by Emily Reilly
The Center for Victims of Torture ( CVT ) hosted a virtual event entitled "Reclaiming Identity: LGBTQ Experiences of Torture, Persecution, and Healing," on July 22. It showcased the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals who have been tortured and services that have helped them.
CVT Executive Director Curt Goering began the event by telling the story of a man named Peter—a survivor from Nairobi, Kenya, who experienced brutal violence due to homophobia of his family and the police. He used coping mechanisms and group therapy through CVT.
The next speaker was Victor Madrigal-Borloz. Before he spoke, a brief video played showing the mandate for his job as the UN independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. He spoke about his job experience examining causes of discrimination and explained how discrimination often begins with society's expectations from the roles of men and women.
"As of today, a staggering 2 billion people live in the context of criminalization in which homosexuality, lesbianism, or certain gender identities are criminalized," said Madrigal-Borloz. "In nine of them, the penalty is death. In six of them, it is applied as part of the routine. In other contexts, the penalty can be as long as 25 years in jail."
Madrigal-Borloz explained that even in countries where homosexuality isn't criminalized, society's sanctions have damaging affects. He went on to discuss how beyond criminalization, pathologization and demonization of homosexality are two other factors that create the notion of otherness. Madrigal-Borloz went on to site examples about how COVID-19 has worsened the situation for LGBTQ+ individuals in many countries. He said that some governments are using the virus as an excuse to pass measures of persecution against them. Read more via Windy City