CANADA REVERSES GAY ACTIVISTS BAN

Following international outrage, the Canadian government has decided to allow 10 Ugandan gay activists to enter the country to attend an LGBT rights event after all.

We reported last month that the Canadian authorities refused to grant the activists visas, apparently fearing they would refuse to leave the country or would apply for asylum.

Ironically, Canada was one of the first countries to publicly condemn Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act.

Canada’s The Star, reports that officials have now grated half of the activists visas in the past week. The remaining five are also expected to receive theirs in time to attend the World Pride human rights conference in Toronto next week.

The official reasons for the visas first being declined included the applicants not having enough money to maintain themselves during the trip and that they did not have legitimate business purpose for the trip.

The activists were asked to resubmit their applications with supporting documents after the issue became public.

“We’re pleased that Ugandan delegates will be joining LGBTQ thinkers and activists from around the world for the World Pride Human Rights Conference,” conference co-chair Brenda Cossman, director of the University of Toronto’s Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, told the newspaper.

“The conference is an important part of World Pride, and the Ugandan voices are an integral part to that dialogue,” she said.