1,000 MALAYSIANS SUBJECTED TO “GENDER CONFUSION REHAB”
A Malaysian state department has revealed that more than 1,000 people have gone through its programmes to “educate gender-confused individuals” since 2010. The Director of the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia (Jakim), Datuk Othman Mustapha, told the New Straits Times that in collaboration with the State Department of Religious Affairs it “had approached more than […]
FEATHER AWARDS RESPONDS TO EXIT SNUB & CRITICISM
The man behind the controversial Feather Awards has responded to criticism that the event is frivolous and irrelevant to the LGBTI community. On Tuesday, we reported that Exit, South Africa’s longest running LGBTI newspaper, had declined its nomination by the awards. This followed an article last month by singer and actor Majola, accusing the event of […]
END OF AN ERA: IS THIS OUT IN AFRICA’S LAST FESTIVAL?
Africa’s longest running gay and lesbian film festival will be hosting what could be its last event this week as it continues to face funding woes and lets go of staff. The Out In Africa (OIA) film festival is quietly marking its 21st year with a mini festival screening of just four films this week […]
ELTON JOHN SLAMS RUSSIA FOR TAKING DOWN STEVE JOBS MEMORIAL
Elton John, who has a huge following in Russia, has criticised the removal of a monument to Steve Jobs simply because current Apple CEO Tim Cook came out as gay. The star’s husband, David Furnish, wrote on Facebook that while other performers had chosen to boycott Russia because of its gay propaganda law, the singer […]
GAY NEWSPAPER DECLINES FEATHER AWARDS NOMINATION
Exit, South Africa’s longest running LGBTI newspaper, has declined a nomination by the Feather Awards, arguing that the event is frivolous and air-headed. The awards are described as a cheeky and irreverent celebration of high-profile individuals who, the organisers say, have inspired, scandalised and amused South Africa’s LGBTI community over the past year. It’s never […]
Master’s student takes Miss Gay Western Cape Title
A master’s student has won the coveted sixth annual Miss Gay Western Cape title in Cape Town. Liberty Banks, also known as Glenton Matthyse, is studying for her Master’s degree in Human Rights Law at the University of the Western Cape. She took the 2014 crown at a glittering pageant at the Baxter Theater in […]
KELLOGG’S ATTACKED FOR TONY THE TIGER GAY PRIDE AD
Kellogg’s has been attacked by American anti-gay conservatives for supporting Atlanta Pride. The breakfast cereal company reportedly placed an advert in last month’s Atlanta gay Pride march guide. The ad features a graphic of the Frosties cartoon character Tony the Tiger, with the headline, “Wear your stripes with pride.” The text reads: “At Kellogg, we’re an […]
POPE DEMOTES ANTI-GAY CARDINAL
In a significant move, Pope Francis has demoted a senior American cardinal who’s been a vocal critic of his more welcoming stance towards gays and lesbians. On Saturday, Francis removed 66-year-old Cardinal Raymond Burke from the position of Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the head of the Vatican’s most senior court of ecclesiastical judgement. Burke […]
TRANSGENDER VICTORY FOR MALAYSIA COULD BE APPEALED
A Malaysian appeals court has ruled that the country’s ban on cross-dressing is unconstitutional, reports Human Rights Watch. On Friday, a three-judge panel of the Putrajaya Court of Appeal said that a state Sharia-law ban on cross-dressing was “degrading, oppressive and inhuman” and that so long as it was in force, transgender people “will continue […]
NIGERIA: ISLAMIC VIGILANTES ARREST 25 GAYS
There are reports that Islamic vigilantes have arrested 25 men in the north-western Nigerian state of Kebbi. According to local media, the Kebbi arm of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria claimed in a press briefing last week to have arrested the men over the past year. The commander of the group, Sanusi Ibrahim Geza, said […]