Tag: malawi gay rights

First-ever Malawi Pride sees brave activists deliver demands to the president

Braving the threat of persecution, dozens of queer people packed the streets of the capital of Malawi for the country’s first-ever Pride parade Saturday (26 June). Organised by the Nyasa Rainbow Alliance, some 50 LGBT+ people marched through the streets of Lilongwe in a show of defiance. After an hour-long march through winding but silent… Read more »

Gay men seen dying from AIDS due to Africa’s homophobic laws

Nairobi (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Thousands of gay men in Africa are likely dying from HIV-related illnesses every year due to homophobic laws that stifle their chances of being tested and treated, said researchers behind a study published on Monday in The Lancet HIV journal. A study of the data of 45,000 gay men in… Read more »

Malawi police arrest two leading LGBTI activists

It comes a week after they lead protests against the Malawi Electoral Commission Police in the east African state of Malawi have arrested two of its most prominent LGBTI campaigners. Authorities arrested Gift Trapence on charges of fraud. Trapence heads the LGBTI organizaton, the Center for Development of People (CEDEP). They also arrested Anglican priest… Read more »

Gay sex ban in Malawi fuels anti-LGBTI violence

The southeast African country’s LGBTI population faces horrific discrimination and violence, often at the hands of police and healthcare professionals Malawi’s laws criminalizing same-sex relations continue to create violence and discrimination in the southeast African country. The repressive legislation and social stigma allow police to abuse the LGBTI community unchecked, according to a report by… Read more »

Gay sex ban in Malawi fuels anti-LGBTI violence

The southeast African country’s LGBTI population faces horrific discrimination and violence, often at the hands of police and healthcare professionals Malawi’s laws criminalizing same-sex relations continue to create violence and discrimination in the southeast African country. The repressive legislation and social stigma allow police to abuse the LGBTI community unchecked, according to a report by… Read more »

Thousands march over Malawi’s plans to legalise homosexuality

The peaceful marches were organised by Catholic and evangelical churches. Thousdands Of Mainly Christian protesters marched through two cities in Malawi on Tuesday to demonstrate against proposals to legalise abortion and homosexuality, in the first event of its kind. The peaceful marches were organised by Catholic and evangelical churches in Malawi, where sex and homosexuality… Read more »

Living As A Gay Person In Malawi: Coming Out In Hell

If you live in Malawi, I would advise you to be very careful if you are planning to come out. It happened to me. I had underestimated the extent and impact my coming out would have on my life and the rest of my family and friends. I literally saw my world crumbling beneath my… Read more »

Pressures over homosexual rights

Donor agencies want Malawi to respect gay rights, but the Catholic Bishops and other religious leaders – including Muslim Sheikhs – have warned President Peter Mutharika against including such rights in the constitution. The Archbishop Thomas Msusa of Blantyre has told President Mutharika that this controversy is “alien to Malawi”. In his eyes, foreigners are… Read more »

Malawi Catholic Church demands government resumes jailing gays

Malawi’s Catholic bishops want the government to end its moratorium on prosecuting sexually active homosexuals The Catholic Bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi have publicly called on the Malawian Government to resume criminalizing members of the LGBTI community and end its moratorium on prosecuting those accused of indulging in gay sex. The government, under… Read more »

Malawi bishops attack government over homosexual acts

Catholic bishops in Malawi have attacked the government for placing a moratorium on ‘harmful’ homosexual laws. In a letter to parishioners, the bishops condemned homosexuality and the government’s actions. They said that although the homosexual “condition is disordered but not sinful in itself”, if a person was to act on their feelings and have sex… Read more »

Malawi Court Annuls Government Suspension of Anti-Gay Laws

Blantyre, Malawi — A high court in Malawi has ordered the annulment of a government moratorium issued in 2012 that suspended a law criminalizing homosexual acts. The government had suspended enforcement of the anti-gay laws pending parliamentary review after rights campaigners said the laws were unconstitutional. The court’s order to enforce the anti-gay laws comes… Read more »

Malawi drops gay sex charges against men after international outcry

Malawi has dropped charges against two men who were arrested under gay sex laws, after pressure from the US and UK. The country’s government, which is heavily reliant on support from NGOs and Western aid money, had confirmed last year that it would no longer arrest people for same-sex sexual acts – an agreement first… Read more »

Malawi to stop arresting people for having gay sex

Malawi has announced that it will stop arresting people for having gay sex, and will review its anti-gay laws. Responding to questions from the UN Human Rights Committee, Justice Minister Janet Chikaya-Banda said the country would stop arresting people for same-sex acts while a review of the country’s anti-gay laws is completed. She said the… Read more »

Life on the run from homophobia

Gay and trans Africans often seek asylum in South Africa, supposedly a “safe haven” for LGBTI people. But it’s no bed of roses here either. In recent months Uganda and Nigeria attracted international attention when they decided to tighten laws criminalising homosexuality. Allies by circumstance, Muslims and Christians joined forces in the witch-hunt for gays,… Read more »