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Jan
20
2023
By The African Mirror
Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos was drag queen in Brazil pageants, associates say

Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos was drag queen in Brazil pageants, associates say

LGBTQIA+
STEVEN GRATTAN U.S. Representative George Santos competed as a drag queen in Brazilian beauty pageants 15 years ago, two acquaintances told Reuters, adding to contrasts that have drawn criticism of the openly gay Republican congressman's staunchly conservative views. The embattled freshman congressman has also faced calls from fellow New York Republicans to step down over fabrications about his career and history. A 58-year-old Brazilian performer, who uses the drag name Eula Rochard, said she befriended the now-congressman when he was cross-dressing in 2005 at the first gay pride parade in Niteroi, a Rio de Janeiro suburb. Three years later, Santos competed in a drag…
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Jan
07
2023
By The African Mirror
Prominent Kenyan LGBTQ activist found dead, suspect arrested

Prominent Kenyan LGBTQ activist found dead, suspect arrested

LGBTQIA+
HUMPHREY MALALO KENYAN police said a suspect had been arrested in connection with the death of a prominent LGBTQ rights campaigner whose body was found stuffed into a metal box in the west of the country. Motorbike taxi riders alerted police after they saw the box dumped by the roadside from a vehicle with a concealed number plate, The Standard and The Daily Nation newspapers reported, quoting police sources. Activist Edwin Chiloba's remains were found on Tuesday near Eldoret town in Uasin Gishu county, where he ran his fashion business, independent rights group the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) said.…
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Jul
22
2022
By The African Mirror
LGBTQ+ Nigerians fear violence after sharia court death sentence

LGBTQ+ Nigerians fear violence after sharia court death sentence

LGBTQIA+, LGBT+
PELUMI SALAKO A Nigerian sharia court's decision to sentence three men to death by stoning for homosexual acts could trigger similar cases in the country's states that apply Islamic law and unleash a wave of homophobic violence, LGBTQ+ rights groups said. Male same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 14 years in prison under Nigerian national law, but 12 states in the mainly Muslim north also use parallel sharia courts to punish residents for crimes ranging from adultery to blasphemy. Last month's ruling in the northern state of Bauchi has raised fears of an increase in homophobia in Africa's most populous…
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Jul
04
2022
By The African Mirror
Nigerian man sentenced to death by stoning for being gay

Nigerian man sentenced to death by stoning for being gay

LGBTQIA+, LGBT+
ARDO HAZZAD AN Islamic sharia court in Nigeria's northern state of Bauchi has sentenced three men to death by stoning after convicting them on charges of engaging in homosexuality, the leader of the religious police that arrested them said. Northern Nigeria is predominantly Muslim and the states in the region use sharia courts to punish residents for crimes ranging from adultery to blasphemy. Adam Dan Kafi, the head of the Hisbah religious police in the Ningi local government area of Bauchi said the three men were arrested on June 14 and charged in a sharia court. The men, including a…
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May
19
2022
By The African Mirror
#JusticeForSheila highlights the precarious lives of queer people in Kenya

#JusticeForSheila highlights the precarious lives of queer people in Kenya

LGBTQIA+, LGBT+
KENYA is one of 32 countries in Africa that criminalise homosexuality. People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) are frequently stigmatised, shamed and assaulted. The hashtags calling for action against the murder of queer people – like the most recent #JusticeForSheila – continue to trend on social media. We asked gender studies professor Awino Okech to tell us about the state of homophobic violence against queer Kenyans – and what needs to be done about it. Author AWINO OKECH, Associate professor in political sociology, SOAS, University of London Who is Sheila Lumumba and what is #JusticeForSheila?…
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May
18
2022
By The African Mirror
LGBTI refugees seeking protection in Kenya struggle to survive in a hostile environment

LGBTI refugees seeking protection in Kenya struggle to survive in a hostile environment

LGBTQIA+, LGBT+
KENYA is now the second biggest refugee-hosting country in Africa. Of its over half a million refugees, over a thousand from neighbouring African states have sought asylum on the basis of persecution over their sexual orientation or gender identity. For instance, approximately 400 asylum claims by Ugandans were registered with the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) in Kenya between 2014 and 2015. This surge followed state-condoned violence against gays and lesbians in Uganda during the 2014 debate of an ‘anti-homosexuality bill’ which initially included the death penalty for ‘practicing homosexuals’. Author KATE PINCOCK, Researcher, Overseas Development Institute Uganda is one of…
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May
17
2022
By The African Mirror
We are here, we exist – say Kenyan intersex persons

We are here, we exist – say Kenyan intersex persons

LGBTQIA+, LGBT+
NDUTA WAWERU UNTIL he was ten years old, Sidney Etemesi (not his real name) thought he was a girl. “I was born and raised a girl in Kakamega County," Etemesi stated, speaking in Nairobi. "My parents named me Beatrice and made sure I lived as a girl.” There was no room for any gender ambiguity - or discussion - at home in Kakamega, as Etemesi was to find out. “You were either a boy or a girl and acted like one. I was different, and I knew something was wrong,” Etemesi explained. At ten years old, in primary school, while…
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Feb
19
2022
By The African Mirror
Pop star Troye Sivan fights HIV stigma in first big film role

Pop star Troye Sivan fights HIV stigma in first big film role

LGBTQIA+, LGBT+
SAMUEL BAUGH AUSTRALIAN pop singer Troye Sivan, whose YouTube videos and music have inspired a generation of young LGBTQ+ people, wants his first major film role to combat ignorance around HIV/AIDS. In "Three Months", Sivan plays 17-year-old Caleb, who is exposed to HIV after a one-night stand on the eve of his high school graduation. The film details the shame and anxiety Caleb experiences while waiting three months for a diagnosis. Current medical guidelines require 12 weeks from exposure to be 100% certain. A still from the film 'Three Months', picturing Troye Sivan, who plays Caleb, and Viveik Kalra who plays Esther,…
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Feb
04
2022
By The African Mirror
One woman’s fight against criminalisation of LGBT community

One woman’s fight against criminalisation of LGBT community

LGBTQIA+
FRANCIS KOKOROKO IN a dimly-lit room with racks of women's clothing, Ghanaian artist and LGBT+ activist Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi flipped through photo self-portraits illustrating her transition to womanhood. Transitioning is not illegal in Ghana, but it will become so if a new law is passed, intended to tighten already strict anti-LGBT+ regulations which render same-sex relations illegal. Homophobia is pervasive in the West African country and trans people are generally considered to be gay. Fiatsi first exhibited the photographs, dubbed "Rituals of Becoming", in 2017. Supportive audiences flocked to see the show in Ghanaian galleries. Her work reflects how LGBT+…
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