SEPTEMBER 17, 1993 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 3

ILGA wins consultative

status at United Nations

by Aras van Hertum

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in Geneva, Switzerland, voted July 30 to grant consultative status to the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). The vote makes ILGA, a worldwide federation of gay and AIDS groups, the first gay organization to gain a voice with the U.N.

"We are elated," ILGA quoted its secretary-general, Hans Hjerpekjön, as saying "The world community has recognized and rightly so that lesbian and gay rights are human rights, and that our movement has a valuable contribution to make in global human rights work.”

Among other things, ILGA will be able to use its U.N. status to draw greater attention to human rights abuses against gays, which are commonplace in a number of countries.

Normally, the ECOSOC operates by consensus. However, strong opposition from Syria, which said it spoke for a loose coalition of non-western states known as the "Group of 77," forced the Council to take a vote on ILGA's application. But Syria's efforts proved unsuccessful, as the body approved ILGA's application by a vote of 22 to 4, with 17 abstentions.

The U.S. was among the countries that voted in favor of granting consultative status to ILGA. Cuba's support came as a surprise to ILGA, which had considered the country to be anti-gay. Cuban delegates told representatives of the group that the country had "learned from its mistakes."

The four countries that voted against ILGA's application were Malaysia, Swaziland, Syria and Togo. Malaysia said it opposed ILGA because of the "ethical and moral values which this organization represents.'

The move culminated a decade-long effort by gay activists to win ILGA a voice with the U.N. The organization won observer status in 1991, allowing representatives to attend weekly U.N. briefings for non-governmental organizations in New York City.

ILGA submitted a formal application for consultative status in 1990. However, delegates from the Philippines and three Islamic

countries where homosexual acts are punishable by death-Libya, Sudan, and Oman-were able to defer a decision on the matter until this year.

On March 29, the U.N. Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations finally considered ILGA's application and, despite strong opposition from Islamic member countries, voted to recommend consultative status for the group.

Barrett Brick, a gay activist who heads the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations, an ILGA member organization, said the U.N. status will provide "an easier ability to get our concerns heard and discussed on the international level."

"I have increasing faith in the U.N.'s ability to treat the gay community on an equal footing with everyone else," he said. The new status, he noted, will ease efforts to push from the international level for gay civil rights in different countries.

Rina Malonzo, a New York City lesbian activist who played a central role in the effort to win the U.N. status, said the move "gives the gay and lesbian community a permanent voice within the U.N."

"Our main focus right now is to have our voice heard," said Malonzo, who co-chairs the ILGA committee of the New York City gay community center. She said ILGA plans to bring attention to gay concerns at two upcoming U.N. conferences, one on population and development next year, and one on women's issues in 1995.

The organization gained basic "roster" status, enabling it to submit written statements to ECOSOC bodies. Malonzo said the group will now work to win "Category II" status, which will also allow it to request hearings. Ultimately, she said, the group hopes to ascend to "Category I" status, which will also allow it to propose agenda items.

ILGA can now submit evidence of antigay human rights abuses to U.N. human rights panels, and gain access to international human rights forums. The U.N. status will also add weight to letters of protest from ILGA to countries where gays are the victims of persecution. ✓

Reprinted with permission from the Washington Blade.

Out Voice hires Bunge to run Cincinnati fight

COLUMBUS BUREAU

Columbus attorney Jerry Bunge is joining a growing statewide effort to protect Cincinnati's lesbian and gay civil rights legislation, which is being threatened by a right wing ballot initiative in November.

Bunge was hired Sept. 3 by OutVoice, a coordinating organization for Ohio's lesbian, gay and bisexual groups, to fill the new position of special projects director. His first mission is to involve the lesbian and gay community in the fight in Cincinnati.

"All of Ohio needs to get worried about what is happening in Cincinnati," Bunge said. "It's like a floodgate; if Cincinnati falls, the right wing will start a flood all over Ohio."

Bunge was among about 300 gay civil rights activists from five Midwest states who gathered in Cincinnati over Labor Day weekend to discuss strategies to fight the Colorado-style initiative, which will appear on the November 2 ballot.

Out Voice has been in existence for two years, but has spent much of that time laying organizational groundwork, according to Chair Glorianne Leck of Youngstown. The urgency of the Cincinnati battle spurred the group to create its first full-time position, she said.

One of six applicants for the position, Bunge was the unanimous choice of Out Voice's Special Project Committee to Fight Ballot Initiatives, Leck said, because

of his "statewide recognition and experience, his broad-based connections, his legal expertise and previous lobbying experience."

A founding member and former chair of Out Voice, Bunge has been active in the lesbian and gay civil rights arena since 1985. His involvement includes work with the Columbus AIDS Task Force, the Stonewall Union of Columbus, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Association of Great Lakes Gay and Lesbian Organizations.

Bunge, who will be paid a salary of $33,500, will work on a contract basis for Out Voice. He said he will continue his law practice on a limited basis.

Bunge said he sought the position because "I'm concerned about the need for statewide coordination (of gay and lesbian organizations). We have some of the best local groups in the country, and we have a wealth of talent in this state, but one of the things we miss is a real strong coordination."

In addition to bringing together groups from the urban centers, he said lesbian and gay organizations in smaller cities, such as Lima and Marietta, need to be encouraged.

"I'm also very concerned about the efforts of the right wing. It won't do us a bit of good to have political strength if our rights are taken away."

For more information about Out Voice, call 228-JUST (228-5878) in Columbus or 800-700-JUST; or fax 614-224-4708.

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