WATCH: COMING OUT TO MY MOM
A young American man has recorded his emotional coming out to his mother and posted it on YouTube. Ryan Dubs filmed himself with his laptop as he tearfully told his mother that he is gay. The video has gone viral and been viewed almost 120,000 times. Dubs said that he made the video because he […]
GERMAN CELEBS KISS FOR GAYS
Over a dozen heterosexual male German celebrities have kissed each other in a campaign in support of LGBT equality. Called “Gentlemen against homophobia,” the campaign was launched by GQ Germany, which recently published the beautiful photos of the lip-locking couples. “Because intolerance is not a state of mind – and certainly not for gentlemen,” says […]
INDIAN GOV. MAY OK GAY SEX
The Indian government says that it is looking at decriminalising gay sex after it was banned by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The court restored the 153-year-old colonial-era law banning gay sex, stating that the Delhi High Court’s 2009 ruling striking the law down was invalid. It further ruled that only the government had the authority to repeal […]
PINK MYNAH PARADE CANCELLED
The LGBT street parade that was set to take place on Saturday in Pietermaritzburg has been cancelled. The parade was one of the events in the fifth Pink Mynah Festival, hosted by the Gay & Lesbian Network, which is currently underway in the city. According the network, the procession was cancelled following a request by […]
SPORTS STARS BACK GAY RIGHTS
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova and former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jason Collins on Tuesday spoke out against homophobic violence and discrimination. The two openly gay American sports stars spoke to journalists at the UN Headquarters in New York before attending a special event for Human Rights Day, ‘Sport comes out against homophobia.’ “Gays and […]
AUSSIE GAY MARRIAGES INVALID
The law legalising same-sex marriage in an Australian territory has been struck down, effectively annulling the country’s first gay marriages. On Thursday, the High Court ruled that a marriage equality law passed in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was in conflict with federal law that defines marriage as only being between a man and a woman. In […]
HIV “CURE” FAILS
In disappointing news, HIV has returned in two men who it was hoped had been cleared of HIV through bone marrow transplants. In July, researchers from the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston revealed that the transplants to treat cancer in the two HIV-positive men had apparently also resulted in the […]
DUDUZILE SUSPECT REQUESTS BAIL
The man accused of murdering and raping lesbian Duduzile Zozo in June has surprised activists by applying for bail. On Tuesday, 22-year-old Lekgoa Lesley Motleleng made his second appearance in the Palm Ridge Magistrates’ Court in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg. At his first court appearance following his arrest in October he declined to apply for […]
GAY FLAG OF SA HONOURS MADIBA
The creators of the Gay Flag of South Africa have honoured Nelson Mandela’s role in securing LGBT equality. On Saturday, Eugene Brockman and Henry Bantjez, along with American-based activist Melanie Nathan, visited Nelson Mandela Square and placed small gay flags amongst the tributes laid out in honour of the late human rights icon. They caught […]
UGANDA GOV. SPLIT OVER GAY CLINICS
In a surprise move, Uganda’s health ministry has announced that it will open specialised HIV clinics for most at-risk populations (MARPs), including men who have sex with men (MSM). In July last year, Uganda’s health ministry criticised the launch by activists of the country’s first clinic for LGBT people in Kampala, saying that it was […]