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France approves marriage; Amaechi's mixed message
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - World news: France approves marriage; Amaechi's mixed message COMPILED BY ANDREW DAVIS France's president, Francois Hollande, has signed into law a measure making the country the ninth in Europe, and 14th globally, to legalize gay marriage, the BBC reported. On May 17, the Constitutional Council rejected a challenge by the right-wing opposition, clearing the way for Hollande to sign the ...
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France president signs marriage equality law
- From a press release - Paris, France - On Saturday, President Hollande signed a bill that gives gays and lesbians the right to marry France. "More than 300,000 All Out members spoke loud and clear and the French government responded," Andre Banks Executive Director and Co-Founder of All Out said, "Now, those who signed France's largest online petition in history have been answered. Marriage for ...
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Ambassador Susan E. Rice on Internat'l Day Against Homophobia
- From a press release. Video link included - Video Message by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on International Day Against Homophobia, May 17, 2013 Link to video message here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCzatfQD9r8 . Today, as we commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, we rededicate ourselves to a basic but essential truth — that human rights are universal and must be protected for all. Homophobia, sadly, ...
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Georgian priests lead thousands of marchers against gays
- From a press release - New York, NY- Violence erupted during a peaceful celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHoT marchers) in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on Friday. Orthodox Priests lead thousands of anti-gay marchers in the clash, injuring at least 28 people. RT News reports 10,000 Orthodox marchers met the peaceful IDAHO demonstrators On Thursday, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said ...
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ILGA'S state-sponsored homophobia report 2013: Happiness, anger
- From a press release - Geneva, 15 May 2013 — The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) has launched its 2013 issue of the state-sponsored homophobia report, a world survey of laws on criminalisation, protection and recognition of same-sex love, from its newly opened office in Geneva. "We are very proud of the format and the richness in information of this edition" ...
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Brazil has in vitro for gay couples; French hate crimes increase
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Brazil is guaranteeing same-sex couples the right to access assisted fertilization, according to the Huffington Post. A new decree that appears in the government's official gazette stipulates that in vitro techniques must be permitted for both gay couples and single people. The head of the Federal Medical Council says the new decree is in step with current social mores. In ...
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LGBT group at 'Star Trek' premiere; pro-gay Brazilian priest banned
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - To celebrate the London premiere of the new Star Trek film Into Darkness, British gay organization Stonewall has boldly gone where no gay-rights message has gone before with a Klington translation of its iconic slogan, "Some people are gay. Get over it!," according to Gay Star News. In Earth text, the Klingon reads as: 'Rut nga'chuq loDpu', rut nga'chuq be'pu'. ...
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France approves marriage equality
- France has become the 14th country to approve a law allowing same-sex marriage, according to the BBC. The bill, which also legalizes adoption by gay and lesbian couples, passed 321-225 in the French parliament, as Socialist President Francois Hollande made the law his flagship social reform. He is expected to sign the bill once it has cleared any challenge in ...
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Castro barred from LGBT event
- Equality Forum—the national LGBT organization based in Philadelphia—says that the U.S. government has refused to allow Mariela Castro, an LGBT activist and daughter of Cuba's president RaÃșl Castro, to enter the United States to participate in its annual event, according to Advocate.com. Mariela Castro, who is executive director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education, was to speak on ...
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Rio state OKs marriage equality; Paris gay-marriage fair
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - In Brazil, the general magistrate of justice of Rio de Janeiro state, Judge Valmir de Oliveira Silva, published a legal ruling authorizing same-sex marriage in the state, Gay Star News reported. The ruling, published in the state's official notification, stated that the magistrate found the existing legal provisions [i.e., no marriage equality] unconstitutional and in breach of the Federal Supreme ...
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DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE
- Despite his Chicagoland mansion hitting the auction block this past month, R. Kelly, R&B superstar of the '90s, seems poised for some sort of a mini-renaissance despite the past allegations involving underaged girls and certain fluids. The 46-year-old crooner recently joined over-hyped French quartet Phoenix on stage at Coachella, is one of the headliners (along with Björk) at this July's ...
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State Dept report shows LGBT rights abuse in every region
- From the Council for Global Equality - The State Department's latest country human rights reports, released April 19, confirm the lack of respect that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face in many areas of the world. However, the reports also point to a range of serious human rights abuses directed at LGBT populations in every region. The Obama Administration has made a commendable effort to ...
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France OKs marriage equality; Chilean trans man gives birth
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - France has become the 14th country to approve a law allowing same-sex marriage, according to the BBC. The bill, which also legalizes adoption by gay and lesbian couples, passed 321-225 in the French parliament, as Socialist President Francois Hollande made the law his flagship social reform. He is expected to sign the bill once it has cleared any challenge in ...
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France approves marriage equality
- France has become the 14th country to approve a law allowing same-sex marriage, according to the BBC. The bill, which also legalizes adoption by gay and lesbian couples, passed 321-225 in the French parliament, as Socialist President Francois Hollande made the law his flagship social reform. He is expected to sign the bill once it has cleared any challenge in ...
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International networks of gay men unite to fight HIV
- MSM networks from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe coordinate - From a press release April 18, 2013 — The major regional networks of men who have sex with men (MSM) and the Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) have joined forces to form a unified front against HIV to protect the health and human rights of MSM worldwide. The consortium, which includes international networks from Asia, Africa, Latin America, ...
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Ian McKellen criticizes Thatcher; Vatican's pornography
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Openly gay actor Sir Ian McKellen has posted an obituary to Margaret Thatcher (on his website) calling her ideology against gay marriage "hypocritical and now pointless," according to Gay Star News. In the obituary he expressed his anger at Thatcher passing Section 28 (which essentially prevented teachers from discussing LGBT issues), but praised UK charity Stonewall, which he co-founded to ...
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New Zealand passes marriage equality
- From a press release - Australian marriage equality advocates say the achievement of marriage equality in New Zealand this evening will be a game changer in Australia. Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Rodney Croome, said, "The majority of Australians who support marriage equality will be happy for New Zealand but deeply embarrassing their own country is lagging so far behind." "This will be a game ...
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French Senate passes marriage equality bill
- From an All Out press release - Paris, France - "Marriage equality is almost a reality — but we can't celebrate until it's law. With a few days before the final vote on marriage, the outcome is still too close to call" said Andre Banks, Executive Director and Co-founder of All Out. "I am most excited for couples like Alain and Jean-Marc who have been together for ...
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Mexican band's pro-gay move; LGBT-friendly countries
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - In a message that avoided politics, Grammy-winning Mexican band Mana pleaded with its fans to embrace same-sex couples and gay marriage, according to SouthFloridaGayNews.com. In a statement on the band's Facebook page, vocalist and guitarist Fher Olvera asked the band's 8 million followers to reject discrimination, indifference and prejudice, and embrace tolerance, respect and understanding. "Full recognition for same-sex couples ...
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Zambia chiefs want gays 'caged'
- In Zambia, tribal chiefs have called for a crackdown on gays in the African nation after four gay couples sought to have their marriages recognized by a state registrar—with the chiefs calling for them to "be caged," according to Gay Star News. Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni and Chief Shakumbila of Mumbwa wrote to the Zambia Daily Mail to condemn ...
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Margaret Thatcher dies
- Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first woman to become British prime minister, has died at the age of 87. Thatcher served from 1979 to 1990 as leader of the Conservative Party, CNN.com reported. She was called the "Iron Lady" for her personal and political toughness. Thatcher won the nation's top job only six years after declaring in a ...
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Gay man accuses Peru police of misconduct, bias
- A gay man has accused the police department of Peru, Ill., of discrimination and misconduct, including a claim that one officer verbally demanded oral sex. Henry A. Cabrera-Calderon, a 21-year-old student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, outlined the events of Feb. 10 and 11 in a letter that was addressed to Peru Police Department (PPD) Chief of Police Douglas P. ...
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Tanzania group WEZESHA helps gays and lesbians
- Viewpoint by Mel Wilson and Nathan Linsk - WEZESHA (meaning Empowerment in Kiswahili) is a fledgling gay and lesbian group in Tanzania. It is urgent that this organization receive immediate funding support. As some of you know, we have been shuttling back and forth to Africa for the past several years (Nathan since 2001, Mel since 2006) where Nathan has been involved in various efforts to develop university-level ...
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Divided ex-gay movement still active in Latin America
- From a press release - Boston, MA, April 2, 2013: Exodus International, the U.S. network of Christian ministries prominent in the "ex-gay" movement, dramatically changed its position in January 2012 when Executive Director Alan Chambers announced that he no longer believed there was a "cure" to homosexuality. This allegedly put an end to the organization's 35-year effort to "convert…LGBTQ people to heterosexuality through 'submission to ...
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Uruguay Senate passes Freedom to Marry legislation
- From a press release - New York — The Uruguayan Senate passed freedom to marry legislation today allowing same-sex couples to marry, making Uruguay nearly certain to be the 15th nation in the world — and the fourth in Latin America — where gay and lesbian couples can share in the freedom to marry. The bill passed today had been modified slightly since passage by ...
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World news: Ben Cohen thanks Elton John; Nigeria's pardon
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - LGBT ally and former British rugby player Ben Cohen has credited Elton John for "changing his life" by convincing him to get a hearing aid, according to Pink News. Cohen, 34, said he had been told by doctors that he had lost a third of his hearing, and had tinnitus in his mid-20s; however, he refused to wear an aid ...
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Mexico bans anti-gay words; Israel may lift blood-donation ban
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - In Mexico, two common anti-gay words have been outlawed, Global Post reported. The Supreme Court ruled "puñal" and "maricon," which mean "faggot," constitute hate speech and are no longer protected as freedom of expression under the constitution. A majority of the magistrates voted in favor of a journalist who sued a reporter at a rival newspaper who had written a ...
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Trans teacher found dead in England
- Primary school teacher Lucy Meadows was found dead at her home in Accrington, Lancashire, England, according to The New Statesman. The death of Meadows, 32—who taught at St. Mary Magdalene's School—is not being treated as suspicious. An inquest will be held. Gay Star News reported that headteacher Karen Hardman wrote on the school's website, "It is with great sadness that ...
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Anti-gay march banned in Paris; Toronto gay magazine folds
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - French police have stopped an anti-marriage-equality march at the Champs-Elysees in Paris from going ahead due to "security concerns," according to Gay Star News. Opponents to the "Marriage for All" bill, which would grant same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt, had hoped to hold a demonstration March 24. On March 14, Paris police said, "In order to ensure ...
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New pope named, harbors anti-LGBT stance
- Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio Of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was elected to be the 266th pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Francis, the Huffington Post reported. The election came after two rounds of balloting in a morning session March 13. Francis was elected to the papacy after two days of conclave meetings with a total of five ballots ...
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Knight at the Movies: Beyond the Hills; Oz the Great and Powerful
- A look at the trailer for the Romanian drama Beyond the Hills—the latest from acclaimed 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days writer-director Cristian Mungui—might give viewers the mistaken impression that it's a horror film: A young woman arrives at a remote convent in order to convince her best friend to leave with her. The friend, now a devout nun, ...
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Anti-gay mayor loses to gay man; Vatican-gay sauna link
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Anti-gay German mayor Helmut Muller has lost his seat to openly gay candidate Sven Gerich, of the Social Democratic Party, according to Gay Star News. Gerich, 38, became mayor of Wiesbaden in Hesse by garnering 50.8 percent of the vote over Muller's 49.2 percent. Just two weeks before the election, results showed Muller had been leading with the vote. The ...
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Queen to ratify Commonwealth Charter inclusive of human rights
- From an AllOut.org press release - London, United Kingdom - Queen Elizabeth II on March 11 will ratify the new Commonwealth Charter, governing terms of association between England and the states that were once its former colonies. The Charter unequivocally embraces the ideal of universal human rights for all Commonwealth citizens. Yet, more than 40 of the member states criminalize lesbian, gay, bi and trans people ...
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Groups demand response to Nigerian ban on lesbians in football
- From a Federation of Gay Games release - Federation of Gay Games (www.gaygames.org), joined by the European Gay and Lesbian Sport Federation (www.eglsf.info), Football v Homophobia (www.footballvhomophobia.org), and AllOut (www.allout.org) release a letter March 6 that they have written to Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, the world football (soccer) federation. The organizations expressed their concern about reports that the Nigerian Football Association has banned lesbian from football in ...
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Outgames '17 in Miami; Lech Walesa's anti-gay comments
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - \After site visits to Reykjavik, Iceland, and Miami Beach, Fla., World Outgames delegates have voted to hold the 2017 event in the U.S. city, according to Gay Star News. Paul Brummitt, chair of the selection committee, was excited about the quality of both bids: "Both cities have sent amazing bids, and their presentations really dazzled delegates." This year's Outgames will ...
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Outgames '17 in Miami Beach
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The quadrennial World Outgames will return to North America in 2017, making its U.S. debut in the process, the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association (GLISA) announced Feb. 28. The 2017 Outgames was awarded to Miami Beach, Florida—and the city's mayor, Matti Bower, was in Antwerp, Belgium, where the announcement was made. The 2013 Outgames—a multi-sport extravaganza, mixed with a ...
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Vatican denies gay-related reports
- The Vatican is denying reports that Pope Benedict XVI's resignation was linked to an emerging scandal involving gay priests and high-priced blackmail, according to USA Today. Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, who didn't specifically mention the scandal, said, "It is deplorable that as we draw closer to the time of the beginning of the conclave ... that there be ...
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IKEA Thailand apologizes; Vatican denies rumors
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - IKEA Thailand has apologized to Thai Transgender Alliance for "the unintended offense" that an advertisement featuring a transgender person caused, according to Gay Star News. The ad, shown on Bangkok's BTS Skytrain system and YouTube, features a transgender woman who is so shocked by a sale item she speaks in a masculine voice—causing the man she is with to run ...
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Three perfect gay days in Rome
- TRAVEL Special to the online edition of Windy City Times By Jeff Guaracino - Rome for the weekend? You bet! With the pope's stunning announcement of his retirement and with spring upon us, now is an exciting time for a quick weekend escape to the Eternal City. Here are my three tips for your three perfect days in Rome. 1. Plan ahead of time Of course, you can't see all of Rome in ...
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Canadian official's pro-gay move; 'It Gets Better' drops Pistorius
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird called out "offensive" and "mean-spirited" statements on the website of an organization that gets federal funding to do aid work in Uganda, according to CBC.ca. The Canadian International Development Agency is providing $544,813 over three years to Christian Crossroads Communications Inc., which called homosexuality and "transvestism" perversions, and lists them along with pedophilia and ...
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Italian governor slams Rome; murder suspect pleads guilty
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Italian region Puglia's governor, Nichi Vendola, has said that "life in Rome is too dangerous for gays and lesbians," according to Gay Star News. Vendola—who has been openly gay since he was 18—told newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, "I fear going out alone at night in Rome." Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno responded, "My city has the same problems of all European ...
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Pope Benedict XVI to resign, Chicago LGBTs react
- In a move that is sure to have reverberations for LGBTs around the globe, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation Feb. 11, citing ailing health and old age. The news comes a day after LGBT activists protested Chicago Cardinal Francis George for his anti-gay stances. Benedict is the first in nearly six centuries to step down from the papacy, after ...
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NCAVP: Another gay man killed in Puerto Rico
- From a news release - The National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) has learned of the death of a gay man, Milton Medina Morales on Feb. 3, 2013 just outside of MayagÃŒez, Pueto Rico. El Nuevo DÃa and the Washington Blade are reporting that Soto Vélez has confessed to Morales' killing. Media sources state that Morales was attacked with a machete and that his body ...
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Major advance in UK marriage equality today
- From a news release - The Equality Network welcomes the same-sex marriage win in Commons today. The Equality Network is the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality charity that runs Equal Marriage, the UK's first and longest-running campaign for same-sex marriage. It has tonight issued a call for the Scottish Government to follow suit and introduce same-sex marriage legislation to the Scottish Parliament. Tom ...
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Russia's law starts problems; Gandhi letters on display
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Guido Westerwelle, Germany's openly gay foreign minister, reportedly told Moscow's envoy to Berlin, Vladimir Grinin, that a Russian draft law banning "homosexual propaganda" could harm Russia's ties with Europe, according to Reuters. Westerwelle had made clear that in Germany's view the law violated the European human-rights convention. Westerwelle told Grinin he spoke as a "friend of Russia" who wanted Moscow ...
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VIEWPOINTS Loving the lepers
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times by Timothy Villareal - During his recent annual Christmas address, Pope Benedict charged the world's gays and lesbians, along with transgendered persons, with destroying the "very essence of the human creature." If satire is the weapon of the powerless, surely defamation is the weapon of defanged religious leaders. Ensconced in his papal enclave, without the raw geopolitical power that popes once held, Benedict XVI, ...
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Thailand, 'The Land of Smiles,' earns its rep
- TRAVEL by Kelsy Chauvin - There are clear universal truths about the Thai experience. Thailand is hot—very hot. In Thailand, it's easy to get used to paying just $1 to a street vendor for the best pad Thai ever. The massages are intense, incredibly inexpensive and never get old. And above all, the country is one of the world's friendliest places—proudly demonstrating its nickname "The ...
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Lesbian actress slams Britain; gay-blackmail ring
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Lesbian actress Miriam Margoyles has become an Australian citizen—and marked her new life with a stinging attack on Britain, the Daily Mail reported. Margoyles, 71, said, "I don't like class distinction, and there is far too much of that in England." Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout in the Potter films, has been in a relationship with her Australian-born partner, Heather, ...
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Despite Russian PM disapproval, anti-gay law moves ahead
- From a news release - St Petersburg/Paris - The Russian Duma has, once again, rescheduled the first reading of the notorious federal draft law on so-called 'homosexual propaganda', a law designed to ban saying or writing anything positive about LGBT people. Without further changes to the schedule, the first vote will occur on Friday, January 25. This draft law is one of the most blatant ...
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Italian PM's anti-gay comments; China's first transgender man
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has come out against same-sex marriage and adoption, according to Reuters. Monti told a TV interviewer, "My thought is that the family should be made up of one man and one woman, and I consider it necessary that children should grow up with a mother and a father." It was the first time the former ...
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Electricity company's pope ad; Vietnamese photo exhibit
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - In New Zealand, electricity company Powershop has unveiled a four-story billboard painting that shows a smiling Pope Benedict XVI blessing a mixed-race gay couple, according to SeattlePI.com. Powershop has previously run ads showing former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in bold blue eyeshadow as well as former President Richard Nixon with an Afro and a peace button. New Zealand's parliament ...
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Bi British politician talks marriage; Uganda arrest
- World news: Extended for the online edition of Windy City Times - Simon Hughes—the bisexual deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, one of Britain's leading parties—wants to stop all religious groups from marrying couples, gay or straight, according to Gay Star News. Hughes is to meet the United Kingdom's equalities minister, Maria Miller, to discuss if only civil officials should be allowed to conduct weddings. In some countries, like France or Belgium, ...
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Gay Honduran wins asylum in U.S.
- Columbia Law School's Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic work crucial - From a press release (New York, January 2, 2012) — Columbia Law School's Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic has won asylum for a gay man who feared for his life in his home country of Honduras because of attacks and persecution based on his sexual orientation. The grant of asylum, issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Dec. ...
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Mexico drops blood-donation ban; Stephen Hawking backs Turing
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Mexico has reportedly become the first country in the Eastern Hemisphere to allow gay people to donate blood, according to SouthFloridaGayNews.com. As first reported in English by Blabbeando blog, a new health regulation first approved in August is going into effect, ending a 20-year ban on gay blood donations. Under the new law, the only people banned from donating blood ...
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World news in 2012: a look back
- Extended for the online edition of Windy City Times - —Joran's sentencing: Joran van der Sloot was sentenced Jan. 13 to 28 years in a Peruvian prison for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old Stephany Flores, whom Advocate.com reported was a lesbian. van der Sloot was once the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama resident Natalee Holloway in Aruba. —D-I-V-O-R-C-E: The Canadian Department of Justice told a court in ...
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World news: London's LGBT staff takes hit; erotic work banned
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - A book says that the number of staff working in London's LGBT sector has dropped 20 percent in just two years, according to Gay Star News. The new London LGBT Almanac, now in its second edition and published by Kairos in Soho (KiS), also reveals the LGBT sector has 0.038 percent of the income of London's voluntary sector. Some of ...
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US leadership to advance equality for LGBT people abroad
- From the White House Office of Communications - During Human Rights Week, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding human rights and human dignity at home and abroad, and we recognize the need to build a world in which everyone can pursue their dreams free from violence and discrimination. Last week at the Human Rights First summit, I described how advancing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and ...
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UN Secretary-General condemns homophobic laws
- From an IGLHRC news release - (New York, December 18, 2012) — UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking at a celebration for International Human Rights Day, emphasized that human rights are universal and apply to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people along with everyone else. The event was held on December 11, 2012, at the United Nations in New York. "The very first article of the Universal ...
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Iowa court orders accurate death certificate for stillborn baby
- Married lesbian mothers represented by Lambda Legal - From a Lambda Legal news release (Des Moines, IA, December 17, 2012) - The Iowa District Court for Polk County ordered the state's Department of Public Health to issue an accurate death certificate to Jennifer and Jessica Buntemeyer after their son was stillborn in October of last year. The couple's grief was compounded when the Iowa Department of Public Health ...
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51 LGBTQA groups call for ending sex worker violence
- From a news release - Washington, D.C. - The undersigned lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two Spirit and allied organizations mark the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers by calling for support for efforts worldwide to defend the lives and rights of all people involved in the sex trades. We recognize that systemic homophobia and transphobia, disproportionate poverty and homelessness, widespread discrimination, and ...
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World: British PM backs marriage; HIV+ teacher charged
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - British Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed that he supports same-sex marriage for religious institutions, according to Pink News. Speaking at an event, he said, "I'm a massive supporter of marriage and I don't want gay people to be excluded from a great institution." However, he added that he would not attempt to force any church, synagogue or mosque to ...
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Kato Award; trans woman wins custody battle
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The 2013 David Kato Vision & Voice Award has been awarded to Ali Erol, a leading LGBTI-rights activist in Turkey, according to a press release. The award was announced at the International Planned Parenthood Federation's 60th anniversary celebration in South Africa. Erol founded Kaos GL organization in 1994, the first of its kind in Turkey. The award is named after ...
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Customers urge banks to condemn Uganda anti-gay bill
- From a news release - WASHINGTON, DC — More than 445,000 people have joined an urgent campaign on Change.org calling on Citibank and Barclays to publicly condemn legislation in Uganda that would criminalize homosexuality with life in prison and possible death sentences. Known as the "Anti-Homosexuality Bill," the legislation could be passed by Uganda's Parliament any day now, and would institute some of the harshest ...
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UN approves pro-trans draft resolution
- UN approves pro-trans draft resolution A United Nations committee overseeing human-rights issues approved a draft resolution that, for the first time, acknowledges the need to protect individuals from executions on the basis of their gender identity, Advocate.com reported. The Third Committee of the General Assembly passed the resolution by a vote of 108-1, with 65 abstentions and 18 absences; Iran ...
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VIEWPOINTS Touring queer Mumbai
- It was time for nostalgia and a walk down memory lane, literally. "Gulabi Yatra (Pink Tour)"—which Mumbai, India's youth LGBT group, Yaariyan, organized—recently took a large group of young gay, lesbian and transgender youth to some of the historic sites in Mumbai that gays frequented in bygone days. These were places where right from early 1980s, gays in Mumbai would ...
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Elton's Beijing controversy; Italian teen commits suicide
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - In a controversial move, singer Elton John openly dedicated a two-hour Beijing concert "to the spirit and talent of [artist/political activist] Ai Weiwei," as he told the audience, the L.A. Times noted. The crowd reacted with audible gasps. Ai—who has used his art to comment on human-rights issues—attended the show, and even met John before the concert. In Rome, a ...
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Turkish activist wins Kato Vision & Voice Award
- From a news release - Johannesburg, South Africa — The 2013 David Kato Vision & Voice Award has been awarded to Ali Erol: a leading lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) activist in Turkey. The award will be announced at the International Planned Parenthood Federation's 60th anniversary celebrations in South Africa. Inspired by David Kato's work, the award recognizes those who strive to uphold ...
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Russia: Historic decision on gay propaganda ban
- Joint media release by the International Commission of Jurists and ILGA-Europe - STATEMENT: The International Commission of Jurists and ILGA-Europe welcome the historic decision by the UN Human Rights Committee in Irina Fedotova v. Russian Federation, which was released by the Committee on Nov. 19. "We are very pleased with the Committee's Views in this case and in particular with the recognition that expressing opinions and information about same-sex sexual orientation cannot ...
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Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill advances in Parliament
- From a news release - Washington, D.C. —Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill was recently placed on the parliament's agenda for imminent discussion and has the enthusiastic support of the parliament's speaker, among other parliamentarians, who declared that its passage in December would be a "Christmas gift" to the Ugandan people. Human Rights First reiterates its categorical opposition to this bill which will have severely adverse consequences for ...
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Governments condemn extrajudicial executions in UN vote
- First condemnation of killings based on gender identity - From a news release, Nov. 21, 2012 (New York) An international coalition of organizations dedicated to human rights celebrated yesterday's historic vote in the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to pass resolution A/C.3/67/L.36 condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The vote reversed the events of 2010 when the same body voted to strip the resolution of ...
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GLAAD: Stop the Uganda 'Kill the Gays' bill
- From press releases - This article has been updated with the addition of news releases as they come in From GLAAD: Yesterday, the Ugandan Parliament added a bill to its schedule that would sentence LGBT people in Uganda to death. According to reports from international news providers like Agence France-Press www.rnw.nl/english/bulletin/ugandan-parliament-debate-anti-gay-bill and LGBT news sites including Towleroad www.towleroad.com/2012/11/uganda-consideration-of-kill-the-gays-bill-imminent-activists-warn.html, the bill might be debated as ...
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Diver's meth addiction; intersex mayor steps down
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, a gay Australian, reveals in his new autobiography Twists and Turns that he battled an addiction to crystal meth in the years leading up to the London Olympics, according to Towleroad.com. He reveals that he started doubting himself after winning gold in 2008; coupled with an injury, he turned to smoking crystal meth to boost his ...
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UN speaks for Cameroon LGBTs before critical hearing
- From an All Out news release - A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern about human rights violations against LGBT people in Cameroon, just days before three individuals convicted under anti-gay law have scheduled appeal hearings. The statement also condemned threats to attorneys, who received an anonymous SMS threatening their lives and the lives of her family for defending Cameroonians imprisoned because ...
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Uganda to pass anti-gay bill; gay TV proposal
- World news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The speaker of Uganda's parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, said that the country's anti-gay measure will be passed before the end of the year, according to the Manila Bulletin. This development will occur despite international criticism of the bill because, Kadaga claimed, Ugandans "are demanding it." Uganda's penal code criminalizes homosexuality, but in 2009 a legislator with the ruling party said a ...
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Kenya's first out gay candidate hopes to make history
- David Kuria Mbote is the Africa's first openly gay Black political candidate running for national office (outside South Africa). The senate hopeful from Kiambu County is campaigning in a Kenya that punishes same-sex intercourse as a crime and in an Africa where, according to Gay Star News, "it is illegal to be gay in 25 out of 38 nations. In ...
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