BY ROB SALERNO: After a 17-year absence, the International Lesbian and Gay Association was welcomed back to the United Nations' Economic and Social Council this week as an accredited non-governmental organization. The decision gives ILGA the right to participate in debates and reports that will be circulated and discussed at the council. It also gives the group the right to participate in the UN's Human Rights Council.

ILGA is an association of more than 600 gay rights groups in 110 countries. It was previously accredited from 1993-94 but was booted out after it came to light that ILGA counted among its members the North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) and other groups that advocated for pedophilia. ILGA later booted the groups to comply with the UN decision, but UN members continued to refuse ILGA's application for reaccreditation, on the grounds that ILGA couldn't prove that it was no longer associating with the pedophilia groups. (ILGA kepts its membership list private, so as to protect groups in countries where homosexuality is still illegal.)

The vote at ECOSOC on July 26 had 29 in favour, 14 against and five abstentions. The "nays" were all African and Islamic countries, plus Russia and China. The "yeas" were mostly European and North and South American countries (yes, Canada voted in favour) but also included South Korea, Japan, India and Mongolia.

The full results: 

In favour: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

Against: Bangladesh, Cameroon, China, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Zambia.

Abstentions: Bahamas, Cote d’Ivoire, Guatemala, Philippines and Rwanda.

IGLA has posted the full text of the debate on its website (scroll down to the bold part).

According to the Bay Area Reporter, ILGA is now one of several gay rights groups with consultative status at the United Nations, including: International Wages Due Lesbians; Australia's Coalition of Activist Lesbians; ILGA-Europe (an autonomous division of ILGA); Denmark's Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske (National Association for Gays and Lesbians); Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland (Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany); the Swedish national LGBT group RFSL (its former initials now are its full name); Coalition Gaie et Lesbienne du Québec (Quebec Gay and Lesbian Coalition); COC Netherlands (a national LGBT group whose former initials are now its full name); Associação Brasileira de Gays, Lésbicas e Transgêneros (Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians and Transgenders); the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission; and Spain's Federaci—n Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals).

Finally something has been done to help a married lesbian couple in India whose lives have been threatened by relatives and friends.

On July 26, the police stepped in and moved Savita, 25, and Veena, 20, into a safe house, where they will have 24-hour protection.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the two were married in a civil ceremony in Haryana, close to New Delhi. The couple first approached the court complaining that Savita had been forced to marry against her will, and that she had left her marriage after telling her husband she was in a relationship with Veena.

Savita was granted a divorce, and the two women were married in a court ceremony on July 22 — India’s first lesbian marriage.

That should be a cause for celebration, but what followed is not.

The couple returned to their home village only to be greeted with threats of violence. Harayana has been the centre of protests by villagers who believe that their village councils should be allowed to impose their own punishments — mainly honour killings — on those who disobey their rules or break tradition.

The couple, fearing for their lives, returned to the courts, which is where the police stepped in.

The women’s experience highlights the schism between social acceptance of homosexuality and the law. In 2009, the high court overturned a colonial law that declared homosexuality to be a crime punishable by 10 years in jail.

A recent countrywide survey by the CNN-IBN television news channel revealed that as many as 73 percent of Indians believe homosexuality should be illegal. The poll, which was conducted in urban neighbourhoods, showed that 83 percent of the respondents felt that homosexuality was not part of Indian culture.

It’s not only civilians who object to homosexuality; some politicians and religious groups vehemently oppose it. Their rhetoric is nothing new — homosexuality is an evil Western import, it’s immoral, against local culture and unnatural. Under that clime, the fear of being ostracized runs high, and even though Delhi and Bangalore have held Pride parades, many of the marchers wear masks to hide their identity.

It always seems to be one step forward and two steps back for gay rights. But my congratulations go out to Savita and Veena — I hope they will be happy and safe.

BY ROB SALERNO - The US government is finally considering ending the gay blood-donor ban that has been in place since the HIV epidemic hit the blood supply in the 1980s.

Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services decided to uphold the ban, but it recently announced that it would reconsider its decision pending resolution of four areas of concern: 1) how donor risk factors relate to transmissable disease, 2) how blood not cleared for use is sometimes accidentally released, 3) whether or not donors actually understand the current criteria and whether or not men who have sex with men would comply with modified criteria (ie, a six-month deferral period), and 4) if an alternative screening strategy, such as pre/post donation disease testing for MSM would maintain blood safety.

HHS has also announced that it will conduct research into these problems.  

US senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry has been pushing HHS to update the policy for years. This latest announcement follows one of his requests for information.

Earlier this year, Canadian Blood Services announced that it, too, wanted to end or modify the ban but was awaiting further scientifiic research and approval from Health Canada.

BY ROB SALERNO - Foreign affairs minister and noted pussy lover John Baird is at the centre of the latest non-issue dust-up from Ottawa, where he ordered staff at the Department of Foreign Affairs to ditch a pair of paintings by revered Quebec artist Alfred Pellan in favour of a photo portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

Critics say the paintings are masterpieces that speak to the Canadian identity more than a portrait of a foreign monarch.

The paintings were replaced with the photo just ahead of the recent visit to Ottawa from Prince William and his wife Kate (or the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, if you must) and in celebration of Queen Liz's upcoming diamond jubilee next year.

Baird is both a monarchist and a lover of pug-faced British ladies. He's also an obvious appreciator of giggle-worthy double-entendre-laden headline grabbers, so I'm sure he's having a good laugh with this one. Although to be honest, when I saw the headline "John Baird Orders Quebec Paintings Replaced by Queen's Portrait" I assumed the Huffington Post meant an image of himself.

On July 25, the International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA) finally won United Nations accreditation. ILGA, one of the oldest organizations fighting for gay rights, had been trying to gain recognition at the UN for the past 20 years.

According to Reuters Africa, 29 countries — mainly European and Latin American, but also India, South Korea, Japan and Mongolia — voted to allow ILGA consultant status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Thirteen countries, all African and Islamic countries, as well as China and Russia, opposed the motion.

There were six abstentions: Guatemala, Mauritius, Philippines, Rwanda, Bahamas and the Ivory Coast.

That's the good news and a step forward for gay rights.

However, on Tuesday, July 26, Italy put a spanner in the works by rejecting a bill that would protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people from discrimination.

Parliament's lower house, dominated by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservatives, voted 293 to 250 not to approve the legislation.

Pink News reports that Italy already bans discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, ethnicity and nationality. Campaigners for the bill say that, because of the rising number of homophobic and transphobic attacks, gay and trans people need more protection.

Unfortunately, Italy is not known for its pro-gay stance; gay couples are not allowed to adopt or marry. And Berlusconi, well, he is just something else. His reputation as a playboy dominates his political role and his crassness is well-known. Last year, he brushed off criticism by saying, "It's better to be passionate about beautiful women than to be gay."

He must be beaming now that his party has trumped bigotry over human rights.

Parliament's decision, however, has sent activists into a fury.

Paolo Patanè, head of gay rights association Arcigay, said that parliament "has betrayed justice and civility and has decided to support the violent."

He also called upon the European Union to "help us face this extremely dangerous rise in homophobia, xenophobia and racism that the Italian parliament has decided to legitimize."

Amnesty International also stepped in to say that parliament wasted an opportunity.

In fact, Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty's director for Europe and Central Asia, was forthright in her admonishment of the parliamentarians.

"In addition to passing the right laws, authorities and politicians should set the example. They should promote equality and non-discrimination and refrain from and condemn derogatory and discriminatory remarks that foster a climate of intolerance."

Hear, hear.