miércoles, 26 de octubre de 2011

Concepto emitido por la Oficina Jurídica del ICBF sobre la idoneidad de personas LGBT para adoptar de forma individual

Colombia Diversa conoció el concepto emitido por la Oficina Jurídica del Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar solicitado por la doctora Ilvia Ruth Cárdenas,  Subdirectora de Adopciones de esta institución en la cual consulta acerca de la adopción por  personas solteras homosexuales y la pertinencia de que el ICBF incluya dentro del lineamiento técnico del programa de adopciones la pregunta sobre la orientación sexual de  los solicitantes solteros de adopción.


La Oficina Jurídica del ICBF realiza algunas precisiones  contempladas por la Corte Constitucional en relación al libre desarrollo de la personalidad, el derecho a la intimidad de cada uno de los ciudadanos, discriminación por razones de sexo y los requisitos que toda persona debe cumplir, independientemente de su orientación sexual, al solicitar la adopción de menores en Colombia. 


Concluyendo, la Oficina Jurídica del ICBF  responde  a la Subdirección de Adopciones de esta misma institución que la norma que regula la adopción de menores en Colombia no contempla  la orientación sexual  como criterio determinante; y considera inviable agregar en el lineamiento técnico del programa de adopciones la pregunta acerca de la orientación sexual de las personas. 

lunes, 24 de octubre de 2011

The ‘M’ Word

By: The City Paper Bogotá
October 4, 2011

After giving the issue a pass in 2010, in July the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled on the question of samesex marriage… sort of.


Taken from The City Paper Bogotá

The unanimous 9-0 ruling was a mostly pro-marriage equality decision. The Court said that same-sex couples can constitute a “family” and told Congress that they must regulate marriage rights for gay couples, granting them the exact same rights as heterosexual couples. It said that if the Congress fails to do so, those equal marriage rights will automatically kick in on June 20, 2013. From that date on, samesex couples will be able to go to any notary public in Colombia and formalize their union. It is unclear if it would be called marriage or not.

While frustrated that the Court didn’t make an immediate and final ruling, gay rights advocates nevertheless mildly celebrated it. And during the weeks immediately following the decision, the Colombian news media carried a constant barrage of stories about the possibility of a referendum to defeat same-sex marriage, legislative proposals on the issue and the threats and concerns voiced about the issue from various notary publics.

So where are we now and what’s likely to happen?

First, some background 

Pro-gay initiatives at the legislative level in Colombia have had a dismal track record. A couple of years after an initiative by controversial Sen. Piedad Córdoba failed, a breakthrough seemed to come in 2006 when a bill on property, social security and other rights was passed both in the Senate and in the lower House.

Sponsored by Sen. Álvaro Araújo, an “Uribista” from the Atlantic Coast, the legislation had support from all of the major parties except for the Conservatives and the evangelical Christian parties. It was an impassioned debate with most arguments from opponents originating from the Bible. The story of Noah’s Ark was even brought up (the animals were brought on board the big boat in heterosexual pairs one Senator stated). The measure passed the Senate by a vote of 49-40. It later sailed through the Cámara by a vote of 62-43, marking the first time a gay rights measure had ever been approved at the national level and catapulting Colombia as the most progressive country in Latin America in terms of gay rights. Having passed both chambers, the bill which provided same-sex couples with the same rights as non-married heterosexual couples (like a common-law marriage) would become the law of the land. Except it didn’t. Members from Christian and other opponents aligned with the Uribe government sabotaged the conciliation of the two bills, a normally routine affair, and despite having passed both chambers, it was killed behind closed doors. It was an unprecedented assault on the democratic process.

Having been betrayed by the nation’s legislators, gay rights activists changed their strategy, exclusively focusing on the judiciary. That would prove to be a wise move. The Constitutional Court would rule in favor of the gay rights movement on various occasions.

The first victory came in February 2007 when gay couples finally won property and inheritance rights previously reserved exclusively for non-married heterosexual couples. To obtain that right there is no need to go to any notary public – it is automatic after two years of living together. Later that year, social security benefits were authorized for same-sex couples and in 2008 the Court ruled in favor of pension benefits. In January 2009, another decisión came from the Court, granting same-sex couples over 42 additional rights, such as visas for same-sex spouses.

 For many in the gay community these newly won rights were enough. Non-married heterosexual and homosexual couples would be treated practically the same under the law. However the right of marriage would provide immediate protection (no need to wait two years) and would be universally understood. It would also, most certainly, affirm gay couples’ rights to jointly adopt children, something that was not mentioned in the court victories.

In Congress’ hands


Congress of Colombia
Within weeks of the ruling in July, four legislative proposals had been announced. Two of the four proposals, including one sponsored by Sen. Armando Benedetti of the U Party and Rep. Alfonso Prada of the Green Party and the other sponsored by Sen. Miguel Gómez, head of the U Party, call for a new civil unión figure for both same-sex and heterosexual couples, which would have exactly the same rights as marriage except for adoption. The third proposal by Liberal Party Senator Guillermo Rivera would change the definition of marriage from one man and one woman to a contract between two people but with no right to adoption. A fourth proposal by the Polo Democrático sponsored by Reps. Alba Luz Pinilla and Iván Cepeda is by far the most progressive: it authorizes both equal marriage rights and joint adoption rights.

Discussions are under way to possibly consolidate those legislative initiatives. They could be characterized as the pro-marriage proposal (the Liberal-Polo position) and the civil union proposal (Green-U position).

Although there was talk by the Conservative Party about banning both gay marriage and abortion by changing the Constitution through a referendum, that effort appears to have lost steam.

Outlook


What are the chances that Congress will actually pass a marriage equality bill? Gustavo Osorio, an attorney who has served as a consultant to gay rights group Colombia Diversa, believes that it is unlikely that Congress will pass any legislation during the next 20 or so months. “The 300 members of Congress are not an intellectual or moral elite, but rather a group that represents the average thinking of their electors. And the majority of the Colombian people do not believe in expanding the definition of marriage,” he said. He finds the situation that the Congress is in to be a strange one, as the Court has told the Congress what kind of law that they must approve. “This shows once again that the Court wants to have the last word. If the Congress thinks differently about the issue, it would be struck down as unconstitutional by the Court.” Nevertheless, he predicted that there will be attempts to show the people of Colombia that the Congress is indeed engaged in the issue, even if they will most likely eventually fail.

In a statement released following the ruling, Marcela Sánchez also expressed skepticism about whether Congress would enact any marriage equality legislation. “Given that the Colombian Congress has not been, nor will be, a place to guarantee rights for the LGBT population, this means that in reality the most probable outcome is that the final verdict on marriage equality has been delayed, and that same-sex partners will be able to get married starting June 20, 2013,” it read.

Sánchez says that marriage rights must be the same rights – with the same name. “We don’t accept legislation for civil unions or the same rights with different names.” She likens that to the “separate but equal” policy in the U.S. South in which buses, theaters, beaches and even water fountains were segregated.

The next struggle

While marriage equality appears to be coming to Colombia in 2013, there remains one contentious area that must be resolved: joint adoption of children by same-sex couples. The Court is expected to take up the issue soon. And since it ruled in July that gay couples can be considered a family, one would expect them to rule favorably about the adoption issue. Gay individuals have had the right to adopt in Colombia since 1991.

sábado, 22 de octubre de 2011

Stop transpatologización 2012, en octubre se moviliza.

Nuevamente las identidades de género diversas se manifiestan en diversas  partes del mundo en contra de la patologización. Desde el 22 de octubre organizaciones y personas a nivel mundial se movilizarán exigiendo la retirada de las clasificaciones médicas  de “trastornos de identidad de género” / “disforias de género” que hacen parte de los catálogos diagnósticos (DSM de la American Psychiatric Association y CIE de la Organización Mundial de la Salud); y que con ellas se clasifica como enfermedad mental a las identidades de género no normativas.


Historia en contra de  la clasificación psiquiátrica de las identidades de género. 

La movilización,  que se gestó desde 2007 en Barcelona, Madrid y Países Bajos con el lema “Contra la disforia de género”, ha venido  sumando año tras año más organizaciones  y personas a nivel mundial. Logrando en este año y en 2008 adhesiones y manifestaciones a esta causa por toda Europa. 

En octubre de  2009, se consolida la construcción de la Red Internacional por la Despatologización Trans y la campaña Stop Transpatologización 2012, creando el  manifiesto a nivel mundial  en el que se reitera la eliminación  de los catálogos de diagnóstico psiquiátrico la disforia  y trastornos de género.  Así mismo, se  adhirieron  400 grupos procedentes de los cinco continentes a favor de esta causa. 

En 2010, la Red Internacional  por la Despatologización Trans  y la campaña STP 2012 realizaron diversas actividades  y manifestaciones  simultaneas a nivel mundial  para visibilizar las acciones  y objetivos en contra de la despatologización de las identidades de género, en espacios académicos y públicos  a nivel internacional; así como la presentación del manual de las prácticas sanitarias a  las personas trans en el sistema nacional de salud en España. 

Este año, muchas más organizaciones  y personas se han adherido a la campaña y la Red Internacional por la Despatologización Trans. Diferentes eventos alrededor del planeta, así como manifestaciones concentradas  y actividades de reivindicación, información y difusión sobre STP 2012 se  han llevado a cabo; concluyendo el 22 de octubre con el Día Internacional de Acciones por la Despatologización Trans. 

Afiche campaña Entre-Tránsitos

STP 2012 en Bogotá

En el marco de la campaña STP 2012, la Red de Personas  y Organizaciones Trans –REDETRANS-, Entre-Tránsitos, otras organizaciones e instituciones a nivel distrital realizarán desde el 22 hasta el 28 de octubre actividades para conmemorar esta fecha.
  
Lunes, 24 de octubre de 2011
Plantón despatologizante para posicionar en lo público la Agenda Social de Personas Trans, principalmente de frente a las barreras de Acceso al Derecho a la Salud.
Lugar: Carrera 32, 12-81 (Secretaría Distrital de Salud)
Hora: 11 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Viernes, 28 de octubre de 2011
Trans Farra
Hora y lugar: por confirmar.
Grupo: Colectivo Entre-Tránsitos

 Más  información:  STP 2012

miércoles, 12 de octubre de 2011

¡Veinticuatro años fuera del Closet!

Campaña de Colombia Diversa para
 Salir del Closet
El 11 de octubre nos recuerda una de las más importantes movilizaciones que el movimiento de personas lesbianas, gay, bisexuales  y trans llevó a cabo  en 1987 con la segunda marcha por los derechos de Gays y Lesbianas, realizada en la ciudad de Washington D.C. 
Esta marcha reivindicó el grito de hombres  y mujeres con orientaciones sexuales diversas, quienes clamaban un alto a la discriminación, la violencia, el prejuicio y todos aquellos estigmas que se desarrollan alrededor de gays  y lesbianas. 
En este sentido, y a partir de esta movilización realizada hace 24 años, Human Rights Campaing decidió declarar esta fecha como el Día Internacional de Salir del Closet. Un día en el que con orgullo hombres y mujeres declararan ante la sociedad su orientación sexual no normativa y exigen un alto a todas aquellas formas de violencia que sufren por ser y sentirse como personas diversas a lo establecido como "normal".
Colombia Diversa celebra con orgullo todas las personas  que han salido del closet y que con valentía,  desde diferentes espacios y acciones defienden y promueven los derechos  humanos de las personas LGBT. 
Aunque esta celebración se realiza una vez al año, invitamos a todas las personas a abrir la puerta y salir del closet todos los días. No permitamos que nuestros derechos como ciudadanos y ciudadanas sean violados u omitidos. Celebremos nuestra diversidad sexual y con nuestra salida del closet demos un alto a la discriminación.