Argentina - Gay/Lesbian Anti-Discrimination Act Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit De: Alejandra Sarda Action Alert: Amendment of Anti-Discriminatory Law Dear friends: You will find below a translated letter from Liga de Defensa de las Minorias Sexuales (Sexual Minorities Defense League). We need your help to get the categories of "sexual orientation and identity" added to the national Antidiscriminatory Law. As you will see below, that process is currently detained at Rep. Ms. Graciela Camano's office. LIDEMS supplies you with a letter you can send by email or fax "straight" to her. It will take just a minute for you but it will be of inmense help to gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people living in Argentina. Thanks in advance. And, please, send this message to others who can also help. Alejandra Sarda Lesbian, Bisexual and Different Women's Archives and Library Guardia Vieja 4329, 7mo H, 1192, Buenos Aires, Argentina Tel. (54 1) 4863 91 90 Fax (54 1) 4382 90 95 Email: escrita@arnet.com.ar ******************************************************************** Liga de Defensa de las Minorias Sexuales Asociacion Civil. resolucion IGJ 1074/98 Republica Arabe Siria 3040 1 L. Buenos Aires. afabio@netex.com.ar Dear friends: As you might know, we have been working for some time on amending the Argentinean Anti-Discriminatory Law in such a way that it includes sexual orientation and sexual identity as protected categories. The project was approved by the Human Rights Committe at the House of Representatives and then went on to the Freedom of Expression Committee, where it has remained for ... seven months! We had met with Rep. Graciela Camano -who seems to opposse the project- and her advisor Mr. Gustavo Requejo, who said that they did not have any trouble with the inclusion of both categories but with the expression "and any other status" that made the Law too "far reaching". Mr. Requejo promised us the issue will be dealt with in March, but nothing has be done up to now. We are doing a close follow up on the issue, as it is of utmost interest to us. We phone them every week, to hear excuses like "the Committee hasn't been able to meet yet" or "we met, but there was no quorum" and so on. We understand that the time for action has come and for that reason we would like to ask your help. Please send the letter you will find below to Rep. Graciela Camano's e-mail address: camano@bloquepj.or.ar or by fax: (54 11)4370-6301. You are welcome to change any wording in the letter, and to add any considerations of your own. Dr. Carlos Manuel Egana Dr. Fabio Alvarez Esturao **************************************************************** Buenos Aires, April 20 1999. Dear Ms. Camano: We kindly request, once again, that the Freedom of Expression Committee deals with the issue of project # 2962-D-98 aimed at including discriminatory acts or omissions based on sexual orientation or identity in the current Law 23.592 "Against discriminatory acts". As you well know, our country fails to provide any guarantee to sexual minorities when they are subjected to human rights violations. Such a "legislative void" could be read as condoning the discrimination suffered by many citizens, specially in the rural areas, based on sexual orientation and identity. Unlike many other countries in the world, where sexual minorities are protected either in the Constitutions themselves (South Africa, Brazil, Ecuador) or by special laws (European Union, Canada, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Iceland, United States, Mexico and recently the Czech Republic) our country provides no protection for its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens. It is very hard for us to understand the reasons why the above mentioned project -aimed to provide such protection- has remained for 7 months in the hands of the Freedom of Expression Committe, of wich you are the Chairperson. We urge you to deal with the matter as soon as possible, as it affects the lives of many and the very standard of Argentina as a country ruled by equity and human rights. Respectfully yours, (NAME OF ORGANIZATION /INDIVIDUAL) ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytsxp-04.25.99-11:50:02-31012