SA gay filmmakers feared for their lives after Zim threats
The makers of a South African lesbian-themed film were forced to cancel their trip to its screening in Zimbabwe after receiving threats. Mlungisi Msomi, co-director of My Name Is Rose, told Mambaonline that he and his husband (and co-director), Sekara Mafisaand, were invited to attend the historic Harare screening on 4 October. Showing as part of […]
Law firm in Joburg promotes Pride in the corporate workplace
In an industry-first, a top law firm has held an event in Johannesburg about LGBT diversity and inclusion in the workplace, along with other leading companies. The function was hosted by Norton Rose Fulbright’s Pride network on Tuesday, September 29. It was attended by 51 members of LGBT networks representing 20 of South Africa’s largest […]
Gay prisoner’s lawyer defies death threats
The lawyer of a man jailed for homosexuality in Cameroon has had to face death threats simply for defending his client. Cornelius Fonya, 35, was convicted of having sex with a young man in 2013 and sentenced to nine years in prison. He was also disowned by his family. Erasing 76 Crimes reports that his […]
Yoko Ono: John Lennon wanted to have sex with men
Yoko Ono has revealed that her iconic late husband, John Lennon, was interested in the idea of sleeping with other men. In an interview with The Daily Beast, the performer and artist said that she and Lennon, who was gunned down in 1980, believed that, “basically, all of us must be bisexual.” She explained that […]
While You Weren’t Looking première
South Africa’s newest gay and lesbian big screen drama, While You Weren’t Looking, premièred at Maponya Mall in Soweto on 29 September. Described as a complex interweaving tale, it begins twenty years into the new South Africa. It tells the story of an ageing academic and the now ‘straight’ freedom fighter he once loved, while a seemingly […]
Simon Nkoli to be honoured in 2nd memorial lecture
The life and work of one of South Africa’s most influential LGBTI activists will be remembered in the second Simon Nkoli Memorial Lecture on 22 October at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. The inaugural Simon Nkoli Memorial Lecture took place last year as an initiative of the University of Johannesburg’s LGBTI student group, Liberati. It aims […]
Matthew Shepard remembered 17 years later
Monday was the 17th anniversary of the death of gay American student Matthew Shepard, whose murder sparked moves to highlight and criminalise hate crimes around the world. Matthew was just 21-years-old when he was brutally assaulted and tortured in 1998 by two men who left him tied to a fence to die in Laramie, Wyoming. […]
Johannesburg Pride 2015: All the details
The 26th annual Johannesburg Pride, Africa’s oldest LGBTIAQ+ event, will take place on Saturday 31 October at the Wanderers rugby field in Illovo, under the theme of “#IAmWhoIAm.” According to the event’s organising committee, this year’s theme is all about “not judging a person for who they are and embracing diversity and tolerance.” They explain […]
Questions asked about new “gay DNA saliva test”
One of the scientists behind a controversial new “gay test” has dropped out of the research over its ethical implications. The scientists claim they can predict the sexual orientation of males with up to 70 percent accuracy, with a saliva test that uses epigenetic information from nine regions of the human genome. The research was […]
Malaysia transgender community loses rights case
In a disappointing move, the Federal Court in Malaysia has thrown out a previous lower court ruling that ended a state ban on cross-dressing. In November 2014, the Putrajaya Court of Appeal ruled that a state Sharia-law ban on cross-dressing was unconstitutional, “degrading, oppressive and inhuman.” The case was filed by three transgender women who […]