{"id":1872,"date":"2013-08-12T10:41:58","date_gmt":"2013-08-12T08:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/euroalter.local\/news\/citizens%c2%92-consultation-on-lgbt-rights-in-europe-findings-for-the-citizens-manifesto\/"},"modified":"2013-08-12T10:41:58","modified_gmt":"2013-08-12T08:41:58","slug":"citizens%c2%92-consultation-on-lgbt-rights-in-europe-findings-for-the-citizens-manifesto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euroalter.com\/fr\/citizens%c2%92-consultation-on-lgbt-rights-in-europe-findings-for-the-citizens-manifesto\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizens\u0092 consultation on LGBT rights in Europe: findings for the Citizens Manifesto"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LGBT rights in Europe: a search for common solutions<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/strong>Citizens\u2019 consultation on the Citizen Manifesto<\/strong>
\nFriday 17 May, 3pm \u2013 6pm
\nMaison des associations, 206 quai de Valmy, 75010 Paris<\/p>\n

You can find the programme here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Click here to download the proposals.<\/a><\/p>\n

Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n

Discussion tables: issues discussed and introduction to the key proposals<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The proposals numbered below were elaborated through discussions using the World Caf\u00e9 methodology.\u00a0<\/em>They reflect the opinions held by the majority of those who participated in the public consultation, even though their opinions and ideas often displayed a variety of positions. Some of the proposals were developed on several discussion tables, but for the sake of clarity, similar concerns have been merged together.\u00a0 If you wish to react to or comment on a proposal \u2013 or even suggest new ideas \u2013 please use the \u201ccomments\u201d box at the bottom of the page.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Fighting against homophobia in the school environment<\/strong>
\nModerator: Jean-Pierre Fr\u00e9meaux,\u00a0Contact<\/a>The fierce debates about how the concept of gender is introduced in textbooks and the controversies created by the cartoon \u201cLe Baiser de la lune\u201d \u2013 \u201cThe Kiss of the Moon\u201d \u2013 both show that discussing sexual orientation and identity at school, and with young people in general, is not (yet) a straightforward matter in France.\u00a0 Yet at that age when people start asking questions about their sexuality, homosexuality is often a target of mockery, or even of harassment.\u00a0 Both formal and informal means of learning help to encourage tolerance, understanding, and acceptance.\u00a0 What are the measures currently adopted by French schools to ensure that LGBT issues are not ignored in the classroom?\u00a0 What are we doing to prevent harassment and hate crimes in schools?\u00a0 What can we learn from positive examples set by other member states of the European Union?\u00a0 What can we achieve for the Europe of tomorrow?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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\u00a0Proposals regarding a child\u2019s upbringing:<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Teach children about sexuality and\/or tolerance: <\/strong>ignorance, clich\u00e9s, and false beliefs lead to intolerance and discrimination.<\/p>\n

2. Get parents to support educational programmes on issues such as gender, as well as measures against homophobia.\u00a0 <\/strong>If parents refuse, this can create a big stumbling block that sometimes pressures school officials and teachers into restraining themselves and practicing self-censorship.<\/p>\n

Proposals regarding other places for learning (besides schools):<\/em><\/p>\n

3. Recognise the important role that people in charge of playgrounds, holiday camps, and community centres <\/strong>(especially in less privileged neighbourhoods) can play in the struggle against discrimination.\u00a0 In these places, children are more receptive than they are at school, and often have a more informal relationship with their supervisors.\u00a0 Such places are therefore particularly suited to the teaching of tolerance.<\/p>\n

Proposals regarding schools:<\/em>Generally speaking, our schools are lagging behind in the struggle against discrimination. They should play a pivotal role in teaching children how to \u201clive in harmony\u201d with each other, as well as in the fight against homophobia.<\/p>\n

4. Strengthen civic education in the classroom <\/strong>and create links between our schools and those organisations that fight against discrimination and homophobia \u2013 for example, the associations MAG, SOS-Homophobie, and CONTACT (in France).<\/p>\n

5. Develop the CESC committees in French secondary schools: these committees \u2013 devoted to health and civic education \u2013 <\/strong>are a part of every secondary school\u2019s institutional structure.\u00a0 They serve as authoritative forums for ideas, remarks, and proposals; they devise, launch, and assess educational projects \u2013 integrated with the institution\u2019s programme \u00a0\u2013 that deal with health and civic education, as well as the prevention of violence.\u00a0 Moreover, they are responsible for organising \u201chealth and civic education days\u201d and for contacting associations (such as those mentioned above) for help, especially in the struggle against homophobia.<\/p>\n

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Religion and homosexuality<\/strong>
\nModerator: Ludovic-Mohamed Zahed,\u00a0Musulmans Progressistes de France<\/a>\u00a0(Progressive Muslims of France)As varied as they seem, arguments against marriage equality, which have recently sparked passionate debates in France, are often tied to a religion \u2013 be it Christianity, Judaism, or Islam \u2013 and seek their justification in specifically homophobic and transphobic interpretations of great sacred writings.\u00a0 Indeed, one third of the organizations rallying behind \u201cLa Manif Pour Tous\u201d \u2013 a movement opposed to the marriage equality bill \u2013 is tied to religious groups that all engage in the semantic deformation of certain spiritual texts.\u00a0 With the participation of various LGBT associations representing major religious groups, this round table discussion will revolve around the compatibility of homosexuality with religious faith, and also exchange ideas on how to foster progress in an environment that is particularly hostile to LGBT people.\u00a0 How can homosexuality and religion go hand in hand?\u00a0 How can we support LGBT believers who are confronted with various homophobic religious views?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

6. Make a distinction between individual believers and religious institutions <\/strong>and reject fusions of religious faith and homophobia.<\/p>\n

7. Advertise the existence of numerous \u201cinclusive\u201d prayer groups for LGBT people <\/strong>(Muslims, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, the followers of ecumenical movements, etc.).\u00a0 These groups offer LGBT people a space and community where they can live according to their faith in an environment of tolerance and respect towards their sexual identity and orientation.<\/p>\n

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Discrimination and homo-\/lesbo-\/bi-\/transphobia in the workplace<\/strong>
\nModerator: Sylvain Rouzel-Boisgontier,\u00a0Homoboulot<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Comin-G<\/a>According to the report published by SOS Homophobie on homophobia in France in the year 2012, the number of homophobic acts in the workplace showed a substantial increase (36%) compared to the figures of the previous year.\u00a0 On account of the specifically hierarchical nature of relationships in the workplace (the majority of the homophobic acts reported were perpetrated by \u2018superiors\u2019), such environments can be particularly rife with homophobic discrimination.\u00a0 Inferior wages (the salaries of homosexual men are, on average, 6.2% lower than normal in the private sector, and 5.5% lower in the public sector), psychological harassment, lack of parental leave, etc.\u00a0 How can we fight against homophobic discrimination in the workplace?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

New initiatives should be adopted in the workplace as a result of cooperative dialogues between businesses or public authorities and their representative union organisations.<\/p>\n

Proposals for charters that guarantee the fair and equal treatment of LGBT employees:<\/em><\/p>\n

8. Businesses and public authorities should adopt charters that guarantee fair and equal treatment. \u00a0<\/strong>Example 1<\/span>: annual assessment of an employee by 2-3 people, rather than by a single hierarchical superior; career development will therefore cease to depend on the \u201cgoodwill\u201d of one person, and glass ceilings will be shattered.\u00a0 Example 2<\/span>: commitment to ensuring that all couples \u2013 including those of the same gender \u2013 have equal access to benefits packages.<\/p>\n

9. Create a database listing businesses and public authorities <\/strong>that have adopted such a charter.<\/p>\n

10. Establish a watchdog association and\/or institution <\/strong>whose purpose is to ensure that both the businesses and the public authorities involved are abiding by their charters of fair and equal treatment.<\/p>\n

Proposals for the implementation of training schemes:<\/em><\/p>\n

11. Make all salaried employees and public officials more aware of discrimination against LGBT people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

12. More extensive training programmes for human resources managers and directors, <\/strong>allowing them \u2013 by means of simulation exercises \u2013 to put themselves in the shoes of LGBT people.<\/p>\n

13. Organise lectures and conferences on <\/strong>homo-\/lesbo-\/bi-\/transphobia that promote diversity in the workplace.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Proposals for the introduction of LGBT social events and coaching:<\/em><\/p>\n

14. Sometimes businesses should organise LGBT events<\/strong>; it might also be necessary for LGBT associations to organise enjoyable social gatherings.<\/p>\n

15. Invite associations to coach<\/strong>employees and officials<\/strong> who wish to feel capable of speaking about their sexual orientation in the business or agency.<\/p>\n

Proposals regarding transsexual, transgender, and intersex people:<\/em><\/p>\n

16.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Draw up a set of procedures for human resources managers and directors to follow<\/strong>, instructing them on how to help employees and officials who are intersex or undergoing sex\/gender reassignment surgery.<\/p>\n

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Freedom of movement and LGBT citizens of Europe: respecting our statutes<\/strong>
\nModerator: Marta Molino, Sciences Po Bordeaux and the University of Turin,\u00a0European Alternatives<\/a>We would like to bring a wider European perspective to the national debate concerning the right to same-sex marriage, a question that has recently provoked much discussion in France.\u00a0 The upcoming public consultation in France is part of a transnational movement, and we wish to introduce a European dimension to a question that has until now been considered almost exclusively on a national level.
\nRegardless of the right to freedom of movement enjoyed by all European citizens, one realizes that another right has been violated where LGBT citizens are concerned.\u00a0 A same-sex couple crossing from one member state to another risks being stripped of the rights pertaining to marriage (inheritance, next-of-kin, child custody) once they have entered a foreign country that has not legalized marriage for same-sex couples, something that could never happen to married opposite-sex couples.\u00a0 One is therefore confronted with what is ultimately the violation of a fundamental law: the prohibition of any discrimination based on sexual orientation.
\nThough family laws may fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of member states, the European Union has the active authority to guarantee freedom of movement and other fundamental rights.\u00a0 More specifically, The EU could appeal to the principles of mutual recognition and equal treatment in order to eliminate all discrimination against LGBT couples.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

17. Increase the accessibility of information <\/strong>concerning freedom of movement in Europe for LGBT people.\u00a0 Problems arise from the lack of general information on the EU and its latest developments, not to mention the fact that LGBT issues are approached from a national rather than a European perspective.<\/p>\n

18. Getting all EU member states to respect the Union\u2019s statutes <\/strong>is currently the best way of combatting the serious violation of human rights that occurs when EU citizens find themselves forbidden to exercise their freedom of movement (despite the fact that this right is a fundamental pillar of the Union).<\/p>\n

19.\u00a0<\/strong>Given the fact that those in power are unlikely to respond to this issue with concrete actions, lobbying can be an effective way to get EU nations to respect the Union\u2019s statutes; after all, we have noticed a constantly growing European consciousness in the continent\u2019s various countries.\u00a0 By awakening this European consciousness and putting pressure on the various member states<\/strong>, we can probably get the ball rolling: thanks to the domino effect, once one nation gets going, the others will feel \u201cdriven\u201d to follow suit.\u00a0 One small step at a time, we will eventually establish universal respect for the EU\u2019s statutes.<\/p>\n

20. The (or the majority of the) decisions adopted by the Union on freedom of movement should be <\/strong>applied not only on the judicial level, but also on the regulatory level.\u00a0 <\/strong>Since family laws are in the hands of individual member states, we are seemingly faced with two options:<\/p>\n