The concept of “traditional values” has been weaponized for use against LGBT people. “Through a persistent rhetoric, powerfully promoted by Russia and its allies, LGBT people have come to embody all that is antithetical to so-called ‘traditional values,’ ” says Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. Continue reading
Category Archives: Commentary
Homophobes create a god in their own image
Angry? Anti-gay? Anti-feminist? “It is a terrible idolatrous mistake when we make God in our image.” — the Rev. Canon Rosie Harper at the Intimate Conviction conference, Jamaica, October 2017. Continue reading
Jamaican police, stop anti-LGBT pepper-spray attacks
On many nights, police in Jamaica attack homeless LGBT residents of Kingston with pepper spray in order to force them to move on or move away. Continue reading
Sanctions target gay-friendly Anglicans, not homophobes. Why?
The Anglican Communion rebukes American, Canadian and Scottish churches that stray from its party line against same-sex marriage, but remains silent as conservative African churches ignore the Communion’s call for an end to homophobic prejudice, violence and criminal laws targeting LGBT people. LGBTI equality activist the Rev. Colin Coward challenged those positions in a talk … Continue reading
The first LGBTQI+ conference for French speakers
LGBTQI+ activists in French-speaking countries (La Francophonie) must overcome many challenges that their counterparts in English-speaking countries do not face. Two representatives of the new French-speaking IGLF Coalition took part in August’s first-ever international French-language LGBTQI+ conference in Montreal. Here they discuss the importance of this gathering and the state of LGBTQI+ activism in La … Continue reading
Jamaica-bound: Defying the odds with Pride
By G. Wright Muir I had no idea what to expect when my girlfriend and I flew in from Fort Lauderdale to Jamaica last year for Montego Bay Pride. Of course, it was an experience like no other. Glorious! This year I’m proud to return to Montego Bay Pride as one of the coordinators of … Continue reading
4 dos and don’ts for parents of LGBTI teenagers
How should loving parents support and protect their LGBTI children through the potential difficulties they might face? We’ve compiled a handy guide to help you. Continue reading
Family forced him to marry; he chose death instead
This is the story of Sajjad, a young Bangladeshi man who was full of life, forever beaming with a smile and good humour, who never stopped battling through life’s tempests and making time to serve people around him. Until one day the battle became too much for him. Continue reading
Another U.S. pastor pushes homophobia in Africa
Pastor Monica Pinnock, founder of Rehoboth Christian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., traveled to Nigeria recently to advise church leaders to rebuke homosexuals, describing them as “devices of the enemy.” She follows in the footsteps of many other U.S.-based anti-LGBT evangelical preachers who have fanned the flames of homophobia in Africa, including Scott Lively and … Continue reading
A surprise: This Nigerian drama portrays gay love positively
Amidst great hostility toward homosexuals, a new mainstream Nigerian online video series dares to portray love between two men. Continue reading