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Friday, April 19, 2024
News and Views from the Global South
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Those Bodies in Baghdad Are of Gay Men
Dozens of bodies bludgeoned to death pop up in Baghdad’s dusty streets like the remains of a wreckage on a beach. They are the corpses of homosexuals and followers of the ‘emo’ fashion who dare to break with the strict canons of the Shia orthodoxy in power.
Evangelist Sued in U.S. for Inciting Anti-Gay Hatred in Uganda
A major U.S. civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts Wednesday on behalf of a Ugandan gay rights organisation, the Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG), against a right-wing evangelist leader for inciting hatred against homosexuals that has led to increased violence against LGBT persons in the East African country.BRAZIL: Rio Police Reports to Respect Transgendered Identities
The state of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil will introduce a pioneering policy in March to reduce the under-reporting of crimes against transvestites and transsexual people, who will be able to identify themselves with their preferred names when they report crimes to the police.Double Sentence: AIDS in a Senegalese Prison
Amadou* takes in a long, deep breath, clears his throat and steps to the front of the room. He turns to look out at a familiar group of faces sitting on long wooden benches here at the Camp Penal maximum-security prison in Dakar. This is the last in a group of 150 inmates Amadou has been speaking with today. He’s tired, but remains focused.ARGENTINA: Things Slowly Getting Better for Transgender People
Transvestites and transsexuals in Argentina, who were among the most marginalised minority populations, have seen respect for their rights grow in recent years, especially since same-sex marriage became legal in this country a year and a half ago.
U.N.’s First Official Report on Gays Notes Widespread Bias
In its first-ever official report on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, the United Nations confirms there is widespread discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in "all regions" of the world.U.S.: Federal Court Grants Legal Victory to Transgender People
When Vandy Beth Glenn, a transgender woman formerly known as Mr. Glenn Morrison, told her supervisors at the Georgia state legislature where she served as a legislative editor that she would start coming to work dressed as a woman, she was fired.GUATEMALA: Discrimination Undermines AIDS Prevention
"At the clinic we were attended to by a woman who criticised us and only talked to us about religious questions," says Carlos Valdez of Proyecto Unidos, an NGO in Guatemala that fights for access to HIV/AIDS prevention services by homosexuals and sex workers.
Nigerian Bill Criminalises More Than Just Gay People
"The prospect of arriving home... being arrested at the airport - that's kind of scary," said Osazeme O., a dual citizen of Nigeria and the UK, in a wry understatement.
South-South Ties Reshape Aid Paradigm
When the G-8 countries, comprising the world’s largest industrialised nations, decided that improving Internet access to developing countries should be a priority, scores of leaders from developing world opposed the move.
The Aid From Women No One Counts
Gender responsive budgeting becomes important when seen in the background of unpaid but important care work done by women, say delegates to an international meet on aid effectiveness in this South Korean city.CARRIBEAN: Fresh Challenges Accompany Progress in AIDS Fight
Cracey Fernandes, the president of the Guyana Sex Work Coalition, does not hide the fact that he is homosexual.
CUBA: Same-Sex Couples Want to Be Counted
Communist Party militant, gay rights activist, journalist and blogger Francisco Rodríguez has triggered an online debate in Cuba by calling for sexual diversity to be identified in the next census, due in September 2012.
U.S.-UGANDA: Award Honours Courageous Gay Rights Activist
Frank Mugisha was just a young teenager in Uganda when he came out as gay. He faced bullying and threats, but he says the stories of lesbian, gay, and transgender friends he later met were much worse - some were kicked out of their homes by their families, subjected to sexual violence to "make them straight", or arrested.
U.S. Concerned Over Uganda’s “Deteriorating” Human Rights
The U.S. State Department Wednesday released a statement criticising what it said was a "deteriorating" human rights situation in Uganda and the government's increasingly heavy- handed tactics to repress political opposition and silence dissent.G20 Steps to Boost Economy Welcomed Cautiously
Responding to pressure from civil society and members within their own ranks, the Group of 20 industrialised and emerging countries on Saturday said they were committed to reforming the financial sector and were examining innovative methods to fund development.INDIA: Campuses Lead Gay Rights Struggle
It was with some trepidation that Nivvedan, a student at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Bombay, helped launch ‘Saathi’ (Companion), catering to the needs of people with different sexual orientations on campus.Executed for Being Gay
Five nations still outlaw homosexuality and carry out executions of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people, according to a recent report by the U.S. group Human Rights First.BRAZIL: Fight for Gay Rights Making Strides
Brazil is making progress in cracking down on homophobia and upholding the rights of homosexuals. The latest step was the introduction in Congress of a bill on sexual diversity, sponsored by the bar association in consultation with civil society.U.S.: Controversy Emerges Over Gender Identity Laws
Legislation incorporating gender identity protection has ignited debate among activists for gay and lesbian rights, with some arguing that the legislation actually endangers women and threatens their physical safety, while others contend that gender identity protection is key to obtaining equality for the LGBT community.
CUBA: Wedding Follows, Four Years After Sex Change Surgery
Nearly four years after realising her dream of changing her body into a woman's to match her transgender identity, Wendy Iriepa rode through the Cuban capital in a vintage convertible, wearing a stunning full-length white bridal gown and unfurling a rainbow flag, the symbol of the sexual diversity movement, for all to see.« Previous Page — Next Page »
The world is in financial disarray, facing the danger of widespread protectionism, food crisis and unemployment. The G20 - comprising some of the world's major economies, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank - aims to seal firm agreements to put the global economy on the right track. The newly formed 27-member Global Governance Group (3G) is challenging the politically and economically powerful G20 not to marginalise the interests of small and medium-sized countries or undermine the United Nations in key decision-making. The G20, in its deliberations, should take into account the concerns and aspirations of non-G20 countries and different national and regional circumstances, according to the G3. Furthermore, decisions taken by the G20 should seek to protect the development gains made by these countries, particularly the most vulnerable. Will the G20 succeed? Are the voices of the most vulnerable, developing and poor countries being heard? What does the civil society say about it? The world is watching.
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