SAHRC confirms investigation into “no gays on date night” restaurant
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has officially instituted an investigation into the Ekurhuleni restaurant that bars same-sex couples from attending its date night events. According to Gushwell Brooks, SAHRC Communications Coordinator, the commission has to date not actually received any formal complaints about the Lake Restaurant’s discriminatory policy. “However,” he told Mambaonline, “due […]
Frank Ocean sued by his dad over anti-LGBT slur claim
Frank Ocean’s father, Calvin Cooksey, is suing him for $14.5 million over the R&B artist’s claim that he heard him use an anti-LGBT slur as a young boy. Ocean made the assertion in a June 2016 blog post about the Orlando massacre that addressed the hate faced by LGBT people. The musician wrote: “I was […]
Pigeons vs anti-gay hate speech: Equality Court process questioned
An LGBT hate speech case in the Equality Court in Johannesburg has become bogged down in details about the safety of pigeons, leading activists to question the efficacy of the system. Tim Trengove Jones, an English literature lecturer and cultural commentator, last year sued his neighbour, Elvira Oelofse, for allegedly making anti-LGBT slurs against him. […]
Tragic irony: Late ‘gay’ star Lundi Tyhamara honoured at homophobic Grace Bible Church
Gospel star Lundi Tyhamara, who at times identified as gay, was remembered in an emotional memorial service at Soweto’s Grace Bible Church – the site of a recent anti-gay sermon. Tuesday’s commemoration of Tyhamara’s life and talents was attended by celebrities, public figures and friends and family of the 38-year-old musician, who passed away last week […]
Queer film: The roots of Moonlight
It’s not often that a film like Moonlight – about a black queer experience – makes it to the world’s screens. And it’s even rarer when it wins the Golden Globe for best drama and is nominated for eight Academy Awards. Moonlight chronicles the life of Chiron, a young African American man in a tough […]
Finally! Tens of thousands of UK gay men pardoned
Thousands of men have been posthumously pardoned by the UK government for past convictions under historic laws that made consensual gay sex illegal. The pardons officially came into effect on Tuesday after amendments to the Policing and Crime Bill received Royal Assent. The legislation, known as Turing’s Law, will also allow convicted offenders who are […]
Surprise as Trump keeps Obama’s LGBTQ federal employee protection
President Trump says he will not overturn former President Obama’s order protecting LGBTQ employees of federal contractors from discrimination. President Obama signed the historic order in July 2014 to extend all basic protections, benefits and policies to these workers. On Tuesday, The White House said in a statement that the Trump administration will continue to […]
Is homosexuality now legal in Lebanon?
There are reports that Lebanon’s highest court has ruled that homosexuality is not unnatural and thus can no longer be deemed illegal. Various local and regional media say that Lebanon’s Court of Cassation has agreed with a lower court that found in 2014 that consensual adult gay sex is not against the “order of nature.” […]
Art: Mourning the faceless gay victims of Isis
Artist Clive van den Berg’s new exhibition, A Pile of Stones, at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, is a thoughtful tribute to the dozens of gay men sadistically murdered by the Isis regime. Since 2014, Isis in Syria and Iraq has been horrifically executing gay men and those accused of being gay. The group distributes images […]
About turn as Boy Scouts of America agrees to accept transgender boys
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has staved off legal action after it announced that it will allow any child who identifies as a boy to join its programmes. The move followed a discrimination lawsuit against the New Jersey Boy Scouts’ Council by eight-year-old Joe Maldonado and his mother, Kristie Maldonado. He was kicked out […]