"Hopefully the flogging we're witnessing today will serve as a lesson for people not to violate sharia (Islamic law)," said Banda Aceh official Tarmizi Yahya.
At some point I felt confounded and lost my voice. I tried to evade the situation by looking away, far beyond the crowd and thanks to the waving flags, I’ve recognized a group of people with whom I share a long history of activism, which helped me to collect myself and to resume my speech.
They were wrong because they undermined the very essence of Pride; the freedom to be yourself, to identify how you want, to be respected and included like anyone else. They claimed to be speaking for lesbians, but they do not, they speak only for themselves.”
Colombia has made no progress in stopping killings of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, campaigners said, as new research showed more than 100 were killed last year despite an overall fall in the murder rate.
