Posts tagged gays
Equality. Everywhere.
Joe Hockey, Australia’s shadow Treasurer, said that he believed that all Australians are equal but the best thing for all children is to be raised by a mother and a father. Penny Wong, on the same panel, had this to say in response…
Share it around - today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)!
(Source: allout.org)
What if this were your son?
30 in Iraq are “marked for death” because of who they are and who they love.
Will you consider making a small contribution to help dozens of gay Iraqis get to safe houses and start a new life where they can live openly?
Dear friend,
Yousif* is one of 30 Iraqis currently marked for death because he’s perceived to be gay. He just had his skull smashed with a pipe, but he’s one of the lucky ones; he survived. Yousif and the others must now leave their homes and families in order to escape certain death.
Our partners at the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) want to put an experienced team on the ground to quickly smuggle Yousif to safety. They need $65,000 USD this week to do it, but governments and foundations are moving too slow. That’s where we come in. If you and other All Out members chip in, we can charter transport vans and open up safe houses to protect Yousif and the others THIS WEEK.
IRAP is ready to move. If we pull together right now, we will make sure Yousif and the 30 others get to a safe place and have a chance at a new life. Will you chip in a small amount - whatever you can - to support this life saving mission? We will get your contribution directly to those at risk, then report back in a few days to keep you updated:
www.allout.org/operation_relocation
All Out does not usually ask for money. But this situation was so serious, we knew we had to find a way to help. Here are the testimonials that convinced us to share this unique and heartbreaking story with you. It was just impossible to look away:
Naseer* is being blackmailed for his sexual orientation in the wake of having been assaulted and raped by the Iraqi police in Baghdad. Naseer’s blackmailer has threatened to send a picture of Naseer with another man to Naseer’s family and friends - causing Naseer to fear that he wil be killed either by his family or milita groups. Naseer needs to leave Baghdad immediately. Will you help IRAP support Naseer’s relocation to a safe house on the road to permanent resettlement?
Rasul* lives in Dora, a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad that is only slightly safer than other neighborhoods in the city. Rasul lives at his boyfriend’s house, which he is too scared to leave because of the violent threats against gay men in Iraq - and his brothers’ threats to kill him for being gay. Rasul says he can’t live in Iraq because it isn’t safe for him. He is gay, his brothers know it, and they are threatening to kill him if they find him. Will you help IRAP support Rasul’s relocation to a safe house on the road to permanent resettlement?
www.allout.org/operation_relocation
We started All Out last year to ensure that everyone can live openly without sacrificing their safety or dignity. We know we can’t save every person at risk in Iraq, but right now we know how we can help and your support is critical. If we deliver Yousif, Naseer, Rasul and others to a safe place, we can save their lives and move the international community to take broader action. They will finally have a chance to tell the story of what’s happening to gays, lesbians and others who are labeled as “different” inside Iraq.
Right now Yousif*, the man who narrowly escaped death in an anti-gay attack, tells us that staying in Iraq is a death sentence. If the All Out community can raise $65,000 USD in the next few hours, our partners at IRAP can swiftly relocate him and dozens of other gay and lesbian Iraqis. But only if we act now:
www.allout.org/operation_relocation
All Out,
Alberto, Andre, Erika, Flavia, Guillaume, Jasmin, Jeremy, Joseph, Oli, Tile, Wesley
P.S. The names we’ve used in this email are fake, to protect people’s lives, but the stories are real.
SOURCES:
Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)
www.refugeerights.org
Threats and Killings Striking Fear Among Young Iraqis, Including Gays
www.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/world/middleeast/killings-strike-fear-in-iraqi-gay-and-emo-youth.html
Iraq: Investigate ‘Emo’ Attacks
www.hrw.org/news/2012/03/16/iraq-investigate-emo-attacks
Ahmed, Gay Iraqi Man, Describes Escaping Death Sentence, Prison Rape In Emotional Video
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/gay-iraqi-man-death-sentence-prison-rape-_n_1417936.html
“Kill lists” for “looking gay” in Iraq?
www.allout.org/en/actions/stopthekillings
Little Monsters, here’s a post just for you! Ask Mother Monster to #StandWithSergey, a straight man arrested for “gay propaganda” in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The fine for defying Russia’s anti-gay censorship law? Up to 500,000 rubles. His integrity? Priceless.
Stand with Sergey, and all other Russians defying the draconian “homosexual propaganda” law.
Sign now and share: http://www.allout.org/standwithsergey
Stand for someone who stands for something. Let’s get Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller on Time’s Top 100. Vote now and share:
http://www.allout.org/thetimehascome.
On March 7, 2012, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon delivered a historic speech asking countries around the world to decriminalize same sex relationships, and end discrimination of LGBT people. The response at the UN? A handful of delegates stormed out of the meeting in protest. Watch this remixed version of Ban Ki-moon’s speech, and let us know what you think is so controversial about it.
Action Alert! Don’t let the homophobes drown out our voices:
We didn’t want you to see this but…
Since we launched this video to protest Russia’s new gay censorship law 4 days ago, thousands of people have left horrendous, hateful comments like “Die all of you, faggots!” and “Fags should go in the oven”.
Thanks to you, the video is having a huge impact and going viral with over 200,000 views1, but right now a minority of violently extreme voices are drowning us out on the page. The messages are so terrible that many Russian All Out members asked that we disable the comment feature - and for one day we did - but the All Out team just made the decision to open them back up and give you a chance to change the conversation.
It will take 30 seconds to log into YouTube (you can do it with your Gmail account), but it will really make a difference. Journalists and Russian lawmakers who see this viral video think the supporters of hate are ruling the day. Will you help us overwhelm the page with messages of equality from all around the world and share the emotional video with your friends and family:
Alberto, Andre, Erika, Flavia, Guillaume, Jasmin, Jeremy, Joseph, Oli, Tile and Wesley
PS - The Governor of St. Petersburg has still not signed the “gay gag rule” into law. You said “don’t go there” and it’s working - keep up the pressure by watching, commenting and spreading the word.
SOURCES:
1. Russia Gazette: LGBT community demands St. Petersburg governor veto “the law on homosexuality”
www.en.gazeta.ru/news/2012/03/01/a_4018205.shtml
2. Facebook: Photos from our global Day of Action
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.377889628905236.99154.169042736456594&type=1
3. Queerty: All Out Tells St. Petersburg Governor Not To Tarnish Tchaikovsky’s Legacy With Anti-Gay Bill
www.queerty.com/watch-allout-tells-st-petersburg-governor-not-to-tarnish-tchaikovskys-legacy-with-anti-gay-bill-20120301
Another photo from the protest against forced sterilization in Stockholm, Sweden. Taken by All Out member Elinore Lindén Strand.
Amazing news! Today, EU Foreign Affairs Chief Catherine Ashton received our petition of almost 250,000 signers against homophobia in Russia — promising to raise the issue directly with Prime Minister Putin himself.
You have to see this.
Dear friend,
I’m writing with a video you just have to see and share - it could change the hearts and minds of the people in your life. It’s a simple story about love and commitment and it makes a powerful case that all couples are equal:
A few years ago I co-founded GetUp!, a movement to build a more just and compassionate Australia, that has grown to be a force for people power on many issues facing my home country. That’s why, as one of the founders of All Out, I was so proud to see this inspiring video that GetUp! produced to get Australia and the world talking about marriage equality.
The video was released on the eve of a major party Congress in Australia - where Australian politicians will decide whether to make ending marriage discrimination party policy - a critical step to treating gay men and women the same as everybody else.
The story it tells is universal, and that’s why the video has gone viral - in just a few days it has been viewed by more than 2.5 million people around the world. Check it out:
When we launched All Out earlier this year, it was with the idea that working together all over the world, we can make change happen faster - by impacting policy, but also by moving hearts and minds.
And we’ve never seen a better way to make the simple point that this video makes: gay couples are no different than straight couples. We now have a chance to push Australia to be the next country to recognize and respect this fact. That’s why this video and the moving story it tells needs to be seen by millions.
Will you take a moment to watch and share it, giving more people a chance to join the conversation? After you watch, sign our letter to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, asking her to show true leadership by working to end marriage discrimination at her party’s national conference THIS WEEK, and sending a powerful signal to the rest of the world:
All the best and All Out,
Jeremy and the rest of the team at All Out
