LGBT+ - The African Mirror

Nov

09

2020

Aspiring U.S. trans soldiers call on Biden to end military ban

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH AS Joe Biden began his first full day as U.S. president-elect, a group of transgender military aspirants and campaign groups insisted that one of his first priorities must be to overturn a ban on new transgender personnel serving in the U.S. military. Biden captured the presidency on Saturday as voters narrowly rebuffed Republican incumbent Donald Trump's tumultuous leadership and embraced his promise to fight the coronavirus pandemic and fix the economy in a divided nation. Former Democrat President Barack Obama in 2016 allowed trans people to serve openly and receive medical care to transition genders, but in April…

Nov

08

2020

By The African Mirror

Transgender couple wed in Hungary, land of growing homophobia

LGBT+

BERNADETT SZABO and BALAZS KAUFMANN THE wedding of Hungarian transgender couple Tamara Csillag and Elvira Angyal looked just like any other, with the nervous pair dressing up and heading off to the rural Hungarian courtroom where their marriage would be sealed. But in the world of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, this was special as Orban, increasingly hostile to LGBT+ people, has outlawed legal recognition of transgender identity. Ironically, that made the wedding possible, as Csillag was stuck with male documents while Angyal had already completed her transition and had the documents to prove it. "Our dream has come true.…

Nov

06

2020

By The African Mirror

New Yorkers Torres, Jones become first gay Black men elected to U.S. Congress

LGBT+

MATTHEW LAVIETES TWO New Yorkers this week became the first gay men of colour elected to the U.S. Congress, making strides for LGBT+ rights while the U.S. presidential candidates were locked in a close national contest. Democrats Ritchie Torres, an openly gay Black and Latino man from New York City's Bronx borough, and Mondaire Jones, an openly gay Black man from a New York City suburb, won seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. "A wise person once said, 'If you don't have a seat at the table, then you're probably on the menu,'" Torres told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.…

Nov

05

2020

By The African Mirror

LGBT+ candidates surf rainbow wave to victory in U.S. elections

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH LGBT+ candidates have surfed a rainbow wave to victory in the U.S. elections with a series of historic wins, including Sarah McBride becoming the first openly transgender person to win a State Senate seat. At least 35 of a record 574 LGBT+ candidates on the ballot were estimated to have won as of early Wednesday, including Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones, respectively the first out gay Afro-Latino and Black men elected to Congress. "Tonight's wins for LGBTQ people of colour and transgender Americans across the country are historic and long overdue," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the…

Nov

04

2020

By The African Mirror

OPINION: It is time to recognize LGBT+ people in conflict areas

LGBT+

SAHAR MOAZAMI and DAINA RUDUSA | OUTRIGHT ACTION INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 29, 2020, marked 20 years since the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325, thereby recognizing the unique impact conflict has on women. This was the first document to draw attention to sexual and gender-based violence in conflict areas and to call for the inclusion of women in peace and security work. Twenty years on, inclusion of LGBT+ people in peace and security work is still sorely lacking, or even purposefully excluded despite growing visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people by multilateral organisations, and big strides having been taken…

Nov

03

2020

By The African Mirror

Vatican moves to clarify pope’s comments on civil union laws

LGBT+

PHILIP PULLELLA THE Vatican says comments by Pope Francis on civil union laws in a documentary last month were taken out of context and did not signal a change in Church doctrine on homosexuals or support for same-sex marriage. The documentary, "Francesco", which premiered at the Rome film festival on October 21, made headlines for a comment in which the pope says that homosexuals have a right to be in a family and that civil union laws covering homosexuals are needed. The pope's comments as portrayed prompted praise from liberals and calls for urgent clarification from conservatives. Last week, the…

Nov

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Biden, in LGBTQ interview, vows to pass Equality Act in first 100 days

LGBT+

DANIEL TROTTA DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Joe Biden has promised to put top priority on passing the LGBTQ rights legislation known as the Equality Act, hoping to sign what would be a landmark civil rights law within 100 days, should he win Tuesday's election. Biden, a leading voice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights as vice president under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, also pledged in an interview with the Philadelphia Gay News to expand queer rights internationally by making equality a centrepiece of U.S. diplomacy if he assumes office in January. Although he has championed the Equality…

Oct

30

2020

By The African Mirror

Trump woos LGBT+ Americans as polls hand gay vote to Biden

LGBT+

MATTHEW LAVIETES SUPPORTERS say Donald Trump is the most gay-friendly president in history yet U.S. policy experts point to his record and polls show much stronger LGBT+ support for Democratic rival Joe Biden. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans have traditionally voted Democratic in greater numbers and polls suggest Tuesday's presidential election will be no different, despite efforts to woo the LGBT+ community with a run of "Trump Pride" rallies and gay-friendly speeches. Far more striking, analysts say, is the fast-rising acceptance among conservative Americans of LGBT+ rights, nudging the right to rethink its long-held views on sex, sexuality and…

Oct

28

2020

By The African Mirror

In conservative Mexico, ‘Muxes’ soccer team tackles outdated LGBT+ stereotypes

LGBT+

A soccer team in Mexico's capital is shooting for greater inclusion for the LGBT community by relying on the widespread love of Latin America's most popular sport. Mexico City's "Muxes", named after the indigenous transgender women who have been part of southern Mexican communities for centuries, offer a unique space for LGBT people in a conservative nation of 126 million people. "We're breaking many stereotypes," said 47-year-old soccer player, Jesus Trejo. The Muxes, whose black uniforms feature a rose and a soccer ball, has gained prominence and is being sponsored by Nike. Muxes' founder Geremia Oleta said the club is…

Oct

22

2020

By The African Mirror

What does the Pope’s support for gay civil unions mean for LGBT+ rights?

LGBT+

OSCAR LOPEZ POPE Francis has signalled a softening towards LGBT+ rights with his comments that same-sex couples should be protected by civil union laws and have the right to form a family. In some of his clearest language on the subject since his election in 2013, the pontiff said in a documentary "Francesco" released on Wednesday that gay couples needed legal rights. "Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it," he said. The pope's views…