homophobic violence - The African Mirror

Jul

2022

LGBTQ+ Nigerians fear violence after sharia court death sentence

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…

May

2022

By The African Mirror

#JusticeForSheila highlights the precarious lives of queer people in Kenya

LGBT+, LGBTQIA+

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?…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Demos planned as Italy mulls LGBT+ hate crime law for the sixth time

LGBT+

UMBERTO BACCHI WHEN Marlon Landolfo kissed his date on a night out, onlookers started heckling, a fight broke out and his friend ended up in hospital - the latest in a series of anti-gay attacks in Italy where plans to combat homophobic violence are hotly contested. "They hurled insults at us," said Landolfo, 22, describing how he and Mattias Fascina, 26, were pushed to the floor, kicked and punched, in the northern Italian town of Padua last month. "When a friend who was with us told them off, one guy headbutted him," he said, adding that the friend was then…