The Zambian Government has suggested that it will introduce harsher punishments for LGBT people after a human rights activist appeared on television to discuss gay rights Zambian Government ministers have suggested that penalties for LGBT people may be increased following the arrest of human rights activist Paul Kasonkomona after he appeared on Zambian television to discuss gay rights. Kasonkomona was arrested last Sunday directly after he appeared on Zambia’s MUVI television channel and was held for three nights before police charged him with being ‘idle and disorderly in a public place.’ Kasonkomona has plead not guilty to the charges. Following his arrest, Zambian Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili told Radio Phoenix’s Let The Talk program that the government would introduce stiffer laws to curb what he termed ‘gay-ism.’ Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo confirmed the government’s plans. ‘We will not tolerate homosexuality in Zambia – in fact as government

A gay rights activist and HIV campaigner has been granted bail in Zambia, having called for same-sex relationships to be decriminalised. Paul Kasonkomona was arrested last Sunday following a live television appearance in which he argued for same-sex relationships to be decriminalised in the African nation. Officers reportedly tried to cut the interview short, but managers of the television station refused. The 38-year-old appeared in court yesterday and pleaded not guilty to being idle and disorderly in a public place. The BBC reports Mr Kasonkomona was ordered to pay 5,000 kwacha (£605) and the trial is due to start on 15 May 2013. In a separate case at Zambia’s High Court, his lawyers are suing for unlawful detention as he was kept in police cells for more than 48 hours before being charged. Laws in Zambia prohibit same-sex sexual activity between both males and females. Mr Kasonkomona could face one

Macky Sall, Senegal’s president, says there is no way his country will legalize gay sex There is no question of decriminalizing same-sex acts in Senegal, affirmed the country’s president Macky Sall. In a statement released today (12 April) by the presidency, he ‘firmly stressed that the state has never considered such an option and it is totally excluded under my presidency’, reported the BBC. The Senegalese president also stated: ‘The African basic roots of our cultural values can not allow to accommodate an option to decriminalize homosexuality’. On Tuesday, Socialist deputy Iba Der Thiam had demanded that the president of Senegal’s National Assembly, Moustapha Niasse, states the ‘official position of the government of Senegal on the issue of decriminalization of homosexuality’. A anti-gay debate is raging in the local press for the past month. The latest anti-gay hysteria started when a Frenchman was ‘caught’ and arrested in a fight allegedly

A prominent gay rights activist has been arrested in Zambia after appearing on a live television calling for same-sex relations to be decriminalised. Paul Kasonkomona had been charged with “inciting the public to take part in indecent activities”, police chief Solomon Jere told AFP news agency. He was detained as he stepped out of the studios of privately owned Muvi TV in the capital, it reports. Homosexual acts are illegal in deeply conservative Zambia. Correspondents say many people believe that it is contrary to their religious beliefs. Petition Sources at the television station in Lusaka told AFP that police tried to stop the interview and take Mr Kasonkomona off air but the management refused. South Africa-based campaign group Ndifuna Ukwazi demanded Mr Kasonkomona’s release, in an online petition addressed to Zambia’s President Michael Sata. “We further urge your government to immediately start a process to decriminalise consensual sex between adults

Abidjan, Ivory Coast — On a recent Saturday night, a group of young men mingled outside what looked like an ordinary warehouse in Abidjan’s southern industrial zone. Inside, a DJ improvised a set list made up mostly of club tracks, including Rihanna and Chris Brown from America, and Chidinma and Iyanya from Nigeria. The crowd danced in front of an oversize mirror bordered with red Christmas lights, sipping beer and sparkling wine. It was one of the last nights Ivory Coast’s most prominent gay bar was open for business. It closed its doors this past weekend after an eight-year run as the main attraction of the city’s gay scene, one of the most permissive in conservative West Africa. The bar was both a symbol of Ivory Coast’s live-and-let-live approach to LGBT rights, as well as an occasional flashpoint highlighting latent homophobia among the general population. The bar opened in 2005,

While conservative evangelical and Catholic leaders complain loudly about the “persecution” they suffer in the United States, the culture wars they are igniting and supporting around the world subject LGBT people and their allies to very real persecution. The role that American religious right leaders have played in fomenting anti-gay bigotry in Uganda has been well-documented, but never before with the emotional punch delivered by God Loves Uganda, a new documentary by Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “I love Uganda,” says Kapya Koama in the film’s opening words. But, “something frightening is happening that has the potential to destroy Uganda.” Filmmaker Williams was given remarkable access to leaders and missionaries affiliated with the International House of Prayer (IHOP) movement based in Kansas City, and he makes the most of it. Dominionist Lou Engle describes Africa as a “firepot of spiritual renewal

Cameroon – Two Men who had been arrested and released on charges of homosexuality in January have been rearrested again, it has been reported. Jonas Singa Kumie and Franky Djome (Franky Ndome), variously described as gay men and as transgender, went shopping last Sunday at the Essos market in Yaoundé where they were insulted by some of the traders and onlookers. In a report carried in 76 Crimes, Jonas, interviewed March 26 at a police station, said “When we walked by, people began to insult us. They called us queers, witches, women. Some merchants threatened to beat us up and began throwing stones and tomatoes at us.” The pair, it is alleged, stopped at a salon in hopes of getting manicures and pedicures, but within minutes a crowd formed around them. A fight broke out between the two gay men and the merchants. “People were throwing stones and other objects

No good seems likely to come from this: A Nigerian movie called “Law 58? reportedly will be released soon, at least on DVD, with the aim of “throw[ing] light on gay practices in the country and its devastating effects on the society at large,” in the words of Naija.com. The film, reportedly shot several years ago but not yet released, is by award-winning and formerly prominent producer-director Dickson Iroegbu. Information Nigeria described the film as “an expository, yet shocking movie on gay practice and its consequences on the traditional African society.” The issue of homosexuality and rumors about who is and who isn’t gay have played a prominent role recently in public discourse in Nigeria. Iroegbu himself has denied rumors that he is gay. The country already has a law providing a sentence of up to 14 years for homosexual activity, but many legislators want stricter laws. Both house of

Most people charged with violating Cameroon’s law against homosexual activity are convicted based on little or no evidence, Human Rights Watch states in a report released today. The study was prepared in cooperation with Cameroonian LGBT-rights organizations Alternatives-Cameroun, the Association for the Defense of Gays and Lesbians (ADEFHO), and the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS). The study cites “numerous cases in which the law against homosexual conduct was used for settling scores, showing how the law is easily subject to abuse. Dozens of Cameroonians do jail time solely because they are suspected of being gay or lesbian, the groups found.” Below is today’s HRW press release about the study, which this blog will soon examine and report on in greater detail. Cameroon: Rights Abuses in ‘Homosexuality’ Prosecutions Record Arrests for Same-Sex Intimacy; Rule of Law Violations (Yaoundé) – Cameroon prosecutes people for consensual same-sex conduct more aggressively than almost any

President Yoweri Museveni has said there is no discrimination, no killings, no marginalization and no luring of young people using money into homosexual acts in Uganda. Issues relating to sexual minority groups, Mr Museveni also said, have been “distorted” leading to wrong public debate. “In our society, there were a few homosexuals. There was no persecution, no killings and no marginalization of these people but they were regarded as deviants. Sex among Africans including heterosexuals is confidential,” Mr Museveni said. Mr Museveni made the remarks on Tuesday while meeting a delegation led by Ms Kerry Kennedy, the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, an American based Human Rights organization. “If am to kiss my wife in public, I would lose an election in Uganda. Western people exhibit sexual acts in public which we don’t do here,” he added. Mr Museveni has also promised to

Unconfirmed report via Facebook and Identity Kenya: Mogadishu – A gay man was allegedly stoned to death as punishment for homosexuality, a gay Muslim group has said Saturday. According to Somali Gay Community, the young man, Mohamed Ali Baashi ,18, was buried in a hole up to his chest and then pelted with rocks by members of the Al Qaeda link group Al Shabaab on Friday, March 15, in Barawe, about 50 miles from the capital, Mogadishu. The group, through its Facebook page, Somali Gay Community, posted three photos of alleging they were from the stoning. [Editor's note: Some of the distressing photos don't seem to match the description of a man "buried in a hole up to his chest."] However, Identity Kenya could not independently verify this claim or the alleged stoning and efforts to reach the group have not been successful. The group said the young man was

With an 18,8% estimated HIV-AIDS prevalence rate for the country, The Weekender asked few individuals from the gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-gender and intersex (LGBTI) communities what they, in particular are doing to fight the pandemic. “HIV is a great concern and should be regarded as a top priority whether you are heterosexual or belong to LGBTI community. We do not take this lightly and treat this as a matter of importance, as this is about the wellbeing of our people. That is why no matter how small our own campaigns, we as organisations try to encourage correct and consistent condom use, faithfulness and adherence to treatment at ground and community level” said Deyonce /Naris, a former radio presenter who is a Khaibasen community project co-founder. “LGBTI people face stigma and discrimination (for their sexual orientation) and if one gets infected, the stigma becomes even more,” said Deyonce. These two issues

An alliance made up of Iran, Russia and Egypt has threatened to derail a UN declaration urging an end to violence against women and girls by objecting to language concerning LGBT rights and reproduction. Reuters reports delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are racing to reach a deal on a final document by Friday. However, it’s claimed Russia, the Vatican, Iran and other conservative Islamic states object to references regarding emergency contraception, abortion, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and LGBT rights. “There’s this sort of unholy alliance… coming together to oppose language on sexual health, reproductive rights and LGBT rights,” one senior unnamed UN diplomat said. “It’s tough going, but progress is being made.” He added: “People recognise that if there’s a failure again this year to get an outcome document, then the whole future of the status of women commission is at risk.” UN

Reports out of South Africa say a gay man has been killed after going on a date with a person he met over the internet. The body of Graham Flax, 65, was found under a duvet in the corridor outside his flat in Cape Town last weekend. According to News24, a police spokesperson said Mr Flax had suffered a hard knock to the head. “Residents of the building heard how he screamed: ‘Let me go! Let me go!” at about 02:40 on Saturday morning,” said Police Captain Frederick van Wyk. A laptop and mobile phone were stolen from the flat, which was not locked. Police have not linked the case to recent reports of a gang targeting gay men by strangling them to death and ransacking their homes in the South African province of Gauteng – but say they are similarities in the cases. News24 reports a man is due

In Cameroon, the topic of homosexuality is no longer taboo. Both in Yaoundé and Douala, on the street, in taxis, restaurants, bars, offices and markets, on the radio and on television, it is difficult to spend a day or even an hour without the conversation reverting to this topic. Opposition to homosexuality has become the focus of increasingly frequent conferences, panel discussions, sermons, religious campaigns, and interviews with politicians, bishops and other religious leaders in Cameroon, especially in the Cameroon Tribune, the government’s bilingual daily newspaper. President Paul Biya suggests that people in Cameroon may be changing their minds about homosexuality, but the most obvious change is the frequency of discussions of the issue. Increasingly, the issue of homosexuality comes up in day-to-day conversations. Most people agree: “With as much energy has we can muster, in the harshest terms possible, we must condemn this behavior, which is so harmful for

A gay couple who fled from Uganda’s homophobic laws married in Sweden, and are now allowed to stay after worldwide support A married Ugandan gay couple have won their case to stay in Sweden. Lawrence Kaala obtained a residency permit in Sweden yesterday (28 February), after fears he would be deported back to native Uganda with its strict anti-gay laws. Earlier this year, Kaala and his partner Jimmy Sswerwadda legally married in a church, an apparent first for a Ugandan gay couple. But as soon as they married, Sweden’s Migration Board (SMD) issued a deportation order for Kaala. In 2008, Sswerwadda left after being arrested and beaten for ‘promoting homosexuality’. He left behind his long-term partner Kaala, as ‘he would have insisted on coming with and that would have put our lives at risk.’ As Uganda’s hatred of gay people grew, Kaala said he had to suffer verbal and physical

Human rights and anti-AIDS activists in Uganda are busy doing good work, even though the Ugandan parliament seems poised to pass a bill that would put them in even greater danger because they defend the rights and health of sexual minorities. “The LGBTI community is already experiencing the adverse effects of this bill, even before it is passed,” says Frank Kamya, secretary/administrator of the AIDS-fighting Youth on Rock Foundation. Some prominent activists are thinking about whether they should start the process of seeking asylum in case the Anti-Homosexuality Bill passes, which would make their work a criminal offense, Kamya said. But meanwhile, preparations are under way to take part in celebrations of International Women’s Day on March 8. Transgender women from Trans Equality Uganda will march with others, followed by speeches and a performance by the foundation’s Rock Angels. Activists are also planning an intensified outreach program in April to

Cameroonian LGBT advocate Michel Togue (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers) A lawyer who represents LGBT Cameroonians on Thursday urged his African country’s government to stop the persecution of gay men and lesbians. “Gay people are not seeking everyone to approve of their behavior,” Michel Togué said during a roundtable at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights in Northwest D.C. “They are seeking freedom.” Authorities since 2010 have prosecuted nearly 30 people under the section of the country’s penal code that imposes a sentence of up to five years in prison and a roughly $400 fine against anyone convicted of same-sex sexual activity. These include Jean-Claude Roger Mbede, whom police in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé arrested in March 2011 after he sent a flirtatious text message to another man. Police in July 2011 arrested Jonas Kimie and Franky Ndome outside a Yaoundé nightclub and

Pan Africa ILGA congratulates Batho Ba Lorato Film Festival Committee and LEGABIBO on Botswana’s first LGBTQ Film Festival. This film festival, coined Batho Ba Lorato (People of love) is an attempt to create a platform for dialogue through the use of film. Taking place from the 12th – 15th February 2013, the festival will be bringing together a society divided on views on homosexuality, Trans and Intersex issues at the University of Botswana Library Auditorium Pan Africa ILGA congratulates Batho Ba Lorato Film Festival Committee and LEGABIBO on Botswana’s first LGBTQ Film Festival. This film festival, coined Batho Ba Lorato (People of love) is an attempt to create a platform for dialogue through the use of film. Taking place from the 12th – 15th February 2013, the festival will be bringing together a society divided on views on homosexuality, Trans and Intersex issues at the University of Botswana Library Auditorium.

The killing of opposition leader Chokri Belaid has triggered the greatest political crisis in the country since the revolution. Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali on Saturday (February 9th) threatened to quit, warning of chaos unless a new government were formed. Jebali said he would resign within days if key ministries held by fellow Islamists were not filled by non-partisan technocrats, TAP reported. His comments came as several thousand supporters of his moderate Islamist Ennahda party took to the streets to oppose his plans for the new Tunisia cabinet. Jebali decided to make the change after the killing of Tunisian opposition leader Chokri Belaid on Wednesday sparked widespread unrest. “I had to take the decision without consulting the political parties, the day of the assassination, fearing that the country would slide into chaos,” Jebali told France 24. “If the initiative fails, what would you suggest to the Tunisian people, what alternative?

While his wife and children are requesting asylum, Togue is hoping to return soon to Cameroon, insisting “it would be cowardly to give up, it’s my duty to defend human rights and to contribute to a more tolerant Cameroon.” Washington – A Cameroonian lawyer who has received death threats for defending gays and lesbians in a country where homosexuality is outlawed has sought refuge with his family in the United States. In his home country, homosexuality is associated with “sorcery and black magic,” said Yaounde lawyer Michel Togue, amid rising concern by international rights groups about the treatment of gays in many African nations. “Homophobia is on the rise, and intolerance is growing,” he told AFP, recalling one case where a gay person was sentenced to “six months in prison just for declaring their love in a text-message.” Many African nations outlaw homosexuality. In Uganda, proposed legislation would see the

LGBT Uganda Fights Back:The Case Against Scott Lively On March 14, 2012, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed a federal lawsuit against Abiding Truth Ministries President Scott Lively on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a non-profit umbrella organization for LGBT advocacy groups in Uganda. The Filing (PDF) The Factsheet (PDF) The suit alleges that Lively’s involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda, including his active participation in a conspiracy to strip away fundamental rights from LGBT persons constitutes persecution. This is the first known Alien Tort Statute (ATS) case seeking accountability for persecution on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Source – Center For Constitutional RightsPosted from Kampala, Central Region, Uganda.

Clergy and lay people seeking safety and protection for LGBTI people in Uganda will gather tomorrow, Feb. 14, for the third annual Standing on the Side of Love conference in Kampala. The focus of this year’s conference will be: Safety and protection of LGBTI human rights defenders in Uganda. Formation of a national pro-LGBTI religious leaders forum. The status of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in parliament. The Rev. Mark Kiyimba of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Uganda is campaign manager of the Standing on Side of Love Project in Uganda. The most outspoken clergy in Uganda tend to seek increased penalties for LGBTI people rather than protection for them. The Church of Uganda (Anglican) and many evangelical Protestant churches have been active supporters of the Anti-Homosexuality bill, which earned the label “Kill the Gays” bill because at least its original version (and the current version, many say) provided for the death

Every Year, Identity Kenya will be putting out a list of Emerging LGBTI Activists and Leaders to honor the work and contribution these individuals have given for the movement and who continue to support, mobilize, petition and advocate for equality and non-discrimination in Kenya. According to Queer Watchtower who is in the selection panel, the list is comprised of ‘young, energetic, visionary, self-driven and independent thinkers and activists’ who ‘will take over the rein of leadership of the LGBTI movement in Kenya’ to the next level. Denis Nzioka, Editor of Identity Kenya, Kenya’s premier sexual and gender minorities news agency, said that the list will be an annual affair and will reflect ‘the need to recognize leadership’ given the current vacuum the LGBTI movement is experiencing. He further added that the list will also reflect the otherwise ‘hidden’ ‘critical’ and ‘useful’ contribution each of the nominees give to better the

The long-awaited Zimbabwean draft Constitution outlaws same-sex marriage, which has aroused concern in the community of Zimbabwean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. In interviews, LGBTI people said they fear that such homophobic legislation would fuel hatred and violence against them. “I don’t have aspirations of getting married, but I fear that such laws have an impact on us as LGBTI people. Now we will have elections and we become a target for violence,” one gay man said. “People will take the issue of same-sex marriage to mean that homosexuality is a punishable sin. People know that I am gay in Chitungwiza, where I live, and they now feel like they have armor against me because of what the Constitution says,” he said. The inclusion of same-sex marriage in the draft of the Constitution was no surprise, because the Zanu PF party during a stakeholders’ conference about the Constitution