Singing Johannesburg banker wins Miss Gay Jozi 2017
Boene Ntshilo, a 20-something banker from Northcliff, has been crowned Miss Gay Jozi 2017; taking home Gauteng’s most prestigious drag pageant title. Ntshilo, who is also a singer, competed against 15 other finalists to win the coveted prize at a glittering ceremony at the Simply Blue nightclub on Saturday night. Under the theme of a […]
Luxembourg’s gay prime minister’s husband joins ‘first ladies’ club
How the world is changing! The husband of Luxembourg’s gay Prime Minister Xavier Bettel was welcomed as one of the spouses of NATO leaders this week. Bettel and his husband of two years, Gauthier Destenay, attended the NATO conference in Belgium, along with the organisation’s other heads of state and their partners. On Thursday, the […]
Shock as World OutGames is cancelled 24 hours before opening ceremony
Athletes from around the globe who forked out thousands to attend the World OutGames in Miami are outraged at the last minute cancellation of most of the 10-day event. On Friday, less than 24 hours before the opening ceremony, the Board of Directors of World OutGames Miami posted a short message on Facebook announcing that […]
“You start losing your mind” – Victims of Chechnya gay purge speak out
A new report details the horrific experiences of the victims of the recent deadly persecution of gay men in Chechnya. Released on Friday, the Human Rights Watch report confirms that “police in Chechnya rounded up, beat, and humiliated dozens of gay or bisexual men in an apparent effort to purge them from Chechen society”. The 42-page […]
Church of Scotland to apologise to gay people, moves to accept same-sex marriage
In a groundbreaking move, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has voted to apologise to gay people for the history of discrimination they have faced in the Church. Church leaders, known as Commissioners, agreed that the Church should take stock of its history of discrimination against gay people, at different levels and in […]
LGBTQ people nearly invisible or punchlines in Hollywood movies
Despite the critical success of the Oscar-winning Moonlight, a new report has found that LGBTQ people have little screen-time or are the butt of jokes in big Hollywood films. GLAAD, the LGBTQ media advocacy organisation, has released its fifth annual Studio Responsibility Index, which maps the quantity, quality, and diversity of LGBTQ people in films […]
Health care gone wrong: Beaten in hospital for being gay
Highlighting discrimination faced by LGBT people in the public health care system, a gay Johannesburg man says he was attacked by a security guard at a Hillbrow clinic because of his sexual identity. Alfred Msimanga, 28, told Mambaonline that he went to the clinic on 6 May because he was not feeling well. “When I […]
LGBTI community marches against hate crimes and homophobia
Members of the LGBTI community in Durban and Cape Town stood up against homophobia, transphobia and anti-LGBTI hate crimes on the weekend. Saturday’s protests came in the wake of a disturbing spike in attacks against the LGBTI community in the past few weeks. In Durban, a small but determined group turned out for a Beach […]
Gay university students feel invisible. It’s time to shine a light on their issues
The Eastern Cape is South Africa’s most conservative province when it comes to attitudes about homosexuality. Even in spaces that might be considered more liberal – like university campuses – gender non-conforming students and those who belong to sexual minorities face open discrimination. This is happening even though discrimination based on sexual orientation is outlawed […]
Breaking! Taiwan’s top court rules for same-sex marriage
Taiwan’s LGBT community is celebrating after the country becomes the first in Asia to start legalising same-sex marriage. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s constitutional court, the Council of Grand Justices, said in a landmark ruling that the government has two years to change the law to enact marriage equality. The 14 panel court ruled that previsions of […]