We, Zabalaza Anarchist Communist Front (ZACF), were recently shocked to hear
about another homophobic murder in Johannesburg and extend our sympathy and
solidarity to the LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex)
community of South Africa, that has had to suffer from oppression and
discrimination so often within a short period of time. The murder of drag
queen Daisy Dube is yet another horrible chauvinistic murder and adds to the
escalating number of people killed in homophobic violence in South Africa in
recent times, including 10 lesbians killed since just 2006. [Read more →]

Reprinted from the People’s Weekly World, “World Notes” May 24-30, 2008. www.pww.org.

Spain’s La Vanguardia newspaper recently interviewed Mariela Castro, director of Cuba’s National Center for Sex Education. Anticipating change, Castro believes that gay people’s rights will be protected under Cuba’s Family Code and will evolve through an educational and media strategy assisted by the Communist Party. A “legal union” formula will eventually guarantee the rights of homosexual couples.

All societies are patriarchal, Castro suggests, but violence against women has waned as women’s rights advanced under Cuba’s revolution. She envisions a future of reduced prohibitions, easy departures from Cuba, and expanded citizen participation in decision making. That’s the “principal objective of socialism,” she says: “the emancipation of human beings; their well being with fairness and social justice.” To view the entire interview with Mariela Castro, go to www.walterlippmann.com/docs1800.html. [Read more →]

A prominent football player gang raped and murdered in South Africa last week was a victim of homophobic violence, according to activists. For the full story click here.

The Internationale

by Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg complained to Pete Seeger that the traditional lyrics to the Internationale were somewhat dated. Pete Seeger said: “why don’t you write new ones?” So Billy Bragg did. For May Day 2008 Queers Without Borders sends out to all of you this wonderful version of the Internationale. The original Internationale was first written and sung after the brutal suppression of the Paris Commune in 1871. This rallying cry sings out loud and clear for all exploited and oppressed people of the world to rise up and overthrow their masters.

This picture is so beautiful that I just had to post it. For more information on the upcoming march in Chicago see here . Also see QWB archives here

Note: As the anniversary of the 5th year of the invasion by the United States and the start of the war against the people of Iraq is marked on Wednesday March 19, I would like to offer this piece to read. Written by Leslie Feinberg and published in the series “Lavender and Red” the article is titled, “Life better for gay and lesbians Iraqis under Hussein.” Its number is 119. This article was published on Jan. 27, 2008. Another article of intrest  is article number 120, “British Colonialism Outlawed ’sodomy’ in Iraq.” Fienberg’s Lavender and Red series is just a click away on our sidebar. There is some amazing articles in the series.

‘Life better for gay & lesbian Iraqis under Hussein’

The New York Times—an imperialist mouthpiece—admitted in a mid-December article that social life was better for those who it described as “gay and lesbian Iraqis” under the secular government of Saddam Hussein. The Times also confirmed that sanctions, war and occupation crushed that social progress and ushered in death-squad terror.

The Dec. 18 article was a political feature, not based on breaking news. The original headline summed up: “Gays Living in Shadows of New Iraq: Violence Replaces Tacit Acceptance.” [Read more →]

http://20six.fr/trans-ftm-gay

Two years after the brutal murder of Gisberta, in Oporto, another transsexual woman was murdered and her body placed in a rubble dumpster in the Lisbon area last month.

Other crimes followed, shocking the country. However, the surge of violence cannot hide neither the victims nor the nature of these crimes. This is the case of Luna, 42, partially deaf, of Brazilian origin, for many years resident and worker in Portugal, prostitute at Conde de Redondo area (in Lisbon).

Two years after Gisberta, transsexual people are still targets for hatred and violence based on prejudice and ignorance. The crime is under investigation and under justice secret, so we know very few about its circumstances or about its motivation; we hope the investigation undertaken by the Police can provide answers. [Read more →]

Great report from our comrade Steve visiting Oslo

Hi all, just thought I would drop you a line from Oslo.  Got sent here by US Labor Against the War at the request of the Norwegian Peace Initiative, their nationwide anti-war group.  Although they have unions in the coalition, they are struggling to involve more grassroots folks from the labor movement.  It seems like they are doing a pretty good job, though, without my help. The president of the Peace Inititative, Thomas Tallaksen, is 28 years old. [Read more →]

 ”1 LGBT Person has been murdered every 8 days so far this year and these are only ones we know about.” …Fight Out Loud

On May 15, 1988 Richard Reihl a gay man from West Hartford was murdered by two teenagers. By June 7th gays and lesbians of The Connecticut Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights formed a committee called the Anti-Violence Project in response to the murder. The Project’s mission was to monitor the Reihl murder case and assist the prosecution, educate the community on how to protect ourselves from violence and to combat hate crimes in Connecticut. An organization called Speak Out was formed to educate people by talking directly to many different groups about our lives. The only remaining active part of the original Anti-Violence Project is now called the Stonewall Speakers Bureau. The Bureau mainly goes into the schools for speaking engagements. [Read more →]

“The Vatican and Muslim leaders agreed to establish a permanent official dialogue to improve relations and heal wounds still open from a controversial papal speech in 2006. A joint statement said the first meeting of “The Catholic-Muslim forum” will take place on November 4-6 in Rome with religious leaders and scholars from both sides.” 

IN WARNING, IN WARNING, TAKE HEED EVERY MORNING.

[Read more →]

This panel on the War on Terror is sponsored by Amnesty International-on campus of Saint Joseph College. On the panel will be one of QWB’s and the progressive communities good friend and comrade Peter Goselin.  

Date: Tuesday March 11th, 2008

Location: Crystal Room, Mercy Hall, Saint Joseph College, 1678 Asylum Ave. W.H.

Time: 7:00 pm.

Panelists:

Peter Goselin, Esq. will be talking about government surveillance, Habes Corpus and the right to dissent.

Rabia Chaundry, Esq. will be focusing on the Islamic perspective of conducting war, as well as post-9/11 treatment of Muslims and immigration practices.

Stephen Kobasa, will concentrated on the Christian perspective of civil liberties and torture.

This program is free and open to the public. For information contact, wcabrera@sjc-edu. The main number of Saint Joseph College for information about the campus and directions to Mercy Hall call: 860-232-4571.

QWB celebrates International Women’s Day standing tall with/for our sisters all around the world.

CALL OUT!!

For an end to the violence against women and girls across all social, economic, cultural, religious and historical contexts.

There can be no human rights without women’s rights.

End all violence against women by the state, its agents, by family members or strangers.

Hold all perpetrators of violence against women and girls accountable.

[Read more →]

Statue of Thomas Muntzer with a rainbow flag, Stolberg Germany

He carried a rainbow flag with a peasant’s boot on it. He sided with the peasants and with the working class. Convinced that God had willed the overthrow of the old society he promoted the establishment of a new egalitarian society which would practice the sharing of goods. Thomas Muntzer, (1489-1525) connected social revolution by the oppressed classes within his preaching of the gospel.  The rainbow flag with a peasants boot was used as the sign of a new era, hope and social change.

[Read more →]

From libcom.org, libertarian communist website from the UK.

Today poverty prevails as the gravest human rights challenge in the world. Combating poverty, deprivation, and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime…poverty eradication is an achievable goal.

Louise Arbour ….UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

****OUTRAGE****

[Read more →]

Newsflash: Adhamh Roland reports (or actually sings) of Bush’s plan to declare war on God!

Download link

Iranian Gays do exist and need the World’s support.

by Arsham Parsi

I was born September 1980 in Iran. As a teenager growing up in Shiraz, I was lonely and filled with self-loathing. I had never met another queer, and I thought I was a freak.

I prayed to become a good person, a normal person. Other people fasted for one month but I fasted for three.

Then I found the Internet. And I discovered that I was not alone.

[Read more →]

A Dispatch from the First Ever Encuentro for Dignity and Against Gentrification
By Michael Gould-Wartofsky

In East Harlem, they have organized building by building to reclaim El Barrio from those who would “develop” them out of it. In Chinatown, they’ve rolled out a rent strike to win the repairs needed for tenants suffering from landlord neglect on Delancey Street. In the West Village, they’ve mobilized LGBT young people of color to stand up for their right to gather on the Christopher Street Pier. And on the Lower East Side, they’ve built a tenants’ union to defend “what is most beautiful about New York, the city that welcomed everyone…[that’s now] welcoming only money.” [Read more →]