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Saturday, June 20, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
South-South
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".
Malawi Gay Couple Found Guilty of Love
On May 18, Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, the two men arrested in December after their traditional engagement party, were convicted of "unnatural acts" and "gross indecency" under colonial-era laws that remain in Malawi's penal code.CUBA: Struggle Against Homophobia Takes to the Streets
"Governments cannot wait for a social consensus in order to guarantee respect for people's rights," Mariela Castro, head of Cuba's National Centre for Sex Education (CENESEX), told IPS on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia in Cuba Monday.CHILE: Custody Decision Violated Lesbian Judge’s Rights
The attorneys representing Chilean Judge Karen Atala, a lesbian who brought her case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights claiming discrimination in the loss of custody of her three daughters, accused the Chilean state of sending out "unequivocal" signals of a lack of will to implement the regional body's recommendations.
Q&A: Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Now
In his State of the Union address to Congress, U.S. President Barack Obama promised to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which forbids gays and lesbians from serving openly in the Armed Forces. Three months later, efforts to repeal the policy continue to languish in Congress.RIGHTS-US: Love Without Borders – Or Papers
Tom is in love. It's an old story: he noticed an attractive stranger at a friend's party, and the attractive stranger noticed Tom. They began talking, then dating, and then they fell in love. For a while, they enjoyed a perfect romance.
RIGHTS-MALAWI: Full Court Trial for Gay Couple
Two men who married each other in a traditional engagement ceremony will have to undergo trial and face years of imprisonment if found guilty of having a homosexual relationship.RIGHTS-MEXICO: “Yes, I Do” Want a Same-Sex Marriage Licence
Emma Villanueva and her partner lined up at the civil registry office in the Mexican capital to register for a marriage licence Thursday, the day that Latin America's first same-sex marriage law went into effect.
RIGHTS-UGANDA: Fugitives in Their Own Country
Every morning Pepe Julian Onziema wakes up not knowing if she will live to see another rising sun. Onziema is transgender and she lives in fear for her life because of a national campaign against gay people.CUBA: Wendy – Reconciling the Inner and Outer Image
It was as if she had only closed her eyes for a moment. When Wendy Iriepa came round after surgery over a year ago, she tried to get up as if nothing had happened, but a nurse gently pushed her back into bed. "All done?" she asked, and the nurse replied, "Yes."
MALAWI: Love That Dares To Speak Its Name
The traditional engagement ceremony of two men on Dec. 26, 2009 has created controversy in conservative Malawi. Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were arrested two days after their engagement and remain in police custody, facing long jail terms.
Q&A: Defining – and Defying – the ‘Most Proper Way’ to be Sexual
"The Prize and The Price - Shaping Sexualities in South Africa" is the first book of its kind in South Africa to unpack the ideology behind the enforcement of "acceptable" versions of sex, gender and sexuality.ARGENTINA: First Same-Sex Marriage in Latin America
After a months-long legal battle, two gay men in Argentina became the first homosexuals to marry in Latin America, in a wedding that took place in the southernmost province, Tierra del Fuego, the only one governed by a woman.MEXICO: Green Light for Gay Marriage, Adoption in Capital
The Mexican capital's local parliament has authorised marriage between same-sex partners, a measure covering the eight million people in Mexico City proper. Adoption by gay couples will also be allowed.RIGHTS-NICARAGUA: An Ombudswoman for Sexual Diversity
At last, homosexuals in Nicaragua have someone to uphold their rights: an ombudswoman for sexual diversity has been appointed to defend the rights of the gay community, estimated to number half a million people.RIGHTS: U.N. Still to Accredit Its First U.S. LGBT Group
Sixty-one years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sexual orientation and gender identity still pose a threat to the dignity and sovereignty of individuals around the world.RIGHTS-AFRICA: Judges Address How Law Can Assist HIV Response
In Ghana, because the stigmatisation against gay men is so great, many are forced to have sexual relationships with women to escape prejudice and homophobic violence.
RIGHTS-UGANDA: Anti-homosexuality Bill Means ‘Targeted Killings’
Uganda will be going back to the days of the Idi Amin regime if it passes a Bill which will arrest or kill people for being gay or lesbian and for repeatedly engaging in homosexual sex, say rights activists.« Previous Page — Next Page »
South-South cooperation – collaboration between developing countries - is a growing and dynamic phenomenon, an important process that is vital in confronting shared challenges. Led by emerging giants India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) the South is a tremendous source of tested solutions to development challenges including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Nairobi Outcome of the 2009 High Level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation in Nairobi, Kenya highlights growing political and economic ties within the developing world, as countries from the South assume leading roles in decision-making on hot global issues ranging from economic recovery to food security and climate change.
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