ZAVION: BEING GAY DOESN’T DEFINE YOUR ABILITIES
Zavion Kotze made a splash this year as only the second-ever openly gay male contestant on Survivor South Africa. But his sexuality – and blond good looks, of course – were not the only reasons why he stood out. Zavion is a man of many talents. Born in Joburg, he grew up in KZN where […]
WTF? UGANDA DENIES ANTI-GAY BILL IS ANTI-GAY
The Ugandan government has absurdly claimed that its draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act is not really about targeting gays and lesbians, in a seemingly desperate bid to avoid losing further international aid. In a statement issued on Monday, the government stated that the law was only aimed at “curbing open promotion of homosexuality, especially among children and […]
LGBT FAMILIES: SOUTH AFRICA HAS EXPLAINING TO DO
The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed its concern that South Africa endorsed the exclusion of LGBT families from a resolution passed last month by the UN Human Rights Council. The resolution, which called for “the protection of the family,” appears innocuous enough but activists are wary that it could be used as […]
HAS OBAMA ALREADY RENEGED ON UGANDA GAY SANCTIONS?
President Obama has reportedly invited anti-gay Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to a summit in Washington, seemingly in contravention of his own government’s recent sanctions against the country. According to New Vision, Museveni is one of the African leaders invited by Obama to the first ever American-African Summit that will take place in August. Said Ugandan Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary […]
NOT ALONE IN THE WORLD: NAKHANE TOURÉ
Nakhane Touré, the openly gay South African singer and songwriter, is a stunning new talent who’s been breaking musical and social boundaries over the last year. The 26-year-old recently took home the Best Alternative Album honour at the South African Music Awards (Samas) for his acclaimed début album Brave Confusion. His music, introspective lyrics and […]
ALARM OVER EQUALITY COURT FAILURE TO BACK GAY RIGHTS
Activists are concerned that a Western Cape Equality Court has failed to rule in favour of a gay couple unfairly refused service by a guesthouse. Neil Coulson and his husband Jonathan Sedgwick were denied accommodation in November 2013 by the Watershed (renamed House of Bread) B&B in Wolseley, near Ceres, because their sexual orientation was in conflict […]
METRO’S DURBAN GAY PRIDE RESPONSE REJECTED
The openly gay DA councillor who was allegedly subjected to homophobic insults by an ANC member of the Ethekwini Metro Council has rejected an explanation by the Speaker. Councillor Martin Meyer last week claimed that Council Speaker Logie Naidoo refused to allow him to proclaim his support for Durban Gay Pride and then allowed an […]
NAMIBIA’S EFF WANNABE PARTY IS PROUDLY ANTI-GAY
A new Namibian political party launched this week is inspired by Julius Malema’s EFF, with one significant difference: It’s openly homophobic and already spouting anti-gay rhetoric. According to the Mail and Guardian, the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) is a “populist movement sporting red berets, using military ranks and demanding nationalisation of all the land […]
SA-BORN ACTIVIST HONOURED BY SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE
Controversial and fiery, Melanie Nathan, a South African-born attorney and LGBT rights activist, has been selected as a Community Grand Marshal for this Sunday’s San Francisco Pride Parade. Grand Marshals are public emissaries who have made significant contributions to the LGBT community. They are selected annually by San Francisco Pride’s Board of Directors. Nathan says that […]
METRO WON’T SUPPORT DURBAN GAY PRIDE, ALLOWS HOMOPHOBIA
The eThekwini Municipal Council has apparently refused to express its support for Durban Gay Pride and has been accused of instead allowing a council member to display shockingly homophobic behaviour. At a meeting at City Hall this morning (25 June), DA Councillor Martin Meyer attempted to ask the Council to congratulate Durban’s LGBTI community on this week’s […]