The 2nd Educational Congress against Homophobia [II Jornada Educacional Contra La Homofobia] will take place on May 7-17, 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The congress means to address problems of prejudices related to sexual orientation or gender identity in Puerto Rico and to raise consciousness about how these types of discrimination are detrimental to respect for diversity, to dignity, and to basic human rights, the pillars of democratic society.

This date has been chosen because, 19 years ago, on May 17, 1990, the general Assembly of the Mental Health Organization definitively eliminated homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses, ending almost a century of medical homophobia and systematic discrimination against lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. Since then, May 17 has been adopted in many countries as the International Day against Homophobia to reaffirm solidarity towards people of any sexual orientation. This congress seeks to build solidarity and to deconstruct homophobia in order to all types of discrimination and violence.

Activities of the congress include film screenings, lectures, round tables, public debates, music, theater, and performance.

Co-sponsors and organizers include the Puerto Rico chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International, the Committee against Homophobia and Discrimination, Puerto Rico Queer Filmfest, graduate students from the School of Social Work at the University of Puerto Rico, and support groups such as PLIEGOS, Metamorphosis, and Puerto Rico para Tod@s.

For more information and schedule of events, see http://prparatodos.org/jornada

Photo from http://vivirlatino.com/tags/gay