2ND SOCIAL FORUM FOR SEXUAL DIVERSITY

5TH WORLD SOCIAL FORUM

PORTO ALEGRE; 2005

31 January 2005

Objectives:

* To exchange information on various initiatives involving sexual orientation, sexual diversity, gender identity and sexual rights, expressed during the Fifth World Social Forum.

* To reach consensus on proposals and alternatives brought forth by the LGBT movement, especially in regard to their relationship to the World Social Forum process, the 2nd Social Forum for Sexual Diversity and the World Assembly of Social Movements.

* To grant greater visibility to follow-up initiatives that reinforce the LGBT movement's participation in the above mentioned spaces.

Invitation and participation:

This encounter, created by the LGBT South-South Dialogue, was open to all. At least 250 people participated, from different organizations and regions of the world.

Methodology:

Being an open space, framed within the methodology of searching for convergence proposed by the Fifth World Social Forum, the encounter was participatory, attempting to give voice to the diversity of participants, as well as to make visible the proposals that all speakers made.

Summary of proposals made:

* To strengthen initiatives that aim to get the struggle against homophobia placed in all social movements' gatherings, discourses and strategies.

* To generate a movement that will be critical of patriarchal, sexist, neoliberal, capitalistic power relationships.

* To build a diverse movement, critical of the commercialization, within the process of developing proposals for an alternative world.

* To build and strengthen interrelationships with other social movements, especially with the World Assembly / Network of Social Movements.

* To strengthen joint actions with other social movements, actively participating in demands and struggles against the FTAA, the WTC, the IMF, the World Bank, the foreign debt, racism, and all forms of exclusion and discrimination.

* To develop joint strategies for resistance and action against all forms of commercializing the bodies and lives of LGBT persons.

* To generate a political LGBT movement, linking all forms of exclusion affecting LGBT persons with the fight against globalization.

* To strengthen and make visible, from 'diversity' position, the solidarity with movements and countries defending their sovereignty against the empire's neoliberal policies.

* To coordinate struggles for sexual diversity, the right to free sexual orientation and gender identity jointly with the social, economic and political challenges related to the proposal of "Another World Possible".

* To strengthen struggles for the enforcement of LGBT persons' civil rights, such as full citizenship, social and political participation, strategically upholding demands for freedom to form unions / partnerships.

Actions:

Internationally:

* World Social Forum Process

- To participate in the World Network & Assembly of Social Movements and make the above mentioned proposals within this space.

- To strengthen the participation at all regional, thematic and world spaces of the World Social Forum, coordinating proposals and actions related to the eradication of homophobia and to the support for diversity.

- To maintain specific reference points for the LGBT movement, while assuring the visibility of LGBT perspectives throughout the WSF spaces.

- To strengthen and give continuity to the Social Forum for Sexual Diversity, by broadening its participation and agenda.

- To enhance information to all LGBT networks and organizations in the world, calling on them to take part in the regional, national and local processes of the WSF.

- To participate in the 2nd Americas Social Forum and in the 2006 WSF for the Americas, to be held in Venezuela, in January 2006.

- To organize to take part in the Sixth World Social Forum, to be held in an African country, to be confirmed in April 2005.

- To contribute to developing WSF policies to include and involve youth, women and the LGBT movement.

* United Nations:
With experiences gained from participation in various United Nations gatherings, such as the World Conference of Women (Beijing 95), the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Other Forms of Intolerance (Durban 2001), the Human Rights Commission and others, to develop multiple strategies to achieve universal recognition of different sexual orientations and protection for LGBT persons. To call upon all countries to guarantee these rights under the UN framework.

* Defend the for rights, struggle against homophobia and violence

To encourage all social movements to struggle alongside the LGBT movement against homophobia, sexism, and hate crimes; and To defend, expand and foster constitutional and legislative achievements regarding sexual rights in different countries, especially those that explicitly protect sexual orientations, and to develop actions to support those who struggle and propose such protection and recognition.

* World Charter of Women for Humanity

To develop initiatives to include LGBT issues in the Women's Charter for Humanity proposed by the World March of Women. To develop actions in this direction during the March's worldwide mobilization from March to October 2005.

* Strengthening of analysis and political development

To encourage the development of analyses, studies and political development on issues regarding sexual orientation, sexual rights, diversity and gender identity.

* First World Out games: International Conference on "The right to be Different", Montreal 2006
To include this International Conference on organizations' agendas and suggest activities to advance in the LGBT movement's struggles.

Calls to action and solidarity from different countries

Brazil:
To express international support for the "We Demand Our Rights" March from every state in Brazil to the capital city, Brasilia, in order to demand the government to criminalize discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity; to grant the right to rectify the civil registry for transsexuals, and to recognize the freedom to form same-sex unions, as well as to approve all projects involving LGBT demands pending in Congress. The march is preliminarily scheduled for November 2005.

Cuba:
To affirm explicit solidarity with the Cuban people, with advances made in the recognition of LGBT rights in the country, especially through expressions of support for positions taken by Cuba within the United Nations Human Rights Commission. To develop actions of solidarity with their position of defending their sovereignty, jointly with the LGBT movement of Cuba.

Ecuador:
To express support for Ecuador's LGBT process, which has made significant progress for the region by getting non-discrimination due to sexual orientation included in the national Constitution. To do this particularly through solidarity with the proposed Organic Law on "Human Rights to Effective Equality and Elimination of Discrimination", presented in June 2004 to the National Congress by FEDAEPS, together with the American Association of Jurists, Ecuarunari, the Network of Women Transforming the Economy (REMTE), the World March of Women, the LGBT South-South Dialogue, the National LGBT Network, the Women's Area of the Latin-American Information Agency, the January 9th Rumiñahui Migrants Association, the Afro Pastoral of Ecuador, the Association of Family Members of Persons Deprived of their Liberty and others. This Draft Law proposes concrete measures to bring social practices in line with the constitutional principles made explicit in the 1998 Constitution, which includes such principles as non-discrimination for any reason, including gender, age, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, and others.

South Africa:
To express solidarity and support the initiatives undertaken by the South African movement struggling against HIV/AIDS, which has demanded structural changes to prevent the pandemia and save over five million lives currently threatened. To back the demands by the LGBT movement of South Africa to link the constitutional principles of non-discrimination due to sexual orientation with State policies and all national instruments.

Internal movement-building:

* To deepen reflections and proposals to struggle against the commercialization of the LGBT culture.

* To develop coordinated proposals for resistance against LGBT community stereotyping in the media.

* To improve communication liaisons among organizations and their representation in the media, especially through long-term alliances with alternative media.

* To strengthen on-line communication mechanisms, especially in regard to the WSF process, the World Assembly of Social Movements, and the Social Forum for Sexual Diversity.

* To establish internal alliances within the LGBT movement, recognizing differences and specificities of each sector and context.

* To develop a joint agenda to fight against all forms of exclusion, calling upon governments to develop public policies that will be responsive to their people's needs and realities, especially those regarding LGBT rights and gender rights.

* To take up the conclusions from the plenary of the Youth Camp and the Assembly of Social Movements and integrate them into organizations' action based agenda.

* To value LGBT movement's actions in defense of rights and citizenship.

* To expand visions of politics, rethinking it from perspectives including bodies and sexuality.

* To deepen reflections and proposals regarding the right to free same-sex unions / partnerships, child custody and the enforcement of universal civil rights.

* To condemn acts of sexist violence that have taken place at the Youth Camp during the WSF. To appeal to the International Council to take measures in this regard.

* To demand that the LGBT march in Jerusalem take into account, as a issue of principle, condemnation of Palestine genocide.

Final resolution for follow-up:

* An inclusive delegation was formed to convey the above proposal to the 2005 World Assembly of Social Movements.

* The LGBT South-South Dialogue, who organized this meeting, was charged with summarizing the discussion, within one month's time, in the most diverse languages possible, to create an information list on following up on the WSF process, and to contribute to following up on the aims expressed at the meeting.

Porto Alegre, 31 January 2005

* LGBT refers to Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, Transvestites and Transsexuals