Gay Albanian Society formed in Albania

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/gay-albanians-1420927.html

Homosexuals in Albania formed an association to promote their cause and rights, Reuter reports from Tirana. The gays' decision to 'come out', three years after the fall of the Communist regime, reflects a slow liberalisation of attitudes. The Gay Albania Society has the motto: 'Albania. The only country in Europe without a gay organisation. No longer.'

 

How many members does this organisation? 5? Meybe 10? , I hope they leave Albania otherwise their life will be hell from the jokes

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_pederasty

 

This page has been deleted. The deletion and move log for the page are provided below for reference.



hahhaha, 404 error, Homosexualism doesn't exist in this nation!

 

http://dictionary.sensagent.com/albanian+pederasty/en-en/

 

Albanians had tolerance of homosexuality throughout the ages while the serbs were slavic oppressors.

Ottoman times was a glorious time for homosexuality even though the koran doesn't allow it between muslims..It was allowed with the infidels bringing them into islam.

 

What a foolish post indeed.

Yeah,...

I'm sure it does excist...

 

It does exist ..Look alexander the great practiced homosexuality. and he has albanian blood !

apparently somebody here is homophobic about albanian historical homosexuality.

 

Yep, seems to me that ValmirZz is homophobic.

Hope we smoke them out before they are ever (!) allowed into the EU.

 

i think its bigger problem organ trafficking mafia boss prime minister

 

The bigger problem is homophobia when homosexuality in albania has existed for 1000 of years since the time of alexander the great.

 

http://www.angelfire.com/wizard/albaniagay/history.htm


This is a letter that Mr. Genci Xhelaj (at that time president of Society Gay Albania) sent to the organizations around the world in the August of year 1994. I want to thank him so much for giving the permission to publish all this…You can see his picture in the two links below when he recived a very important price Felipa de Souza Awards 1997 Awardees in year 1997.

Picture 1

Picture 2

The Society Gay Albania

I imagine you have heard of Albania, that wild, hospitable and yet somewhat enigmatic land. Lord Byron praised its beauty, Edward Lear painted it and Edith Durham wrote of itin her travels. Many foreigners have been fascinated by different features of Albania. I would like to speak of one aspect no one has written about yet, that of Albanian homosexuals who have taken a great step forwards recently, perhaps the greatest step in their history.



After much hesitation, I decided, last winter, to write an interview for the Albanian press and speak about myself, my friends and lovers, and about homosexuality in developed countries. The interview was published in the newspaper Playboy in Tirana in March 1994. We were ecstatic although there were very negative reactions. It was the first time that the Albanian press dared published anything about homosexuality, still illegal in the country. A German came to meet me after the publication and called the article ”historic”. He suggested that we continue and organize a group to defend the rights of Albanan gays. On 29 March 1994, about ten gays assembled secretly and formed the first gay group in Albanian history, the Shoqata Gay Albania (Society Gay Albania).



The main objectives of the group we defined as follows:

1) To support the interets of Albanian homosexuals (male and female) and to fight for full equality and integration in Albanian societ.

2) To spread positive and more objective information about the homosexuals community and to fight prejudice, fanaticism, ignorance and hatred.

3) To support the fight against the spread of AIDS.



We realized that we had a lot of work in front of us. We first spread word of the existence of the group among Albanian gays. Some of them joined us while the most distanced themselves out of fear. We hesitated, but then resolved to continue. In the spring of 1994 we recived an invitation to attend an AIDS conference in Budapest. It was the first time that we presented our group in public and it was a great experience for us. The meeting very much strengthened our resolve and we got back to Tirana, we distributed a news bulletin about the existence of our gay group to all Albanian newspapers as well as to radio and television. The reaction was overwhelming. Everyone in the capital was suddenly discussing the topic and there were the wildest reactions. The newspaper Dita Informacion published an article about the existence of an Albaniana neo-nazi group created to attack us. The newspaper Gazeta Shqiptare called our news a ”courageous step”, in particular in view of existing legislation.



The legal situation: Yes, the law still exists. Homosexuality is punishable by prison. It was Enver Hoxha who during his long dictatorship organized and promoted persecution, indeed the extermination of Albanian homosexuals. No one was spared, neither artists and writers nor simple people. There are dozens of known cases of homosexuals having been imprisoned and left to their fate during the fifty years of Stalinist dictatorship. Dozens of others commited suicide because they couldn’t stand the discrimination, violence and shame. How did this discrimination and hatred of homosexual come about under the dictatorship, creating a public opinion which compared homosexuals to crazed criminals? Much evidence now points to the fact the dictator himself was homosexual.

The law still exists in Albania and condemns homosexuals up to 10 years of imprisonment (Article 137). The proposed new penal code of summer 1994 foresees punishment by fine and up to 3 years in prison (Section VII 114). This draft of the penal code, prepared by the ruling Democratic Party and soon to be discussed in Parliament, galvanized our group into action. We sent fifteen members of the Democratic Party two strongly worded protests, appealing for the passage to be rescinded. We also requested help from ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association) and other international organizations. ILGA sent a letter of protest to the Albanian president (at that time Sali Berisha) and to other high government figures. Protests from other countries arrived too. In June 1994, Scott Long representing ILGA, arrived in Tirana and after discussions with us, held talks with leading parlamentarians who then promised that the proposed passage would be withdrawn and that there would be no more discriminatory legislation against homosexuals.



Our group is still exercising its activities illegaly. Once the anti-gay legislation is removed we will need to be officially recognized by the government authorities in order to continue our work normally. This will be the next step.



The AIDS problem is one which occupies much of our time, in particular since among the first positive Albanians are two homosexuals (the real number is probably much higher). We are working in close cooperation with OSPES, the student organisation for sexual education and with Action Plus, a humanitarian organization active in the fight against AIDS. They help us with translations, printing, free condoms etc. We are now preparing two brochures to tell Albanian homosexual of the danger of AIDS and how to protect themselves. These brochures will be printed by Doris Frank of the Action Plus organisation in Switzerland. We have also arranged for homosexuals who have no pemanent partner or who engage in prostitution to be tested free of charge at an AIDS laboratory.



Being homosexual in Albania is an acute drama, both for the individual involved and for his or her family and society. Common reactions range from surprise and disgust to maltretment, but mostly just silence. The present situation of our mebers (about 60 individuals) can only be described as extremely dificult. Almost all of us live with our families and are dependent on them in one way or another. It is virtually impossible to live alone because of the housing situation in the country. Most of us are unemployed and without any income or social assistance. Many are forced into questionable activities in order to survive. Employers react very negatively towards homosexuals in view of public opinion, so most of our members hide their homosexuality from the public.



Our group is endeavouring to sensitize public opinion with articles in the press, at least in those newspapers willing to publish on the subject. Up to now, there are no Albanian publications specifically for lesbians and gays. In view of this tremendous lack, we are hoping to find support from gay and lesbian organizations abroad who could help up materially or financially in publishing a gay news letter or magazine.



If we manage to find support, we could like to open a bar or café and use the profits to support the organization and to finance such a locale where gays could meet. There are no gay bars or meeting places in Albania as yet. Also very important would be a gay ”old people’s home” since many elderly gays live alone in abject of poverty. We would also use profits to support people with AIDS so that they can live in human conditions.



We have many ambitious plans and are optimistic about the future because we know that we have friends and supporters everywhere who will understand and assist us.



Dear friends, we send you our love. We already have some English-speaking friends here in Albania who are using their experience to assist us in overcoming the many problems we are facing. We thank them and you, and are looking forward to cooperation.



Our postal address is:

S.G.A

P.O Box 104

Tirana,Albania



(and the document includes the signature of Mr. Genci Xhelaj click here to see it)

 

http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,COI,IRBC,,ALB,,4dd10e342,0.html


Albania: Situation and treatment of homosexuals; state protection and support services (2007 - September 2010)
Homosexual acts were decriminalized in Albania in 1995 (Balkan Insight 24 June 2010; Pink News 24 June 2010; Freedom House 2010).

Media sources and human rights organizations indicate that there are high levels of homophobia in Albania (Human Rights Watch 16 Feb. 2010; The Human Rights Brief 3 Mar. 2010; Balkan Insight 5 Dec. 2007). Media sources report that the gay community has been primarily underground (BBC 30 July 2009; Reuters 5 Feb. 2010). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 10 September 2010, an LGBT rights activist from the US with a Ph.D. in Anthropology, who lived in Albania, participated in the US embassy speakers program and was a founding member of the Tirana-based LGBT rights organization Aleanca Kunder Diskriminimit te LGBT (Gay-Straight Alliance Against LGBT Discrimination), stated that there are no gay clubs or neighbourhoods in Albania and that hardly anyone is public about being LGBT. According to Balkan Insight, an online publication produced by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), most homosexuals in Albania do not reveal their sexual orientation, "fearing that if it is discovered their safety will be endangered" (24 June 2010).

According to human rights observers, LGBT people in Albania are subject to "intolerance, physical and psychological violence" (Balkan Insight 24 June 2010; Human Rights Brief 3 Mar. 2010; Council of Europe 18 June 2008, No. 96). The United States (US) Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2009 indicates that during 2009 there were cases where individuals were beaten, harassed, fired from employment, or denied services because of their sexual orientation (US 11 Mar. 2010, Sec. 6). Balkan Insight similarly states that those who are open about their sexual orientation have faced job loss, threats and possible rejection from their families (5 Dec. 2007).

Country Reports 2009 states that in June 2009, a man pled guilty to murdering his brother because of his sexual orientation, and was sentenced to eight years in prison (US 11 Mar. 2010, Sec. 6). Balkan Insight reports that in September 2009, a transgender person was stabbed to death in Tirana (21 Sept. 2009). The LGBT Rights Activist corroborated that these two murders of LGBT people occurred in 2009 (10 Sept. 2010). She also reported that a woman was injured in 2010 when she was stabbed because of her sexual orientation (LGBT Rights Activist 10 Sept. 2010). In addition, she noted a case where a gay man was in hiding for one and a half years because of death threats made by his family and a case where a woman was beaten by family members and then confined to her home when they discovered that she was a lesbian (ibid.). However, she indicated that there has been almost no research or data collection on LGBT issues or hate crimes in Albania (ibid.). She stated, "[m]uch of the mistreatment and violence faced by LGBT people is not documented. There are few NGOs that document these issues, there is little governmental interest, and most LGBT people would be too fearful to report cases of discrimination, violence or mistreatment" (ibid.).

According to the LGBT Rights Activist, transgender people face particular difficulties in Albania; the few people who are visibly transgender are regularly denied services and have few opportunities for employment other than prostitution (ibid.).

Media sources state that there were a series of small protests against homosexuals in the northern Albanian town of Lezha after a gay man from Lezha publicly declared his sexual orientation on a popular reality television show in February 2010 (Balkan Insight 24 June 2010; Pink News 24 June 2010). According to the LGBT Rights Activist, the protests occurred over the course of three weeks and the police did not take any action, even though the protestors did not have a permit and used hate speech (LGBT Rights Activist 10 Sept. 2010). The LGBT Rights Activist also stated that this man has received death threats and his family moved out of Lezha because they felt unsafe (ibid.). Further information about this incident could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

State Protection
The Albanian parliament approved an anti-discrimination law on 4 February 2010 which protects Albanians from a number of forms of discrimination, including on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity (Human Rights Watch 16 Feb. 2010; ILGA Europe 5 Feb. 2010; Human Rights Brief 3 Mar. 2010). Article 1 of the law, which outlines the law's objective, states:

This law regulates the implementation of and respect for the principle of equality in connection with gender, race, colour, ethnicity, language, gender identity, sexual orientation, political, religious or philosophical beliefs, economic, education or social situation, pregnancy, parentage, parental responsibility, age, family or marital condition, civil status, residence, health status, genetic predispositions, restricted ability, affiliation with a particular group or for any other reason. (Albania 2010)

The law outlines detailed provisions for the protection from discrimination in employment, in education, and in the field of goods and services (Albania 2010, Chapters II, III, IV). The law calls for the establishment of an independent, state-funded Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination who "assures the effective protection from discrimination and from every other form of conduct that incites discrimination" (ibid., Chapter V, Art. 21, 22).

Sources indicate that the anti-discrimination legislation was unanimously approved by parliament (Human Rights Watch 16 Feb. 2010; Human Rights Brief 3 Mar. 2010; ILGA Europe 5 Feb. 2010). Several sources report that when the legislation was proposed in 2009 by the Prime Minister, he also stated support for legalizing same-sex marriage, which faced opposition from religious leaders (Balkan Insight 31 Aug. 2009; BBC 30 July 2009; Reuters 5 Feb. 2010). Several sources note that the anti-discrimination legislation is meant to facilitate European Union (EU) integration (LGBT Rights Activist 10 Sept. 2010; Balkan Insight 31 Aug. 2009; BBC 30 July 2009; Human Rights Brief 3 Mar. 2010).

According to the LGBT Rights Activist, whether there is willingness to implement the anti-discrimination law remains questionable since Albanian laws are sometimes not implemented (10 Sept. 2010). She noted that the new legislation has not yet had an effect on the day-to-day lives of LGBT people in Albania, has not increased their sense of security, nor changed the possibility of discrimination in employment, housing, healthcare, or other sectors (LGBT Rights Activist 10 Sept. 2010).

She stated that as of August 2010, the government had appointed the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, but that there was no office or supporting staff for the Commissioner (ibid.). She was not aware of any training sessions for police regarding the anti-discrimination law or LGBT rights (ibid.). Further information on government actions to implement the new legislation could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Country Reports 2009 indicates that, according to NGOs, the police "routinely harassed" homosexual persons (US 11 Mar. 2010, Sec. 6). Similarly, the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights reports that LGBT people have been subject to "mistreatment" by police (Council of Europe 18 June 2008, No. 96). Freedom House notes that discrimination against homosexuals by law enforcement "remains strong" (Freedom House 2010). A 2007 Balkan Insight article provides details on two cases in which homosexuals were subject to mistreatment by Albanian police (5 Dec. 2007). In one example, a member of the LGBT community stated that police officers dragged him away from a park and kicked him repeatedly while calling him a "'(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)'" (Balkan Insight 5 Dec. 2007). In another example, the Director of the Albanian Human Rights Group (AHRG), a non-profit and non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Tirana (AHRG n.d.), cited a case where a person was "'harassed and tortured by police'" and prevented from attending school (Balkan Insight 5 Dec. 2007). The LGBT Rights Activist stated that LGBT people are still reluctant to go to the police with their problems and view the police as a source of harassment rather than protection (LGBT Rights Activist 10 Sept. 2010).

Support Services
According to the LGBT Rights Activist, services for LGBT people in Tirana are very limited; there are no social supports or counsellors and little assistance for people facing difficulty (ibid.). She was aware of four organizations, all based in Tirana, which work specifically on LGBT issues: Aleanca, LGBT Pro, the Albanian Lesbian Gay Association, and Society for Gay Albania, although the latter two organizations are involved mainly in condom distribution (ibid.). She stated that LGBT Pro is a new organization affiliated with the Children's Rights Centre and receives funding from a Dutch NGO (ibid.). According to their website, Aleanca was founded in 2009 and "strives to support and empower a visible and inclusive lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community while increasing public understanding, education, and awareness of issues of sexual orientation and gender identity" (Aleanca n.d.). According to the LGBT Rights Activist, Aleanca is a grassroots organization and organizes weekly lesbian and gay parties (LGBT Rights Activist 10 Sept. 2010). Their website also indicates that they are involved in public education campaigns and organized activities for the 2009 International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) (Aleanca n.d.).

Sept. 2010]

 

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=129453742655

 

yeah riders of apocalypse are on the way

 

But you have not left here and everybody is laughing at you and making jokes about old fashioned Albabyian school boy .
Perhaps you are still in the closet ?

 

Alright guys lets not get all riled up here. Im sure Valmir simply means that now that there is an Albanian gay community we can expect to see many jokes from our less than friendly neighbors.

 

yea and Kosovo allows gay marriages and gay troops to be stationed... So thats the truth and if you are homophobic about it....

Its your problem and not mine. I am sure you guys are obsessed about your less friendly neighbors.

 

http://sdgln.com/news/2010/03/22/ga...nians-emotional-debate-over-homosexual-rights


The Tirana newspaper Korrieri on March 21 stated that “explosive debate and discussion has broken out everywhere” in Albania over the “Klodi case.”

The furor was sparked by an emotional declaration on television by Klodian Çela from Lezhë, a contestant in the “Big Brother” house on the Top Channel reality TV program, who announced that he is gay and called for understanding from everybody, especially his mother.

On March 11, demonstrators on the streets of Lezhë protested, “Lezha is clean – we have no homosexuals” and demanded Klodi’s removal from the “Big Brother” house.

The case has prompted intense discussion in the national media.

Human rights activist Kristi Pinderi, interviewed in Korrieri on March 21, said: “Whether we like it or not, an important chapter in the history of human rights in Albania will be linked to Klodi’s name. We don’t understand this right now, because of prejudice and decades and centuries of repression, but we are living through some days, weeks and months and no doubt years in which this history will be written.”

Asked why Albania is traditionally “allergic” to homosexuality, Pinderi said that “Albania is less allergic to homosexuality than ill-informed about it. This is because Albania is ill-informed about sexuality in general.”

Pinderi goes on to say that “We know perfectly well” that homosexual men and women are present throughout Albanian society, and have achieved distinction in every possible field.

He was asked what Klodi has gained and what he has lost by his dramatic coming-out on television.

“He has lost nothing. He has gained the right to live in freedom, which is something that the four-million-odd Albanians counted in the last national census have been unable to do,” Pinderi said.

“The problem is not now with Klodi, because he has solved his ‘problem’ himself. The question is now whether we four million Albanians will solve this ‘problem’ and the many other ‘problems’ of our identity and integrity. Will all the rest of us be able to become as free as he is?”

Korrieri also carried an interview with a 48-year-old gay man from Tirana named Erion, who describes the life of Albanian homosexuals out of the media spotlight. Erion’s experience spans two eras, the communist past and the last 20 years of a democratic society:
"Before the ‘90s, under the communist regime, it was totally terrifying even to think of yourself saying, ‘I am homosexual’, because this earned not just moral disapproval but punishment under the law. You could be sentenced to seven to ten years. You had to keep it secret."

Erion saved himself from the communist prisons, but has not saved himself from secrecy, fear, and the discrimination he still encounters in post-communist Albanian society.

"I would never have thought that 20 years later homosexuals would still be living in secret, still scared. Some are liable even to suicide. In the last year there have been three suicides because people have been outlawed by society and their families. This shows clearly what the situation in Albania is like," Erion said.

"Discrimination against homosexuals in Tirana is neither sophisticated nor secret. It is open in public places and at work, and it is vicious. I have been present when homosexuals have been abused in public places, beaten up in the most bestial fashion. The police not only do not protect homosexuals but beat them up themselves."

So Erion keeps his homosexuality secret. He has to conceal his sexuality from society and from his family, although he does not feel guilty about it. However, one change has arrived for Albanian homosexuals, these “blameless sinners.”

The Law Against Discrimination comes into effect this month. The law has come as an initiative of civil society and has been drawn up with the cooperation of international experts.

For Erion, it is a positive step, but not enough to stop discrimination and to change the homophobia of Albanian society.

"The law was approved just to keep in line with our international partners and to fulfill the conditions for EU entry. I don’t think this law will be enforced, because society is aggressive, and not even the authorities themselves feel persuaded of the need to protect the rights of homosexuals.”

However, Erion has no intention of moving abroad.

“I want to make a contribution here in Albania, so that real changes for the protection of homosexuals come about, not just legal ones. I hope that if we talk again in a few years time, I won’t be able to believe the things I have told you, because we deserve our place in society.”

Meanwhile, despite the protests in Klodi’s home town, television viewers throughout Albania voted on March 20 to keep Klodi in the “Big Brother” house, to the “deep despair” of one contributor to Korrieri’s online message board.

“Even though they had the chance to remove from the house the self-proclaimed homosexual Klodi, they did not do this … They voted to kick out a fine and healthy young man because he was young and got excited and said he would cut off homosexuals’ heads on a table.”

 

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albanian-mp-reprimanded-for-gay-slur


NEWS
27 OCT 11 / 13:16:37
Albanian MP Reprimanded for Gay Slur
Albania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner has today reprimanded ruling Democratic Party MP, Tritian Shehu, for saying in parliament that “homosexuality is disease and should be treated with hormones,” last December.
Besar Likmeta Tirana

Ruling Democratic Party MP Tritan Shehu
“Mr. Shehu should avoid discriminatory remarks in the future, which cause an atmosphere of tension and unfriendliness towards the LGBT [Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender] community in Albania,” the commissioner wrote in a letter to parliament.

The commissioner also recommended that parliament grant “all guaranties so that the thoughts, opinions and remarks of the LGBT community are heard, evaluated and taken into consideration, when they are directly involved on specific topics, in order to help the community to enjoy fully its rights and freedoms.”

The anti-discrimination commissioner is akin to an Ombudsman and was created in the winter of 2009, when Albania approved a bill to protect sexual minorities from discriminatory practices.

It remains unclear why the commissioner waited up to 10 months to review the case over Shehu’s comments.

While the Albanian parliament decriminalised homosexual relations in 1995, more than a decade later gays and lesbians are still heavily stigmatised, and a majority hide their sexual orientation, fearing that if it is discovered their safety will be endangered.

Human rights reports on Albania concede that ingrained attitudes among the public leave Albanian gays and lesbians on the fringes of society.

According to the Albanian Human Rights Group, a Tirana based NGO, Albanian homosexuals face “intolerance, physical and psychological violence - often from the police - and discrimination in the workplace.”

 

I have not seen any jokes yet . I hope I have not missed them ?
Is that because everybody on this thread except me is Gay?
Janpoor has never mentioned it on his micro orgasmic economic model .Perhaps he will release his load soon .

 

it's just a way to represent others (by the creator of this post) as much as degenerate as possible , frankly speaking there is no reason to consider anything over here as a serious statement. Therefore, it's not really worth of feeling offended or anything like that. Now what i was about to ask, by saying gay do you mean on lively mood or being homosexual? It might sound dumb but I prefer to ask rather than conclude something totally different than the context itself

 

Well gay people have rights in the US and there are states that have gay marriages and its growing. And its coming to Albania as well. Your statement calling another preference a degenerate is a symptom of your "homophobia" and gay bashing.

 

excuse me?

 

Stop posting homophobic statements? Bigotry has no excuse to be under the guise of virtue.