Three jailed for having gay sex in Morocco
Three Moroccan men have each been jailed for three years after being found “guilty” of homosexuality. The Moroccan Association of Human Rights told AFP that two of victims, a 40-year-old mechanic and a 20-something man, had been discovered having sex in the mechanic’s workshop, in the city of Taourirt. After they were arrested, they told […]
Newly crowned Miss Gay Jozi to champion LGBT youth
The annual Miss Gay Jozi pageant crowned its 2015 queen on Saturday night; a 27-year-old model from Midrand. Ycer Machimana took home the title in a glittering event filled with glamorous drag performances and plenty of diva sparkle at the Wits Theatre in Johannesburg. Originally from Tzaneen, she beat out stiff competition, including the likes […]
Ireland: Marriage equality vote based on a “whim”
Human Rights Watch has welcomed Ireland voting to legalise same-sex marriage but warned that a referendum is not the ideal way to do so. On Friday, 62% of voters said “yes” to same-sex marriage, making Ireland the first nation to put the issue to a public vote. Other countries have decided on marriage equality through […]
Singer accused of being homophobic wins Eurovision
Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw spoke out for the gay community after winning the Eurovision Song Contest, despite claims he’d made homophobic comments in the past. The 28-year-old’s upbeat winning entry Heroes beat out songs from 26 other countries in a glitzy spectacular in Vienna on Saturday night. The handsome singer caused controversy in 2014 when he […]
Ireland approves gay marriage in high turnout poll
UK media outlets are reporting that Irish voters have overwhelmingly voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. The Guardian and the BBC say it appears that the yes vote has won with around 62% in favour of marriage equality. Polling stations reported an “unusually high” turnout in the historic referendum. The Republic of Ireland will […]
Moscow Pride banned for 10th year running
Moscow has again banned organisers from holding a Pride parade in the city, marking a decade of oppression against the LGBT community. On Thursday, activist Nikolai Alexeyev wrote on Instagram: “I have just been informed that the Moscow authorities have banned a gay Pride parade for the 10th consecutive year!” He said that he’ll appeal […]
Swiss Supreme Court nixes gay couple as fathers
The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland has refused to recognise two gay men as the legal parents of a four-year-old child. The couple, from the Swiss city of Saint Gallen, had the child through a surrogate mother in California using one of the men’s sperm. While the men are both listed as the parents on the child’s US […]
Oregon also bans gay “conversion therapy”
Oregon has become the third American state to ban efforts to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBT youth under the age of 18. Known as “conversion therapy”, the practice has been widely discredited as ineffectual and potentially harmful. The bill, which unfortunately only applies to mental health professionals and not religious groups, was signed into […]
Outed anti-gay pastor urged gay teen to kill himself
An anti-gay reverend in Michigan has been outed on a gay dating app, amid claims that he also urged a gay teenager to kill himself. Gay blog Queerty revealed earlier this week that Pastor Matthew Makela from the St. John’s Lutheran Church and School had an active profile on Grindr. In screen grabs posted by […]
Wife won’t accept gay sex claim in doctor’s murder
As arguments concluded in the Dr Louis Heyns murder case on Wednesday, his family refuse to believe he solicited sex from his self-confessed killer. Marthinus van der Walt, 35, who admitted to killing the well known paediatrician in May 2013, has claimed that the doctor approached him and his brother Sarel, 42, in an area […]