Jozi’s Risqué gay nightclub to re-open
Those in the market for some clubbing nostalgia can look forward to the re-opening of Risqué in Johannesburg. Located in Fourways, the club was one of the city’s most popular gay nightspots for almost five years before closing its doors in July 2011. Now, as from the 6th of March, it will start up once […]
Dutch sleuth continues search for gay man in Cape Town
A private investigator from the Netherlands has arrived in Cape Town to continue the search for Dutch gay man Frank Kater. The 42-year-old went missing last year while undergoing treatment for addiction. He left the Cape Town clinic for an afternoon out on 12 October and never returned, despite not taking his passport or credit […]
Obama urged to ban Gambia’s homophobic president from US
Human rights groups have called on the Obama administration to take stronger action against the Gambian government in response to its crackdown and persecution of LGBT people. In their letter to President Obama, the 13 organisations stated: “It is not too late for the United States to send President Jammeh and his regime a clear […]
Russia fines LGBT youth support group founder
A Russian court has fined a journalist who created an online support group for LGBT youth for contravening the country’s gay propaganda law. On Friday, the court fined Elena Klimova 50,000 rubles (about R9,000) because it found that she had promoted “non-traditional sexual relations.” Klimova is the creator of the Children 404 group, which use […]
Zambians elect “go to hell” anti-gay president
Zambia’s LGBT community is likely to be concerned after vocally anti-gay politician Edgar Lungu was elected the country’s new president. Lungu, who’s been a minister of various government departments, was voted into power during last week’s presidential elections that followed the death of President Michael Sata in October last year. He won by a narrow […]
Kenya says no gays have been jailed because of their sexuality
Kenya’s government has defended its LGBTI rights record at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, and claimed that it is not enforcing its gay sex ban. On Thursday, the country addressed the issue during its UN Universal Periodic Review, a process that all UN members undergo every four years. Sweden’s Minister-Counsellor Josefin Simonsson Brodén noted […]
Portugal narrowly rejects gay adoption
Legislation to allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt children jointly has been narrowly rejected by Portugal’s Parliament. On Thursday, the draft laws, proposed by the Left Bloc, the Socialists and the Greens, failed to pass by 30 votes, reports AFP. While Portugal legalised same-sex marriage in 2010, that law specifically barred these couples from […]
Malawi’s anti-gay Catholic bishop killed in car crash, lauded by president
Malawi’s President Mutharika has praised anti-gay Roman Catholic Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza, who passed away last week. Zuza, 59, who was bishop of the Mzuzu Diocese and headed up Malawi’s Episcopal Conference, died from injuries sustained in a car accident last week. He was known for his anti-gay views and, according to Malawi 24, was […]
Chile votes for gay civil unions
A bill to legalise same-sex civil unions has been approved by the lower house of Chile’s National Congress. According to La Tercera, the bill was passed by deputies in an 86-in-favour and 23-against vote, with two abstentions. The legislation now goes back to the Senate for approval, which could take place by the end of […]
France fines three over gay hate tweets
A French court has fined three people for tweeting a gay hate comment that called for the killing of gay people. The three users included the homophobic hashtag “let’s burn the gays on…” (#brûlonslesgayssurdu) in their tweets in August 2013. The tweets came in the wake of the controversial legalisation of same-sex marriage in France. […]