“You’re on the wrong side of history,” entertainer Whoopi Goldberg tells the presidents of Uganda and Nigeria in a YouTube video made for the Human Rights Campaign. She focused on recent “roundups” of LGBT people in Nigeria because of the new anti-gay law there and the prospect of further arrests there and in Uganda, which … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: February 2014
9 moves to roll back Uganda’s anti-gay law
Supporters of LGBT rights are starting to respond to Uganda’s harsh new Anti-Homosexuality Law, which calls for up to seven years in prison for anyone convicted of “promoting homosexuality” and a life sentence for anyone who “touches another person with the intention of committing the act of homosexuality.” (For more info, see “Draconian details of … Continue reading
Fighting stereotypes of gay Kenyans
From the article “Fight Stereotypes of Gay Kenyans,” based on an interview with Kenya activist Jane Wothaya: “People don’t walk around with labels on their foreheads for you to see what their sexual orientation is. These people are your brothers, your sisters, your cousins, your employers and your employees. … Kenya’s understanding of sexual orientation and … Continue reading
Zimbabwe: Two victories for GALZ
Barely a month after winning a High Court battle with the police, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) scored another court victory this week, winning a case in which the organisation was facing charges of running an unregistered organisation — thereby contravening Section 6 (1) (3) of the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Act Chapter 17:05. … Continue reading
Uganda opposition takes aim at anti-gay law
Agence France-Presse reports from Kampala, Uganda: Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye on Wednesday [Feb. 26] criticised tough new anti-gay laws, saying that homosexuality was not “foreign” and that the issue was being used to divert attention from domestic problems. “Homosexuality is as Ugandan as any other behaviour, it has nothing to do with the foreigners,” … Continue reading
Court rules for LGBT rights group in Zimbabwe
Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) today won a court case that was aimed at shutting it down. Magistrate Don Ndirowei ruled that GALZ was exempt from the registration requirement that the prosecution had accused it of ignoring. “This is yet another legal victory that vindicates GALZ work of representing and protecting the rights and … Continue reading
Don’t cut ties with Uganda; that’s an anti-gay trap
The Rev. Canon Kapya Kaoma, an Episcopal priest from Zambia and a project director at Political Research Associates, predicted last month that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni would sign the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Now that Museveni has done so, Kaoma discusses what’s to be done now. He warns that some LGBT advocates’ calls for countries to cut … Continue reading
Ugandan advisers falsified report to boost anti-gay bill
Anti-gay advisers to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni tampered with a report that Ugandan scientists prepared for him as he deliberated about whether to sign the harsh Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Museveni had asked for a panel of experts to advise him on whether homosexuality is fixed at birth or is learned behavior that can be chosen. “The … Continue reading
Zambia: Acquittal for opponent of anti-gay laws
AIDS activist Paul Kasonkomona was acquitted today on charges that he was “soliciting for immoral purposes” when he appealed on television for the repeal of the Zambian law against homosexual activity, which he said encourages the spread of AIDS. Magistrate Lameck Ng’ambi ruled that the prosecution failed to prove its case against him. Because of … Continue reading
A victory for Russian defender of LGBT teens
Front Line Defenders reports: Russian Federation – Case against human rights defender Ms Lena Klimova closed On 21 February 2014, Nizhny Tagil Court ruled that the administrative case against human rights defender Ms Lena Klimova under the so-called “propaganda law” should be closed due to the lack of an offence. Lena Klimova is a journalist … Continue reading
