CHECK OUT THE NEW WEB SITE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION AT WWW.IGLHRC.ORG

Tom Di Maria
IGLHRC, Associate Director
1360 Mission Street #200
San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Tel_415-255-8680
Fax_415-255-8662

For Immediate Release: September 4, 1996\t
Contact: Julie Dorf (415) 255-8680

New Gay Human Rights Web Site Launches Today

The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is launching their web site together with PlanetOut today. The IGLHRC web site (www.iglhrc.org) features up-to-date information about urgent actions necessary to halt gross violations of the human rights of sexual minorities world-wide. The site also contains unique information about the situation for lesbians and gays world wide. IGLHRC hopes that the site will bring new members to this cause which directly fights for the dignity of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgendered people, and people with HIV/AIDS world wide. There will be an additional IGLHRC section in PlanetOut's new area on America On Line, as part of their "Civic Center." (AOL Keyword: IGLHRC)

Visitors to the site will be able to easily:

• take immediate action on urgent human rights violations against sexual
• learn about cases of political asylum granted on the basis of sexual orientation,
• become a member of IGLHRC,
• find links to gay and lesbian web sites worldwide and important human rights resources.

"Activists must stay on top of technology in order to be effective in today's world," said Julie Dorf, Executive Director of IGLHRC. "We are extremely excited to be a part of this major launch today because the power of the internet as a tool for making change in the world is undeniable."

IGLHRC currently uses electronic mailings to regularly mobilize hundreds of protest letters. For example, when South Africa recently adopted Constitutional protections on the basis of sexual orientation and South African activists requested urgent letters of support, IGLHRC mobilized hundreds of letters in one day through use of its electronic mailing list. "We hope that our enhanced internet presence will enable thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of protest letters to be sent every month, " added Mirka Negroni, Program Associate at IGLHRC who focuses on Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.

The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission is a nonprofit organization that advocates for a world in which the fundamental rights of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered people, and people with HIV and AIDS are respected. The IGLHRC works towards these goals through advocacy, monitoring and documentation, technical assistance, direct support and public education.

Photos are available upon request.