JP VÄISÄNEN

...........................................................foto: Maria Vladimirovich

Synaspismos´s Filio Tsoukala (left) and Juha-pekka Väisänen Finnish Communist Party .
Office of French Communist Party in the back ground

Translation from Finnish Communist Party´s Newspaper “Tiedonantaja” Published in Finnish 30.5.2008

THE NEW EUROPEAN LEFT OPPOSES HOMOPHOBIA

Communists support sexual minorities' fight for for their rights

In Europe the rights of the sexual minorities are more or less a mess. Cristin Mendelson from the Executive Board of the Party of the European Left and the French Communist Party (Member of Secretariat) thinks it's time now to show concrete solidarity towards the sexual minorities in Europe. Mendelson, who's also a member of the European left's government, participated In Paris in the international meeting of sexual minorities.

Mendelson believes it's a duty for the European left to act as an alternative to capitalist politics.
- the left have earlier mostly concentrated on thwarting violations of social rights, as well as antiracist activity. Now it's time for the communists to take up the human rights of sexual minorities, and put them on the political agenda, Mendelson says.

A common fightcall

There are several workgroups inside the European left. A new one was founded now in Paris, the workgroup of sexual minorities, called Network of gay, lesbian, bi- and transsexual- queer- left activists. The Finnish Communist Party is represented in the new workingroup by conceptual artist Juha-Pekka Väisänen. There are 11 European communist and left parties in the new group.

Concrete solidarity is shown by the new European left workgroup, as it sends representants to the Gay Pride in Warsaw on the 7th of June- organized in order for the rights of sexual minorities be spoken about. In Poland international political pressure is needed, to support the local gays' and lesbians' fight for their human rights. With the presence of the representatives from the international political group we try to stop violence, which in the conservative, catholic Poland has marked the demonstrations of sexual minorities.

Schools have an important role

Tell us how you did it in Finland,- says Filato Tsoukala from the Greek Synapsismos party.- In Greece it's impossible to get to schools to talk about sexual minorities- in fact, any talk at all about sexuality is difficult.

In the activity against homophobia increasing quality information is significant.
An unknown thing like homosexual culture, is best seen if given a human face, and people must be encouraged to talk openly about their sexual preference. In sexual education at schools also the diverse repertory of sexual minorities should be remembered: the homo- and bi-sexuals, transsexuals, as well as open discussion on the changing sexual identity.
In Finland sexual minorities have for long been allowed to act as experts in schools.

- The French conservative party, Union pour un mouvement populaire, and the president of the country, Nicolas Sarkozy, say there's no need to make noise about the rights of sexual minorities, because France has already approved The United Nations' Human Rights Declaration, and that's enough,- tells the primus motor of the French communist party's new workgroup, Benjamin Selasse, angrily.

The rightwing French government has decided to decrease ground level education by making redundant some 55 000 teachers during the next two years. Paris streets are again full of furious leftist demonstrators, defending the importance of education in the society. Selasse himself works at the Paris University, remarking that homophobia can be met in France each and every day.