homophobia - The African Mirror

May

2023

Reactions to new Ugandan anti-LGBTQ law

UGANDA has implemented one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws, drawing widespread Western condemnation and outraging activists at home. Below is some reaction: CLARE BYARUGABA, UGANDAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST "The Ugandan President has today Legalised State-Sponsored Homophobia and Transphobia. It's a very dark and sad day ... We shall continue to fight this atrocious legislation through the Judiciary until Human Rights for all are upheld. We shall win, because as Martin Luther King Jr reminded us, the moral arc of the Universe always bends towards Justice." U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE "We are appalled that the draconian and discriminatory anti-gay bill is now…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Conversion therapy thrives globally as bans gather pace

LGBT+

RACHEL SAVAGE DOCTORS once prescribed long, hard bike rides and testicular transplants to cure gay men of their "sexual abnormality". More than a century on, fear and controversy still dog the secretive world of conversion therapy. From injections to electric shocks, prayer to rape, myriad methods are peddled by medics, counsellors and moralists to try and change or suppress the sexual desire or gender identity of LGBT+ people. Interviews with practitioners and people who have been through conversion therapy reveal a deep divergence over practices that dozens of medical associations have condemned as ineffective and harmful. In Egypt, a young…

Aug

2021

By The African Mirror

Ghana’s first openly trans musician fights homophobia with song

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

NITA BHALLA GHANA'S first openly transgender musician has released a song to boost the morale of the West African nation's LGBT+ community as it faces a crackdown by authorities and a rise in homophobic persecution. Hiplife and Afropop artist Angel Maxine said she wrote "Wo Fie", meaning "Your Home" in the Twi language, to comfort LGBT+ Ghanaians who were not only facing threats from authorities, but also a surge in verbal and physical attacks from the public. "The situation for the queer community in Ghana is very tense at the moment," Maxine, 35, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Greece’s first gay minister hopes appointment helps erode homophobia

LGBT+

GREECE'S first openly gay minister said encountering homophobia in public life was "a given", but hoped his appointment to the conservative government would make it easier for LGBT+ people to tackle discrimination. Nicholas Yatromanolakis was named deputy minister for contemporary culture after being promoted last week in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis aimed at boosting his government's image as COVID-19 pummels the economy. Yatromanolakis, 45, said he had often been discouraged from seeking elected office or prominent roles due to his "profile", with some people saying the most he could aspire to was political consulting work. "All LGBT people…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

How young, queer Nigerians use Twitter to shape identity and fight homophobia

LGBT+

PAUL ONANUGA, Lecturer, Federal University, Oye Ekiti NIGERIA continues to be largely homophobic, mainly as a result of cultural and religious conventions. Negative perceptions of homosexuality led to the criminalisation of same-sex relations in 2014. The Nigerian environment is therefore toxic for LGBTI people. They become easy prey to oppressive and exploitative state security apparatus. They are also vulnerable to public “moral police” who seek to make homosexual performance invisible and closeted. One may assume that the marginalised Nigerian same-sex community and its allies have conceded to the widespread societal ostracisation. But that would be to ignore the vigorous advocacies…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigerian’s first lesbian love story goes online to beat film censors

NEWS

VINCENT DESMOND TWO naked women lie in bed, stroking each other's hair and talking about coming out to their parents in Nigeria, where they could be jailed for 14 years for having a lesbian relationship. The trailer for Nigeria's first lesbian feature film, "Ife" - which means love in the Yoruba language - has been watched thousands of times since its was uploaded to YouTube in July, with viewers commenting on their excitement over its release. "In Nigeria, there has never been a film like 'Ife'," said its producer Pamela Adie, one of Nigeria's most prominent LGBT+ activists, who has…