Two men jailed for gay sex in Morocco
It’s been reported that two men have been sent to jail for three years for engaging in “homosexual practices.” According to Pink News, the local men were sentenced on 23 December after they were caught having sex on 13 December. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Morocco with penalties ranging from […]
US gay blood ban to be relaxed, but is it enough?
In a surprise move, America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to relax the lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood, but activists say it’s not good enough. Last week, an FDA spokesperson said there were no plans for it to address the gay blood ban, despite calls for it to do […]
Gay porn star killer and cannibal gets life
Canadian gay porn actor and escort Luka Magnotta has been sentenced to life in jail for murdering and dismembering his former lover on video. On Tuesday, an unemotional Magnotta, 32, was found guilty of the first-degree murder of 33-year-old university student Jun Lin in May 2012. He received an automatic life sentence, and will not […]
US suspends Gambia from trade deal over gay rights abuses
President Obama has dropped Gambia from a major trade agreement because of its human rights abuses, including the persecution of gays and lesbians. In a media statement on Tuesday, the White House said that it was suspending Gambia’s eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA). While the statement offered no […]
Uganda launches first gay magazine as a “Christmas present”
Uganda’s LGBTI community has taken a bold step in the face of ongoing threats by launching the country’s first gay magazine. Bombastic Magazine is described as “a compilation of stories, testimonies and opinions by LGBTI Ugandans” with the objective of ending “violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people countrywide.” The publication is edited by […]
Washington, D.C. bans “conversion therapy” for gay youth
The mayor of Washington D.C. has signed a law that bans efforts to “cure” gay and lesbian youth through controversial “conversion therapy”. The Conversion Therapy for Minors Prohibition Amendment Act was passed unanimously by the city council earlier this month and approved by Mayor Vincent Gray at a signing ceremony on Sunday. “I am proud […]
Gay celebs marry over festive season
Love is in the air! Three openly gay and lesbian international celebrities have gotten married during the festive season. The first was tennis legend Martina Navratilova, 58, who tied the knot with her partner of eight years, Julia Lemigova, 42, in New York on 15 December. Lemigova is a Russian businesswoman and former beauty queen. […]
Ugandan lesbian refugee is free – for now
A Ugandan lesbian woman, who was tortured because of her sexuality, has won a reprieve from being deported from the UK back to her home country. On Thursday last week, Judith Twikirize, 23, was released from the Yarl’s Wood detention centre after a judicial review of her case was filed, hours before she was set […]
Landmark ruling as Chinese court says being gay not an illness
In a ground-breaking ruling, a Chinese court has backed a gay man who sued a gay “cure” clinic. Yang Teng, also known as Xiao Zhen, claimed that the Xinyu Piaoxiang “conversion therapy” clinic in the city of Chongqing left him traumatised with its use of electro-shock therapy. Yang said that, under pressure from his family […]
Breaking! Zimbabwe gays attacked at end-of-year party
Members of Zimbabwe’s gay community have been brutally beaten and assaulted by unknown assailants while celebrating the festive season. According to a report from Galz (Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe), the organisation was hosting its end-of-year party and drag contest at a private venue in Harare on Friday when the incident took place. At around […]