LGBT+ - The African Mirror

Feb

12

2021

Black, gay and happy: is Hollywood ready for that?

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH DIRECTOR Lee Daniels says he's "a little ghetto, a little homo" and worries the world might not be ready for his next big idea. "I really want to do a gay superhero movie," the Oscar-nominated director told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. And then a gay love story - only one that ends well, too. "I want the guy and guy to walk off happy at the end," the 61-year-old said via a video call from his home in Los Angeles. "I want it to end beautifully," he said. "Some of the major Hollywood gay love stories that have…

Jan

30

2021

By The African Mirror

LGBT+ funding seen lagging as COVID-19 stokes aid needs

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH GLOBAL funding for LGBT+ issues is expected to lag demand for support as the coronavirus pandemic exacerbates the hardships and discrimination faced by gay, bisexual and transgender people, philanthropy researchers said on Thursday. A Global Philanthropy Project (GPP) survey of 24 major donors showed their funding for LGBT+ causes would rise to $90 million this year, up 20% from 2018 but unlikely enough to meet increased need during the COVID-19 crisis. "In terms of the human rights struggles and the new, significant demand of the humanitarian response – we don't see that will be met by the rate of growth…

Jan

23

2021

By The African Mirror

White House website adds gender-neutral pronouns as Biden meets LGBT+ demands

LGBT+

RACHEL SAVAGE PEOPLE can now select gender-neutral pronouns when contacting the U.S. government, as President Joe Biden signed a raft of executive actions on his first day in office, including an order tackling discrimination against LGBT+ people. People who identify as non-binary - neither male nor female - can now select the gender-neutral title "Mx" on the White House website's contact page, which also added a drop-down list of personal pronouns, including "they/them". The website update marks a departure from Donald Trump's administration, which banned transgender people from enlisting in the military and issued orders emphasising the importance of "biological sex"…

Dec

25

2020

By The African Mirror

From coronavirus crackdowns to court battles: 10 top LGBT+ stories in 2020

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH, RACHEL SAVAGE and ANASTASIA MOLONEY CORONAVIRUS dominated news around the world in 2020, creating particular challenges for the LGBT+ community in terms of mental health, access to HIV medication and scapegoating by religious groups seeking to apportion blame for the virus. The year provided the backdrop for both victories and setbacks for LGBT+ people, with the lifting of gay sex bans in Bhutan and Gabon countered by a rise in the incidence of hate crimes and attacks and crackdowns in countries such as Uganda. Here are 10 stories from a year of change for LGBT+ people. 1. The…

Dec

21

2020

By The African Mirror

Soccer-Rapinoe questions her inclusion in FIFA team of year

LGBT+

WOMEN’S World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe has said her inclusion in FIFA’s “Women’s World11” team of the year despite playing so little is a sign that the women’s game needs more visibility and exposure. Rapinoe, who was named best player at the 2019 World Cup and finished top scorer, said she appreciated being included in the team of the year but pointed out she had not played since March when the coronavirus pandemic disrupted global sport. The winger said on Twitter she appreciated being chosen by her fellow professionals but other players deserved more recognition this year. “We have so…

Dec

17

2020

By The African Mirror

Desmond Tutu’s lesbian daughter calls for LGBT+ equality

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH THE lesbian minister daughter of anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu has called for full LGBT+ equality as almost 400 religious figures backed a global ban on conversion therapy and an end to laws criminalising same-sex relations. Leaders from all the main religions signed the joint declaration - among them Mpho Tutu van Furth's father and Britain's Bishop of Liverpool, but she said the need for such a statement showed far more work was needed. "Religious leaders and religious structures all over the world have not yet arrived at the recognition that we are all fully human," Rev. Canon Tutu…

Dec

15

2020

By The African Mirror

New Zealand, Britain ease rules on blood donations by gay men

LGBT+

RACHEL SAVAGE NEW Zealand and Britain have become the latest countries to ease rules on blood donations by gay and bisexual men, as supply concerns caused by COVID-19 increase scrutiny of AIDS pandemic-era restrictions that LGBT+ rights advocates say are homophobic. New Zealand's government cut the celibacy period for gay and bisexual men to give blood from a year to three months, regardless of whether or not they had used condoms, the New Zealand Blood Service said on its website on Monday. In Britain, which previously had a three-month deferral period, a behaviour-based policy will be used from mid-2021, meaning…

Dec

12

2020

By The African Mirror

Bhutan parliament decriminalizes homosexuality, to delight of activists

LGBT+

GOPAL SHARMA A joint sitting of both houses of Bhutan's parliament has approved a bill to legalize gay sex, making the tiny Himalayan kingdom the latest Asian nation to take steps towards easing restrictions on same-sex relationships. Sections 213 and 214 of the penal code had criminalized "unnatural sex", widely interpreted as homosexuality. Lawmaker Ugyen Wangdi, the vice chairperson of a joint panel considering the changes, said 63 of the total 69 members of both houses of parliament had voted in favour of amending the code to scrap the provision. Six members were absent. "Homosexuality will not be considered as…

Dec

11

2020

By The African Mirror

UN rights boss welcomes Biden LGBT+ pledges, hopes for reversal of ‘serious setbacks’ under Trump

LGBT+

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's pledges to halt the separation of migrant families, address "systemic racism" and climate change are promising and could reverse setbacks during the Trump administration, the U.N. human rights chief said on Wednesday. Michelle Bachelet said that U.S. President Donald Trump had rolled back the rights of women, LGBT persons and migrants, as well as stepped back from multilateralism. The former president of Chile said that she knew Biden well as he had been given responsibility for Latin America while serving as vice president to President Barack Obama. "President-elect Biden has made a series of…

Dec

08

2020

By The African Mirror

Nasdaq proposes board diversity requirement for listed companies

LGBT+

NASDAQ Inc filed a proposal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that, if approved, will require all Nasdaq-listed companies to adopt new rules related to board diversity and disclosure or potentially face delisting. The new rules will require most Nasdaq-listed companies to have, or publicly explain why they do not have, at least two diverse directors, including one who self-identifies as female and one who self-identifies as either an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+. All companies will be expected to have one diverse director within two years of the SEC’s approval of the new rule. “Our goal with this proposal…