Connect with us

Africa

LGBTQ+, intersex Ghanaians in limbo as lawmakers consider harsh ‘family values’ bill

Soldiers earlier this month raided gay party in Accra

Published

on

Ghanaian flag (Public domain photo by Jorono from Pixabay)

ACCRA, Ghana — Ghana’s LGBTQ+ and intersex community is currently in limbo over whether the government will impose more harsh penalties upon those who identify as LGBTQ+ or intersex.

Parliamentarians in 2021 introduced the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that would fully criminalize LGBTQ+ and intersex people, along with advocacy groups and anyone who comes out in support of them.

The measure would criminalize cross-dressing, public affection between two people of the same sex, marriage among same-sex couples or the intent to marry someone who is the same sex. The bill would also prohibit corrective therapy or surgery for intersex people.

Any person or group seen as promoting identities or prohibited acts in the bill or campaigning in support of LGBTQ+ and intersex people would face up to 10 years in prison. Any person who does not report consensual same-sex sexual acts could also face charges.

A parliamentary committee is currently reviewing the measure, but LGBTQ+ and intersex Ghanaians continue to be victimized and assaulted under existing law that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations.

Ghanaian soldiers earlier this month stormed a gay party in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, and assaulted two people who were attending it.

“Military men stormed and disrupted a birthday party of alleged gay men in James Town, Accra. According to reports, some of the partygoers were injured and bled, following the military attack on the alleged LGBTQ+ persons at the party,” said Rightify Ghana, an LGBTQ+ and intersex rights group, in a statement. “We urge the authorities to investigate these incidents and hold those responsible accountable for their actions. The use of excessive force against civilians is never justifiable and only serves to create further division and mistrust.

“We stand in solidarity with the victims of these attacks and call on all Ghanaians to come together in support of peace and tolerance,” added Rightify Ghana. “Discrimination and violence have no place in our society, and we must all work together to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.” 

Kwame Afrifa, CEO of Reflex Ghana, another LGBTQ+ and intersex rights group, said the Accra raid was not the first time such an event has happened. Afrifa said making the country’s armed forces more sensitive to LGBTQ+ and intersex rights would help curtal such incidents. 

“There have been a few cases I have heard of this year and in previous years such as the closing of the LGBT+ Rights Ghana safe space, the destroying of billboards belonging to LGBT+ Rights Ghana, the arrest of human rights activists which also happened somewhere last year amongst others I haven’t come across,” said Afrifa. “Nevertheless, sensitizing LGBT+ issues would help in abating the victimization as most people are ignorant of the laws of the land and try to abuse the rights of queer persons.”

Rightify Ghana said categorizing the existence of LGBTQ+ and intersex people and labeling consensual intimacy between people of the same sex as deviant is a legacy of colonialism.

“The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 will continue to be a pattern of dehumanizing and silencing LGBTQ+ people, isolating them from support networks. It will also minimize, and even cover up, human rights violations,” said Rightify Ghana. “We therefore, recommend that the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs recommend that the Parliament of Ghana reject the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill in its entirety.”  

Ghana is among the dozens of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.

The country is one of the 10 non-permanent U.N. Security Council members. A representative from Ghana on Monday during a meeting that U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield hosted said the Security Council is not an appropriate venue to discuss LGBTQ+ and intersex rights.

Daniel Itai is the Washington Blade’s Africa Correspondent.

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Africa

Burundi’s president reiterates LGBTQ people should be stoned 

Ndayishimiye during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day reiterated his call for LGBTQ people to be stoned in a stadium

Published

on

Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye (Screen capture via Gentil Gedeon Official YouTube)

GITEGA, Burundi – Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye on March 8 reiterated his call for LGBTQ people to be stoned in a stadium.

Ndayishimiye made the remark during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day in Gitega, the country’s political capital. He first called for the public stoning of LGBTQ people last December during a public event.

LGBTQ activists sharply criticized the comments and some international diplomats even threatened to cut economic ties with Burundi. Ndayishimiye, however, seems unmoved by this pushback and maintained that if it meant if his nation would cut economic ties with the developed countries on the basis of his anti-LGBTQ stance then so be it, reaffirming that nothing will change his stance.  

Jésus Dior Kant, a gay man and LGBTQ activist from Burundi, said the president’s remarks are tantamount to publicly calling for the lynching of gay people.

“This violent and anti-LGBT+ rhetoric endangers the lives of many individuals in Burundi and stains the nation’s commitment to human rights,” said Kant. “Such discourse not only incites homophobia and violence but also violates international human rights laws and norms that protect individuals regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Kant also said what Ndayishimiye said now poses a real and immediate threat for LGBTQ people in the country.

“The impact of this statement is not merely rhetorical, it poses a real and immediate threat to the safety and well-being of the LGBT+ community in Burundi,” said Kant. “It encourages hate crimes, promotes discrimination and undermines progress made towards equality and justice. This is not just a problem for the LGBT+ community but a stain on the moral fabric of our global society, reflecting on us all.”

Kant called for Ndayishimiye to immediately withdraw his remarks and commit to protecting the rights of LGBTQ people in the country.

“Your call to stone gay individuals constitutes a blatant violation of human rights and an incitement to violence and discrimination,” said Kant. “We implore you to take the necessary measures to withdraw your statement advocating violence against the LGBT+ community, commit to protecting LGBT+ individuals in Burundi by enforcing laws that guarantee rights and well-being and respecting international human rights conventions, ensuring that Burundi is a nation that respects and values every human life.” 

Clémentine de Montjoye, a researcher at Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division, said the anti-LGBTQ crackdown in Burundi could become worse, including continued political repression and restrictions on freedom of expression to maintain the governing party’s control. 

“This type of fearmongering is not new in Burundi, where sexual relations between people of the same sex have been illegal since former President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a new criminal code into law in 2009,” noted de Montjove. “The law was a fierce blow to Burundi’s LGBT people, who had begun to come out and organize, albeit in small numbers, to demand their rights be respected.”

De Montjove further noted the National Assembly’s human rights commission added the anti-homosexuality provision in the 2009 criminal code at the last minute, apparently under pressure from Nkurunziza, who made statements on television that described homosexuality as a curse.

“Ndayishimiye, who presents himself as a progressive, rights-respecting leader, should be working to reverse this trend rather than stoking more fear and hatred,” said de Montjoye.

Continue Reading

Africa

Ugandan appeals court upholds ruling that blocked LGBTQ+ group from registering

Decision ‘doesn’t faze us’

Published

on

Ugandan flag (Image by rarrarorro/Bigstock)

KAMPALA, Uganda — A Ugandan appeals court on Tuesday upheld a ruling that prevented an LGBTQ+ rights group from legally registering in the country.

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau in 2012 refused to legally recognize Sexual Minorities Uganda. The Uganda High Court upheld the decision in 2018, and SMUG appealed it to the country’s Registrar Court of Appeal.

“The LGBTQ community views this ruling as a missed opportunity to address the suppression of their freedom of association, instead focusing on perceived societal norms,” said SMUG in a press release. “It underscores a recurring trend in Ugandan courts, wherein rights of LGBTQ persons are marginalized, further widening the gap between legal protections and lived realities and experiences.”

Katie Hultquist of Outright International in a post to her X account expressed her personal support for SMUG Executive Director Frank Mugisha, his organization and other activists in the country. Mugisha said SMUG is “fully committed to elevating this challenge to the next level.”  

“After thorough debriefing, we will communicate our next strategic steps,” said Mugisha. “This ruling doesn’t faze us.”

The appeals court issued its ruling less than a year after President Yoweri Museveni signed the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.”

The Constitutional Court in December heard arguments in a lawsuit that challenges the law. It is not clear when a ruling will be issued.

Continue Reading

Africa

Prominent Angolan activist found dead

Authorities say Carlos Fernandes showed signs he was strangled

Published

on

Carlos Fernandes (Photo courtesy of USAID Administrator Samantha Power's X account)

LUANDA, Angola — Authorities in Angola on Feb. 26 found a prominent activist dead in his home.

Associação Íris Angola in a Facebook post wrote Carlos Fernandes, the group’s executive director, “was found lifeless in his residence” in Luanda, the country’s capital. Angolan media reports indicate authorities continue to investigate his death, but they suspect he was strangled.

His funeral took place on March 1. Activists throughout the country have organized candlelight vigils and other events to honor Fernandes.

“His departure leaves a huge void in our community and a deep mourning in our hearts,” said Associação Íris Angola.

Angolan lawmakers in 2020 decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations and banned violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation in the former Portuguese colony. Fernandes was among the activists who championed these advances.

The State Department’s 2022 human rights report notes violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity remains commonplace in Angola. Angolan media reports indicate Fernandes is the second LGBTQ+ person found dead with signs of strangulation in recent weeks.  

“Carlos Fernandes led the first LGBTQI+ group in Angola, and tirelessly advocated for human rights and ending the threat of HIV/AIDS,” said U.S. Agency for International Development Samantha Power in a March 6 post to her X account.

U.S. Ambassador to Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe Tulinabo Mushingi in a statement noted his embassy “was proud to partner with Mr. Fernandes over the past decade.”

“We are grateful for his important contributions to our programs supporting human rights, fighting against stigma and discrimination, expanding access to health and education resources for LGBTQI+ communities, combatting human trafficking and more,” said Mushingi. “In particular, his contributions to our PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) program expanded protection and treatment for HIV/AIDS to previously unreached communities.”

PEPFAR echoed these sentiments, noting Fernandes’ “contributions expanded protection and treatment for HIV/AIDS to previously unreached communities.”

“Carlos Fernandes is remembered as a resolute, strong, welcoming person,” said Mushingi. “As a true pioneer in the fight against discrimination, he created a family among the LGBTQI+ community in Angola, and his legacy as an activist will be carried on by generations of LGBTQI+ Angolans.”  

“We trust that the Angolan authorities will conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that any parties responsible are held accountable,” he added.

Continue Reading

Africa

Ethiopia’s largest church condemns LGBTQ+ community

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of world’s religious dominations

Published

on

Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the seat of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (Photo by RudiErnst/Bigstock)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s largest church has condemned the LGBTQ+ community’s existence.

According to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, which is one of the world’s oldest religious denominations, the LGBTQ+ community is synonymous with the West and not with Ethiopia or Africa. The church in a statement said the right to various gender identities, what it describes as gender conversion therapy and allowing same-sex relationships leads to complex religious, social and cultural problems.

“The Permanent Synod calls for the faith, culture and ethics that has been preserved with many sacrifices to continue to have its place of honor and by ensuring that sin and evilness is not exposed to this disgusting act,” reads the statement.

“Homosexuality is not at all equal to a normal natural phenomenon that can be expressed by gender rights and it is the spiritual mission of our church to oppose it knowing that this violates the religious, social and psychological assets of our country, the federal government should strongly oppose this,” it adds. “Actions that increase homosexuality, Transgender, bisexual sex and so on are all issues and practices that are not accepted in our country by religion, law, social values and ethical guidelines. So, the Permanent Synod calls for them to be clearly stated that we will not accept them in any official relations.”

The church in its statement “strongly warns those who promote homosexuality, spread and do hidden activities to refrain from their actions.” 

Activists condemned the statement.

“Maybe someday, homophobic individuals will understand that one’s sexual orientation can’t be prayed away,” said Mahdi Liima, founder of the Tigray Art Collective, an organization that works in the Tigray region and throughout Ethiopia. “Queer Ethiopians are present in all religions. Surprisingly, I have met many who are active members of their faith and embrace them as beautiful humans.”

Bahiru Shewaye, co-founder of House of Guramayle, said religious leaders have been focused on spreading public paranoia about queerness as a threatening factor for the nation.

“We call on all Ethiopians to really study the pattern here and wake up. The current fearmongering that is being galvanized by religious institutions and their affiliated death apparatus against Zega (an Amharic word that refers to LGBTQ+ people) or the queer community in Ethiopia is nothing but the usual destruction tactic,” said Shewaye.

The Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia last month issued a scathing statement particularly against the Samoa Agreement, 20-year partnership agreement between some EU and African Union countries that seeks to strength socio-economic and political ties. Ethiopia is among the nations that have signed it.

According to the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia, the federal government should withdraw from the agreement because of terms and conditions that seek to uphold LGBTQ+ rights. 

Religious leaders in recent months have called upon the federal government to ensure it does not consider LGBTQ+ rights on the basis they are not African and counter with the country’s religious beliefs. LGBTQ+ Ethiopians have faced increased online attacks and at times even arbitrary arrests.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in Ethiopia and are punishable by up to a year in prison. This sentence can reach more than 10 years.

Continue Reading

Africa

Ghanaian president delays decision on whether to sign anti-LGBTQ+ bill

Finance Ministry warns country could lose billions in aid

Published

on

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo. (Screen capture via BBC News Africa YouTube)

ACCRA, Ghana — Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will not sign a bill that would further criminalize LGBTQ+ people until the country’s Supreme Court rules on whether it is constitutional or not.

Media reports from the West African country on Tuesday note Akufo-Addo also said the measure has not reached his desk.

Lawmakers on Feb. 28 approved the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that would, among other things, criminalize allyship. Advocacy groups in Ghana and around the world, along with the State Department and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer have sharply criticized the measure.

The Ghanaian Finance Ministry on Monday said the country could lose billions of dollars in funding from the World Bank if Akufo-Addo signs the bill.

Ghana is among the dozens of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized. Discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity is also commonplace in the country as the Washington Blade has previously reported.

Continue Reading

Africa

Ghanaian MPs approve anti-LGBTQ+ bill

Measure would criminalize advocacy, allyship

Published

on

Ghanaian flag (Public domain photo by Jorono from Pixabay)

ACCRA, Ghana — Ghanaian lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill that would further criminalize LGBTQ+ people and make advocacy on their behalf illegal.

Advocacy groups and their supporters had urged MPs to oppose the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that would, among other things, criminalize allyship.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in Ghana. Discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity is also commonplace in the country as the Washington Blade has previously reported.

“The Human Sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, a private member’s bill passed by parliament, has not yet become a law in Ghana,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima in a press release. “If the bill does become a law, it will affect everyone.” 

Human Rights Campaign Vice President of Government Affairs David Stacy also criticized the bill’s passage.

“We are outraged to hear about the Ghanaian Parliament’s passage of the so-called ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Act’ — a cruel bill that violates the fundamental rights of LGBTQI+ people and allies throughout Ghana,” he said. “Every single lawmaker who voted to pass this bill is wrongly using their power to strip away the basic humanity of the people they are supposed to represent.” 

Outright International Senior Director of Law, Policy and Research Neela Ghoshal said the bill “tramples human rights, undermines family values of acceptance and unity, and risks derailing economic development and eroding democratic gains.” 

“Banning the very existence of queer people and their allies is unprecedented,” she said. “The hostility this bill displays toward LGBTQ Ghanaians will put lives and livelihoods at risk.”

State Department spokesperson Matt Miller in a statement also criticized the bill’s passage, saying it would “undermine Ghana’s valuable public health, media and civic spaces and economy.”

The bill now goes to President Nana Akufo-Addo for his signature.

Continue Reading

Africa

Kenyan advocacy organizations join fight against femicide

30 women have been murdered in the country this year

Published

on

Kenyan flag (Photo by rarrarorro/Bigstock)

NAIROBI, Kenya — Some LGBTQ+ rights groups in Kenya have devised new security strategies to protect female community members from the risk of femicide that has been on the rise in the country in recent years. 

The strategies employed include hiring trained security response teams, emergency toll-free numbers for swift intervention and training queer women on safety as they go about their daily lives in homophobic societies.  

The LGBTQ+ rights organizations’ move to come up with their safety measures is driven by laxity by security agencies that they accuse of “personal bias, discrimination and victimization” of the complainants based on their sexual orientation whenever they seek help.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations are outlawed in Kenya under Sections 162 and 165 of the Penal Code and the queer rights groups the Washington Blade interviewed said the authorities exploit this criminalization. 

“We have contracted two security response focal persons in our organization to respond to violations of LBQ womxn in Kenya,” noted Elly Doe, the executive director of KISLEB, a Kisumu-based organization that champions the rights of lesbian, bisexual and queer women.

Doe, whose organization also advocates against femicide, said KISLEB is part of a special security situation room formed to explore ways of tackling rising cases of insecurity among the LGBTQ+ community in the country. 

The Initiative for Equality and Non-Discrimination, an LGBTQ+ rights organization also contacted by the Blade, stated it has been conducting advocacy programs that include creating safer spaces forums to address femicide and violence against women both physical and online.   

One of the forums convened last September in Mombasa, for instance, explored how communities and institutions can work together to prevent violence against marginalized women, effective support for survivors, mentorship and awareness campaigns. The participants included lesbian, bisexual, queer and Transgender women, women in politics, sports, media, women living with disabilities and sex workers.    

INEND Communications Officer Melody Njuki, who expressed her organization’s concern over growing cases of femicide, oppression and violence against women, including those who identify as queer that go unchecked is caused by several social factors that include economic exclusion. 

“The intersectional issues faced by marginalized communities and structurally silenced women particularly sex workers and LBQT+ individuals adds complexity to the challenges experienced by victims of femicide due to discrimination, stigma and systemic inequalities exacerbating the vulnerability of women to violence,” Njuki said. 

Both INEND and KISLEB last month joined other LGBTQ+ rights groups, feminists and dozens of human rights organizations in Kenya in a nationwide street protest against rising cases of femicide and violence against women. 

The Jan. 27 protests were in response to the brutal killing of 16 women across the country since the beginning of the year. Hundreds of women, including those who identify as queer, during a Valentine’s Day vigil donned black outfits and held lit candles and red roses in honor of this year’s femicide victims, whose number had risen to more than 30.

“KISLEB as an organization that champions the rights of the LBQ womxn could not sit back and watch as women are being intentionally violated and killed yet in recent years the number has been rising rapidly and so many culprits go unpunished,” Doe said over her organization’s participation in the protest. “Participating in the protest was our way of expressing our solidarity with other women’s rights organizations in condemning femicide.”

Doe raised a concern over a rise in the number of homophobic threats against queer women, particularly on social media and residential areas, and called for police officers to be sensitized on LGBTQ+ issues to deal with this menace without discrimination. 

“We have also seen the cases of the murders of the LGBTQ community rising such as a trans woman activist Erica Chandra in August in Nairobi and a nonbinary lesbian woman Sheila Lumumba in April 2022,” she said. 

INEND, together with the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and Galck+ which participated in Lumumba’s murder case last December, were disappointed with the court after sentencing the suspect Billington Mwathi to 30 years in jail. The three LGBTQ+ rights groups described the sentence as “lenient” and said it didn’t meet the justice Lumumba deserved — the suspect raped her before killing her.

The organizations said they wanted Mwathi to receive a life sentence because Lumumba’s killing was not just an act of violence on an individual, but an attack on the dignity and safety of the LGBTQ+ community.  

INEND, nonetheless, attributes the rise in femicide to victim blaming on the part of the public and some leaders, which leads to a disconnect on the protection of the victims’ rights and its subsequent erosion as witnessed in the LGBTQ+ community.  

“The road to genocide starts with the dehumanization of the most marginalized, then continues to devour its way up the hierarchy of patriarchal systems,” Njuki said.  

She disclosed INEND was organizing a collective movement dubbed “#EndFemicideKe” to enlighten policymakers on the dire need to enforce strict measures on the killing of women. Njuki, however, commended jurists who are members of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association for their partnership with INEND and willingness to show a deeper understanding of human rights particularly the protection of LGBTQ+ rights.

She cited last year’s launch of a judicial guidebook to help judges better protect queer people’s rights and the High Court’s ruling that allowed the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission to register as a non-governmental organization in promoting freedom of association.

Continue Reading

Africa

Zimbabwean vice president reiterates strong opposition to LGBTQ+ rights

Constantino Chiwenga condemned advocacy group’s scholarship

Published

on

Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga (Screen capture via SABC News YouTube)

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has expressed concerns over what he has described as foreign recruitment of LGBTQ+ people in the country.

Chiwenga on Feb. 15 described Zimbabwe as a Christian country and therefore does not have room to accommodate those who identify as LGBTQ+. His comments were in response to Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe and the advocacy group’s annual scholarship program that provides funds to people who identify as LGBTQ+.

“The government of Zimbabwe strongly and firmly rejects and denounces as unlawful, un-Christian, anti-Zimbabwean and un-African, insidious attempts by foreign interests to entice, lure and recruit Zimbabwe’s less privileged, but able students into lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activities and malpractices through offers of educational scholarships,” he said.

“Zimbabwe has legislated against all such deviances, making any offers predicated on the same aberrations both unlawful and criminal, and a grave and gross affront on our national values and ethos as a Christian nation,” he added.

Chiwenga said such scholarships are a national threat and highlighted that anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ shall not be enrolled at any educational institution.

“To that end, government sees such scholarship offers as a direct challenge on its authority, and thus will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to enforce national laws, and to protect and defend national values,” he said.

“Our schools and institutions of higher learning will not entertain applicants, let alone enroll persons associated with such alien, anti-life, un-African and un-Christian values which are being promoted and cultivated by, as well as practiced in decadent societies with whom we share no moral or cultural affinities,” added Chiwenga.

The vice president also said Zimbabwe shall not be influenced by any country to change its stance with regards to the LGBTQ+ community.

“Zimbabwe is a sovereign, African state with definite laws and values which typify it, cutting it apart from other mores,” said Chiwenga. “Young Zimbabweans who qualify for enrolment into tertiary institutions here and elsewhere, should approach government departments tasked to give grants and scholarship support to deserving cases. They should never be tempted to trade or sell their souls for such abominable and devilish offers.”

Activists and commentators have sharply criticized Chiwenga’s comments, saying people’s sexual lives should not be of public concern.

“This scholarship has been going on for years and many graduates have been supported and gainfully employed,” noted GALZ Programs Manager Samuel Matsikure. “In the 90s it showed LGBT (people) who were bullied, outed and faced harassment would drop out of school, hence, it was important to provide them with basic education so they can support themselves in life.”

Stacey Chihera, a social commentator, said what consenting adult individuals decide to do behind closed doors should never be up for public discussion. 

“I wish this entitlement about individual sexuality was applied to corruption, service delivery and infrastructure development,” said Chihera. “What consenting adult individuals decide to do behind closed doors with their private parts should never be up for discussion! Not even by the government.”

Namatai Kwekweza a lawyer and an activist, said the vice president was scapegoating the real issues on the ground that are affecting the country on a daily basis.

“The facts being a scapegoat is necessary for an underperforming and evil government that will overzealously and hypothetically talk about morality and Christian values except when it comes to corruption, looting, genocide, abductions, torture, elections fraud, abuse of office, sexual abuse,” said Kwekweza. “These leaders must be seen more, major more and heard loudest in matters of public accountability and returning stolen loot, than in matters of moral grandstanding of which they have no moral authority in the first place.”

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in Zimbabwe with up to 14 years in prison.

Continue Reading

Africa

Queer man murdered in Cape Town

Activists call for president to sign Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill

Published

on

Diego Jacobs (Photo courtesy of Jacobs' Facebook page)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — LGBTQ+ rights groups in South Africa have condemned the brutal murder of Diego Jacobs, a queer man in Cape Town earlier this month.

Reports indicate Jacobs, 21, was brutally murdered on Feb. 3 while walking home with two friends. A former neighbor who had previously harassed him about his queer identity reportedly attacked him.

The 20-year-old former neighbor who is currently in police custody is alleged to have started uttering homophobic slurs before stabbing him in the neck with a knife. Reports indicate Jacobs tried to avoid a conflict with him.

OUT LGBT Civil Society Engagement Officer Sibonelo Ncanana has urged law enforcement officials to thoroughly investigate the incident and ensure the alleged suspect is given a hefty sentence.

“No individual should ever face violence or discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Ncanana. “This tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges and dangers faced by LGBTIQ+ individuals in South Africa.”

“The attack also highlights the importance of enacting the long-awaited Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill, which was passed by Parliament in December last year. Two months later, the bill continues to await President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signature,” added Ncanana. “We once again call on the president to take action and assent to the bill urgently, before any more lives are lost to hate and intolerance.”

Embrace Diversity Movement Secretary General Mpho Buntse said Jacobs’ death was a heinous attack that required law enforcement officials’ urgent attention. 

“The EDM is shocked to learn of the brutal killing of Diego,” said Buntse. “This act comes at a time when we had thought that the spike in hate crimes of this nature are a thing of the past. We view this as a deliberate push back to our efforts to end hate related crimes. Beyond this obvious knowledge, we call upon law enforcement officials to ensure that justice is served.” 

Buntse, like Ncanana, urged Ramaphosa to sign the Hate Crime and Hate Speech Bill into law “to ensure that hate is punished by law.”

“As a movement we demand that this be done before the upcoming elections,” said Buntse. “Failure to do this will be a clear demonstration that there is a lack of political will to protect the queer community.”

Ruth Maseko of Fantastic Family LGBTIQ said they were aggrieved Jacob’s death and echoed other activists who urged Ramaphosa to sign the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill.

“We are deeply saddened by the needless loss of another young life,” said Maseko. “The fact that these crimes continue based merely on how a person identifies in terms of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and /or expression is an insult to our humanity or lack thereof.”

South Africa is the only African country that constitutionally recognizes LGBTQ+ rights. The country’s LGBTQ+ community, however, continues to face attacks based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity that often lead to death.

The attacks have largely been attributed to religious and cultural beliefs that run counter to LGBTQ+ rights. 

Activists who support the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill say it will help curb homophobic and transphobic attacks. Some religious leaders, however, have criticized it and urged Ramaphosa not to sign it.

Continue Reading

Africa

Kenyan MPs to consider anti-LGBTQ+ measures when Parliament reconvenes

Lawmakers urged to crackdown on homosexuality in the country

Published

on

Kenya Parliament (Photo by Sopotniccy/Bigstock)

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan MPs are set to consider several anti-homosexuality proposals when Parliament reconvenes on Tuesday after a two-month break.

A group of more than 70 Kenyans from anti-LGBTQ+ lobby groups and religious organizations under the Kenya Christians Professional Forum and the Muslim Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya petitioned Parliament on Feb. 1 to probe what they describe as the proliferation of homosexuality in the country.

The groups in their petition claim there have been “persistent, well-choreographed and well-funded” attempts by LGBTQ+ rights activists over the last decade to have anti-homosexuality laws declared unconstitutional. 

“They have filed numerous court cases and petitions in our courts,” reads the petition submitted to the National Assembly that Speaker Moses Wetang’ula heads. “This has not only been witnessed in Kenya but also many African countries including Uganda, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and many others.” 

The petitioners consider discrimination based on “sexual orientation and gender identity” used to push for the rights and freedoms of the LGBTQ+ community globally as “alien” terminologies not just to Africans but to “anyone with a moral fiber in their being.” 

They accuse the National Council on Administration of Justice, a judicial body of state and non-state members, of plotting to “revise our moral code” through amendments to the Penal Code that criminalize consensual same-sex relations. 

The petitioners also raise a concern over last year’s controversial Supreme Court ruling that allowed the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission to register as a non-governmental organization, which they warn will have a serious impact on the family in Kenya if left unchallenged because it allows the legalization of LGBTQ+ people.

“There have been concerted efforts from foreign non-state actors through financial lobbying to effect changes to our penal law to decriminalize such acts long criminalized such as homosexuality,” reads the petition. “This is the beginning of a slippery slope from which the country may not recover if left unattended.”  

The petitioners further allege the infiltration of LGBTQ+-specific content in children’s school books and want Parliament to urgently investigate unsanctioned publishers and book distributors and hold responsible individuals accountable. 

MPs are expected to approve a presidential education reform working group report presented to President William Ruto last August. Its recommendations include hiring pastors and imams in public elementary and high schools to fight homosexuality and other so-called immoral practices. 

The petitioners want MPs to also inquire into what they describe as public recruitment of students into the LGBTQ+ community in universities and colleges through meetings on sexual freedoms and minority rights. 

“These are inoculation and breeding grounds for the LGBTQ agenda,” reads the petition. “Unless Parliament intervenes and has these activities nipped in the bud, the moral decay we have seen over the last couple of years will continue to dizzying levels.”

Government officials the petitioners want to grill over LGBTQ+ activities and foreign funding of them in the country include Education Minister Ezekiel Machogu, Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha, Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi, Labor and Social Protection Minister Florence Bore and Police Inspector General Japhet Koome.    

Another proposed anti-homosexuality law expected to be introduced in the National Assembly during the session is the long-awaited Family Protection Bill, sponsored by opposition MP Peter Kaluma, which contains punitive provisions that include a 50-year prison sentence for gays and lesbians convicted of non-consensual sex. 

Kaluma’s bill, which the petitioners on the proliferation of LGBTQ+ practices in the country want its legislation fast-tracked, also proposes a ban on gay Pride parades, assemblies, street marchers, cross-dressing in public and all LGBTQ+-related activities. The bill has been pending before Parliament’s Social Protection Committee since last June.

Kaluma complained about the committee’s delay to Wentang’ula in August. 

MPs are also expected to consider a proposed law on surrogacy, the Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill 2022, which seeks to help individuals with infertility problems to use surrogate mothers and in vitro fertilization to have children. 

The bill, which is sponsored by another opposition MP, Millie Odhiambo, however, would prohibit gays and lesbians from having children via surrogate. 

The National Assembly first approved it in November 2021, but its finalization stalled in the Senate when the 12th Parliament’s term ended in August 2022 before the general election.  This delay rendered the bill “dead” under National Assembly rules because it can only proceed after its reintroduction in the current Parliament.

Odhiambo, who retained her parliamentary seat, reintroduced the bill in the National Assembly last May. The Health Committee will also accept additional proposals. 

The committee who Dr. Robert Pukose chairs last September tabled the report with numerous amendments to the bill for adoption. Some of the proposed amendments included the deletion of the term “couple or parties to a marriage” defined as a man and a woman who are in an association that may be recognized as a marriage under any law in Kenya and replaced with the term “intending parents” for individuals seeking to have children using surrogacy and IVF.

The committee argues the term “couple or parties to a marriage” is discriminatory and that marriage should not be a requirement for individuals to access assisted reproductive technology services, although same-sex marriages are outlawed in Kenya.         

“The bill aids couples or individuals with challenges of conceiving naturally and in this way, it addresses the reproductive health needs of Kenyans,” the committee’s report reads, a position which locks out gays and lesbians from parenting through surrogacy.

The bill would also criminalize the commercialization of surrogacy or related activities, such as procuring a surrogate mother by any person, an organization and any medical facility with hefty fines and jail terms.  

During the session, MPs are also expected to approve Kenya’s revised National Policy and Action Plan on Human Rights that Attorney General Justin Muturi’s office is drafting to replace the 2014 one whose 5-year implementation period has lapsed. 

The new policy, which should be in place by this year, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, involved gathering views on human rights from the public, state and non-state actors including LGBTQ+ lobby groups in nationwide dialogues between August and October last year.   

The regional dialogues culminated in a national conference in Nairobi late last year on developing the policy.

Li Fung, senior human rights advisor to the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Kenya, attended the gathering during which Kaluma, while representing Wetang’ula, expressed Parliament’s concerns over “constant erosion of hard-fought rights” in the country and Africa with LGBTQ+ rights.  

“Until LGBTQ rights are universally agreed to by the U.N. General Assembly, as long as we (MPs) sit in the Parliament, we will not accept them as human rights in Kenya and they will not find space in our body of laws,” Kaluma stated.  

The lawmaker’s warning followed criticism of his anti-homosexuality bill by Irungu Houghton, executive director of Amnesty International Kenya and chair of non-state actors on National Human Rights Dialogues, who said it promotes hate against LGBTQ+ refugees and the queer community at large. 

“We do not need any form of identity-based discrimination and more hatred in this republic,” Houghton said. He reiterated the “greatest threat” to Kenya and the constitution is the belief that “some human beings” do not deserve equality, dignity and protection under the law. 

Continue Reading

Popular