2015 PRIDE TOOLKIT

Dear Amnesty Activist, !In June of 1969, a riot ensued in response to police brutality aimed at the LGBT community gathering at the Stonewall Inn (a gay bar) in New York City. These protests against police raids, harassment, and ill-treatment helped galvanize the LGBT community and allies across the U.S., giving birth to the modern LGBT rights moment. !In commemoration of this critical turning point in the struggle for LGBT rights, June was proclaimed to be Pride month in 1980—sparking years of actions from small grassroots events to major city-wide festivities around the world to celebrate the LGBT community and spotlight the LGBT rights movement. !This summer is the time to keep the tradition alive. June 2015 Pride events are significant opportunities to work on behalf of human rights for all people, including LGBT people, and we are excited that you will be part of the growing movement for recognition of LGBT human rights, locally and worldwide. !Working alongside many notable LGBT organizations, Amnesty International lends a human rights framework to the fight for full equality for LGBT people around the world. Pride events are primarily celebrations—this is a great opportunity to raise awareness and encourage action on a few issues facing LGBT people globally and locally. In this Pride Toolkit are two key actions that can help make a true impact on the lives of LGBT people: defending the rights of LGBT activists in Russia by demanding an end to harassment of LGBT people and activists, and stemming the tide of homophobia before it becomes law in Kazakhstan by demanding the Kazakhstani president reject anti-LGBT “propaganda” laws. Your voice matters in ensuring LGBT people enjoy their human rights no matter where they live! !So, grab your Amnesty banner, use the toolkit to show your support for the local LGBT community and take concrete action towards LGBT rights, and have fun celebrating and promoting the human rights of all people! !Thank you, The AIUSA LGBT Human Rights Coordination Group

!Please visit www.amnestyusa.org/lgbt or contact the LGBT Human Rights Co-group at lgbtcogroup@aiusa.org for more information on current Amnesty LGBT rights actions

DEFEND ELENA KILMOVA AND RUSSIA’S LGBT YOUTH !For more than a year and a half, Russia has sought to silence journalist Elena Klimova and shut down Children 404, the online LGBT youth support group that she founded. Children 404 has been an invaluable source of support for thousands of Russian LGBT teenagers, including those at risk of self-harm and suicide. !In January, under Russia’s draconian anti-LGBT law, Klimova was convicted of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors.” In March, another court ruled in favor of blocking Children 404 from VKontakte, Russia’s largest

social network. In their battle against Klimova and the LGBT youth group, Russian authorities warned that the material published by Children 404 “could cause children to think that to be gay means to be a person who is brave, strong, confident, persistent, who has a sense of dignity and self-respect.” !The judgments against Klimova and Children 404 mark the latest use of the national “propaganda” law signed by Vladimir Putin in June 2013 to restrict free speech and political protest in Russia. In December 2013, two LGBT activists were fined for publicly protesting in Arkhangelsk. In February 2014, Aleksandr Suturin, a newspaper editor in Khabarovsk, was fined 50,000 rubles after publishing an interview with a former teacher who had been fired from his job for being gay. Last August, Kirill Kalugin was arrested for unfurling a rainbow flag with the words, “My Freedom Defends Yours” in St. Petersburg during the annual paratroopers’ day celebrations. !More broadly, the legal proceedings against Klimova and Children 404 are part of the accelerating campaign against nongovernmental organizations, journalists, social media, and other independent voices in Russia. Russia must repeal its laws that criminalize the fundamental rights of expression, assembly, and association. As a first step, Russian authorities need to end their campaigns against Elena Klimova, Children 404, and other LGBT activists and organizations. !!

TAKE ACTION !Use the petition on the following page to collect signatures calling for Russian prosecutors to guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association by dropping all charges against Elena Klimova and ending harassment of Children 404

Name City, State Email Signature

Since late 2013, Russian authorities have tried to silence journalist Elena Klimova and shut down Children 404, the online LGBT youth group that she founded. Children 404 has been an invaluable source of support for thousands of Russian LGBT teenagers, allowing them to share personal stories and solicit advice from both peers and mental health professionals. Children 404 represents an essential lifeline to Russia’s LGBT youth, including those at risk of self-harm.

However, in January, under Russia’s 2013 draconian anti-LGBT law, Klimova was convicted by a Sverlovsk court of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors.” In March, a St. Petersburg court ruled in favor of blocking Children 404 from VKontakte, Russia’s largest social network. In their campaign against Klimova and the LGBT youth group, Russian authorities warned that the material published by Children 404 “could cause children to think that to be gay means to be a person who is brave, strong, confident, persistent, who has a sense of dignity and self-respect.”

We urge the St. Petersburg and Sverdlovsk prosecutors to:

• Provide Elena Klimova with a retrial and reverse the court’s decision that found Elena guilty of violating the “propaganda law.”

•Repeal the decision to block Children 404.

DEFEND ELENA KILMOVA AND RUSSIA’S LGBT YOUTH

REJECT KAZAKHSTAN’S ANTI-LGBT “PROPAGANDA” LAW !Following in the steps of Russia’s draconian 2013 anti-LGBT law, Kazakhstan’s Senate has passed a similar law banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation.” This new legislation – the Law on the Protection of Children from Information Harming their Health and Development – awaits President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s signature. !Amnesty International calls on President Nazarbayev to reject this discriminatory law. If signed, the law would violate Kazakhstan’s international obligations to guarantee the fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and to prevent any discrimination on the basis of sex and other related bases, including sexual orientation or gender identity. The law would also fuel anti-LGBT stigma, increasing the risk of homophobic and transphobic discrimination and violence. !With its large ethnic Russian population dating to its history as a Soviet republic and as a core member of the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union, Kazakhstan’s political, legal, and cultural developments frequently follow those in Russia. The potentially sweeping references to “propaganda” in Kazakhstan’s pending legislation may lead to restrictions on a wide range of speech and expression – human rights violations already abundant in the wake of Vladimir Putin signing Russia’s own anti-LGBT “propaganda” law. !The potent combination of legal discrimination and street homophobia seen over the past few years in Kazakhstan’s northern neighbor is now brewing as well in the Central Asian giant. Last year, the Bolashok (“Future”) nationalist movement not only called for legislation to outlaw so-called LGBT “propaganda” but also for LGBT Kazakhstanis to be banned from serving in either the military or public office. In calling for anti-LGBT legislation, Bolashok’s leader, Dauren Babamuratov, declared that “I think it is very easy to identify a gay person by his or her DNA. A blood test can show the presence of degeneratism in a person.” !This anti-LGBT climate makes it especially disturbing that the pending Law on the Protection of Children, under the guise of limiting media considered harmful to minors, seeks to restrict accurate information about sexual orientation. In fact, the health and development of Kazakhstan’s LGBT youth would be far better protected by laws strengthening fundamental human rights, including the rights to expression and assembly. At a bare minimum, President Nazarbayev should reject this discriminatory law immediately. !!

TAKE ACTION !Use the petition on the following page to collect signatures calling for President Nursultan Nazarbayev to guarantee human rights in Kazakhstan and reject the anti-LGBT “propaganda” law.

On February 19, 2015, Kazakhstan’s Senate approved a legislative package that bans the “propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation.” The legislation awaits the signature of Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev. If signed, the new law would violate Kazakhstan’s international obligations to guarantee the fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and to prevent any discrimination on the basis of sex and other related bases, including sexual orientation or gender identity. The law would also fuel anti-LGBT stigma, increasing the risk of homophobic and transphobic discrimination and violence.

We urge President Nursultan Nazarbayev to:

• Reject all draft legislation (including the Law on Child Protection) and amendments that promote restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, real or perceived.

• Guarantee that any further draft legislation fully comply with Kazakhstan’s international human rights obligations.

Name City, State Email Signature

REJECT KAZAKHSTAN’S ANTI-LGBT “PROPAGANDA” LAW

TIPS TO BEING A GOOD LGBT ALLY IN YOUR COMMUNITYPride is a great opportunity for non-LGBT folks to learn how to be a good ally and to join the

LGBT human rights movement. Stand together for human rights! !Listen to LGBT voices Be willing to talk Be open-minded Confront your own prejudices and challenge your own conceptions about gender-appropriate roles and behaviors Don't assume that all your friends and co-workers are straight Speak out against statements and jokes that attack LGBT people Defend your LGBT friends against discrimination Use non-gender specific language Don’t make assumptions about sexual orientation Learn about the diversity of gender and sexuality Learn about LGBT inequality and policy Issues Educate yourself about LGBT histories, cultures, and concerns Support Ally programs or LGBT organizations of your university or workplace !

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE Write letters to your political representatives asking them to support legislation that positively affects LGBT people When discriminatory laws are raised in your communities, express your concern by: Starting a letter writing campaign Calling your representatives !

INFORM YOUR COMMUNITY BY Hosting a speaker — invite LGBT advocates to speak Hosting an LGBT film night Planning a vigil and invite other groups and organizations

NETWORKING AND BUILDING COMMUNITY Pride isn’t just for petitions and parties, it’s a great time to reach out to the LGBT community and make connections. Before reaching out, think and talk to your group about: what activism is already being done in the LGBT community? What resources and skills can you contribute to their work? How can you partner with them? !Build community by listening and showing up. LGBT activists have a long history of hard work, so be thoughtful in your approach and listen carefully to what the LGBT community needs. If you want to jump in and starting showing documentaries or hosting panels about transgender rights, but the group you’re working with says they need activists and posters at a rally instead, listen. Make posters, bring activists to the rally.

Ally is a verb, not a noun. Allyship is about continuous work and lifelong learning. Please read and use these tips when attending Pride and participating in LGBT activism. !

Do Your Homework and Stay Informed. Start by doing your homework. Learn about the diversity of gender and sexuality, LGBT history, culture, inequality, and policy issues. Listen to the experiences and voices of LGBT people. Sometimes, this means listening without commenting. Reflect on what you learn and hear. !Don’t Make Assumptions. Don’t make assumptions about anyone’s gender, sexuality, or identity. Don’t assume that your friends, family members, co-workers, etc. are straight or identify as male or female. Gender, sexuality, and identity exist on a spectrum. !Think About Your Own Identity. How do you identify your own gender and sexuality? What does your identity mean about how you interact with the world? How might your identity and experiences be different from someone else’s? !Understand Your Privilege. Having privilege does not mean that your life has been easy, that you are wealthy, or that you’ve never struggled or worked hard. Privilege means that there are issues and struggles you will never have to experience or think about just because of who you are. This means that as straight and/or cisgender allies, you have rights and privileges that LGBT people do not. How can you use your privilege to educate others and work on LGBT rights? !Step Up, Step Back. !Step up: Speak up about LGBT rights and remember, those rights aren’t limited to marriage equality. They include youth homelessness, workplace discrimination, health care access, disproportionate violence against trans women of color, and more. Fight against LGBT discrimination. Speak out against statements and jokes that attack LGBT people. Have conversations about prejudices, challenge conceptions about gender roles and behaviors. !Step back: When LGBT people are speaking and sharing their experiences and stories. Listen, listen, listen. Don’t speak over LGBT voices, make sure you are not taking credit for what LGBT communities are saying or the work they have done. Use your privilege to promote LGBT voices instead of speaking on their behalf. !You Will Make Mistakes. It’s Ok. Listening to and supporting marginalized communities is a learning process that takes time and work. Often, this means we are working on correcting problematic behavior, and mistakes are bound to happen. It’s ok! Don’t get defensive; listen. Be accountable, apologize, recognize what happened and why, and keep on working.

“Hope will never be silent.” -Harvey Milk

Stand in solidarity with LGBT people around the world! Ensure that whether in Russia, Kazakhstan, or here in the United States, LGBT people live free from violence and discrimination! !Tweet out a photo to show us how you are participating in Pride 2015! !Don’t forget to tweet your photos to @AIUSALGBT and use the hashtags: !

#AmnestyPride #IamAmnesty !

Encourage others to take action and defend LGBT rights! !Think #LGBT youth should feel connected, loved & confident? #Russia disagrees: http://bit.ly/404AIUSA  #Children404 !#Russia- Defending #LGBT Rights is Not "Propaganda"': http://bit.ly/404AIUSA  #ElenaKlimova!Take Action! #Kazakhstan is following in the path of Russia's anti-#LGBT propaganda law http://bit.ly/1QaOkEN 

RESOURCES Find Pride resources like signs, stencils, and messaging on our Pride website at: http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/lgbt-rights/pride-month !For more information about Pride, or (list specific actions), contact your Field Organizer, Student Activist Coordinator, Area Coordinator or the LGBT Co-Group. And let us know if/when you take action! !STAY CONNECTED !Connect with us on Twitter @AIUSALGBT and Facebook: LGBT Human Rights- AIUSA For more information on our LGBT rights work or with any questions, contact Amnesty USA’s LGBT Rights Coordination Group: LGBTcogroup@aiusa.org

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HAPPY PRIDE!