Official memorial service for Amazulu King
An official memorial service was held for AmaZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini at KwaKheth' Omthandayo Royal Palace in KwaNongoma. [origincode_photo_gallery_wp id="12"]
Mar
18
2021
Mar
11
2021
Funeral Service for Peter Matlare
FAMILY and close friends gathered to remember businessman Peter Matlare who died after a battle with COVID-19. [origincode_photo_gallery_wp id="9"]
Mar
11
2021
Daniel Mminele pays tribute to Peter Matlare
DANIEL Mminele, the CEO of Absa, has led friends, colleagues and South Africans in paying warm tributes to Peter Matlare, a top South African businessman who died after a battle with COVID-19. Matlare (61), was a deputy CEO at Absa, one of the top four banks in SA, also served as chief executive for Tiger Brands, Primedia Broadcasting, Vodacom and the South African Broadcasting Corporation. https://youtu.be/tSm2kSLwsHg
Mar
26
2021
FACTBOX-Transgender politicians and government officials around the world
RACHEL SAVAGE RACHEL Levine made history this week as the first openly transgender person confirmed in a top government job by the U.S. Senate, with senators voting 52-48 to approve her appointment as assistant health secretary in Joe Biden's administration. A professor of paediatrics and psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine, Levine led Pennsylvania's response to coronavirus pandemic as the state's top health official. As LGBT+ rights become more accepted, gay and trans politicians have gained greater prominence in recent years around the world - with Pauline Ngarmpring becoming Thailand's first trans candidate for prime minister last year. Here…
Mar
25
2021
U.S. soccer star Rapinoe renews call for gender pay equity in House testimony
AMY TENNERY U.S. women's national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe renewed her call for gender pay equity on Wednesday, appearing before a congressional panel and pledging to "carry this torch" alongside her teammates. Rapinoe told the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, the World Cup winners had exceeded the accomplishments of their male counterparts but received inadequate compensation and playing conditions, two years after she and her teammates filed a landmark gender discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer. U.S. Soccer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It argued in 2019 that the women's team had been compensated more…
Mar
24
2021
LGBT+ refugees call on U.N. for safe space after Kenya camp attacks
NITA BHALLA LGBT+ people living in a refugee camp in northwestern Kenya urged U.N. officials on Friday to move them to a safer area following a series of homophobic attacks by other residents and locals. The refugees, who come from countries including Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, said a section of the Kakuma camp occupied by 135 LGBT+ refugees had been attacked at least five times since the start of the year. In one incident last month, three gay men needed hospital treatment for burns after attackers set their bedding alight as they slept. LGBT+ refugees have…
Mar
17
2021
‘Juno’ actor Elliot Page becomes first trans man to star on Time magazine cover
HUGO GREENHALGH OSCAR-NOMINATED actor Elliot Page will become the first transgender man to star on the front cover of Time when the magazine's latest edition goes on sale on Friday. Page, 34, who was nominated for various awards for Oscar-winning 2007 independent film "Juno" and plays a leading role in the current Netflix hit "The Umbrella Academy", announced he was trans in December. The actor wrote on Instagram at the time that he could not "begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self". Page follows in the footsteps of…
Mar
10
2021
Ghana MPs plan law criminalising promotion of LGBT+ rights
NITA BHALLA A group of lawmakers in Ghana want to criminalise the promotion of LGBT+ rights, a move that comes weeks after a community centre for sexual minorities was shut down following strong opposition from politicians and church organisations. Parliamentarian Samuel Nartey George from the opposition National Democratic Congress said he and seven other MPs hoped their private members' bill to ban LGBT+ advocacy would be passed before the parliamentary session ends on March 31. "We owe it to ourselves and the people of Ghana to uphold that which gives us our identity as a people ... May we unite…
Mar
09
2021
Anchorwoman: Bangladesh’s first trans newsreader hopes to foster acceptance
NAIMUL KARIM BANGLADESH'S first transgender news anchor hopes her regular appearances on national television will help other trans people gain greater acceptance in a country where they often face discrimination and live in poverty. Tashnuva Anan, a rights activist who previously worked with NGOs supporting transgender people and migrants, read her first daily news bulletin for a private television channel on Monday, International Women's Day. "This could be revolutionary and create a new dimension in people's thinking," said Anan, 29, who received several weeks of intensive training at Boishakhi TV after being selected for the job in auditions. "The biggest…
Mar
02
2021
Idris Elba, Naomi Campbell stand up for Ghana LGBT+ community
HUGO GREENHALGH ACTOR Idris Elba and model Naomi Campbell have joined 65 other British celebrities, designers and politicians in calling for Ghana's president to engage with the country's LGBT+ community in an open letter published on social media. A public outcry last week forced the country's first LGBT+ community centre to temporarily close to protect its staff and visitors, just three weeks after it had opened. Church groups, politicians and anti-gay rights organisations have called on the government to shut the centre, run by local charity LGBT+ Rights Ghana, and arrest and prosecute those involved. "We see you and we…