Does the Anglo Caribbean need Bahamas Pride?

The group Society Against HIV & STDs (SASH) Bahamas, the largest NGO working on LGBTI and HIV issues, has decided to host the first public Pride event in Bahamian history. There are some obvious questions about this Pride, such as, is it really necessary? Also, what good will it serve, especially in the absence of any overt political objective? And, more troubling, will this stir up a backlash from fundamentalists who have, for the most part, ignored the Bahamian LGBTI community?

This last question is not trivial, as we have witnessed an upsurge in homophobic rhetoric and attacks across the Caribbean, and there have been massive anti-gay protests in Jamaica and Belize. Traditionally more tolerant societies, like Grenada, Trinidad, and St. Lucia, have also seen a spike in gay baiting and animus. Despite these concerns, I still believe that Bahamas Pride is a necessary development, and a very positive political initiative. Read More

Married Gay Couple to Shack Up With Homophobic Minister in Australian TV Show

In September, SBS will air a new documentary that will test Australian values, with same-sex marriage the first in line to be examined. Living with the Enemy will see couples united with those who hold opposite viewpoints, to see if each can gain understanding and acceptance of others’ views – or even change some long-held stances.

The first episode in the series will look at marriage equality and will see Melbourne husbands Michael Barnett and Gregory Storer moving in with David, an Anglican minister who does not agree with same-sex marriage. Read More

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Gay man sentenced for Twitter debauchery in Saudi Arabia

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A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced an homosexual man to three years in prison and 450 lashes for using his Twitter account to promote homosexual contacts. The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the religious police, was alerted about the tweets and was able to apprehend the young man after it set him up using an undercover agent. Read More

Fifth St. Petersburg LGBT pride event held without major incidents

During the rally, which was attended by at least 150 people and took place in the hot sun, activists talked about the need to respect civil rights and thanked the police for protection of the event, talking about “how important it is to be free in a not so free country,” activist Valery Sozaev also spoke about HIV and AIDS. There were not only representatives of the LGBT community, but representatives of the feminist movement came to the event. One of the members of the LGBT movement Kirill Kalugin brought a torn rainbow flag, which was used in the rally last year, not as peaceful as today. Read More

Truvada: It's Time To Take the Fucking Pill

This month, Tim Murphy wrote in New York magazine, "This summer—on social media, on Fire Island, at the Christopher Street pier, and in certain cohorts around the ­country—what many gay men are talking about among themselves is Truvada [the once-a-day pill to help keep people from contracting H.I.V.]." Rich Juzwiak reconsiders the drug. Read More 

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With Nigeria’s anti-gay law, HIV care drops 10%-70%

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The extent of the devastation that Nigeria’s anti-gay law is wreaking on Nigerian anti-AIDS efforts is coming into view.

Among Nigerian men who have sex with men, the number of people reached for HIV prevention has dropped drastically since the signing of the anti-gay “Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill” in January. According to a survey of five anti-AIDS organizations in five Nigerian states,  HIV prevention contacts (using UNAIDS’s Comprehensive Minimum Prevention Package Intervention) are:

Down 40 percent in Lagos state
Down 30 percent in Rivers state.
Down 10 percent in Cross River state.
Down 30 percent in Abuja (Federal Capital Territory).
Down 70 percent in Kano state.

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Why One of the Biggest LGBT Orgs Has Stopped Supporting ENDA: Hobby Lobby reverberates in the LGBT community

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It’s not just about birth control. When the Supreme Court ruled last week that closely held corporations like Hobby Lobby wouldn’t have to cover the cost of contraception because of sincerely held religious beliefs, it didn’t take long for many to see the coming storm. If companies are allowed to treat women differently in access to health care, after all, what’s to stop them from discriminating against LGBT individuals based on the same religious grounds?

In the fight over LGBT rights, the Hobby Lobby decision is already beginning to do three things: embolden supporters of so-called religious freedom bills in several states; encourage the push for a religious exemption in executive protections for LGBT employees; and put backers of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in a position where they feel they have to withdraw support.  Read More

Heat Crime: LGBTQ politics for a changing climate

Climate change is a queer issue. The effects of climate change have a direct and unique impact on the lives of the LGBTQ  The details of an individual's sexual orientation seem at first to be as far removed from the concentration of atmospheric CO2 as the butterfly's wings from the hurricane. But butterflies can cause hurricanes, and understanding this connection is mandatory for those of us in the hurricane's path.community and must not be ignored. Op-ed for Huffington Post. Read More 

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Pressure on South Africa to host talks to end gay persecution

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Rights groups across the continent now accuse South Africa of stalling on the crucial meeting to follow up on a United Nations report titled Discriminatory Laws and Practices and Acts of Violence Against Individuals Based on Their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. "It is essential for policymakers and gatekeepers to have a dialogue with civil society on this issue," says Tendai Thondhlana, spokesperson for African Men for Sexual Health and Rights (Amsher), based in Johannesburg. "In some countries, governments say violence against sexual minorities doesn't exist. It is up to us to show them the evidence."  Read More

 

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Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act struck down by court

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The Constitutional Court nullified the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2014 for having been passed by Parliament without the required quorum of at least one third of all legislators. In a unanimous ruling, the panel of five justices blamed the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga for acting illegally by abdicating her constitutional responsibility of ascertaining whether there was quorum in the House before the Bill was passed into law. 

The ruling does not mean that the court nullified the content or substance of the law. The Bill can be easily returned to Parliament and passed again, with the required quorum. This petition involved a group of pro-gay activists who sued the government challenging the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
Read more from Uganda 
In depth coverage at Buzzfeed