Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

LGBTQIs face rampant bias in Venezuela, sparking asylum in nearby countries
by Emily Reilly
2020-06-23

This article shared 2393 times since Tue Jun 23, 2020
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


In the United States, Pride Month is known for widespread festivities, parade floats, rainbow-colored everything and celebration of self-identity. In Venezuela, Pride Month looks quite different for those who are part of the LGBTQI community.

In fact, all around the world, LGBTQI individuals must often sacrifice basic human rights just to scrape by, because of stigmatization.

According to the anti-poverty organization CARE US, Venezuelan refugees typically resort to street vending, garbage collecting or begging. However, this kind of regular work is not an option for openly LGBTQ refugees, so many resort to sex trafficking, sexual exploitation and abuse, or similar types of labor to get by.

Due to the urgency of Venezuela's situation with its LGBTQ community, many seek refugee status and exit to safer South American countries like Colombia or Ecuador. Authorities then look over the individuals' cases. Having to prove themselves deserving of status, many of those who flee because of bias then face a second wave of discrimination.

"They may face discrimination based on the fact that they are LGBTQI or also because they're not willing to put forward information that will help their case because they're afraid that they'll be discriminated against or not taken seriously if they admit to experiencing rape or violence at the hands of someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity," said CARE US Senior Press Officer Veronika Cernadas.

The broader issue many of these countries face can be traced back to the homophobic, conservative and patriarchal values paired with economic adversity. For instance, in Venezuela, this pairing results in its LGBTQ population fearing for their lives and their safety. With sexual exploitation becoming an unfortunate currency for Venezuelan refugees, health risks like sexually transmitted diseases and various mental illnesses arise, and healthcare resources become a problem.

When refugees travel to these surrounding countries for help, many feel a sense of loneliness and isolation because they're apart from family and friends in a completely new country.

However, certain communities focus on the plight of LGBTQ refugees and work to build a sense of safety and peace for those missing support they left back in their home country.

As surrounding countries become sources of relief for Venezuelan refugees, nonprofits like CARE Ecuador and Dialogo Diverso try to replicate a sense of family for them. "We decided that there needed to be a safe place. The project name is My Home Away From Home, which, in Spanish is Mi Casa Fuera de Mi Casa. For them, [it means] 'I'm not in my country. I'm not with my family. But I can still feel safe and at home,'" said Danilo Manzano, the director of Dialogo Diverso. "In 2018, it was very important for us because we were talking to different countries about why it's important to work for the refugees in the LGBTQ community and encourage activism."

"We are taking small but strong steps to show what happens here in Ecuador," said Monica Tobar, who works on program and resource mobilization."I think it's important not to just show what's going on, but also what the solutions we can show to apply here to solve the problems of this community."

Ecuador's healthcare system and political climate are more adequate for LGBTQ individuals and are less stigmatized, which are why Venezuelans seek protection there. There is still necessary progress that countries like Ecuador and Colombia are pushing for from their governments and fellow citizens. For example, Manzano told Windy City Times about the story of a man who painted a graffiti mural called "Love Has No Gender" in Quito, Ecuador, shortly after same-sex marriage was approved in 2019.

"These conservative groups destroyed his mural by putting white paint all over it," Manzano said. "So, the community came together and thought of a new place where the mural could be to expose it again. The mayor of Quito provided us the paperwork to make it happen. It made an amazing impact on the city, specifically because it got painted in front of congress. It was very important to make people talk about that."


This article shared 2393 times since Tue Jun 23, 2020
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill
2024-03-27
On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Family of 2004 murder victim holds event in Lake View; reward announced
2024-03-24
The year 2004, for the family and friends of Lake View resident Kevin Clewer, will forever be marked by tragedy. On March 24 of that year, Clewer, 31, was found in his apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.; he was the ...


Gay News

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama
2024-03-22
Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

Congressional Equality Caucus on FY24 bills passing the house
2024-03-22
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), released the following statement after the House successfully passed the final funding bills for Fiscal Year ...


Gay News

WORLD Uganda items, HIV report, Mandela, Liechtenstein, foreign minister weds
2024-03-21
It turned out that U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator Jay Gilliam traveled to Uganda on Feb. 19-27, per The Washington Blade. He visited the capital of Kampala and the nearby city of ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ candidates Marcelino Garcia, Precious Brady Davis win primary elections to keep MWRD seats
2024-03-21
Marcelino Garcia and Precious Brady-Davis, the two openly LGBTQ+ incumbents in the race to keep their seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), won their primary elections and will move on to the general this ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19
2024-03-20
Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down
2024-03-20
In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.