ASEAN SOGIE Caucus releases a new publication titled “A Research Report on the Lives of Lesbian and Bisexual Women and Transgender Men in Timor-Leste”. The research, the first research of its kind in Timor-Leste, was conducted in collaboration with Rede Feto, a national network of women’s organisations working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.
ASEAN SOGIE Caucus releases a new publication titled “Policy Brief on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and SOGIESC in Southeast Asia”. The policy brief was drafted to catalogue how SOGIESC has been addressed within the CEDAW reporting mechanisms. It also provides baseline information on CEDAW for activists based in ASEAN member-states, and offer guidance on its application to SOGIESC in human rights advocacy.
Civil society engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms on sexual orientation, gender identity & expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) in Southeast Asia
The human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) persons from Southeast Asia are under assault. Various forms of aggression and exclusion on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) have been documented, ranging from failures to establish redress mechanisms protecting LGBTIQ persons to the criminalization of consensual same-sex relations. Considering these realities, we believe that LGBTIQ people in Southeast Asia must assert stronger claims in the formulation of international policies, which define human rights norms, through engagement with UN human rights mechanisms.
Statement released on June 27th, 2017
We need more Asian leaders to speak for LGBTIQ human rights and inclusion. Thank you PM Rui Maria de Araujo for expressing your support.
Official Statement of His Excellency Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on LGBT Acceptance:
Everyone has the potential to contribute to the development of the nation, including members of the LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender).
Discrimination, disrespect and abuse towards people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity does not provide any benefit to our nation.
May 4 to 5, 2017
The ASEAN SOGIE Caucus organized Advocacy Dialogue on Engaging the UN Special Procedures from 4 to 5 May 2017. The workshop was organized for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) activists from countries in Southeast Asia to learn and appreciate the use of the Special Procedures, a system of independent human rights experts tasked with monitoring and reporting human rights violations.
ASEAN SOGIE Caucus is happy to announce the publication of "Building a Rainbow in Timor-Leste: Initial Insights and Ways Forward", which tackles briefly some of the social, political, and legal challenges facing Timorese LGBTIQ people today.
In August 2016, during the ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN Peopleís Forum in Dili, ASEAN SOGIE Caucus (ASC) engaged for the first time with people from Timor-Lesteís lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) community. In collaboration with ISEAN HIVOS Program (IHP) and the Coalition of Diversity and Action (CODIVA), ASC organized ìRainbow Solidarity: Strengthening Ties Among LGBTIQ Activists in ASEANî, where activists talked about what it was like to be LGBTIQ in their countries. During the activity, ASC committed to support LGBTIQ activism in Timor-Leste, affirming the countryís emerging role for LGBTIQ advocacy in Southeast Asia. As part of this commitment, this discussion paper was produce to highlight the key issues shared with us by activists, and identify ways forward for advocacy in Timor-Leste.
We, the undersigned, are deeply saddened by the senseless murder of Sameera Krishnan, a young transgender woman on 23rd February 2017 at about 3:30 a.m. in Kuantan, Malaysia. Not only was she attacked with a knife and slashed in the hands, arms, head and legs, she was also shot three times. Sameera worked as a florist in Kuantan and is described by family and friends as a soft-spoken and a down-to-earth person. Her funeral was held on Friday, 24th February, which happened to be her birthday.
ASEAN SOGIE Caucus is pleased to announce the publication of "Bata at Bahaghari: Experiences of LGBT Children in the Philippines", the first of its ongoing Discussion Series tackling various issues in LGBTIQ advocacy in the Southeast Asian region.