by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, is seeking help from activists abroad in getting the organization registered with the government.
The Legal Entities Registration Agency has stonewalled the process, saying that it does not accept English words that have been transliterated into Cyrillic and that the center's name is "not moral" and is unacceptable to the public.
"The name … has a meaning that conflicts with Mongolian customs and traditions and has the potential to set the wrong example for youth and adolescents," said an official rejection letter.
For its part, the center says: "We are adamant about registering our NGO as the 'Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre.' … It is how we define ourselves, these are internationally accepted terminologies, and it is important that the public come to understand just what these terms mean. The LERA's assertion that they will not accept transliterated names is false as there are numerous NGOs registered and operating in Mongolia that have transliterated names."
The group requests that foreign activists complain to the Mongolian Ministry of Justice and the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia.
