US reports harassment and rape of gays in Zimbabwe
(Harare, Zimbawe) Gay Zimbabweans face widespread harassment and some have even been raped by those intending to convert their sexuality, the U.S. State Department said in a discussion of its annual human rights report in Zimbabwe.
Gay men were forced into heterosexual acts and lesbian women were raped, sometimes by male relatives, to teach them to change their ways, said Amanda Porter, political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare and compiler of the report.
“Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct,” she said Tuesday.
Homosexuals reported widespread discrimination in 2009, the year under review. But the report notes that the conservative southern African country has long frowned on homosexuality.
Hate speech by politicians against the nation’s small gay community fueled social pressures on families, Porter said. And crimes against human rights and sexual abuse against gays were rarely reported to police.
“Victims are afraid to speak out,” she said.
Same-sex acts are illegal in Zimbabwe and while there have been no reported prosecutions related to consensual homosexuality in recent years, the offense carries a penalty of up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $5,000.
President Robert Mugabe last month vowed gay rights would not be protected in a new constitution being drawn up under a power sharing deal ahead of new elections, possibly next year. Mugabe once described homosexuals as “lower than pigs and dogs.”
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said he personally shared an abhorrence of homosexuality, but called for tolerance toward all minority groups.
“There can be no place in the new Zimbabwe for hate speech or the persecution of any sector of the population based on race, gender, tribe, culture, sexual orientation or political affiliation,” he said in debate on constitutional reform earlier this month.
Condemnation of gays is common in Africa. In Africa, only South Africa has legalized same-sex marriage, and even so the gap between the liberal constitution and societal attitudes can be wide.
Ugandan lawmakers have proposed imposing the death penalty on some gays. A gay couple is on trial in Malawi, charged with unnatural acts and gross indecency and face up to 14 years in jail.
Ugandan clerics have accused President Barack Obama of “exporting” homosexuality to Africa under the guise of human rights.
Porter said the annual U.S. rights review presented to a discussion group in Harare late Tuesday gave greater emphasis to gay rights than in previous years, reflecting concerns in Obama’s administration about homophobia.
She said attitudes and laws in Zimbabwe made gays feel unsafe. Many did not seek medical care, for fear of being shunned by health providers and others who were stigmatized, reported abandoning their education early and suffering higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than other groups.
US reports harassment and rape of gays in Zimbabwe
(Harare, Zimbawe) Gay Zimbabweans face widespread harassment and some have even been raped by those intending to convert their sexuality, the U.S. State Department said in a discussion of its annual human rights report in Zimbabwe.
Gay men were forced into heterosexual acts and lesbian women were raped, sometimes by male relatives, to teach them to change their ways, said Amanda Porter, political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare and compiler of the report.
“Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct,” she said Tuesday.
Homosexuals reported widespread discrimination in 2009, the year under review. But the report notes that the conservative southern African country has long frowned on homosexuality.
Hate speech by politicians against the nation’s small gay community fueled social pressures on families, Porter said. And crimes against human rights and sexual abuse against gays were rarely reported to police.
“Victims are afraid to speak out,” she said.
Same-sex acts are illegal in Zimbabwe and while there have been no reported prosecutions related to consensual homosexuality in recent years, the offense carries a penalty of up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $5,000.
President Robert Mugabe last month vowed gay rights would not be protected in a new constitution being drawn up under a power sharing deal ahead of new elections, possibly next year. Mugabe once described homosexuals as “lower than pigs and dogs.”
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said he personally shared an abhorrence of homosexuality, but called for tolerance toward all minority groups.
“There can be no place in the new Zimbabwe for hate speech or the persecution of any sector of the population based on race, gender, tribe, culture, sexual orientation or political affiliation,” he said in debate on constitutional reform earlier this month.
Condemnation of gays is common in Africa. In Africa, only South Africa has legalized same-sex marriage, and even so the gap between the liberal constitution and societal attitudes can be wide.
Ugandan lawmakers have proposed imposing the death penalty on some gays. A gay couple is on trial in Malawi, charged with unnatural acts and gross indecency and face up to 14 years in jail.
Ugandan clerics have accused President Barack Obama of “exporting” homosexuality to Africa under the guise of human rights.
Porter said the annual U.S. rights review presented to a discussion group in Harare late Tuesday gave greater emphasis to gay rights than in previous years, reflecting concerns in Obama’s administration about homophobia.
She said attitudes and laws in Zimbabwe made gays feel unsafe. Many did not seek medical care, for fear of being shunned by health providers and others who were stigmatized, reported abandoning their education early and suffering higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than other groups.
US reports harassment and rape of gays in Zimbabwe
(Harare, Zimbawe) Gay Zimbabweans face widespread harassment and some have even been raped by those intending to convert their sexuality, the U.S. State Department said in a discussion of its annual human rights report in Zimbabwe.
Gay men were forced into heterosexual acts and lesbian women were raped, sometimes by male relatives, to teach them to change their ways, said Amanda Porter, political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Harare and compiler of the report.
“Some families reportedly subjected men and women to corrective rape and forced marriages to encourage heterosexual conduct,” she said Tuesday.
Homosexuals reported widespread discrimination in 2009, the year under review. But the report notes that the conservative southern African country has long frowned on homosexuality.
Hate speech by politicians against the nation’s small gay community fueled social pressures on families, Porter said. And crimes against human rights and sexual abuse against gays were rarely reported to police.
“Victims are afraid to speak out,” she said.
Same-sex acts are illegal in Zimbabwe and while there have been no reported prosecutions related to consensual homosexuality in recent years, the offense carries a penalty of up to a year in jail or a fine of up to $5,000.
President Robert Mugabe last month vowed gay rights would not be protected in a new constitution being drawn up under a power sharing deal ahead of new elections, possibly next year. Mugabe once described homosexuals as “lower than pigs and dogs.”
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said he personally shared an abhorrence of homosexuality, but called for tolerance toward all minority groups.
“There can be no place in the new Zimbabwe for hate speech or the persecution of any sector of the population based on race, gender, tribe, culture, sexual orientation or political affiliation,” he said in debate on constitutional reform earlier this month.
Condemnation of gays is common in Africa. In Africa, only South Africa has legalized same-sex marriage, and even so the gap between the liberal constitution and societal attitudes can be wide.
Ugandan lawmakers have proposed imposing the death penalty on some gays. A gay couple is on trial in Malawi, charged with unnatural acts and gross indecency and face up to 14 years in jail.
Ugandan clerics have accused President Barack Obama of “exporting” homosexuality to Africa under the guise of human rights.
Porter said the annual U.S. rights review presented to a discussion group in Harare late Tuesday gave greater emphasis to gay rights than in previous years, reflecting concerns in Obama’s administration about homophobia.
She said attitudes and laws in Zimbabwe made gays feel unsafe. Many did not seek medical care, for fear of being shunned by health providers and others who were stigmatized, reported abandoning their education early and suffering higher rates of unemployment and homelessness than other groups.
Weekend Watercooler: Billie Joe Armstrong talks about his sexuality…again
• Bi now, maybe later. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is having a big year. A new musical, American Idiot [1], based on Green Day’s last two albums opens on Broadway April 20th. Out [2] magazine has an interview with the singer and Michael Mayer the musical’s director. Its been more than sixteen years since Armstrong told the Advocate “I think I’ve always been bisexual. It’s ingrained in our heads that it’s bad, when it’s not bad at all. It’s a very beautiful thing.” These days Armstrong is not sure if he still identifies as bisexual. “But I’d never say that I’m not. I don’t really classify myself as anything. And when it comes to sex, there are parts of me that are very shy and conservative. I want to respect my wife.” Please Billie stay bi long enough to plant a big kiss on my lips!
[3]
• Lesbians denied. Across the street from Berlin’s memorial for the six million Jewish Holocaust victims sits another memorial [4]. Erected in 2008 this, often vandalized, memorial is dedicated to the homosexuals victimized at the hands of the Nazis. Currently the concrete slab has a window that participants can view video of a kiss between two men.
Every two years the video is to be traded out. In May, the video will be replaced for one of two women kissing. Holocaust scholars are up in arms citing a distortion of historical facts.
“Research shows that the persecution of lesbian women by the Nazi regime was not comparable to that of homosexual men.”
According to Germany’s Culture Minister Michael Naumann [5], this fact is stated on a plaque at the memorial and the monuments original concept was to memorialize present day GLBT discrimination in addition to the Nazi persecution of homosexuals.
Come on people, discrimination is discrimination.
[6]
• Another murder. A 49 year old Connecticut man, Luis Otero [7], was arrested for the murder of a woman who was having a sexual relationship with his mentally challenged daughter.
Otero murdered Madeline Brisson and placed her body in a freezer but his guilty conscience led him to the local police department to confess the murder and to lead the police to Brisson’s body.
The night of the crime, the two roommates were drinking and during an argument over the care of Otero’s daughter, Brisson stated that she had slept with her.
Otero was aware of Brisson’s previous lesbian relationships and “he got angry”, murdered his roommate and placed her body in the freezer.
These stories never cease to infuriate me.
[8]
• Insult to injury. The decision that allowed Derrick Martin [9] attend the prom with his boyfriend was protested by a group of his classmates on Thursday.
Most of the dozen attending the rally said they weren’t bothered by Martin being gay or being allowed to attend prom with his partner. But they said the school system’s decision has brought too much attention to their small town.
They are afraid that their town will be “known as a pro gay town.”
Martin, who was kicked out of his house by his parents recently, will still attend the prom but may wait until afterwards to speak to the media to “help minimize the attention that so many feel is unwelcome.”
I wish I had been this strong when I was in high school.
[10]
• Controversy. The Tribeca Film Festival [11] has included a film that has many in the GLBT community, including GLAAD [12], calling for protests.
“Ticked Off Trannies with Knives” [13] has the blogs [14] a buzzing with a few pro and a ton of con [15] posts. With the unfortunate title and references to murdered transsexuals in its trailer it doesn’t surprise that there is heated debates everywhere you turn.
The film’s description from the festival website: “When a group of transgender women are violently beaten and left for dead, the violated vixens turn deadly divas in this hilariously campy homage to the exploitation films of the ’70s and ’80s (“Transploitation,” anyone?).
“Loaded with bodacious bods and extreme violence, this revenge fantasy proves that it takes more than balls to get even.”
I have included a link to the trailer and would love to hear your thoughts.
[16]
• Cup of Joe. The wait for the new season of True Blood [17] seems like an eternity to me. I am such a huge fan and cannot wait to return to the land of Sookie on June 13th. HBO has released a teaser poster [18]for the new season that is just as witty as the show itself and I just had to share. Now I am REALLY needing my True Blood fix.
[19]
[1] http://americanidiotonbroadway.com/
[2] http://www.out.com/detail.asp?page=3&id=26574
[3] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-billie-joe-armstrong-detail.jpg
[4] http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/holocaust-memorial-lesbian-kiss-outcry-20100326-r0ay.html
[5] http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/holocaust-memorial-lesbian-kiss-outcry-20100326-r0ay.html
[6] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-gay-holocaust-memorial-berlin.detail.jpg
[7] http://www.courant.com/community/groton/hc-web-groton-murder-0325,0,5548980.story
[8] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-body-outline-murder-detail.jpg
[9] http://www.macon.com/2010/03/26/1073335/students-protest-bleckley-prom.html#ixzz0jJV5ed4e
[10] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-derrick-martin-gay-prom-student-georga-detail.jpg
[11] http://www.tribecafilm.com/festival/
[12] http://www.glaad.org/Page.aspx?pid=183
[13] http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2010/03/25/ticked-off-trannies-with-knives
[14] http://www.towleroad.com/2010/03/glaad-tribeca-film-fest-at-odds-over-ticked-off-trannies.html
[15] http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/15666/an-insensitive-tribeca-film-festival-pick-tickedoff-trannies-with-knives
[16] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-tribecca-film-ticked-off-trannies-with-knives-poster-detail.jpg
[17] http://www.hbo.com/true-blood/index.html
[18] http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2010/03/25/true-blood-season-3-teaser-poster/
[19] http://www.365gay.com/wp-content/uploads/news-true-blood-season-three-tease-poster-detail.jpg
Men banned from lesbian parties
An Australian tribunal ruled for a lesbian and bisexual women’s party planner’s ban on men from parties.
Lesbian women avoid abuse help
Lesbian women avoid abuse help
Lesbian women avoid abuse help
Lesbian women avoid abuse help
Court rules against lesbian in gay divorce case
An effort by two lesbian women to overturn Oklahoma’s legal ban on homosexual marriage has been denied for a second time in a Tulsa courtroom.
The bizarre case started when two women, reportedly “married” in Canada filed for divorce in Tulsa. The divorce document, which had initials instead of first names, didn’t show that the two parties were both women.
Cait O’Darling used the name “C. O’Darling” in filing for the divorce from “S. O’Darling,” who was later identified as Stephanie Meissen. O’Darling claims they were “married” in Toronto in 2003.
A judge unwittingly granted the divorce, thinking it was a man and a woman. He later vacated that decision and the two women appealed.
Had the divorce been granted under Oklahoma law, it would have been tacit recognition of homosexual “marriage.” Radical homosexual groups around the country were hoping for a legal precedent to develop around the case in Oklahoma. It’s also being tried in other states.
See Court rules against lesbian in gay divorce case
Tulsa Beacon
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Original source : http://gay_blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/court-rules-a…
