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Seta published LGBT-youth´s life stories

Seta’s DVD about lives of young LGBT in Finland was published in the end of January.

(From the left) Reiska, Martu Väisänen and Eska.

“Diversity is in us” gathers the stories of eight LGBT youngsters from all around Finland.

Ida, Niko, Darja, Reiska, Petra, Pekka, Tiina and Eska reflect on their lives and families, dating, bullying and getting support. They also discuss how they have dealt with norms they face within the Finnish society.

Reiska, who identifies hirself as transgender, says that it was a bit of a challenge to participate in the making of the film. It took some courage.

“I went back and forth whether to go along because I was worried about the consequences. Everyone would see my story, but so what? I live my life for my own sake. I wanted to be one of the brave young people who would tell about their lives”, 23-year-old Reiska says. “This was my chance to speak for others.”

“This kind of material would have been useful for me as an adolescent, when there was no one else to identify with where I’m from. This is why a agreed to join this project”, 18 year old transsexual Eska tells.

LGBTI Rights in Finland Seta demands that diversity of gender and sexual orientation would be included in all subjects at schools. Anders Huldén, Seta’s Youth Work Coordinator, considers personal stories from everyday life a good way to raise awareness about the consequences of strict norms.

“The stories of these young people give something to think about for everyone, regardless of age, gender or sexual orientation. This DVD is not enough, though. Diversity truly is in all of us and this must be considered at schools on everyday basis”, Huldén says.

The duration of the DVD is 20 minutes. Subtitles are provided in Finnish, English and Swedish both on the DVD and the clips on YouTube. The DVD was produced during 2012 by Martu Väisänen from Oulu. The DVD is distributed free of charge to schools, youth workers and for educational purposes.

Press quality photos of the young:

https://www. dropbox. com/sh/5vczz02xk9f89xx/HMa34bIv84

Photos: Martu Väisänen

Finland should take action for LGBTI rights also domestically

Speech by ILGA-Europe and Seta – LGBTI Rights in Finland in the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, 19th September 2012.

UPR: Finland

ILGA-Europe and Seta – LGBTI Rights in Finland

United Nations Human Rights Council, Geneva, 19th September 2012

Mr. President,

we commend Finland for accepting the recommendation to increase its efforts in combating discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. We are looking forward to an effective and comprehensive implementation of the commitment.

Whilst we welcome the progress delivered by this Government, significant challenges still remain. Trans and intersex persons face serious discrimination. Gender nonconforming children face transphobic bullying in schools. Discrimination in the employment market is common, and many trans persons remain unemployed. Intersex children sometimes suffer serious mental and physical complications due to surgical operations that lack medical grounds.

The government states that a working group will be appointed to examine the need to amend the Act on Legal Recognition of the Gender of Transsexuals. We urge the government to proceed with this commitment very soon. Persons applying for gender marker change currently face degrading conditions such as infertility requirement that shows the legislator´s lack of understanding the everyday lives of trans persons, of which many already have children and families.

The government states that a possible need to amend family legislation will be discussed. Currently there are several legislative procedures where the equal treatment of LGBTI people´s families should be taken into account. Children should not be treated unequally depending on their parents´ gender.

We note that the recently adopted National Action Plan for Human Rights, has very few references to LGBTI people. This places a serious challenge on the government to show concrete commitment to policies to improve the human rights of LGBTI people. While many authorities are working on improving the equality of LGBTI persons, there is a need for a more coherent and coordinated policy. We suggest drafting a comprehensive LGBTI policy action plan and defining responsibilities for implementation and monitoring the plan.

Finally, we thank Finland for a constructive dialogue during the UPR process and stand ready for further interaction to ensure that all LGBTI people can enjoy their citizenship in full equality.

Thank you, Mr. President.