LGBT+ - The African Mirror

Jan

2022

Facing hormone shortages, South Africa’s trans men try black market

KIM HARRISBERG SOUTH African tech adviser Josh Stols felt a wave of euphoria when his doctor handed over his first testosterone prescription, allowing him to finally start his physical transition as a transgender man after a year of psychiatric assessments. He was looking forward to starting a new chapter until he discovered that testosterone supplies often ran short - an issue that has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic - pushing him and other desperate trans men to seek risky, black market hormones. "These shortages mess with our sense of self," 29-year-old Stols told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview…

Oct

2021

By The African Mirror

Botswana appeals ruling allowing gay sex, court delays judgment

LGBT+

BOTSWANA judges have postponed ruling on a case in which the government is seeking to overturn a 2019 ruling that decriminalised gay sex, saying the matter needed more research and debate. The case was initially brought by a university student, Letsweletse Motshidiemang, whose representatives argued then that the government should do away with the law in light of a changed society where homosexuality was more widely accepted. Gay sex has been punishable by up to seven years in prison. Representing the state, Sydney Pilane told the Court of Appeal there was no evidence that people's attitudes had changed. "People don't…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

LGBT+ Afghans left behind say world turned its back on them

LGBT+

HUGO GREENHALGH LGBT+ Afghans said on Friday they felt abandoned by the international community as the closure of Kabul airport to passengers this week shattered their hopes of fleeing Taliban rule. Many LGBT+ people have gone into hiding since the Islamist militia seized power last month, fearing a return to the group's harsh 1996-2001 rule when it enforced a radical form of sharia or Islamic law. "(Foreign governments) should have helped us to get out of here," one gay student said by phone from Kabul, after trying unsuccessfully to board one of the last evacuation flights out of the country last week.…

Aug

2021

By The African Mirror

NZ’s Hubbard becomes first trans woman Olympian, but exits early

LGBT+

MARTIN PETTY NEW ZEALAND'S Laurel Hubbard made history on Monday by becoming the first openly transgender athlete to compete at an Olympic Games, but she suffered disappointment with an early exit from the women's +87 kg final after three no lifts in the snatch. At 43, Hubbard was the oldest competitor in the weightlifting event in Tokyo, in which her inclusion had ignited a fierce debate about fairness for women and about gender identification and inclusivity. Hubbard was born male but transitioned eight years ago and resumed weightlifting after a long stint away from the sport. She had been tipped for a…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

OPINION: I fled Nigeria for my safety. But many other LGBT+ activists remain under threat in my country

LGBT+

MICHEAL IGHODARO I come from Nigeria, one of the 68 countries that continue to criminalize same-sex relations. I had to flee for my life and seek asylum in the US. I was lucky; most people cannot flee. But I was also unlucky because we should not have to flee. In order to protect LGBT+ people in the most hostile places, the possibility to seek asylum is crucial and has to be protected. But what is more, we have to support activists on the ground fighting for change and for safety, so that LGBT+ people can live as their true selves everywhere, without…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Lil Nas X’s onstage kiss earns massive praise

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

MPHO RANTAO US rapper Lil Nas X made fans’ jaws drop with his onstage performance where he kissed a male dancer. In a Michael Jackson ‘Remember The Time’-inspired performance for his homoerotic hit “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” at the 2021 edition of the Black Entertainment Awards (BET), ending it by passionately kissing one of his male backup dancers. https://twitter.com/BET/status/1409337682392752132?s=20 Instead of the expected mass scorn on social media, Nas’ performance was met with major praise, with big names in the hip-hop industry like Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs expressing said support on Twitter. Combs tweeted: “Lil Nas X did that!!…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

Why is it so controversial for trans women to compete in sports?

LGBT+

RACHEL SAVAGE NEW Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics after being selected for the women's super-heavyweight 87+kg category at the Tokyo Games next month. Hubbard's selection is fuelling a fierce global debate about whether trans women should be allowed to compete in women's sporting events, and - if they are - what the rules should be. Trans rights campaigners say excluding trans athletes is discriminatory and will stoke bias against trans people in general, but critics say trans women athletes have an unfair physical advantage in women's competitions. The issue…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

21 Ghana LGBT activists denied bail

NEWS

A Ghanaian court has denied bail to 21 gay rights activists arrested nearly three weeks ago for what police described as an unlawful gathering, their lawyer said. The 16 women and five men were told to reappear in court on June 16 for their next hearing. Some were seen weeping after the ruling in the southeastern city of Ho. LGBT people face widespread persecution in the West African nation, where gay sex is punishable with up to three years imprisonment. Ghana has not prosecuted anyone for same-sex relations in years, but the LGBT community has reported a crackdown by authorities…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Fear breeds bravery as LGBT+ South Africans resist ‘war on queerness’

LGBT+

KIM HARRISBERG THREE months ago, Chippa Mohanoe's fiancée was stabbed in the neck and killed in front of their neighbours in South Africa's Sebokeng township. Every day since, Mohanoe had to push past his fear of a repeat punishment for being transgender, hoping a high profile will stifle the homophobia that he says killed his fiancée and at least seven other LGBT+ South Africans in recent months. Fear is making him brave. "I am still here and I don't want to hide, I will make sure the justice system upholds her memory," Mohanoe said outside court after the man accused…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

OPINION: LGBT+ refugees should be resettled with their chosen families

LGBT+

SAMUEL RITHOLTZ and REBECCA BUXTON IN the autumn of 2018, a ‘rainbow caravan’ of LGBT+ migrants from central America reached the Mexico-U.S. border, where they applied for asylum. In this group were 30 transgender women who requested asylum together at the border in Tijuana. Though a group, they were treated as individuals: some won their asylum cases, others lost. Such separation is common within the U.S. asylum system, and globally because refugee status is normally decided on an individual basis. Exceptions are made to this rule for families and married couples, where refugee status decisions and resettlement are possible on a group basis. But these…