Malta: Prime Minister 'immensely disappointed' by Church committee report on conversion therapy for gay people

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that he was immensely disappointed by comments by the committee which advised the Church on conversion therapy for gay people. It was unbelievable, he said, that in this day and age, some people thought that sexual orientation was something that could be healed by medication and therapy.

This was an offence to the gay community and all those who wanted to live in a European society which respected the people's freedom. It was a similar offence to link homosexuality with child abuse. 

Dr Muscat said he would defend the right of the Church to speak out, but the government would carry on with its legislation against such conversion therapy. He could never accept a situation where any Maltese was called a sick or a pedophile because of a particular sexual orientation.  Read more via Times of Malta

Namibia: Condoms among inmates divide opinion

The Windhoek Correctional Facility says the constitution does not allow same-sex individuals to engage in sex, hence condoms cannot be distributed in correctional facilities.

"Same sex is still regarded as a crime in Namibia and if we distribute condoms it will be seen as if we are encouraging that. We want to maintain law and order," said the officer in charge of the Windhoek Correctional Facility, Deputy Commissioner Victor Eichab.

His comments came in the light of Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Bernard Haufiku's call for the distribution of condoms in prisons. Haufiku said that for Namibia to make strides in HIV/AIDS prevention and education, circumcision and the distribution of more condoms is needed including in prisons.

"In most cases we educate offenders to abstain from sexual activities because it's an offence. We know that it is not easy, as studies have shown that being in custody does not take away people's desire for intimacy," said Eichab.  Read more via All Africa
Namibia

Brazil: Making sense out of the murders of trans men

What — if anything — can the murders of four men over a few weeks tell us about fatal violence against trans men? What can we observe from these most recent murders? And what can we speculate about the responses to these cases?

Very little is currently known about violence against trans men as a whole; murder, as a subset of this topic, is even more shrouded in mystery. How often are trans men murdered worldwide? Are any of these cases hate crimes? What are the risk factors? Are there more murders we aren’t hearing about? How can we prevent more deaths?

While it’s impossible to draw conclusions from these four cases — which are almost certainly only a fraction of the total murders committed — that should not stop anti-violence advocates from considering the issue. The safest place to start is by simply making open-ended observations about what we do know and indicating paths for further inquiry. From that space, we can hopefully initiate a conversation that others will carry forward, informed by their own experiences and expertise.  Read more via the Advocate 

Hungary: Gay Brazilian students assaulted in hate crime

Two young men were convicted for the crime of violence against a member of a community for attacking and spitting at two gay Brazilian students studying in Budapest on April 21, 2014.

Levi and Lucas were studying in Hungary for a year on a Brazilian state scholarship. On April 21, 2014 they were heading home with a friend after a movie night, when two men stopped them and started questioning them on their sexual orientation and whether they had slept with women before. The victims tried to get out of the situation, but their attackers stood in the way, kicked one of them, spat at the other, while calling them “faggot” several times.

“The case calls attention to how false the popular misconception is that homophobic and transphobic hate crimes happen only at the Pride March in Hungary” - says Tamás Dombos of the Legal Aid Service of Háttér. “For many LGBTQI people such attacks are part of their everyday life, and yet they do not report it, because they have no trust in the police or are afraid of them. It is very import to report all such incidents, that is why we launched our Report homophobia! website and smartphone app.”  Read more via Hatter Society 

Australia: HIV is a public health issue not a crime say advocates

Advocates for people living with HIV and sex worker support organisations have condemned the arrest and subsequent media stigmatisation of a trans person living with HIV who was also a sex worker in WA. The trans woman was arrested by Sydney police to face charges of grievous bodily harm after allegations of HIV transmission were raised. HIV advocates suggest the move was counterproductive to the strategic plan to end HIV transmissions by 2020 as it compounded unfounded fears surrounding the virus and further stigmatised people living with HIV.  

Janelle Fawkes, CEO Scarlet Alliance, Australian Sex Workers Association says: “The involvement of money in sexual transactions does not increase the risk of HIV transmission. Sex workers with HIV can routinely exchange sex for money without putting themselves, or their clients, at risk. Any suggestion that occupation or gender identity is somehow responsible for HIV transmission is extremely naïve.”

Cameron Cox suggests criminalising HIV transmission not only undermines the notion of shared responsibility to prevent HIV, it creates stigma and discourages people from being tested. Cox also highlighted the important role sex workers had in Australia’s response to HIV: “To date there has not been one documented case of HIV transmission having ever been recorded in a sex work setting.” 

Read more via Gay News Network

 

Namibia: Sex workers, homosexuals at higher risk of HIV/AIDS…as it is extra hard for them to access health services

Jackie, a trans-woman and another 40-year-old homosexual man *Robin, shared their struggles to freely access health services at state facilities as homosexual men. Not only that, but they are also sex workers. Sex workers and homosexuals are particularly at higher risk of HIV/AIDS because of their lifestyles.

“I don’t know my HIV status. I’m scared of discrimination from the nurses and the reaction of people when I have to go to health facilities,” says Jackie who has been selling his body for money for the last four years. Unlike Jackie, Robin has been living with HIV for the past 20 years. Being gay and HIV positive has not been an easy journey, as he struggles with acceptance. Not self-acceptance but rather being accepted by society for who he is.

In 2010, Robin who has been on antiretroviral treatment since 1996, stopped going to state facilities to get antiretroviral medication after being discriminated against: “The nurse told me ‘God created you as a man, you can’t be gay, a sex worker and also infected with HIV.”

“That was the last time I ever went back for my ARVs because I was shattered." Robin comfortably seeks the services of traditional healers. “They give strong medicines to keep me healthy and I also buy things from the pharmacy to boost my immune system,” explains Robin. Read more via New Era

Japan: Panasonic to recognize people in same-sex unions

From April, Panasonic Corp. will recognize its employees in same-sex unions, possibly conferring on them the paid leave and other benefits currently enjoyed by married employees. The change in policy was prompted by requests from its employees and the International Olympic Committee’s ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation under its Olympic Charter. 

Few Japanese companies have taken such a bold step, but with the group’s global workforce of about 250,000, Panasonic could motivate other firms to follow suit. The company also plans to place a nondiscrimination clause on sexual orientation in its employee code of conduct.

Because only a handful of local administrations in Japan are currently issuing certificates recognize same-sex partnerships as being equivalent to marriage, Panasonic is still trying to determine what kind of documentation it will require to recognize same-sex unions. Read more via Japan Times

North Korea: Meet the asylum seeker who learned what homosexuality is, and came out as gay

A gay defector from North Korea has revealed he had no idea what homosexuality was until he left the country. The reclusive Asian country is renowned for its secrecy, warmongering, and the oppressive rule of the Kim dynasty, currently headed by 33-year-old Kim Jong-un, who claims to have cured AIDS and hangovers.

Given the country’s appalling human rights abuses, LGBT rights are seldom on the radar – but the country’s officials are no stranger to homophobia, hitting out at the gay man heading a UN human rights panel as a “disgusting old lecher” in 2014.

North Korean citizen Jang Yeong-jin had never even heard of homosexuality, and was confused to find he “felt no sexual attraction” to his wife. It was only after escaping the country and fleeing to South Korea that he realised he was gay – and came to terms with who he is. Jang, who has recently written a memoir, A Mark of Red Honour, opened up about his experiences in an interview with the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea (EAHRNK)  

Read more via PinkNews
 

Cambodia: Program to deal with LGBT issues in works

The Ministry of Information says it is working with LGBT rights groups to create a regular radio program that discusses LGBT issues, with the aim of making society more welcoming. Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith is cooperating with NGO Cam-ASEAN Youth Future founder Srun Srorn, who will organise the program.

The radio show will discuss human rights and the needs of the LGBT communities, such as the right to get legal recognition for married status. “LGBTs are also human beings, they are not deputy humans,” said Kanharith. “They are part of society.”

Kanharith on Tuesday organised a meeting with representatives from the Ministries of Health, Education, Interior, and Women’s Affairs. He told them that it’s important to engage LGBT people because they are marginalised and made to feel unwelcome. Read more via Phnom Penh Post

Jamaica: Church group contesting anti-buggery case

Several churches and religious groups have filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking permission to oppose the claim brought by attorney-at-law and gay rights activist Maurice Tomlinson who is challenging the buggery law. The groups contend that decriminalising sodomy in Jamaica will lead to gay marriages and the promotion of homosexuality. They also say it will among other things violate their rights to campaign against homosexuality. 

Tomlinson filed a constitutional motion against the Attorney General last year after Javed Jaghai, a gay rights activist withdrew his challenge against  the buggery law because of threats.

Tomlinson is seeking to have the anti-sodomy law nullified in relation to all cases of adult consensual sex which attracts convictions and prison terms. He also claims that criminalising homosexuality amounts to a direct and blatant denial of equality before the law for him and other gay men.  Read more via Jamaican Gleaner