Head of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression from Europe Council visits LGBTI Center

08/11/2021 - 14:33

Eleni Tsetsekou, head of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, and Sex Characteristics from the Europe Council (SOGI) visited LGBTI Center of Barcelona on Saturday 6th November,

Eleni Tsetsekou, head of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, and Sex Characteristics from the Europe Council (SOGI) visited LGBTI Center of Barcelona on Saturday 6th November, invited by LGBTI Entities Platform of Catalonia, entity that manages the equipment.

Eleni Tsetsekou, head of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, and Sex Characteristics from the Europe Council (SOGI) visited LGBTI Center of Barcelona on Saturday 6th November, invited by LGBTI Entities Platform of Catalonia, entity that manages the equipment. She had a round of meetings with some entities who are members of the Platform, and also with representatives of Barcelona City Council, Generalitat de Catalunya and Police’s General Department.

Tsetsekou visited the instalations of LGBTI Center and the archive of the Center of Documentation Armand de Fluvià, accompanied by LGBTI Center’s director, Andreu Agustín. Later she had a meeting with representatives of LGTBI Platform of Catalonia, and the entities Casal Lambda, Stop SIDA, Panteres Grogues and Observatori contra l’Homofòbia.

Manuel Peinado, president of LGTBI Platform of Catalunya, explained Tsetsekou different actions developed by the Platform, composed by 14 entities.

On his side, Simón Macías, spokesman of Observatori contra l’Homofòbia, explained that in the last year they have experienced a 55% increase in the amount of reports that the entity receives. “Maybe the level of LGBTI-phobic violence is similar (to previous years), but today there is more awareness and consequently more reports”, he declared.

At his turn, Joan M. Miró, president of Panteres Grogues, make an explanation about the LGBTI sports club, which he defined as a safe place to sports practice, and to contribute to LGBTI visibility and the fight against homophobia and for gender equality.

President of Casal Lambda, Jordi Samsó, make a summary of the path of the entity, founded in 1976, and he pointed out that Casal Lambda provides with legal, educational and psychological assistance, as it organizes cultural activities such as FIRE! Film Festival.

At the end of the meeting, Luis Sanz, secretary of Stop Sida, talked about the activities of volunteers, that  have received formation to make quick, free, confidential HIV tests, and to explain the results of the tests. Nowadays the entity is also carrying a prevention and awareness campaign on chemsex, sexual practices that involve drug use.

After this first round of meetings, Tsetsekou also met the Councilor of the Barcelona City Council, Olga Arisó, and the General Director of Public Policies LGTBI+ of the Generalitat of Catalunya, Xavier Florensa, who explained the different public policies to protect LGBTI people’s rights that have been carried out both by local and regional governments.

Among the regional policies, it was highlighted the 11/2014 law to guarantee lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people’s rights, and to eradicate homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and also the network of assistance services of the Generalitat of Catalonia (Xarxa SAI). 

Tsetsekou also spoke with the Deputy Director of Human Resources of the General Directorate of the Police, Esperanza Cartiel, who explained the internal protocol of harassment due to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Firstly, Tsetsekou and the president of Plataforma LGTBIcat, Manuel Peinado, had a meeting with the Head of Equality and Feminisms Department of the Generalitat of Catalunya, Tània Verge, the secretary for Equality of regional government, Mireia Mata, and the General Director of Public Policies LGTBI+ of the Generalitat of Catalunya, Xavier Florensa. They could discuss about the 11/2014 law, the law for the equal treatment and against discrimination 19/2020, and the project of law for trans people that Generalitat of Catalonia is working on.

The Council of Europe Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Unit was set up in 2014 to address human rights challenges of LGBTI people.  it provides technical support and expertise to member states, upon request, through cooperation activities aiming at improving the legal and institutional frameworks, builds capacity of administration staff and law enforcement, but also promotes the sharing of good practices and raises awareness.

Specific themes range from Legal Gender Recognition, inclusion of SOGIESC-diversity in the Workplace, combating SOGIESC-based hate crime, hate speech and bullying, as well as multiple discrimination (e.g. LBT women, LGBTI ethnic minorities, LGBTI asylum seekers and refugees, LGBTI persons deprived of their liberty).