IOM - UN Migration’s Post

All over Europe and Central Asia, LGBTI people are used by different political players to gain the power. Our opponents create and feed harmful and dangerous narratives about us and our struggles. Is it possible to communicate with our target audiences without playing their rules and not feeding into their narratives? Join us on 13 December for an online event to hear from activists from Hungary and Spain about how to proactively and effectively communicate while not playing into populist narratives that feed polarisation. You will get the first-hand insights about the strategies used in Hungary, where Háttér Society used the so-called “anti-LGBT Referendum” to talk to their allies and in Spain, where La Intersession successfully campaigned for the rights of trans people. #strategiccommunications #campaigns #campaigning #narratives #polarisation #lgbti #hungary #spain

Putin cannot honestly say that the basis of his conflict with the West is rejection of the principles of democracy, freedom of speech and change of power. That’s why he came up with these “traditional family values” that the West is allegedly encroaching on, and he is defending. The problem with these values is that their use as a political bogeyman implies an invasion of the privacy of citizens. Limitation of LGBT rights; endless attempts to prohibit women from having abortions and careers, turning them, in essence, into soulless child-bearing machines; or now, for example, the order not to use mobile phones in schools, which Parliament speaker came up with the other day - all this is incredibly annoying to Russian citizens. Look, for example, the reaction of residents of Murmansk who read the news that their children are being encouraged to join Putin’s pioneers. There is ten times more negativity than positivity. The regime's de facto transition from authoritarianism to totalitarianism is costing it dearly in terms of public opinion.

The weaponisation of #Pride is a distraction. We live in a world where not only are migrants fleeing queerphobic conditions in their home countries as a result of colonial legacies, but also in a world where states and corporations weaponise the queer struggle in order to pit us against each other, distract us from these same colonial legacies, and divert our attention away from the violence that continues to be enacted against racialised and other marginalised communities, both at home and abroad. Pride teaches us that colonial systems can never be reformed. They must be dismantled. In the spirit of Pride’s radical history, we must defy the corporatisation, weaponisation and distortion of the queer struggle. We must defy divisive politics, and understand that we are all being oppressed by the same systems. Pride is about justice and liberation, not about inclusion into systems that were designed to be oppressive. Read more: https://buff.ly/3wYUya6 #Pride2024 #RainbowCapitalism #Homonationalism #Colonialism #QueerLiberation #Abolition #Migration

In a blow for global LGBTQ human rights, Ghana's parliament has passed an anti-LGBTQ bill, the 'Human Sexual Rights and Family Values' Act, which further criminalises LGBTQ rights and activities in the country. The bill imposes prison sentences of up to five years for "wilful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ activities," in addition to the existing three-year sentence for same-sex relations. The bill will become law if validated by the President Nana Akufo-Addo. A recent Amnesty International report revealed a surge in anti-LGBTQ sentiment across Africa, with 31 countries still criminalising LGBTQ identities. This highlights the concerning intersection of rising prejudice and discriminatory legal frameworks in many African nations. You can read Amnesty International's full report here: https://lnkd.in/ew5mqsD8 LGBT Great condemns the passage of this bill and urges President Nana Akufo-Addo to withhold signing it into law. We are committed to working with our Members to navigate complex LGBTQ issues. Should this issue affect you and/or your organisation directly, you can contact us at: [email protected]   #Insights #LGBTRights #LGBTQRights #HumanRights #AmnestyInternational #Ghana #Africa #LGBTGreat 

Reposted from a comrade: Things that aren't up for debate, a running list: • Queer and trans rights and liberation • Women's rights and liberation • Palestinian liberation • People's right to housing, food, and other basic needs • Black Lives Matter • Land Back • People's right to self-determination • Anti-fascism • Anti-imperialism • Immigrant rights • Working class liberation • The rights and liberation of neurodivergent people • National liberation of all oppressed nations, by any means necessary

Pride Month has begun! It commemorates years of struggle for civil rights and the ongoing pursuit of equal justice for the LGBTQIA community. While some countries are committed to advancing and protecting the human rights of LGBTQIA people, others still have a long way to go. Malta has sat on top of the ranking for the last nine years, followed by Iceland, Belgium and Spain, as you can see from the chart. According to recent research by ILGA-Europe, the four countries from Wider Europe at the bottom of the Rainbow Map scale are Russia (2%), Turkey (5%), Armenia (9%) and Belarus (11%). Russia notably lost seven points and dropped three places due to federal legislation banning legal gender recognition and restricting access to trans-specific healthcare.

I am still sickened by our Home Secretary’s comments against LGBTQIA people last week. It continues the worrying approach by the conservatives to divide our communities. The UK’s human rights record is in significant freewill decline. The conservative has introduced laws that violate rights and aim to dismantle the international protection framework for the rights of all citizens. The government is attempting to send asylum seekers who arrive to the UK irregularly, to a country that is not safe, the Conservatives haveas proposed draconian immigration legislation that bans most asylum seekers from even claiming asylum. -Effective banning UN agreed human rights. The Rising food, rents, and energy prices, and inadequate social protections threaten the rights of people on the lowest incomes, including the right to food and the right a safe home and housing. The current government’s efforts to act multilaterally to promote human rights obligations in some contexts, was undermined by its aggressive domestic anti-rights agenda and refusal to acknowledge its serious violation of rights in colonial contexts. We need to peacefully change our society, from a divisive, dangerous and careless one, to a considerate, community based, compassionate one.  #peace #LGBTQIA #UK #politics

#FeministDevelopmentPolicy is not only a question of justice. It is the prerequisite for sustainable and peaceful development. Its success depends to a good extent on our ability to listen and to understand the different needs, perspectives, and experiences of the people in our partner countries. I am grateful that #GIZakzente opens a space for the share of voices of international activists. Let us listen to Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi, Kristina Lunz David Miliband and Manasi Pradhan!    https://lnkd.in/eihKjGk8

International day against Homophobia and transphobia is a few months away. How will Mark this day? The theme of this year 2024 is : NO ONE LEFT BEHIND ( Equality, freedom, and justice for all). I implore you to not forget all the countries in the world where it's illegal to be queer for example Uganda that recently passed the worst anti homosexuality bill. Freedom is not isolated, We are never free until all of us are free. Remember, not to forget intersectionality, Diversity and inclusion in your programming otherwise the most vulnerable in our queer communities continue to be even more vulnerable and underprivileged, the unconscious biasses have limited many of us to get opportunities. Remember to continue fighting for queer refugees and asylum seekers because most of the European countries are inacting very unfair and dehumanising laws like the TIDO agreement in Sweden and its easy for you to forget that we deserve better.