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About the most Important
«Zerkalo-plus» Cultural and educational publication about gender relations issues, is published by SRL “Zerkalo” with the financial support of Swedish Helsinki Committee with assistance of Cordaid foundation and Information Centre “GenderDoc-M”. The magazine is registered by Registration Chamber of the Moldovan Ministry of Justice, certificate number: 103102820 from 6 November 1998. The chief editor Alexei MARCICOV E-mail: mordwin_c@mail.ru Mobile: 0(691)42822 For information: 54-44-20 Address: MD-2001, Chisinau, box 317 E-mail: info@gay.md Internet: www.gay.md Offset printing The magazine is printed at Polygraph Centre. Order №
Special edition of the magazine in English: digest for 2006
Moldova needs a law that would ensure the basic rights of the LGBT community Appeal of Information Centre GenderDoc-M to the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
On October 4, 2005, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a resolution on Moldova, which contains recommendations for Moldovan authorities related to the protection of the rights of sexual minorities. Paragraph 14.4 calls on authorities to ensure the basic rights of sexual minorities. This provision was based on the Report on Human Rights in Moldova, prepared by Josette Durieu (France) and Mikal Kvakkestad (Norway). Point 172 of this Report mentions: “During our last visit to Chisinau, representatives of the non-governmental organization GenderDoc-M, which protects the rights of sexual minorities, stated that city authorities had refused their request to carry out a peaceful demonstration aimed at appealing to Parliament to contribute in the fight against the discrimination of sexual minorities, specifically by adopting anti-discrimination legislation. According to a GenderDoc-M representative, the Interim Mayor rationalized this refusal with the argument that Moldova already had a law that protects national minorities. GenderDoc-M representative mentioned a “Manners Police” as well. Official representatives whom we have addressed for an explanation stated that they did not know about the refusal of permission to carry out such a demonstration and denied the existence of a “Manners Police”. Having received such an answer we would like to remark that a democratic Government must observe the basic rights of its citizens and that discrimination against sexual minorities is intolerable”. Regarding the explanation provided to PACE reporters by official Moldovan representatives, we want to mention that information on the prohibition of this peaceful demonstration by Chisinau City Hall had been disseminated by the printed press, including by the “Dialog” bulletin (No.2, 2005), which is delivered to the Parliament, the Office of the President, and other state bodies. Greater attention, however,
was paid in the newspapers to spurious and even humorous reasons for their refusal presented by the City Hall representative in court, such as that the heterosexual majority does not like gays and lesbians and that they, the gays and lesbians, intended to carry out the demonstration naked. As for the “Manners Police”, the information given by official representatives does not correspond to reality either. Within the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Central Directorate for Public Order is included the office of Inspector for Minors and Manners (or morals), and within the General Police Commissariat of the Chisinau municipality there is a structural division, which is called the “Manners Police” both by the people and by the police. We know this not by hearsay, but because we have been summoned several times by this body to give explanations regarding the activities of GenderDoc-M, and to submit a written “commitment” that festival participants would not demonstrate in front of the Parliament building during the Pride, an illegal demand. As for our relations with the national legislature, we would like to say that, while City Hall was considering their decision to refuse GenderDoc-M permission to carry out a peaceful demonstration, members of the commission advised us not to carry out the demonstration but rather to initiate a dialogue with MPs on a one-to-one basis. That is why when the counsel for Mrs. Zolotko, the Speaker of Parliament, called GenderDoc-M we were glad and decided that things had started to change. It happened just before the PACE hearings concerning the Report on Human Rights in Moldova. For more than 40 minutes, Mrs. Zolotko spoke to the President of our organization about what laws were needed to protect the rights of LGBT people. (Continuation on pag. 4)
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(Continuation from pag. 3) The discussion ended with a wish from both parties to continue the dialogue after her counsellor returned from Bruxells. We believed her intentions were sincere and were looking forward to the meeting, but it did not happen. Most importantly, we had hoped that, by adopting the “Calendar Plan of Legislative Activities, approved in accordance with the Resolution and Recommendations of the Commission on the Fulfilment of Tasks and Obligations of States – members of the Council of Europe”, Parliament would begin to institute the aforementioned laws ensuring the basic rights of sexual minorities. Unfortunately, we could not find any mention of that in the document adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova (Decision No. PP0284/2005) on November 11, 2005. That is why we are addressing the legislature, asking it to explain the reasons why point 14.4 of the PACE Resolution on ensuring the basic rights of sexual minorities has not been dealt with by MPs, and notifying PACE of the same. In conclusion, we would like once again to express our wish to become full citizens of our country, and to see some consistency in the tendency of our legislature towards European integration, a process which also involves the observance of the basic rights of sexual minorities. Their desire for the latter could be proven by the introduction of measures for developing and adopting the anti-discrimination law contained in the “Calendar Plan of Legislative Activities”. This is especially relevant given that the latter was already included in the National Action Plan for Human Rights, adopted by Parliament in the Autumn of 2003, and is also part of the EU-Moldova Action Plan. By the way, for some reason the plan for the accomplishment of the EU-Moldova Action Plan published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website mentions only the development of the anti-discrimination law for national minorities, although the Action Plan states: “development of the anti-discrimination law for minorities according to European standards”. These standards have been set by the Amsterdam Agreement of the Council of Europe (Article 13 stipulates non-discrimination based on sexual orientation), the European Charter of Human Rights (CoE), the European Convention on Human Rights etc. Why does Moldova systematically ignore the fulfilment of obligations to which it has committed itself? Finally, GenderDoc-M also insists on amendments to existing legislation which would stop the wave of “hate speech,” and on the adoption of a decision regulating partnerships between same-sex couples, which became reality in 1995 when homosexual love was decriminalized. Alexei Marcicov, President of Information Centre GenderDoc-M
About the most Important
Discrimination As It Is We are frequently accused of having everything but still wanting something. Why, for example, do we request permission to organize a peaceful demonstration; why do we need an antidiscrimination law? After all, we are able to live, and meet and love. “Nobody hinders you from doing these things,” we are told, “what else do you want?!” Then they add “People are starving, while you grow more demanding.” They say this as though we were not from the same country. As if we who come to the Information Centre “Gender-Doc-M” were not also the pensioners, whose pensions are barely enough to pay their public utilities; were not also students, whose scholarships are equal to two or three lunches in a café.” As if we were not also the people who are stopped in the street or shouted at from behind: “faggots!” As if we were not the people who are undressed in parks and squares. Here are just a few examples of how we live, and how we “grow more demanding”. A young homosexual was walking in the Valea Morilor Park, when he was approached by two police officers wearing civilian clothes who asked him to have sex with them. At his refusal, they showed him their police IDs and asked him to follow them to the police station. Besides threatening him with imprisonment under Article 106 of the Criminal Code, which had already been repealed by that time, they also told him that they would tell his employer, his parents and his friends about his sexual orientation. They took away his mobile phone and said they would give it back after Slava, this was the name of the young man, had brought them 700 lei as compensation for the time they had wasted with him. Here is another example, also involving law enforcement officers. Two young people were “making love” in a car in a forest outside of the city when they were approached by police officers, who asked them to open the door. They were ordered to follow the officers to the police station, where they were then psychologically and physically abused: they were threatened with indictment for sodomy and with the police informing their parents and colleagues. Compensation was demanded from them in order for the police to “keep silent.” While the first case was taken to court and the extortionists punished, this time refusals have come one after another. Recently, the attorney for the plaintiff submitted a complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Moldova with regard to the “passivity of authorities”. A further note regarding police attitudes toward the LGBT community: Information Centre GenderDoc-M workers recently participated in a seminar organised by the Helsinki Committee in Moldova. At the seminar, a senior police officer, head of one of the subdivisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated, with no embarrassment, that
“the most important law for me is the God’s law, according to which homosexuality is a sin and the one who commits it deserves to die.” Not a single person disputed the officer. GenderDoc-M has twice sent letters to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, receiving a response, signed by a different head of the same department, which stated very seriously that “the opinions presented at the seminar express the personal position of a citizen of the Republic of Moldova.” The author of the letter is not bothered by the fact that the personal position of this citizen of Moldova was a criminal call for the harsh treatment of those who differ from other citizens only by their sexual orientation. This gives the impression that our public officers either do not understand or do not want to understand that the “opinion of a citizen,” when expressed before subordinates, is likely to become an example to be followed, i.e. if the chief thinks gays do not deserve anything but death, this must really be so. No sooner said than done, aggression on the part of police officers in Valea Morilor and Valea Trandafirilor Parks has become more frequent as of late. Though, thank God, it has not yet come to murder, the money being extorted in these places is just as certainly gone for good. Nastya and Anzhela had fallen in love and decided to live together. Anzhela was married by that time however and had a child. Her husband could think of nothing but “teaching his wife a lesson”. The praetor of the sector they lived in and the sector police officers helped him in this. The praetor put pressure on the owner of the apartment the young women wanted to rent together, and insulted them in the course of his official duties. Consequently, the young women were refused both the apartment and the corresponding registration for a place of residence. At the same time, police officers, at the husband’s request, began to pursue the
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second young woman who, as a citizen of a foreign country who had been refused an apartment and registration, was in violation of the passport regime. Nastya was taken countless times to the police station, where they took away her passport and threatened her with expulsion from the country. Upon a request by the lawyer for the GenderDocM Centre, this case of “unacceptable conduct by law enforcement bodies” was examined by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the police officers were disciplined. It should be mentioned that this is not the only case in which the MIA has supported the Centre in seeking justice for our beneficiaries. Only the wilfully disinterested are unaware of the court case involving Information Centre GenderDoc-M and the Chisinau Mayor’s Office. The Moldovan LGBT community was denied permission to carry out a peaceful demonstration in front of Parliament. Let us remind you that this peaceful demonstration was to take place in May 2005 in support of anti-discrimination legislation protecting sexual minorities. Nonetheless, as a result of a decision by the Mayor’s Office, the demonstration was forbidden on the grounds that “there already is a law on national minorities.” Information Centre GenderDoc-M filed a complaint with the courts regarding the decision and won the case. However, after an appeal by the municipality, the case was, paradoxically, returned to the first court for re-examination. We are, of course, ready to go through every court, up to the European Court of Human Rights, in order to see justice triumph. The important question though is: why does it take so much effort and so much time in our country to be able to exercise one’s constitutional rights? What we have described here were only a few of the most outrageous violations of the rights of sexual minorities, and, of those, only cases that took place in 2005 and involved the Government or law enforcement agencies. However, there are so many other cases that have not received attention, even from us. People are simply not ready to openly display their sexual orientation and risk being socially outcast, rejected by their relatives, friends, acquaintances and colleagues. This is why they are afraid to make any official declaration. As a result, fear remains a decisive factor in the relationship between sexual minorities and the heterosexual majority.
Ili Ias
It is not the first time that Information Centre GenderDoc-M has questioned visitors to our website (www.gay.md) regarding the observance of their rights and freedoms. This time however, the answer to our question was astounding in terms of what it suggests about the current situation of gays and lesbians in Moldova. We asked “would you go abroad because of discrimination based on sexual orientation?” 58% responded “YES,” only 20 % answered “NO,” 10% had
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Police Ordered to Take Down the Flag of GenderDoc-M On August 31, Amnesty International Moldova along with other non-governmental organizations (Casa Marioarei, GenderDoc-M, and Winrock International) successfully organized and carried out a public action in Chisinau as part of the “Let Us Stop Violence against Women!” campaign. More than 570 signatures were collected in support of women’s rights, and more than 600 leaflets with options for protecting oneself against domestic violence were distributed. It is worth mentioning that this organization has been carrying out such actions for more than 6 years, and that it has never had any serious problems with the police. This time, police officers, including a person in civilian clothing who presented himself as the head of the Chisinau Police Department of Public Order, ordered us to take down the GenderDoc–M flag. They justified their order with the argument that GenderDoc-M works with the community of sexual minorities and “advocates” their life style, and also that it was not included on the official list of participants in the action. At the same time however, the police officers had no objection to the flag of the other partner organization, Winrock International. Representatives of Amnesty International Moldova objected to the police order: GenderDocM, like Amnesty International Moldova, works to stop domestic violence. In particular, it provides different types of assistance to representatives of sexual minorities who are subjected to violence by their relatives and intimate relations. Therefore, the participation of this organization in the action was logical. The head of Chisinau Police Department of Public Order stated that he would inform Chisinau City Hall of the fact that Amnesty International Moldova had cooperated with GenderDoc-M, so that “this circumstance would be taken into account when giving or refusing to give the permission to the organization to carry out subsequent actions.” The growing tension was eased only after reporters from TV7 arrived. Around 13:00 however, the police, in “protest,” sent away their guards, emphasizing that “if something happens,
you will be responsible.” Around 13:30, when organizers of the action started removing their informational materials, they were approached by a group of activists from a religious organization that was known to the organizers for its extremely negative attitude towards the activities of GenderDoc-M. The group consisted of about eight people wearing yellow T-shirts. Representatives of this organization had disrupted the “All Different - All Equal” conference about a month ago in Causani. This time, the situation was settled by a quiet talk, as the action itself was practically over. A letter distributed recently by the organizers of the action expressed the hope that there was no connection between the words and actions of the police officers and the appearance of activists from this religious organization. Otherwise, one might conclude that state authorities were using the church as a weapon in their fight against undesirable organizations. In order to investigate this matter, Amnesty International Moldova has decided to inform the administration of the Chisinau Police Department, as well as appropriate state bodies, about what happened, in addition to sending a letter to international organizations.
To run where eyes look
not yet decided, and 12% have already gone!! We all understand that life is not easy, especially in a country, which has recently become independent and in undergoing a difficult period. We cannot always be satisfied with everything in society. As conscious citizens, we try hard to change the situation. However, it is much worse when your rights are violated and you cannot do anything to change this; when your rights and freedoms are not simply taken from you, but are taken with the permission of the state, and then this action is approved by those officials who are
assigned to supervise the implementation of the main provisions of the Constitution. In our opinion, responsibility for such awful statistics should lie heavily on the conscience of our Mayor’s Office, which over and over again has denied the right of the LGBT community to a peaceful demonstration, and with the Parliament, which has not yet been able to pass an antidiscrimination law. Those who are elected by the people to public service or to the national legislature should seriously think about this; otherwise in the near future, there may be no-one left to attend their meetings and hearings.
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Information Centre GenderDoc-M declares 2006 to be the Year for Fighting Discrimination. The offences perpetrated against gays and lesbians on account of sexual orientation that took place during 2005 have compelled us do this. GenderDoc-M itself registered 8 such cases. Moreover, law enforcement officials were involved in 4 of these cases, and City Hall in one. How many violations of human rights on the grounds of sex, race, national or religious identity, disability and HIV status are still occuring, 57 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in a country that wants to join the European Union? “To discriminate means to distinguish or to treat differently two different persons or two situations when there is no significant difference between them, or to treat equally situations that, in fact, are different.” This is how European institutions define a phenomenon which, in a world proclaiming the importance of equality, is becoming more and more alarming. It is a phenomenon that leads to stigma, blame, and sometimes even death. Unfortunately, discrimination finds a hospitable environment here in Moldova. This is largely because our legislative mechanisms are not able to control it. Certain European countries, including our neighbour Romania, have passed an anti-discrimination law. Does Moldova need this? We put this question to specialists in human rights as well as representatives from state bodies, political parties, and civil society. Today we publish the first reactions to it.
Oleg Tsulea, Member of Parliament, Democratic Party of Moldova:
- The legislation in force in the Republic of Moldova does not cover all of the aspects related to discrimination prevention. Maybe this is a reason why the observance of human rights is a problem in our country. The cases examined
There shall be Law!
NO ONE IS PROTECTED FROM DISCRIMINATION by the European Court, of which our country has not won any, prove this. Other European countries, such as Romania and Bulgaria, have special laws that prevent discrimination. Moreover, Romania provides an example of how this law works, particularly under pressure from non-governmental organizations. That is why I can say with certainty that we need such a law, above all to ensure an equal attitude towards all categories of citizens.
Viorel Ursu, Legal Expert, Brussels:
- The Republic of Moldova has made many efforts to build a truly democratic state where the dignity, rights, and freedoms of each citizen would be observed without any limitation. Unfortunately, the existent legislative framework does not provide sufficient guarantees for the free development of all the citizens of the state. Many persons, including representatives of the LGBT community, continue to suffer from discrimination and violent acts against them, only because they are “strangers,” or different from the rest. That is why I am for passing the anti-discrimination law. The introduction of such special legislation is also an obligatory part of the process of European integration which our country has begun, and which involves bringing legislation in line with European Union standards. All of the states that are candidates for EU membership have passed such laws. As proof of its support for European values, the Republic of Moldova must ratify, as soon as possible, Protocol No.12 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which proclaims the principle of nondiscrimination under any circumstances. Apart from this, for the anti-discrimination law to become really effective in fighting homophobia both in the public and private sectors, the legislature has to define the notion
of discrimination as clearly as possible and create an independent, specialized body that would oversee compliance with the legislation. Depending on the complexity of the case, the law should impose financial sanctions, including reparations for emotional damage caused to victims. Special measures should be taken to fight hate speech and incitement to discrimination. The Criminal Code should be supplemented with more aggravating factors for cases of offences based on race, national origin, religious hatred, social position, beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disease, and other personality peculiarities. However, these measures will not have the expected effect without a proactive informational and educational campaign for the general public.
Cristina, student, volunteer in a non-governmental organization:
- First, we should remember what country we live in. Here, the attitude of the majority towards the minority is based on beliefs and stereotypes formed under a totalitarian regime, wherein, for example, homosexual love was a crime punished with imprisonment according to Soviet law. Many citizens of Moldova firmly believe that the situation is still the same. Moreover, quite a large number of law enforcement officials are among those who think like this. Therefore, I say that the antidiscrimination law is vitally necessary. If we talk about the decriminalization of homosexual relations, we must also protect people in the LGBT community against discrimination by those who do not know the new laws or intentionally do not want to observe them. This law shall make discrimination visible, and then certain acts of our compatriots, for which they are not accountable for today, shall become illegal.
Paula Grecu
“Unfortunately, Our Country Does Not Ensure Equal Rights for Everyone” Paula Grecu interviews Ion Oborocheanu
It is well known that a strong civil society contributes to the consolidation of democracy in a country. The process of developing this extremely important structure has obviously been a lengthy one for the Republic of Moldova. Nevertheless, functioning non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) have recently begun to appear with greater frequency in regional areas. This fact gives one hope. One of these organizations is the Causeni Law Center. Our reporter met recently with their Chairman, Ion Oborocheanu, who told us about the achievements and prospects for development of the organization, as well as about their work in the field of human rights at the regional level…
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- Mr. Oborocheanu, Moldovan nongovernmental organizations are frequently criticized. It is said that they are incapable of solving serious problems, and that the activities they engage in are nothing more than idle talk. Is this true? - One of the main tasks of our center is to protect the rights of different groups and categories of citizens. However, we pay special attention to minorities, including ethnic and sexual minorities as well as other groups of people who are not protected by the existing officials and legislation. Therefore, we can assume that such criticism comes from people who do not like our activities. After all, as a rule, people who consult NGOs are seeking protection from the tyranny of the aforementioned officials and laws. We inform people about their rights and about how they can defend them in court or in other instances. This is why legal experts, psychologists, and social assistants work at our center. We have signed a cooperation agreement with the Helsinki Committee in Moldova and the Association of Women Lawyers, which has resulted in the opening of a regional office in Causeni for the prevention of the trafficking of women. I personally offer assistance in court to the victims of such offences. Unfortunately, it is a tragedy of our time that people will run anywhere and agree to carry out any type of work in order to support themselves and their families. They run away from poverty while the state, personified in its officials, is at a loss how to react. - Do you cooperate with other NGOs in your region?
Paula Grecu interviews Nicolae Raditsa In the Republic of Moldova, unlike in other European states such as Romania, Bosnia, and Bulgaria which have recently taken the path of democratic development, there is no law against discrimination. Current legislation in this country does not cover all the dimensions necessary for preventing the violation of human rights based on political affiliation, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender and other criteria. We asked Nicolae Raditsa, coordinator of the Association of Student Programs, and member of the workgroup for the development of the anti-discrimination law, what place such a law would take in the life of our society. - No-one is protected from discrimination, which encompasses any preference, restriction or exclusion of certain persons on the basis of their sexual orientation, social status, ethnic origin, race or other criteria. There is no piece of legislation in the Republic of Moldova that provides for the protection of citizens from discrimination based on the above-mentioned criteria. Even the Criminal Code lacks such provisions, while the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova stipulates only that equality and equal access to justice be insured, which does not equate to an actual instrument of protection. All these facts support the notion that we need a special law. It is worth mentioning that the antidiscrimination issue has been much-debated recently at the international level, above all within the Council of
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- Yes, we do. For example, we cooperate with the regional association of psychologists. Many of our activities are held in Causeni together with the Association of Women Lawyers. We have organized three workshops with GenderDoc-M, which, according to participants, have been useful. At these workshops, specialists received a lot of additional information about homosexuals and about the peculiarities and problems of their lives. Articles on the impact of the workshop have appeared in the local press. For their part, these will have a positive impact as far as educating the majority to adopt a more tolerant attitude towards minorities. By the way, I think the future of our cooperation with GenderDoc-M is in an efficient and long-term partnership, as current legislation does not prevent cases of discrimination against members of LGBT community, who need protection from violations of their honor and dignity as they emerge from the so-called underground. Ordinary citizens and above all specialists must possess information, and, in case of necessity, must fight against unlawful actions directed against socially vulnerable groups. The Republic of Moldova has signed onto many international human rights acts, which, as is well known, are more significant than national legislation. Officials of legal and judicial bodies ought to know this. - Do you think the Republic of Moldova needs a special law against discrimination? - Certain legislative acts contain indirect
references to the protection of the rights of certain groups and minorities. First of all however, these references do not cover all population groups. Secondly, they are declarative; there is no mechanism for their application. For instance, two young people decide to live together as a couple and keep a joint household. What law will regulate their partnership? This is just an example, maybe not the best one. But life is much more difficult. All the European Union member states have such laws. It is well known, we have been moving toward the EU. Therefore we should not delay in passing this law. We can consider the legislation existing in Great Britain and Holland, as well as in Romania, as a basis, a law on discrimination being a constitutive part of all of these. I suspect that 2006 will be a turning point for national legislation in this respect - How can civil society contribute to the passing of such a law? - A consortium of NGOs was established in Moldova to develop a draft of the law. Our center is ready to join in its activities, not only because we want to take part in an important event, but because we want express our solidarity with other NGOs in this way. After all, it is as a result of such cooperation that civil society becomes more consolidated, and comes to form at the same time a threat to bureaucracy. A strong civil society is a guarantee of democracy and of a state grounded in law; a state which is interested in the observance of the rights of all citizens of the country without exception.
Europe, which has added Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, which proclaims non-discrimination as one of the core principles of a democratic state. In a related fashion the European Union has imposed strict conditions on EU candidate countries regarding the adjustment of their national legislations to the legislation of the EU. Bulgaria and Romania have fulfilled these conditions; they have adopted appropriate laws and have instituted mechanisms in order to make the laws function effectively, thus improving the existing situation. - Which categories of people in this country have the greatest need of the protection of an anti-discrimination law? - I do not think this law is meant only for a certain group or category of persons. It is meant for all members of society, because no-one is protected against discrimination; any person can become subject to a discriminatory action. Discrimination most often derives from prejudices and stereotypes. However, there are socially vulnerable groups in our society which are disproportionately subject to discrimination. These are the ethnic minorities. They find themselves in an unfavorable situation whenever they are forced to defend their rights from a position of inequality. Another category is comprised of groups which are insufficiently protected by the law. These include people with disabilities, sexual minorities, women, and elderly people, as well as others.
- How will this law function if it is passed? - First of all, when it comes into force, the law will be applicable to any citizen in the country. Central and local bodies will be notified about it and will be required to apply it in all cases of discrimination. Second, it will be important to develop a mechanism which will ensure application of the law. Here I am referring to the example of Romania, which, having passed an anti-discrimination law, has developed a mechanism as well, a separate department which researches and prevents occurrences of discrimination in society. This is the National Council for Combating Discrimination, which consists of experts from different fields of knowledge and different social domains, as well as representatives of socially vulnerable and minority groups. In this way, a unique opportunity has been created for civil society to take part in the activities of the Council, which has been successful in ensuring the monitoring of cases of discrimination that occurred both before and after the passage of the law. The cases which had already taken place and had reached the courts were decided in favor of the plaintiffs with no need for appeal to the European Court. This supports the idea that we have a real opportunity to reduce the number of discrimination-related violations, and consequently, to educate a tolerant society.
“We have the possibility to educate a tolerant society”
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Pride-2006
There are “Brokeback Mountains” in Moldova as well… The V-th Festival of Moldovan gays and lesbians, “Rainbow over the Dnister,” was celebrated from May 5 - 7. It was organized by the only NGO in Moldova, “GenderDoc-M,” that fights for the rights of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual) community.
Cybernetics used to be considered bourgeois The eight years of “GenderDoc-M’s” existence have not been in vain, and gay Prides in Moldova have demonstrated an international tinge. This year public and political activists, scientists and journalists, students and teachers from different countries came to participate. Representatives from Holland and Belgium, Moldova and Sweden, Serbia and Macedonia, Romania and Ukraine, Russia and America took part in the forum. All of them were brought together by difficult, and sometimes painful, issues and ideas that have been brewing for a long time and must be solved in this complex, super-speed XXI century.. Before the beginning of the festival, there was a press conference, to which the organizers had invited the press, representatives of nongovernmental organizations, and human rights defenders of the Republic of Moldova. The majority of those who came were tolerant and quite ready to carry out an open dialog and participate in broad debates about how the rights of sexual minorities are, or are not, respected in our country. They also discussed the question of whether the representatives of socially vulnerable groups in Moldova were ready to lobby the idea of the antidiscrimination law that has been promoted in Europe for a long ago. It turned out that they were. But let us get back to that later and in more detail. According to the plan of the organizers, the festival was opened gradually: on May 4, the employees of the Information Centre “Gender Doc-M” invited the press, guests, and members of the local LGBT community to watch the sensational movie “Brokeback Mountain” directed by Ang Lee. The movie had won three Oscar awards, the Main Award of the Venetian Night Festival and the Main Award of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). And the fact that the movie was based on a story by Annie Proulx, the winner of the famous Pulitzer Prize, meant a lot to the viewers. The art expert and journalist, Elena Satohina, invited as a film critic, had the same opinion about the “Golden-Oscar” movie. But to hear about the sensational winning film from screen critics is one thing, and to watch it is another, of course. The surprise was most pleasant for real movie friends.
To finish the discussion of the movie, I would like to say the following: no one from the audience could stay indifferent to the story of the complex relations of two young men who accidentally met one summer day high in the mountains and who came to the realization that they could not live without each other. And if someone is interested in my opinion, as an ordinary spectator and a “classical straight” person at the same time, I would say: truly, Love can take many different forms! According to the plan of the organizers, before the official opening of the festival, the GenderDoc-M team was going to lay flowers at the Monument to Victims of Repression situated in the center of the capital near the railway station, but at the last moment the minibus with young people and a fly-away rainbow flag went in another direction. They went to the edge of Chisinau, where on the left-hand side of the road there is an unnoticeable composition of two crossed fists, which just slightly differs from the Monument to Victims of Repression. There, in Staraya Pochta sector, the GenderDoc-M team and guests of the festival lined up with a flower garland and bouquets of pink flowers. The laying was not pompous, but everyone was fulfilling the mission whole-heartedly and for certain reasons. Now I can reveal one small secret, until now very few people have known about it.
Generally speaking, the story is trivial, but, at the same time, telling. In the morning, passing by the railway station, I noticed a small group of people. Knowing about the planned laying of flowers within gay Pride, I thought the surprise was prepared for gays and lesbians, either by their opponents or associates. It could not be otherwise. And I was right! Within an hour, on my way home, I got off at the railway square to buy tickets. I saw that the number of young people had increased to around fifty persons. Natural curiosity won, and I started a dialogue. I asked: “Where are you from, guys?” “From ASCOR and the Baptist Saint Trinity Church”, was the answer. (I will explain: ASCOR is the youth “wing” of the Orthodox Romanian Church.) I continued: “What have you gathered here for?” “We shall not allow homosexuals to lay flowers”, a guy wearing glasses, who presented himself as the leader, answered resolutely. I showed interest: “And how are you going to do it?” The leader replied determinedly: “We will form a live chain around the monument and will not let them through”. By the way, on that day the picketers – pupils and students – held leaflets: “Will Moldova Become Like Sodom???” This was exactly the formulation, with three question-marks. It was written correctly, but unconvincingly. It was reminiscent of the
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deep Middle Ages, and there was no intention to understand the demands of the “outcast.” Moreover, I could not understand what it had to do with the respectable and absolutely innocent event. Anyway, the arguments of the cheap literature, which is usually thrown into mail boxes, did not impressed me, a person from the heterosexual community, a “straight,” who is married, has children, and has read a lot about different aspects of homosexuality. I wanted to meet the author of the leaflets. On the next day, God heard me and I had this lucky chance. But first I went to the official opening of the festival. It turned out to be richer and more cheerful than the dull morning with the picketers at the railway station. It was a festive show, held at the Disco-Laboratory “Star Track,” with bright fireworks, carrying in of a torch and the flag of the forum, congratulations on the part of the guests, an interesting concert, and dancing till exhaustion set in. Fanfares blared, and the one who eight years ago for the first time openly and loudly spoke about the public phenomenon of homophobia – journalist and human rights defender Alexei Marcicov – took the stage. His speech was not long but meaningful: there have been victories, as well as failures within those years. Society has become more interested in the problems of those who could not “come out” for a long time, and there were then and still are now citizens who have not heard and do not understand the meaning of the word “homophobia.” The lifeasserting slogan of Jvanetskii “life becomes easier, life becomes funnier” was expressed at the end of the speech as well. Nevertheless, there are still a lot of problems; for example, there still exists imperfect Moldovan legislation as far as sexual minorities are concerned as well as a lack of the most vital law on non-discrimination of socially vulnerable groups and communities.
Love is God’s Gift In order to draw the attention of Moldovan authorities to gaps in the legislation, the organizers of the festival decided to celebrate the wedding of same-sex, who were invited on stage. It was a real shocking surprise! Nastya, a Russian girl of 23 years old, and Anjela, aged 32, who, regardless of the stereotypes in the society, insisted that the participants of the festival witness their free-will union. It is clear that if there is no law on same-sex marriages; such an “abnormal” act cannot be registered. But I saw it! The women were not immoral at all. The modest and shy accountant Anjela has a son of 12 years old, is divorced, has recently left her despotic husband, and has won the case brought against her by her husband in the court. The husband’s contention
in court was that the lesbian wife did not have the right to bring up their son. In spite of all the troubles and difficulties of a court examination, the court took the part of the mother. The courageous student of radio engineering, Nastya from Chiuvashia, truly loves Anjela and wants to help her bring up her son as a law-abiding citizen. They are planning to give birth and bring up another child. It is planned that Nastya, who has never had children, will be the biological mother (they want a girl so much!). So, life goes on. Long ago even cybernetics was considered to be a bourgeois, harmful science. The second day of the forum was the most productive, but hardly entertaining. It was the uniting international part in which there was more international participation and where the discussion led to set goals. I think the reader would agree that such slogans as “Beat the Jews!” or “Crush the Gays!” do not adorn any civilized society. This was exactly what united the people who gathered at the “round table” for an international conference on that day. The goal of the conference planned within the festival was to bring heightened awareness to the non-initiated (and, correspondingly, nonexistent) antidiscrimination law in Moldova. The guests and invitees, who were not forced participants in the gay-movement, focused their speeches on this topic. They shared their experience, giving examples of more and more discrimination facts and calling attention to as many representatives of socially vulnerable groups as possible to unite around the “antidiscrimination” initiative of the Information Centre “GenderDoc-M.” For example, Natalia Buga, from the non-governmental organization “Gaudeamus,” convinced the people present that discrimination of students with limiting physical handicaps within Moldovan higher education system was an incontestable and obvious fact. Oleg Tulea, the leader of the youth “wing” of the Democratic Party of the Republic of Moldova, also spoke. He expressed his opinion about how active political parties could be in lobbying for the afore-mentioned legislation. The legal expert and the leader of the Resource Centre “Credo,” Serghei Ostaf, informed the participants of social advantages of antidiscrimination legislation. At the forum the GenderDoc-M team also met and actively debated with the theologian of the Baptist movement, Vasile Filat, the pastor of Chisinau Saint Trinity Church. By his questions and openly aggressive behaviour, Rev. Filat seemed intent on expressing his resentment towards all those present. The time was limited and after long debates, Alexei Marcicov ended the ideological dispute to the applause of all present in the room, citing the famous Biblical verses: “There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days” Ecclesiastes 7:20. “If we say that we have no sin, we are false to ourselves and there is nothing true in us. If we say that we have no sin, we make him false and his word is not in us.” 1-John 1:1-10. “Love covers a multitude of sins” Parable 10:12. Let us “have love for one another: because love is of God, and everyone who has love is a child of God and has knowledge of God. He who has
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no love has no knowledge of God, because God is love.” 1-John. 4:7-12. The conference was a success, and it was clear that the representatives of nongovernmental youth organizations confidently caught up the gay-movement initiative and supported the call to form a united Moldovan National Front fighting against discrimination in all aspects of social life. The activities of the second day of gay Pride continued with a friendly mini-football match between the women’s teams of Ukraine and Moldova. The girls from Moldova won with the score 8:3. In the evening, at the “C. Brancus” Exhibition Hall, the exhibition “Art against Discrimination” was opened and there was a reception for the guests and journalists accredited at the festival.
Who will draw up the Law? On Sunday, May 7, from the early morning, all the invitees (about 100 people) gathered for a workshop (training). Theoretically, it was called by the organizers “Legislative Theatre as a Lobbying Tool of LGBT Interests,” but, in fact, it was much broader and much more interesting from the thematic point of view. Professional lawyers were invited to the training. The task was the following: the participants who were actors performed sketches in front of the audience on “discrimination” stories from Moldovan life, and the audience added or corrected them, introducing amendments into the possible solution of the raised issues. More and more young people participated, which spoke not only about the general interest of the topic, but also about the sincerity of their interest towards the activity. The event was so exciting that the number of audience visibly increased in the second half. The “Legislative Theatre” inspired not only the guests, but also the lawyers who perfectly understood: the more active the discussion is, the more effective will be the result of the work carried out, and the easier it will be to draft the long-awaited law. In the evening, the participants in the festival continued the “learning” process. This part was included in the program as a “Safer Sex Promotion Party” - sort of a party on safe sex promotion, after which there was a colorful gay Pride closure. The participants in Pride took down the “rainbow” flag and put out the festival torch until the next year when they will gather together and celebrate the achievements again.
Csenia Chirovscaia Photo by Igor Vzorov
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Festivals July 22 2006, a non-ordinary, in our opinion, event took place in Causani. Organised within the framework of the European Youth Campaign “All Different – All Equal” has exceeded all the expectations. Within the “round table”, public officials, employees and volunteers of non-governmental organizations, journalists, and clergymen had the opportunity to talk, express different opinions on the issues they faced when implementing the basic provisions of the “National Human Rights Action Plan” adopted by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova in 2003. However, everything that was going on in the rayon centre was presented to ordinary citizens of the country as a “concourse of 200 gays and lesbians”, who allegedly “did not get the permission to run the event in Chisinau, so they rushed in Causani”. Now we would like to tell our reader the truth about what has happened when preparing and running the festival and how it has been. And it will be according to those who have nothing to do with the Information Centre “GenderDoc-M” and the LGBT community, but who have taken part in this event and have seen everything with their own eyes. Let us take everything step by step.
Truth and Lies about the Causani Festival Did not Give up to Provocation
The history of this campaign dates back to 1995, when the need for all of us to stand against «racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and non-tolerance» appeared. At that point, the movement gave good results. And ten years later, when in the new states, including the ones that had recently acceded to the European Union, different international conflicts aroused, and xenophobia, homophobia, and non-tolerance became subjects of sharp discussions, the need to involve young people in the fight against this phenomenon appeared. In 2005, the leaders of EU member states gathered for their third summit made a decision on carrying out a new action for diversity and equality. Moldova also acceded to this campaign, having opted for European integration as a
priority. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Youth, as well as of the National Youth Council of Moldova, there was developed a Republican Action Plan for June 2006 September 2007, which included plans of youth non-governmental organisations in the country, including the festival organised in Causani. Why do we remind of this? Because in many reports before and after the festival, journalists, according to the statements of the organisers of “protest actions”, two religious organisations that called a press-conference on July 21, spoke only about the fact that this was “an event for sexual minorities, and that more than 200 gay and lesbians would come to Causani for this festival”. Moreover, the leaders of these organisations called, sent emails to the Mayor’s Office and other official authorities of the rayon administration with the request to ban the festival, and even threatened those. At the press-conference they promised to call to
account those who had given the permission to organise the festival, and claimed that the youth march planned for July 19 had been banned at their request based on the fact that the representatives of the LGBT community were to take part in it. It is hard for us to believe that Christian organisations can come down to open lies. However, everything can happen in life, in particular, if we are talking about gay and lesbians or about organisations that protect their rights. In fighting the latter, all means are good, even those that are considered a sin according to the Bible. As one of the young people said, probably one of those who came to Causani to hamper the festival, one can sin in the fight for a “right cause”. And why not do it, if the pastor or the priest has blessed him to commit this sin. We should mention that the youth and adults, who represented the so-called Christian organizations, behaved accordingly at the festival. Within the round table, when at “the gods” a wild discussion began and one of the moralists did not have enough arguments, she strongly pushed a girl from a student Rroma organization. Also there, at the gods, a young man right at the round table started importuning a journalist from one of republican newspapers asking to give him her telephone number. And when she said that there was no need for it, he called her “hollow tree that did not have any right to exist”. At that the journalist told that she had two adult children, who are much older than he was, and grandchildren, that is why he should have been ashamed of his words. During the break, when the discussion was carried out outside and in corridors of the administrative building, one of the organizers of the protest action called a man hoary with age pederast and threatened: „Take care of your health until May 5, when you will try to organize your pride again”. And one more thing, one of the „yellow” guys had a T-shirt with the inscription „Jacob Lynch”. What Lynch did the matter concern? Who was the example chosen by that young man? Was it the man organizing ritual murders? Than far from rhetorical questions arise. Did these young and not quite young men gather in Causani to organize the Lynch Law? Regarding whom? Regarding gays and lesbians? We want these questions to be answered in order for the country not to face one day the fact of gradual extermination of gays and lesbians by those who consider themselves judges. That is why we ask the law-enforcement bodies intervene in this process before plans of the extremists can be implemented. It is also worth mentioning that the number of gays and lesbians at the round table was not bigger than in ordinary life, just four out of more than 100 people working and disturbing the course of the festival. By the way, the representatives of the LGBT community were neither going to participate in the march. However, it is not clear why would we have to refuse them if they wanted to take part in it? Are they not people? Or indeed there is no place for them in the Moldovan society? Than let those who write laws tell just the following:
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all are equal in our state, except for the LGBT community, which must be excluded from public life and even better taken away to a deserted island, as it is requested by those who believe in God and every time when they consider it appropriate remind us of the sodomy sin. As if “the fleshly sin is the only one that exists and gives the right and official permission to a person, who does not commit it, to commit other sins with a clear conscious”. Or may be the Parliamentarians are waiting until gays and lesbians being pressed by twothree extremist organizations will die out or leave the country? Than, of course, there is no need to pass the antidiscrimination law, adopt other difficult decisions, such as to allow or prohibit a march, pride, round table or whatever these restless gays want. Yes, it is more honest to recognize one’s incapacity or unwillingness to pass the law than constantly to look for an excuse in order to limit the rights and freedoms of those despised by you. As far as the Information Centre “GenderDoc-M” is concerned, it was only one of the many non-governmental organizations that came to Causani to discuss the implementation of the “National Human Rights Action Plan” at the round table. The program included other events as well. A comedy movie, presentation of organizations participating in the festival, and the concert of Moldovan stars following the discussion were striking examples of the positive effect the National Plan had on the processes in the country. Surely, the letters and calls, as well as the information received from the followers of morality and given by the electronic and printed media played their negative role: one of the organisers of the festival was called to account for the fact that he had misinformed the local authorities. The tension reached Chisinau, the staff of the Information Centre “GenderDoc-М”. However we should give credit to the two non-governmental organisations that had enough courage not to give in to the provocations and to carry the action through, as well as to the administration and other town institutions that have carried on with their decisions and have accomplished their contractual obligation. Information Centre “GenderDoc-M” decided to send them thanking letters, as well as to the Ministry
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of Internal Affairs the services of which had ensured order within the event, had been attentive and polite with everyone; in general, exactly the way guards of the public order should behave when fulfilling their duties in the places mass events are run.
The Celebration Took Place Everything that took place was certainly of public interest for the citizens of Causani. However, as we have already mentioned, misinformation played its role as well. In the evening people carefully, started gathering in small groups at the central square of the rayon centre. They were approaching tables and taking posters, leaflets, other information materials about the organizations participating in the festival, young people were dancing to the songs of “Gindul Mitei”, Olga Ciolacu, and applauding the show-ballet “Novaya Era”. All of them were united by the common state of celebration that became a rarity in our province. Only a group of teenagers in orange and yellow T-shirts were watching the event spellbound from a distance. Their tutors already scattered their leaflets: piles of paper with the question “Will Causani become Sodom?” were thrown out of “Volga” patrolling in the centre of the town at high speed. We would like to draw the attention of our readers, the State Chancellery, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the registration number of the car: RM A 177. Also we would like to ask: who of officials does the car belong to, who of state employees helped extremists in their “struggle against sodomites”, among whom they reckoned everyone who came to the festival: representatives of 10 non-governmental organizations of the republic, the Democratic Party of Moldova, town administration, and others? Of course, the teenagers would have liked to come closer, to take part in everything, but their “tutors”, who had tried to hamper the peaceful discussion already at the “round table”, categorically forbad them doing it. Despite this, everyone forced their way to the movie. However, when the organizers announced that only adults could come, they
left the room and, in a united group, were singing Christian songs in the shadow of trees waiting for artists to come. A small detail that characterizes “protestants” so well: someone leaving the room, apparently as a sign of protest, threw a polyethylene bottle towards the first rows. And when the Sun was going down the bravest guys and girls, taking off their yellow and orange T-shirts in order not to be photographed in the uniform, started approaching and furtively admiring effervescent fireworks and multicoloured smoke that beautified the event taking place on the stage. The guys were provoking pity: they had never seen both these achievements of the progress and many other things that had been widely recognized in the civilized world long ago. Then it turned out that extremist guys and girls were in fact kind and nonaggressive children with little knowledge. The majority of them did not know the names of historic figures that had contributed greatly to the development of humanity despite the fact they had suffered from physical disabilities and ailments. They have never heard about remarkable artists, sculptors, writers, and composers, whose private life was different from the life of the majority of people. Teenagers were speaking vaguely of European integration, better life for themselves and their future children, telling that “everything was in the hands of God”. Many issues of general education were a surprise for the guys. Trying to talk about something, they always were resorting to the Bible, claiming that the true knowledge could be only there. We wanted to talk to those who felt different but equal at the celebration.
Fascism and Xenophobia will not be Tolerated Antonia Demeo, representative of the OSCE Mission to the Republic of Moldova, responsible for human rights and prevention of trafficking in human beings: “The Council of Europe legislatively consolidated the rights of all the minorities, including sexual minorities. Moldova acceded and signed the Memorandum on Human Rights. I am glad I have attended the celebration. My grandmother was in the first rows of the movement of American women in California State “For the Right to Vote”. Together with other activists she strived for the law to be passed. I would like such events to contribute to the increase of self-consciousness and consolidation of
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the Moldovan community, give women equal rights to self-actualization”. Natalia Oprea, representative of the Ministry of Education and Youth of the Republic of Moldova, specialists of the Youth Department: “For us it is a great honour that in Moldova, as in all the countries of the Council of Europe, the campaign “All Different – All Equal” is announced for July 17-21. Different Ministries and youth organizations are represented in the National Council responsible for this event. I think the campaign will make our youth more active. In the 21st century we should be tolerant towards each other, respect the opinions of all the people regardless of their religious believes and sexual orientation. I am glad that at the “round table” they addressed the representatives of religion asking them to inform the youth more about human rights and about the minorities living in the Republic of Moldova”. Tatiana Grecu, representative of the Association of Students with Disabilities “Gaudeamus”: “Our organisation unites young people with disabilities. We record cases of discrimination of people with different disabilities. For example, at the Biology Department, a student told to his colleague who was handicapped from childhood that the latter did not have the right to live among other people as he was nothing more than a weak link in the reproduction of mankind. There was a case when a policeman offended a person in a wheel chair. Some teachers refused to go down to the first floor to the students with disabilities in order to hold the examination. Many examples of discrimination have been accumulated since the establishment of the organisation. In October this year, representatives of our association will take part in the signing of the UN Disability Rights Convention. Also, our organisation gets actively involved in the development of the antidiscrimination law in the Republic of Moldova. We believe that the legislation should include all the manifestations of discrimination, including towards persons with a non-traditional sexual orientation”. Evghenii Golosciapov, Executive Director of the non-governmental organisation “Amnesty International”: “Unfortunately, some people do not know History very well. It would be enough to
make a digression and recall how Christian religion arose. In many countries, this religion was considered sectarian and was forbidden. The followers of the Christian ideology were in absolute minority and were persecuted. That was the case until Christianity «became engaged» to the state. Today, this religion has the possibility to disseminate and develop freely, and each person believes in God he/she wants to. No one from the church or another temple has the right to yell and offend those present. This is uncivilised. But at our round table some people who consider themselves to be Christians can permit themselves do that. Let us recall other historical facts. What was the fascist government calling upon on the eve of the Second World War? It was calling upon extermination of their own peers: people with mental deficiencies and non-traditional sexual orientation. What happened next? The fascist annihilated national minorities – Jews, Rroma people, and then they burned to ashes entire Byelorussian villages and advocated for burning all the Slavs in concentration furnaces. That is why, in the 21st century, the world community united and declared: each person living on the Earth must benefit from a certain protection from excessive interference of state power. The state power does not have the right to discriminate people on the grounds of race, nationality or political affiliation, confession, gender, sexual orientation and other; it can neither subject people to torture, forbid them to assemble and form any kind of organisations”. Ion Ciobanu, representative of Medical Association “Esculap”: “Such conferences give the opportunity to find more understanding between social and state sectors. We cannot be identical. The meaning of the rights of any human being is built upon the capacity of people to understand other people different from others. Each doctor will
confirm that regardless of how a person is born one must do everything for the latter to live a decent life”.
Young People Set the Course for Europe Ion Oborocianu, President of the Causani Regional Law Centre: “The Centre was established in 2001. We strive for the National Human Rights Action Plan of the Republic of Moldova to be accomplished not only at the level of statements but in practice as well. Society is not always ready for changes. People are afraid. We help everyone regardless of their national and sexual affiliation. For example: a woman was not employed because she was pregnant. The situation was settled without court because we interfered. We explained the administration that it was violation of the rights of that woman and she was employed despite the fact that in several months she was going on maternity leave. I am very glad that this event takes place in Causani – we keep pace with the events in the capital. Recently, the Parliamentary Committee for Human Rights initiated public hearings on measures and courts adjudicating discrimination acts. I think the participants in the round table will cooperate with the appointed committee with a view to eliminating discrimination cases from our life”. Svetlana Berghi, editor of “Causani” rayon newspaper: “Young people of nowadays need such events. Unfortunately, political ignorance prevails among them. They do not know much about their rights. It refers also to those people and organizations, which do everything to hamper the serious discussion held at the round table. They barefacedly violate the Regulations trying to preach morality and ethics, when their leaders violate these ethical norms. It is very
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Our World
Students Learn about Tolerance “We are afraid, and sometimes we hate what we do not understand.” These were the words of Political Science students after they took part in a seminar organised, at their request, by Information Centre GenderDoc-M.
worrying that it is those who have spoken against “Life Skills” and Campaigns. And the reality has shown that people need it. Instead of fighting against non-existent chimeras, they would better think how to reduce the poverty level, increase salaries, pensions, and living standards. These aspects are particularly important for Moldova in the process of European integration”. Marc Mazureanu, Deputy of the President of the Youth Democratic Party: “The festival succeeded. It showed not imaginary human commonness regardless of their political affiliation, languages of communication, and nationalities. Today we witness attempts of extremists to hamper doing something good for all people. It is so familiar – immature young people have been pushed forward! Their tutors did not get around to explaining that a forum is something common, interesting, and fascinating. It is a discussion on equal terms and not subordination and punishment of others. Moldovan democratic youth propagates European values: people from all over the world should unite for the sake of the future civilized world. Only together we can put an end to military conflicts, win in the struggle against hunger, stop spreading of infectious epidemics, raise everyone’s level of education, and prevent the global warming. And the right of each person to private life is guaranteed by the state, as well as the right to political and religious beliefs and information on health condition. These are exactly European values”.
Natalia Ponomareva, Alexei Marcicov Photo Igor VZOROV
FROM EDITORS: The festival has been organised within the framework of the campaign «All Different – All Equal», which is carried out in the Republic of Moldova under the patronage of the Ministry of Education and Youth and the National Youth Council of Moldova. It was organised by the Information Centre “GenderDoc-М” and the Causani Rayon Law Centre. The moral support was provided by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Causani rayon administration and Mayor’s Office, the Democratic Party of Moldova, and the financial support was provided by the association СОС Netherlands and Cordaid Foundation (Holland).
Leading up to our seminar, the issue of homosexuality was being discussed at other seminars within the university; seminars at which differing, though mostly homophobic, opinions were expressed. Moreover, professors were actively participating these discussions, initiating a campaign against gays and lesbians and suggesting that students not come to the GenderDoc seminar. The day came, and a group of young people came to GenderDoc-M, an organisation which protects the rights of sexual minorities. Looking at the faces of centre employees, the students were trying to identify them as gay or lesbian. Unfortunately, they saw only ordinary people, just like those they see at the university, at home, and on the street. From that moment on, stereotypes began to be destroyed, along with the desire to fight against sexual minorities. The information provided by the Centre turned out to be more valuable and powerful than their preconceived images. The students would ask questions, often very specific ones, thinking they already knew the answers. Everything they knew however, was speculation taken from out-of-date newspapers. All of them began to understand the importance of informing the population about homosexuality; of telling about the lives of gays and lesbians and problems they face. They began to see how these factors contribute to the fight against homophobia.
Before the seminar for instance, one student believed that “homosexuality is the mostly blamed vice, almost a deviation in one’s mental development.” Now she is of a different opinion. She said “the visit to GenderDoc-M has changed my idea not only of gays and lesbians, but of the world in general. Of course, I still cannot imagine love between people of the same sex in the form of a regular marriage, but at least I know that being homosexual does not depend on you. This phenomenon has existed in all times and epochs, these people have been subjected to repression, and thus it is phenomenon worthy of being studied, understood, and of having its place on Earth.” Another student added, “I liked very much the way the information was presented freely, with no one pushing us toward any conclusion. The truth lies in the discussion. The psychologist from the centre showed us all aspects of the issue, from a professional point of view, not holding back questions still being debated among scientists. I was impressed by the coming-out of a young man. His sincerity moved us deeply. In his eyes we saw fear, uncertainty, self-reconciliation, self-acceptance, and the acceptance of the people around him. His courage convinced us. The love with which he spoke about his partner made us think, “can we love as much as he does?” I saw an intelligent young man that could not be compared with our stereotypes of homosexuals. He told us many things about his life. I understood that a person would not voluntary go through this hell. If a person feels good and is comfortable, i.e. happy in a homosexual relationship, his or her personal life is not our business. They do not encroach on our joys.” Step by step we are coming out of the darkness. Maybe the day is coming when this light and warmth will be in all of our homes.
“Future Police Officers Meet a Gay Man”
Recently, Information Centre GenderDoc-M staff were invited to Stefan cel Mare Police Academy, where they met with students in one of the training seminars. Although the interaction was brief, only about an hour and a half, it turned out to be useful for both parties. At first, the future law enforcement officers were asked to draw a symbol or write a word they associated with gays and lesbians. Then they were taught some of the basics about sexuality: how, when, and why a sexual orientation differing from that of the majority of the world’s population appears, and what the phenomenon of homosexuality is. After a brief exchange of opinions, Igor came out and told the group that he was a gay and was ready to answer any questions about his life and experience. There were many different questions. Perhaps for the first time
in our experience of all-male group meetings however, there were no offensive ones. We left this meeting with the impression that the younger generation, unlike their elders, is trying to grasp something of the essence of sexual minority issues. They seek not merely to converse or argue with lecturers about a fashionable subject, but rather to use the information received in the field after they graduate from the academy. This is very important. In the end, the question of whether gays and lesbians will become full-fledged citizens of this country or whether they will continue to be deprived of their rights depends on these guys. Discussions held with future law enforcement officers suggest that the world is changing for the better; that for the majority of them, the sexual orientation of a victim or offender is not important and that they will be guided by the law in their decisionmaking process. That is, after all, how people act in a civilized world. We are only hoping for the same.
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As years go by, HIV finds more and more victims, spreading around with an amazing speed. Only in 2001, about 5 million people got infected with HIV. (That means 13,700 people every day!) Central Asia and Eastern Europe are the regions where HIV infection rate grows the fastest. Very often governmental institutions are unable to handle the growing number of the infected, that is why non-governmental organisations become more and more active in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention. „GenderDoc-M” Information Centre works with a specific group of beneficieries in this field: sexual minorities. Until not so long ago people used to consider mistakingly that this group contributed to the spread of the infection in the Republic of Moldova and was a risk group. The reasearch carried out by „GenderDoc-M” in 2004 and 2005 showed only 2.5 % of HIV/AIDS infections in the Moldovan LGBT community, which was much less than in other groups. However, this is not the reason for not doing anything else in this field, as the virus does not take into account criteria and does not choose victims.
First Steps Since 2004, the CORDAID Foundation, Holland, has been funding the „LGBT Social Integration in Moldova” Project implemented by „GenderDoc-M” Information Centre. An HIV/AIDS prevention program has been developed in the framework of this project. The program includes promotion of safe sex, distribution of condoms and lubricants to the LGBT community, Safer Sex Party, individual medical counselling, seminars for doctors, etc. Another partner of the organisation is COC Netherland, which has contributed to the development of the LGBT movement in Moldova. “Within the last year of our cooperation with COC, we have already started thinking
Projects
we should act right now HIV/AIDS Prevention in the Former Soviet Area
about the opportunities to develop our cooperation and to transform GenderDoc-M into a resource centre for LGBT oragnisations in the Post-Soviet area”, says Maxim Anmeghichean, former Executive Director of the Centre, presently Program Director at ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association) with headquarters in Bruxelles. GenderDoc-M is the most developed organisation in the former Soviet Union that protects the rights of sexual minorities. This allows us to value the capacities built within the first project with COC”. The Centre has already established contacts with LGBT organisations in the Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, whereas in the South Caucasus there have been no such active organisations, no one knew what has been going on there, except for the fact that Armenia was the last European country to cancel the punishment for sexual relations between two men. A year after, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Holland organised a contest of large grants within TMF program (thematic funding) to implement the UN Millenium Development Goals, one of which was reproductive health and HIV/ AIDS prevention. COC and GenderDoc-M started working together. „Together with our collegues from COC we had a brainstorming session and worked a lot with the whole team in order to come up with a project proposal. We had worked for four months in order to make this proposal, which in the end turned out to be more than a hundred pages long! At that time, I thought that we should have
worked more. But now I am sure that it was very well written”, sais Maxim. The Information Centre is the regional partner in „HIV/AIDS Prevention and Empowerment” Project. The goal of this project is to build the capacity of the LGBT movement in the CIS countries through HIV/ AIDS prevention. This is also an easier way to promote social inclusion and acceptance of sexual minorities, as the authors of this initiative have come up with a social message: HIV/AIDS prevention. COC manages the project and the relations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Holland, shares Western and Dutch experience, whereas GenderDoc-M has local experience and adjusts international experience to the needs of the CIS countries. „We have got experience in the field of advocacy, organisational management, service rendering, HIV/AIDS prevention at the local level. This is the gist of cooperation between GenderDoc-M and COC: we have different kind of experience, which completes one another. We know the CIS reality, and they have the experience in the West”, adds Maxim.
The Results Can Already Be Seen This cooperation has already yielded impressive results: two LGBT organisations have been created in South Caucasus, there have appeared first newspapers dedicated to sexual minorities in the region as well. There has been nothing in Caucasus only six months
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ago, and the results can already be seen after the first project year. The goal of the project activities is to develop LGBT organisations and HIV/ AIDS prevention within the community of sexual minorities, which is considered to be a vulnerable group not because of their behaviour, but because of the lack of information about possible risks. That is why the project stipulates activities that would develop this aspect: publication of information materials, organisation of seminars, training courses, research of HIV/AIDS incidence, since this group has never been studied in some of the former Soviet republics. „The main problem is that this area is not enough known yet. There is some behavioural research planned to be carried out to study HIV/AIDS attitudes, there will be anonimous testing in order to learn, which way to go in terms of HIV/AIDS prevention”, tells us Boris Balanetkii, Executive Director of the Centre. The project will include national and international activities, which means that there will be direct community work in each participant country. These activities could also stimulate adoption of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Combating Law developed in 2005 but still not in force in the Republic of Moldova. This draft law includes HIV/AIDS prevention activities for LGBT community that would be developed by the relevant ministries, local education institutions and territorial medical associations, civil society and local public administration, as well as active support of LGBT organisations and their inclusion in antidiscrimination campaigns.
Expectations All those who participate in this project expect that partner organisations will be sustainable in their countries and will be
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“War Against AIDS!” A new non-governmental organization, formed recently in Bender, declares war against AIDS.
able to survive with or without the funding of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Holland, that they will turn into organisations able to provide services to the LGBT community in compliance with the needs of the community, knowing how to promote legislative changes required by the community and more visible at both national and international level. „At the national level, we expect GenderDoc-M to become the leading organisation in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention among sexual minorities. An important aspect is gender diversity, which is not so much taken into consideration at present, and we expect it to develop. At the regional level, we expect that GenderDoc-M becomes a resource centre for other organisations. At the international level, we hope that international organisations such as the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE and the UN will pay more attention to the problems of sexual minorities”, says Boris Balanetkii. One of the expected outcomes of this project is increased awareness on HIV/ AIDS in the LGBT community and lower incidence of the virus, as the infection rate among the corresopnding group in the Ukraine, where a study has already been carried out, is growing at the moment. Another expected outcome is the increased potential of the organisations that will work with the LGBT community in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia. The spread of HIV/AIDS expands and we must not forget that half of people that have been recently infected are aged between 15 and 24, and 50% of HIV carriers are women. It is estimated that there will be about 85 million of HIV-infected by 2010. That is why we need to act now in order to stop it.
Paula Grecu
It is a paradox! Everybody knows about AIDS, but not everyone knows how to protect themselves from it. This fact has been established thanks to independent sociological investigations carried out abroad. Here in Transnistria, the situation is not much different. There are 1,000 people with AIDS registered in this region. However, experts affirm that the official statistics represents only the tip of the iceberg. One could easily multiply this figure by five. The rapid increase in AIDS cases is frightening. The ignorance of the population is responsible for this situation. Doctors recommend, first of all, working with risk groups, by which they are referring, in particular, to homosexuals. In order to protect them, and at the same time their relatives, from the plague of the 20th century (and now the 21st as well), Information Center Gender-OST was established in Transnistria. The scope of this non-profit, independent organization includes not only HIV/AIDS prevention, but also concern for community health in general. “In addition,” stated Alexei Klimov, Executive Director of the organization, “we will deal with human rights protection in the area of gender-related problems, and serve as an informational hub for the regional community. Our first project is dedicated to AIDS prevention issues. It includes a campaign supporting safe sexual behavior, as well as the publication of a special brochure and its distribution among members of the community. We aim to develop the organizational structure of our center, and will also assist competent bodies in developing and adopting antidiscrimination laws.” Since the health of the population is a public concern, Gender-OST intends to cooperate in this area with other NGOs. After all, any ailment can be overcome if the right strategy is chosen and we join our efforts. If anyone is interested in more information, contact Alexei Klimov in Bender at: (0552) 5-95-00.
Pavel Istomin
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In the conference hall of the hotel complex Flowers, Information Centre GenderDoc-M informed the public of the results of two projects that they had carried out, “Assessment of the Republic of Moldova state policy in the field of LGBT community mental health protection” and “Integration of the LGBT community health issues in the state policy of Central and East European countries.” Both projects were financed by the Open Society Institute, based in New York. The research of GenderDoc-M, carried out in cooperation with the Resource Centre of Moldovan Non-governmental Organisations for Human Rights, the Sociological Survey Centre “AXA,” and the European Office of the International Lesbian and Gay Association: ILGA-Europe, showed that members of the LGBT community (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people) have serious health problems. Alcohol and tobacco abuse, stress and depression, and as a result, a high predisposition to suicide, can be attributed to unfavourable social factors related to society’s intolerance of people of minority sexual orientation, rather than to such minorities comprising a “risk-group”. More than 30 years ago, in 1973, the American Psychiatric Association eliminated homosexuality from its list of mental diseases. In 1993, the World Health Organisation (WHO) “legitimated” this finding in its core documents.
LGBT Health
Moldovan Gays and Lesbians are Deprived of Quality Healthcare
However, there is still a high level of animosity or, more simply, homophobia, in the world with respect to sexual minorities. They are not provided with appropriate healthcare services. This is, first, because the majority of healthcare professionals in the country do not adequately understand the needs of the LGBT community. More than half of them still consider homosexuality to be a disease. Second, in Moldova, specialised healthcare services simply have not existed, or have been unavailable to most people. Few of the private healthcare institutions currently operating in the country provide such services, and these can hardly be considered to be meeting the needs of the LGBT community in terms of availability and quality of service. Besides, these institutions often also display the tell-tale signs of discriminatory practice with regard to LGBT patients. As doctors themselves acknowledge, one cause of such prejudice is the fact that insufficient attention is paid to the study of this phenomenon within the healthcare institutions of the country. For example, there are only four hours of sexology required for general practitioners (future family doctors) studying at Testimiteanu Medical University, during which issues relating to sexual minorities are virtually
not studied. At the same time however, a large portion of doctors believe that they could provide professional help to this segment of society if they had the necessary knowledge. For this reason, the aforementioned reports contain proposals addressing the issue of increasing the level of training for healthcare staff in this field. While presenting the report on LGBT mental health, GenderDoc-M psychologist Lilia Raileanu stressed that “the main purpose of the research was not so much to discuss the policies of the Ministry of Health on meeting the needs of sexual minorities, as it was to develop specific proposals, which GenderDoc-M is ready to present to specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, and other officials responsible in the area of national mental health, thereby providing a substantial benefit to society”. According to the most conservative estimates from international statistical data, representatives of sexual minorities account for between four and seven percent of the entire population of Moldova. This is why we can assert without any doubt that “the health of the LGBT community is a component of the prosperity of the nation as a whole”.
Xenia Kirovskaia
“Can it be that we do not need mentally healthy people?”
For eight years now GenderDoc-M has been the only nongovernmental organization in the Republic of Moldova protecting the rights of sexual minorities. Despite all the difficulties it has faced, it works determinedly, year after year, at integrating the LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender) community into heteronormative society. The fifth Gay Pride took place in May 2006 and soon after, on June 22, GenderDoc-M members presented to the public the results of a project which had been aimed at researching issues relating to the mental health of its beneficiaries. On the eve of the release of a brochure based on the research results, our reporter spoke with the study coordinator, GenderDoc-M psychologist Lilia Raileanu (photo).
“This Desire” does not go away - Lilia, I suppose I would not be mistaken if I said that here, in Moldova, the term “mental health” is associated by most people with mental disorders. In your opinion, what does the concept of individual mental health mean? - I will cite the definition of the World Health Organization: mental health is the mental well-being of an individual which enables one to realize his or her own potential, helping an individual to withstand stress, work fruitfully, and thereby make one’s own contribution to the development of one’s society.
Above all, it is a positive self-perception, which the basis of our dignity as well as of our evaluation of the outer world. This concept is much wider than the one we relate to mental disorders, and it is not limited only to the field of psychiatry. In countries with highly developed economies, such as Scotland for example, the mental health of the society as a whole, and of sexual minorities in particular, is examined from the point of view of professional development, the educational system, family, levels of discrimination, societal attitudes towards LGBT community members, as well as other indices. - What is the essence of this project you have been developing for so long?
- First of all, this is not just a healthcare project. Our aim was to research, in detail, state policy with respect to meeting the healthcare service needs of sexual minorities. However, the center is also recommending that the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, and mental health specialists become involved in solving the problems of the LGBT community with a view to the purely social
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benefits that improved healthcare service would bring to this target population. - What do you exactly have in mind? - Obviously I cannot explain this in two words. The main thing is that currently there is no service within the national healthcare system that meets the needs of the LGBT community, which represents 4-7% of the country’s total population. Only a small percentage of people have access to the friendly services of healthcare institutions. I am not referring here those who receive assistance through GenderDoc-M, as only residents of Chisinau and its suburbs can benefit from the psychological counseling that we provide, while people who live in regional areas do not have this opportunity. - Starting in 2004, Moldovan healthcare policy seems to have dramatically changed in structure: a system of obligatory health insurance has been introduced, contractbased services have appeared, etc. Are all these things pointless? - Unfortunately, experience has shown that such directed structural changes are far from sufficient. The policy of the Ministry of Health in the area of mental health protection is still in its initial stages. I can cite the following example: at the beginning of the year, a transgendered person, who identified herself as a woman, consulted GenderDoc-M and subsequently the main sexologist in the country with a view to receiving the expert advise of a panel of specialists. Her consultation had the specific purpose of finding out from these competent specialists whether she could change her biological sex from male to female. The “young man” introduced himself, with a female name, to Mrs. Rusnac, the Chairman of the Community Mental Health Center. However, from the very beginning, the doctor not only ignored this and addressed her “according to the ID,” that is, using a male name, but also characterized the whole situation as “stupidity.” Do you know what piece of advice she gave the patient? To undergo a course of psychotherapy and then to wait until she reaches the age of 24 or 25, at which point, maybe, this desire will disappear. In the end, Mrs. Rusnac’s patient returned to us, under stress and with negative thoughts… - If we start to talk about medicine, I suppose the reader will be interested to find out what the official outlook of modern science with regard to homosexuality is... - Already in 1973, that is, more than 30 years ago, the American Association of Psychiatrists removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders. The World Health Organization legitimated this finding in 1992. Nevertheless, while studying issues related to LGBT community mental health we reached the following conclusion: societal animosity toward representatives of sexual minority groups is very high, while the current policy of the Ministry of Health does not reflect the needs of these people at all. Discussions with doctors on these issues have also not been very optimistic. - What do you think is the cause of this situation? - National policy in the area of mental health is a foundational part of Moldovan healthcare policy as a whole, including that which addresses the LGBT community. While analyzing the situation we ascertained that a large percentage of doctors do not understand the needs of the LGBT community. More than a half of them still consider
17 homosexuality a disease. They themselves say that the insufficient attention paid to the study of this phenomenon in universities is the cause of this lack of understanding. This is true. For instance, at Nicolae Testimiteanu University of Medicine and Pharmacy only a four hour course, in which homosexuality is examined according to a very superficial schema, is required for general practitioners, i.e. our future family doctors!!! Is this enough for such a difficult subject? At the same time, in what seems to be a positive sign, most Moldovan doctors confess that they could provide better professional assistance if they had the necessary knowledge. There are practically no available specialized services in the field of healthcare that meet the needs of the LGBT community in this country. The few operating healthcare institutions can hardly be considered to be competent systems for ensuring the health of this population at the expected level of quality. In addition, discrimination against sizable segments of the population such as sexual minorities exists in most of these institutions. Frankly speaking, I would call this attitude homophobia…
Gays and lesbians are helped by the state in developed countries. - On the whole, are there any examples of successful practices in the world? - There are a lot of them!! For example, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium... or Scotland, which I mentioned before. The “Inclusion” project, which has been working there for 6 years now, directly addresses the health of gays and lesbians and represents a core part of the national program of the Department of Health Protection. The purpose of the program is to comprehensively improve the health of sexual minorities, as well as stimulate feelings of self-confidence, develop social relations, and increase the level of awareness. A nation-wide “Choose Life” campaign, aimed at preventing suicide has been implemented in Scotland as well. Also in operation is a rehabilitation network for those with long-term mental disorders. The problems of the LGBT community are likewise studied more thoroughly in the USA. For example, George Washington University Medical School offers a basic course on this subject to its students. Arizona State University offers the opportunity to enroll in a series of courses covering LGBT community history, politics, culture and social life, including the peculiarities of the latter. - You mentioned a suicide prevention program. I suspect this may be relevant for Moldova as well. The suicide rate is very high in our country… - Yes, it is high. Calculations carried out in other European countries show that at least 30% of LGBT youth are three times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population; this because society rejects them. Alcohol abuse, smoking, and this environment-specific inclination to suicide are exclusively explained by unfavorable social factors such as intolerance towards sexual minorities, rather than by their belonging to a “risk group”. In this way, a cause-effect relation has been confirmed. By the way, this may shock you, but in working on this project we calculated the economic loss to the country that has resulted from suicides...
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Losses from Suicides - I would like to know what these losses are and how they were calculated. - The Resource Center for Non-Governmental Organizations “CReDO” has calculated that police expenditures per case of suicide total about 500 lei (working days for the investigator, district police officer, and lawyer); funeral services: 3,000 lei; the average investment of the state in a person’s education: 20,000 lei (secondary and vocational education); and the average yearly labor productivity of one worker: between $4,000 and $6,000 US. The average lifespan is 70 years, while the average lifespan of an LGBT person is 20 years less (based on calculations made in other countries). The unemployed account for about 11 % of the country’s population. Taking all this into account, society loses as much as 300,000 lei, or about $5,000 US, as the result of a single suicide. Most suicides occur around the age of 25; therefore, on average, 25 years of active life are lost. That is, losses amount to $120.000 US per person, per lost year. According to the most modest estimates, between 130 and 135 persons commit suicide annually. This figure is obtained by taking 0.0123% of the total of the population, which are the percentage who end their lives by means of suicide. 30% of these suicides are caused by intolerance towards the LGBT community. Consequently, because of LGBT suicides, our society loses annually between $750,000 and $800,000 US, or about $150 million US in 25 years. These are the losses expressed monetarily. - Has any specialized research been carried out in Moldova? - Yes, of course. Numerous statements by doctors such as “I do not think that gays need special services,” or “they need to change their orientation,” or “it would be good if they did AIDS/Hepatitis blood tests,” compelled us to perform serious research. We conducted several studies. We found out that psychological stress is much higher in gays and lesbians than in heterosexuals, that their inclination to suicide is higher, and that they have more frequent mental health problems. This situation is caused by the widespread xenophobia and homophobia in our society. - How soon would you expect to see results from your work? - We are aware that the path toward obtaining the desired results is long and difficult. We need to work hard in the fields of education and advanced training in addition to those of social and healthcare assistance. Our research is only the beginning of this path. - Lilia, who developed this project, and who primarily took part in the preliminary research? Who financed it? - The project was proposed and developed by Information Centre GenderDoc-M in cooperation with the Resource Center of Non-governmental Organizations for Human Rights “CreDo”, and the Center for Sociological Investigations “AXA;” it is financed by the Open Society Institute from New York.
Interview conducted by Xenia Kirovskaia
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LGBT Health
“Children of Hippocrates for Diversity” At the end of July, workers from the national medical institutions became students at a summer school organized by Information Centre “GenderDoc-M“ at the Briz hotel complex, situated in picturesque surroundings on the bank of the Nistru river. The main objective of this meeting was to raise awareness among these “children of Hippocrates” about GenderDoc-M’s activities and to transmit to them some knowledge about basic aspects of homosexuality and about the lifestyle of people within sexual minority communities. The organizers of the activities also decided to suggest the creation of a national network of medical workers and the development of a medical guidebook which might be useful for those people whose vocation it is to provide healthcare to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people (LGBT). The summer camp was preceded by the long, hard work of identifying all those people interested in taking part in the activity. The fact that it was summer, the various holidays, and maybe also certain prejudices present among the doctors all contributed to the difficulty. We could barely get into contact with many people, and some of them, agreeing initially, refused the trip at the last minute. On the morning of July 28th however, things were pretty animated in front of the GenderDoc-M office. Twelve people, completely unknown to one another, entered the building one at a time and examined, with great interest, the visual aids, pictures and photographs on the walls. Some had the courage to approach the library shelves, while others did not even dare to cross the threshold, stopping at the door. When asked by us what they were afraid of, someone said the weather worsening, while someone else joked wittily “the envy of the gods.” “But seriously,” ventured a small woman, whose name I did not know at the moment “I am nervous like a student before examinations. On the one hand, I have some ideas about these phenomena, but on the other hand, I am afraid they might not coincide with the things I will be told here. In that case, won’t I be the voice in the wilderness, a social outcast myself, but one on the opposite side from you all? And all this happening at my age….” By the end of two hours however, these shy specialists from different avenues of inquiry: infectiologists, gynecologists, psychiatrists, and epidemiologists, had already found common subjects for lively discussion, and had even become friends with summer camp organizers. In spite of the rather cool weather, work began in a friendly environment, which contributed to the creation of a united team. The trainers were slowly, but with growing firmness, coming to the main subject-matter of the day: introducing their students to some basic aspects of homosexuality. Yes, they were nervous. They had reason to be, the students themselves being already very capable, certainly managed to refresh the trainers’ knowledge.
Time passed however, and these adults and knowledgeable people listened attentively to what their “teachers” were saying. I use inverted comas for “teachers” and “students” because such roles were not so well-defined in this case. Jumping ahead a bit, I can say that all the participants worked amicably together, supplementing each other, sharing the experience of this meeting with others for whom they had decided to set aside their everyday concerns. I have never before met a more gracious and truly intelligent audience. The culmination of the first day was the coming-out of one of the center employees. These doctors, whose life experiences are rich with diverse cases and situations, were struck not so much by the young man’s life story, as by his courage: some of those learning about how he had left the so-called underground turned out to be his countrymen. How will they deal with this secret? We believe they will deal with it like people who have been entrusted with someone’s innermost feelings. The second day turned to be more saturated in terms of information. The working session was opened by GenderDoc-M Executive Director Boris Balanetski, who spoke about the activities of the Center in the field of LGBT
community health, and about research carried out by the Center. This was the first time that the physicians had heard of this. They became interested in the research results and asked the trainers for published copies of them, which were issued at the end of the activity in question. Quite simply, the discussion turned out to be useful for both parties, especially as it was conducted between equals, Mr. Balanetski being himself a doctor. After that, Leah Ariel, head of the center’s program for women, spoke. She told listeners about the problems which lesbians face when dealing with doctors. Especially problematic
is the consultation itself, in which information about a patient’s sexual partner and use of contraception is required. Doctors confessed that they had never thought about this and promised to be more attentive in the future to patients of non-traditional sexual orientation, while at the same time maintaining strict confidentiality. However, they pointed out the fact that, until this seminar, they had never divided patients according to their sexual orientation. The Hippocratic Oath they had once taken had obliged them to be faithful to their job and to care for each patient regardless of his or her social status, gender or sexual orientation. For them, the patient is simply a human being who needs healthcare. The discussion with Ecaterina Rotaru, epidemiologist with the AIDS Center, turned out to be very instructive. We were amazed by the fact that the questions asked by the doctors did not differ too much from ones which students or interns usually ask. The point is that these questions were mainly in reference to statistics and outreach work, the latter of which is still new in our country. Mrs. Rotaru shared experiences from her interactions with the LGBT community, trying to dispel the stereotype according to which
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sexual minorities are a “risk group” for HIV infection. She stated firmly that there is no such concept as a risk group, but rather that there is a notion of risky behavior, which can be manifested not only by homosexuals, but by heterosexuals as well. Irina Petrovskaya, infectiologist with the Nikolaev AIDS Center, spoke about the situation of AIDS infection in neighboring Ukraine, sharing the successes and difficulties of her work. When asked about heterosexual perceptions of sexual minorities there, Irina Petrovskaya responded that perhaps several generations now separate us from this question. “Remember the discussions about HIV/AIDS,” she said, “when most people said it was not their business, not their problem. When the situation passed a critical level however, all people became interested in the problem and it became a problem of the entire society. The situation is the same in this case, we should not keep it silent. On the contrary, we must raise the awareness of people, open their eyes while they are still behind school desks” Oleg Alehin, President of the Nikolaev Association of Gays and Lesbians “LIGA” addressed the audience at the end of the second working day and spoke about the life and problems of the Nikolaev LGBT community. It turned out that they are very much like ours: the same mutual fear between themselves and heteronormative society, the same psychological and legal problems, the same wish to integrate into heteronormative society and be themselves. The third and final day of the summer camp started with a discussion about a guidebook for healthcare workers, which GenderDoc-M intends to publish at the end of this year. It was important to consult specialists in order to develop a quality guidebook. Opinions and assessments appeared immediately, school participants contributing their recommendations for the text. After that we played a game: the doctor and the patient. It demonstrated to us that, in Moldova, there are now twelve doctors by whom LGBT community members will be properly received and from whom they will be offered good, sound recommendations on improving their health and solving other problems. As one of the “students” said...
Information Centre “GenderDoc-M“ addressed a letter to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova. The letter reads: “Honourable Mr. Minister, for several years our centre has been cooperating with the Ministry you are in charge of. We find such cooperation important in promoting human rights and reducing the stigma and discrimination against socially vulnerable groups of people in the Republic of Moldova. That is why we decided to inform you about these cases of discrimination against members of the LGBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) community by employees of healthcare institutions during January 2006. We ask for your intervention, so that things like this will never happen again. But let us start from the beginning.
Kristina Gavrilitsa
Ili Ias
“Our expectations coincided. We all came to receive new knowledge on a subject about which we had known little before, and we received it in a volume we had not even expected. We found out a lot of new and useful information about homosexuality and homosexuals and their lifestyle. Now, without being afraid, we can carry on a discussion with a person who confesses to us that he or she is gay or lesbian, and help that person. The place where this activity was carried out was very important as well. I must confess that we have not only acquired new knowledge, but have also taken a rest. In my opinion, what you have done is great!”
Do not harm! “Literatura si Arta” newspaper (No.3 of January 19, 2006) published an interview with the psychiatrist Vitalie Pastuh-Cubolteanu entitled “National Pedagogy Diagnostics, or How a Professor Has Come to Teach Perversions from the Lecturing Desk”. The interviewee, citing “psychiatry text-books from different countries” states that “homosexuality is, in fact, a perversion, a mental disorder,” and, further, that “encouragement to wear clothes of the opposite sex is an inducement to a mental pathology called transvestism”. We submit that the statements of Mr. Pastuh-Cubolteanu are based on out-of-date scientific data and we express our concern with the quality of the healthcare assistance that would be rendered by him in cases where members of the LGBT community would come to him for counselling. Such statements intensify stigma and discrimination against sexual minorities, who, as it is, are under the pressure of prejudices and ignorance inherited from a totalitarian regime. Moreover, they greatly affect the mental health of LGBT people and sometimes even threaten their lives. These statements are also bewildering given that the Ministry of Health, in its letter (No.0632/244 of October 11, 2002) to the Information Centre “GenderDoc-M,” claimed that “at present, homosexuality is not considered a disease in the Republic of Moldova”. Let us take another case. In January of 2006, a beneficiary of Information Centre “GenderDoc-M”, who considers herself transgender, consulted the main sexopathologist of the Ministry of Health, and also Head of the Community Mental Health Centre (Centrul Comunitar de Sanatate Mintala), Mrs. Alexandra Rusnac, in order to receive information about the services of the healthcare board with a view to undergoing a biological sex correction procedure. In the course of their discussion, Mrs. Rusnac ignored the female name given by the visitor when introducing herself, instead calling her by the male name indicated on the identity card. Moreover, the main specialist of the Ministry of Health took the liberty of qualifying the process of sex reassignment as “stupidity,” and insisted that the client should come out to her parents. This recommendation was expressed without having studied our
beneficiary’s degree of readiness to come out. Another piece of advice given by Mrs. Rusnac is shocking in its cruelty: the transgendered person was recommended to undergo a course of psychotherapy, so that “the desire to change sex disappears” and then to wait until she is 24-25 to “be absolutely sure about it”. As a result, this client of Mrs. Rusnac came back to GenderDoc-M under stress and with a negative impression. We think that the actions of the sexopathologist show that she lacks knowledge in transgender issues. We consider her attitude towards our beneficiary as lacking in respect both for the self-identity and feelings of her client. As in the first case, we also express concern with the quality of healthcare assistance rendered by Mrs. Rusnac in cases in which representatives of the LGBT community come to her. Of even more concern is the fact that this is a person who holds a high position in the Ministry of Health. This suggests that such consultations might be serving as a standard for other doctors, i.e. affecting the policy for rendering assistance to transgendered people. In view of the aforementioned information, we would also like to inform you about the results of a study conducted by CBS “AXA” and Information Centre “GenderDoc-M”. The study showed that 13 out of 17 interviewed psychiatrists characterized a homosexual orientation as abnormal behaviour (5 respondents), as a disease (4 respondents), or as a lifestyle (4 respondents). Only 2 respondents stated that homosexuality was a natural sexual orientation. 10 out of the 17 interviewed doctors believed that people of homosexual orientation negatively affect the youth and society in general (7 of them were of the opposite opinion). We kindly ask for your opinion concerning the information contained in this letter, and that you take necessary measures so that cases of inadequate healthcare assistance rendered to members of the LGBT community will not continue. For our part, we are open to assisting in the education of employees of the Ministry of Health and of healthcare institutions regarding issues of sexual minorities in Moldova.
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Our World
“They Need to Know People Remember Them”
Have you seen how a person throws a used piece of paper? In the same way authorities trampled and threw the elderly out of the society. The dying USSR deprived them not only of everything that is related to the notions of freedom and democracy but also left them without means of subsistence. It took away from them everything that they put away for a rainy day. The ruble had depreciated so much that it turned into that very scrap of paper, which is thrown to garbage now.
Generation Trampled by Power But if someone thinks that the new government changed its attitude towards the elderly that person is deeply wrong. The majority of those who were building “a bright communistic tomorrow” are now dragging out a miserable existence on a pension of 30-40 USD. Because all the former officials are still doing what they used to do and thus the system remained the same: who is not on our side is against us, you do not have the right to have your own opinion, only those who have power have rights and freedoms. Mr.B has a noteworthy fate in this context. He is only 58 but he does not work anymore, and is hospitalized very often. When the ruble was devalued his personal account amounted to 50 thousand soviet rubles. At that time it was a real fortune able to ensure a well-to-do life of big family for more than ten years. So, that rich at that time turned into a beggar over the night. Naturally, he could not take the shock, so he went mad. And if taking into account that he is gay and that his relatives found out about his sexual orientation one can imagine what nightmare his life turned into. Nobody needed him anymore, relatives, neighbors and former friends despised him. He is alone and unprotected. Loneliness and scorn of neighbors and relatives accompany almost every old gay in Moldova. In our country the majority of people are still living according to Soviet times, they show special interest in the private life of their neighbors. The moment they find out a gay is living near them they start spreading gossips. As a result, the life of the gay turned into a nightmare. People remind him of his nature with each occasion: they either write a big inscription “a gay lives in the block” in the lift or write offensive words on the door or call on the phone and propose to have sex. It is not a tale. Two old gays went through this experience I am writing about. But these people cannot count on the help of the state. Economically, it barely scrapes by. And law-enforcement agencies do not care about the violations of the law on the ground of sexual orientation. Besides, police
officers are often themselves initiators of the violations of law on the LGBT: they blackmail them, trim them, offence them. After all, the antidiscrimination law has not been adopted yet, and homophobia is not exclusively everyday one, politicians and even statesmen are often the authors of offensive speech. And even non-governmental organizations, which deal with the problems of the elderly, are not very eager to defend gays and lesbians. Because they can also be considered representatives of sexual minorities or sympathizing them as in the case of Amnesty International. The workers and volunteers of this organization were threatened to be included in black-list for the attempt to defend the girls of Information Centre “GenderDoc-M” from the police tyranny.
Hope Dies Last If the young gay-generation quickly understood the advantages of a consolidated community, old people did not hurry up to join Information Centre “GenderDoc-M”. Having gained bitter experience and being deceived by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), other parties and governments, they do not believe promises anymore. And everybody in the Center knew that. After all, the connection with old people, although fragile, still existed. The workers of the Center have been friends with some of them for a long time; they called each other quite often. They often talked about how they might gather and talk about life. At the beginning of 2002, they began making up lists, searching for addresses and phone numbers. As a result they found more than 50 people who were invited to meet at
the Center office. The meeting took place in the April of the same year. Today one can literally say that that the meeting turned out to be an unprecedented one for the Moldovan gay-community. It was dedicated to the 7th anniversary of the cancellation of the CC RM Article on criminal prosecution of gays for homosexual love and it went down as the “Memory Day” in the history of Moldovan gay-movement. We heard many interesting and sometimes dramatic stories at that time. Especially we were astonished by the stories about recent past when homophobia flourished to a great extent, when it became part of the policy of certain parties and political movements, when statements “to be homosexual means not to be a human being” appeared in the media. It was namely in that period when many violent murders were committed. For 12 years, starting with 1999, 14 gays died from violent death as a result of homophobia. It is several times more than during all the years of Soviet power in Moldova. The meeting participants kept a moment of silence in the memory of decedents. At that meeting it was decided to meet once in three months at the GenderDoc-M Center in order to discuss the problems, which older people face and help those who need help. From now, the workers and volunteers of the center prepare for such meeting in good time: they discuss the program of the meeting with a psychologist or doctor depending on the topic of the meeting. They also prepare some kind of games for psychological relief, a show-program or thematic film to watch it together. Then they organize a festive dinner, the most deprived ones are given food packages so that they could have a New Year’s or Easter table at home. As a rule, such meetings are established according to the calendar. Information Centre “GenderDoc-M” often gathers clothes and gives them out to gays who need clothes and footwear. As a rule, well-to-do citizens of Moldova or foreigners, workers of diplomatic missions bring them to us. They also give us money, which together with other means collected from charitable actions carried out within gay prides are given to the members of the LGBT-community who are in need. Because older gays have become part of this community now. They are permanent visitors of the center where they come for literature, which they read right there or take it home. On Fridays they come to watch the thematic films together with others. Many of them are active participants of conferences and seminars. But most often they visit the Center doctor or psychologist. They need to know people remember them.
Alexei Marcicov
«Zerkalo-plus»
21
After a long period spent in the courts, legal proceedings in the case of Veaceslav, a beneficiary of GenderDoc-M, versus the two police officers who had blackmailed him on the grounds of his sexual orientation, came to an end; an end about which the national media, including us with Zerkalo magazine and the bulletin Dialog, have published a number of pieces.
Justice Triumphs
On October 10, 2005, a Buiucani court delivered the verdict, according to which police officers A. Papuc and S. Vlas were found guilty of committing the offense defined in article 327, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code as “Abuse of Power or Abuse of Official Position.” This offense entails the intentional use of one’s official position for one’s own material or other personal interests in a way that causes considerable damage to the public interest, and/or to the rights and interests of individuals protected by the law. We remind you that on December 18, 2003, Veaceslav was accosted by two police officers in Valea Morilor Park, who offered him sexual favors. After this, they threatened him with jail because of his sexual orientation, referring to Article 106 of the Criminal Code, a law which had already been nullified by that time. The police officers forced Veaceslav to take everything out of his pockets, and took his mobile phone along with 35 lei. As they had “wasted a lot of time with him,” they demanded another 500 lei. The officers pawned his mobile phone, but they got only 200 lei for it. They set an appointment for the next day, when Veaceslav was supposed to pay them this “debt” of 300 lei. Veaceslav consulted Information Centre GenderDoc-M. The latter contacted the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the police officers were caught red-handed. The court found them guilty based on evidence collected during the criminal investigation and presented during the hearing. This evidence included the
complaint submitted by the victim, the mobile phone which was voluntarily returned by the defendants, and copies of the reports submitted by S. Vlas and A. Papuc upon resigning their positions. The court took into consideration the fact that the material damages had been repaired, and Veaceslav did not make any further material claims. The two police officers received punishment in the form of a fine in the amount of 150 USD each, and were deprived of the right to hold certain positions for two years. Editor’s note: This is the second case in our country wherein people subjected to unlawful actions on the grounds of their sexual orientation have received justice in the courts. Convinced of the rightfulness of their cause, and sure of support on the part of Information Centre GenderDoc-M, these people took their cases to the agencies of law enforcement. Through our combined efforts we have won a victory. This is, above all, a victory over the stereotypes which dominate our society, particularly the belief that everything is allowed with gays and lesbians. Here this turned out not to be true. In a society developing towards greater freedom; in a society that would be a constitutional state, each citizen is important, regardless of his or her sexual orientation. This is why we consider the decision by the Court of Buiucani sector to be a very important and positive event, and one that will aid in the prevention of such illegal actions by our fellow citizens against people in the LGBT community.
The development of regional leaders’ skills was the main objective of this internship, which took place at Information Centre GenderDoc-M as part of its Regional Development program.
closet” phenomenon and nondiscrimination. In this way, representatives of regional movements received the theoretical basis they will need to start working with LGBT community members. The main subject discussed in a meeting with GenderDoc-M employees was the creation of independent LGBT-advocacy NGOs in Balti and Tiraspol. This is especially relevant for Balti, where there is already an officially registered center which is not currently operating. Meanwhile, homosexuals in the area are in need of support and sometimes of protection. GenderDoc-M can offer small grants to the most active associations, but the most important thing is the presence of a desire to work and to be useful to one’s colleagues in the LGBT community.
“Internship for Regional Leaders”
Activists with non-governmental organizations from Balti and Tiraspol took part in this activity. They shared experiences from their own work, received information on the subject of organizational development and project management, and acquired skills for use in working with partner organizations. Also during the internship, meetings with specialists were organized around issues relating to sexuality in general as well as more specific topics such as the “coming out of the
1(30) 2007
“You Have the Right to be Proud of Your Children!” “I love my child very much and I can find no fault with them for this,” said one of the mothers who recently came to Information Centre “GenderDoc-M” in order to solve the problems of her gay/ lesbian child together, as a family. Can we find fault with young men and women who do not break the law, who behave properly, and who differ from their peers only in their sexual orientation? Each of them has their merits and flaws; one person is gifted in one area, another in something else. For some reason however, following the crowd of homophobes, we do not take pride in these young people, in their skills and achievements, but rather continue to judge them by their sexual orientation. Like all of us, these people are human beings, and they do not need to justify their lives. This was perhaps the reason why GenderDoc-M staff decided to gather together at their office all those mothers who worry about the fate of their children; for whom children, regardless their sexual orientation, remain children. They, like millions of other mothers, want to be proud of their children. They also have the maternal desire to find out what makes their children into social outcasts. Mothers, together with their children, came to the meeting in order to start a very difficult, but also a very important, dialog between child and parent. GenderDoc-M acted as a mediator between them. We must be honest with one another to the end, and begin to understand our children and accept them as they are. We should not, as our parents did, rub their noses in the dirt that every available opportunity. Remember being a child and arguing furiously that this was not fair! In our opinion, the meeting exceeded all expectations. Many people expressed their wish to continue the dialog; a dialog which, by the end, gave every mother an opportunity to publicly unburden her heart. The most important thing is that everyone understood that the others there, on whose shoulders they had cried, had the same problems, and would not judge them for this moment of “weakness.” Everyone wanted to support their neighbor, as their problems always seem bigger than one’s own personal dilemma. Believe us, they are not bigger. You all are happy families. In time, you will become proud of your children, just as other mothers are. Nobody will ask you what the sexual orientation of your child is. This will happen! For the time being however, support each other and, above all, support your children. They need your support, warmth and help. We won’t hurry you, hinder you, or overanalyze everything. It is very important for us to find friends among you, and not enemies, so that we can move towards the integration of Moldovan gays and lesbians into this heteronormative society.
Ili Ias
1(30) 2007
22
Recently, Information Centre
“GenderDoc-M“, which protects
the rights of the LGBT community, opened a new season of parties. Unfortunately, the staging of such activities is not an easy task in the capital. In spite of all opposition however, and in the name of the pleasure of nice homosexual boys and girls, a private, but also free, party was held at the Ekvador club. It should be mentioned that this was, as usual, a lot of fun. On September 12, guests were welcomed at the entrance by the indispensable Lena, who was shining with joy. She is responsible for the strict face-control. One should not think however, that only stylish gays have a good time at such gay parties. There are always enough “naturals” there as well. These are the kind of naturals who behave in a polite and civilized manner in any company. A DJ of heterosexual orientation, known at present as MC Dooh, has for example been the host of these parties for several years. Everybody relaxes; the show begins. There is contest to find most uninhibited; two most courageous couples of boys are called to the stage to finish the phrase: “We are not afraid of AIDS if…”. The boys are funny and the audience bursts out laughing. For the first time, there are large amounts of chocolate given as a prize. What prize was given before? It is not difficult to guess: condoms and lubricants. This time, those are given to everyone. There is a striking performance by the showy and feminine Salamandra fon Skop, in the roles of Alegrova and Gurchenko. Possessing a slender waist, soft motions, and splendid curls, Salamandra could indeed be taken for a girl. The audience however, knows this gifted parodist, Sergey Tkachenko, having recently been introduced to his work. Next, the “Novaya Era” (New Era) ballet show, under the guidance of Alexander (also a soloist) consists of a group of girls dressed in rough leather costumes, and finally drives the audience crazy, particularly the women present. Returning to the contest mentioned earlier, it should be noted that this lasted until the evening. Cheerful and sharp-witted boys and girls were writing their thoughts on pieces paper and MC Dooh was pumping up the crowd and reading them aloud. The phrase “I often go to Ekvador and take a condom with me” was one of the winners. The goal of this fiery night was to remember the threat of AIDS, but the party also proved that people in the LGBT community can have a relaxing, brilliant and uninhibited time.
Vlada Lenskaya
MOLDOVAN LGBT SITE
WWW.GAY.MD WITH ENGLISH CHAT!
«Zerkalo-plus»
Our World
Gay-party Season is Opened