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Tuesday, August 4, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
LGBTQ
CUBA: Lesbians Demand Fair Treatment from Health Providers
Lesbian and bisexual women's groups in Cuba, which welcome anyone who wishes to participate "with solidarity and in a respectful, friendly and healthy manner," point to the need to sensitise health personnel to the issue of female sexual diversity.CARIBBEAN: Progress Stalls on HIV/AIDS
Despite the gains associated with antiretroviral treatments (ART) over the last decade, HIV/AIDS remains the leading cause of death among young and middle-aged adults in the Caribbean, warns a new U.N. report.
NICARAGUA: Machismo Just Isn’t Cool
As he left a workshop in the Nicaraguan capital about gender equality, Alejandro Silva was forced to confront a show of machismo, ironically, with his fists. He was attacked by classmates who taunted him that he was gay.U.N. Urged to Confront Rising Tide of Homophobia
Nearly two years after the Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity was proposed to the United Nations General Assembly, many civil society groups say that little has been done to safeguard the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people around the world.Homophobia-Free Churches in Mexico
Alejandro González left the Catholic Church to join the gay-supportive Metropolitan Community Churches in Mexico, in search of a more open and tolerant place of worship.CUBA: Ten Years Fighting HIV/AIDS and Reaching Out to Gays
Raúl Regueiro remembers every detail about the creation, 10 years ago in Cuba, of the project for the prevention of HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men, and the way the initiative crossed the boundaries of purely health-related concerns to address the question of social inclusion.
CUBA: Men’s Group Champions “Diverse Masculinities”
Men representing an array of sexual identifications have organised in Cuba to defend sexual rights and promote respect for "other masculinities," with the belief that greater visibility is needed to achieve true social change and acceptance.JAMAICA: Broadcast Ban Forces Cleanup of “Murder Music”
A government-led crackdown on violent and explicit sexual lyrics seems to have stalled reggae music's 20-year slide into what has been dubbed "murder music".
FILM-CUBA: “I Fought for This, But Not Just to Be a Housewife”
Mavi Susel, the first transsexual in Cuba to undergo sex reassignment surgery, back in 1988, has found herself trapped in the traditionally assigned gender role of a housewife.MEXICO: Supreme Court Upholds Non-Discrimination Against Gays
In the last two weeks, Mexico's Supreme Court has taken two fundamental steps in recognising the rights of gays and lesbians. On Monday, it voted to uphold a Mexico City law that allows same-sex couples to adopt.ARGENTINA: Transvestite Magazine Fights Media Stereotypes
The magazine El Teje, which is published in the Argentine capital and presents itself as "the first transvestite publication in Latin America," has been fighting the stigmatisation of the trans community for nearly three years.
COSTA RICA: Gays Unite Against Referendum on Civil Unions
Human rights organisations and the gay community in Costa Rica have joined forces to try to block a referendum on a law for civil unions between partners of the same sex.LGBT Groups Slow to Gain Formal Recognition at UN
Gay rights organisations are heartened by the official United Nations accreditation granted to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHR) last week, after a prolonged three-year struggle.
KENYA: HIV Strain Among Gays Same as Strain in Heterosexuals
Because of societal pressure and the criminality associated with men who have sex with men (MSM) in Kenya, Omondi Maina* married a woman. This is despite being involved in a homosexual relationship for the last 10 years.ARGENTINA: Being Gay No Longer a Bar to Marriage
Argentina is officially the first Latin American country to allow same-sex couples to marry, with the passage of a law Thursday that also permits gay couples to adopt children and to use assisted fertilisation to conceive a baby, rights that were hitherto restricted to heterosexual couples.
FILM: Daring to Be Gay in Small Town USA
Washington, D.C. residents Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer weren't expecting to become filmmakers when they placed an announcement of their wedding in Wilson's hometown newspaper.CHINA: Wives of Gays Struggle Alone
Wang Yibing had been married three years before she found out her husband was gay. He had known all along, yet, like many homosexual men in China, had chosen to enter into a traditional marriage to reduce the pressure he was feeling from his family and society.BURMA: HIV Infection on the Rise Among Men Who Have Sex with Men
The only son in his family, Maung Maung Oo was forced to marry when he was 24 years old. By then he had been carrying on a sexual relationship with a man for four years – which he continued even after his marriage.MALAWI: Gay Couple Released After Presidential Pardon
Five months and a day after their arrest, the gay Malawian couple who dared to publicly declare their union with a traditional engagement party were pardoned by the president and released without conditions.URUGUAY: Job Training Moves “Trans” Off Streets to Better Future
Ruler in hand, Fabiana draws lines with a pencil on orange cardboard, occasionally pushing her curly hair away from her eyes. Next to her, Fernanda fashions a colourful cardboard box, a prototype for what their cooperative will ultimately produce in large quantities.Malawi Gays Had No Chance
Rejecting the argument that the arrest and trial of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga amounted to a violation of their rights to freedom of conscience and expression as protected by Malawi's constitution, Blantyre chief resident magistrate Nyakwawa Usiwa Usiwa sentenced the two men to 14 years hard labour for "unnatural acts" and "gross indecency".« Previous Page — Next Page »
Although progress towards respect for sexual diversity has been made in a number of countries and in international law, in many parts of the world, lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face serious threats to their life and liberty. Even in countries where legislation recognising the rights of sexual minorities has been passed, discrimination and social stigma are widespread.
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