Human Rights Attorney from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

 Some live reporting from Eric Tars about the 126 organizations representing at Geneva. 

Delegates Testify in front of the CERD Comittee

Miss Major (l) and Melenie Eleneke (r) of the TGI Justice Project (San Francisco) speak on employment discrimination against transgender women of color, law enforcement abuse of transgender women, and how the lack of meaningful employment can lead to high rates of poverty and imprisonment among transgender communities.

A wider view of the room where delegates from the U.S. testified before the U.N. Human Rights Committee on violations by the U.S. government.

Delegates Meet with Special Rapporteur on Racism

The Special Rapporteur on Racism is charged by the Commission on HumanRights to monitor and report on racism, racial discrimination andxenophobia. To carry out this duty, the Special Rapporteur worksclosely in close consultation with governments, non-governmentalorganizations and relevant organization in the U.N. system. TheSpecial Rapporteur submits annual reports on the activities ofcountries and can conduct country visits. The United States was lastvisited in Oct 1994. The current Special Rapporteur, Doudou Diene(Senegal) is welcomed a meeting with US NGOs in preparation for hisvisit to the US for 2008.Pictured here: (l to r) Special Rapporteur, Doudou Diene(Senegal);Roksana Mun, Desis Rising Up and Moving Youth Power! (NY); AleyammaMathew WILD for Human Rights (San Francisco).

UN Committee Members Express Interest in Transgender Rights

UN protocols and security measures are intense and the group has met here at the Hotel Eden Geneva and meandered in waves to Palais Nations on a trek to obtain UN credentials to allow access to both UN buildings, Palais Wilson and Palais Nations.

Thanks to the US Human Rights Network coordinators, the UN protocol orientation has provided much needed information on the delivery of testimonial messages that will have an impact on the CERD Committee members which will make them sit up and listen to our collective voices. The Dry Run of the Informal Briefing gave us crucial timing practice that will allow all of us who are providing testimonies to be able to do so in a concise and powerful manner that will be the bait to hook the Committee Members interest and elicit their much needed advocacy in our human rights campaign movement.

It has been noted that, historically, this kind of informal briefing has never happened on this large scale and we have an opportunity to productively and progressively move our efforts toward effecting some major social change in diverse communities across an ongoing continuum of unanswered US human rights violations of UN treaties ratified by the US.

Testimony after testimony has been given and everyone has been respectful of time constraints and I`m witnessing the sheer passion, respect, and dignity that everyone has brought to share at this advocacy table.

My testimony interested one Committee Member enough to speak to me for nearly 10 minutes on the cultural significance of the ”blessed by God”, as he mentioned to me, Native Hawaiian Mahuwahines and the Pakistani/Indian Hijiras. HOOKED—I felt empowered and honored that I was able to reach him through cross cultural means and that he actually took the time out of his busy schedule with as voluminous a workload as a UN Committee Member, such as he, has and is accountable to restrictive budgetary considerations and limited time constraints within which to frame his responses and recommendations.

Special Rapporteur, Dr. Doudou Diéne gave detailed requests for foundational information from the NGOs from whom he received testimony on the following issues: 1) Homelessness, 2) War on Drugs, 3) School to Prison Pipeline (Migrant Youth, Arab Americans/Migrants & Racial Discrimination, Racial Discrimination & Alternative Programs), 4) Immigrants and Migrants (Local Anti-Immigrant Ordinances, Immigrant Women), 5) Indigenous Peoples, 6) Gender and Sexuality Issues, 7) Special Measures, 8 ) Post 9/11 Issues. Snapshots of local communities were provided from Minnesota, Chicago, New York City, Texas, and California. Also, Hurricane Katrina victims were provided special testimonial time.

–Mel

Live Report from Geneva Testimony

Brisk and cold . . . Brought walking shoes and delighted . . . Good public transportation but long walks in-between.  UN space is huge and empty . . .  No direction, assistance, or help . . . Fudge your way through till you find it – leave at 7:30am to be there by 11am . . . Amazing. 

Morning – taught how to present at this forum.  UN presentation in UN Style adjust how I usually do this thing . . . calmer, kooler—dry run of testimony. 

TESTIMONY:  Mel and I did good.  We both spoke with a delegate after it concluded.  Chivy got video and is sending out . . . the video by Andrea`s group going out tonight, also.

 –Miss Major 

Rejuvenated

WOW!  The time difference between the US and Switzerland, 11 hours outbound flight time from San Francisco, a 7-hour layover in Amsterdam including a 2.5 hour bus tour (a touristy thrill that I might add will one of only a few given the scope of our impending advocacy work), and another 1 ½ hour flight to Geneva has taken its toll on every fiber of my being.  However, networking with the amazing group of US Human Rights Network coordinators and all of the other NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) representatives has rejuvenated my soul and I`m again exhilarated and ready to dig into the trenches and work alongside all of these tireless and seemingly superhuman humanitarians.

–Mel 

We Arrive in Geneva

Airport was typical except for the stares from passerby`s—none here at all . . . What a change!  Took a tour of Holland—the Netherlands.  Odd facts – 25% of the city is below the sea level, they have 168 rivers, and bridges all over the place.  Tour was 2 ½ hours -  very interesting.  Got plane to Geneva which only took 1 hr 15 min . . . I feel as if I`ve been whipped and laid out to dry.  Met with Andrea R and was introduced to others.  Brief meeting about testimony of Melenie and I … She did them up nice.  Wants us to talk again on Wed for the HIV/AIDS piece.

 –Miss Major 

Bringing the Voices of the Transgender Community to Geneva

I feel the weight of my responsibility to speak for the shared voices of the many transgender women who are not travelling to Geneva to represent themselves and to whom I bear accountability in this process.  It is an honor and privilege for me to make my impassioned journey to meet a cohort of social justice advocates and activists, from across the US, who are fighting for human rights and with whom I hope to find solidarity, cohesive teamwork, capacity building, and consciousness raising.

 –Mel 

Traveling…

Flight was long…Seats are as uncomfortable as US flights, but the selection for entertainment is great.  Movie, movie, movies/TV shows/much music/video games/kid stuff in abundance . . . And!! Screens on the back of chairs to each his own . . . Ole!  Once over here it`s morning 11am and I`m on California time 2am.  Beat, sleepy, and excited . . . When landing it`s not as in the states – massive tall buildings/wide freeways/loads of traffic.  There was a few tall buildings scattered all over a small area . . . Looking out the window—you get a feeling of history and geography.  You can feel that across the river is another COUNTRY.  The lay-out of the land is different . . . no large buildings all over the place . . . Interesting landscape . . .

 –Miss Major 

Leaving for Geneva!

To start with, it is a honor to be sent across the globe to give a voice to the transgender women’s community that i am a part of, to let the world know that not only do we exist but we’re human and have the right to be respected just because we are here, no more / no less. Having always heard of the different attitudes over in Europe, it is stunning that I shall see it for myself — to take the ambiance of that culture and bring what I’ve absorbed home to my community. Iis going to be a wonderful experience, along with being nerve-wracking. I am anxious, nervous, excited, happy, fearful, blessed, delighted, and overjoyed — to be given a chance to let the international human rights community see one of us transgender women and realize they are no different than I am. We want jobs, education, and to be trained. We have families, pets, & bills like the rest of society. I hope to make my girls proud of themselves their rich history / the future / and believe in a new day///(Miss Major, TGIJP Organizing Director, Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:11:37 -0800 PST)