LGBTQ

Akinyi M. Ocholla Credit: Courtesy of Akinyi M. Ocholla

Q&A: Inclusive Sex Education Needed in African Schools

By Suzanne Hoeksema
With the exception of South Africa, most African countries criminalise same-sex relationships with imprisonment, while incidents of violence against gay women and men are poorly investigated and rarely taken to court.
David Bahati submitting his controversial anti-gay Bill to parliament. Credit: Wambi Michael/IPS

RIGHTS-UGANDA: “You Cannot Tell Me You Will Kill Me Because I’m Gay”

By Wambi Michael
The Ugandan government will put to death gay citizens repeatedly caught having sex and throw into jail those who touch each other in a "gay" way, if a new proposed Bill becomes law.

VENEZUELA: Homophobia Stalks the Streets – in Uniform

By Humberto Márquez
One Friday at around midnight, on Villaflor Street, a favourite spot for gays and lesbians in the Venezuelan capital, Yonatan Matheus and Omar Marques noticed two Caracas police patrol vans carrying about 20 detainees, most of them very young.

RIGHTS-US: Gay Bar Raids Draw Community Outrage

By Matthew Charles Cardinale
Two recent police raids of gay bars in Atlanta, Georgia and Fort Worth, Texas have sparked mass protests in the two cities and led activists to question whether equality for persons of all sexual orientations in the U.S. has come as far as some would like to believe.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Protests Surround New Constitution

By Elizabeth Eames Roebling
The Dominican Republic passed the 38th version of its constitution Thursday evening, amending more than 40 articles that drew public protests and opposition from civil society groups and many average Dominicans.

ARGENTINA: New Voice for Sexual Minorities

By Marcela Valente
A monthly magazine published by an Argentine umbrella group of some thirty organisations of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans (LGBTs) seeks to become a major communications channel for the community and an instrument for disseminating the actions that sexual minorities undertake to defend their rights.

RIGHTS-EL SALVADOR: Anti-Gay Reform Fails in Congress

By IPS Correspondents
Constitutional reforms that would ban same-sex couples from marrying and adopting children in El Salvador failed to obtain the required number of votes in Congress.
The 07-07-07 Campaign, named after the gruesome double murder of Salome Masooa and Sizakele Sigaza in 2007 seeks to end the targeting of lesbian women for their sexuality. Credit: Credit: Nathalie Rosa Bucher

SOUTH AFRICA: Law Failing Lesbians on “Corrective Rape”

By IPS Correspondents
"Women are getting killed in the Western Cape," says Ndumie Funda, who runs LulekiSizwe in her "cabin" in the township of Gugulethu near Cape Town.

HEALTH-ARGENTINA: “Buddies” Ease Transgenders’ Hospital Visits

By Marcela Valente
Keeping a hospital appointment in the Argentine capital is a far less fearsome ordeal for transgender persons, a sector of the population that according to doctors had "dramatic" statistics of illness, when they are accompanied by trained health promoters who, like them, have chosen a different gender identity.
Across Africa, gay men experience fear, hostility and discrimination; a southern Africa study suggests this has grave implications for their health. Credit: Reinnier Kazé/IRIN

MALAWI: High-Risk Sex Among Those Who “Do Not Exist”

By IPS Correspondents
A study on men having sex with men (MSM) in Malawi shows that, as elsewhere in the developing world, this vulnerable group is at greater risk of contracting HIV and AIDS than the general population. Moreover, their risk status is exacerbated as governments fail to target them for health services or information to stem HIV transmission.
Yemisi Ilesanmi: African governments are afraid of the advances in LGBT human rights in other countries. Credit: Christi van der Westhuizen

RIGHTS: Outspoken Activists Defend Africa’s Sexual Diversity

By IPS Correspondents
The second World Outgames, held in the Danish capital, offered up a veritable smorgasbord of sport, politics and arts while celebrating sexual and gender diversity. But it also reminded participants that bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, sometimes culminating in violence, remains a scourge across the world.

CUBA: Following the Trail of a Woman Who Lived as a Man

By Dalia Acosta
When Cuban historian and anthropologist Julio César González and his Spanish friend Alberto Góngora Sanz arrived at the birthplace of Swiss physician Enriqueta Favez, in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, their joy at finally reaching their destination was so great that they broke into tears and dropped to the ground in the square across the street from her house.
Lesley Esteves: "The queer struggle closely reflects the issues the women

Q&A: "Every Work Form You Fill Asks Your Marital Status"

By Ann Ninan
When a high court amended Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a colonial-era law which was used to criminalise consensual homosexual relationships, on Jul. 2, it was a "life-changing moment for me," says Lesley Esteves, a journalist and queer activist.

CULTURE-AUSTRALIA: Film on ‘Slavery’ Ignites Controversy

By Neena Bhandari
‘Stolen’, an Australian documentary film that premiered at the Sydney Film Festival last month, has ignited a controversy with its claims on slavery in the refugee camps of Western Sahara. The main protagonist has denounced the film for her portrayal as a 'slave’, but the filmmakers say they stand by their version of the story "one hundred per cent".

MEXICO: Int’l AIDS Funds Necessary but Not Sufficient

By Emilio Godoy
For the first time, Mexico is eligible for a grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. But even if its application is successful, resources for HIV/AIDS prevention among high-risk sectors of the population will fall short.

RIGHTS-INDIA: India's Historic Gay Ruling

By IPS Correspondents
A day after the Delhi High Court's landmark judgment to overturn a colonial law that criminalised homosexuality, Indians expressed mixed reactions to the verdict.
"No Fear, We are Queer" - More than 1,500 people participated in New Delhi

RIGHTS: Queer Parade Defies Anachronistic Indian Law

By IPS Correspondents
"Not all females are women," reads a poster emblazoned in red. "I am the pink sheep of my family!" is the message on another, while a third, very cheekily proclaims, "I don’t give a f***, I am a greedy bisexual"!
Mariela Castro at Day Against Homophobia event. Credit: Jorge Luis Baños/IPS

Q&A: “Participatory Socialist Democracy Is Essential”

By Dalia Acosta
Renowned for her work for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transvestite and transgender people, Mariela Castro advocates a fairer, more inclusive, and above all more participatory socialism in Cuba.

POLITICS-US: Same-Sex Marriage May Return to the Ballot Box

By Matthew O. Berger
In the wake of the California Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to uphold Proposition 8, which eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry, a surprising scapegoat and potential savior for opponents of the proposition has emerged in the California ballot initiative process.
Sign announcing national day against homophobia. Credit: Daniel Zueras/IPS

COSTA RICA: A Day of Multi-Coloured Splendor

By Daniel Zueras
Government institutions and civil society organisations are holding talks, workshops and other activities aimed at raising awareness and overcoming intolerance, in preparation for the National Day Against Homophobia on Sunday in Costa Rica.
Keith Goddard: 'Rambling, vocal rhetoric against gay people does not constitute a policy... Human rights are inalienable and cannot be given or withdrawn.' Credit: PNTGM

ZIMBABWE: Recognise Rights of Gays and Lesbians

By Busani Bafana
Zimbabwe is trying to rebuild itself as a nation where rights to freedom of expression and association are protected. Amongst the chorus of voices raised in support of a new constitutional order are the country's gays and lesbians.
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