I often use this space to bemoan the lack of coverage of LGBT issues by the mainstream international media. As a man who considers himself a fairly ardent feminist, I often have the same feelings about the obscurity of international women’s issues. Even within the LGBT community, men often take the lead or public role in the gay rights movement, so issues related specifically to LBT women tend to suffer doubly. My musings last week on queering vs. gendering inspired me to take some time and address some events and themes related uniquely to queer women throughout the world, some of which I’ve touched on before, and hopefully expand upon them. While I try to include gender and women’s issues into each of my Global Gaze columns, it’s always nice to stop once and a while and shed some light on these particularly under-reported upon topics and bring them to the attention of everyone, regardless of sex or orientation.

The first trend which came to mind when thinking of subjects for this post was one which I eluded to extremely briefly in my post on the gay rights struggle in Africa: the rise of “corrective” or “curative” rapes against lesbians in South Africa. As if the names for this phenomenon don’t already portray the true horror of this crime, this act is defined as sexual violence committed against lesbians by heterosexual men in order to “cure” them of their same-sex attractions and lifestyle. While in the South African case these crimes have generally been committed randomly by gangs of straight men, there have been cases reported throughout the world of a woman’s family actually arranging for these gang rapes for her in order to “fix” her. It should be highlighted that this is not just a women’s issue or a lesbian issue, but both: “So-called ‘corrective’ rape is yet another grotesque manifestation of violence against women, the most widespread human rights violation in the world today,” Zanele Twala, a spokesperson for ActionAid said in a statement this past March. “These crimes continue unabated and with impunity, while governments simply turn a blind eye.”

While these actions within society are horrifying enough, the South African government’s response has been called into question as well. While over 30 lesbians have been killed in these types of attacks since 1998, few of the rapists and murderers are brought to justice and the government generally turns a blind eye (and, it should be noted, this is in a country with some of the most progressive formal policies when it comes to equality and non-discrimination based on sexual orientation in the entire world – imagine what it’s like in countries where such protections do not exist). There’s not much hope that things will change anytime soon, however, as the country’s newly-elected president, Jacob Zuma, has a poor track record with both women’s and gay rights. He himself was charged with and acquitted of rape in 2005, is a polygamist, and has said that same-sex marriage in South Africa is “a disgrace to the nation and to God.”

There are ways to help, however. One easy thing is to do is sign the online petition which demands that “corrective rape” be labeled a hate crime in South Africa and calls for an end to the violence. Another is to get informed by reading this report or one like it. Finally, you can support groups like ActionAid and UNIFEM which are working to stop this terrible trend.

Some survivors of “corrective” rape have had success in gaining asylum status in other countries. Asylum for sexual minorities is a topic which I’ve also addressed in a previous column, focusing on the specific case of a lesbian from Iran finding asylum abroad. While this was one positive outcome, in general women are underrepresented in successful asylum claims around the world, and it’s important to highlight that there are specific issues that LBT women face in the asylum process that other groups or individuals might not.

Because of the discrimination, poverty and inequality women experience around the world in general, it may be more difficult for queer women to flee a hostile situation in the first place. Also, the families of women known or believed to be lesbians may be more carefully watched and controlled by their families and communities. If persecuted lesbians do manage to escape, once they arrive in their host country they may face cultural differences – such as the divide between Western and non-Western perceptions of what constitutes a lesbian lifestyle – which can make getting a successful claim started difficult. For instance, many lesbian applicants have never actually had sex with women in their home countries and may have even been married to men, which makes proving their orientation a challenge. Because gender itself is also a criteria for receiving asylum, the interplay between gender and sexual orientation can either make the process more or less difficult, depending on the situation. For more information about lesbians and the asylum process, check out this document.

Queer women in the international community should in not be viewed as merely passive victims by any stretch of the imagination, however. In fact, a lesbian couple has very recently forced Russia into a debate about same-sex marriage and drawn attention to the issue in that country. Earlier this month Irina Fyet and her partner, Irina Shepitko, attempted to apply for a marriage license in Moscow, the first gay couple to ever do so in Russia. While the request was immediately denied, the actions these two women took shined a light on the issue and brought it to the nation’s, and world’s, attention. The couple plans on getting married in Canada, and then using a loophole in Russian law to have their marriage recognized by the government in Moscow. Either way, their actions are likely to result in court cases both domestically and in the European Court of Human Rights, both of which could have major implications for the entire region.

Finally, an update on Johanna Sigurardottir, the woman who became the first openly gay world leader when she was appointed to the position of Prime Minister in Iceland in February. As I mentioned way back in my inaugural Global Gaze post, many people discounted her appointment because it was just that – an appointment – and claimed she only got the position because no straight person wanted the job. Well, as of April 27, Sigurardottir became the first lesbian elected to the position of head of state in an election she was not expected to win.  “Our time has come!” Johanna said of her victory – I’ll leave it up to you to decide which “our” she’s speaking of.

In all, hopefully this post helped to get at some of the lesser-known stories from around the world. Ultimately, these stories point to the need for a greater recognition of the intersection of women’s and queer issues in the international community. LBT women often face compounded issues which come from both sides of their identity. A greater closeness between the two movements may just help everyone in the long run.

And, in that spirit…I’m including a video at the end of this post which is not specifically queer in nature, but affects women of all ages and sexual orientations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The DRC is experiencing one of the worst rape crises the world has ever seen and the conflict that has been going on for decades there has been the most deadly since World War II. I’ve been looking or a reason to share this video on TNG (it’s not really “Morning Upper” material, as, let’s face it, it’s kind of a huge downer) and I think it’s important for all men and women everywhere to see and reflect on it. In the clip below Eve Ensler, the creator of the Vagina Monologues, reads a piece she wrote for girls in the Congo entitled “The Teenage Girls’ Guide to Surviving Sex Slavery.” I present it without any (further) comment.

As always, please leave your own thoughts regarding any of the issues discussed above in the comments below!