Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia: Holocaust

Most people have heard of the Holocaust that took place under Nazi German rule between 1933-1945. Millions of people were brutally killed by guns, gas chambers, and concentration camps. Most were Jews, but there were also other groups that ended up in those camps. The lesser talked about were the estimated 100,000 homosexuals (mostly men) who were arrested, over half of which were sentenced to the camps or simply murdered. Like the Jews and all other groups, the homosexuals were forced to wear a triangle. Theirs was pink. I doubt it's a coincidence that the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia's symbol is a pink triangle with an exclamation mark in the middle:

Take action against homophobic and transphobic discrimination!

Taking action is exactly what May 17th is all about. You can help by posting about homophobic and transphobic discrimination, reading about it, donating to LGBT charity organizations, and just get the word out there. Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia is the effort of nearly 180 writers, publishers, reviewers, and cover designers to spread the word and to try to get our readers active during the day and for ten days thereafter. Please stop by and read our messages. A prize will be given at each stop.

Back to the topic: a holocaust is a thing of the past, right? Wrong. LGBT people in all countries (even in tolerant Iceland, although it's not very frequent or visible) have to face homophobic and transphobic discrimination. In some countries, they are killed, either by officials or the public.

There are many, many countries that imprison people for their sexuality. One such country is Uganda, but they want to take things further. They have been on the verge of a homosexual and transsexual holocaust twice now, trying to push through the "Kill the Gays Bill". Politicians want all homosexual and trans* people imprisoned, and everyone who helps them in any way (this includes their landlord for renting them a roof over their heads). They want the public to point out who's gay or even displaying homosexual/transsexual behavior. If this bill ever goes through, one must make certain never to touch an individual of the same gender for too long or they run the risk of being accused of being same-sex oriented, and thereby thrown in jail or hanged. If this bill goes through, it will be a modern-day holocaust.

Currently, the bill's been put on hold, but if you ever see it prop up again (it's on the agenda for 2013), I beg you to sign petitions against it and do whatever you can to stop it. Every little bit helps. 

In honor of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, I'm donating $50 to Icebreakers Uganda, and will make it my choice of future donations when I have more money. If you have money to spare, this is a great cause. Frank Mugisha and his people have been working hard to stand up for LGBTI rights, but it's like swimming upstream with all the public and political prejudice in Uganda. They need all the backing they can get.

Now, if you leave a comment below along with your email address, you may have a chance to win a book from my backlist. I will use Random.org to choose, announce and contact 3 winners on May 28th.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hop Against Homophobia: David Bahati, Author of Uganda's "Kill the Gays" B...

Hop Against Homophobia: David Bahati, Author of Uganda's "Kill the Gays" B...: In addition to yesterday's post about the "Kill the Gays" bill in Uganda, there are excellent Youtube videos of MSNBC's Rachel Maddow's interview with David Bahati, the author of the bill. These are from last year when David Bahati came to the USA to try to find understanding among the Americans (as in, educating USA about the necessity of this bill).

(Please click the Hop Against Homophobia link above to see the videos).

Hop Against Homophobia: Witch Hunt in Uganda: "Kill the Gays"

Free stock photo by Jason Aaberg.

I'm re-blogging this message from the Hop Against Homophobia site. Please, please go there and sign the petitions to prevent this bill from passing - or if it passes, to take action against Uganda to try to force them to change their minds.

Hop Against Homophobia: Witch Hunt in Uganda: "Kill the Gays": ... a horrible bill is being pushed through the Ugandan Parliament and is expected to go into effect this December. They call it a Christmas gift to the Ugandan nation. The bill's been referred to as "Kill the Gays". This is not only terrible, horrible news for the LGBT community, but also disastrous to humanity and human rights.

...

Death penalty:

- to repeat offenders of homosexuals acts

- to people who engage in homosexual acts with a minor

- to people who are suspected of "aggravated homosexuality" and have HIV

Prison sentence:

- to those suspected of homosexual activity

- to those who do not report homosexual activity within 24 hours

- to those suspected of "promoting" homosexuality

- to anyone who aids and/or abets a homosexual (e.g. renting to a homosexual)

In addition:

- all people suspected of homosexual activity and arrested must undergo HIV testing.

- former residents suspected of homosexuality may be extradited and sentenced.

That's a witch hunt!

Hop Against Homophobia!

It's time! It's the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. It's the day where we stand up and and say no to homophobic and transphobic discrimination. It's a day where we honor GLBTQ people and their rights and remind the world of the injustice they've gone through, but it's also a day to be celebrated because a lot has been accomplished in fight against homophobia and it's worth noting those things in hope that it will give inspiration and hope.

I'd like to talk about homophobia and transphobia in my home country, Iceland. I've been saying left and right that there isn't much homophobia here, because the people I know aren't homophobic. The media and society here also appear to be very supportive of GLBTQ people, but I felt uncomfortable stating this during this hop, in case I was wrong. So I stopped by the Samtökin 78, The National Queer Organization, last week and spoke with the director, Árni Grétar Jóhannsson. 

Icelandic Prime Minister
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir

First, Iceland is a small country with around 300,000 inhabitants. The general public is not heavily religious and most of the churches here are liberal and welcoming to everyone (GLBTQ people included). We have a lesbian prime minister, but no one really cares. We have a lot of people in show business who are openly gay and, for the most part, they don't suffer for that. In fact, they're generally more respected for being open about themselves.

Iceland hasn't always been open to homosexuality - far from it. In a 1975 interview with Hörður Torfason, the first Icelandic man to openly admit his homosexuality in a magazine, he talks about how homosexuality shouldn't be anyone's business. He also talked about the hardships he'd gone through because of the rumors of him being gay. Among other things, he couldn't rent an apartment and had to take a lot of verbal (and hinted at physical) abuse. He had to flee the country after the interview, because his life was threatened. This is truly heartbreaking, and the worst thing is that this is still what GLBTQ people have to face today in many countries. But a lot has changed in Iceland since 1975.

Samtökin 78

Árni confirmed that there isn't a lot of homophobia in Iceland. Samtökin 78 has been working tirelessly for 30 years for the Icelandic community to accept GLBTQ and to protect the rights of GLBTQ people. Árni told me that the first thing they did was to take the words "lesbia" and "hommi" and make it their own, so in Iceland it's perfectly acceptable to use those terms (though I feel wary about using "hommi", because "homo" in English is usually offensive). They go to schools and educate the kids. They also get called out to the schools especially if there's extra need (if prejudice pops up in relation to a GLBTQ child, for example). They're also very active in the community and make sure that the government doesn't do anything silly that would compromise the interests of the people they represent. 

Icelandic pop star, Paul Oscar

Working alongside the Samtökin 78 is Paul Oscar, Iceland's most beloved pop singer. I remember him from when I was a teen and I also remember how he repeatedly shocked the public into acceptance with his videos, interviews, and just by being his gorgeous, amazing, fun and charming self. Absolutely nothing is taboo when it comes to him and he'll answer any question on homosexuality, not matter how intrusive. Árni confirmed that he's been a huge part of bringing acceptance of gays and lesbians in Iceland. 

Celebrity stylist Karl Berndsen

There are more public figures that have helped bring acceptance. There's Friðrik Ómar, a singer who's flamboyant like Paul Oscar, but is married to a man and they walk hand-in-hand like any other couple to public events. There's the confident and eloquent Karl Berndsen, a hair and makeup stylist who moved back to Iceland a few years back and did a TV series. There are many more, but it's time to move on to the less positive sides...

There may be less homophobia in Iceland than in many other countries, but that is not to say that there is none. What were harmless "homo jokes" and comments before, now sound offensive to me and is probably hurtful to others. There is also gossip about GLBTQ people in smaller communities...but then there's also a whole lot of gossip about everyone else, so I guess this will never change. Árni was able to name four loud voices - bloggers - in Iceland who actively speak out against GLBTQ people, and one church (that is not a part of the national Lutheran church). However, the government and city officials are clear: homophobic discrimination is not acceptable. The church had been promised funds from the city, but the promise was withdrawn when Reykjavik learned of the church's anti-GLBTQ speech and ideals. One of the bloggers is a school teacher in Akureyri (the largest town in the north), but he got discharged because of his anti-GLBTQ speech, as it was likely to influence the children. He appealed, saying it had nothing to do with his teaching, so he's still teaching today, but Akureyri isn't giving up and the lawsuit is still going.

Web-TV Star Vala Grand

Trans people, unfortunately, are not as accepted as gays and lesbians. Árni told me that two years ago, the rights of trans people were in the same place as the rights of gay and lesbian people were thirty years before. For the past two years, Samtökin has been working hard to fight for trans-rights, and to educate the public. Things seem to be changing for the better though, and a lot of it has to do with Vala Grand, another public figure who isn't afraid to express herself. Physically, she used to be a he, but has now gone through a sex change. She has been very open about the whole process and hosts her own web-TV shows that are very popular. I can only hope that by being herself and allowing others to get to know her, transphobia in Iceland will quickly die down. But there's still work to be done, because a few weeks back, a trans-man was badly beat up in a bar for being who he is.

Beside writing this blog and organizing the hop, there is one other thing I've done today. I've joined the Samtökin 78, as it is for GLBTQ people and everyone else who wants to lend their support. By joining, I am openly standing up and telling my countrymen that I support GLBTQ people and rights. I'm also writing a proposal for my home town, pleading with them to renew their contract with Samtökin 78, so that Samtökin can continue educating the children in our school and provide their services to the GLBTQ people and their families in my home town. Samtökin 78 operates on donations and membership fees alone. Which brings me to the next part...

I want to thank everyone for stopping by and here is what I have to offer in the giveaway today: 

an e-book from my backlist for three different people - winner's choice (anything released before May). 

An e-copy of Absolutely Eric for one winner.

And here's the best part: a 5,000 Icelandic kronur donation to the Samtökin 78 in the name of one winner (roughly $40 according to today's exchange rate). 

If you'd like to be entered for the drawing of these prizes, please leave a comment to this post with your email address. If you feel uncomfortable leaving your email address, you can send me mail: eripike at gmail dot com (but please leave a comment as well, saying that you've sent me mail).

This hop, Hop Against Homophobia, is an attempt of nearly 250 m/m writers, reviewers and publishers to bring about awareness of homophobic discrimination. Each blog is giving out at least one prize. To visit the other sites, please click this link.

I hope that you've learned something from this entry, namely that it's possible to reach very positive result in national GLBTQ rights. All it takes is time and people to stand up for those rights.

The Purpose of Hop Against Homophobia

Hi guys,

There's a new post up on Hop Against Homophobia. We were recently made aware of a blog post that talked about how wrong this hop is, and the person who wrote that post made a very valid point. We're hoping that today's post will help clear any misunderstanding about the purpose of this hop.