The organizers of QueerFest in St. Petersburg, Russia, say the 10-day event was a success, despite interference and threats of violence from police and anti-gay extremists. This is their account: Saturday, September 27, Russian “QueerFest” closed with a discussion on art and civil citizenship, and a final concert “St. Petersburg against Homophobia”, visited by 300 … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Ugandan viewpoint: ‘a dead activist is not a good activist’
Perseverance. Fear. Difficulties. Threats. Tolerance. Leadership. Those are some of the themes of an interview with Clare Byarugaba, who until this summer was co-leader of Uganda’s Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law, which led the opposition to that country’s now-overturned Anti-Homosexuality Act. Byarugaba was interviewed before starting a human rights fellowship this … Continue reading
Canon Ogle on the move; ‘lot of work to do’ on LGBTI rights
The St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation, which supports local LGBTI rights groups in many countries with anti-gay laws, is preparing to open a new office on the East Coast of the United States. The move will occur as the foundation’s president and founder, the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, leaves California after 32 years of … Continue reading
Indonesian region OKs whipping for gay sex, adultery
The Indonesian province of Aceh on Sept. 27 approved a bill that converts strict Islamic Sharia rules on morality into the province’s criminal law, including a punishment of 100 lashes for homosexuality and extramarital sex, Australia’s SBS News and BuzzFeed reported. The law, which also applies to non-Muslims, also punishes the drinking of alcohol, gambling, and … Continue reading
$64 fine settles 1st court case citing Burundi’s anti-gay law
A Vietnamese telecommunications worker has been released after paying a fine to settle changes that he engaged in illegal “homosexual practices,” according to the Burundian human rights organization MOLI (Movement for Individual Liberties). The man, whose name was not disclosed, was released Sept. 19 after paying a fine of 100,000 Burundian francs (US $64), MOLI … Continue reading
Ugandan straight ally: ‘Drastic fallout’ remains from anti-gay bill
In an interview, Roman Catholic health and human rights activist Maxensia Nakibuuka of Uganda tells what life has been like in Uganda since the passage of the harsh Anti-Homosexuality Bill there last December. She is interviewed here by the Rev. Canon Albert Ogle of San Diego, California, USA, with whom she has been working for … Continue reading
Supporters chip in to save sight of battered trans Ugandan
With support from a group of friends, activists and journalists, a Ugandan trans woman is scheduled for surgery tomorrow (Sept. 29) to treat her eyesight, which has been failing since she suffered a transphobic attack two years ago in Kampala, Uganda. The story of that attack on Hush (also known as Mich or Mish) appeared … Continue reading
U.N. keeps focus on anti-LGBTI violence; Africa divided
The U.N. Human Rights Council today passed a resolution opposing violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Contrary to some predictions, the proposal, pushed by Latin American countries, did not face united opposition either from all African nations or all countries with anti-gay laws. The resolution reinforces a resolution on the same … Continue reading
New in Burundi: An arrest for ‘homosexual practices’
A Vietnamese telecommunications worker was arrested Sept. 16 in northern Burundi on charges of “homosexual practices,” according to Agence France-Presse and other media accounts. Under a Burundian law, passed in 2009, homosexual intimacy is punishable by three months to two years in prison and/or a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 Burundian francs (US $32 to … Continue reading
Russian police, anti-gay activists seek to stop QueerFest
Polina Andrianova of the Russian LGBT group Coming Out reports on the increased harassment that LGBTI people are facing during the ongoing QueerFest celebrations in St. Petersburg: The Russian LGBT festival QueerFest [International Queer Culture Festival], traditionally a space for celebration, this year resembles a battleground, with each day a fight for survival. Sept. 18, … Continue reading
