Nigeria: Hunting down gays

President Muhammadu Buhari has stood firm in support of anti-gay laws, despite pressure for its repeal, particularly from the United States. Under his administration, gay people will be arrested and prosecuted based on the law.

Incidents like the arrest of Lawal and Tahir and their guests in a supposed marriage ceremony are rare, but not unprecedented, particularly in northern Nigeria. Similar arrests have taken place in Bauchi and Kano, where witnesses say suspects were often tortured in detention and forced to give names of other gay people they know to the police.

In recent times, a number of human-rights activists have accused the police of arresting and detaining perceived homosexuals without cause, except for the purpose of extorting money from detainees to allow them to get out of jail.

Not long after the anti-gay law was passed, the UN agency fighting AIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria expressed “deep concern that access to HIV services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will be severely affected” in the country, which has an estimated 3.4 million people living with the HIV virus. About half of that number are women, but unprotected intercourse among men puts them at especially high risk. 

 Read more via Daily Beast
 

US: Economic impact of HB2 mushrooms

The recent passage of anti-LGBT legislation in North Carolina and Mississippi has triggered protests and growing corporate backlash, with some companies refusing to expand in the states and high-profile performers canceling events.

The economic impact of the state’s controversial House Bill 2 continued to mushroom Tuesday, as Deutsche Bank announced it was freezing plans to create 250 jobs in Cary and a top Wake County economic development official said that five companies since early last week have canceled or postponed efforts to bring jobs to the county.  Read more via WRAL

Morocco: Homosexual couple in Morocco tortured... then imprisoned for defending themselves

A video showing a homosexual couple being tortured has provoked widespread condemnation throughout Morocco, where attacks against homosexuals are on the rise. But perhaps the most shocking part is the way in which the authorities reacted.

A Moroccan court on Monday released two men convicted of homosexuality, which normally carries a jail sentence in the kingdom, in a case that stirred emotions throughout the country. The court also jailed two men convicted of attacking the couple, while outside two topless Femen activists from France were detained and deported after protesting for Rabat to decriminalise homosexuality. Residents of the town of Beni Mellal in central Morocco, meanwhile, gathered to demand the release of the jailed attackers.

A first victim was sentenced to four months in jail for "acts against nature", but an appeal hearing decided Monday to release him on time served. The other victim was handed a four-month suspended sentence for "sexual deviancy".

For the attack on the couple, one defendant was handed a six-month prison sentence and another received four months for forced entry, resorting to violence and carrying weapons. Two others were acquitted and a fifth was to be tried later in a minors' court. Rights organisations have demanded that Morocco decriminalise homosexuality, which is punishable by up to three years in jail.  Read more via Morocco News

Italy: Court of Appeal orders full recognition of two second-parent adoptions

The Court of Appeal of the Italian city of Naples today ordered full recognition of two second-parent adoption orders by the Court of Lille (France) in favour of a French-Italian family residing in the Province of Avellino. One of the mothers, Giuseppina La Delfa, is the founder and former president of Famiglie Arcobaleno, the Italian rainbow family association, and a NELFA board member.

The mayors of Santo Stefano del Sole and of Serino (both in the Campania region, of which Naples is the capital), acting in their capacity as civil status registrars, refused to update the birth certificates of the couple’s children. The reason for denying recognition relates to their sexual orientation, the parents being two mothers and the adoption depending on their married status. The Italian administrations objected that recognising the effects of those adoptions would be tantamount to recognising the women’s marriage. Yet the Court of Appeal of Naples already adjudicated the case on marriage recognition last year, holding that Italy is bound to recognise the French marriage.  Read more via Nelfa 

Wheaties box to feature openly gay Olympic diver Greg Louganis

Thirty-two years after winning his first two of four Olympic gold medals, openly gay American diver Greg Louganis will grace a Wheaties cereal box. 

Wheaties' decision comes after an online petition to get Louganis, 56, on the iconic orange box amassed more than 40,000 signatures. Julie Sondgerath, who created the petition, was inspired after watching the HBO documentary “Back on Board: Greg Louganis.”

“From the moment I hit send on the petition, I knew this was possible,” Sondgerath said, via the New York Times. “Having an authentic conversation with (General Mills) was helpful and was potentially a catalyst to genuinely think about it.”

General Mills, which will reveal Louganis’ box on Tuesday along with boxes featuring former Olympic champion hurdler Edwin Moses and swimmer Janet Evans as part of a legends series, denied the petition played a role in its decision. Read more  

Antarctica: is the 'World’s First LGBT-Friendly Continent’

Antarctica is known for frigid temperatures, parading penguins and now... being “the world’s first LGBT-friendly continent”?

That’s right — at least if Planting Peace has anything to say about it.

The non-profit advocacy organization, which created the pro-queer rainbow Equality House adjacent to the Westboro Baptist Church compound in Topeka, Kansas, recently traveled across Antarctica carrying a Pride flag in a symbolic effort to declare full human rights for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people living in or visiting Antartica. The gesture is also meant to raise awareness about securing equality for queer people on a global level.

Read more via Huffington Post

South Africa: After Monday's Event At Wits We Know the Student Movement Has Been Deeply Fractured

In the confusion of an attempted campus shutdown at Wits on Monday, the national student movement suffered a severe fragmentation. And it's not like the movements across campuses this year have been a testimony to unity anyway. 

A protest at Wits University on Monday did not outline any specific demands, and many students - including those involved in the movement - questioned its legitimacy, after it came to light that secret and closed meetings had been held over the weekend. The labelling of the movement as "intersectional" was also doubted when it emerged that some members of the movement regarded feminism and consideration of LGBTIAQ+ rights as divisive to the movement.

Many called out the patriarchal culture characterizing the movement and spoke against defending student leaders who were violating women. Two images of female protesters being restrained by male protesters are being circulated on social media‚ prompting angry outbursts.

This is how the partial shutdown unfolded. Read more via All Africa

Greece: LGBTQ TEI Athens takes stand against homophobic bullying

A statement from LGBTQ TEI Athens: Homophobic and sexist attacks that occurred recently in various schools across Greece neither surprise us nor leave us speechless. e unfortunately are accustomed to hearing and experiencing these attacks. But we realized that these events must no longer remain hidden, but rather people like us must speak out. Read more via Gay Hellas

Japan: Goldman executive to speak on Japan LGBT issues at LDP panel

Japan’s ruling party will interview employees at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and other companies to see how they are promoting inclusive workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan’s committee on LGBT issues will speak on Friday with a Tokyo-based Goldman vice president who recently came out as a gay man, Hiroko Matsumoto, a Goldman spokeswoman said by phone. Employees at IBM Japan Ltd. and Panasonic Corp. will also be interviewed, according to the LDP’s website.

In recent years, Japanese companies have started rolling out LGBT-friendly policies such as diversity training and benefits to same-sex partners, even as many in society remain closeted. About 7.6 percent of people in Japan identified as LGBT in 2015, according to an online survey by Dentsu Inc. The same report estimated that the consumer market for this community may amount to 5.9 trillion yen ($53 billion).

“We need to first properly understand LGBT people, and foster an environment that eliminates discrimination at the workplace, at school and in society," committee chairman Keiji Furuya wrote. Read more via Bloomberg 

Germany: This politician thinks teaching kids about gay rights will turn the country back to the 1940s and 50s

Katrin Ebner-Steiner, a member of the euro-sceptic right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, AfD) in Bavaria, criticized the decision to make LGBTI issues a compulsory part of sexual education, claiming that including LGBTI issues in state-wide education would create an educational system like in East Germany.

In a video released on the party’s official Youtube Channel, the politician accused the government to introduce ‘ideological indoctrination’ into schools.

‘Our little ones won’t just have to sit through enforced lessons about all variations of sexual life together,’ she said. ‘They will also hear details about homo-, bi- and trans sexuality.’ Read more via Gay Star News

UK: Teachers call for more help to support transgender kids

A motion passed at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) annual conference said transgender children were not getting the support they needed in schools, as the structures and expertise required simply did not exist.

According to the charity Metro Youth Chances, 83% of transgender young people have been bullied, 35% have suffered physical attacks, and 27% have attempted suicide.
In addition, 94% of LGBTQ young people said they had learned nothing about transgender issues in school.

“We are not addressing the issues effectively in many schools and colleges,” said Julia Neal, the deputy director of a sixth form in Devon who proposed the motion before the union’s conference. “I want to emphasize the need for specialist training for senior managers and governors. Leaders need to be prepared to guide staff and support young people.”  Read more via Buzzfeed

Despite gains for LGBT Jews, frum families still feeling alienated

A pioneering survey of Orthodox parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children released last week found that many families remain closeted in their communities because of disapproval from rabbis or other community leaders.

Of the over 100 parents surveyed from across the country, nearly a third of respondents (27 percent) said they viewed their rabbi or community as homophobic, and over 73 percent of parents said there have been no public forums or classes on the topic of LGBT Jews in their community. According to the study, Orthodox day schools do not make public policy statements about the treatment or admission of LGBT students or staff or about teacher training on the subject. 

Among the survey’s other key findings was that synagogue rabbis are among the last resources parents seek out for help when their child comes out, despite an increased focus on counseling across rabbinic school curricula. Read more via the Jewish Week