IS JOBURG PRIDE BROKE?
The organisers behind last year’s Johannesburg Pride continue to be embroiled in controversy, with the event’s finances and management now being questioned. Mambaonline has learned that the venue at which the event was held, the Sandton Sports Club, is in debt to one of its suppliers, apparently because Joburg Pride has not paid its bills […]
ZIM TRANS WOMAN TOILET CASE DISMISSED
A transgender Zimbabwean woman who was on trial for using a female bathroom in a Bulawayo hotel can breathe a sigh of relief. Ricky Nathanson had been facing a charge of “criminal nuisance” for using the toilet but, on Tuesday, the case against her was dismissed. According to Mojalifa Mokoele, Program Manager at the Sexual […]
IVORY COAST HIV / LGBT ACTIVISTS IN HIDING
The authorities in the Ivory Coast must urgently investigate the unprecedented wave of homophobic attacks in Abidjan, which has forced many HIV workers to go into hiding, says Amnesty International. On 25 January, the office of Alternative Côte d’Ivoire – an organisation working for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and intersex people (LGBTI) […]
SENEGAL: MEN JAILED FOR 6 MONTHS ON GAY CHARGES
Despite the country claiming that gay people are not prosecuted, two men have been jailed for homosexuality in Senegal. AP revealed on Saturday that the men had been reported to police by neighbours in the capital Dakar. In court on Friday, the men acknowledged that they had sex and were sentenced to six months in prison. […]
DEFIANT TURN OUT FOR MUMBAI PRIDE
Despite India recently outlawing homosexuality, a record number of participants turned out for the seventh annual Mumbai Pride march on Saturday. The event was especially significant in that it was the first Pride to take place in the country since its Supreme Court recently recriminalised homosexuality. The thousands of revellers and activists proclaimed their outrage […]
FINNISH OLYMPIC SWIMMER COMES OUT
Another international sportsman has come out as gay, this time to take a stand against Russia’s anti-gay legislation. Finnish Olympic swimmer Ari-Pekka Liukkonen has revealed that he is gay just days ahead of the Winter Olympic Games in the Russian city of Sochi. “I wanted to start a broader discussion in connection with Sochi, because […]
NEW SA GAY POLITICAL PARTY ANNOUNCED
It was revealed over the weekend that a new South African LGBT political party has been registered to contest the upcoming national elections. The Equal Rights Party plans to represent gay and lesbian people in parliament, said spokesperson Michael Herbst. “We need a voice in parliament to protect women from being raped because people want […]
AFRICAN BISHOPS WON’T COMPROMISE ON GAYS
The heads of the Anglican church in Uganda and Kenya say they won’t even discuss the possibility of softening their homophobic stance towards homosexuality. Ugandan Primate Bishop Stanley Ntagali and Kenyan Primate Bishop Eliud Wabukala have both issued statements rejecting a Church of England report on same-sex marriage. The report called for continued discussion and reflection “on […]
RUSSIAN PAPER FINED FOR GAY PROPAGANDA
For the first time, Russia’s widely condemned gay propaganda law has been successfully used to target a publication. The news that Alexander Suturin, editor-in-chief of the Molodoi Dalnevostochnik newspaper, was fined 50,000 rubles ($1,400) under the law illustrates the serious impact the legislation is having on civil liberties. According to RIA Novosti, the publication was […]
HONG KONG TYCOON WITHDRAWS LESBIAN DAUGHTER DOWRY
Following her public plea for acceptance, a Hong Kong tycoon has withdrawn the reward offered to any man who could convince his lesbian daughter to turn straight. Property mogul Cecil Chao (77) first issued the headline-making HK$500million (around R7 billion) offer two years ago, leading to 20,000 would be suitors coming forward. He then recently doubled […]