Campaign for Acceptance and Understanding for LGBTIQ Persons in the Family

LORI

27 March 2007

Aiming to inform and raise the sensibility of parents/families in order to achieve better understanding and acceptance of LGBTIQ persons in their immediate surroundings, the LORI lesbian organization from Rijeka launches a campaign for acceptance and non-discrimination of sexual and gender minorities in the family.

The campaign includes two surveys: one conducted in the LGBTIQ community, aiming to research acceptance of LGBTIQ persons in the families; the other conducted nationally, with parents/caregivers, aiming to test their views, level of information they have and acceptance of LGBT persons.

The campaign will also include preparation and distribution of education-promotion materials (open letter distributed to the media, leaflets, brochures, publications), as well as a web-site designed to provide information and support to members of sexual and gender minority groups and their families, with emphasis on parents and/or caregivers. The internet site (www.obitelj-bez-predrasuda.hr) will be launched in April 2007 and will offer a variety of information, dedicated to LGBTIQ persons and their parents.

The project will include three workshops on the topics of Self-Acceptance, Internalized Homo/biphobia, and Coming Out. The workshops aim to strengthen the community, provide for more direct communication and raising of awareness about the issue of coming out of the closet. In cooperation with Alarm Association, three plays will be performed in major Croatian cities.

According to LORI, one of the major difficulties faced by the members of gender and sexual minorities is how to present their respective sexual orientations to other people, especially family members. In majority of cases, they fear ostracism and condemnation by the family, making them victims of intolerance, lack of understanding, physical or emotional violence.

�We want to emphasize the problems faced by LGBT persons in their families, increase the awareness of family members about the needs of LGBT persons and provide for empowerment of LGBT persons themselves�, says LORI.

The implementation of the project should provide the parents and other members of families of LGBTIQ persons information related to LGBTIQ population and reduced prejudices and discrimination in the family. Long-term, the project aims to reduce the levels of homo/bi/transphobia, both in the family and society in general, and promotion of human rights of LGBT persons.