gay rights – Generation Change

Chilean teen fights homophobia with education

mueserk — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 10:18:25 +0000

Chile is one of South America’s most socially conservative countries, and discrimination against gays and lesbians is still widespread. In March 2012, 24-year-old Daniel Zamudio was tortured and murdered after his attackers learned of his sexual orientation. And, just this January, 22-year-old Esteban Parada died in a similar attack in downtown Santiago.

Alberto Cid, 18, is determined to turn the tide and put an end to bullying and discrimination in Chile. The answer, he says, lies in education. First, he became president of Movilh Joven, a gay rights activist group that targets youth, and now he’s focused on getting sexual diversity into the local schools’ curricula.

Listen to the report by Eilís O’Neill in Santiago, Chile:

http://blogs.dw.com/generationchange/files/Chilean-teen-fights-homophobia-with-education.mp3

Alberto Cid is first tackling his own high school in Santiago, where he is a member of the student government and the LGBT student group (Photo: E. O’Neill)

Alberto attends Barros Borgoño High School in Santiago (Photo: E. O’Neill)

Lesbian activist speaks out in Vietnam

mueserk — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 12:02:23 +0000

Nguyen Thanh Tam from Saigon is a lesbian. But being gay in Vietnam is not accepted and not easy. She felt so much discrimination and lack of acceptance that she even considered suicide – until she was encouraged by a teacher to come out. She wanted to help others like her avoid the pain and rejection she had felt, so she decided to raise awareness about homosexuality by organizing a gay pride festival, Viet Pride, in Hanoi. It took place last year for the first time. Tam and the other organizers learned a lot from the first event and are working really hard to make Viet Pride 2013 even better.

Listen to the report by Marianne Brown in Hanoi:

Lesbian activist speaks out in Vietnam

For Nguyen Thanh Tam, coming out took a lot of courage (Photo: Viet Pride)

Participants at Viet Pride 2012 rode bicycles so the authorities wouldn’t feel threatened (Photo: Marianne Brown)

The Vietnamese word for a gay person implies that it is a disease – something campaigners are trying to change (Photo: Marianne Brown)

Campaigners are changing their slogan this year to “Right to love is a human right” (Photo: Marianne Brown)

Here’s the Viet Pride website.

Photos for love

mueserk — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:53:44 +0000

Maika uses her photos for change

Maika Elan is a photographer in Hanoi, Vietnam. In her country, homosexuals often face discrimination and many are afraid to be open with their sexuality. In a recent photo project called Pink Choice, Maika candidly portrays homosexual love in an effort to encourage tolerance and start discussion on ending discrimination in Vietnam. The photo series has even provided an opportunity for some gay couples to come out to their families.

Listen to the report by Roberto Tofani in Hanoi, presented by Andreas Grigo:

Photos for love

: From the Pink Choice exhibition, copyright: Giulia De Piaggi

From the Pink Choice exhibition, copyright: Giulia De Piaggi

Maika’s website: http://www.maikaelan.com

Maika is respresented by MoST – http://www.mostartists.com/artists/maika-elan/