On 10/10/07, Mark Williamson node.ue@gmail.com wrote:
I personally object to the decision of the jury and hope the location is changed and the decision overturned on the following basis:
Safety of conference participants, namely transgendered and transsexual individuals. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are at a significantly lower level of risk.
The risk for T. individuals is so great that it would be totally unsafe for them to enter the country at all.
This is not a matter of boycotting a country because we disagree with its politics, this is a matter of not holding a conference in a country because we cannot ensure the safety of ALL participants.
Just because you are not transgendered or transsexual yourself does not mean it is not your responsibility to ensure that people who wish to participate who ARE are not as safe as possible.
Mark
I think what you read about in the media are extreme incidents, but not the norm. Foreigners, including LGBT, are generally not bothered in Egypt.
I remember when I have traveled overseas, as well as when I used to live outside the U.S., I heard on the television and in the newspapers about the U.S. I heard about the Virginia Tech massacre, some years ago I heard about the Beltway sniper attacks all over the news, and other such incidents. I even remember during the Beltway sniper attacks, some foreign governments issued travel advisories against travel in the U.S., like the State Department does for some places. And I heard a great deal about the case of Maher Arar. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maher_Arar
If I only listen to the media, it sounds like the U.S. is a horribly dangerous place. In reality, those are rare cases, and encourage people to come and visit!
Likewise, I think people, including LGBT, will feel safe in Egypt.
-Aude