Help Fund Efforts to Address Plight of Gay Iranians

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I'm a one-person blogger and activist force who receives no government, non-government organization or corporate donations. Despite my paucity of funds, I've still managed to work in coalition with dozens of activists across the globe to make July 19 a day of international gay activism to publicize and address the horrific treatment of gay Iranians.

I now turn to you to solicit funds to print flyers and posters publicizing San Francisco's July 19 vigil and speak out for gay Iranians. Fund are also urgently needed to make international telephone calls to help coordinate and achieve maximum media exposure from the global network of such events that will take place that day.

Political artist Clinton Fein has created compelling posters for our San Francisco event, one of which is posted here, yet I lack the money to print them, put them up around town, and purchase foam core so that the posters can also be used as placards
during next week’s action. Without your donations, the posters will go to waste.

I've asked several mainstream nonprofits for financial assistance or use of their copiers and paper supplies, and requested the groups allow me to use their phones to call abroad. Unfortunately, my requests have been denied.

With no funding available for printing and international phone calls, I am turning to you and ask that you make a donation, which would enable me to run off hundreds of flyers and staple or glue them to bus shelters and lampposts, place in store windows, etc.

If you want to support my efforts here in San Francisco to do everything I can to turn our July 19 action into an event with many of people in attendance and great signs for the news media to shoot for their stories, please make a donation today via PayPal.

Don't be shy. Even a $5 or $10 contribution will be appreciated and put to good use.

If a lot of other folks ante up amounts big or small, I'll be able to put the funds to great use. Heck, with no money other than loose change from my own pocket, I
have helped assemble with other activists a day of coordinated international gay street activism throughout the world. Just think of what other wonderful actions can be accomplished with just a bit of funding!

Please make your PayPal donation today on behalf of this action by clicking on the white PayPal icon and link below. If you prefer to send a check, email me, mpetrelis@aol.com, and I'll send you my postal mail address.

And please join us on Wednesday, July 19 at 5 pm at Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco, or at one of the other worldwide actions next week. Click here for the updated list of cities.

Feel free to contact me with any queries about the event, the ramped up oppression experienced by gay Iranians, or my fundraising efforts, or to lend a hand in the city-wide media blitz I hope to undertake. Your support will help give at least a small degree of hope and comfort to gay Iranians.

Thanks for your support!

MICHAEL
Ph: 415-621-6267

July 19: Change in location and focus of IGLHRC event


Hi Michael,

Here’s the update from IGLHRC. I’ve emailed Paula and let her assistant know that you are available to talk tomorrow morning 9-10 am PST. I’ve also left a message and emailed Geoffrey and suggested that he give you a call today if possible. I’ve also forwarded to them your request to list the cities and details of the other events.

If I can be of further assistance at this time, please give me a call.

Thanks for your patience.

Sincerely,
Ellen


--

Ellen Vaz
Communications Coordinator
Tel: 212.229.0540
Fax: 212.229.0749



For Immediate Release
July 13, 2006
Media Contact: Geoffrey Knox: 212-229-0540
Staff Contact: Lisa Levy: 212-430-6019


July 19: Change in location and focus of IGLHRC event


WHAT: The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), Human Rights Watch (HRW), National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center and SoulforceNYC invite all interested advocates to participate in Thinking Globally, Acting Locally: Human Rights, Iran, and LGBT Advocacy, a community dialogue about the persecution faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Iran and how activists in the West can responsibly engage in supporting our colleagues in Iran as well as Iranian LGBT people in New York and elsewhere.

WHO: Speakers include:

Paula Ettelbrick, Executive Director of IGLHRC
Parvez Sharma, Director of the new documentary film, “In the Name of Allah”
Hadi Ghaemi, Iran Researcher, Human Rights Watch
Scott Long, Director of LGBT Rights Program, Human Rights Watch

Moderated by Hossein Alizadeh, IGLHRC

WHY: Numerous reports and stories of persecution faced by gay men and lesbians in Iran have been circulating. In particular, the executions of two young Iranian men last year on July 19 have been reported as gay-related deaths, prompting some activists to call for demonstrations in local communities to draw attention to these issues on the year anniversary of their hangings. This call raises important questions for human rights and LGBT advocates concerned about human rights violations globally, but unsure of how best to engage and respond.

How do we situate campaigns for LGBT rights in the context of other human rights issues such as the death penalty and women’s rights?
How do we respond in situations where facts are contested and documentation difficult?
What are the responsibilities--and dangers--for Western campaigners wanting to think globally and act locally?
How do we avoid reinforcing stereotypes and playing into hostilities prompted by our own government?

These are not abstract questions or ones relevant only to activists for sexual rights. While Iran will be emphasized in this discussion, the questions are relevant for all human rights advocates as we grapple with how global calls for justice can be made meaningful in the face of persecution and global hostilities.

While IGLHRC had initially offered to coordinate a public vigil to protest the use of the death penalty as a punishment for sexually-based crimes in Iran and elsewhere, conversations with colleagues have made clear that in New York City, dialogue, not demonstrations, would be the most productive way to build longer term strategies and understandings of how best to respond to human rights violations around the world.

WHEN: Wednesday, July 19, 2006
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

WHERE: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, 208 West 13th Street between 7th & 8th Ave, New York, New York

DC's Lambda Rising Gay Iran Window Display


Our July 19 organizer in Washington, Rob Anderson, persuaded the owner of Lambda Rising book store to put posters for the upcoming action in Dupont Circle in their window.

Kudos to Rob and Lambda Rising owner Deacon Maccubbin for doing their part in support of gay Iranians and our brothers and sisters around the globe.

Straight, Gay Iranians Join SF July 19 Vigil

For Immediate Release
July 10, 2006
Contact: Michael Petrelis
P: 415-621-6267
E: mpetrelis@aol.com
W: http://petrelisfiles.com


S.F. Announces Participation in Global July 19 Vigils for Gay Iranians

San Francisco, CA - Dozens of gays and their allies will gather on July 19 at 5:00 pm at Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro and Market streets, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Iran hanging two gay teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, with a vigil and protest.

Speakers will include Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, an Iranian American, Rev. Robert Goldstein of St. Francis Lutheran Church, Michael Petrelis, a longtime gay organizer against the death penalty, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will also participate. Gay Supervisor Bevan Dufty will serve as the moderator.

At the vigil, a letter from a closeted exile gay Iranian living in the Bay Area will be read to the crowd. He can't appear or speak in public, nor can he reveal his identity due to fear of reprisal and harassment from the Iranian government.

San Francisco is one of more than twenty cities in eleven countries holding July 19 speak outs and remembrances for the hanged Iranian teenagers, and also to show solidarity with the LGBT community in Iran. Actions are happening in Sioux Falls, Amsterdam, New York, Moscow, Sacramento, Vienna, San Diego, London, Washington, DC, and lots of additional locations.

The following statement came from Mayor Gavin Newsom, last year, when the hangings first were in the news: "I am both outraged and appalled by what can only be described as a most horrific atrocity effecting human lives in Iran. The hanging of two teenage boys for their alleged sexual orientation is an affront not only to justice but to all of our sense of humanity. Any one who lives in a civilized and free society must not take these events lightly. We must challenge the Iranian government to put an immediate end to these senseless killings. I proudly join in with all those who stand for freedom, liberty and true equality. We demand that the Iranian government cease these barbaric acts."

Organizers in San Francisco are also asking gay and human rights activists in cities where no vigils are yet scheduled for July 19, to step forward and pull together an action.

National Journal: Hillary, Gay Marriage & HRC

There's really not much more to add to what Kosner says about Sen. Clinton, is there? Her dervish ways of operating and sort of taking positions on hot-button issues, that please no one and Kosner's calling her on it.

With so much spinning and twisting from Clinton, and her supporters, including the Human Rights Campaign, the gay wing of the DNC, I feel like I've been on an amusement park Tilt-a-Whirl ride trying to figure out her stance on gay marriage.

From Monday's Blog-O-Meter column, published by the National Journal's web site:

CLINTON: Triangulator-In-Chief

Longtime gay rights activist and San Francisco resident Michael Petrelis takes Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to task for not articulating a position on gay marriage while "in San Francisco, of all American cities." Petrelis quips: "This ain't leadership in my book. And speaking of books, I looked up 'triangulating wimp' in the dictionary and your name and photo were what I found."

Conservatives were also closely monitoring HRC's reaction to NY's gay marriage ruling. Right Angle Blog quotes an HRC spokesperson: "Senator Clinton supports full equality for people in committed relationships, including health insurance, life insurance and pensions, and hospital visitation and believes we have to keep working to reach those goals." RAB then comments: "Not exactly the Gettysburg Address of gay rights. Did she condemn the decision? Or does she support it? She could have been talking about anybody in a 'committed relationship,' including elderly heterosexual couples or Chelsea and her latest boyfriend."

Ed Kosner at lefty hang out The Huffington Post thinks trust is HRC's biggest liability: "Brains and focus aren't Hillary problem. For all her fervent admirers, there's so much twitchy calculation in her run for the Presidency that many, many people feel she simply can't be trusted. One moment, she's backing ridiculous legislation to ban non-existent flag-burning - a Bush lollypop for conservatives. The next, she's hiring a lefty blogger. ... Triangulation or cognitive dissonance? It hardly matters. ... To succeed...Hillary Clinton will have to stop being a dervish, find a groove - and stay in it."

SF Chron: Hillary Silent on Gay Marriage Rulings

Hey, Hillary!

This ain't leadership in my book. And speaking of books, I looked up "triangulating wimp" in the dictionary and your name and photo were what I found.

For some reason, I doubt if you were in the Senate at the time when anti-miscegenation laws were challenged in the courts by civil rights advocates demanding marriage equality, you wouldn't seize the opportunity to weigh in on the matter, and probably in favor of eradicating such laws.

But in 2006, in San Francisco, of all American cities, you're silent on queer marriage. Now is not the time to not articulate a position on this issue.

And when will you voice concern for gays in Iran and the global gay vigils on July 19 marking the one-year anniversary of Iran hanging two gay teenagers? Surely you can oppose the hanging of homosexuals simply because they are gay, can't you? If you need the facts on the executions and the vigils, click here.

From Saturday's S.F. Chronicle:

New York Sen. Hillary Clinton -- widely considered a 2008 Democratic presidential favorite -- was surrounded in San Francisco on Friday by Democrats outspoken on the issue of same-sex marriage: a mayor who issued a landmark city decision to declare same-sex unions legal, a state assemblyman at the forefront of same-sex marriage legislation, and the party's pro-gay marriage candidate for governor.

But even standing alongside San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and state Treasurer Phil Angelides, the Democratic candidate for governor, on the morning after New York's highest court upheld a state ban on same-sex marriage, Clinton steadfastly ignored questions about the issue.

It was a marked contrast from a visit to San Francisco on a 1996 book tour, when the then-first lady expressed her views without reservation.

"Children are better off if they have a mother and a father,'' Clinton said in the San Francisco interview with the then-Hearst-owned San Francisco Examiner. "My preference is that we do all we can to strengthen traditional marriage ... and that people engaged in parenting children be committed to one another.''

But Clinton refused to revisit the topic Friday morning at a meeting with reporters after a $1,000-a-person fundraiser for Angelides' campaign. But her views now appear surprisingly similar to those in a majority ruling from New York's highest court; the decision's author, Judge Robert Smith, suggested children are better raised in so-called traditional families.

Clinton's silence in the Democratic bastion of San Francisco highlighted how the issue of same-sex marriage still presents a political dilemma for Democrats. [...]

Speak up on gay marriage, Senator Clinton, if only because it is never acceptable for public officials to remain silent on important civil rights issues.

(Photo credit: AP/Eric Risberg)

July 19 = Seattle, Washington

George Bakan, publisher of the Seattle Gay News, which has been around for thirty-three years, and a longtime activist and my friend, has stepped forward to organize his city's July 19 action.

If you live in the Seattle area, please attend the vigil and speak out.

And if your city does not yet have a July 19 event in solidarity with gay Iranians scheduled, organize one!

Seattle has been added to the updated list, available here.

Seattle, Washington
Location: Seattle Central Community College Plaza, Pine and Broadway
Time: 7:00 pm
Contact: George Bakan, sgn2@sgn.org

Wash Blade: July 19 Gay Iran Actions Around the World

The Washington Blade today runs an excellent article by Lou Chibbaro on the amazing and ever-growing number of cities around the world where vigils and other events for gay Iranians are happening on July 19.

Excerpts from the Blade:

Gay rights advocates are expected to hold protest rallies and vigils in at least 20 cities in North America and Europe, including Washington, D.C., on July 19 to condemn what they say is the harsh and cruel treatment of gays in Iran.

The events, which are being billed as an “International Day of Action Against Homophobic Persecution in Iran,” are set to take place on the first anniversary of the hanging executions of two teenage males in the Iranian city of Mashad. [...]

The D.C. protest is scheduled to take place 5 p.m. inside Dupont Circle, according to organizer Rob Anderson, a gay journalist who writes for the New Republic Magazine.

In New York City, IGLHRC is expected to lead a 5 p.m. protest gathering in front of the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.

Other cities scheduled to hold protests include Fort Lauderdale; Provincetown, Mass.; San Diego; San Francisco; Sacramento; Vancouver; Toronto; Amsterdam; London; Stockholm; Marseilles; Moscow; Brussels; Mexico City; Warsaw; Frankfort; Berlin; and Vienna.

Tatchel and U.S. organizer Michael Petrelis of San Francisco have said they expect activists to announce protests in additional cities during the next week.

A list of the goals and demands of the protests released by Tatchell’s group calls for ending all executions in Iran, “especially the execution of minors; “an end to the arrest, torture and imprisonment of Iranian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and [the] repeal of the Iranian penal code’s criminalization of same-sex relationships;” an end to the deportation to Iran of “LGBT asylum seekers;” support for Iranians in their struggle for “democracy, social justice and human rights;” and the opposition to foreign military intervention in Iran. [...]

Parsi told organizers of the July 19 protests that the PGLO has asked its members in Iran to display lighted candles in their windows on that day to honor the memory of the two gay youths hanged a year earlier.

“That’s about all we can ask our members in Iran to do safely without bringing down persecution on their heads,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations in New York did not return a call seeking comment. [...]

If your city does not yet have a July 19 event in solidarity with gay Iranians scheduled, organize one!

Sullivan, Ireland: From Inside Iran, a Gay Activist Speaks Out

Andrew Sullivan blogs today about Doug Ireland's interview with a gay activist inside Iran, which you should read and is available here. You know an issue is important and transcends left/right ideology when Sullivan and Ireland are demanding attention be paid to something, like global abuses against gays.

As many human rights and gay advocate worldwide know, July 19 is a day of international protests and vigils commemorating the one-year anniversary of Iran hanging two gay teenagers. Events are planned in dozens of cities.

For the updated list of July 19 cities, go here.

Here's the quote Sullivan excerpts from Ireland's talk with our gay brother in Iran:

"We've frequently observed that solely for the offense of same-sex love and sleeping together, people have been condemned to death by hanging or stoning - there have been many such executions carried out by the malicious and criminal Iranian regime ... Look, you must understand that, in Iran, if a homosexual falls in love, he has committed a grave crime: here, homosexual love equals death, the gallows and stoning. So, this is a major part of what I term the 'condemned's' life: he is oppressed and sinks into despair and self-hate and, in too many cases, ultimately opts for suicide... You who live serenely and comfortably on the other side of Iran's frontiers, be aware that those who think and feel and love like you do in Iran are executed for the crime of homosexuality, are assassinated, kidnapped, and barred from working in offices. You have festivals, and they prisons. You select Mr. Gay of the Year, but they don’t even enjoy the right to have gravestones. Be fair and tell us what difference there is between us and you. Isn't it time that all homosexuals around the world rise up and come to our defense?"

If your city does not yet have a July 19 event in solidarity with gay Iranians scheduled, organize one!

Can You Organize A July 19 Gay Iran Vigil?

Dear Gay Family, Friends and Allies Everywhere:

I am part of a group of gays around the world organizing vigils and press conferences on July 19 to mark the one-year anniversary of Iran hanging two gay teenage boys.

Actions are planned for many cities in the USA and Europe, but we still need additional cities and people to join us.

Can you and your gay group organize an event in your city on July 19?

It does not have to be a big demonstration, and it can be as simple as a handful of people lighting candles of hope for gay Iranians and gays everywhere.

We would love to add your area on our list of world cities participating in the July 19 actions for gay Iran.

For information on the global July 19 actions, go here.

And visit Doug Ireland's blog for a detailed article about gay Iranians and the day of protests.

Please let me know if you can help us and organize a vigil where you live. I hope to hear from you.

Best,
Michael Petrelis
Email: mpetrelis (At) aol.com
San Francisco, CA

-
[Updates on cities are here. Please link to this URL]

Here is the updated list of seven cities participating in the July 19 actions:

Amsterdam
Location: Homo-Monument(Keizersgracht canal near Westerkerk)
Time: 10 P.M.
Contacts: René van Soeren of COC, rvansoeren@coc.nl, Mike Tidmus, tidmus@mac.com

Berlin
Location: To be announced
Time: To be announced
Contact: Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland e. V. or just LSVD, http://typo3.lsvd.de/229.0.html

Brussels
Location: To be announced
Time: To be announced
Contact: Stephen Barris, stephenbarris@ilga.org

Fort Lauderdale
Location: To be announced
Time: To be announced
Contact: Michael James, MJames@OurIndependent.com

Frankfurt
Location: To be announced
Time: To be announced
Contact: Lesben- und Schwulenverband in Deutschland e. V. or just LSVD, http://typo3.lsvd.de/229.0.html

London
Location: House of Commons, Committee Room 12
Time: 6:30 pm
Contacts: Peter Tatchell, peter@tatchell.freeserve.co.uk
& Brett Lock, brettlock@gmail.com

Marseilles
Location: To be announced
Time: To be announced
Contact: Louis-George Tin, TINLuigi@aol.com

Moscow
Location: To be announced
Time: To be announced
Contact: Nicolas Alexeyev, nicolas_alexeyev@yahoo.com

New York
Location: Iranian Mission to the UN, 622 Third Avenue
Time: 5:00 pm
Contact: Lisa Levy, llevy@iglhrc.org

Provincetown
Location: Town Hall Square
Time: To be announced
Contact: Andrew Sullivan, andsul@aol.com

Sacramento
Location: Lambda Community Center, 1927 L Street
Time: 6:00 pm
Contact: Jerry Sloan, JerrySloan95828@yahoo.com

San Diego
Location: U.S. Federal Building, 880 Front Street
Time: 4:00 pm
Contact: Michael Mussman, michaelmussman@yahoo.com

San Francisco
Location: Harvey Milk Plaza, Castro and Market Streets
Time: 5:00 pm
Contact: Michael Petrelis, mpetrelis@aol.com

Stockholm
Location: Iranian Embassy, Elfviksvägen Västra Yttringe gård Lidingö
Time: 5:00 pm
Contact: Bill Schiller and Tupilak, bill.schiller@sr.se

Tehran
Location: Not to be announced
Time: All day and evening
Contact: Arsham Parsi, arsham@pglo.net

Vancouver, BC
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery - Robson Plaza
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Contact: Finn Kovaltsenko, aidengreer@shaw.ca

Vienna
Location: Office of IranAir, A-Wien 1010 Opernring
Time: To be announced
Contact: Kurt Krikler, Kurt.Krickler@hosiwien.at

Washington, DC
Location: Dupont Circle Fountain
Time: 5:00 pm
Contact: Rob Anderson, rcand@mac.com

The demand of the global 19 July protests is:

Iran: Stop Killing Gays! Stop Killing Kids!