Lambda Legal Committee
The Lambda Legal Committee (RKL) is an association founded in Austria in 1991 , which advocates equal rights for homosexual and transgender people. The chairman is Helmut Graupner .
aims
The aim of the work of the association is "the end of any discrimination against same-sex women and men in all legal areas in Austria". In particular, the consistent anchoring of the fundamental and human right to self-determination of sexual and love life, as it is already recognized by the European Court of Human Rights and in part also by the Austrian Constitutional Court, in legislation and implementation in legal practice is a major focus of work.
In particular, the existing protection offered by the Austrian legal system against discrimination and hate speech (based on gender, race, ethnic origin, religion, etc.) should also be extended to "sexual orientation" and a comprehensive and effective anti-discrimination law should be enacted.
job
The RKL is particularly active in lifestyle policy. They shall at the same by the Equality and of heterosexual, non-marital relationships, as well as by opening civil marriage be opened for same-sex couples these same choices for the legal relationship with their partners as heterosexual affairs. Same-sex couples should also be recognized and socially protected in the same way as different-sex couples.
The rehabilitation of the victims of the earlier anti-homosexual special criminal legislation and their compensation are further focal points. In addition, the RKL also works in the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA, based in Brussels) to ensure that the work of international organizations such as the UN , Council of Europe , EU and OSCE also takes into account the human rights and fundamental freedoms of homosexual women and men. In addition, the RKL offers affected persons free legal advice and help on all questions relating to partnership, inheritance and housing matters, criminal law, labor law, legal questions in connection with HIV or AIDS, etc.) The advice is provided by qualified lawyers.
§ 209
The greatest success of the Lambda Legal Committee is the repeal of Section 209 of the Criminal Code. This was introduced in 1971 after the abolition of the total ban on homosexuality in Austria (Section 129b StGB - comparable to Section 175 in the German Criminal Code) along with three other criminal law paragraphs. Section 209 of the Criminal Code in particular was massively fought by the Austrian lesbian and gay movement . After all political attempts to abolish this paragraph failed, the judicial committee took Lambda to court with a case. In 2002 the Constitutional Court repealed this anti-homosexual paragraph without replacement. As a result, the National Council decided unanimously to repeal Section 209 of the Criminal Code prematurely. The repeal took effect on August 14, 2002; At the same time, a replacement provision was introduced with Section 207b of the Criminal Code, which stipulates a uniform minimum age and also applies to heterosexual sexual contacts.
swell
- Web presence
- Homosexual Equality Act [1]
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paragraph 209 decision: Art. I Z. 19b, IX BGBl I 134/2002