The people of Malawi apparently aren’t ready to repeal the country’s laws against homosexual activity, says President Joyce Banda, who has vowed to seek to overturn them. Current law in Malawi provides for imprisonment for up to five years for “indecent practices between males” and up to 14 years for “unnatural offenses” such as same-sex … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: September 2012
Romney and the religious right’s anti-LGBT foreign policy
This is an except from commentary by the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle that appeared in the San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. In it, Ogle describes and analyzes this week’s Clinton Global Initiative 2012 conference in New York, including a speech by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. Foreign policy under Romney – the role of … Continue reading
Iraq has become a death trap for gay men
The BBC has directed a renewed spotlight on the extreme peril that gay and transgender people face in Iraq. Its report by Natalia Antelava, titled “Witch-hunt in Iraq,” builds on previous accounts of death squads, unopposed by the Iraqi government, that repeatedly attack Iraqis who either are gay or have adopted a goth-like “emo” style. … Continue reading
Anti-LGBT win at UN for Russia and ‘traditional values’
The U.N.Human Rights Council today adopted a Russian resolution supporting “traditional values,” which LGBT activists fear will be used to deny human rights to women and to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 25-15, with seven abstentions. It endorses “the important role of the family” and seeks … Continue reading
Iran’s stern, bizarre anti-homosexuality message
In Iran, where homosexual activity is punishable by death, political and religious leaders use a mix of old misunderstandings and new misconceptions as reasons to oppose basic human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. The two most recent Iranian denunciations of homosexuality came from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and from Ali Akbar Velayati, … Continue reading
What African heads of state won’t say at the UN
Reposted from the Huffington Post, with permission: What African Heads of State Won’t Say at the UN General Assembly By Josh D. Scheinert The opening of the UN General Assembly is taking place before us. It is a grand opportunity, a chance to challenge one’s own nation and the international community at large to be … Continue reading
Do you have advice for LGBT rights activists in Belize?
What strategy should an LGBT rights group pursue when homophobic religious leaders launch a counterattack? That’s what Caleb Orozco, executive president of the United Belize Advocacy Movement, wants to know. He is hoping that experienced LGBT activists and others around the world will make suggestions in the comments section below. Earlier this month, the country’s … Continue reading
U.S. media ignore French plea to U.N. to make gay sex legal
In a speech to the United Nations yesterday, French President François Hollande urged the repeal of all laws against homosexuality worldwide, such as those currently in effect in 76-plus countries. That news went unreported in the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. To read about it, you’d have to turn to online … Continue reading
Lesbian couple flees from homophobic violence in Africa
Lesbian couple flees homophobic violence in Africa, without government help — just a bit of help from a supportive blogger. http://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2012/09/25/lesbian-couple-under-siege-flee-african-country/ Related articles United Nations Releases New Guidelines To Promote LGBT Safety And Equality (queerty.com) Continue reading
Jamaica’s deadly homophobia also kills heterosexuals
Jamaica’s deadly homophobia also kills heterosexuals, LGBT rights activist Maurice Tomlinson observes. Specifically, just yesterday: “On Monday, September 24, 2012 a family’s home was firebombed, an innocent man was hacked to death and his daughter severely chopped by a machete-wielding mob when reports surfaced that two boys were found drowned after allegedly being sodomized and … Continue reading
