Brazil: Support Brazilian Partnership Law Today
05/06/2001
Dear Friends,
As you know, the voting date (May 9, 2001) for the Same Sex Civil Partnership Registry Act is nearing.
We have been campaigning in favor of this project together with GLBT groups throughout Brazil as well as activists in Portugal and other non-homosexual groups.
It is time to concentrate our energies with the goal of getting this law approved. Even though this bill is below our greatest expectations, it incontestably represents a big step towards achieving GLBT rights in Brazil.
Our campaigns website, http://www.gaylawyers.rg3.net, includes information about the project and the campaign. We have exerted and exposed ourselves to the whole community, with the objective of gaining the support through signatures (Carta Aberta) for the Federal Deputies (representatives) who could approve this bill. We are counting on the participation of many groups around the country to help collect signatures in favor of this bill.
Besides asking for your group's support in motivating people with Internet access to pressure representatives and acquire signatures, we understand as well the vital importance that your group could provide by helping us in contacting sites on the internet to join in the campaign and remind them to wear the red ribbon symbolic to the fight against AIDS.
We need the widest exposure possible on the Internet in order to accumulate a large quantity of letters to be sent to Federal Deputies. This will also help in the organization of street demonstrations, necessary in every locality. Accessing as many diverse sites on the Internet is extremely important in order to obtain this goal.
You will find below an email form that can be sent to these sites on behalf of your group, as well as a list of addresses for those responsible for the sites that we know. We hope we can count on your support by sending these emails (feel free to make any adaptations) to the indicated addresses. In order to demonstrate the GLBT community's united efforts by facilitating the adhesion of the campaign throughout the Internet, we hope to raise the quantity of people present in every local form of manifestation.
If you have any questions, contact us by email at gaylawyers-owner@yahoogroups.com. Remember to participate; your group's efforts could be fundamental. Spread the campaign the most wide reaching way possible and solicit the support of Internet sites.
Sincerely,
Eduardo Piza Gomes de Melo
Gaylawyers List Administrator
(Name of NGO) is dedicated to the interests of the Brazilian homosexual population, whose rights are constantly being violated and discriminated against in the most diverse ways. This situation is aggravated by the omission and guilty consent of wrongdoing by the State. Despite the difficulties that non-governmental organizations have in Brazil, we have been fighting for the basic human rights of this minority using all of our possible means
On the other hand, we understand that support throughout the Internet, especially from those sites that support gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender causes, is fundamental so that we can make advancements in our quest for full citizenship.
The House of Representatives (A Câmara dos Deputados) is about to vote on the substitute Bill 1.151 from 1995 by the ex-deputy Marta Suplicy, who created the Same Sex Civil Partnership Registry Act. Despite this not being the bill of our dreams, we understand that the passing of this bill will represent a remarkable conquest towards equal rights for sexual minorities in Brazil, and therefore must be supported.
The major GLBT NGO´s in Brazil whose portals have adhered to the Civil Registry Act and have arisen through their own initiative and activism can be seen on the campaign's site http://www.gaylawyers.rg3.net.
What we need now is visibility. We ask you to show your support by signing the document (Carta Aberta) that many hands have written. It will be directed to the federal deputies beginning early May. Your support and recognition of this very legitimate fight for the GLTB community is very important.
Below you will find our campaign's logo, which will direct the user to the document's text (Carta Aberta) for the federal deputies. Just include your name and email address. We would like to see this logo on your web page showing your support and consideration for the homosexual community.
Any doubts or questions can be forwarded by email to the campaign's headquarters: gaylawyers-owner@yahoogroups.com.
Thank you in advance for your efforts in the struggle for a more just and united Brazil.
Sincerely,
Jane Pantel
Co-Secretary ILGA LAC
International Lesbian and Gay Association - Latin America and Caribbean
