AGLTS – Association of Gays, Lesbians and Transgenders of Santana

The organization’s mission is to promote access to social, psychological and legal assistance of homosexuals; to advise organizations and groups on issues of interest to LGBTs; to support other charities that help people with HIV/AIDS/STD; to propose, discuss and contribute to municipal, state and federal public policies; and to stimulate social projects on Education, Health, Sports and Leisure. AGLTS is part of the Northern NGOs Network, the National LGBT Alliance, the Gay Art Network, the Faor Network and the NGO Aids Network, amongst others.

Since its founding in 2003 AGLTS has been holding events for the promotion of the philosophy and modus vivendi of homosexuals. Last year the group carried out the first phase of the project ‘Santana Without Homophobia’ with the support of Brazil Fund. The project aimed at conducting a survey of the number of LGBT individuals subjected to prostitution and human rights violation, as well as improving the quality of the treatment to the public in services offered by the state and municipal governments in Santana, especially in the field of Social Assistance. Apart from reaching about 250 participants in workshops and conferences, the project was disseminated by the local media.

The Project

The 2nd phase of the project ‘Santana Without Homophobia’ seeks to expand the training activities to Public Health technicians and managers, in the attempt of decreasing the prejudice against homosexuals in the municipality. According to the group, public health services are among the most sought after by LGBTs, but there is still discrimination by the professionals who treat them.

The mapping of public services’ places where reports of prejudice were registered, conducted in the first phase, pointed out a significant number of situations in which homosexuals were subjected to rights violation in the Public Health sector: 70% of those who responded to the survey had already suffered some kind of embarrassment in this sector. The continuity of actions, now aimed at public health professionals, is, therefore, a demand noticed in the first phase of the project.

According to the Association, a real improvement was observed in the Social Service public care in the units where the project was implemented. The participants of the project have become important allies in the fight against homophobia and multipliers in the defense of human rights.

To achieve similar results, among the activities proposed is the dissemination of the project in the general media, especially in radios and TVs; institutional visits to the units to raise awareness of the relevance of executing the project; workshops with the participation of volunteers who have already worked in the first phase; and the conduction of the ‘II Conference on LGBT Public Policies’.

The partners in the project are: the Department of STD/Aids, which will offer condoms to be distributed during the events; and the Brazil House (16), which will provide the physical space for the meetings and workshops.