UK: Jim Wells resigns as Northern Ireland health minister over 'anti-gay' remarks

Jim Wells stepped down after the police received a complaint about comments he is said to have made to a gay couple while out canvassing in the general election. Wells was already under fire for appearing to link gay relationships to child abuse during an election debate. His resignation highlights one of the major problems that Ed Miliband or David Cameron face if they chose to form a minority government backed by Democratic Unionist Party.

It also exposes the deep strain of evangelical Christian hostility towards gay people from within the DUP, drawing accusations from the likes of the Liberal Democrats that it is not fit to determine the shape of the next government. Nick Clegg said Wells’ comments showed that the DUP “mask had slipped”.

Wells last week caused a furore when he said: “You don’t bring a child up in a homosexual relationship. That a child is far more likely to be abused and neglected,” before he was shouted down by members of the audience. Read More 

Canada: Sexual assaults in Ottawa linked to hookup apps

Capital Pride and the GLBT Ottawa police liaison committee are teaming up to respond to a series of sexual assaults involving men who met on hookup apps.

Mauricio Olivares, Capital Pride’s newly-hired festival producer, attended a committee meeting on April 20 to discuss recent sexual assaults targeting male victims. “I know of at least five cases in the last two months,” he said. “From what we’ve discussed with other people and other community members, we realize the number is actually much higher than that.”

By collaborating with the liaison committee and local agencies, it’s important to rally the community so that survivors know they’re not alone and they can access local resources whether they report the assault or not, Olivares said. As hookup apps and dating websites have become more popular, perpetrators are using the cloak of anonymity to victimize others, Olivares said.  Read More

Russia: Court won't reinstate fired lesbian teacher

A district court in St. Petersburg refused to reinstate a lesbian music teacher who was fired in December from a local school for “immoral conduct.” The teacher sued the school, seeking reinstatement to her job and 300,000 rubles (roughly $6,000) in compensation for moral damage. In its ruling, the court drew from an expert evaluation of the teacher’s photos from social networks.

The dismissal of the teacher was the result of efforts from anti-gay activist Timur Isaev, who was engaged in “forced outing.” This means he searched for lesbians and gay people on social networks and reported them to their employers. At least 29 teachers were dismissed as a result of his activities before he was arrested on charges of embezzlement.

Isaev repeatedly appealed to the principal of the school, demanding that the teacher be dismissed. In firing the teacher, her principal mention the the social media photos, given to him on a CD by Isaev.  Read More 

US: Pennsylvania high school students organize “Anti-Gay Day”

Students at a Pennsylvania high school held an “Anti-Gay Day” protest on Thursday, wearing coordinated flannel shirts, writing “anti-gay” on their hands, and sticking Bible verses on LGBT students’ lockers. The anti-gay protest occurred a day after students with the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance held a “Day of Silence,” an event aimed at drawing attention to anti-gay bullying. 

“I got called a dyke, a faggot,” Johnson said. “They were calling us every horrible name you can think of.” The national Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network organized a “Day of Silence” around the United States. As part of their protest, Johnson and the other dozen members of the GSA arranged to wear black, paint rainbows on their faces, and stay silent for much of the day.

“This is a troubling turn of events,” wrote Sue Kerr, editor-in-chief of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents. “These kids didn’t just spontaneously pull a homophobic move. They have a plan. They have coordinated outfits.”  Read More

Tonga: Will bans same-sex marriage while ratifying CEDAW

The Director of the Women and Children Crisis Centre Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki says since last month's cabinet announcement that the UN convention would be ratified there has been huge debate in the community. Church and community leaders have come out against the move over the concern that CEDAW would lead to same sex marriage and abortions in the country as CEDAW refers to the right for a woman to choose her spouse and family planning. 

But the chief executive of Internal Affairs Lopeti Senituli says the government is planning law changes to satisfy the church leaders. "Under our existing Deaths, Births and Marriages Registration Act there is no specific reference for or against same sex marriage. The government is proposing now that we amend our Deaths, Births and Marriages Registration Act to prohibit same sex marriage." Read More

Pakistan: Enabling dissent, defying silence – In memory of Sabeen Mahmud: Yaminay Chaudhri and Mariam Sabri

Unidentified gunmen have killed Pakistani women's activist Sabeen Mahmud in a targeted shooting that also left her mother in intensive care. Two friends in Pakistan respond to the tragic assassination of Sabeen Mahmud, director of ‘The Second Floor’ (T2F) – a space that hosted many wonderful conversations and brave events for marginalized communities, including women and LGBTI groups.

Sabeen was shot 4 times as she was going home after an event dedicated to a public discussion of disappearances and human rights violation in Balochistan. Read More

France: Possible ease ban on gay men giving blood after ECJ ruling

France could loosen its ban on gay men giving blood after the European court of justice ruled in favour of adopting less restrictive measures than excluding all gay men who have ever had sex.

France’s ban on gay men giving blood has been criticised by rights groups as discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Any potential male blood donor in France who admits ever having had sex with a man is automatically and permanently banned from giving blood. The ban came into force in 1983 because it was deemed that gay men were more likely than other groups to have HIV.

The ECJ has ruled that EU governments may be justified in banning gay men from donating blood but only under strict conditions. The court found that France’s law was “liable to discriminate against male homosexuals on the basis of sexual orientation”, which is against EU policy. Read More

South African Court declares religion no excuse to discriminate

In a groundbreaking settlement the Equality Court in Cape Town has agreed that owners of a guesthouse cannot use their religious beliefs to turn away gay customers.

Neil Coulson and his husband Jonathan Sedgwick were denied accommodation in November 2013 by the House of Bread because their sexual orientation was in conflict with the owners’ Christian views. The men, who are Christians themselves, wanted to be in the area to be near their son who was going to attend a school camp. They were humiliatingly told that the venue was “not gay friendly.”

This week the case was finally settled in the Equality Court, with the owners apologising for their actions and promising to not discriminate against LGBT people in future, failing which they will be in contempt of court. Triangle Project, the Cape Town based LGBT rights group, applauded the settlement for “protecting LGBTI rights from religious discrimination.”  Read More

Kenya: Court rules that Kenyan government can’t block gay rights groups

The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, has fought a long-running legal battle after being blocked from registering as an NGO – leaving them without a number of legal protections. The NGLHRC has had its application to register as an NGO blocked five times since 2012 – with a Non-Governmental Organizations Coordination Board finding that the name of the organisation was “unacceptable” as the Kenyan Penal Code criminalises “gay and lesbian liaisons”.

However, the High Court set a ground-breaking precedent in a ruling today, which found that the groups should be permitted – and that popular morality and religion should not be basis for limiting rights in Kenya. The panel of three judges found that blocking such groups violated Article 36 of the country’s Constitution, which provides Freedom of Association.

Eric Gitari of NGLHRC said: “This judgement from the constitutional court is ground breaking; it marks a historic momentum towards the inclusion of sexual and gender minorities into the Kenyan democratic space." Read more via Buzzfeed

UK: ‘Gay cure’ group complains that psychiatrists don’t believe homosexuality can be cured

The Core Issues Trust – who held a ‘Transformation Potential’ conference this week discussing conversion therapy–  has lodged a complaint with the General Medical Council against the Royal College of Psychiatrists who believe that homosexuality is biological in nature and fixed at birth. The anti-gay group say this is “discrimination” for people “who experience homosexual feelings but wish to reduce them."

One of the complainants, former GP Dr Peter May, said: “There is good evidence that sexual orientation can change. Yet the largest UK providers of psychotherapy and counselling, including the UK Council for Psychotherapy and the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, have all made ethical policy statements, banning any therapy which seeks to facilitate such a change.”

President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Professor Sir Simon Wessely, said: “The Royal College of Psychiatrists notes that homosexuality is not a psychiatric disorder.  We consider that the provision of any intervention to ‘treat’ normal sexuality is unethical.”  Read More

India: Rajya Sabha passes Bill to promote transgender rights

After 45 years, the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed a private member's Bill which aims to protect the rights of transgender persons and end discrimination against them through a national commission and special courts while seeking reservation in education and jobs.

The Bill moved by DMK member Tiruchi Siva provides for setting up of welfare boards at the Central and state levels, separate courts, two per cent reservation in government jobs and prohibits discrimination in employment besides pensions and unemployment allowances for transgender persons.  Though statistics say there are around 4.5 lakh (450,000) such persons in India, NGOs working in the segment claim the numbers to be around 20-25 lakh (2-2.5 million), who face discrimination, said Siva.

The Supreme Court in its landmark judgment on April 15, 2014, while granting legal recognition to transgenders, had held that equality and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression was increasing and gaining acceptance in international law, and should be applied in India as well. Read More