The Lumagorri HAT association has been suspicious of the LGTBI Observatory. This Observatory intends to act against hate crimes in the field of sexual orientation and gender identity committed in Vitoria-Gasteiz, but the association is questioned.

For the association, the Observatory remains a promise of the City Hall, but as the elections are close and the rhythms of the institution are calm, “LGTBI is jeopardising the project for people’s rights.”

In December 2017, the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz published the conclusions of the diagnosis made among LGTBI citizens during the previous months. Lumagorri applauded the clarity of the results of these analyses, in which most of the LGBTI people surveyed reported having suffered aggressions: 57% in the public space, 44.8% in school, 28% in the world of work, 53.3% in health and 43% in leisure. It is also noteworthy that some of the respondents, to avoid physical aggression and insults, explained that they did not show their sexual orientation as a defense mechanism.

In May 2018, Lumagorri published a report on 15 sexual orientation and gender identity attacks in Vitoria-Gasteiz. All data were collected in 2017 and during the first six months of 2018: “We emphasize the precariousness of data collection, as we do not have premises or resources outside the association to be able to carry out this work,” the association said.

This report was the first report in Vitoria-Gasteiz in which the request in the City Council’s diagnosis to set up a local observatory against crimes of sexual orientation and hatred of gender identity was ratified.

“Years and months have passed, the legislature is going to end and we have not seen any results. We are aware of the tendency of this City to offer headlines which then do not materialise in anything. That is why it is essential that the Centre be set up before the election campaign,” the association stressed.

New diagnosis in May

Next May, International Day against LGBTBIphobia, Lumagorri will report back on the attacks that have taken place in the city. This work, one more year, has been carried out with own resources, without institutional support. “We want it to be the last time data collection takes place in a precarious way,” they said.

“We cannot forget institutional responsibilities with LGBTI people. That is why we call on the City Hall to launch the observatory project as soon as possible,” concluded Lumagorri.

This news was released by Hala Bedi and we brought it to ARGIA thanks to the Creative Commons free licenses.