Newsletters

SPW Newsletter, N.3 – April, 2008


Editorial

Sexuality around the world: main debates
1. Nepal
2. Uruguay
3. Brazil
4. The voices of African religious leaders
5. Senegal
6. Morocco
7. Egypt
8. Jamaica
9. Italy

Advocacy: keep an eye out
10. The last PEPFAR Battle
11. Do not loose sight of …

Sexuality in art
12. Museo Travesti del Peru

Check it out!
13. Upcoming events
14. Scholarships
15. Job Opportunities
16. Publications
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Editorial

SPW News

Having finalized and published SexPolitics: Reports from the Frontlines, Sexuality Policy Watch is initiating a new cycle of analytical work, which will focus on the intersections of sexuality, state politics and the phenomenon insightfully portrayed by Jacques Derrida as the ‘sad return of the religious’. These critical crossroads of contemporary sexual politics will be examined in regional dialogues involving sexuality researchers, sexual rights activists, as well as other actors more directly involved with the domains of religion and political economy. The outcomes of these conversations will be translated both into quick posting web articles and regionally framed products. In early June, SPW Steering Committee and Advisory Group members will meet in Rio to review and improve these preliminary ideas, originally developed at the Lima meeting of June 2007.
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Sexuality around the world: main debates

Global and local episodes involving sexuality, politics, religion and economics are too many to be compiled a short quarterly newsletter. They are also too complex, since they unfold in ways that are full of paradoxes and contradictions. While brutal violations occur in one place, somewhere else—or even in the same place—a major human rights breakthrough is underway. National events portrayed as great achievements may have downsides that go uncontested and even unrecognized. Most principally, resistance is everywhere, even when the conditions for political expression and sexual pluralism are very limited.

Thus, in the 3rd SPW Newsletter we have opted to forgo a broad and sweeping analysis of sexuality debates (e.g., we have not included Governor Eliot Spitzer’s episode) to give more space to “inside stories”. We start with some very “good news”: the Nepalese Supreme Court’s support for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and inter-sex (LGBTI) communities  and the new Uruguayan law on civil union granting this right to same- sex couples. We then turn to a short interview with Beto de Jesus and Julian Rodrigues about the challenges that were overcome in organizing the first Brazilian GLBT National Conference. We also highlight religious leaders who have taken public stands in favor of sexual rights, in particular Bishop Desmond Tutu, who recently received the human rights award from IGLHRC.

But this same landscape has a somber side. We report on the episodes of brutality and police persecutions against LGBTI and HIV positive persons in Senegal, Morocco, Egypt and Jamaica. Codou Bop, a journalist who is a member of SPW Advisory Group, develops a particularly sharp analysis on the Senegalese episode, which may also shed light on the dynamics at work in the other three cases. On the abortion front, Daniela Colombo (President of AIDOS, the Italian Association for Women in Development) brings to us the Italian inside story of the new Vatican’s attack on the right to choose.

We thank our partners and collaborators for their contributions.

1. Nepal

2. Uruguay

3. Brazil

4. The voices of African religious leaders Christian Leaders

5. Senegal

6. Morocco

7. Egypt

8. Jamaica

9. Italy

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Advocacy: keep an eye out

This section highlights examples of advocacy work related to sexuality/sexual rights carried out during the past four months.

10. The last PEPFAR Battle

In the SWP Newsletter n.3, this section’s main focus is advocacy work by sex workers and other sexual rights advocates and organizations in response to the anti-prostitution pledge in U.S. President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The section includes a short article by Melissa Hope Ditmore entitled “Letter from the US: Nature and Bono conspire against sound HIV/AIDS policy” that analyzes the background and outcomes of the advocacy efforts against this pledge.

On January 31st, a letter was sent to the U.S. Congress by members of non-governmental and community-based organizations from throughout the developing world. The letter expressed concern about the so-called anti-prostitution pledge in PEPFAR. Specifically, it called attention to the fact that the pledge requires organizations receiving U.S. funding to agree to “opposing prostitution,” which in turn significantly undermines the work of many of organizations.

On February, a letter calling for sign-on and support to oppose the anti-prostitution pledge was widely disseminated by this group of activists.

Read the article by Melissa Ditmore “Letter from the US: Nature and Bono conspire against sound HIV/AIDS policy”.

Read more information at PEPFAR Watch.

11. Do not loose sight of…

The UN Human Rights Council where the first round of Universal Periodical Review is underway. Click here to read more information.
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Sexuality in art

Check out these projects and events that connect art and sexuality!

12. Museo Travesti del Peru

Visit the website of the Museo Travesti del Peru (The Peruvian Transgender Museum), founded and directed by Giuseppe Campuzano, a Peruvian travesti (transgender) activist. The aim of the museum is to celebrate travesti identity and history, which is validating for travestis themselves and informative for non-travesti audiences. Campuzano and his collaborators believe the museum serves both to advocate for the right of all people to choose their own gender and to question contemporary prejudice toward and misconceptions about travestis.

Visit the Museo Travesti del Peru.

Click here for more information about de museum.
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Check it out!

13. Upcoming events

Sexuality and Development workshop
This workshop will take place from April 3-5, 2008, at the Institute of Development Studies, UK. The goal is to examine the interconnections between international aid and sexuality, and to look for more creative and constructive ways in which aid agencies can engage issues of sexuality.
For more information, contact Jeanne Grant at j.grant@ids.ac.uk or click here.

XXIV ILGA World Conference
The ILGA World Conference in Quebec, Canada has been postponed and will be rescheduled later this year. ILGA is now accepting proposals from member organizations for hosting the conference. Proposals in the form of a letter of candidature should be received by the ILGA office by April 7. You may send this letter to trevorcook@ilga.org.
For more information, click here.

IGLHRC’s Annual Gala Event – A Celebration of Courage 2008
Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be appearing at IGLHRC’s A Celebration of Courage event in San Francisco, on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. He will talk about the impact of his leadership as a human rights advocate.
For more information, click here.

2008 High-Level Meeting on AIDS – UNGASS
The 2008 High-Level Meeting on AIDS will take place at the United Nations headquarters in New York from June 10-11, 2008. It will review the progress that has made in implementing the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS.
For more information, click here.

Reproductive Health in Emergencies Conference 2008
RH in Emergencies Conference of 2008 will take place from June 18-20, 2008, in Kampala, Uganda.
For more information, click here.

VII Brazilian DST/AIDS Prevention Congress
The Congress will take place in Florianópolis, Brazil, from June 25-28, 2008. It is an initiative of the National DST/AIDS Program – Brazilian Ministry of Health.
For more information, click here.

2008 Medico-legal Convening in response to sexual violence
This workshop will take place in Kenya from June 2-5, 2008.This workshop aims at strengthening the medico-legal response to sexual violence through multi-disciplinary collaboration among organizations and partners in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.
All communication and online submission of required documentation should be done through Jessica Kizungu, at jessicah@liverpoolvct.org.

IAMCR World Conference 2008
The Communication and HIV/AIDS Working Group hereby invites colleagues to participate in the IAMCR World Conference to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, from July 20-25, 2008.
For more information, contact Sarah Cardey at s.p.cardey@reading.ac.uk.

14. Scholarships

LGBT and Human Rights International Training Programme
This training program is open to applicants from Bangladesh, Georiga, Kirgizstan, India, Moldova, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Ukraine.
Deadline for application: April 30, 2008

For more information, contact Karin Lenke at karin.lenke@rfsu.se  or click here.

Global Fund Round 8
Deadline for proposal submission: July 1, 2008 (12:00 Geneva)
Click here to download the proposal guidelines and forms.

15. Job Opportunities

Amnesty International (AI)
AI is seeking a Coordinator to work at the International Secretariat office in London in the Identity-Based Discrimination team, focussing particularly on the human rights of Indigenous Peoples.
For complete job description, click here.

Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR)
CRR is seeking a Human Rights Researcher. This researcher will be an integral member of the Center’s Domestic Legal Program.
Apply by email: resumes@reprorights.org

Center for the Study of Human Rights – Columbia University
CSHR is hiring for 3 positions: Associate Director, Grant Writer and Director of Capacity Building Programs.
Apply by email: resumes@reprorights.org
For more information, click here.

Human Rights Watch (HRW)
HRW is seeking highly-qualified applicants for the position of Washington Advocacy Deputy Director. Responsibilities include assisting with the development and implementation of advocacy strategies for human rights related issues worldwide.
Apply by email: resumes@reprorights.org
For more information, click here
Deadline for applications: April 14, 2008

Human Rights Watch (HRW)
HRW is seeking experienced freelance translators to translate reports, news releases, articles and multimedia materials from English into the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Persian, Russian and Spanish.
Apply by email: eric.johnson@hrw.org
For more information, click here.

International Planned Parenthood Federation – western hemisphere region (IPPF/WHR)
IPPF/WHR is recruiting a Regional Advocacy Coordinator who will be based in New York, USA, and must be willing to travel, especially throughout Latin American and the Caribbean.
Apply by email: bgoldklang@ippfwhr.org
For more information, click here.

International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC)
IWHC is recruiting two Program Assistants: Program Assistant, Africa, and Program Assistant, International Policy. Both positions are based in New York, USA, and will provide critical administrative and programmatic assistance.
Apply by email: recruitment@iwhc.org
For complete job descriptions, visit the links bellow:
Program Assistant, Africa
Program Assistant, International Policy

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the US (SIECUS)
SIECUS is seeking a Public Policy Assistant.
For the full description, click here.

16. Publications

Sexuality Policy Watch

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