Truvada group. There is, therefore, the authors of the article of NEJM tell us, a very strong correlation between the detectability of the drug and the prophylactic effect. In its press release, made public this Tuesday morning, the National Agency of Research on AIDS (NARA) explains: «When the drug is detectable in the blood, risk reduction is at 92%, suggesting the fundamental role of adherence to the treatment.» However, they don’t know yet why the participants weren’t taking their medication.
AIDES IS PLEASED BUT IS CAREFUL AT THE SAME TIME
If the AIDES Association has quickly reacted by congratulating itself on these results, it is very careful, saying: «Although this result is a hopeful sign of good news, we are far from getting rid of Prep in real life.» Furthermore, this strategy, although interesting, has some drawbacks: «the constraint of a continuing treatment for people who are seronegative poses some problems of acceptance, tolerance in the long run, and cost.» And for them to add this warning: «In the meantime, AIDES appeals to the greatest caution concerning the wild use of ARV [antiretroviral, ndlr] by people who are seronegative in an effort to protect themselves against HIV.»
A FRENCH TRIAL IN PREPARATION
These results are going to be analyzed with a magnifying glass by the French teams who are working on a trial of AIDS prophylaxis through the use of antiretrovirals, a trial that we have already mentioned on Yagg in a chat with Hugues Fischer of Act Up–Paris and Francois Berdougo of the TRT-5. The pilot study, an effort of Pr Jean-Michel Molina and paid for by the National Agency of Research on AIDS (NARA), proposes a different plan from that of iPrEx: instead of taking a dose of the drug continuously, the participants in the Franco-Quebecois trial would take it two hours at the latest before the sexual exposure at risk and would take another dose 24 hours after the first dose. If the exposure is prolonged, the participant would continue to take the dose every twenty-four hours. This trial is very expensive, costing several million euros. NARA is now reflecting on a better plan to launch an experimental phase of its own trial: «which will come out no doubt in the course of the first semester of 2011», according to Jean-Francois Delfraissy, its director.
[Update, 14h10] The inter-associative group TRT-5 is participating in the detailed and elaborate work of the study in the planning stage and explains that in view of the results of the iPrEx trial, «TRT-5 will continue its work […] so as particularly to watch over the interests and rights of future participants.»
[Update, 16h58] Act Up-Paris has reacted in turn to the publication of the results of this trial,saying: «It’s a very encouraging result for the researchers. It simply shows the significance of this technique of biomedical prevention.» The association, however, reminds everyone that «the use of condoms, simple, less expensive, and available, remains the only sure way to protect against HIV.»
Translated by Guy Estinvil:
Guy Estinvil was born on the beautiful island of Haiti. He is the author of In love with a Straight Man: A Collection of Gay Short Stories.
Mr. Estinvil attended college in the United States and has three Masters of Arts degrees—one in Philosophy, another one in Education, and a third in French Literature. He also held a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Literature.
Mr. Estinvil came to the United States at a very early age and has resided here ever since. He has worked with the Chicago Board of Education as a teacher and is currently on sabbatical leave while honing his writing skills and working diligently on his novels.
The original article in French, on Yagg: VIH: Résultats mitigés pour le premier essai de traitement pré-exposition chez les gays
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Gaby Charing et Clare Dimyon
On October 29th, Clare Dimyon, a lesbian activist from Brighton, was presented with an MBE at Buckingham Palace for “services to promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Central and Eastern Europe”. She went to the ceremony with three lesbians of three generations, from Britain, Poland and Hungary. One of them was Gaby Charing. For Yagg, she describes that day, what it meant to her and what it will mean for the future.
“THE DAY CLARE DIMYON WAS DECORATED BY THE PRINCE OF WALES”, BY GABY CHARING
I am a lesbian, I am 66 years old, and I never thought I would hear the word ‘lesbian’ used, approvingly, by our most senior courtier, on an occasion of high ceremonial in Buckingham Palace. But that is what happened last Friday when my very dear friend, Clare Dimyon, was “decorated” by the Prince of Wales with an honour awarded to her “for services to promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Central and Eastern Europe”. And no one fainted, no one had a heart attack – not even the Lord Chamberlain himself, whose task it was to read out the citation.
A long journey has led us to this point. You know the big story – Stonewall, Gay Liberation, and the rest – but our private journey begins early on Friday morning, in a taxi (a proper London black cab, no expense spared) which conveys us from my house in suburbia to the grandest address in London. “Cabbie! Take us to Buckingham Palace, south entrance”. There are four of us: Clare herself, and three generations and nationalities of lesbians to accompany her: British, Polish and Hungarian (Agnès, a 24-year-old student from Budapest). All of us are in our very best clothes. I am in the coat I wore for my civil partnership ceremony in December 2005.
At the Palace, we are whisked through the gate, past the clusters of gawping tourists, and are shown where to go by smiling, friendly English bobbies. I spot some Scots guards – they are changing the guard especially for us! Once through the security check, we enter the building itself. In truth, Buck House (as we Londoners like to call it) is not a great piece of architecture, and the lavatories (our first port of call, naturally) are grand but utterly antiquated: is this the sort of thing the Queen uses every day?
But goodness, the Royals know how to put on a show! We proceed up a magnificent staircase, past a guard of honour from the UK’s smartest cavalry regiment, sabres raised in salute. Clare is led away to be briefed on the etiquette of meeting royalty (on this occasion, Prince Charles). The rest of us mill about, talking awkwardly (“What are you here for? Ooh, a knighthood? How posh!). Then something magical starts to happen: the awkwardness begins to be forgotten. That young man in the dress uniform of the Royal Marines: what is he here for, I ask his mother? A medal for conspicuous gallantry in Afghanistan. Suddenly we are serious. I tell her about Clare. She is enthusiastic!
The ceremony is held in the Ballroom, used for state banquets. I admire the magnificent coffered ceiling. The men in military uniform (they are all men) showing us to our seats are senior members of the royal household – the grandest ushers ever seen! A military band plays in the gallery. The brass and woodwind are excellent, but the strings are not so good. You don’t go into battle to the sound of violins.
Then Prince Charles enters with his entourage, and we stand for the National Anthem. The honours are given out in strict precedence; I amuse myself working out the rules. Many are for very ordinary people, who are being recognised for doing simple things in an exceptional way: people’s honours. Everyone is grinning with pride. The joy is infectious.
Then it is Clare’s turn. She looks wonderful, but she also looks terrified. I don’t think she is scared of meeting the Prince; she is overwhelmed by the enormous symbolism of the occasion. In 1999 Angela Mason of Stonewall received an honour “for services to homosexual rights”. But today there will be no such polite language. The Lord Chamberlain, the 4th Earl Peel, clears his throat and speaks the momentous words: “for services to promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Central and Eastern Europe”. And no one titters, no one even shifts awkwardly in their seat. They have seen the wording in the programme; they are prepared; and they acquit themselves magnificently – as does Clare. She has her few words with the Prince, then takes a seat a few rows behind me. She looks pensive. It is taking time to sink in.
Outside, it’s photos, photos, photos (none were allowed inside). We mingle, and everyone is friendly. I joke about being a lesbian with a man I have never met before and shall never see again. And then we meet the brave young marine, and I take a photograph of him and Clare with their arms round each other. I am in tears. We are normal people, just like everyone else in that courtyard. Truly, the world has changed.
Agnès, the young woman from Hungary, is grinning from ear to ear. She understands she has seen something momentous. She is still not entirely sure she would have chosen to be a lesbian; but by the time she boards her plane on Monday, to return to Budapest, she looks happier in her skin. The future belongs to your generation, Agnès: what will you do with it?
Photo PRIDE Solidarity
Galerie Chappe in Paris opens a new exhibit today called “Lady Gaga à gogo”, the first of its kind in the world. What are the links between the singer and the art scene? How does she inspire them, and is inspired by them in return? The expo showcases pieces representing Lady Gaga, some that echo her persona, and an impressive collection of dresses worn by the star.
The event was scheduled the week of Gaga’s concerts in Paris, that is before they were canceled because of massive strikes in France regarding pension reform.
97 year-old Rudolf Brazda is probably the last surviving man to have been deported by the Nazis for being a homosexual. In a video interview for Yagg he remembers his years as a prisoner at the Buchenwald concentration camp. He had previously given his precise and moving testimony to Jean-Luc Schwab, of the French organization Les “Oublié(e)s” de la Mémoire (Forgotten from Memory), who turned it into a fascinating book: Itinéraire d’un Triangle rose (Itinerary of a Pink triangle).
The son of Czechoslovakian immigrants in Germany, Rudolf Brazda was 20 when Hitler rose to power. He had lived his homosexuality freely and openly until the law penalizing homosexuality, the notorious “Paragraph 175″, was toughened by the Nazi regime. On August 8, 1942, after having gone to prison twice, he was sent to the concentration camp of Buchenwald, where he was given the number 7952, and a pink triangle.
Even though Buchenwald wasn’t an extermination camp, an estimated 56.000 prisoners (out of the 238.000 who were incarcerated) died in the camp, either because they were executed or from exhaustion or illness.
Some 650 Pink Triangles were deported to Buchenwald. One of them is still alive, and this is his story.
If you can’t see the video above, click on Rudolf Brazda, last of the Pink Triangles, tells his story
Thanks to Jean-Luc Schwab and Pedro Garcia for the translation.
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