Suchergebnisse

In April, 2003 the Brazilian government introduced a historic resolution on 'Human rights and sexual orientation'. The resolution itself did not go very far as it merely 'expresses deep concern at the occurrence of violations of human rights in the world against persons on the grounds of their sexual orientation' and 'stresses that human rights and fundamental freedoms are the birth right of all human beings, that the universal nature of these rights and freedoms is beyond question and that the enjoyment of such rights and freedoms should not be hindered in any way on the grounds of sexual orientation'. ; AsiaPacifiQueer Network, Australian National University

Citizenship, as conventionally understood, draws its definitional strength from a framework of national law increasingly supplemented by international law. There is a radical potential to the idea of citizenship as a concept that allows it to represent the rights of groups that have historically been marginalised. The recent history of the queer rights movement shows an attempt to frame queer struggles within the language of rights. While this has undoubtedly been an extremely useful strategy in terms of putting forward the radical idea of queer people as citizens of this country, it suffers from serious limitations. While mapping out the strengths of the use of rights as a framework of articulation, this article goes on to note the significant ways in which the radical critique of institutions such as the family and monogamy is muted by an appeal to the law. What the law eventually protects is a queer citizen who leaves aside his queerness and joins the mainstream as a person who is different but equal. In this context, this article addresses the role of the ´illegal citizen' who resists the demands of ´normality' and thereby struggles to articulate his/her concerns in the face of a legal system that cannot take on board the diverse ways in which his/her life threatens mainstream institutions.

Indien nennt sich stolz die größte Demokratie der Welt. Dem Gesetz nach trifft die Bezeichnung zu, da die Regierungen, abgesehen von der Zeit des inneren Notstandes (1975-1977), in regelmäßig stattfindenden Wahlen gewählt und abgewählt wurden. Ist eine Staatsform jedoch schon dadurch eine Demokratie, dass regelmäßig Wahlen stattfinden? Muss sich eine Demokratie nicht auf eine Verfassung gründen, die ein gemeinsames Leben, Minderheiten und abweichende Ansichten zu achten, festschreibt? Nach allgemeiner Auffassung sind freie Medien und eine lebendige Zivilgesellschaft grundlegend für die Schaffung einer derartigen Demokratie.

Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights: (Neo)colonialism, Neoliberalism, Resistance and Hope is an outcome of a five-year international collaboration among partners that share a common legacy of British colonial laws that criminalise same-sex intimacy and gender identity/expression. The project sought to facilitate learning from each other and to create outcomes that would advance knowledge and social justice. The project was unique, combining research and writing with participatory documentary filmmaking. This visionary politics infuses the pages of the anthology. The chapters are bursting with invaluable first hand insights from leading activists at the forefront of some of the most fiercely fought battlegrounds of contemporary sexual politics in India, the Caribbean and Africa. As well, authors from Canada, Botswana and Kenya examine key turning points in the advancement of SOGI issues at the United Nations, and provide critical insights on LGBT asylum in Canada. Authors also speak to a need to reorient and decolonise queer studies, and turn a critical gaze northwards from the Global South. It is a book for activists and academics in a range of disciplines from postcolonial and sexualities studies to filmmaking, as well as for policy-makers and practitioners committed to envisioning, and working for, a better future.