Seven jailed for homosexuality in Senegal
A court in Senegal has jailed seven men for six months on charges of homosexuality. According to the BBC, police claimed they caught the accused having sex during a raid. One of the men’s mother had apparently told the authorities that her son is gay but never arrived to testify against him in court as […]
Queer Christians: SA churches must stop firing LGBTI people
As an openly lesbian former minister takes the Methodist Church to the Constitutional Court this week, a group of queer Christians has urged churches to address LGBTI exclusion in the same way they were called to challenge Apartheid. On Friday, the court will hear the potentially ground-breaking discrimination case of Ecclesia de Lange, who was dismissed by the […]
Pretoria Pride 2015: Pride without Prejudice
The third annual Pretoria Pride returns to Centurion on Saturday the 3rd of October, under the theme of “Pride without Prejudice”. Taking place at the Centurion Rugby Club from 9am, it promises to be the young Pride’s biggest and boldest outing yet. According to organiser Bruce Walker, this year’s theme is meant to highlight prejudice […]
Efforts to protect young people from ‘gay cures’ spread
Illinois has become the fifth jurisdiction in the US to outlaw attempts by mental health providers to change the sexuality or gender identity of LGBTQ minors. Governor Bruce Rauner signed the legislation into law on Thursday, with Illinois joining the states of California, New Jersey, Oregon and the District of Columbia in protecting LGBTQ youth […]
SA committed to regional LGBTI summit
The South African government said this week that it remains committed to hosting the long-delayed regional summit on LGBTI equality. On Monday, international and local dignitaries gathered at the offices of OUT LGBT Well-being for the announcement of the US-led Global Equality Fund’s new grant to the Love, Not Hate campaign. The programme, first launched […]
Home Affairs transphobia back in the news
Despite repeated promises to end its transphobia, the Department of Home Affairs is once again accused of discriminating against a transgender woman. News24 reports that the department’s latest LGBT victim is 36-year-old Juanita van Zyl, who attempted to apply to change her gender in her identify document at the Centurion branch on Wednesday. Van Zyl […]
Alarm as SA’s oldest LGBTI organisation faces closure
Cape Town’s Triangle Project, the longest-running LGBTI organisation in South Africa, is facing a dire financial crisis and needs your help to survive. First established in 1981 under the name of GASA 6010, Triangle today offers health and other support services to LGBTI people throughout the Western Cape, with a dedicated seven-member team. Alarmingly, the […]
White House appoints first openly trans official
The White House has for the first time hired an openly transgender staff member. On Thursday, it was announced that Raffi Freedman-Gurspan had been appointed Outreach and Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. Freedman-Gurspan, who has a degree in political science, was formerly a policy adviser at the […]
Anti-gay clerk can refuse to marry gay couples, for now
A US federal judge has allowed homophobic County Clerk Kim Davis to continue to refuse to issue marriage licenses until her case’s appeal has been heard. Judge David Bunning, who previously ordered Davis to obey the law and not discriminate against gays and lesbians, agreed to temporarily suspend his ruling. Judge Bunning had earlier declared […]
Revealed: Horrific torture of Gambian men jailed for homosexuality
Three victims of Gambia’s anti-gay crackdown have spoken about the torture they endured after they were arrested by the country’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA). In October 2014, Gambia’s President Jammeh signed an anti-gay law that created the crime of “aggravated homosexuality”, which carries punishment of up to life in prison. Homosexuality was already illegal in […]