Photos’ goal: Prove that being LGBTQ isn’t ‘un-African’

Photographer Mikael Owunna has a mission: to debunk the myth that it is “un-African” to be LGBTQ. To accomplish that mission, he photographs LGBTQ African immigrants and tells their stories. Continue reading →

Court to rule on limiting East Africa’s anti-gay laws

Lawyers seeking recognition of the human rights of LGBTI people are scheduled to learn on Sept. 27 whether the Tanzania-based East African Court will take a stand for LGBTI rights by ruling that anti-gay laws such as the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act are unacceptable throughout East Africa. In its East African legal challenge to the Anti-Homosexuality … Continue reading →

‘Barbaric’ Anglican schism would not threaten LGBTI progress

Observers and members of the worldwide Anglican Communion, comprising churches that trace their roots back to the Church of England, are watching to see whether the Communion, representing a total of 85 million Christians, will break apart this week over the issue of inclusion or exclusion of LGBTI people. At this week’s meeting of Anglican … Continue reading →

Dear Rick Warren, please save African lives, not just souls

[Editor’s note: In a message to the blog, Warren stated (1) that this commentary misstates his record of speaking out about Christians’ responsibility for loving their homosexual neighbors as themselves and (2) that the All Africa Purpose Driven Church Congress is now scheduled for late 2016. I am seeking further information on both those subjects … Continue reading →

Human rights defenders urge respect for LGBTI Africans

Human rights advocates from more than a dozen African countries have issued a call for respect for the human rights of LGBTI people in Africa, a move that builds on a resolution made last year by the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights.  The gathering included representatives from Burundi, Cameroon, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo, … Continue reading →

African-American pastors’ Africa tour seeks end to anti-gay bias

  Excerpt from the Equal Eyes recap of worldwide LGBTI-related news: US: Black pastors launch African tour to counteract Rick Warren’s anti-gay movement Spearheaded by The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, Bishop Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder and Bishop-Elect Pastor Joseph Tolton, the organization’s international outreach ministry has launched a month-long tour of key African nations where LGBTI … Continue reading →

Ugandan anti-gay law is dead, but court challenge lives on

A legal battle continues against Uganda’s now-defunct Anti-Homosexuality Act, led by the Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF), a gay-friendly legal advocacy group in Uganda. HRAPF will not be joined in the case by the UHAI East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative (UHAI-EASHRI) or the Health Development Initiative-Rwanda (HDI-Rwanda), because the East African … Continue reading →

Challenge to Ugandan anti-gay law seeks regional impact

Activists in Uganda are continuing their legal battle against the country’s now-defunct Anti-Homosexuality Law, hoping that the Tanzania-based East African Court of Justice will issue a ruling that will make clear such anti-gay laws are unacceptable throughout East Africa. Uganda’s Constitutional Court overturned the law on Aug. 1 on procedural grounds — the lack of … Continue reading →

Congo: LGBT activists arrested, beaten, released (update)

[This article in French: Congo: 2 militants LGBT arrêtés, battus, libérés] Earlier this month, police in the Democratic Republic of Congo arrested two members of the non-governmental organization Rainbow Sunrise Mapambazuko, which works for sexual health and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Bukavu, DRC. In following up on the … Continue reading →

Protest over Kenyan claim that homosexuals = dogs

Human rights activists in Kenya have united to decry hate speech used yesterday by candidate William Ruto during Kenya’s deputy presidential debate. Quoting inaccurately from the Bible (Rev. 22:15), Ruto said that the Bible equates homosexuals with dogs. He said (at 13:30 on this video of the debate): “…if you read the Bible clearly, it … Continue reading →