LGBT news briefs: Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, Uganda

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

News briefs about countries with anti-gay laws, excerpted from the Equal Eyes recap of the world’s LGBTI-related news:

Logo of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

At the 28th meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, Iran agreed to partially implement three recommendations that included the treatment of individuals based on their sexual orientation, however it is not clear that LGBT people will be protected by these partial changes as Iran fully rejected all recommendations that explicitly address LGBT issues.

In Kenya, legislators have recognized ‘intersex’ people in the newly passed Persons Deprived of Liberty Act, a first step towards protecting intersex Kenyans.

The Ministry of Health in Jamaica has targeted churches and other faith-based organizations to reach 5,000 gay people and 7,000 sex workers for HIV prevention.

In Iraq, ISIS continues to target individuals on charges of homosexuality, as an administrative official from Mosul confirmed four more young people were executed. A vigilante group in Mombasa, Kenya, has warned they will behead all gay people in the village, including the founders of PEMA, the oldest local LGBTI organization. And from Jamaica, a video was posted to Facebook showing a boy being stoned to death while his attackers yelled anti-gay slurs.

Dr. Frank Mugisha (Photo courtesy Facebook)

In Russia, international giant IKEA has shut down their retail magazine ‘Family Live’ over concerns that it violates the anti-gay propaganda ban by showing families with same-sex couples.

Activists from China and Egypt discussed how the Internet has facilitated changes for the LGBT community, especially in their regions.

Lives have been blocked by a wall separating Haiti and the Dominican Republic

From Uganda, Sexual Minorities Uganda director Frank Mugisha breaks down the 14 ways the country can break free of homophobia. And out of Kenya, the Kuria Foundation for Social Enterprise discusses the role of the private sector in bringing equality to LGBT Kenyans.

Equal Eyes is a collection of significant, timely, and international lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex stories and events. It promotes sexual and gender equality while highlighting issues of health, violence, culture, and legal and human rights. It is produced in collaboration with UNAIDS.

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