Interview with a volunteer

(filed by Ng Yi-Sheng)

A conference isn’t just made up of participants: it’s also built on the backs of the hardworking volunteers from the host city. I took a moment to chat with one volunteer, Peeranad Panaddaporn (Bass), originally from Rayong Province. He's the one on the right end of the back row, in the centre of this photo.

YS: What do you do? 

Bass: I’m a tutor in science and mathematics. I’ve volunteered in the organisation Rainbow Sky for 6 years.

YS: Is there anything you’d like to say about your country? 

Bass: I think Thailand is an open country than LGBT than 20 years ago, I think. Because for my generation, everything is okay, but for my parents or grandfather, not okay.

YS: Why did you decide to volunteer? 

Bass: To practice my English and open my knowledge about LGBTs in Asia, the lifestyle and everything, advocacy education. The organizer, Ohm, needed volunteers, mostly those who can contact and speak in English.

YS: How has the conference been for you? 

Bass: I think it has many interesting topics. The volunteers have become good friends. I have knowledge about the gay lifestyle, and know myself more, understand myself more, what I am. And when I understand, and then after that I do not care who cannot accept me.

Safe Sex

Sex is necessity in any romantic relationships. But do you know how to have it safely? I believe most of the LGBTI activist already know and well trained. You don't know? Ok, let's Sonthaya Huayhongthong to teach you how.

How do you think her expression? Is frightened or satisfied? 

Our facilitator, Sonthaya Huayhongthong a lesbian expert show the audience 
how to open a condom so you wont damaged it. Oh...how about if in urgent?

Every one get one condom and practicing how to open it. 

What? You can blow it like a balloon and give it to your little brother as a toy?
 

Don't be shy! You can touch it! (Latex vagina). 

Vibrator. It's has multiple function. One of them is you may also use it to massage your neck when you're tired. Just kidding!

Condoms and lubricants; free for everyone that might need it for the closing night. You also can get them at Rainbow Sky counter, at the lobby of The Palazzo Hotel. 

Posted by Ernest J.K. Wen

Intersex and Transmen Life Story

Hiker Chiu from OII Organization Taiwan share his touching life story.
(I have asked Hiker, how would you like me to refer you, is she or is he? And Hiker said, is up to me. S0 I will use both genders term).
I will posting the full story as told later on. 

Ratchanichon Chailangka from Thailand, presenting Asian Transmen Issues. He share his life story and some issues in the Asian countries. 

Kai from Thailand. One of the workshop participant and invited by
Ratchanichon Chailangka to share his story.  Same as Hiker, he didn't aware at the early stage of his life, that he was intersex or in term of Thai, a clean man.

It's not easy to be LGBTI in Asian country. In Indonesia that I know for sure, coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, Trans could lead one into complicated situation. Limiting opportunities and labeled as sinners were among the problem. Family member might be angry and cease the person away. Even reported to the authority like a criminal. Just recently, a mother, from a middle class family in East Jakarta area killed her own son just because she think her baby boy's penis was abnormal (too small). Tragic! 
Kai said that is important to spread out the information. Exactly. If people (especially parents)  understand about intersex and know how to handle it, the above tragic event could be avoided. 

"When you do your job, you use your brain, why is gender matter?" Chan, from Thailand share his experience being turned down for a job interview just because he stated as male while his official documents stated another way. 

Toto also share his issue as a transman in Thailand. He always wear trousers and turned down to sit on an college/university exam because on his document stated female the institution expected he to wear skirt. 

During the discussion, two participants from Singapore have expressed their disagreement. According to these two participants, not all the Asian country discriminated transmen. Singapore is one of the country that allow by law for anyone to change his or her gender or sexuality. From man to woman or vice verse, and government of Singapore will issued the proper papers. 
Ok, so that good news for our transgender, transexual friends if as these participants stated, "in the future all countries in the region should follow Singapore policy." How about gay and lesbian movement? Are these sexuality group also enjoyed equality treatment from the government of Singapore? I asked. 
These two participants in union have assured me, yes! Singapore is the most tolerant government in the region. There is no discriminations and all NGOs are supported by government. 
That's really something new to me. But anyway, I'm not Singaporean citizen so I would invite our Singaporean LGBTIQ friends to clarify this discussion. 

Posted by: Ernest J.K. Wen

UN Mechanism, ICCPR Sharing

Training: UN Mechanisme Part 2 (A). Saturday, 30 March 2013. 

ICCPR mechanism and individual complaints, but Ashley one of the trainer of this program preferred to call it "communication" rather than "complaints".

Khanis (left) and Ashley (right),
conducting UN Mechanism, ICCPR training. 

Khanis (from GAYa Nusantara) was sharing "Alternative Report Of Indonesian ICCPR
State Report Concerning on The Rights of LGBTI 2013.

Azusa added her experiences the reporting mechanism.

Group picture after session ended. 

Posted by: Ernest J.K. Wen

Towards New SOGI Resolution at UN

Sunil Pant (left) and Sheherezade Kara (right)

On March 22-23, state-led regional meeting on sexual orientation, gender identity and human rights took place in Nepal.

Sheherezade Kara of ARC International and Sunil Pant, the founder of Blue Diamond Society, Nepal's LGBTI organization shared why the meeting took place, what the meeting covered and what role it was going to play for the protection of the rights of LGBTI people around the world.

In June 2011, a resolution on sexual orientation, gender identity and human rights was adopted by the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. As followup of this resolution, we are expecting a new version by South African government.

Governments of South Africa, Norway and Brazil have held regional seminars in different continents. One in Asia and the Pacific took place in Kathmandu, Nepal this month. Some 70 people participated from civil society organizations, human rights commissions and 16 governments in the region.

At preconference on March 21 and 22, LGBTI activists from different countries in Asia Pacific got together, shared background information and next steps of the historic meeting and discussed culture, religion, education, advocacy, networking with allies and so fourth in relation to human rights, sexual orientation,gender identity, Sunil told us. Official programs of the meeting took place on March 22 and 23 including sharing of country situations and discussion on how international law could be used to protect sexual and gender minorities. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General sent his messages of support to the meeting.

So, what happens next? In two weeks time, another meeting will take place in Oslo, Norway where discussions and suggestions in different regional seminars will be brought together. Oslo meeting, "hopefully" Sheherezade said, will feed into the new resolution we expect in June this year.

You can read more about Oslo meeting at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry's website on "human rights, gender identity and sexual orientation".

Post by Azusa Yamashita, Gay Japan News, Japan

Gloria Careaga on 5th ILGA Asia Conference

This ILGA-Asia, with its complexity and full diversity, offers LGBTI activists the opportunity to strengthen their work and to build on new networks and friendships by sharing their experiences and successful strategies.  Having here together more than 200 participants from 30 countries will for sure enrich our work perspectives for all and contribute to the empowerment of each.  I am very happy to come back to Asia, now in Thailand, but specifically to be part of this conference.

- Gloria Careaga, ILGA Co-Secretary General, Bangkok, Thailand, March 29, 2013

Meet Note!

(filed by Ng Yi-Sheng)

Since we’re in Thailand, I’m trying to interview some Thai participants at the conference. Jetsada Taesombat, aka Note, is a coordinator of the Thai Transgender Alliance in Bangkok.

YS: What do you do in your organisation?

Note: The first point that we want [is] to build knowledge for transgender issues, because in Thai society we lack the knowledge about transgenders. The knowledge we have is about medical issues - it is not friendly to us, it is biased. Because the doctor says we are mentally ill, like the sexual deviants. But we try to reconstruct, based on the right to self-determination.

The second is policy advocacy, because the Thai people have specific needs, like the Gender Identity Law and Civil Union Act, and [issues about] the military recruitment. When transgenders are 21, they have to go for military recruitment, and we have to make sure we do not get sexual harassment. We work as partners with the Thai government. We work with many networks and organisations – the Human Rights Commission also, we work for six years.

And the last part is capacity building, skill building, for transgender activists. Because now, in Thailand, English is not our mother tongue. As you see, if we can speak English we can communicate with all people about the world. That is important.

YS: How do you find the conference?

Note: The conference is good. I think I get many information about the situation in human rights in Asia. I meet some friends – I know transgender friends also; [we will] keep connections and be working together in the future. I’m really interested, because many conferences will focus only on HIV/AIDS, but in this one we focus on human rights. It’s very important for us, especially for transpeople.

YS: Is the translation okay?

Note: Yes, the translation is okay. I think they prepared for the interpreter. But I have to practice more English also for the international conference. Sometimes it is quite hard because some participants speak very quickly.

YS: Is there anything else you want to say?

Note: I think this conference should give more opportunity for transgender people. If we saw the numbers of the participants, most are gays and lesbians and a few are transgender people. In the future, I hope they will grant scholarships for transgenders also, equally.