Gay and Lesbian Emancipation

Honduran LGBT movement hits back

Posted on 17/12/2009

Because they did not comply with the heterosexual norm, twelve people were killed in Honduras in the past six months. All of them were victims of this country’s fear of lesbians, homos, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs). Hivos supports the local LGBT movement.

One of the leaders in this movement is Hivos partner Asociación LGTB Arcoiris. It calls on its government, media and population to stop, once and for all, using physical and verbal violence against LGBTs. But this is not so simple in a religiously conservative country like Honduras.

Press conference

Luckily, Arcoiris is not alone in its appeal. The NGO has the support of groups of women, young people, HIV/AIDS groups, human rights groups and other civil society organisations. In recent months they have held joint demonstrations for better protection of LGBTs. At the end of October, Arcoiris held a press conference with four colleague NGOs at which they charged the state with laxity. The event was broadcast by twenty national and six international media channels. It is thanks to initiatives like this that a number of government representatives now feel compelled to start talking with the LGBT movement.

Rash of murders

Gustavo Guzmán, programme coordinator for Arcoiris, hopes that these talks will lead to a better position for LGBTs. So far their position has been 'unacceptably bad', he says. 'The Honduran state does not treat LGBTs like people with rights, but like outlandish phenomena. For years the police have ignored each and every outburst of violence against LGBTs. Not a single suspect has been arrested since 2004, whereas violence against other groups has been successfully controlled. The current rash of LGBT murders is the result of this indifference and impunity.'

Click here
to read more about Asociación LGTB Arcoiris.

Written by schrijf-schrijf

Photo: stock.xchng

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