Africa
Nigerian Anglican Church requiring office holders to denounce homosexuality
The Anglican Church in Nigeria has banned homosexuals and bisexuals from all official roles within the church – forcing potential office holders to denounce homosexuality before God People seeking to hold official positions within the Anglican Church of Nigeria are being forced to swear that they are not gay before God – inviting God to… Read more »
Uganda threatens to cut ties with Church of England over gay rights
Stanley Ntagali, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, has accused the Anglican Church of being ‘spiritually blind’ on the issue of homosexuality Uganda is threatening to break away from the Church of England over gay rights. Stanley Ntagali, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, has said the head of the Anglican Church has… Read more »
Sierra Leone president wades into Uganda aid cut debate
President Ernest Koroma of Sierra Leone has urged the West to consider ‘culture, tradition [and] religious beliefs’ in Uganda before cutting aid money following the country’s new anti-gay law Sierra Leone President Ernest Koroma has added his voice to the Uganda aid cut debate, saying ‘it is not right for issues to be imposed lock,… Read more »
Ghana Needs A Clear Policy On Homosexuality – MP
The Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alex Afenyo-Markin is urging government to declare its position on homosexuality. He made this point after Health Minister; Sherry Ayittey read a statement on the floor of Parliament on healthy living. Although some Legislators suggested a different platform for the discussion of the matter, Mr. Afenyo-Markin insisted that a… Read more »
World Bank suspends $90 million loan to Uganda over anti-gay law as currency dips
Uganda is seeing further financial consequences over the passing of its notorious Anti-Homosexuality Bill that jails gays for life with the World Bank suspending a major development loan The World Bank has suspended a $90million (€65million) loan to Uganda over its passing of the notorious Anti-Homosexuality Act which gives life imprisonment for anyone convicted of… Read more »
Pope will fly to Uganda to worship martyrs who rejected gay sex
Catholic martyrs were canonized after an African king had them executed for not sleeping with him Pope Francis will be flying to Uganda in order to praise Uganda martyrs who rejected gay sex from the country’s former king. The head of the Catholic Church will visit Uganda in October, which has recently enacted one of… Read more »
Zimbabwe: Head of gay rights group faces court over accusations of unregistered operation
The chair of gay rights group Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, faced court on Monday as the organisation is accused of failing to register itself. Martha Tholanah, also a co-director of GALZ, was accused of operating the organisation without registering it under the Private and Voluntary Organisations Act. She appeared before magistrate Donald Ndirowei, and… Read more »
Zambia: Gay rights activist acquitted of immorality charges
A Zambian magistrate has acquitted a gay rights activist charged with an offence against public morality over pro-gay comments he made on television.Zambia: Gay rights activist acquitted of immorality charges A magistrate in Zambia on Tuesday acquitted a gay rights activist charged with an offence against public morality over comments he made on television in… Read more »
UN Secretary-General demands revision or repeal of Uganda homosexuality law
Kampala, Uganda – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is demanding the revision or repeal of Uganda’s law imposing life sentences for homosexuality and same-sex marriage. The U.N. chief warned Tuesday that the law could fuel prejudice and encourage harassment against gays, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Ban urged the Ugandan government to protect all people from violence and… Read more »
Ugandan newspaper prints list of ‘200 top’ gays
Kampala, Uganda — A Ugandan newspaper published a list Tuesday of what it called the country’s “200 top” gays, outing some Ugandans and raising fears of violence against those named just a day after the president enacted a severe anti-gay law. Many on the list “are scared and they need help,” said Pepe Julian Onziema,… Read more »
Uganda’s anti-gay bill refocuses attention on US evangelical influence
Uganda’s President Museveni signed into law Monday a bill that criminalizes homosexuality with life sentences and punishes efforts to raise or discuss gay issues. Nairobi, Kenya – A day after Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni signed into law a punitive bill that criminalizes homosexuality with life sentences and punishes efforts to raise or discuss gay issues, the… Read more »
Uganda politicians celebrate passing of anti-gay laws
President Museveni’s supporters revel in new anti-gay laws passed despite pressure from US, EU, western donors and rights groups Uganda’s president hassigned a controversial law allowing those convicted of homosexuality to be imprisoned for life, defying international disapproval from western donor nations. At a public ceremony in a packed room at the State House in… Read more »
Reaction to Uganda Antigay Law
As my colleague Alan Cowell reported, the president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, significantly strengthened Africa’s antigay movement, signing into law a bill imposing harsh sentences for homosexual acts, including life imprisonment in some cases. Rights groups and activists condemned the law, with some pointing to the promotion of antigay sentiment by Western Christian evangelical groups.… Read more »
Eight suicide attempts in Uganda in last two weeks over anti-gay law
While some have remained resolute and will continue to fight against homophobia, others have fled the country and have attempted suicide Eight people have attempted suicide in the last two weeks over the anti-gay law, gay rights activists have told GSN. President Yoweri Museveni has signed the anti-gay bill into law today (24 February), one… Read more »
Award winning Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie slams anti-gay laws
Award winning Nigerian author and poet Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has spoken out about the further criminalization of homosexuality in her homeland – calling it a victimless crime Nigerian author and poet Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has criticized legislative efforts to further suppress the LGBTI community in Nigeria in an opinion piece for News Wire Nigeria published… Read more »
Mozambique’s former president calls for gay rights in Africa
Joaquim Chissano has called on African leaders to remember the immortal words of Nelson Mandela and to fight for equality Joaquim Chissano, who served as the country’s second president from 1986 to 2005, has reacted to Nigeria introducing one of the most draconic homophobic laws in the world. Not only does the law ban gay… Read more »
Uganda: Anti-Homosexuality Law Will Come at a Serious Cost
US Should Temporarily Recall Ambassador for Consultations (Nairobi) – Uganda’s pending Anti-Homosexuality bill violates the country’s human rights obligations and is a barrier to advancing critical public health goals.Uganda’s international donor partners should clearly and publicly specify the consequences for relations with Uganda if the Anti-Homosexuality bill becomes law. Uganda’s parliament passed the bill on… Read more »
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh: Gays are ‘vermin’ and should be treated worse than mosquitoes
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has referred to gay people as “vermin”, saying they should be dealt with in the same way as mosquitoes which “cause” malaria. President Jammeh made the comments on Tuesday. He has in the past referred to gays as a threat to humanity, saying a year ago that gay rights were a… Read more »
Tanzania Foreign Minister advises Commonwealth to move slow on gay rights in Africa
Tanzania’s Foreign Minister has warned that efforts to impose equal rights for LGBTI people in Africa may fail if imposed from outside Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Mbembe has advised that the Commonwealth should only try to make progress on LGBTI rights in member countries slowly as trying to impose them from outside may fail. Mbembe… Read more »
Wielding Whip and a Hard New Law, Nigeria Tries to ‘Sanitize’ Itself of Gays
Bauchi, Nigeria — The young man cried out as he was being whipped on the courtroom bench. The bailiff’s leather whip struck him 20 times, and when it was over, the man’s side and back were covered with bruises. Still, the large crowd outside was disappointed, the judge recalled: The penalty for gay sex under… Read more »
Nigerian gay people being hunted down
In northern Nigeria, gay men are being hunted down. In front of Bauchi state’s Sharia Commission, a white-walled two-storey building, men in dark green uniforms are awaiting orders from their boss. The man in charge of the Islamic police, or Hisbah, says the hunt began when the Hausa Leadership newspaper reported last year that homosexuals… Read more »
GALZ Statement On The Court Judgement Of Ricky Nathanson
We welcome the acquittal of Ricky Nathanson on a charge of “Criminal Nuisance” on Tuesday 4 February by a Bulawayo Magistrate. The unfortunatearrest of Ricky and the subsequent judgement by Magistrate AbednicoNdebele proves that the Police continue to use knee-jerk reactions to casesinvolving the LGBTI community. It would seem that the officer investigatingRicky Nathanson’s case… Read more »
4 men arrested over gay bashings in Senegal
Senegalese police have arrested 4 men over a spate of vigilante attacks on alleged homosexuals last Thursday but local Muslims have marched calling for their release Four Senegalese men have been arrested after they attacked five men they alleged were homosexuals with stones and batons on Thursday but protests have been held urging authorities to… Read more »
African Conference on Sexual Health and Rights
LGBT Cameroonians cannot fully receive HIV/health services, so local and global organizations see the African Confer. on Sexual Health/Rights as an opportunity. This campaign is raising funds on behalf of Saint Pauls Foundation For International Reconciliation Inc, a verified nonprofit. The campaign does not necessarily reflect the views of the nonprofit or have any formal… Read more »
African Anglican bishops warn Church of England to back off on gay issue
The leaders of the Anglican Church in Uganda and Kenya have warned the Church of England to back off on LGBTI issues after the Archbishop of Canterbury reminded them of their responsibility to support and care for gay people African bishops have reacted to Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s letter reminding them of their duty… Read more »
21 varieties of traditional African homosexuality
At least 21 cultural varieties of same-sex relationships have long been part of traditional African life, as demonstrated in a new report that is designed to dispel the confusion and lies surrounding Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The following discussion and the 21 examples are from that report, “Expanded Criminalisation of Homosexuality in Uganda: A Flawed Narrative… Read more »
Nigeria: Trial of men accused of being gay suspended due to ‘mob justice’ fears
Two Islamic courts in Nigeria have suspended the trials of 10 men accused of breaking laws against homosexuality over fears stones will once again be thrown at the defendants. An angry crowd last Wednesday pelted stones at several men suspected of breaking Islamic law banning homosexuality after their hearing was adjourned at the Upper Sharia… Read more »
Anti-gay mobs loot offices of LGBTI rights group in Ivory Coast
The offices of LGBTI rights group Alternative Cote d’Ivoire were ransacked by around 200 homophobic thugs on Saturday – smashing windows and stealing computers The most prominent LGBTI rights group in the West African nation of Ivory Coast has had its offices looted, with rocks and garbage hurled into the building and computers and other… Read more »
Remembering Eric Lembembe and Martin Luther King Jr.
International LGBT rights activist the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle writes about the similarities and differences between Eric Lembembe and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the causes they fought for. An excerpt from the full column: “They shared a common dream of human dignity and equality, a sense that they may not live long… Read more »
Writer Tells Africa What He Couldn’t Tell ‘Mum’
Nairobi, Kenya — When the Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina published his acclaimed memoir three years ago, he concealed an important part of his life from the public eye. Last Saturday, he unveiled “a lost chapter” of the book on the Internet titled, “I am a homosexual, mum.” The chapter, about missing the opportunity to tell… Read more »
GALZ Statement On The Arrest Of Transgender Activist, Ricky Nathanson.
GALZ deplores the arrest , detention and trial of Ricky Nathanson, a transgender person in Bulawayo on the 16th of January for using a ladies toilet. We are concerned that Ricky may have been treated in an inhumane and undignified manner during the arrest and subsequent detention in police custody before her court appearance. We… Read more »
Famous Kenyan author comes out as gay in birthday article
A prominent author in Kenya has come out as gay, in a country where homosexuality remains illegal. Binyavanga Wainaina made the announcement in an article for his 43rd birthday entitled: “I am a homosexual, mum.” “Nobody, nobody, ever in my life has heard this,” Mr Wainaina wrote in the article published first on the Africa… Read more »
Mauritania: discreet inclusion of gays in the HIV response.
Any news concerning the struggles of LGBTI is rare out of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a West-African country of about 3.5 million souls that achieved independence from France in 1960. One of four African countries where same-sex relations between men are punishable by death, article 308 states: “Any adult Muslim man who commits an… Read more »
Malawi Rights Group Seeks Review Of Imprisoned Gays’ Jail Sentences
A Malawi high court on Monday began hearing a petition by a leading rights group seeking to obtain the review of jail sentences of three gays and to overturn laws that criminalise homosexuality. “We want the court to declare the laws that criminalise homosexuality in Malawi unconstitutional,” Gift Trapence, director of a rights group, the… Read more »
Former President of Mozambique Joaquim Chissano pleads for tolerance for LGBTIs
Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, has pleaded with African leaders to show more tolerance for sexual minorities and to respect their human rights in an open letter Joaquim Chissano, president of Mozambique from 1986 to 2005, has pleaded for African leaders to be respectful of the human rights of sexual minorities and move… Read more »
Six men arrested for gay wedding in Gabon
Despite same-sex weddings or gay sex not being explicitly illegal in the African country, police arrested the men on grounds of ‘obscenity Despite same-sex weddings or gay sex not being explicitly illegal in the African country, police arrested the men on grounds of ‘obscenity’ While homosexuality is not explicitly illegal in Gabon, unlike 38 other… Read more »
President of Uganda refuses to sign ‘jail the gays’ bill into law
Get the latest LGBT headlines in your inbox with our free daily newsletter! The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni has refused to sign a controversial new bill into law that could have seen gay men and women jailed for life. Mr Museveni says that there are better ways to “rescue” people from homosexuality. According to… Read more »
Zimbabwe LGBTI rights group GALZ wins High Court victory
Zimbabwe’s High Court has ruled police must return seized property to LGBTI rights group Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), finding the group does not need to be registered with the government Zimbabwean LGBTI rights group Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) have scored a major victory, with the country’s High Court ruling that the… Read more »
Uganda’s Gay Porn Obsession: Why A Nation With Anti-Gay Laws Is Leading The Way
Uganda might have vehemently anti-gay legislation in place, but that hasn’t stopped the nation from becoming one of the world’s top consumers of gay pornography, according to reports. HuffPost Live host Ahmed Shihab-Eldin spoke with Roger Ross Williams, director of the award-winning documentary “God Loves Uganda,” to figure out why one of the world’s most… Read more »
Nigeria’s Gay ‘Witch Hunt’ Has Lead To Arrests In 4 States: Amnesty International
Lagos, Nigeria (AP) — A “witch hunt” for gay people has led to arrests in at least four of Nigeria’s 36 states, Amnesty International said Wednesday, blaming a new law criminalizing gay organizations and meetings as well as same-sex marriage. It said the law’s disregard for human rights mirrors that of the military dictators who… Read more »
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