England’s NHS stops referring patients for “gay cure therapy”
England’s National Health Service (NHS) has told its staff to stop referring patients for so-called “conversion therapy,” which is intended to change a person’s sexuality. According to the BBC, conversion therapy is not directly offered through the NHS, but there have been occasions in which GPs, counsellors and psychotherapists have referred clients to people offering […]
Meet the man cycling across Africa for LGBT rights
Lawyer, social justice advocate, choreographer, dancer, director and musician – and now long-haul cyclist and fund-raiser. American Nate Freeman has just begun a remarkable journey – cycling 12,000 kilometres from Cairo to Cape Town to raise awareness and support for LGBT rights in Africa. His ambitious bicycle ride is part of the Out in Africa Ride project, […]
Miami archbishop will fire employees who support gay marriage
The schizophrenic nature of the Catholic Church’s stance on homosexuality has come to the fore in Florida, where same-sex marriage was legalised this week. In a letter to Church employees, the Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, addressed “recent decisions by courts in Florida that have imposed the redefinition of marriage.” In bid to provide them […]
Shocking! 600 Indians arrested for gay sex last year
A shocking number of people were arrested across India in 2014 simply for engaging in gay sex. The Deccan Herald has reported that almost 600 people were arrested under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises gay sex as “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.” The colonial era law was struck down […]
Zim “prophet” hails Mugabe’s anti-gay stance
A well-known Zimbabwean religious leader has praised President Robert Mugabe for his anti-gay stance, saying that this has helped the country survive. According to the state-run Herald newspaper, Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa told his United Family International Church congregants on Sunday that Mugabe should be commended for standing firm against the West, despite “illegal” economic sanctions. […]
Africa crowns its first black leather titleholder
For the first time in Africa, a gay leather title has been awarded to a black woman.
On Saturday, Selogadi Mampane was named Ms. SA Leather 2015, with Herman Groenewald taking the Mr. SA Leather title, at a ceremony in Sea Point, Cape Town.
Editorial: No, judge, we can’t be fixed
While he may have sentenced the killer of Duduzile Zozo to 30 years in jail, the judge in the case revealed an unsettling and dangerous lack of understanding about LGBT people. On Tuesday, we reported that Judge Tshifiwa Maumela sent Lekgoa Lesley Motleleng to jail for raping and murdering the 26-year-old lesbian woman last year, […]
Church fires Groblersdal minister over “gay” Facebook picture
The Afrikaans Protestant Church (APK) has dismissed a minister because he appeared in a photo with a group of LGBT people. Philip Olivier, 35, of the Groblersdal congregation, posted the picture in which he is seen at a social function hosted by Triarc, an LGBT insurance and medical aid company, on Facebook. According to Rapport, […]
Questions asked: SA study on men who have sex with men
Questions have been asked about a major new study on HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM), including gay and bisexual men, in three South African cities. The findings of the Human Sciences Research Council study, called the Marang Men’s Project, was released on Tuesday, based on research conducted from 2012 to […]
Majola: Exorcising demons of shame
The continent has a bold new son. Proudly composing, singing and performing his truth as an openly gay African man – Majola is exploring issues of sexual identity and his journey to self acceptance through music. The 28-year-old South African theatre graduate recently released his début album Boet/Sissy, and it’s clear that he doesn’t believe […]