In the midst of last weekend\u2019s Pride celebration, LGBTQ world leaders shared their perspectives of LGBTQ issues in their own countries at the San Diego History Center on Sunday, July 15. The six forum speakers, who are part of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP), came from all over the world to San Diego Pride.<\/p>\n
This event was hosted by the History Center, San Diego Pride and the San Diego Diplomacy Council. This program brought 12 international LGBTQ leaders from: Bangladesh, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Israel, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Singapore, Turkey and Vietnam.<\/p>\n The six forum speakers were:<\/p>\n \u201cThe IVLP program, the department of state, has all of you come here to learn from us. We created this platform that we could learn from all of you,\u201d Lopez said.<\/p>\n \u201cDoing this work over these last few years with San Diego Pride, it\u2019s amazing how different our struggles are, how common our struggles are, and these connections \u2014 these global connections \u2014 only help to make us stronger,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Joel Day, director and advisor to Mayor Kevin Faulconer, also attended on behalf of the city of San Diego.<\/p>\n \u201cI am incredibly humbled and impressed at the long-suffering quest of justice in this community, and the activists who have paved the way here,\u201d Day said. \u201cIn the spirit of friendship and love, San Diego as a city is proud to call you all friends and is proud of each and every one of you.\u201d<\/p>\n Day then presented each member of the delegation with a certificate of friendship.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not only a celebration of friendship, but it is learning from friends,\u201d he continued. \u201cThat is the key part of friendship \u2013 to organize for the fight ahead. \u2026 Thank you for your advice, council, best practices and encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n After introducing themselves and their work, Lopez asked the panelists questions about the LGBT movements in their respective countries, including struggles, victories and changes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Q: In 77 countries around the world, it\u2019s still illegal to be gay, and in seven countries, punishable by death. With not just the law and climate being different from country to country and province to province, state to state, what are your perspectives, either from an international law policy, the policy in your own countries or the U.S. around reform, around refugee asylee (asylum), embargo policies, that you would feel would be beneficial to the LGBT population in your respective countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIf you are a trans woman from an Arab family they can always \u2014 even if you move to Tel Aviv \u2014 they can always come look for you to harm you. I think having a program to help trans woman and other LGBTs to find asylum in other countries, people that I know really don\u2019t have a future in Israel.\u201d \u201cIn France, there is such policy that you can seek asylum as an LGBT refugee, but you have to prove that you are LGBT. How can you do that? Many times we have court or lawyers asking us as an organization to [confirm] each one of them is gay or whatever. We can [certify] that he or she is a member of our organization, that\u2019s right, but we can\u2019t say \u201cHey, this person is gay!\u201d <\/p>\n Q: In this country, and in many countries around the world, faith has been used as a weapon against our community. It has also been used as a forefront of our movement. So in what ways does religion play to positively or negatively impact the LGBT movement in your countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cReligion is only harming the society. According to Islam and Islamic leaders, one who is homosexual \u2026 is actually [subject] to death, either by hanging or stoning to death. When it comes to religion in Islam, they are just taking us backwards 100 years or 200 years.\u201d \u2014Massam Hussain Ansari, Pakistan<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cActually, the religious leader in Vietnam plays an important role in terms of influence [on] family. The family will come to the Buddhist monastery or temple to ask for the monk to cure or convert their children.\u201d \u201cThere are major political actors that are [in the] far right movement that have been acting very quietly, but very persistently, for the past five or six years, that are really closely related to evangelical churches and movements. Unfortunately they have been playing a very disruptive role in our community.\u201d <\/p>\n Q: Pride is very different in each city, in each country \u2014 so what are some of the comparisons that you might show what Pride is like in your country versus ours?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe last four years, the Prides in Istanbul were like Stonewall \u2014 actual Stonewall. We resist; we fight with the government. I envy people who march, who dance, who [enjoy] a festival. We will come there, but now we are at the stage of still fighting, answering back to government, resisting \u2014 actual resisting, they attack us with plastic bullets. We were peaceful protestors. \u201cI am quite ambivalent about Pride in Tel Aviv because I think it\u2019s a huge [public relations] and tourist event. It\u2019s actually made use in Pink Washing Israel. I\u2019d like to see more of a protest, more of a political demonstration. \u201cIn Pakistan we never did Pride, but we are going to arrange the first Pride march in October 2018. \u2026 This is something from nothing.\u201d \u2014Massam Hussain Ansari, Pakistan<\/em><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/DSC_0362.jpg\")
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\n\u2014Nina Halvey, Israel<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014S\u00e9l\u00e8ne Tonon, France<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Thanh Ha Chu, Vietnam<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Nikoleta Stanimirova Gabrovska, Bulgaria<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Sevval Kilie, Turkey<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2014Nina Halvey, Israel<\/em><\/p>\n