Rapp sued Spacey back in 2020, claiming an encounter with the Oscar-winning actor at a party in New York in 1986 turned dark when Spacey, a dozen years his senior, lifted him onto a bed and got on top of him. Rapp’s lawsuit seeks damages for battery and infliction of emotional distress, and though Spacey claims he couldn’t remember the incident, he publicly apologized for his alleged “deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour.” However, Spacey’s attempt at a mea culpa is likely too little too late to save his career, especially since Rapp isn’t the only man accusing him of sexually inappropriate behaviour.

Top insurance companies should also be paying attention to the lawsuit. Kevin Spacey just settled for $31M dollars in a civil lawsuit. He agreed to pay the money to studio MRC (the company that made House of Cards.) But imagine if it had gone the other way, and the staff at studio MRC had sued the company. The company that insures studio MRC might have had to pay out $31M.

My point is that harassment affects everyone the victims, their families, the companies where the harassment happens, and even insurance companies (even if you don’t feel bad for them). Let’s talk about the upcoming criminal trial.

Trial for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Men

In addition to facing Rapp’s civil lawsuit, Spacey is also set to go on trial in London next year for allegedly sexually assaulting three men while working as an artistic director at a London theatre between 2004 and 2015.

The same year Rapp went public with his allegations, the theatre where Spacey worked conducted an internal investigation that saw more than a dozen performers and employees accuse Spacey of “inappropriate and predatory behaviour.”

Spacey’s so far denied doing anything wrong, pleading not guilty to the charges in London and denying any memory of the uncomfortable incident alleged by Rapp. Of course, at this point, determining Spacey’s civil liability and criminal culpability for his alleged conduct is up to the courts.

But the sheer length of time it’s taken to finally get on the road to justice raises a host of difficult questions and a number of uncomfortable truths not only about Spacey himself but also about what enabled him to fly under the radar for so long.

The former Hollywood A-list actor joins a long list of fallen stars felled in the wake of the “#Metoo” movement, but his laundry list of legal woes is ongoing on both sides of the Atlantic.

No More Free Passes for Celebrities

Even though his sexual inappropriateness among young men was reportedly an “open secret” in the entertainment industry for years, Spacey’s talent, fame, and fortune seemingly gave him a free pass. Meanwhile, the media’s reticence to “out” him as gay played no small role in him getting away with his predatory predilections for decades.

But, like other fallen Hollywood heavyweights such as Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, it was also Spacey’s star power and wealth that shielded him from accountability, like a suit of armour as shiny and golden as the Oscar and Emmy statues that adorn his shelves.

Once the chorus of voices speaking out against him reached a “critical mass,” the party was over, as was his acting career, likely for the rest of his life.

But why did it take so long, decades, for Spacey to finally face a public reckoning for what appears to be a pattern of misconduct towards younger men?

And how can the entertainment industry as a whole deal with such issues in the future to ensure men like Spacey, Weinstein, and Cosby never ascend to power to the point of virtual untouchability ever again?

Victims of Sexual Abuse Need Time to Come Forward

Firstly, victims of sexual abuse and misconduct are often racked with guilt and shame for a long time before they’re able to process their emotions. Indeed, the incident at the heart of Rapp’s lawsuit against Spacey is alleged to have happened way back in 1986.

Furthermore, in cases involving gross power differences between perpetrators and victims, like Spacey’s and Weinstein’s and Cosby’s, speaking out can have adverse consequences for those who sound the alarm.

Secondly, especially in the hyper-competitive glamour industry that is the movie business, careerism and self-preservation may trump speaking out against a big-name star, a high-powered producer, or a well-known director.

Fears of being blacklisted and hearing the dreaded Hollywood cliché “you’ll never work in this town again” are certainly warranted. But a conspiracy of silence and fear can’t last forever, as Spacey learned after reportedly groping the wrong production assistant after an on-set mishap while filming his erstwhile Netflix hit “House of Cards” in 2012.

Kevin Spacey Accuser Conclusion

Lastly, at an industry level, both the media and film businesses could implement systems and policies to specifically counteract the tactics used by powerful men to suppress stories of their misconduct.

In Spacey’s case, the media held to the longstanding industry practice of not “outing” gay people on their pages. But like a “family values” politician caught with their pants down, calling out bad behaviour shouldn’t take a backseat to protect a celebrity’s “open secret.”

Meanwhile, the film industry could establish an anonymous system for both cast and crew to report misconduct by stars, producers, or directors. Such a system could protect vulnerable crew members from retaliation and serve as a check on the powerful men who use and abuse their positions for their own gratification.

Although far from perfect solutions, they’re certainly better than the status quo that allowed men like Spacey, Weinstein, and Cosby to thrive for decades.

How do you think Kevin Spacey is going to act when he meets his accuser in court?

Author: Alistair Vigier is the CEO of ClearwayLaw.com, an advanced online legal marketplace that allows the public to rate attorneys. He is also working on improving the real estate industry.

The post It’s Time For Kevin Spacey To Meet His Accuser appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

An organization called OUTLoud North Bay works with 2SLGBTQ+ youth, giving them a safer space to go to. Recently, they wanted to give an opportunity for local youth to try drag. When I think about this, it would be no different then when I was a kid, trying on mom’s make up or shoes, so it seems normal to me for the youth wanting to try these things to express themselves. However, what happened was far beyond what anyone saw coming.

There is a fringe radical group called “Libs of TikTok”, that is based out of the USA, and they take the information from drag shows, Pride organizations, Youth 2SLGBTQ+ and other equity seeking groups, sharing it with their over one million followers, who then set out to destroy anyone who is not the same as them. Individuals then receive threats of violence, hateful comments, and such. What is worse for us, even Canadians are part of this group doing the same thing. Not only have they threatened these organizations, but they also threatened supporters, sponsors, and the like.

The police across Canada have resources for this kind of thing. However, according to them, it can be hard to convict anyone of these crimes, even though threats of violence is a crime in Canada and the USA.

When Canada tried to address this kind of online hate crimes, the Conservatives decided it would fall under a freedom of expression issue for all Canadians. But is it? Should one be allowed to express hate towards other people? Threaten them with death because they are who they are? This is what these politicians are protecting. However, we can all agree finding the balance is difficult, especially because no one wants to stifle freedom of expression, but no one should be subjected to hate of any kind. What do we do?

One thing is clear, that Pride events are vital to the survival and change of society to stop hate everywhere. However, sometimes I believe that these events have lost their way some what. It is great to celebrate accomplishments by having a Pride parade and other great events, but where are these organizations when it comes to standing shoulder to shoulder against hate? Where are they when it comes to speaking out and holding politicians accountable for their actions on lack of support to equity seeking groups? Where are they when it comes to changing policy or the law that would benefit everyone?

There is a balance for Pride organizations and equity seeking groups, but it just seems many have forgotten this over the years. Pride’s work is not done until we are all equal and all free from hate, every city, every province, every country.  That is when Pride triumphs.

Until then, we stand together, we support each other, and we are there when we are needed. Let’s get all Prides in Canada to find their balance again, and let’s change the world to where no hate exists anymore, because that is a true Canadian and that is what we are about. In the end, love (and support) wins!

Stay Safe Pigeon.

Love Geri!

The post Hate Has No Home in North Bay appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

If this is not a wake-up call to every Political Party in Canada, I do not know what is. Even the last federal election had a similar turn out of eligible voters.

Right now, we have the Ontario NDP and Ontario Liberals sitting in their offices licking their wounds, saying, “What did we do so wrong? Boo Hoo, poor me. I know what to do, we will send out a survey to all our members who support us and ask them what we did wrong because they will tell us the truth and not just tell us what we want to hear.” Yes, that is right. You guessed it, that is the answer by them, send out a survey to their members. Not try to reach out to people that did not support them to ask why they did not support them. Or God forbid, reach out to the thousands of union members who supported Doug Ford, and ask them why?

Federal Parties did the same thing too.

We are living with COVID, we have seen that our systems are not people focused, they are big corporate focused. We learned people need full time living wage jobs, not three part time minimum wage jobs, yet here we are with companies screaming there is a labour shortage, when in fact it’s a living wage job shortage.

Let us talk about the Leaders Debate that Prides across Ontario tried to put together. Ontario Prides, which included Toronto, North Bay, Hamilton, Sudbury, etc. They all came together and said to the leaders of all the Political Parties, we want to hold a Leader’s debate. This is not the first time a request has come from Prides either, North Bay Pride has been asking both the federal and provincial leaders since 2018. QueerVote took the lead and let me tell you, it’s a great organization that will make some major changes one day in the political systems.

Anyway, other then Green Party’s Mike Schrenier, the leaders and their parties basically ignored us. Maybe that is why the Ontario Greens had one of the biggest increases in votes this year even though we had the lowest voter turnout in history of Ontario. And they came very close to winning their second seat in Muskoka. Mike seemed to know; they needed to be there.

After a lot of pressure, the parties decided they would send a representative to the debate which was streamed live from Toronto. Which you can see here.

But again, although the 2SLGBTQ+ were part of the discussion, the discussion was suppose to include all equity seeking voices and communities and the reps lost that point some where.

All I know is that Prides tried to change the discussion in politics, and so many of you missed it. Prides took a political stance, like they are supposed to, because that is the grassroots of Pride and you missed it. Political parties did hear the call for change, and you missed that too.

Political Parties, well most of them are usually good at getting candidates that come from communities like ours, but they just seemed to not want to hear from us this time.

To make matters worse, media outlets like BellMedia, CBC and Corus Entertainment, would not work with the Ontario Prides to help them or cover the political debates. They are great at trying to get community representation in their shows that are comedy, drama etc. But it seems when marginalized voices need to be heard, you get ignored or told to just sit down and be quiet because you had your month.

We wrote a report on the experience of Pride and Politics, but not one media outlet, not one political party, not one leader has reached out to us to say “Hey, let’s talk because you have raised some very important issues.” It really makes us question what political leaders are truly about if they are not listening to communities.

The Federal Government created the Federal Debate Commission which was supposed to support getting voter engagement back into politics. But their report says the same old thing about the same old political system and debates and keeps pushing the same format of debates, so what was the point of them? I looked at the committee and advisors, and its funny to see a bunch of wealthy people sitting on a committee getting paid trying to say they know what marginalized communities want as they have never been part of the community they are talking about. Big media treats Federal Debate Commission like they are the be all end all in politics. We sent Federal Debate Commissioner a copy of the report too, but they have ignored us too.

Do not get me wrong, there was some great coverage by rural local papers and independent media, but the major ones had no time of day for any of us, which is disturbing, because they all received Federal Funding at some point especially during COVID.

Having said all this. We have no choice but to vote because we need people in politics that listen to us, the communities, the people. Because once we get the right person in office, the system can be changed, and the change will be good for us all.

I am not writing this article / blog just to bitch about politics, I want politics to change and want leaders to hear the call for change, because so far, they cannot hear anything except from the people around them that block you from being heard. That is why I wrote this, but again, I am guessing this will be ignored, and by many of you too. Because you are part of the problem too. Stop playing your role in this problem and be the solution, because if you do not step up, it will only get worse from here and we all deserve better.

The post If you did not vote, you are part of the problem appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

We were hit with a federal election on top of everything else many of us are going through. Was it the right thing to do you may be asking? I have no idea Pigeon. But, COVID has taught us many things and personally as old as I am, I have never lived through anything even close to what COVID is. Although it seems the election has told us a few things, as it was one of the lowest turn outs in the history of Canadian Federal Elections.

Here is my question Pigeon. Where did the grassroots of Pride being political go? I’ve noticed that the majority of Prides across Canada seem to stay silent when it comes to politics. Is it just me and my glass of wine noticing this, or do you see it too Pigeon? Pride’s very foundation is political because we are talking equality, and until everyone is equal and treated equal, Pride must be political.

Let me tell you about a little Pride festival out of North Bay, Ontario, Canada that has developed a no prisoner attitude when it comes to human rights, that includes telling our federal leaders enough is enough. They get a fraction of funding compared to large Prides, but they have done more in the pandemic than many large Prides across Canada did. They hold politicians accountable and speak up when they should, and they will always put community first before worrying about funding or sponsors.

Let us talk a little history here Pigeon. In 2018, during Pride Toronto, myself and our team met with different federal parties trying to put together a federal leaders debate outside of an election. We spoke with the Chief of Staffs of all parties, we even got to talk to Prime Minister Trudeau briefly before the parade started in June 2018 in Toronto. Everyone said, this was a great idea and would be interested. Afterwards we were ghosted by the federal parties, so we made our way to Ottawa to follow up in person, and once again we met with everyone by just showing up at their offices. Yes you can do that Pigeon.

We even met with the Federal Debate Commission. Yes, Pigeon there is a such a thing.  The concept behind this commission was to improve debates and focus so that voter engagement was better moving forward in a way that would encourage more people to vote and trust big media and politics. We discussed community representation in the debates was always missing. The questions never truly address what you or I need, or answer questions that apply to every Canadian.

The questions are always on a national stage, with national stage answers, and you never truly see any community representation from 2SLGBTQ+, or people with disabilities, etc. We were told by Commissioner Michel Cormier that we brought forward many issues that they want to address and will include in their upcoming report. They did publish a report in 2019, however it seems to be more of a report to further their existence, than actually change debates for the betterment of all communities. It seems once again, that politicians have missed the mark when it comes to Canadians.

We were also promised by Commissioner Michel Cormier, that the commission would send out a support letter to all the federal leaders supporting our concept, but of course that never happened either. Maybe they sent the letter by actual snail for snail mail.

We were going into an election, and before the election was even announced, North Bay Pride reached out to all Federal Party Leaders and the Federal Debate Commission, asking them to participate in a community led debate on Sept 16, 2021. We advised they they could attend virtually or in person and North Bay Pride was just adding it into their schedule. The basics of all this was, all parties said it was a great idea, so we said now, let’s do it and what could be a better time to try this than during an actual federal election? You would think so wouldn’t you Pigeon?

Acknowledgement came from them, but no action took place. They ghosted everyone harder than our last Grindr hook up. Debate Commission, said we applaud you for your efforts and support you, with just nice pretty words in an email, but no follow through on anything they said previously.

Here is the thing Pigeon, COVID has taught many of us that the old ways of doing things, just do not work for anyone other than being rich. Big companies made billions of profits, but you and I did our best with the little we had. You would think that federal leaders would welcome the opportunity to talk about issues you or I face daily, but it turns out I was very wrong. They would rather talk about big companies, big climate change, big deals they will make and how they will recover from COVID, but they forget the main element in all this talk which is us.

How are you going to help Fran find one full-time good paying job, instead of her having to work three part-time min wage jobs with no benefits, and working about 70 hours week? How are you going to help Lynn, who wants to help with climate change but knows her older home contributes to the problem? She wants to change her home to more green energy, but she cannot afford 20K in upgrades to help. Where were those answers Pigeons? Nowhere is where Pigeon. Federal Party Leaders were sharing the same old speeches, same old debates, and same old campaigns. And big media was feeding directly into your mouth.

When Prides should be standing, they seem to be sitting or curled up in the fetal position in a corner because they are more worried about funding then human rights. But there is hope Pigeon.

North Bay Pride said “screw it, if we lose funding so be it. Communities are more important especially as we live through COVID, and politics must change.” So, they chased the federal party leaders every day and followed up to be met with silence except Annimae Paul, Leader of Canada’s Green Party who said she would be there. Pigeon that was it. No other leaders believe they should attend a community led debate that you or I want to have. They thought only big media, journalists, and people they thought were important deserve answers. It just felt in this recent election, you or I did not matter and all the work we did about changing leaders’ debates was a waste of time. But was it? Voter turn out speaks volumes and verifies what we think.

As a result, North Bay Pride asked the local candidates to step up and they did. You can watch how the questions were about people. North Bay Pride had more viewers than any other local debate, they had more questions than any other debate, and they had more positive reviews then any federal leaders debate during this past election. That speaks volumes about the concept and what needs to change. The comments of North Bay Pride debate were moderated by yours truly, and were described as engaging, informative, answers that apply to you and I, and just the best debate some had ever seen.

That small pride caused a stir in the local election, that many underestimate, including all the leaders and the Debate Commission. Prides across Canada can make a difference. As a result of North Bay Pride finally standing up and being heard, and being political, they had more sponsors this past year than ever before. They had the highest views for their virtual events compared to any other Pride in Canada. They are making a difference by speaking up and standing tall.

Time for Prides to come together, support each other and change the landscape of politics for ever. Are you with North Bay Pride, or going to stay with the status quo? Change is on the horizon, do not get run over Pigeon, because its your chance to do what you want and change the landscape for all.

The post Where did politics go when it comes to Pride organizations? appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

I must admit while I sit at home in Toronto, my mind is a blur of thoughts and frustration. As you know, after many delayed moments, Premier Doug Ford came out with some new restrictions, claiming that he and his team have done everything possible to fight COVID-19. Really?

I know, many of the flock are saying many things, that are not favourable for Pigeon Ford especially on his social media feeds.

Let us first point out a few things that anti-maskers and anti-COVID folks keep saying. “It is just another form of the flu.” Really Sparky? The Flu has not killed this many people around the world ever. The Flu has not filled up the ICUs in various hospitals ever. The flu has never created this much uncertainty ever in any country around the world.

Let us look at some data for vaccines.  It has become clear that the vaccine roll out is definitely a serious issue, but it seems it is not a supply issue. As many know, Premier Ford sat on over 1 million vaccines in freezers more then once. However, the data is telling us, that 1-in-5 Canadians have received their first dose of a vaccine while the 1-in-3 Americans have received theirs. How in the hell did we fall behind the USA suddenly? At the current rate it is estimated that Ontario citizens will not be vaccinated to move out of lockdown until late September, maybe.

Is it really an issue of supply? Canada at one time had the capability to produce our very own vaccines through Connaught Labs, but as true to their form of being Conservative, Prime Minister Brain Mulroney privatized by selling off that company, which eventually moved out of Canada.

Canada had the capability to produce our very own vaccines, but now we depend on private companies to supply the vaccine to us. Everyone blames the federal government, why? No one other then the CEO of a company producing vaccines can dictate who gets what first. Not to forget, it is a world pandemic, which means every country wants vaccines. Let us put blame where it belongs.

Let us get back to Premier Ford and his merry team of ministers. Has Premier Ford done everything possible? Let us truly ask that question, because it is an important one. When the pandemic first came around to Canada, and Premier Ford listened to experts, we immediately did a full lockdown. I personally thought okay, this is a new Conservative I have never seen before. But low and behold, the old Tory started to appear, no longer listening to experts, trying to put money before people and their safety. While at the same time killing small businesses and clearly supporting big businesses like Walmart, Loblaws, Amazon etc.

Oh yes, Premier Ford made small business loans available eventually, which many small businesses do not qualify for, so I guess he did something. Of course we asked for a quote from the Premier and as usual, there was no response to us.

Many in Northern Ontario look at the GTA shaking their heads on why we have such a high infection rate without thinking the thought through. Here is what has happened in the GTA. Many low-income jobs forced people to go to work regardless of if you are feeling well or not, because you do not get any paid sick days. Premier Ford could have given you paid sick days, but doesn’t believe everyday people need them. You do not work, you do not get paid. If you do not get paid, you cannot pay your rent, buy food etc. So, even if you do not feel well, you will force yourself to go to work.

Many pigeons are forced to take public transit, because they have no other choice. However, while some public transportation functions extremely well, others do not. Cities were not given any support by Premier Ford to increase transportation services for people to socially distance while getting to and from work. You are crammed onto the bus or subway.

We are told many times, that schools are safe, yet many schools are now closed and will likely be closed until at least September. We know that many youths can be a carrier of COVID, yet the government seemed to ignore the experts on this fact.

Today, Ontario is in a weird place. The Ontario Solicitor General gave police massive powers to randomly stop anyone, under the premise of trying slow down the curve of infections. Provincial border check points are coming. You can be questioned outside your home on why you are outside, what you are doing, and where you are going. This makes it seem like its your fault some how. I am confused Pigeon, when did public health become a police issue?

Does it all lay on the shoulders of the Premier? Not really, it lays with the Ministers too. We have the Minister of Health who refuses to acknowledge that COVID is airborne, even while the experts have said it many times. The Finance Minister introduced a new budget saying there is money flowing in the streets, yet when we look at the budget, there is more cuts to services.

Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, raised some good points on what you can do if you are not happy with this current Ontario Government, “We need to un-elect ALL OF THEM from any position.” Fred Hahn continued, “Lets keep going, do what you can, use whatever energy you can spare, talk to others who are feeling just as frustrated and frightened as you might be, to not only acknowledge those shared feelings but to bring them into resistance. Too many have already been lost, and we will lose too many more because of the callous, ideological leaders people elected to lead Ontario.”

Pigeon, it is time to remember that governments work for you. You do not work for the government, and the election is a job review just like you get at your job. When a government puts money, profits, and big businesses before the health of people, that is a huge red flag for all of us. Maybe the rest of the world sees Canada as a number one place to visit, but for those of us who are fighting to stay alive, keep our home, and stay healthy, we do not see Canada as number one right now. Especially when our government put money before people.

Time for change Pigeon. Time to vote. Time to call you MPP and say no more. You have the chance. to drive the change. You can be the change. So let’s change!

Stay safe Pigeon.

Love

Geri Atrick

The post Hey Ontario, What’s Going On? appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

Another lockdown, that has me more confused than before. But here we are trying to make sense of pharmacare, which we clearly need. Plus, the Federal Liberals and NDP had their convention this weekend, so it was worth the wait to see how that turned out.

Let us be truly honest, many folks do not understand politics let alone pharmacare, and many have no idea what it does for the economy and how it helps you no matter your income level. Not to mention the savings it creates on healthcare overall.

We know that Prime Minister Trudeau has promised pharmacare. There are some steps to move in that direction. Cole Davidson, Press Secretary for Federal Minister Harju, said the following:

“No Canadian should have to choose between paying for prescriptions and putting food on the table. That is why we have done more than any government in a generation to lower drug prices, including introducing new rules on patented drugs. We are committed to working collaboratively with willing jurisdictions to develop a national, universal pharmacare program, but we will not get there by imposing criteria on provinces and territories. Unilateral federal action to impose a national pharmacare program overlooks the key role that provinces and territories play in delivering healthcare, and the wealth of experience they have built up across the country. We’re establishing a transition office to create a new Canada Drug Agency and national formulary, while investing $1 billion over two years to help Canadians with rare diseases get access to the medications they need as we continue to work with provinces and territories on a national, universal pharmacare program.”

We know pharmacare is generally supported by many Canadians, but why is it not supported by people like Doug Ford and Jason Kenny? It is an action that defies logic. Ford and Kenny kept saying that they want to save money for taxpayers. I personally do not understand how pharmacare is not saving money. Any idea Pigeon?

We reached out to Pigeon Premier Doug Ford several times through emails and phone calls, but we never received any answer, which did not seem to surprise us. A few months ago he found out we were part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and all communicating with us seemed to stop.

We did hear back from the Ontario NDP Health Critic, MPP France Gelinas who said the following:

“We share in the federal NDP’s disappointment that Justin Trudeau’s Liberals said no to pharmacare. The federal Liberals have been promising pharmacare for many years, and it is a weak excuse to give up just because Doug Ford does not support it.

It is not a surprise that Doug Ford does not support pharmacare. Before the pandemic he was taking away support for services like public health, instead of investing in them. No one should have to go without medicine because they cannot afford to fill their prescription, which is why Ontario’s New Democrats have long been committed to establishing pharmacare, a drug plan that covers everyone in our province. If Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau will not do it, an NDP government in Ontario will.”

All political parties both federally and in the province of Ontario, support the concept of pharmacare in Canada, except one party, which you guessed it, is the Conservative Tories. Are we surprised? Not at all, because if you watch how they have operated during the pandemic, you can clearly see they do not care about actual people and small businesses in this country.

Pigeon, how about you do something about this? How about you take a few minutes and write to Premier Ford and Prime Minister Trudeau and just say, “We support pharmacare and it’s time to make it happen.“ Then just sign it. It really is that simple, or you can just call your local MP and MPP and just say it, whatever makes it easy for you Pigeon. Time to step up Pigeon and change something.

Here is the contact information you need:

Premier Doug Ford

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Helping each other is what community is about. That is what being part of a community is. You are the community, so be there for the community. Our community talks a lot about supporting our community, maybe it’s time to stop talking and just do something for a change.

Stay Safe Pigeons.

Love

Geri Atrick

The post Pharmacare – Why I need help (Part 3) appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

LGBT rights programme manager at the International Service of Human Rights (ISHR), Pooja Patel, said an African group of countries at the current General Assembly session at the UN in New York were attempting to question the legal basis of the recent landmark decision – a vote is anticipated to be held November 8th, which maybe undermined with it falling on the same date as the United States Presidential elections.

‘This move is harmful to non-violence and anti-discrimination efforts in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people around the world. It will also entrench an ugly precedent whereby the Third Committee could effectively reverse any decision by the Human Rights Council, completely undermining its integrity and independence,’ said Ms Patel.

Although the Human Rights Council is the world’s peak authority on human rights matters, the General Assembly’s Third Committee – tasked with considering social, humanitarian and cultural matters – has fallen into a pattern in recent years of voting on whether to accept the Council’s reports.

The co-director of ISHR’s New York office, Eleanor Openshaw, said there were no grounds on which to question the legality of the SOGI expert’s mandate, and certainly no justification for an indefinite deferral.

‘The legal validity of this expert position is rooted in principles of non-discrimination and universality of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. It is very much in line with the Council’s responsibility and obligation, as articulated in its founding documents, to promote the universal protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all,’ said Ms Openshaw.

Thailand’s Vitit Muntarbhorn has already begun his work as the Independent Experto on SOGI issues. His job is to support the UN and governments around the world to address the systematic violence faced by people based on their real or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. He is also tasked with the responsibility to engage in dialogue and provide technical assistance to governments based on the understanding that differing views on these issues exist.

‘There is no doubt that issues of sexual orientation and gender identity remain challenging in so many of our societies. This only enhances the urgent need for a UN expert who can respectfully and principally work towards bridging the divide while contributing towards the safety and dignity of LGBT people,’ said Ms Patel.

ISHR has joined a global call to all countries to uphold principles of universality of human rights and to reject any attempt at weakening the autonomy of the Human Rights Council.

A call to action has been issued to State representatives at the UN.

Further background information can be found here.

The post LGBT International Human Rights Potentially Jeopardized appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

It didn’t take long to realize that many of my blogs this year had an underlying theme – discrimination. I blogged about LGBTQ access to IVF funding, government forms becoming gender neutral, the legalization of same-sex marriage around the world, and the addition of gender identity to the Canadian Human Rights Act. I blogged about whether a doctor could refuse to treat patients because of their sexual orientation, and about a proposed B.C. law school that wants to exclude gay students on religious grounds. I heralded the progress being made to advance LGBTQ rights on judicial, systemic and legislative levels. Although there is more to be done, there is no question that LGBTQ rights are moving in the right direction, and discrimination is increasingly being sanctioned.

As barriers that affect each of us continue to erode, we have a collective responsibility to help others who continue to experience discrimination, and to avoid becoming perpetrators of discrimination ourselves. And that, my friends, is my proposal for your New Years’ resolution. Forget going to the gym or cutting back on the cookies. Instead, think twice when talking about a person with mental health issues – it is very easy to use words that are extremely hurtful and that fail to recognize that mental illness is truly a medical condition. Perhaps you are a silent bystander to racist jokes in the workplace. Maybe you tolerate the disrespect of an older person without even realizing that you would intervene if the person was younger. We all want to live happy and peaceful lives, and to be treated fairly despite our differences. So I encourage you –nay, challenge you! – to keep your eyes peeled for discrimination, speak up and treat each other like it is the holiday season all year long.

Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!

Photo credit: Rosa Dik 009 — on & off via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

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Italy does not allow same-sex couples to marry or enter into civil unions. To the frustration of many, attempts at introducing legislation have been procedurally blocked by the opposition. One junior minister even decided to go on a hunger strike to bring attention to the issue. In true Italian style, he survived on two daily cappuccinos.

At the end of July 2015 the European Court of Human Rights decided that Italy should introduce laws to protect the rights of same-sex couples. The case was brought to the Court by three couples who argued that the country was discriminating against them on the basis of their sexual orientation because, “Italian legislation did not allow them to get married or enter into any other type of civil union”. Each couple had previously tried, unsuccessfully, to marry.

As is usually the case, the Court reviewed relevant precedents. One of the more troubling cases referred to was a situation of a “forced divorce” following a person’s gender reassignment surgery. In other cases couples had gotten married abroad, but then could not have their relationship legally recognized in Italy.

The Court also looked at other European countries and noted that 11 countries recognize same-sex marriage, and another 18 member states authorize civil partnerships for same-sex couples. Twenty-four of 47 Council of Europe member states have legislation recognizing same-sex couples in some form.

The Court unanimously decided that there was a violation of the couples’ human rights and ordered the government to pay them damages (i.e. money).

It was subsequently reported that the Italian Prime Minister promised to introduce legislation that would provide same-sex couples with rights to civil unions (which is not the same as marriage, but is at least progress). This would be a positive development because the primary remedy stemming from the litigation was a recognition of the infringement and the ordering of damages to the plaintiffs. Legislation will have a broader impact because it will (presumably) apply to all same-sex couples in Italy. As well, this announcement was sufficient for the Italian minister to end his hunger strike.

Hopefully he will continue his advocacy work and find other ways to “espresso” himself!

Photo credit: Foter / CC BY

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Sounds like a pipe dream doesn’t it? Well it is not a pipe dream, it is very real and many Canadians (myself included) have already  hired an invisible employee. Sadly too many us, including many self-employed Canadians have neglected to do so.

The invisible employee I am alluding to is critical illness protection, which in simple terms is insurance that is designed to pay you a tax free lump sum when you are alive and need money, upon diagnosis of a covered illness. Life insurance pays a death benefit to your family when you pass away, critical illness insurance is all about taking care of you when you are alive.  Nobody plans to get sick, and money is the last thing you want to worry about when cancer, heart attack, stroke or other life threatening conditions strike. If you remain healthy and never have a claim then you can get ALL of your money back.

If you are self-employed and your income depends on your being physically able to work, then this protection becomes even more crucial to your financial well-being. If you suffered a heart attack or received a cancer diagnosis, and had a $1 million life insurance policy, that money is a figment of your imagination as long as you are alive. It makes sense even if you are not self employed, as many benefit plans don’t offer the value that an invisible employee brings to the table

Our medical care has improved and the survival rates for many serious medical conditions have improved significantly over the years, so the question is how will you survive financially, pay all your bills and maintain your lifestyle while you recover and are unable to generate an income? The answer (assuming you don’t have a lot of cash sitting in your bank account or under a mattress) lies in ensuring that you hire an invisible employee that will pay you a tax free lump sum of up to $2 million if you get seriously ill, or refund all your money.

Deflate the elephant in the room and  hire an invisible employee today. It’s one of the best financial  decisions you will ever make for yourself, your business and your family

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