LBT Organization in Kyrgyzstan

Labrys blog has moved

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:12:56 GMT

You can now find it at http://kyrgyzlabrys.wordpress.com

press conference about brochure on homosexuality in Kyrgyzstan

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 05:08:00 GMT

On 8 October “Labrys” presented the brochure on homosexuality in Kyrgyzstan written for the first time in Kyrgyz language. The target audience was the Kyrgyz society in general, which, we thought, needed undistorted and clear information about homo and bisexuals, homophobia and discrimination. We also addressed the situation of homo and bisexuals in the rural areas of the country, where it is much harder for LGB to simply live, let alone to express themselves freely or to do as they please. Homosexuality-unfriendly traditions and religious dogmatism are especially strong in areas outside of the “liberal” capital, which forces LGB people there to suppress themselves in fear for their safety.

The press conference lasted for about thirty minutes, during which we managed to summarize the content of the brochure and to answer questions of journalists. Majority of them were information-oriented and neutral in nature, although there were a couple of journalists that insisted upon being passively aggressive. They asserted that the right of homosexuals for free expression of their selves was an offence to them. In other words – protecting rights of homosexual minority was, according to them, an infringement upon rights of the heterosexual majority, which felt morally insulted by the very presence of homosexuals in their vicinity.

The most interesting bit about the press-conference, however, came a little later – after everything was said and done and recorded. The news items that were produced from the information presented at the press-conference were all conveniently controversial, almost edited out of their original meaning. The main broadcasting channel in the Bishkek area, NTS, for example, focused on the theoretical assumption about the possibility of presence of people with homosexual behavior in the Kyrgyz parliament. This unassuming assumption, in the version of NTS, was turned into a confident statement – possibly with an aim at riling up the audience. Afterwards, NTS editors put a news item about Muslims and the holy Ramadan – an attempt at juxtaposing two opposing social views on liberties and rights of individuals. In addition to these news items, there were reports on websites of information agencies. While the agency journalists used the information given in the press-release correctly, the responses of internet readers were more than outraging. Some anonymous readers proposed that gays and lesbians should be dismembered for being unlike them, while others limited themselves by simply insulting the homosexual community.

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR LGBT PEOPLE IN KYRGYZSTAN

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:02:17 GMT

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR LGBT PEOPLE IN KYRGYZSTAN
In the fall of 2006, Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan and SHARP
commissioned qualitative research on the opportunities and
barriers to health care access for LGBT persons in Kyrgyzstan.
The report, "Access to Health Care for LGBT People in
Kyrgyzstan," explores possibilities for increasing LGBT access to
health services; maps current NGOs working on LGBT health and
human rights issues; highlights Kyrgyzstan's obligations to
provide health care to LGBT persons in accordance with
international standards and laws; and articulates recommendations
for the development of non-discriminatory health systems and
services to improve LGBT health access. English and Russian
versions of the report will be available in October at:
http://www.soros.org/initiatives/health/focus/sharp/articles_publications/sub_listing

‘It’s a sin for me to sit next to you but I do that out of tolerance.’

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 17:31:41 GMT

Today we had a meeting with UNFPA consultants (read: sexual and reproductive health) about youth policy in Kyrgyzstan. ‘Labrys’ works mostly with young LBT people, therefore, we match the youth policy criteria, though we are not directly involved in formulating it at an official level. It was bit tough relating our issues of concern to more general youth issues. Yet mid-way through the discussion we finally figured out that actually the issues that lesbian and bisexual women are dealing with are very similar to those of other young women. These are sexual assault, unemployment, sexist attitudes among men towards them, family pressure to get married, pressure from society to conform with the uniform model of being passed from natal family to husband’s family. The consultants had a lot of questions to ask and the meeting lasted for almost three hours.

The participants of the meeting came from very different backgrounds. From a civil servant to an activist religious Muslim woman wearing a head scarf. At first we were bit quiet and tested the grounds. But once we started speaking we felt that things that we said somehow bothered some of the participants. They listened quietly until Alex (transgender component coordinator) asked whether the new textbook on healthy lifestyles included information about homosexuality. There we got a response which gave a title to this entry. It started off from ‘I have to say this, I can’t stand it anymore’ and continued with ‘you speak about human rights but what about the rights of four million Muslims in this country for whom homosexuality is illegal and a sin. It’s a sin for me to sit next to you but I do that out of tolerance.’ Then another participant asked, ‘What’s there to learn about homosexuality for young boys and girls?’. At this point the consultants noted that Kyrgyzstan as they are looking at it is a very diverse country and it would be interesting to know how different identities are coexisting within this very complex society and that they are looking at Kyrgyz society from human rights point of view with respect to differences.

Overall, it was a good way to present our ideas and issues of concern, yet we realized that we need more preparation to fit within the local mild acceptance of violence, discrimination and certain practices as a norm. It felt as if we challenged the activists too much by our mere presence.

summer 'Labrys' news

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 07:38:50 GMT

As the end of official summer season is approaching, we can assure you that the actual summer weather does not seem to leave Bishkek. It is still +30 degrees and sunny.

This summer turned out to be quite hectic for 'Labrys'. We continued the process of restructuring, had a change in staff and leadership. Labrys staff presented at a roundtable of key importance, attended five different types of educational activities and established new important contacts.

More detailed information will be posted in the days to come.

response from the ombudsman's office about transgender documents change query

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 20:20:56 GMT

Translation of the letter that one FTM from 'Labrys' received in response to his query about the possibilities to change documents.

Ombudsman of the Kyrgyz Republic

194 Moskovskaya St., Bishkek, 720010

July 17, 2007

No. 35-13/2936

Ms. A. XXXX (name taken out for confidentiality reasons)

Apt. 52, Bldg. 30

Vostok-5

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Dear XXXX,

Having reviewed your appeal, we inform you of the following.

As a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, regardless of your sexual orientation, you have the right to acquire and to amend a passport or any other personal identity document in the interest of protecting and manifesting your rights and freedoms on the territory of the republic and beyond its borders. However, you do not have the right to change your surname or name to one of the opposite sex when acquiring or amending a passport.

There is no law in Kyrgyzstan that governs the issuing and amending of a passport for people of nontraditional sexual orientations who have evinced a desire to change their surname or name to that of the opposite sex.

The absence of an established procedure testifies that sex-change operations are not performed in Kyrgyzstan.

On the grounds mentioned above, we recommend that you first undergo a sex-change operation in a country where such operations are performed. Then, having received a corresponding medical certificate showing the change of sex, you have the right to submit an application to the authorized passport agency of the Kyrgyz Republic to acquire (amend) a new passport with an amended surname and name of the opposite sex.

In addition, according to the first clause of Article 28 of the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, "Citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic have the right to work freely, to manage their own working capabilities, to choose [their] profession and line of work, and to [enjoy] security and safe and hygienic working conditions, as well as the right to compensation for labor and to social security no lower than the minimum living wage established by law."

Accordingly, as a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, you have the right to enjoy such constitutional rights regardless of your sexual identity or orientation.

If you encounter obstacles in obtaining work, you have the right to appeal to us for assistance.

Respectfully Yours,

T. Koshokov

Deputy Ombudsman

brochure updated versions in Russian and Kyrgyz

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:45:39 GMT

Please, find the texts here. They are about 2 mb and will take some time to download.
Kyrgyz
Russian

Yet another homophobic article

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:56:19 GMT

This is a translation of an article from Vecherniy Bishkek published on 6 July 2007. 'Labrys' and two other organizations wrote open letters to the editor about the article. Texts in Russian coming soon.
Special thanks to K for translation.

The Joys of Gay Brotherhood and Film

Kyrgyz homosexuals will soon become the heroes of a documentary film that a Polish human rights activist intends to make in Bishkek. In her opinion, the republic's gays are able to live in peace and freedom, and she believes that our society demonstrates a high level of tolerance towards homosexual love.

A Gay Oasis in a Desert of Straight People

Gay people in Kyrgyzstan are united in an organization that boasts the romantic name Oasis and that receives financial support from a fairly large number of international organizations, including the Global Fund. For some reason, sponsors from Holland seem to be particularly concerned with the development of gay communities. Oasis maintains resource centers in Osh and in Kara-Balta, and the gay movement is growing and expanding – seed groups have also sprouted in Issyk-Kul and Jalalabad.

Homosexual men gather in the center of the Kyrgyz capital, in two nightclubs where women are not welcome. Not out of antipathy towards the female sex, but just to keep the ladies from becoming upset at the sight of a whole horde of attractive men who are, in a very particular sense, completely useless. This sometimes provokes an entirely disproportionate reaction.

Particularly despairing ladies have been known to throw themselves, fists flying, at the "traitors," causing actual physical harm, and to pull out clumps of hair from carefully styled hairdos. Male "naturals" (straight people, which is how gays refer to those who adhere to a traditional sexual orientation), incensed by a gay pair embracing, can also fly off the handle.

In order to avoid any displays of sexual extremism, our homosexuals, like those around the world, prefer to hang out with and relax in a very narrow circle.

After visiting a few such gatherings, Vecherka correspondents have reported to our readers several peculiarities of gay fiestas. At first glance, the spectacle is dumbfounding (especially when men began to passionately kiss each other), but you get used to it. Homosexuals dance well, especially those pretending to be women. I still can't forget one fellow from Osh – what a luxurious lady named Madina with a silicone chest he made! In general, everyone was very much like people everywhere, and it even began to strike me as incomprehensible that such an uproar should be made about these gays.

After each such article, the newspaper's editors were inundated with indignant phone calls. One true Muslim called down the immediate wrath of heaven upon our poor heads for purportedly propagandizing homosexuality, and we had to spend a long time explaining that there was no propaganda involved, that it was simply a statement of fact taken from real life and an entirely unambiguous study of an unorthodox phenomenon.

These are the kind of genetic jokes that Mother Nature plays on us, and no one is immune to them. An extra chromosome crawls out of left field, and it's game over. Whether you're a Muslim, a Jew, a Christian, or just a nudist, you're in the same boat with everyone else: off to the gay community with you.

A Measure of Democracy

Experts maintain that up to ten percent of any ethnic group is "condemned" to being gay. Several years ago, an international group called BOS ("A Quick Evaluation of the Situation") came up with an estimate of 35,000 homosexuals in Kyrgyzstan.

"Such a figure is entirely possible," said Vladimir Tyupin, the leader of Oasis. "Although as of today only 7,950 people are registered with our organization."

When asked where all the others are, Mr. Tyupin said, "Underground. Not every gay person can openly admit their orientation, since strong social prejudice is still very much alive. Closeted gays aren't to be envied – they are obliged to enter into traditional marriages, and then they suffer with their wives while feeling intensely dissatisfied. This leads to neuroses, nervous breakdowns, illnesses, etc. Our organization is intended to provide 'our' people with social and psychological help and to supply them with informative literature, condoms, etc."

No matter which way you look at it, the civilized world considers society's attitude towards sexual minorities one of the measures of democracy. Vladimir Tyupin confirms that in our country, everything is normal so far. The police don't especially target gays for harassment, people aren't fired for showing signs of being gay, nobody throws stones on the street, and the law criminalizing homosexuality has long since disappeared. And that all shows us in a good light. In Uzbekistan, for example, such a law is still on the books, and it is occasionally applied, although mostly to intimidate political enemies. In fact, a well-known journalist in Tashkent who was attempting to criticize the Karimov regime was charged with sodomy and jailed.

And anyway, our gays don't stick out very much. Their hairstyles and outfits are remarkably modest: no leather pants, dog collars, chains, or brightly-painted lips and eyes. An untrained straight person would be hard pressed to immediately tell if they were looking at a gay person. For example, I just recently discovered that part of Bishkek's Prospekt Erkindik, from the Russian Drama Theater to Toktogul Street, is a gay cruising ground. We walked up and down the street for two hours, but we couldn't pick a single person out of the loitering crowd as being definitely gay. They themselves, however, know each other instantly: they claim it's by a particular look in the eye that only initiates pick up on.

Parades Aren't Our Style

When the whole commotion surrounding the gay parade happened in Moscow and Luzhkov said that what he considers to be a profane outrage would take place in the capital only over his dead body, correspondents from the foreign press attempted to prod Oasis into a repeat of the incident in Russia: would there be a massive gay parade in Bishkek? Why aren't Kyrgyz gays taking to the streets? In reply, the head of Oasis patiently explained that our gays don't feel the need for such demonstrations, which are always either about pursuing political goals or wasting large sums of money that somebody donated. Here, he said, there are neither such political goals waiting to be reached nor such donations waiting to be spent.

A certain balance has been achieved in Bishkek between the straight community and sexual minorities, and it is not in anyone's interest to rock the boat.

There are some problems that are more pressing than others. According to the most recent voluntary study, the number of homosexuals known to Oasis to be infected with syphilis has grown to 26 people (there used to be 9). But that's not too bad, since syphilis can now be treated with a single tablet. The worst problem is the appearance of the first case of HIV infection. Gays run a higher risk of catching AIDS than any other social group, and the appearance of even a single case is already a serious danger signal.

In general, one has to wonder just who the Polish journalist is going to find to photograph in "gay" Bishkek, much less capture on videotape.

Details

Incidentally, "informational" literature of this sort is liable to throw any prude for a loop. The bright brochures are liberally sprinkled with photographs showing passionate gay lovers in elegant poses. With bait like that, any paragraph is an easy read, whether it's about sexually-transmitted diseases (information that straight people should memorize as well) or about safe sex (only with condoms – another universal survival law). The only thing not for a general audience is advice such as "how to find new colors in the game of love." Homosexual sex is a very specific affair that comes equipped with an entirely different class of "techniques" with names that fail to resonate in the straight ear: rimming, fisting, fellatio. But once you really try to understand it and begin to wrap your head around all information in the brochures, you finally just want to say, in a general's baritone, "well, I never – you lot are full of surprises!"

Olga Dyadyuchenko

Mirror Blog

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:54:56 GMT

From July 2007 this blog will be slowly transferring to http://kyrgyzlabrys.wordpress.com for technical convenience. You will also be able to access more features and edit content of the blog entries as well as see some of 'Labrys' publications and videos online. We are devoted to expanding our online presence.

Alex Mamytov from 'Labrys' is on his way to a training on video advocacy organized by WITNESS (http://www.witness.org/), we hope to increase the use of more multimedia options in our work.

more tech information

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:04:40 GMT

As we are learning new media technical things, we are adding more and more small technical things to become reader-friendly.
The little icon below gives information about how many hits this blog receives.

Labrys Brochure about homosexuality in Kyrgyzstan is out

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 10:24:48 GMT

A brochure in Russian and Kyrgyz languages talking about homosexuality in general and the lives of homosexual and bisexual people in Kyrgyzstan.

If you would like to receive a copy of brochure, please, write to kyrgyzlabrys@yahoo.com

Electronic copy is available here : http://kyrgyzlabrys.wordpress.com/files/2007/07/brochure.pdf

Labrys videos on YouTube

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 10:00:06 GMT

As we are learning to use internet and all the goodies available in it, we are making Labrys more new media-friendly. Watch our videos on YouTube.

'Labrys' uniting lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Kyrgyzstan.

Labrys activities on video

Labrys working

April - May - June news in Russian

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:49:32 GMT

From this issue and on we will be trying to have our information in both Russian and English due to numerous requests from the readers to do so.

Хотим поделиться с Вами последними новостями о работе организации.

1. Новые сотрудники и журнал. Поменялся состав сотрудников. Над журналом теперь работают Галя С. и Аида. Очень советуем посмотреть на продукт. Будете приятно удивлены. Журнал есть в офисе и на дискотеках. Его также можно получить по почте, если вы вышлете нам свой адрес kyrgyzlabrys@yahoo.com Айжан исполняет обязанности офис-менеджера в проекте СОС.

2. Демократические преобразования в Лабрисе. Наконец-то началась подготовка к переходу "Лабриса" на систему общее собрание - правление-президент (председатель)-исполнительный директор-сотрудники. Во-первых, теперь можно вступать в члены и членкини "Лабриса". И это дает Вам полное право участия в процессе принятия решений в "Лабрисе" (то есть, например, если Вы недовольны каким-то аспектом работы организации, Вы можете поднять этот вопрос на обсуждение среди членкинь общего собрания и принять меры). Общее собрание выбирает правление организации, которому поручает принимать самые важные решения. Правление выбирает директора, который или которая воплощает в жизнь. Сотрудники подчиняются директору и выполняют решения правления и общего собрания.

3. Шелтер продолжает работу до середины августа.

4. Визит СОС. В конце мая приезжали консультанты из СОС оценивать прогресс организации, особо довольны не были, но хвалили за некоторые моменты.

5. Тренинг по продвижению прав. На тренинг в середине мая приезжали активисты их других стран проекта СОС на тренинг по продвижению прав и лоббированию. Две организации из Украины (Женская Сеть (Киев) и Ассоциация Геев и Лесбиянок "ЛИГА" (Николаев)), Гендерное Развитие (Баку) из Азербайджана, Фонд "Инклюзив" из Грузии, "Мы за гражданское общество!" из Армении и Гендер-Док-М из Молдовы. Некоторые из Вас также имели возможность поговорить с Максимом Анмегикяном из Ilga-Europe на дискотеке.

6. Обучение сотрудников. Сотрудники "Лабриса" посетили семинары по «Улучшение практик финансового управления и администрирования НПО, развивающих программы в области ВИЧ/СПИД», организованных НПО "АнтиСПИД" и по финансовому учету от ХИВОСа. Работаем над улучшением наших финансовых систем.

7. Новая инициативная группа. "Лабрис" рекомендовал на финансирование в проект СОС организацию "Спейс" (Талас). Ребята работают с геями и МСМ (мужчины имеющие секс с мужчинами). Налаживаем коммуникацию и сотрудничество.

8. Семинары в Швеции. Сотрудники организации провели семинар о трансгендерах и презентации ЛГБТ-ситуации в Кыргызстане для шведских коллег в городах Гетеборг и Остерсунд.

9. Конференция ОБСЕ. "Лабрис" участвовал в конференции ОБСЕ по борьбе с дискриминацией и поощрению взаимного уважения и понимания. На этой конференции была обсуждена возможность включения дискриминации, основанной на сексуальной ориентации, гендерной идентичности и гендерного самовыражения как отдельной категории в анти-дискриминационной работе ОБСЕ. Организация "Лабрис" принимала участие в сборе подписей и сама подписала декларацию, направленную на включение нашей тематики в работу ОБСЕ.

В сборе подписей принимали участие в Бухаресте - Алекс Мамытов, в Бишкеке - Аида и Алексей, в Гетеборге - Анна Кирей.

Алекс Мамытов встретился с омбудсменом Казахстана и послом Кыргызстана в ОБСЕ по вопросам смены документов для транссексуалов. На данный момент "Лабрис" продвигает идею смены документов сразу после установления диагноза "транссексуализм". Такой указ уже принят в Казахстане.

10. Брошюра о гомосексуальности при поддержке фонда ASTRAEA готовится к выпуску. Это будет первая брошюра, рассказывающая о реалиях жизни гомо и бисексуальных людей в Кыргызстане.

vacancies in Labrys

Wed, 30 May 2007 19:02:17 GMT

1. Vacancy: Transgender component Coordinator

Location: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Place: Lesbian, Bisexual Women’s and Transgender Organization “Labrys”

Deadline: 15 June 2007

Work period: 1 July – 31 December 2007 (with possibility of extension)

Work load: 20 hours a week

A young NGO working with lesbian and bisexual women and transgender people (LBT) in Kyrgyzstan is looking for an open-minded and flexible person to work as a part-time research assistant within ‘Elf’ project. “Labrys” has been officially working since January 2005. Its activities include working with general public on issues of sexual orientation and gender identity and empowerment of LBT community in Bishkek through providing a safe meeting place, publishing a journal, organizing events and trainings for LBT. The project sponsored by Dutch donor HIVOS.

The transgender component of ‘Elf’ project is aimed at providing information on transitioning within post-Soviet context to transgender people and lobbying for transgender rights in Kyrgyzstan.

Profile:

University Degree in Social Sciences (preferred)
Experience in lobbying and advocacy
Experience of working with vulnerable groups and open-mindedness
Excellent communication skills
Ability to manage multiple tasks and crisis situations, work over-time
Working knowledge of Russian and English preferred

Responsibilities:

Coordinates activities within transgender component (translation of materials, publishing of materials, publication of a brochure on gender identity, advocacy)
Communicates with Ministry of Health and various human rights organizations and state bodies about ensuring the possibility of healthy transitioning in Kyrgyzstan
Maintains communication with transgender people in Kyrgyzstan and abroad
Provides consultation and information on transitioning to transgender people in Kyrgyzstan and abroad via email and in person

Women and transgender people are encouraged to apply.

To apply:

send a cover letter highlighting your experience and your CV to kyrgyzlabrys@yahoo.com with “Transgender Component Coordinator” in the subject line

Vacancy: Research assistant

Location: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Place: Lesbian, Bisexual Women’s and Transgender Organization “Labrys”

Deadline: 15 June

Work period: 16 July – 16 September 2007

Work load: 20 hours a week

The research component of ‘Elf’ project is aimed to examine the situation of LBT people in Bishkek by using in-depth interviews and observations.

Profile:

University Degree in Social Sciences (sociology preferred but not necessary)
2 years of experience of working with research projects in Kyrgyzstan or conducting an individual research project
Experience of working with vulnerable groups and open-mindedness
Training in qualitative research methods and data analysis
Excellent interviewing skills
Ability to manage multiple tasks and crisis situations, work over-time

Responsibilities:

Assists research coordinator in designing the study
Conducts in-depth interviews with LBT community members
Transcribes the interviews
Assists the research coordinator in producing research report

Women and transgender people are encouraged to apply.

To apply:

send a cover letter highlighting your experience and your CV to kyrgyzlabrys@yahoo.com with “Research Assistant” in the subject line

Labrys Restructuring, News and Links

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 21:52:57 GMT

Restructuring.
As 'Labrys' is proceeding with its work and getting more and more training on organizational development, we decided to restructure the organization to make its work more logical and goal-oriented.
Under the new structure there are two executive positions - Chair and Executive Director. The work of organization is structured around two main programs:

Working with LBT (and maybe Asian gay men in the future)
Information component
Support and consolidation component
Psycho-social component
Sexual Health component

Working with society
PR
Advocacy

Each program has specific components and each component has a staff person responsible for it. The new structure should enable the staff to have a feeling of ownership in the organization.

Preparation for 17 May and project progress news.

Publications. Right now 'Labrys' team is busy with preparing publications for the 17 May (brochure about homosexuality) and putting together a new journal issue. Other issues are available upon request from Jika jikabz@yahoo.com who is responsible for LBT community information and the journal. We would need your postal address to send the journals. If you are on our list and have not received the journals, please, contact Vika Kartseva ('Labrys' Chair) at vikkar.z@mail.ru or kyrgyzlabrys@yahoo.com

Training. PRECIS Project with COC-Netherlands and partner organizations in the former Soviet Union has been actively involving all the staff members in different types of training. On 20-24 May Kyrgyzstan is hosting the advocacy training in the framework of this project. ILGA-Europe (www.ilga-europe.org ) is co-organizing this event.

Annual report. There was a visit from HIVOS to 'Labrys' in March and one of its outcomes is putting together an annual report about 'Labrys' work in 2006 which will be available by 30 April.

Lobbying for gender marker change. 'Labrys' has taken commitment to further lobby the possibilities of changing the gender marker and name legally for transsexuals in Kyrgyzstan. As of now we are preparing a strategy for advocating through medical institutions. The way through political means would be very difficult as Kyrgyzstan is going through yet another political turmoil. Our transitioning hero (it's been one year since he received the diagnosis) has been to different courts and spoke to different judges. One advise to him was to go abroad to get a surgery (phalloplasty) that would make him a 'real man' (as judges defined man as somebody with a penis). The judges' comments remain without written refusals, therefore, we cannot challenge them in court. One written document that we have is refusal to take up a court case due to not presenting a medical form of 'proper format' (which does not exist).
As of now we are hoping to discuss the issue with medical professionals and hold seminars for them with medics from Kazakhstan present (for the legislation on changing gender marker in Kazakhstan see http://www.pfc.org.uk/files/Kazakhstan.pdf).

Cooperation with transgender activists in Russia.
'Labrys' has been in touch with Yaroslav who runs www.mucho-dyke.narod.ru website (one of the best FtM information sites in Russian language) and Agneta www.transsexuals.ru . We plan to spread our transgender information materials through these online networks.

Articles about presentation of LGBT Situation in Kyrgyzstan (in Swedish)

Amnesty International: http://www2.amnesty.se/ap.nsf/webbreportage/0A8C6EA631ECBE02C12572BB002807E4?opendocument
RFSL (Swedish National LGBT Organization) Newsletterhttp://konline.rfsl.se/oois?id=55&article_id=104097

Friendly event 'Queer Easter':
www.queereaster.net

Also listen to broadcast of an interview about transgender situation in Kyrgyzstan:
www.transgenderradio.de There will be two broadcasts on 6 May at 13:00 (German time) and 20 May at 13:00.

some of the updated research results and the new 'Labrys' Logo

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 22:26:28 GMT

Since January 2007 'Labrys' has a new logo developed by Galina Sokolova, one of the staff members.
There were two options discussed and this one was chosen:

We are working on analyzing the obtained research results from the survey.

Methods:

Structured interview-questionnaire
Administered by six different interviewers of different identities and from different ethnic groups
Data collection July 2006 – January 2007
94 questionnaires collected, 9 incomplete
Main themes: demographics, income, health, sexual practices and STI/HIV awareness, coming out, main needs and concerns, access to Labrys services

Selected findings:
58% identify as lesbians
32% earn below 100 USD per month
43% assessed their health condition as satisfactory
17% do not smoke
51% of the smokers want to quit
9% drink alcohol 3 to 5 times per week
34% tried drugs usually marijuana
23% had forced sexual contacts (lOut of these 80% had forced sexual contact with a man)
35% believe that their sexual orientation or gender identity create problems for them in society
55% named relations with family and relatives as their main concern
8% would want to change their sexual orientation or gender identity
28% tried to change their sexual orientation or gender identity
For 56% their families tried to force them to change by persuading, sending to psychologist or psychiatrist

One of the lesbian women forced to get married

Sun, 18 Feb 2007 18:45:42 GMT

One of the Kyrgyz lesbian women aged 28 is going to follow her parents' demand to get married in March. Her girlfriend came to 'Labrys' with this story, the couple is planning to continue seeing each other but secretly. The 'bride's' parents are aware of their daughter's sexual orientation and that she has a partner. The couple had to separate officially. The parents chose the future husband for their daughter because she was of the age, not married and without children. It would be a shame for the family if she disagreed.

Update on different activities

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:43:32 GMT

January activities.
During the January weeks 'Labrys' has been doing its usual activities: there was a disco and trainings along with preparing the issue number 8 of journal.

Journal by post.
Issue number 7 is out and sent out to partner organizations and individuals, if you have not received it but would like to, please, send your postal address to kyrgyzlabrys@yahoo.com .

Email news.
Also we have been collecting emails of the people who would like to receive 'Labrys' news and information by email, we have about twenty emails so far. If you would like to be included in the email list, let us know. The emails with news will come approximately once in two weeks.

Transgender.
There was a trans* support group meeting where a decision was made that 'Labrys' can provide medical support only for those transsexuals who have obtained an official diagnosis of 'transsexualism'. Also one of the transbois had a hysterectomy (surgical removal of uterus) and is now working on a court case to be officially able to change documents. The case, unfortunately, will be an individual court case and not a precedent.

Research data.
We have finished data collection from the needs assessment part of the research project, as of now there were 94 interviews made,
9 respondents either stopped half way through the interview, we are waiting for emailed quesstionnaires from two respondents.

Translation of older 'Labrys ' journal articles into English.
Translations of articles in issues of 'Labrys' 1 and 2 are now available in English, thank you to Human Rights Watch for translation.

Issue 4 in English Selected Articles

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:42:02 GMT

LABRYS ISSUE #4 (2005)

Page 5: Is homophobia a disease?

BY Olesya Kuschenkova - Public Organization of Psychologists “Dialog”

It is not a secret that humans by the their nature can be attracted, and quite often, to other humans. This attraction can have various forms and meanings. It can be anything: from a desire for communication with another person, a desire to be together and work together, to sexual attraction and even love. All these kinds of attraction do not have clear borders and can turn one into another.

One of the most common stereotypes of modern society is the belief that sexual and sensual attraction and love can and should happen only among humans of opposite sex. This is one of the so-called “social and cultural standards of sexual behavior.”

But there always people who, in spite of the established standards, are attracted to people of the same sex. To them this attraction is natural and a part of their lives; just like attraction to the opposite sex is for “regular” people. This can be attraction of a man to a man and of a woman to a woman. There are even “interim” stages in this process, when one is attracted to men and women at the same time.

Although, as it is stated above, there is a spectrum of all kinds of attractions of human to human, usually, what society implies by “homosexualism” is the sexual attraction, for instance, a male’s desire to have sex with another male. This approach is too narrow and primitive; it is even humiliating. It is important to remember that attraction can be just of emotional and sensual character and it does not necessarily imply the presence of sexual relationships.

Homophobia is the word used to describe animosity and fear of some people towards homosexuals. In our society it demonstrates itself in various ways. Homosexuals are subjected to mocking, jokes and insults. For many narrow-minded people homosexuals are sick people, those who are contagious and capable of luring in others into their vicious lives. It is surprising that the rest of the world is sure that homosexuals should be medically treated to become heterosexuals. In the commonly accepted perception, homophobia is either a fear of having a contact with homosexuals and for homosexuals it is disgust with themselves.

The most common kind of homophobia is the so-called “passive” or “latent” kind of it, when one does not have direct negative feelings about homosexuals, but subconsciously has hostility, which has been cultivated in his or her mentality since childhood. A “passive” homophobe would not go “to beat up the fags” or publicly renounce gay people as “bastards”. But his attitude towards gays is negative and it demonstrates itself when one forms his or her opinion about another person. And if someone would say something, which insults homosexuals’ dignity, this person would nod his or her head and agree. A “passive” homophobe, after finding out about sexual orientation of his friend, would subconsciously change his opinion about the friend and their relationship as friends could become colder.

Active homophobes are those who have a very clear, negative and irreconcilable attitude towards homosexuals. These are people who actively discuss the “nonstandard” orientation at any given opportunity, those who write extremely critical articles concerning this topic. These are people who are obsessed with homophobia. They are even ready to violate human rights just to “show it” to the homosexuals.

Olport, a psychologist, designed a table to measure degree of a prejudice. According to this table, every new level of the development is characterized by the strengthening of the preconceived ideas towards a particular group. In relation to gays the table looks this way:

Verbal denial (open verbal expression of repulsion and hatred towards homosexuals, dirty jokes, usage of degrading nicknames, such as “ faggot”).

Discrimination (a refusal to respect rights of homosexuals, for instance, in access to education, jobs or purchase of real estate, also a refusal to treat them equally to everybody else).

Physical violence (beatings, rapes and killings of homosexuals).

Fortunately, there are not that many people who belong to the last category, but the harm they cause has a huge impact.

Among others, there are following reasons for homophobia:

Emotional. Although lots of us say that they can picture how something feels for another person, we have very hard time truly understanding what others feel. By analogy we can explain and interpret lots of things that happen to others, but in the cases when we never had a similar experience we do not know what to do and cannot comprehend their feelings and emotions to the same degree. Possibly, if heterosexuals could understand same sex love and everything related to it, then they would not have such a negative attitude towards homosexuals. Then they would be able to accept existence of another category of people just on the basis of knowing that homosexuality is nothing but an expression of a creative and harmless love, the concept of which is acceptable to every human. Nonetheless, lots of heterosexuals dislike homosexuals.

Another source of homophobic reactions is culture or the public influence. If one is born into a society where heterosexuals are dominant in all spheres of life, and if this attitude penetrates family life, mass media, religion and legislation, then biological tendencies of heterosexuals and their negative attitude towards homosexuals would be enforced by the society. Many social and cultural beliefs have been preserved for thousands of years. One of them is the negative attitude towards this issue. Condemnation of homosexual behavior is a part of European culture and people bring up their children with this attitude without even questioning it.

Another source of homophobia is a “group instinct”. This phenomenon, particularly common among teenagers, can be characterized by a fear to standout from a group of people, and by the fear of not being like everybody else, to express an independent idea or to act in a nonstandard way. One of stereotypes of this behavior is sexual orientation. As at this age issues of sexuality are particularly intense (such as “teenagers’ hyper sexuality”) this problem becomes more significant.

Another source of homophobic reactions is lack of information and as a result, wrong ideas about sexual arousal of homosexuals. Sexual techniques of homosexuals are not different from the ones used by heterosexuals. Deep conservatism of heterosexuals can be explained by the fact that many people believe that any variations in sexual activity are abnormal; that as for homosexuals, as none of their ways of sexual stimulation are approved by the society, their sexual behavior is less restricted.

Another reason for prejudice towards homosexuals is the fact that they help other people to compensate for their own inadequacy or to solve internal conflicts. By doing so, the “attackers” distance themselves from their own unacceptable feelings and project them towards others, which is probably, a typical homophobic reaction.

In addition, presumptions towards other people, and to homosexuals in particular, help to maintain their ideas about world, if they are being questioned and the world it seems to be too complex or controversial.

The most important aspect in interacting with another person is to understand and accept him or her irrespective of their sexual orientation.

Page 6: Iren and Vika

By Sasha Sladkyi

Today we are talking to two charming, interesting and funny girls Iren and Vika. They have been together for 4 four years and they love each other very much

When did you realize that you liked girls?

Iren: Actually, I was seduced at the age of 14 by a girl who was 9 years older. We dated for a year and then she got married. From that day my life has been going downhill…

Vika: In general, I used to not know what it was all about. It started from my hand, to be precise, from my hand being stroked and touched. By the way, the other hand belonged to Iren… That is how all it happened.

What do your parents, friends and close ones think about it?

Iren: My family and all my friends know about me. They all have positive attitude towards it but my mother had to just put up with it. The hardest thing for me was to confess to my sister, who was very confused for a long time. Finally she understood and accepted me the way I was.

Vika: My family does not know about me. My mother thinks that I date guys. But if she finds out about me, than, of course, she will be absolutely against it. She is a very commanding person with conservative views. My friends, in general, know about it, but not all of them. Those, who know have a positive attitude and very happy for me.

How did you meet each other?

Iren: Our close mutual friend introduced us. She happened to be Vika’s neighbor. We used to sit in each other’s cars at night and drink alcohol… At that time both of us felt lonely. I was suffering from unhappy love for the second year. Actually, what happened was that we felt mutual attraction, which was a banal physiology…but later it miraculously turned into true and devoted love. I could not accept Vika’s courtship for a long time and could not fall for her, because she was just 15 years old. I did not want her to have the same experience. But, in the end I could not resist and I was conquered three days later.

Vika: During our first meeting I perceived Iren just like one of my friends. But one day, when we were hanging out in the car, she took my hand and I realized that I liked her. The next evening we had a long talk about it and Iren told me her secret…At first I got scared and refused. But I thought for a long time and understood that I needed her not just as a friend… At that time I was dating a boy and she managed to steal me from him. I think that at first it was, probably, just my interest in same sex love, but now it developed into a true big feeling.

What do you have in common and what is really different about you two?

Iren: We both love kids a lot. We like discothèques. We like being alone, but it does not happen often due to a large number of friends. I just love party life and social mingling, but Vika does not like it that much. Also I really like sex and I taught her to like it too.

Vika: She is a minus and I am a plus. According to the laws of physics, minus and plus attract each other.

How often do you have fights and who starts them? Who is the first one to compromise?

Iren: We fight often. I compromise first.

Vika: I don’t know. It depends whose fault it was.

How do you split domestic chores? For instance, does Iren cook food and Vika does the dishes or the other way around?

Iren: I do all male chores in the house. I am also the breadwinner. I support her financially.

Vika: I do the dishes and cook food. I am the one who does the laundry too. But we help each other when possible.

What kind of music do you like? Do you have similar tastes in music?

Iren: We have very similar tastes in music. We love rock and popular music too. We like groups like Zemfira, Zvery, NTS. Just any nice and pleasant music. We also like classical music.

Vika: I do not have favorite groups. I like everything that sounds pleasant.

It is true that you’re going to get married and have a wedding? If so, what made you think about it?

Iren: One day we broke up for one month because of my attraction to other girls. However, I realized that there was nobody closer and more important to me than Vika and that I was ready for serious relationships. In general, I have been proposing to her since we started dating, but we still have not gotten around to it.

Vika: Our short break up made me think of serious relationships. I really want to live with her, wake up next to her in the mornings. I think that Iren is a part of me.

Do you like holidays?

Iren: Of course, we love holidays. We usually celebrate them together and with our closest friends. We celebrate every half-year anniversary of our relationship and give each other presents.

Vika: We love holidays. I do not think that there are people who do not like them. We try to celebrate them together because, and it is a great thing, that then we get to sleep over at each other’s places.

What do you do during the weekdays?

Iren: I am in the 4th year at KNU where I am studying to become a banker. I also work a lot and, of course, get tired often. However, I still try to pay as much attention to Vika as possible. I do my best to make sure that every day and every evening we spend together are special to her.

Vika: I do not work for now, but I am going to find employment soon. I graduated from PL N98 with a degree in telecommunications as an operator.

Do you have pets?

Iren: I love pets, and dogs in particular. But I cannot live with them under the same roof. When Vika and I will be living together, there will be just us and nobody else.

Vika: I love pets so much I just adore them. I used to have a little dog, but because of my nephew’s birth we had to give it away into good hands. When Iren and I will be living together, we will either have a Persian cat or a little dog.

What is your favorite food? Do you like cooking?

Iren: I just love shish kebabs and meat in general. I do not know how to cook. Although, may be I know just a little bit but I do not do cook.

Vika: I love mushroom pizza. I can cook everything, but I cook what if I feel like cooking and also if there is nothing to eat and I have to. I love good food.

You have been together for 4 years, which is a great achievement. Could you share with our readers some secrets of such a stable relationship?

Iren: I think that one should compromise more often. It is important to appreciate the best qualities of each other, such as mutuality, because I have never had such a mutual love. Also it is the strongest desire to see the other person till the end of your life.

Vika: Patience, the main thing, girlfriends, is patience. Sometimes you have to compromise, be able to resist saying things and be able to forgive your loved one. And to do whatever it takes for the person you love.

You recommendations to Labris and our readers

Iren: First of all I would like to express my gratitude to the founders of this organization. Your magazine has been helping lots of people to understand themselves. It helped them to understand that being a lesbian is not a shortcoming and that they should not be ashamed of it. People have to believe in themselves and stay this way in spite of anything. I would like to recommend to your readers to take more active part in the work of Labris. I believe that if we unite we can achieve a lot.

Vika: I would like to join Iren’s opinion. I think she said it all and I have nothing to add.

Thank you for dropping by our office and for your time. It was such a pleasure to talk to both of you. Good luck with everything!

Page 9: Lesbians Despise Bisexuals or Why I Cannot wear Labris?

BY AngeLika

Yes, I would like to start my letter with these words. I would like to share my thoughts. The thing is that I got introduced to this topic recently and before, I did not even suspect the degree of its controversy. Almost at once I had to face some problems. I was always aware of the problem of homophobia in society, but I found out that there are some problems within the community of homosexuals…

It’s hard to imagine how negatively I was surprised when after my statement that I was a bisexual some girls’ faces lengthened. Just imagine how I felt when my girlfriend, the one I love (!), told me about her attitude towards bisexuals. “ I despise bisexuals”- these were her words. Of course, she added: “ I do not understand them”, “ how can they do that, because they want to be with the other sex, and this is really wrong” and so on. “And, in general, bisexual girls are those who have not decided for themselves and those who break the hearts of natural lesbians”.

What could I say to that? I did not say anything. At first because it was painful to hear these words addressed to me by the person I loved. Besides, I was not ready for such an attack and just could not understand, why? How come that there is such an attitude? What did bisexuals do, to deserve such an attitude? Later my girlfriend apologized. Her words were: “ you passed my test”. However, I did not understand what the test was about. She tried to convince me that the expression of her attitude towards bisexuals was the actual test. Obviously, she chose to check whether I would able to handle the pressure. At that moment I was not able to think of it in depth, the conflict was over and we went out. The issue of such attitude towards bisexuals remained unclear, but I decided to think about it later.

A period of time passed. Now I am “used to” the fact that as it turned out to be, homosexuals don’t have a good attitude towards bisexuals. That is why I try not to “declare” my identity. I speak about it only with girls whom I am going to date. But let me ask you, why? Why, when I am among homosexuals I have to hide that I might like guys and when I am in heterosexual group I have to hide that I might like girls? I do not think I can manage it. I cannot change the fact that I am bisexual by nature.

There is a common belief that if you are bisexual then it gives you the right for two-sex relationships, meaning that bisexuals can date a guy and a girl at the same time. If that would happen with my partner I would not have liked it either. But I am sure that everything depends on the person. Any heterosexual or homosexual can have several love affairs at the same time and cheat on their partner. It is not important with whom you cheated, it is important who you cheated on and how you would feel afterwards. If it does not matter to you than you do not love this person. But if this person is important to you, then why did you do that?

What can be done about this opinion that bisexuals are perverts and wicked ones? It is not true, just because some heterosexual girls sleep with other girls without having any feelings. Those who do that create this negative attitude that gets to be eloquently expressed against innocent people. I would like to make a comparison. Look at the headlines of my favorite magazines: “A person of a non-Russian ethnic background is a maniac and a pervert!” and what do people do? Yeah, you are right, people get together and unite as one force. They go to beat up those non-Russians. They forget though that a nation or an ethnic group cannot be responsible for actions of one sick person and people cannot be held responsible for the deeds of others. It was not their fault. This kind of dynamic can be seen in all sorts of other situations. This one is not an exception. She is NOT this way? Lets give her some hard time!

Another thing that made me truly mad was that I was prohibited to wear labris as a symbol of lesbians!!! Girls, I am sorry, but what you think being a lesbian means? I think it means love of one woman to another. I would like to emphasize this word: LOVE. Love, not sex. Then why can’t I wear the labris? When I asked this question, it caused a discussion among girls. They all had different opinions. Some of them were saying that bisexuals had no right to wear labris. Other girls mentioned that they do not mind and it’s a matter of personal preferences. Another group said that they did not identify labris as exclusively lesbian attribute. As you can see, there is no such a thing as one unified opinion about wearing it. As for me, labris is a reflection of one’s internal state and her self-identity. It is a demonstration of your personality to the world. And girls forget that not all lesbians would like to wear labris and that it means nothing to some of them. They just do not need it. At the same time heterosexuals can wear it just as cute trinkets. Nobody should control wearing of symbolical items. Nobody can force anybody to do that. Sometimes not everyone knows what a particular symbol means. Sorry, I got distracted…

To me my bisexuality is expressed in the way that I do not know with whom I might fall in love. I think this is quite a difficult situation for me. But one cannot command her heart what to do. It is impossible to control feelings. It never works. This is not my fault when it happens. So, I am this way, but does it make you have a bad attitude towards me? You have no idea what person I am. Why do you need to label me right away? What is the point in these prejudices, stereotypes and myths?

If we fight against the negative attitudes of homophobic society, if we would like to have a tolerant position towards sexual minorities, then lets stop giving others a hard time just because we think that “you are not like us”. It is hard for all of us: a heterosexual, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and transgendered persons (we can keep going down the list), but does it worth it after all?

I am asking you to take my words as my personal opinion, an opinion of someone who does not agree with some of attitudes prevailing in LGBT society. I hope that my words will find their place in people’s hearts and someone would sincerely share my opinion.

Issue 1 Continued

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:40:55 GMT

NOTE: Please, remember these are journal articles from 2005 and mostly opinions and interviews with lesbian wommen.

Page 10: Sveta and Dasha

BY Dina Ryseva

Coming out:

Sveta (32): I have been attracted to girls since high school. But it became serious when I turned 19. Prior to that I just liked them. I liked courting them and I liked their smiles. All my girls at that time were heterosexuals, and heterosexuals only. The main thing was that they liked me. I would achieve it by any means possible, mainly, by being patient and affectionate. I always say: “Lesbian- there is so such of pride in this word.”

Dasha: Three years ago I realized that. I have been attracted to girls all my life.

Parents:

Dasha: My Mom does not know, but she suspects something. I tell her that there are several girls living in one apartment and that I just want to live independently.

Sveta: Dasha’s mother is not stupid. We spent all holidays together. Just the two of us. When she sends over treats she says: “ This is for Sveta”, she does not say: “For the girls”, she says: “For Sveta”. As for my mother, she had caught me with girls in bed. Now she decided to knock at the door before she comes in. She says: “Do you have this? What about you?”

Dasha: At first my Mom did not have the best attitude toward Sveta. When we just met Sveta was a bit too serious. My Mom told me about her: “She is kind of surly.” As for Sveta’s Mom, she used to say: “The other one you had before was better. This one interferes with other’s business”. But now everything is great. (To Sveta: Come over here). And still Sveta’s Mom has a good attitude towards me.

Sveta: My Mom knows.

Dasha: They just do not talk about it.

Sveta: My Mom does not want to understand it, but she accepts it. As for my father, he almost never at home anyway.

About each other

Dasha about Sveta: She is stubborn and sometimes she is rude… Rarely compromises. But with that she is kind and caring. She is mine. It is all good.

Sveta about Dasha (looking at her for a long time): She is faithful and loyal. I trust her absolutely. We are both bulls. Both of us compromise rarely.

D: Why you do not get jealous about me?

S: Because I know.

D: Sveta is a very good housekeeper. She does everything for the house. She brings everything for us. Anything, even things she finds on streets she takes home.

S: She is too stubborn. She made me fall for her by being patient with me. She came over and she said: “There is nobody else is going to be in your life, but me”. And it happened exactly this way.

Life together

D: Mainly, I am the one who cleans the house.

S: And why? Because I have to work on two jobs. But I still do my own laundry.

D: We do not strictly assign domestic chores. Whoever has time to do them does them. I do not know how to cook.

S: When I have time I cook. But she also cooks well.

D: Everything we have is common. We have one wallet and one bed. It is hard to teach Sveta. She is used to living the old way. The new way should be introduced slowly and carefully. It is hard for us to socialize with friends. My circle of friends is primarily heterosexual and hers is lesbian. My friends have careful attitude towards Sveta, although they all know about our relationship.

Plans

D: To make enough money to buy a car.

S: What car are you talking about? I am buying a motorcycle. Practice first, then we leave.

D: You want a motorcycle and I want a car. I would like to practice as I have been learning how to drive.

S: We would like to leave. We do not know where. The only opportunity I have for now is going to Russia.

D: My relatives are waiting for us in Spain. But I am afraid. We will make enough money and we will have a baby.

S: Yes.

D: One baby for now.

S: It does not matter what sex.

D: I would like to have a son.

How do you see your future?

S: As for me, I never thought about it. The main thing is for her (Dasha) to be with me.

Where did you meet?

D: At a funeral of a mutual friend.

S (laughing): She started living together from the funeral’s reception.

D: We started living together 9 days later. Since our second date. I came over to her place to play “nards” and never left.

S: I did not mind.

D: It was difficult at first. Sveta went through a period when she wanted to date other people. Then I would sit at home and wait for her. I controlled her and she did not like it, right, Sveta?

D: Yes.

Do you see yourselves getting old?

S: Non-no, we laugh at it. When we see two old grannies in shawls I say, Dasha, when we will get old…

D: (Singing) “We used to be so young, we used to be so young, and we used to love so sincerely…”[2]

What would be your advice to young people?

S (affectionately): You’re my old granny…

D: We are still young... It is important to us to be ourselves, to aspire to achieve things. Everybody says that women depend on men. But we have to rely just on ourselves to prove the whole world that women can…

S: I support her. As for finding your other half, your love, do not look for it. It will find you. This is my point of view.

About love

D: What is love? It is feeling that lasts first 6 months. Then you learn how to control it. It is so great to love someone and it is such a beautiful feeling. But only if it is mutual. When it is not mutual, then there are lots of problems.

S: Love is an affectionate relationship. That is all.

D: To live together for a long time one has to be patient. It is difficult to start.

S: It is one thing to date…

D: And another one is to live together 24-7.

S: This is hard.

D: When you realize that you have not seen her in a long time, it is difficult to sleep.

S: I got so used to sleeping with Dasha, that when I was in Russia I had to put pillows around my body. But later I got used to sleeping alone..

D: Sveta feels jealous about men and me. I do not know why.

S: However, I do not care about women. But you are jealous about everyone.

Who is going to give birth to the baby?

D: Sveta wants me to give birth to the baby. I want her to give birth first. But sometimes she wants to do it and sometimes she does not.

Would you like to say anything to each other?

S: We will do it at home (both laughing)…

Page 15: Right to work

Sasha Kim, lawyer

I have heard stories about a lesbian getting fired or being refused a job. Lots of people wonder whether they can judicially appeal these decisions. In this issue I will explain to you what the law says about it.

According to the Constitution, the state guarantees rights and freedoms to everyone irrespective of their sex, race, etc. Sexual orientation is not stipulated in the list of grounds prohibiting discrimination. However, this list is not exhaustive and its last phrase reads as “ and on other grounds.” One of fundamental rights is the right to work, concerning which the Constitution states: “everyone has a right to remuneration for their work without any discrimination”.

Prohibition of discrimination is further developed in the Labor Code, according to which any refusal other than the one based on business qualities of the candidate, is considered unsubstantiated. Exceptions from this rule are directly stated in the law, such as: differentiated approach, preferences and limitations based on a particular kind of work and/or protection of interest of most vulnerable groups of the society. Those provisions are not discriminatory. As examples of these provisions are the prohibition to hire foreign citizens for the state services, requirements of special education (doctors, teachers) or prohibition to be employed on certain positions due to criminal record. On the other hand, pregnant women, young specialists and invalids have advantages prescribed by the law.

If someone believes that his or her job refusal was unsubstantiated, any citizen has a right to have a judicial appeal of this decision. Article 38 of the Constitution guarantees the right of everyone to have judicial protection of their rights and freedoms.

According to the Labor Code, courts will consider complaints of those who believe that their rights were violated only if they were conducting negotiations of a job agreement. These complaints will be considered by the court not as a civil claim, but as an appeal of unlawful actions of employer. However you have to prove in court that the job refusal was based on your sexual orientation. This is the main problem, as in order to dismiss you the employer might refer to the lack for necessary competencies needed for the job. If you agree with that it would be very difficult to prove your position in court. So, if you decided to take it to a court, do not sign any paperwork where you consent to your dismissal. I really doubt that they would put a record in your labor book [3] stating that you were fired for being a lesbian.

I would like to mention that provisions of the Labor Code prohibit employers from asking for any documentation other than your labor book, your identity documents and appropriate diplomas. Also it is forbidden to collect any information concerning the candidate’s affiliation with political parties, social movements, organizations and also to collect information concerning his or her personal life (this definition includes sexual orientation), as it violates Article 16 of the Constitution of Kyrgyz Republic concerning the right to respect of private and family life, reputation and dignity.

[1] Obviously, she refers to the character from “Gone with the wind.”

[2] A famous Russian song

[3] Employment record

Labrys Issue #2 Selected Articles in English

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:26:48 GMT

LABRYS #2 (March-April 2005)

Page 3: I’m not criticizing or complaining, I’m just expressing my opinion…

BY One of lesbians

One beautiful evening I just wanted to chill out and dance. I thought: where can I find a good place for that? The name of the “Spiders” club popped into my head. Yeah, I thought, that’s the right place because it’s a gay-club. So I went straight there. But imagine my surprise when I got there and they didn’t let me into the club, saying that from now on there was a new policy: lesbians not allowed. I don’t think this decision came from nowhere. The thing is, girls started fights in the club on several occasions and after that the club managers decided that all lesbians are brawlers and troublemakers and don’t know how to behave themselves in public places. I was outraged all the way down to the roots of my dyed hair! How can they form their opinion about all lesbians based on the actions of just a few girls?!!

It would be interesting to know what would happen in a heterosexual night club if girls started a fight (or guys, for that matter). Then, according to the logic to “Spiders” managers, the night club would refuse to admit girls (or guys). But it never happens this way.

Yeah, let’s picture it: “Spiders” is a gay club for straight people! It sounds more than ridiculous.

If you look at my situation from a legal perspective, then I think there is obvious discrimination and violation of my rights. Personally, I never had any fights over there, I did not drink too much, I did not make any trouble, I paid for everything. I just peacefully sipped my beer, danced and did not touch anybody. On what grounds are they not letting me in?

Page 7: A lesbian: who is she?

By Kim

The question itself sounds kind of stupid, doesn’t it? One day I confessed to my parents that I was a lesbian. My mother told me that it was nothing, and that I would get over it when I grew up. She thought that it was just a teenager’s attempt to imitate her pop idol. Later she told me that if I was indeed a lesbian, then I should not hesitate and just go ahead and change my sex. She kept saying that if you were a lesbian, then you should go for a sex change.

Yeah, people used to make lot of fun of me on the streets. They would ask something like what you have got between your legs? Or even when I would go to the farmers’ market, men would try in an underhanded way to touch my breasts to check if they were there. At first I felt insulted. But then I looked at it from a different perspective. From what I’ve observed, 15 % of people think that a lesbian is a hermaphrodite and 20% think that she is a transgendered person. But what does the Bible say about it? It says that a lesbian is a sinner and worse than dirt. But God loves us all. So, then it means that a lesbian is going against the Bible. But she does not want to be against God. The lesbian is not the one who wants to change her sex or the one who was born hermaphroditic. No, a lesbian is a girl or a woman who loves another girl or a woman. One does not become a lesbian. One is born a lesbian. However, sometimes even a lesbian herself can’t decide whether she is a lesbian or not.

Lesbians have two types. The first one is the masculine lesbian, the one who has more of a male nature. Usually she matures and decides for herself earlier in her life than the other one, with a prevailing feminine nature. The latter one does not necessarily realizes her need for untraditional love. A lesbian woman and a heterosexual woman are not different in anything but sexual orientation. Lesbians also can be gifted people. Every lesbian is beautiful and talented in her unique way. There are people with sophisticated and sensitive natures among them. Lesbians are not worse than other people: they also know how to do a good job, how to understand people, how to study, to cook, to sing, to dance and, most importantly, they know how to love, feel and hear others and to say beautiful things to them. At the same time I noticed that 80% of people say that they have an indifferent attitude towards homosexuals. They say something like: I don’t bother them, they don’t bother me.

Why do lesbians always have to respect the heterosexuals who impose their laws on everybody in the society? Why would not you, heterosexuals, respect a lesbian, who has no right to make laws? By saying that I mean respecting lesbians in everyday life, just in general. Although I cannot describe a lesbian because, and I would like to repeat myself, she is not different from a heterosexual, but by her sexual orientation. A lesbian is also able to sleep with a man, but I doubt she does it. She does not do that because she does not need it. She is a lesbian and she is this way not because it is trendy and cool, but because this is her nature. This is just like an apple-tree which would never turn into a vineyard.

As for discrimination, there was a case when several lesbians were kicked out from a café because of their sexual orientation. They were told that supposedly, this place was for decent people, for heterosexuals only. Does it mean that a heterosexual is a decent person and a lesbian is not? Looking from a global prospective, it is absurd, as we all live on the same planet. All of us! It’s interesting, what in general should be considered to be decent and not decent? As for me, I believe that if lesbians could, just like other people, walk freely in the city, freely go into cafes, restaurants and night clubs, it would even make our city more beautiful.

Page 12

BY Dina Ryseva

Bermetka, 25.

I did not have an official doctor’s diagnosis, but I am sure that I did have depression. I had no desire to do anything, everything was wrong, even when it was all right. I could not make myself lift up a finger. Too many things piled up together.

Some time ago my girlfriend had all the symptoms, but we didn’t get it. She wanted to sleep all the time. She could not do her homework because she would get tired quickly. No, she did not have suicidal thoughts. She had no sexual desire. When we understood what was going on, it was too late as we have already broken up. She had sessions with a psychologist for half a year, and as far as I know it did help her. Sometimes I blame myself that I could not see how low she felt, although she did sometimes tell me about it. I did not know that it was depression and that she could not cope with it just by herself. Everyone kept saying: come on, get a grip on yourself, smile. Nothing frigging worked. I tried to help her, but it went so far, that I had no idea where it should go. If she were more open about it, it would have made things easier for both of us. I do not know whether her depression is over by now, but I hope so.

The routine of everyday life, the controlling relatives, the limbo, all these factors may cause depression. One of the ways of fighting with it is to go somewhere far away and take a break from everyone.

I do not think that my depression is completely over. However, changes in my life helped me, along with my work and the thought that I will see my parents and that she might come over. I understood that I had to do something about it myself, and if I didn’t wake up and say to myself that it is time to change something, then nobody would help.

Alan Segr. 21.

As for me, I am still having it. I had difficult depressions three times in my life. All of them happened because of my break-ups with girls. When it happens I either lay down or paced back and forth from one corner of my room to another. I’m in no mood to do anything. I smoke a lot. I would also drink a lot too, but I do not anymore. There is no point in drinking heavily as it does not help. It just aggravates things. Sometimes I talk to myself. Maybe it is a bit not that normal, but it helps me. I speak about things to myself as if I would be speaking to somebody else.

I had thoughts of suicide. Some time ago. Something like drowning myself in the bathtub and things like that. I haven’t had such thoughts for the last year and a half, may be, because there are less problems in my life or maybe I just stopped thinking about it. Any problem either gets solved or looses its significance and it does not last for life. The main thing that helps me is talking to people who know me. I am not interested in their answers or advice; the point for me is to share it with somebody else. And to have a smoke, to have a chat and to look for a way out.

Tory, 33.

I think that everyone has depression at some point and I am not an exception. I loved a girl with whom I lived for three years. She met another girl and she was dating her while she was dating me. After that she introduced us to each other. She told me everything. F half year she had been sleeping with her and with me. The three of us dated all together for not a very long time. We broke up. Later we became friends. I tried to hold it together, but sometimes I would loose it and drink a lot. When I realized that vodka was not much of a help in my situation, I got back on track.

My cure from depression is hard work. Or finding a hobby and spending a lot of time on it. For example, currently, my hobby is to furnish and to renovate my apartment. Work helps me not to think.

Valid, 22.

Yeah, it happened to me and it happened not just once. Mainly, because of my family which does not want to accept me the way I am. Today they do not like my hairstyle, tomorrow –my behavior. So, they yell at me and it makes me feel low. I either just lay on the couch or fight with everyone. A person whom you respect and who used to make you happy, today makes you disgusted and angry. Nothing makes you happy. I tried to undergo medical treatment. I went to psychologists, but they did not help much. I took antidepressants, so I know all their side effects from my own experience.

When my girlfriend had depression she would start drinking. The only way I could pull her out from this crying-whipping state, was to talk to her about something. For example, I would tell her that we would go to Issyk-Kul [a lake in Kyrgyzstan] in the summer and tomorrow we would go to see night lights, and that today I would read her my new story and that we would make our favorite food and that we would buy sweets. And that a cool movie is on in the TV. Nothing like horror or action movies though! Even if she does not feel like watching a comedy, make her sit down in front of the screen and make her laugh.

To cope with it, I start either physically wearing myself down or writing something. Of course, it is impossible to write when you have a depression, as no inspiration would come. When it happens you do not even have a desire to eat. I also take a sheet of paper, draw a line in the middle and write on one part all the good things I have in my life and on the other all the bad stuff. For instance, I have a girlfriend and she is beautiful, my mother is in good health, I am young and healthy and there are so many promising things in the future. Then I try to look only at the good side of the sheet. I tear the bad side away and burn it down. Sometimes it helps. There is another way that is when I jump, scream and sing, sing something about your hot lips and two bodies becoming one…

Zima, 25

I do not know for sure whether it is depression. Absolute apathy to life, no interest to do anything. It would start when I would have problems. When everything piles up. Family, studies, work. I pulled out myself out from this state. Just like in the cartoon about “Baron Munchausen”, by grabbing myself by my own hair and pulling my body out from swamp. I cannot be in this state for a long time. I would tell myself: “That is all, it is enough” in the morning and in the evening. I looked at the sky, which was not necessarily always bright blue. Last time it was a gray cloudy day. I looked at people and observed who was happy, who was sad. Everyone has his own problems, I understand it. But we need to keep going.

My girlfriend had depression, but I do not want to be reminded about it. I tried to help her by explaining how I felt and by describing my attempts to get over it. I never mentioned anything negative about this mental state, just positive things.

I had thought of suicide when I was 18. I was on the edge, but my common sense took over. If I do it, who would it make feel better? My close ones, who would loose me, would blame themselves. I think that suicide is an expression of a selfish nature. After I realized that it would be easier for me to get over it.

There is just one way of fighting with it. I have mentioned it already. It is to go outside on the street and to look around. Nothing changed because you have depression. Nature stays the same way, the Earth keeps rotating, people live their lives with the same concerns and happiness as usual, so you have got to keep on living! Let this vibrant rhythm of life make you move along!

Page 13: Psychologists’ opinion

In this article I will try to answer the most common questions concerning so called “nontraditional sexual orientation”. There are several theories explaining the origin of this phenomenon. One of them states that this is a natural born quality of a human, which does not change for an entire lifetime. Another one explains choice of sexual orientation by the influence of social environment and peers. The word “choice” itself in this context demonstrates that a human can hesitate in choosing sexual orientation and that he or she is able to change it according to their decision. I am familiar with some instances when a girl who at first dated guys later chooses same-sex love. There are cases when the opposite happens: when a girl who thought she was a lesbian decided that she liked guys better. Based on this it is possible to make a conclusion that if person believes that she has a choice, then the choice does exist.

Concerning society’s attitude towards sexual minorities, quite often they are subjected to hard pressure from the society, they are called abnormal. However, what does “abnormal” mean? This is a complex issue involving thinking disorders, emotional and behavioral disturbances. It is just absurd to make a conclusion about someone’s normality or abnormality just based on their sexual orientation. However, usually when people make those conclusions they mean something else. The actual term of “nonstandard sexual orientation” clearly shows that people with such orientation do not comply with the common sexual standard, which implies that sexual partners choose representatives of the other sex. Although, a common standard is not the same thing as an absolute standard. Please note the difference between nonstandard person and abnormal person.

I would like to add that among heterosexuals there are plenty of mentally unhealthy people, just like among bisexuals, gay people and lesbians. This means that sexual orientation itself does not serve as a standard for distinguishing people as mentally ill and mentally healthy. Psychiatrists and psychologists arrived at this conclusion a long time ago. So, accusing someone of being abnormal on the basis of their expression of same-sex love cannot be considered as substantiated and simply demonstrates their illiteracy in this field.

Page 13: Short-questionnaire

We went to the streets of Bishkek asking two questions:

-Who do you think lesbians are?

-If one of your friends or close ones happened to be a lesbians, what would be your attitude towards her?

Answers:

-Probably, they are just stupid. I did not even think about it. This is not right. This is wrong by its nature.

Tatyana, 20 years old, student

-I cannot even answer. I have never had such a thing in my life. I would have a bad attitude towards the close one who would happen to be so… This is wrong. It is unnatural. They violate the nature of humans.

Samarbek, 38 years old, entrepreneur

- I despise the whole thing. They are perverts. We have got enough men and women for everybody. The main thing is to live like humans. If it was someone I knew? It is unbearable to even think about it.

Nina Yakovlevnna, 65 years old, sells flowers

-I consider this phenomenon to be unnatural, but I do not feel disgusted. If someone I know happens to be this way, I would try to understand, and I would not demonstrate my repulsion and, of course, I would not turn my back to them.

Bakhyt, 21 years old, student

Labrys Issue 1 in English - Selected Articles

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:04:38 GMT

LABRYS ISSUE 1

Pages 4-5: Round table

BY Timurkhan Djedilbayev and Anna Dovgopol

MVD (Ministry of the Interior of Kyrgyzstan): I would beat them up too or you have to face the reality

After two short reports were made, representatives of MVD [Ministry of the Interior –Russian] took the initiative into their hands.

Their aggressive and despising attitude was sensed right away- says Anna Dovgopol, one of the those who made a report.

- They were sitting right in front of us and facing the public. Although they did not interrupt me, but their facial expressions brought in an enormous tension into the public. It was such a tensed atmosphere because along with their looks the conference room was small.

The opinions of representatives of MVD are transcribed from a dictaphone recording made during the round table.

Representative of MVD N1:

“I have a question. I would like to find out from the main organizer of this round table, why some time ago all these round tables, seminars and meetings… I have got a feeling that these days we have such a difficult situation in our country … It is quite unstable, so to speak… Why did not you do that before and decided to do it just now? It is directly relevant to you too. To this very round table.

I just want to say: you gathered here all these…. Do not take it personally, but it is our opinion. Just ours. You have to get down to Earth and face the reality. So, here is you and here is Bishkek. Every country has its own culture, but this one is a Muslim country…

You see, you say “we are afraid, because they beat us”. For instance, I would also beat them. Lets say I walk in a park with my son. I have just one son. And there are two guys walking holding each other’s hands. I would beat them up too. Because you have to face the reality.

In Bishkek, in Bishkek you want all this? Why are you doing all this? I do not understand. You will never have the green light here; it would have happened in America, or somewhere else in the West, but not here… You will keep hiding in basements with all your business. This is my personal opinion, not the one as a representative of MVD. As for the Ministry’ opinion, let our Minister think about it.

No way, I cannot believe Anna just made her report. I cannot imagine such a girl to be a Kyrgyz girl, just cannot imagine”.

Representative of MVD N2:

“As for the question whether they have to be afraid of militsia. I have been working in militsia for several years and I have not seen representatives of militsia beating homosexuals… Do not just talk about facts; do not say that there are facts…. So, show us your facts you are talking about. “I am a homosexual, my name is such and such and it happened…”-nobody ever brought it up to militsia”.

Representative of MVD N1:

“For God’s sake, do not demonstrate it on streets. As for your rights, go to the White House, it is trendy now. Who violates them, those rights of yours? Good, do what do you want now, what are you asking for right now? Go and address the society from television!”

OSCE: We should fight against it!

Participants started a sluggish discussion with the representatives of Ministry of the Interior. At that point everyone present, but the representatives, realized what “homophobia in Kyrgyzstan” was.

“It is, of course, very sad to hear these statements from the representatives of the state. It is their personal opinion, but I think that all representatives of law enforcement agencies, Ministry of the Interior and the Public Prosecutor’s office have the same opinion”- said representative of OSCE Center in Bishkek Saltanat Sydykova and proceeded to the second part of the topic: ways of overcoming homophobia in Kyrgyzstan.

“I think we should struggle against this attitude. To be realistic, it is long-term task. As a representative of OSCE I would like to say that Kyrgyzstan took the obligation to do that. As a Member State of OSCE our country singed certain documents, which stipulated that our state had an obligation to guarantee human rights and to be against any form of discrimination.

We, as nongovernmental organizations, can voice up this question at a high level. I have to admit that up to today our organization has not been dealing with this problem with enough attention. However, this problem is one of the most imminent issues today. We have a bureau of democratic institutions on human rights, which opened an anti-discrimination program two years ago. They keep expanding their activities and our task as a representative office of OSCE is to network, make contacts and to work on reports.

I understand that the work with the state authorities would take much longer than just one year. It will take a decade at least. For now, lets try to achieve their tolerance towards the problem.”

Ombudsman’s office: We have to work from another direction

Young representatives Ombudsman’s office were very careful in expressing their opinions. Their boss, Ombudsman of Kyrgyz Republic Turunsai Bakir-Uulu is well known as a devoted Muslim. As far as it is known, his position concerning homosexuals as an official contradicts his religious beliefs. However, at the round table the representatives of his office expressed their opinions as advocates of the state in a very diplomatic way:

“Lot of your comments today were based on the fact that you are homosexuals. I think that we should look at this problem from another prospective. I do not think that the state fails to undertake measures to protect your rights. The state does not divide its people on sexual groups, we are all just citizens, including the representatives of Ministry of the Interior, and law enforcement agencies who protect our rights, citizens’ rights and other rights. I believe that rights of homosexuals are protected by the national law in spite of absence of clauses concerning this particular discrimination issues.”

Addressing the state authorities and the public

As a result of the round table concerning “Day Against Homophobia”, a statement to the state authorities and public organizations of Kyrgyzstan was issued:

“ We, organizations in Kyrgyzstan, found it is necessary for us to join this international campaign. We are deeply concerned that sexual minorities in Kyrgyzstan are the most discriminated against group of population, which has been confirmed by our research and experts. We believe that our united actions will assist to the democratic changes that have been taking place in our country since 24 March, giving us more hope for the future, for the future without fear. Struggle against homophobia is not just LGBT groups’ business. If there would be fewer phobias in Kyrgyzstan, than a struggle for a better society is our duty. We are looking forward to your feedback and support!”

To be ….continued?

“We are looking forward to your feedback and support!”- This is the final phrase of Kyrgyz enthusiasts. As for Russia, similar public statement received feedbacks from the Federal Council of the State Parliament. The public statement of Russian gay-activists was submitted to the Federal Council’s Committee on Science, Culture, Education, Health and Ecology. According to the web site: www. GayRussia. Ru , “this Committee is the state body which upon studying the statement can initiate a legislative bill concerning prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation.” On 19 May Belgium passed a bill concerning celebration of Day against homophobia on May 17.

But what about Kyrgyzstan? As of this writing organizers of this event in Kyrgyzstan have not received any official or unofficial responses.

May be, one of the participants was right when he said: “We have such a mess among heterosexuals these days, there are all sorts of troubles going on and there is you with your problems on the top of everything else. Let this situation in the country to calm down, let people stop being so angry at each other, otherwise you might end up being between a rock and a hard place.”

So, lets wait then.

Page 8: Our people abroad

By Anna K.

And it all began…We discussed our feelings at school, when we realized that who we were and how we had to live with it in this tough school environment. The seminar’s topic was discrimination in education. Every participant wrote, sitting on the floor, about his or her feelings. In silence. I wrote that it was hard when nobody understood you and you had no idea why. And that we must unite. When we feel lonely and rejected it makes us more vulnerable to humiliations.

We had to make skits based on given scenarios. They were without a word, but we did feel the pain of a French guy who was beaten up for having feminine style of clothing and the pain of a Lebanese guy who is in love with his male friend but had to a date a cheerleader. I remember very well how we were imitating crowd’s reaction to a homosexual couple. Janet from Scotland and I were holding hands and dozens of people were staring at us. They were staring with hatred and reproach, with pity and lust, with a smirk and admiration, with indifference.

Then we had a session where we discussed real life situations from our countries. I told them how difficult it was when you were admitted neither to men’s nor to women’s public bathroom. Notyi from Kosovo shared his story about a guy who had to leave school because of mocking.

We had several sessions on how to try to solve the discrimination problem at schools and universities. In the West such discrimination has been recognized as a violation of human rights and the states even provide financial support for programs concerning this problem. As for our country… you know. Just read about the round table held in Bishkek on May 17^th…

Although every participant attended every single session discussions were continued even at night. As a result of these discussions we decided to conduct a common project with girls from Finland and in August I will attend feminist-lesbian camp in Petersburg. So, as you can see girls, soon we will have guests from Finland. The project will be on sexual health and gender identity. I think it will happen next winter. They promised to bring over transgendered people from Finland (FtM).

Another result of this seminar will be a project on discrimination issues at schools and colleges for students and teachers organized by Labris. Come and join us!

I would like to mention that our organization could send other girls to seminars, conferences and other events abroad. Pre-requisites are knowledge of English (not necessarily always) and active participation (!) in our organization’s work. So, we look forward to receiving your applications…

Page 9: I love you life!

BY Sasha Sladkyi

When I was in the 9^th grade I had a major crush on one of my female classmates. I could not understand neither my feelings nor myself. I wanted to hug her, to kiss her, to court her and to take care of her. One day I realized that I loved her and I got scared, as then it seemed so wrong to me. At that time I knew nothing about lesbians and thought that to love a girl was something abnormal. I shared it with my girlfriend and she told me that it was a stupid thing and I would get over it.

But I could not get over it. The opposite happened. Day by day my feelings for this girl grew stronger. When my girlfriend realized that it was truly serious, she tried to explain to me that it was wrong and I had to change. Rumors started at school that I liked HER and people started gossiping about me. One of my female classmates even threatened me saying that I should give it up because she did not like people like me. But none of them could understand that I needed nobody but HER.

My mother used to yell at me for wearing men’s style clothing. We had fights because of my hairstyle. She did not like that I would spend evenings talking to HER on the phone. This was one of the most difficult times in my life. She was a heterosexual and, in addition, she loved a boy from our class; my best girlfriend did not understand me and I kept fighting with my mother. I did not know what to do. I did not want to live like that. I tried not to think about it. I started drinking, smoking, skipping classes and loitering on streets, which made my relationship with my mother even worse.

And then comes year of 2000, the final year at school and the graduation prom. She was just beautiful. I remember every single detail of her dress. It was an emerald dress, just like Scarlette’s[1], her hair was braided with beads. Oh, God, how I wanted to dance with her. But I could not do that. I was accepted into the university and decided to start a new life without HER. I tried to change myself, tried wearing make up, changed my hairstyle, bought shoes with high heels and a purse, etc. but nothing worked. It lasted just two months.

One day I happened to have a look at a newspaper “Blitz-Info”, where I read an ad about a girl wanting to meet another girl. Everything turned up side down in my head. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE. I posted an ad in the “Dating” section. A girl called me and we agreed to meet. From the first meeting I realized that it was mine and that I would not be able to live any other way. Because of this girl I met other lesbians. I was happy as I had a person I loved and people who could understand me. My haircut was getting shorter and shorter and I started wearing men’s clothing.

My mother suspected something. I tried to deny it because I was sure that if she found out it would be the end of the world. I would not be able even to look at her. Nonetheless, it happened. She found out because I told her everything myself. I had to do it. I could not lie to her anymore. It was so difficult for me to live lying all the time. She could not accept it. I did not expect any other reaction. After that my life at my parents’ house became unbearable.

I had to leave home. It was difficult. I was worried for my Mom but I tried not to think of bad stuff. I had to come clean otherwise something terrible would have happened. I also told my brother that I was a lesbian. He said to me that he would not interfere into my personal life and that I was still his sister.

At that point everyone at the university knew about my sexual orientation. It was so hard at first. But later I did not give a rat’s ass. It took so long for me to get to this point, so nobody could stop me from being happy. I left home and at first lived at a friend’s place. I found a job as a waitress, gave up my studies and just drunk all my money away. I was in a horrible state and when I would think about my mother, I would start crying. I was loosing my mind. To avoid thinking I would just knock myself out with vodka.

It lasted for three months. Until one morning when I woke up after drinking the night before and I could not understand where I was. I realized that I could not keep going on like that. I had to keep living, I was strong and I would achieve my goals. My sister asked me to move into her place because she was really worried about me. I moved in with her family, caught up with things at the university, resumed regular classes and stopped drinking and loitering.

Three months later I visited my mother and we had a normal talk. Although we did cry a bit afterwards. I told her that I was not coming back home. For almost a year I lived with my sister, worked and studied. I visited my mother two times a month to help her with domestic chores. So, that’s how I did coming out for my mother, my relatives, my friends, my classmates and myself.

However, I did not think it was enough. As a future lawyer I was worried about sexual minorities and their situation in Kyrgyz Republic. I realized that I had to change the society’s attitude towards lesbians. I wanted to protect their rights. With other girls, who are not indifferent about this problem, we opened a lesbian organization.

I do not believe in God, but if he does exist, I would like to thank him for being alive today. I would like to thank him for my mother and my relatives. I am happy that I can live the way I want. I am happy because I know what it means to love and to be loved. I am a happy person.

I love you, life, because you are so great!

2007

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 18:31:33 GMT

Happy New Year and other winter holidays to you all.

Kyrgyzstan these days seems to be one of the few places in the world where there is snow.
'Labrys' had a two-week vacation and is now back to its full-fledge functioning.

Main events of December were a visit of two Canadian consultants with trainings on organizational development and a visit of COC - Netherlands project staff for an evaluation of 'Labrys' work.

There was also a disco with the usual fighting and a training in the mountains.

Jamison Green's book on 'Becoming a Visible Man' has been translated into Russian.

First wedding

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:55:34 GMT

We had to edit this entry, it contained a picture of a transsexual man who dared to get married with his partner and some information about it. We have been threatened that the information will become public and the organization will suffer for 'supporting' this idea. Therefore, we remove the photo and the information about names and dates of the marriage.

some of the research findings

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:41:44 GMT

These are some of the preliminary research findings, 54 respondents who identified as lesbian, bisexual women or transgender men:

o 60% have not told their parents about their gender identity or sexual orientation

o Only two people are open with everyone

o 18% faced physical violence when their families found out about their sexual orientation or gender identity

o 10% would want to change their sexual orientation, 1 respondent believes that it is a disease, 30% actively tried to change their sexual orientation (marriage, sex with men)

o 35% believe that their sexual orientation or gender identity creates problems in their lives

o 18% were referred by their families for psychiatric treatment

o 26% had forced sexual contacts, two-thirds of these contacts were with men