Saif Rahman, founder of the Humanist and Cultural Muslim Association and Author of The Islamist Delusion interviewed a former convicted jihadist – a teenage convert to Islam and now an ex-Muslim – about his previous views on homosexuality and women. Read More
Camp Aranu'tiq: A Safe Haven for Transgender Kids
When my son began his transition from female to male at age 12 I knew I was fighting a battle. I knew the world could be cruel and I wasn't sure the world was ready for transgender children, but ready or not my son was coming. One of the many things I thought of was: how could he be involved in a traditional summer camp? Most camps split activities by gender. The bathrooms and locker rooms are for girls and boys. What about a kid that didn't fit the gender norms? What about my son? Read More
Bishop of Buckingham speaks out in support of same-sex marriage
Equal marriage was praised by Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson, in a debate on whether same-sex marriages should be allowed in church. Same-sex marriage passed into law in March, but gay weddings in the Church of England are still prohibited. A prominent supporter of gay marriage, he told worshipers that the Christian tradition holds “the root of marriage is not sex but companionship”. He said: “The idea that marriage is about friendship has become extremely powerful in England.” Read More
Anti-gay Inter-Religious Council fires all staff
The sudden withdrawal of a grant worth billions of shillings by USAID has paralyzed operations at the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda. The multi-denominational organization was forced to lay off all staff after USAID abruptly ended its financial support worth $34.5m (Shs 89.7bn). The Uganda organization says it is a victim of its anti-gay stance, although some sources claim it failed to meet some of USAID’s rigorous accountability procedures. Moments after USAID withdrew its funding, the Democratic Governance Facility of European Union, withdrew its Shs 1.9bn funding for a three-year project on governance and accountability. IRCU suspects DFG’s withdrawal was influenced by USAID. Read More
Do not harm homosexuals, Ugandan Archbishop Odama appeals
The Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese, John Baptist Odama, has asked Ugandans to avoid harming homosexuals. Bishop Odama said homosexuals are also human beings created in the image of God who only deviated from the Godly way of life. “Let us learn to love God’s human creatures. It is not that I am advocating for homosexual practice in the country, but we should not take laws into our hands to harm and hate the homosexuals because we all have weaknesses,” the Archbishop said. Read More
Cops raid second Lebanon bathhouse in gay crackdown
Up to 28 people could face jail or expulsion from Lebanon after two raids on Turkish baths believed by police to be meeting spaces for gay and bisexual men. This comes after an earlier raid on the Agha Hammam baths where another 27 people were arrested. They have now been charged with homosexuality and could be jailed. Read More
Criminalizing gays by misusing anti-gay sex law not acceptable, says Mumbai chief of ruling party
Ashish Shelar, the Mumbai chief of India’s ruling party says his party is now against the misuse Indian Penal Code to harass gay people. The chief's comments are significant as the party has previously supported the Supreme Court's ruling making gay sex illegal. Read More
Cuban president’s daughter casts first ‘no’ vote since the Revolution over trans and HIV exclusion
Mariela Castro, daughter of President Raúl Castro and niece of Fidel Castro, has given an unprecedented "no" vote in the Cuban parliament to a workers' rights bill she felt didn't go far enough to prevent discrimination against people with HIV or with unconventional gender identities. "This is the first time [there has been a "no" vote], without a doubt," said Carlos Alzugaray, a historian and former Cuban diplomat. Read More
Follow-up: Russian anti-gay extremist sentenced to five years in penal colony
Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich, leader of Russian anti-gay vigilante group “Occupy Pedophilia,” who is alleged to have lured LGBT youth to abusive encounters through fake social media profiles, was sentenced to five years in a Russian penal colony. Read More
Cameroon lesbians freed after 9 months awaiting trial
After nearly a year in jail, 2 Cameroon lesbians have been convicted of same-sex activity. Cameroonian law provides for prison sentences of up to 5 years for same-sex sexual activity. Though it's supposed to apply only when a couple is “caught in the act,” the law is often interpreted as justifying imprisonment for suspected homosexuality.
Liliane and Nicole each received a two-year prison sentence, which was converted into a three-year suspended sentence and were released back to the community. Read More
Hate = Death, A round up of global hate crimes
Hate crimes are a global issue, spreading across cultural and national boundaries. This week's victims included an 18 year old Azerbaijan whose parents doused him with gasoline and threatened to murder him when they found out he is gay. The boy survived his burns. After Alejandro Gala, president of Ola LGBT+ Almeria, was attacked with a Molotov cocktail the Spanish youth leader swore, "it’s my obligation to denounce these homophobic acts, and urge others to do the same to show that there’s still a lot left to fight for and that activism is the solution.’
Meanwhile Brian Higgins, aka Feather Lynn, was taken off life support after a brutal attack left him on life support with a fatal brain aneurysm in San Francisco. In South Africa, Gift Makau, an 18 year old lesbian was the victim of “corrective rape”, before she was strangled to death.
Jamaican LGBT rights start in a storm drain
"Any kind of injustice bothers me--bothers me deeply,” Yvonne McCalla Sobers said. A small woman with light gray hair, she is a dynamic force. As an LGBT activist in Jamaica, a battlefield country with the sixth highest homicide rate in the world, she faces violent intolerance rooted in national homophobia. Watch now