Pioneering LGBT activist Oscar Cazorla was killed in his home in Juchitan, in Oaxaca, Mexico, on Saturday (February 9).
According to the Oaxaca police, who have opened a murder investigation, the 68-year-old died from a blow to the heart inflicted by a sharp object.
Cazorla was well known in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca for advocating for the rights of those identifying as muxes, a third, non-binary gender that has been celebrated in the culture indigenous to the Istmo de Tehuantepec since pre-Hispanic times.
In 1976, the slain LGBT+ activist was one of the founders of the Vela de las Autenticas Intrepidas Buscadores del Peligro—which roughly translates as the Vigil of the Authentic, Fearless, Danger Seekers—an annual celebration that promotes the respect of muxes in Juchitan—a town of 75,000 that is home to an estimated 5,000 muxes, as AFP reported in 2017.
LGBT activist Oscar Cazorla founded a festival celebrating the muxe community in 1976. (Miho Hagino/Facebook)
Cazorla’s killing shocked the local community, who are mourning the activist. “The Authentic, Fearless, Danger Seekers are in mourning. You left us with the broken heart. Rest in peace. My brother Oscar Cazorla Lopez,” wrote the group’s president Felina Santiago Valdivieso, on Facebook.
Speaking to CNN Espanol, Santiago Valdivieso called for a thorough investigation into Cazorla’s murder, as no one has been arrested in connection with the death.
“He was a very happy person who welcomed anyone in his home with a smile. We cannot imagine who may have killed him,” they told the broadcaster.
Santiago Valdivieso also denounced an increase in homophobic and transphobic violence in the past four years against their community. “We are involved in a wave of violence affecting large parts of Mexico,” they said.
International institutions condemn the murder of LGBT+ activist Oscar Cazorla
International institutions also condemned Cazorla’s murder. Jan Jarab, the UN Human Rights Office’s representative in Mexico, said in a statement: “We condemn this terrible crime that affects the entire Muxe community and all human rights defenders in Oaxaca.”
Jarab continued: “In recent years, hate crimes and killings of LGBT+ rights defenders have occurred in different parts of the country without being adequately investigated. This pattern of impunity must be overcome and, for that, Oscar’s murder must be clarified, through a diligent investigation that considers all possible hypotheses, including the possibility of a hate crime or retaliation for his human rights defence activities.”
A statement from the European Union, Norway and Switzerland condemned both Cazorla’s death and that of journalist Jesús Eugenio Ramos Rodríguez, who was shot dead in the state of Tabasco on the same day as the LGBT+ activist’s murder.
The statement, issued on Tuesday (February 12), read: “We express our condolences and our deep solidarity with the family and friends of the victims. The deaths of Ramos and Cazorla demonstrate once again the worrisome degree of violence and intimidation faced by many journalists and defenders in Mexico.”
More than half of all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), and other LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. report they’ve been singled out — through harassment, name-calling, or violent acts — because of their sexuality, according to a 2017 survey conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public health. Of LGBTQ+ community members who attended or applied to college, 20 percent say they felt discriminated against while on campus.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community are three times more likely to experience mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety, than others, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Also, LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 10 and 24 are four times more likely to attempt suicide than straight and cisgender youth.
Bullying, assault, lack of family and community support, and many other factors contribute to these increased rates of depression and suicidal thoughts in LGBTQ+ community members. This guide is meant to provide resources and information to help those community members as well as to assist those close to them in understanding how to be allies.
LGBTQ+ community members experience bullying at a higher rate than straight and cisgender people. Here are resources to help stop bullying and harassment.
Organize: The U.S. Department of Education in 2011 mandated that all schools must allow students to form GSA clubs (originally called Gay-Straight Alliance clubs).
Know the laws: Stopbullying.gov published this breakdown of federal laws, including civil rights laws, that protect LGBTQ+ community members.
Talk to someone: The Trevor Project provides 24-hour phone, text, and online chat services to anyone experiencing a mental crisis.
It Gets Better Project: LGBTQ+ people share their stories to empower and uplift youth who’ve experienced discrimination based on their gender or sexual identity.
Sexual Assault/Discrimination and the LGBTQ+ Community
Sex-based discrimination: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website explains what sex discrimination is and how to prevent it.
The Healthcare Equality Index offers an up-to-date list of LGBTQ+-supportive health care policies and organizations.
Americanprogress.org published this article outlining the challenges facing LGBTQ+ people when looking for health care and offers suggestions and solutions.
What Is an Ally and How Can Allies Help?
An ally is anyone who actively supports and stands up for LGBTQ+ community members’ rights. This could mean not tolerating bullying or prejudice when confronted with it, attending activism events, speaking out in support of LGBTQ+ people, or any other action that creates a safe space. Here are a few specific ways to help people in the LGBTQ+ community:
Educate yourself: The Human Rights Campaign Foundation published this informative guide to help support LGBTQ+ individuals.
Display safe space materials: The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) offers a kit especially made for schools to let LGBTQ+ students know they’re supported.
Join or start a group or club: GSA clubs are run by students and allow members and visitors to support LGBTQ+ community members through activities, discussions, and self-expression.
How to Create Safe Schools and Campuses
Inclusive campuses: This Higher Education Today page offers resources for professors and other educators who want to make safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students.
Stomp Out Bullying: This page lists information and resources to help high school administrators recognize and prevent bullying and harassment.
Stop the Hate: This Campus Pride project supports colleges and universities in preventing discrimination and bullying.
More Impactful Resources
National LGBTQ Task Force: Mobilizes activists to promote inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ+ community members.
Today, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Defense and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to halt discharge proceedings against HIV-positive members of the U.S. Air Force. The order came in the case of Roe and Voe v. Shanahan, filed by Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDN, with partner law firm Winston & Strawn, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The two Airmen serving as plaintiffs, who filed pseudonymously, were given discharge orders at the end of last year after being found “unfit for continued military service” despite compliance with medical treatment and physical fitness requirements.
Despite support from their medical providers and commanding officers, the first of these Airmen was to be separated from service in just ten days. In granting the preliminary injunction, the judge ruled the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in preventing their discharge through the lawsuit and rejected the Trump Administration’s motion to dismiss.
“This is a major victory in our fight to ensure everyone living with HIV can serve their country without discrimination,” said Scott Schoettes, Counsel and HIV Project Director at Lambda Legal.
“These decisions should be based on science, not stigma, as today’s ruling from the bench demonstrates. Despite President Trump’s promise to improve the lives of people living with HIV at the State of the Union this month, his Administration continues to defend these policies and others discriminating against people most impacted by HIV. Lambda Legal will keep fighting until these brave and qualified Airmen can serve without limitation.”
Drag queen Bella Aldama reads to a large group of kids and parents during Drag Queen Story Hour16 February 2019 17:44 GMTRafaella Gunz
An estimated 500 people showed up to attend a San Francisco-based Drag Queen Story Hour on Monday, 11 February.
This huge gathering at the Brentwood Community Center showed support for the event after a small group of anti-LGBTI protesters deemed the event ‘inappropriate’ for children.
Contra Costa County Libraries, who hosted this event, was not expecting such a huge turnout. At the event, drag queen Bella Aldama read children’s stories to the youngest guests.
‘The Contra Costa County Library is proud of the event,’ spokeswoman Brooke Converse told SFGate. ‘Our mission is about bringing people and ideas together. We want to be representative and inclusive of everyone in our very diverse county and community.’
Yet, unfortunately, some members of the community were not thrilled about this type of event, hence the protest. When East County Today, a local East Bay website, posted news of the event they were bombarded with Facebook comments — some of which were positive, but many of which were critical.
‘I never received this response in the other events,’ Aldama told KTVU at the time. ‘I have never seen so many negative comments in one day.’
Considering many iterations of Drag Queen Story Hour have gone on for months both in California and across the country, it is unclear why this particular event received so much controversy.
Nevertheless, Converse said that most of the feedback before the 11 February event was supportive.
‘The biggest surprise has been how much positive feedback we’ve received,’ she told KTVU. ‘For every negative comment, there have been multiple comments in support.
Still, the negative comments were enough for the Brentwood police department to provide six uniformed officers to oversee the event. Thankfully, though, everything ran smoothly.T
Aldama was able to brush off the negative vibes, too.
‘There is nothing wrong with reading a children’s book that display diversity and different gender identities,’ Aldama told East County Today at the event. ‘We are all different, and everyone deserves respect and love. We are not trying to teach or brainwash anybody. Drag is just a form of gender expression.’S
San Francisco Mayor London Breed says that she’s signed legislation giving the go-ahead to Eagle Plaza, a long planned new park in west SoMa nearly four years in the making.
The designs for the 12,500-square-foot space include a prominent Leather Pride flag to acknowledge SoMa’s history with the LGBTQ and leather communities. The Eagle Plaza name derives from the nearby San Francisco Eagle gay bar.
Upon signing, Breed said in a public statement that Eagle Plaza “will be a place where we can recognize the Leather community and all LGBTQ people for their contributions to Western SOMA and our city, while also creating a much-needed new open space for all of our residents in the neighborhood.”
Thirteen same-sex couples demanding marriage equality filed lawsuits against the government at district courts across Japan on Valentine’s Day on Thursday, arguing that its refusal to allow them to marry is unconstitutional and discriminatory.
Each of the 26 plaintiffs is seeking 1 million yen ($9,000) in compensation, claiming that the government’s failure to recognize same-sex marriage has caused them emotional distress in what their lawyers say is the country’s first lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of such negligence.
The damages suits were jointly filed by the couples who are in their 20s through their 50s, and include Japanese and foreign partners, at the district courts in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Sapporo.
The European Parliament made history today (14 February) as it passed its first resolution dedicated to the ‘urgent need’ to protect the human rights of intersex people.
‘Intersex people are exposed to multiple instances of violence and discrimination in the European Union and these human rights violations remain widely unknown to the general public and policy makers,’ said the European Parliament resolution.
The resolution also pointed out the ‘urgent need to address violations of human rights of intersex people’. It called on the Commission and Member States to propose legislation to address these issues.
Claude Moraes MEP is the rapporteur for the resolution and member of the LGBTI Intergroup at the European Parliament. He said the resolution showed the ‘the European Parliament wants to ensure the European Union as a whole takes its responsibility in protecting the human rights of intersex people’.
‘Intersex people suffer from multiple human rights violations that have been recognised by multiple international organisations,’ he said.
Features of the resolution include condemning the medicalization and pathologization of intersex people. It also strongly condemns sex normalizing treatments and surgeries.
‘Too many countries, whether in the EU or worldwide, still allow “sex normalising surgery” to be performed on intersex children, even though most of the time they are not vital and performed for “societal” or “cosmetic” reasons,’ said Anna-Maria Corazza Bildt MEP. Bildt is the shadow rapporteur for the resolution, member of the LGBTI Intergroup and co-chair of the Children’s Rights Intergroup at the European Parliament.
A milestone and landmark resolution
Intersex and LGBTI groups celebrated the resolution.
‘We applaud the European Parliament for issuing this outstanding resolution’, said Kitty Anderson, Co-Chair of OII Europe (Organiation Intersex International Europe).
‘It is clearly based on an in-depth knowledge about the human rights violations that intersex people face in within the European Union.’
“ILGA Europe enthusiastically celebrates this historic resolution as the fruit of enormous labour on the part of intersex activist across Europe”, adds Evelyn Paradis, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe.
Other issues addressed by the resolution include the need of adequate counselling and support for intersex people and their families, and increased funding for intersex-led civil society organisations.
During the debate which preceded the voting, members of the European Parliament almost unanimously spoke in favour of the resolution and emphasised that ‘human rights violations experienced by [intersex people] are significant’. Many also argued that ‘there is nothing unhealthy about being intersex’.
Minister Delegate George Ciamba who represents the Romanian presidency said ‘extending the right to equal treatment to intersex people is entirely within the spirit of our common European values and of our common campaign for inclusiveness’.
OII Europe co-chair, Miriam van der Have said the resolution has set a clear agenda for what the next steps are to protect intersex people’s rights.
‘Putting an end to genital mutilation of intersex infants and children is a matter of urgency and the European Parliament is very clear about that,’ van der Have said.
The Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) applauds California Senator Scott Wiener for proposing changes to legislation that would protect anyone reporting a serious crime (such as sexual assault, trafficking, robbery, assault, …or other violent crime) from being charged with prostitution under California Penal Code 647.
Senator Weiner’s legislation is being announced in a press conference at 10am at the Saint James Infirmary 730 Polk Street 4th Floor San Francisco on Monday Feb. 11, 2019. The new proposal advances women’s rights. It protects all women regardless of what they do for a living or how they conduct their personal sex lives. In this age of #MeToo, we simply cannot continue to punish women for being assaulted and raped. Only one of other state, Alaska has passed a similar version of this protection bill in 2017.
The long-standing criminalization of prostitution creates an environment that is exploited by criminals – and by sexual predators who explicitly target sex workers. For example, Gary Ridgway, the “Green River Killer”, who may have killed more than 70 women, murdered prostitutes because “nobody would miss them” – and he knew that the police didn’t care.
This legislation will make it easier for people like Reada Wong and Veronica Monet to report violence – and encourages the police to take assaults against sex workers seriously.
“I was violently assaulted by a predator who targeted prostitutes in 2012,” said Reada Wong. “When I went to police, they were initially supportive. But when they found out that I was a prostitute, they lost interest, demeaned me, and threatened to charge me. And then, much later, when the guy was finally charged, he plead guilty. If the police and district attorney had a done their jobs when I reported the assault, the predator wouldn’t have still been out there to assault other women.”
“I was raped by a client in 2001,” said Veronica Monet. “I wasn’t his first victim nor his last. In fact, his house had bars on all the doors and windows and there was no way to exit the premises without a key. Once inside I was trapped with a 350 pound man who was obviously capable of brutal violence. Three weeks after he raped me, he stabbed a young woman in the face when she resisted. I along with other activists were sharing information online so we knew he was a dangerous serial rapist. We knew his name, how he operated, and where he lived. But when I reported my rape to the Oakland Police Department they did nothing. In fact, they wanted to arrest me for getting raped because I admitted that I was a prostitute. After three years and after working with several women’s organizations to apply pressure on then Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown to take my deposition, I was finally allowed to report this rape without threat of being arrested myself. However, the police made no attempt to contact this violent predator’s other victims, and he was neither questioned or apprehended. As a result, he is still out there to this day, and remains a serious threat to the safety of all women.”
“It is for this reason that I am very pleased to support this new legislation which enables prostitutes to report rape and assault without fear of being arrested,” Monet concluded.
“This legislation has been a long time coming”, said Maxine Doogan of ESPLERP. “Especially in light of the recent disaster for the sex trade workers in the wake of the passing of Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTAT), passed in April of 2018 which leaves so many vulnerable. So we applaud Senator Scott Wiener for taking this public safety issue seriously, because if they get away with victimizing us, it’ll embolden them to target any member of the public.”
The Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP) is a diverse community-based coalition advancing sexual privacy rights through litigation, education, and research. Contributions to support the court case can be submitted through our crowd fundraiser – www.litigatetoemancipate.com.
Erotic Service Providers Legal, Education and Research Project (ESPLERP)
Rudy Akbarian is a transgender veteran of the United States Army. – Advertisement –
Akbarian, a descendent of Armenian ancestry, is not only filled with patriotism for serving in his country’s military but he is also willing to die for his country and defend its national ethos. Its ethos are, essentially, an amalgamation of ideals which include democracy, liberty and equality.
His response to that question: “I feel like the white man is not this country. This country is everything before — it’s diversity. This country is love, acceptance and willingness to love your neighbor and help your neighbor. That’s how I remember this country. Donald Trump has just given the racist white man a voice and that’s not what America is.”
Akbarian’s family lineage is one deeply affected by political oppression and violence overseas. For example, his great grandmother survived the Armenian genocide — she witnessed her mother’s beheading at the tender age of seven years old. Furthermore, Akbarian’s parents came to the United States as refugees from Iran — seeking asylum from violent political turmoil.
Transgender U.S. veteran, Rudy Akbarian, says he misses the feeling of putting on his uniform everyday. He still feels great patriotism for the country he served for six years.
“America saved my family’s life because they took them in,” Akbarian. “I’m the first born, the first natural born American. I have a lot of patriotism, a lot of love for this country — for how it opened its doors to my family and protected my family. I felt that I needed to do the same by protecting this country.”
Akbarian served in the military for six years — before he retired, he served as a specialist in E-4. In essence, he was one rank short of becoming a full-fledged sergeant.
He began medically transitioning – while in the military – at the age of 23. He started the process as soon as he returned from boot camp and advanced individual training — he was merely a private in the military then.
Back in July 2017, President Trump tweeted that one of his reasons for banning transgender people from the military was due to the “tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” Akbarian claims he never asked for any financial assistance from the military during his transitioning process. Furthermore, his intent was far from disrupting the unit he worked in — Akbarian wanted to keep his transition as discreet as possible.
After beginning hormone replacement therapy, the facial changes came sooner than expected.
“I didn’t think that I was going to see changes so fast but, little did my Armenian-self know, that I was going to grow facial hair like I just came out of the womb with it,” Akbarian said. “I’m a really hairy guy.”
At the time, the military was not “okay” with transitioning, according to Akbarian. He figured that he could begin transitioning and hide the fact until the facial changes become too evident to remain a secret. However, within his first year of hormone replacement therapy, his body hair became adamant. He knew then that he needed to begin having conversations with his fellow soldiers about why he suddenly had a five o’clock shadow at eight in the morning.
He was wary of backlash from his higher-ups in the military — for instance, he assumed he would eventually have to resign from the military as a result of being transgender. However, Akbarian was greeted with tolerance, respect and a sincere desire, from his colleagues, to better understand his situation.
“THEY [COMMANDING OFFICERS] WERE 100 PERCENT SUPPORTIVE AND, MOST OF THE TIME, THEY WERE LIKE, ‘WE DON’T EVEN SEE GENDER; WE JUST SEE SOLDIERS,” AKBARIAN SAID. “YOU GOT A MISSION, GO DO THE SH-T, GET IT DONE AND THAT’S IT. WE HAD A BUNCH OF CIS-GIRLS AND CIS-BOYS IN THE UNIT. EVERYBODY KIND OF MINGLED WITHIN EACH OTHER. WE SAW EACH OTHER AS FAMILY.”
His unit was a progressive one — so much that one day a U.S. Army major came out to his unit’s location to provide soldiers with “transgender training.” This program would provide cisgender soldiers with essential information to better understand their transgender counterparts in the military.
“It was incredible,” Akbarian said. “I stepped up [during the training] and answered a bunch of questions that people had that they were too scared to ask. It was a really enlightening, eye-opening experience for both me and the people who were in my unit.
“Everytime I went on base, everytime I put on the uniform — I was happy to do so. In fact, I miss it so much. I think about it everyday.”
When Akbarian heard the news regarding the Supreme Court granting the Trump Administration’s request to bar transgender individuals from serving in the military, he said that he felt pained.
“I thought it was a joke,” Akbarian said. “Then when I saw my trans military facebook friends talking about it and them freaking out, I was heartbroken. How? How can this happen in America? And how can somebody who has never served a day in life in his life — who avoided the draft God knows how many times — try to tell us that we can’t serve when we just want to protect the country?”
Akbarian said he never felt discriminated against while in the military. In fact, he felt at home. Although there were awkward moments — for example, there was one occasion when Akbarian was unsure which gendered showers were appropriate for him. The soldier felt welcome among his peers.
“I’m happy that I’m no longer enlisted — that I’m a veteran now, technically,” Akbarian said. “I wish I could have re-enlisted but I’m glad that I didn’t because [the news] didn’t hurt as much. I’m not thinking about what I’m going to do next or where I’m going to go. But it still hurt, because there are people I know who are doing 20 years, who are doing multiple years, who are in such high ranks, who are trans, in the military and serving so honorably and courageously that are about to lose their career.”
Following his departure from the military, Akbarian worked as an employment specialist for the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Center. At The Center, he assisted homeless LGBTQ+ youth in finding employment opportunities. He is currently attending barber school.
“I offer haircuts to the LGBTQ community — free haircuts, I don’t take any money from LGBTQ people. Just totally donation-based,” Akbarian said.
He still feels a significant amount of pride and patriotism as a veteran of the U.S. army. He said that he hopes the upcoming presidential election will bring about a progressive leader — one that both Democrats and Democratic Socialists could get behind to support.
“If Donald Trump wins 2020, he’s already destroyed America. He’s exposed the most horrid, racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic people that live and exist in America,” Akbarian said. “I don’t really know how much worse it can get. I’m really scared for America.”
An 11-year-old student needs to be escorted to her classes after a violent attack and a series of threats.
Savannah Tirre, a sixth-grader at Zia Middle School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, has been threatened on social media by her peers. She has now returned to school. The tween is being escorted to lessons by a Mesilla town marshal, according to Las Cruces Sun News.
Her mother told the news site she has been the target of bullying since October after Tirre came out as gay. The bullying began at her former school Picacho Middle School, forcing her to transfer to Zia.
She came out in the summer after fifth grade
The bullying only continued in her new school.
On Friday (8 February), students published a video on Facebook showing Tirre being punched six times by a student. The bully is not identified.
While the video doesn’t explicitly mention her sexuality, comments on social media threaten more violence and called her gay. One comment seen by the Sun News shows one person calling her ‘a little lesbian’ while saying she is ‘about to get jumped Monday again so get your phones out’.
Her mother has now filed a police report.
Savannah Tirre came out to her mother after graduating from fifth grade at Mesilla Elementary School.
Her family have always accepted her, but the students have not been so kind. According to her mother, the bullying was so intense that she started experiencing seizures that required medical attention by a pediatric intensive care unit.
The school have launched action plans to monitor the physical and emotional health of Tirre. Disciplinary action against the bullies have not yet decided, but the school said Savannah will not face suspension for fighting back.
