Part I Experiences of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex in the Asia Pacific Thoughts and stories of being Being LGBTI by Being LGBTI in Asia. A recent report from the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe recommended that: … national and international medical classifications which pathologise variations in sex characteristics should be reviewed with a view to eliminating obstacles to the effective enjoyment, by intersex persons, of human rights, including the right to the highest attainable standard of health.67 In November 2015, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights raised similar issues and recommended policies and programs to sensitise medical practitioners about intersex people and the human rights violations they face.68 1.7. DISCLOSURE ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY AND INTERSEX STATUS Every person has the right to privacy in choosing whether or when to disclose their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status. 1.7.1. Disclosing sexual orientation A lesbian, gay, bisexual or other sexual minority person who does not disclose their sexual orientation is often described as being ‘in the closet’ or ‘closeted’. Telling someone about being lesbian, gay or bisexual is called ‘coming out’. Openness can counter myths that lesbian, gay and bisexual people do not exist and makes it possible for others to come out too. Each person has the right to decide how much or how little to disclose about their sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status. In this region and internationally, Pride festivals are one way that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities celebrate their diversity. However, there are still many parts of this region where it is not safe to do this, raising significant concerns about freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.69 In parts of the region where coming out publically is not a safe option, ‘disclosure’ may be a more appropriate term for describing how someone makes decisions about when it is safe to tell another person about their sexual orientation. 67 Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, 2015. 68 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Violencia contra personas LGBTI, 2015, p. 257; at www.oas.org/es/cidh/informes/ pdfs/ViolenciaPersonasLGBTI.pdf. 69 See Chapter 2. Chapter 1: Understanding sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics | 23