LGBT+ - The African Mirror

Mar

24

2021

LGBT+ refugees call on U.N. for safe space after Kenya camp attacks

LGBT+

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

By The African Mirror

‘Juno’ actor Elliot Page becomes first trans man to star on Time magazine cover

LGBT+

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

By The African Mirror

Ghana MPs plan law criminalising promotion of LGBT+ rights

LGBT+

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

By The African Mirror

Anchorwoman: Bangladesh’s first trans newsreader hopes to foster acceptance

LGBT+

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

By The African Mirror

Idris Elba, Naomi Campbell stand up for Ghana LGBT+ community

LGBT+

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…

Mar

02

2021

By The African Mirror

In Myanmar, LGBT+ people join anti-coup protests with rainbow flags

LGBT+

GROWING up in rural Myanmar, Du Wun shunned the jewellery his mother pressed him to wear and dreaded ceremonies where he had to dress in a traditional htamein, a sarong-like garment for women. Du Wun, a transgender man, was bullied as a teenager and disowned by his parents. He only began to accept his gender identity when he connected with other LGBT+ people - a lifeline he fears is under threat following a Feb. 1 military coup. "I was intimidated and ashamed about my identity," said Du Wun, 26, who decided to quit his job as a teacher in 2016…

Mar

01

2021

By RACHEL SAVAGE and ENRIQUE ANARTE

LGBT+ Pride marches plan comeback as COVID-19 vaccinations gather pace

LGBT+

SOME of Europe's biggest LGBT+ Pride marches are being planned for later this year as mass COVID-19 vaccination drives raise hopes of a post-pandemic return to the streets, organisers have said. In Britain, where the government said a ban on big events would be lifted in June if cases fall sufficiently, Pride organisers in Birmingham, Manchester and London announced plans this week to stage their marches in August and September. Elsewhere, World Pride in Copenhagen hopes half a million people will attend in mid-August. "Nothing can replace that feeling that you get of being among your own people, taking over…

Feb

27

2021

By The African Mirror

LGBT+ Americans inch closer to ‘freedom’ as House passes Equality Act

LGBT+

MATTHEW LAVIETES LGBT+ Americans have moved a step closer to winning legal protection from discrimination as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a key civil rights bill backed by President Joe Biden. By a vote of 224 to 206, the House passed the landmark Equality Act, which amends the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in addition to race, religion, sex and national origin. The vote closely followed party lines, with only three Republican lawmakers supporting the bill. "Without the Equality Act, this nation will never live up to its principles of…

Feb

24

2021

By The African Mirror

Anti-gay uproar shuts Ghana first LGBT+ centre

LGBT+

ANITA BHALLA ANTI-GAY outcry has forced Ghana's first LGBT+ community centre to temporarily close to protect its staff and visitors three weeks after it opened, its founder said yesterday. Church groups, politicians and anti-gay rights organisations have called on the government to shut down the centre, run by local charity LGBT+ Rights Ghana, and arrest and prosecute those involved. "We did not expect such an uproar," said Alex Kofi Donkor, director of LGBT+ Rights Ghana, which hosted an opening event on January 31 attended by European and Australian diplomats. "We expected some homophobic organisations would use the opportunity to exploit…

Feb

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Trans model Munroe Bergdorf urges social media giants to tackle abuse

LGBT+

RACHEL SAVAGE WITH online abuse pushing her to quit Twitter, transgender model Munroe Bergdorf has called for social media companies to act faster to tackle racism and transphobia on their platforms. The Black trans model, who said she regularly receives threats and waits hours for racist comments about her to be deleted, called on social media firms to invest in minorities to design algorithms to better protect themselves from abuse. "If you can censor a nipple and a picture gets taken down with a nipple on it straight away ... then why can't you develop an algorithm that targets transphobic…