Recording of IHRC Teleconference: Plight of LGBT Individuals Living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras

A recording of the Committee's free telconference addressing the plight of LGBT individuals living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras is available at the following link.  This link will expire in a few weeks, so please download the recording if you are interested in listening to the program.  If you are interested in contributing a piece to the blog addressing the plight of LGBT individuals living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras, please contact IHRC Vice-Chair Erin Palmer at erinlouisepalmer@hotmail.com.

"Not Worth a Penny" - Human Rights Watch paper addressing violence against LGBT in Honduras

During the IHRC's most recent teleconference on the plight of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras, panel participant Dan Torres spoke of a Human Rights Watch Paper, "Not Worth a Penny," available at the following link, which addresses abuses based on gender identity and expression, including rape, beatings, extortion, and arbitrary detentions, by law enforcement officials in Honduras.  For more information on Entre Amigos, an organization mentioned by panel participant Ana Montano working for respect for, and the defense of, the human rights of gays, bisexuals, lesbians, transsexuals, and inter-sex in El Salvador, please visit the following link.  The web site for the AIDS Legal Referral Panel, which provides free and low-cost legal services to people with HIV/AIDS in the San Francisco Bay Area, can be found at the following link, and the web site for Proyecto Poderoso of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which seeks to improve legal services for low-income LGBT people in rural California, can be found at the following link.

International Norms Relevant to Teleconference on the Plight of Individuals Living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras

Included below please find a list of international norms relevant to the IHRC's teleconference on the plight of individuals living with HIV and AIDS in El Salvador and Honduras:

• Yogyakarta Principals: A key event in the development of the Principles was an international seminar that took place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, at Gadjah Mada University from 6 to 9 November 2006, which clarified the nature, scope, and implementation of States’ human rights obligations in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity under existing human rights treaties and law.
• Universal Declaration Of Human Rights (1976)
• International Conference On Population And Development (El Cairo, 1993)
• World Conference On Human Rights (Vienna, 1993)
• United Nations Declaration On Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity (2008)
• Organization Of American States' Declaration On Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity, 37th General Assembly (Interamerican Legal Committee)
• The Organization Of American States 38th General Assembly Passed By General Consent The Resolution AG/RES/2435(XXXVIII-O/08) Human Rights, Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity, Submitted By The Brazilian Delegation.

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.