Anti-gay politician sworn in as Zambian president

Anti-gay Zambian defense  minister Edgar Lungu was inaugurated today as president of Zambia. By a majority of 48.3 percent to 46.7 percent, he  won the Jan.  20 election to fill the remainder of the term of former President Michael Sata, who died in October. Lungu is a long-time opponent of gay rights. In 2013, as … Continue reading →

Uganda refugee project survives anti-gay attacks of 2014

The Refugee Law Project (RLP) in Uganda is about to resume its work with refugees and asylum seekers after a 10-month suspension. RLP,  a community outreach project of the Makerere University School of Law, was established in 1999 to provide legal aid to asylum seekers and refugees in Uganda. The Ugandan government ordered it to … Continue reading →

Botswana appeals ruling in favor of LGBTI rights group

The Botswana government is appealing a November 2014 court ruling that instructed it to  register the LGBTI rights organization LeGaBiBo (Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana). LeGaBiBo vowed to oppose the government’s appeal. It is currently consulting with attorneys about what steps to take next. LeGaBiBo coordinator Annah Mmolai-Chalmers said Jan. 21 that the group was disappointed by … Continue reading →

Uganda LGBTI get 2nd chance to elect legitimate reps

Efforts to increase LGBTI people’s and sex workers’ involvement in planning Ugandan health services are not going smoothly, reports Ugandan correspondent Kikonyogo Kivumbi. An election to choose representatives of those key population groups was ruled invalid on Wednesday, Jan. 21. As a result, those groups still have no official representatives on the Ugandan health policy … Continue reading →

LGBTI activists optimistic about new Sri Lankan leaders

LGBTI activists in Sri Lanka hope that a new group of reform-minded leaders who took office early this month will move the country closer to repeal of its ancient anti-gay law. “We are confident they will do the right thing,” said Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, executive director of the Sri Lankan LGBTI group Equal Ground. Kaleidoscope Australia … Continue reading →

Cameroon police entrap gay men to extort bribes

By Erin Royal Brokovitch The prospect of getting a bribe is a strong motivation for Cameroon police and prosecutors in their dealings with men who are suspected of being gay. That was demonstrated in a recent case involving a 21-year-old university student known as C., who was lured to a meeting with a police informer, … Continue reading →

Trans woman attacked again in Cameroon

The advocacy group Camfaids (the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS)  today reported a new attack against a trans woman in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Over the past few years, she has been repeatedly beaten, arrested, jailed and released. (See related stories below.) This is a translation of today’s Camfaids report: A trans woman was attacked in Yaoundé, Cameroon, … Continue reading →

Anti-AIDS activists hope, but fear, Ugandan patent law

By Kikonyogo Kivumbi Human rights activists are focusing on Uganda’s Industrial Property Act of 2014 in hopes that the new law can help rather than hinder the fight against AIDS, especially in the LGBTI community. Activists say that LGBTI people and other vulnerable populations that currently bear the brunt of HIV/AIDS must be at the … Continue reading →

Priest, young man arrested; Cameroon police seek bribe

We received the following statement from the CAMFAIDS (Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS), based in Yaounde, Cameroon (slightly modified): Priest and a young man arrested for homosexuality in Yaounde last Friday (Jan. 16) at around 10 pm by officers from the special operations group (GSO). According to facts gathered by CAMFAIDS’ legal officer, during the ride … Continue reading →

Mozambique: Anti-gay law is gone, anti-gay bias remains

Add Mozambique to the list of countries with no law against same-sex intimacy, which isn’t to say that LGBTI people in that east African nation enjoy equal treatment under the law. The country’s LGBTI advocacy organization, Lambda, has been fighting since 2008 for official government recognition. Last year, Mozambique revised a Penal Code that had … Continue reading →