Namibia | Windhoek celebrates LGBT Pride after hate attacks (Pics)
Following a series of hate crime attacks, members of Namibia’s LGBT community took to the streets of the capital Windhoek for a Pride march on Saturday. Organised by Out-Right Namibia, the procession through the city’s main road, Independence Avenue, included around 200 participants, who were escorted by the police. Some marchers helped carry a huge […]
Idols South Africa judges accused of transphobia
The gender of an aspiring Idols South Africa contestant has been mocked by the show’s judges, including by Somizi Mhlongo himself. On Sunday, Arshen Madlopha was shown in a Johannesburg audition for the singing contest, attempting a rendition of Beyoncé’s hit, Halo. The vocals were admittedly not great, but it was not only Madlopha’s singing that […]
Justifiable exclusion? Canadian LGBTQ Pride bans police officers in uniforms
Following a growing trend, LGBTQ Pride organisers in the Canadian city of Calgary have restricted the participation of police officers in their parade. As the LGBTQ community has become more accepted in many countries, members of the police have increasingly taken part in Pride events in a visible show of support for the community. While […]
Nigeria | 42 men arrested for homosexuality in hotel raid
There’s been another mass arrest of more than 40 individuals on charges of homosexuality in Nigeria. According to Sunday Punch, 42 suspects were arrested at the Vincent Hotel in the state of Lagos on Saturday. The newspaper reported that the men were “caught in the act” and that the hotel had been shut down. A […]
What’s it like being gay in the Indian community?
A new research project is being undertaken to better understand the experiences of South African Indians who are gay, lesbian or bisexual (LGB). The study is a collaboration between psychologists from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Pretoria, and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Lead researcher, Suntosh Pillay, is a clinical psychologist based in Durban. He said […]
Gay immigrants campaign for acceptance
Shamsa Ally Haji is an immigrant from Somalia. She is also lesbian. “It’s difficult for me to go to other Somali nationals to ask for help because they believe I should behave like a Somali woman and get married. They detest my dressing in jeans,” she said. She was speaking at Colours of Cape Town, […]
Another study confirms effective treatment stops HIV between gay couples
The largest study to analyse HIV transmission risk among gay couples with differing HIV status has shown that HIV positive men on effective treatment do not transmit HIV to their partners. The results from the Kirby Institute’s Opposites Attract study were presented on Tuesday at the IAS Conference on HIV Science in Paris. During the course […]
Unbelievable | Pastor Bougardt pleads innocence while calling gay people f*****s
Facing jail time and a massive fine for hate speech, homophobic Pastor Oscar Bougardt has lashed out at the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) as a “bunch of f*****s”. Mambaonline reported this week that Bougardt has been charged with contempt of court for failing to uphold a 2014 court approved settlement. In it, he agreed to […]
LGBT Americans reeling over Trump’s double whammy assault
In addition to banning transgender personnel from the military, Donald Trump’s government is also trying to ensure that American workers can be fired just for being LGBT. On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a disturbing amicus brief in the case of a skydiving instructor, Donald Zarda, who was dismissed after he told […]
US government in disarray over Trump’s transgender military ban
The US government and the White House seem clueless as to the implementation of Trump’s unexpected reinstatement of the ban on transgender military personnel. On Wednesday, the president announced on Twitter that “the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military”. This comes just over […]