"Our home is hard on us. People just won't stop taking us creeps. We'll never go back to our homeland." Rodolphe Costa says smiling at his partner in the outlying gay bar in Brussels. His boyfriend smiles back.

Lots of homosexual immigrant in Europe chose it because there people are active in abolition movements of discrimination against homosexual people. In South America where the Catholic maintainability lingers, Gay and lesbian are still treated as pagans. It was when he was 26 years old that he immigrated to Spain from Mendoza, a town at the foot of the Andes, Argentina to get away from persecution.

He moved to Barcelona commanding Mediterranean Sea because it was an artistic town that Picasso and Dali had loved and would be the best place for him to work as a ceramic art instructor, and also he had no verbal inconvenience there. Above all things, there was no discrimination toward homosexuals in business. Mr. Costa broke up with hit partner of 15 years and met Enriquez Gongora (age 40), his present partner 6 years ago.

Enriquez Gongora is from Lima, Peru. He also moved to Spain to get away from strong prejudices there. The two came close each other soon. Gongora works at ILGA (The International Lesbian and Gay Association) and he moved into Brussels where the ILGA headquarter is. ILGA is an organization that totalizes gay and lesbian activity groups in Europe and Central and South America. At present, he is alone away from his boyfriend and says, "I can't take it anymore. I'll go Barcelona this spring and get a job there."

However, gay- and lesbian- friendly society is minor over the world. In countries such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, the maximum penalty against homosexual conduct is death. Other than Islam countries that place a ban on homosexuality, there are lots of countries where homosexual people are persecuted. Regarding ILGA, 13 European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa admit persecuted homosexual people as refugee.

Last February, European council (headquarter: Strasbourg in France) affiliated by 41 European countries issued unconventional report that discrimination against homosexual people should be eliminated. It says that immigration of homosexual people is induced unnecessarily because some countries authorize them officially. It also pointed out that refugees were given circumstances that they can't live together very often.

In Europe and North America, especially Holland, there is comparably less discrimination against homosexual people. Amsterdam, the capital of Holland, is called gay city. Regarding Amsterdam city government, 10% of its population is thought to be potentially homosexual. There are more than 100 gay bars and cafes in the city and it's natural to see people of same sex walking hand in hand.

Henck Fanbelt, manager of Amsterdam office, International Assistance Department of COC, the biggest Organization for Integration of Homosexuality in Holland says, "No less than 200 homosexual people expecting gay-friendly society immigrate into Holland every year." Since 1996 when Holland banned discrimination against homosexual people, it has been accepting homosexual immigrants. The detail is not clear but more than 40 are from Arab States and the rest is the East Europe.

COC has been supporting organizations for gay liberation movement of other countries for 4 years and started a program for homosexual immigrants to build an gay-friendly environment in their own countries. Mr. Fanbelt says, "Holland is surely comfortable to homosexual people but they should not keep running away."

From this April after legal revision last year, homosexual couple can get marry officially and is secured an equal condition as normal couple. Holland becomes an ideal country for homosexual people. This might increase immigrants into Holland.

Reporters Group of European Issue

This article was sent by Hanafusa (Osaka) and H.T. (Nagoya).
Notes and comments are by Ito (Sukotan Kikaku)
Note: The description of ILGA in this article is a bit wrong. ILGA is the short for The International Lesbian and Gay Association and it established in 1978 and now 350 organization joined from 80 countries (3 from Japan) and is working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to acquire lights. Information about sexual minorities all over the world and latest news are available at it's official website.

I wonder when the world the mass media of this country learn sexual minority correctly.

Source: Sukotan Kikaku (Sukotan Planning)