Report on the HR Conference by Tony Reed (2nd AsiaPacific Outgames; 12-19 March 2011; Wellington, New Zealand)
I trust you all enjoyed Outgames. As you all know, RW was most involved in the Human Rights Conference, in which we sponsored two of the overseas key speakers, to the tune of some $10,000, by far the largest act of sponsorship in the history of the group. Here is my report on the presentations of our two sponsorees, which both took place in the plenary session at the beginning of day 3:
The last day of the Conference, Friday March 18th, I made sure I got to town for the opening of the plenary session at 8.30 am. This was because the two overseas keynote presenters sponsored by Rainbow Wellington were speaking.
Nepalese MP Sunil Pant does not have a dramatic presentation style, but the content of his speech was amazing. He started with a slide-show which showed the change in Nepal over the last 10 years, from a situation where gay people were regularly beaten up by the police, to one where over 300,000 are now out, the Supreme Court has ruled against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and of course Sunil himself is an out MP in the Parliament in Kathmandu.
Sunil emphasised that, although government action is important, it is we ourselves who are the key to an improvement in the rights of LGBTIs. And to achieve this, we must “move beyond grievance” and look forward to a better future.
There is now serious talk that Nepal could be the venue for the next Asia Pacific Outgames. I am sure that they could put on a great show, and that we could all enjoy the services of Pink Mountain Travel, run by the Blue Diamond Society, which has been responsible for the one of the greatest improvements of LGBTI rights in Asia.
Grace Poore from Malaysia spoke movement building in the region, concentrating on the different types of movement in Hongkong, Vietnam and Cambodia.
In Hongkong new technology has been at the forefront of campaigning, initially because a movement based on networking via Facebook and other electronic media has been easier to arrange when money is very short. This has led to successes such as ensuring that a new law on domestic violence covered LGBTIs – despite opposition from some much better funded religious groups.
In Vietnam the concept of a “movement” is not used, as it implies confrontation. Instead the key point has been education, based on a belief that better information can lead to less discrimination. Cambodia has a similar approach, but within the LGBT community. The concept of Pride has been employed, but there it does not tend to involve public marches or rallies, but indoor activities which help to develop a confident community.
Grace emphasised that, although outside help (mostly from white Westerners) can be helpful in kick-starting developments in these countries, it has to be carefully monitored, and a locally based capacity developed as soon as possible. This is partly because it is local people who suffer the consequences of any activism, as opposed to the foreigners, who can of course just go home. New media technology is clearly the key to attracting larger numbers, as it enables many people to feel that they are part of a movement. The international element in this involvement can be helpful; bad governments know that the world is watching. However, we need to be aware that our enemies are also able to network in a similar way, and that cyber attacks by homophobic groups, especially religious ones, are on the increase. Human Rights Commissions in the region in particular must come to terms more with these developments.
Both speakers received a rapturous reception, and I came away feeling proud that we at RW had been able to support two such visitors, who otherwise may not have been able to attend and make such memorable presentations.
Later in the day, Kiwi ex-pat John Fisher inspired us all further, and his comments have been reported on GayNZ.com and elsewhere. Even whilst John was at the conference, his Geneva-based organisation, ARC International, was helping to maximise support for the UN Joint statement on sexual orientation and gender identity, and we received a running commentary throughout the conference on the number of countries adding their support. The final number was 85 – see more under “Overseas news” above.
Tony Reed
Hon Secretary RW