Date: Sat, 19 Aug 1995 14:36:30 -0600 From: cblanca@sol.racsa.co.cr (Hotel Casa Blanca de Ml. Ant. S.A.) During the last weeks we were working very hard to get things started and in some subjects we are unfortunately almost to late in our fight! Please take the time to read the following update (although it's a long mail again and the most important news are at the end, sorry!) and continue in supporting us!! Very kind regards Harald Comite para la Consolidacion del Movimiento Costarricense Pro-Respeto de La Identidad Sexual y Enfermos de SIDA ----------------------------------- COSTA RICA'S GAY BEACH "PLAYITA" ABOUT TO BE DESTROYED VERY SOON!!!! The fight to conserve the last untouched, undevelopped beach outside the National Park in our area, also home of the endangered sub-specie of the Squirrel Monkey (Mono Titi), counting with a rich biodiversity, is about being lost!!! Ecological groups tried in vain to conserve the beach for it's important ecological value. The worst: The beach is already protected by the Law of the Maritime Zones, part of the Tourist Law from the Tourist Ministery (ICT). This law protects 200 meters landinwards from the high tide mark at any beach area in Costa Rica. Unfortunately the tourist project "Playa Dulce Vida S.A." do not want to respect this law. The Tourist Ministery's Council for Natural Resources denied an exception of the law to permit building on the beach (we have some gay sources in various ministeries supporting us!). Nevertheless sticks were set inside the Maritime Zone to mark the buildings and paint marks are marking the trees which will be cut!! Although many strange and illegal procedures concerning the permits of the projects were discovered and reclaimed by ecological groups the project continues. This beach happened to be the only gay/lesbian beach in Central America for over 20 years and for many of the 80% closet gay/lesbians of Costa Rica it's the only place to meet others. There are sources informing that even members of the present local and central government seem to be involved personally in the project destroying the beach, which must lead to speculations where and why the homophobic wave against g/l/b/t tourism was started! But if ecological reasons do not count in Costa Rica, less social gay/lesbian reasons!!! Sad, but fact! If you want to protest please mail: obregon@sol.racsa.co.cr (E-Mail of the government of Costa Rica) to the attention of: President Jose Maria Figueres Olsen Tourist Minster Carlos Roesch ===================================== LAWSUIT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION Lawsuit against "La Prensa Libre", it's director and the reporter of the discriminating articles is on it's way! Famous and recognized psychologists, sociologists offered themselves to support us at the court! We just recently received the full support of the gay movement of Germany: "Schwulenverband in Deutschland e.V." for our fight! "Defensoria de Habitantes" ("Defense Office for Citizens" / from the government undepending organization to follow up violations of the Human Rights, Constitution and Laws of Costa Rica in cases where the government is involved) tried to reject our case stating that the government was not involved in the discrimination! We rejected that decision! As the Magnus Hirschfeld Center for Human Rights / New York stated, Costa Rica's government violated clauses of the Human Rights by not prosecuting the reporter after the first article. Beside that the Tourist Minister Carlos Roesch gave an official interview on 6/17/95 to "La Prensa Libre" using the false statements of "La Prensa Libre" about homosexuality = prostitution = sex tourism and the statemnet that the g/l hotels are promoting prostituion and sex tourisme without verifying those statements. He used that statements to point out that the g/l tourism is insignificant and he made clear between the lines that closing the hotels and ending up the g/l tourism will not affect Costa Rica. ================================= COSTA RICA'S G/L/B/T MOVEMENT 1) New edition of the g/l magazin Gente 10 will be published end of August!! One subject: What is really going on inside the "Instituto Latinoamericano de Prevencion y Educacion en Salud" which was founded by the Dutch Government to help gay/lesbians in Costa Rica and upon all to help people with HIV and AIDS and why the institute is not dedicated any more to the original issues! 2) People dying on AIDS want to be heard!!! Gente 10 will publish soon a special edition about the very sad situation of people with HIV and AIDS in Costa Rica. People dying on AIDS will speak up to break the silence! (I will translate the most important parts and post it on the Internet!) 3) For ILPES NOT helping anybody with HIV and AIDS our movement decided to create a separate association dedicated exclusively to HIV/AIDS issues! Reunion confirmed for the 8/28/95 to found officially the new political and AIDS/HIV associations, which will be insribed legally in order to be able to open bank accounts and to accept donations. We already received donations for the AIDS-project. The German Aids Foundations "Deutsche Aidshilfe e.V." will support us with Education Material in Spanish, etc.! The associations which will be founded will be: ASOCIACION MOVIMINETO COSTARRICENSE PRO-RESPETO DE LA IDENTIDAD SEXUAL (Costarican Movement Pro-Respect of the Sexual Identity) dedicated to g/l/b/t political issues and to national / international communication and information ASOCIACION COSTARRICENSE CONTRA SIDA (Costarican Association Against AIDS) dedicated exclusively to the direct help for people with HIV / AIDS, Prevention and Sexual Education The associations will not be named and set up until the 28th of August 1995! Both associations will be administrated by volunteers. No money will be spent on administrative salaries so that all donations will be used in the projects of each association! The following invitation will be sent to all in Costa Rica existing groups dealing with Human Rights issues, g/l issues and fighting whatever discrimination and to the g/l comunity in general! -------------------- official invitation: -------------------- Estimado(a) companero(a): El Comite para la Consolidacion del Movimiento Pro-Respeto de la Identidad Sexual y Enfermos de SIDA, le invita a una reunion que tiene como objetivo proponer la formacion de una plataforma de organizaciones y personas que colabore en la lucha contra la discrminacion por inclinacion sexual y por personas infectadas por el VIH y SIDA. Tal reunion se realizara el lunes 29 de Agosto a las 6:30 pm en la Discoteca "Deja Vu"! La razon que nos ha impulsado para esta reunion han sido las publicaciones de "La Prensa Libre" donde equiparon el turismo gay / lesbico con la prostitucion, y que cayeron en un vacio de respuesta nacional. Tal caso debe ser enfrentado con energia y se hace necesario la colaboracion de usted(es) que ha(n) demostrado una trayectoria de pelea contra las injusticias. Esperamos que las soluciones o plataformas de lucha salgan de esa reunion. Suscribimos muy cordialmente Francisco Madrigal (Asociacion Triangulo Rosa) Ricardo Calvo y Eduardo Guerrero (Discoteca Deja Vu) Marco Castillo (Abogado Independiente) Harald Holler (Hotel Casa Blanca de Manuel Antonio) Jose Carrasquero (Revista "Gente 10") -------------------- English Translation: -------------------- Dear friend(s): The Committee for the Founding of the Costarican Movement Pro-Respect of Sexual Identity and People with HIV and AIDS invites you to join a reunion which wants to propose the creation of a plateform of organizations and people colaborating in the fight against discrimination because of sexual orientation and in the fight for people infected with HIV and for people with AIDS. This reunion will be held on Monday 28th of August 1995 at the Disco "Deja Vu"! The reason which has impulsed us to call this reunion are the publications of "La Prensa Libre" in which g/l tourism was charged as prostitution and which still are not having a national response. This case must be confronted with energy and therefore we need the colaboration of all of you who have demonstrated a development in the fight against injustice. We do hope that this reunion will generate solutions or plateforms for that fight. Sincerely Francisco Madrigal (Association Rose Triangle) Ricardo Calvo and Eduardo Guerrero (Disco "Deja Vu") Marco Castillo (Independent Lawyer) Harald Holler (Hotel Casa Blanca de Manuel Antonio) Jose Carrasquero (Magazin "Gente 10") ======================== This invitation is open to anybody interested in above named issues! If you are in Costa Rica and you have some time please assist the reunion! ****************************************************************************** To send a message to the entire list "queerplanet", email queerplanet@abacus.oxy.edu This list is run by the program MAJORDOMO@abacus.oxy.edu. *******************************************************************************