| Rainbow Cities newsletter |
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| 8th edition Rainbow Cities newsletter |
The City of Amsterdam, together with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, has taken the initiative to issue this quarterly newsletter. The focus is on initiatives, backgrounds and developments with regard to LGBT policy issues at local or regional level. This newsletter is mainly aimed at policy makers and NGO’s operating on the local level. The newsletter originates from the Rainbow Cities Network, of which more information can be found here.
The editor of this newsletter is Juul van Hoof, coordinator of the Rainbow Cities Network. |
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| Contents |
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New report: ‘Professionally speaking: challenges to achieving equality for LGBT people’ |
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Berlin: reception and integration of LGBTI refugees |
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Zurich celebrated International Family Equality Day (IFED) on April 30th |
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Research results on LBT domestic and dating violence |
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| New report: ‘Professionally speaking: challenges to achieving equality for LGBT people’ |
| The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) recently published the report ‘Professionally speaking: challenges to achieving equality for LGBT people’. This report examines the drivers and barriers encountered by public officials and other professionals in education, healthcare and law enforcement, who are entrusted with the duty to ensure that everyone’s fundamental rights are protected and promoted. Drawing on extensive interviews with public officials, teachers, doctors, nurses and law enforcement officers in 19 EU Member States, it analyses their views and experiences, identifying persisting hurdles – such as perceptions of homosexuality as a pathological condition – and encouraging trends – including considerable commitment to improve the situation. In this way, this report provides new evidence on an under-researched topic, namely the efforts of public officials and other professionals in education, healthcare and law enforcement to fulfil the rights of LGBT people. |
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| Berlin: reception and integration of LGBTI refugees |
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| The Land of Berlin has developed a 7 point plan and is implementing different activities for the reception, safety and integration of LGBTI refugees. In the summer of 2015 Berlin recognized LGBTI refugees as a special vulnerable group. Since then, a training plan has been set up aiming at training all management staff and social workers in refugee centers. Furthermore, with additional funding a good infrastructure of specialized counselling centers for LGBTI refugees has been reinforced and in February 2016 a unique LGBTI refugee shelter with 122 places available has been opened. The LGBTI refugee shelter is run by Schwulenberatung Berlin. You will soon find more information on the website of the Berlin Senate Department for Labor, Integration and Women’s Issues – Berlin State Office for Equal Treatment and against Discrimination (LADS). |
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| Zurich celebrated International Family Equality Day (IFED) on April 30th |
| IFED 2016 was celebrated worldwide on or around 1 May, also in the Swiss city of Zurich. The event sent a message to the politicians and the general public about the need for equal treatment and recognition for all families, regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identity of their family's members. The celebration in Zurich contained a panel discussion, a rich program of entertainment for children and adults as well as the direct skype meeting with St. Petersburg and Moscow where the IFED was celebrated at the same time. More information on IFED, their activities and the celebrations worldwide can be found on their website. |
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| Research results on LBT domestic and dating violence |
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Broken Rainbow UK has partnered with domestic violence and abuse organisations from Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Portugal, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Belgium for a cross-national research project: Bleeding Love. The research was aimed at raising awareness of domestic and dating violence against lesbians, bisexual and trans women in the European Union.
The research results contribute to raising awareness among women survivors as well as court practitioners, law enforcement agencies, health and social work agencies and civil society. It draws a distinction between experiences of domestic violence of ciswomen and transwomen, and between domestic and dating violence and demonstrates suggestions for changes in policy and practice on national levels.
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| "Finding the right words" : City of Geneva annual campaign against homophobia and transphobia |
| The terms used to designate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) are too often pejorative. The 2016 annual campaign against homophobia and transphobia of the City of Geneva highlights words that describe LGBT people without stigmatizing them, in the six languages most commonly spoken in Geneva: French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Albanian and Arabic. Sensitization actions will take place from 9th to 26th of May in the streets, at the University of Geneva and in several organizations, also those working with migrants. Read more on www.ville-geneve.ch/17mai. |
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| ILGA Europe launches a new toolkit on the Human Rights of Intersexpeople |
| This toolkit explains the major challenges intersex people face in different areas of life, it sets out intersex people’s demands and it provides information about current political developments. The toolkit is available via ILGA Europe’s website. |
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| Scouts organisation presents ‘box of methods’ on LGBTI issues in Vienna |
| Last March, a ‘Box of Methods’ to promote the discussion about LGBTI issues within the „Scouts Organisation“ was presented in Vienna City Hall. It is the first time the ‘Scouts’, one of the biggest youth organisations in Austria, include LGBTI in their work. The methods were developed by the activists of ‘Rainbow Scouting Austria’ and the project was mainly financed by the Viennese Anti-Discrimination Unit for lesbian, gay and transgender issues. |
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First LGBTI organisation joins the “Berlin Care-Committee”
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| The “Berlin Care-Committee” has appointed the Schwulenberatung Berlin as its first LGBTI advisory member. The interests of elder LGBTI people in the context of care will be well represented in this committee. The “Berlin Care-Committee” is made up of representatives of associations working in the area of support for the elderly, care homes and health insurance and is convened by the public administration. This action was one of the objectives of the Berlin action plan against homo- and transphobia (Initiative “Berlin supports self-determination and the acceptance of sexual diversity”). |
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