IHRC to Host Free Teleconference: The Plight of Individuals Living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras

Please join the Committee on Friday, August 20, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. EST, for a free teleconference on the plight of individuals living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras, as well as mechanisms to combat hate crimes and other human rights abuses against individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Ana Montano,* attorney with the Immigrant HIV/AIDS Assistance Project, and Dan Torres,** Program Manager for Proyecto Poderoso, a joint LGBT civil rights project with California Rural Legal Assistance and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, will lead the discussion.

This teleconference will address the following topics:

• Stigma, discrimination, and persecution faced by individuals with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador based on their perceived sexual orientation;
• Proposal for a pro bono legal services program to provide representation for individuals living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador;
• Mechanisms used to combat hate crimes against individuals living with HIV and AIDS in Honduras; and
• Collaboration between attorneys and U.S. embassies abroad to share ideas with local NGOs, law schools, and government officials to combat hate crimes committed against individuals with HIV and AIDS.

To participate in the teleconference, please use the following call-in information:

Dial-in Number: 1-219-509-8111

Participant Access Code: 153417

Participants who join the call are muted but may unmute themselves during the question and answer portion of the teleconference. It is important to remain on mute while not speaking to avoid complications with feedback. The teleconference is limited to 150 participants, so please join us early to ensure your participation. Participation in the teleconference is on a first come, first served basis.

*Ana Montano is an attorney with experience in immigration and civil rights law. She currently serves as the Immigration Staff Attorney at the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, a public interest law organization in San Francisco. Ms. Montano primarily works to protect the rights of clients seeking political asylum, in the United States, based on their fear of persecution for being gay and HIV+. Ms. Montano attended the University of California, Hastings College of Law during which she focused on the representation of the underserved. Ms. Montano worked with several human rights based non-profit organizations before starting law school. Ms. Montano’s current project is to establish pro bono legal services for low-income LGBT persons that are struggling with discrimination and persecution in Central America.

** Dan Torres, Staff Attorney/LGBT Program Manager for Proyecto Poderoso, a collaborative effort between California Rural Legal Assistance and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Previously, Mr. Torres worked at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center organizing LGBT immigrants, conducting know your rights presentations, providing technical assistance to legal services and pro bono attorneys. Mr. Torres represented clients as a staff attorney at the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation in Sacramento, worked as a clinical instructor at the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Law Clinic, and served as a staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.