LGBT+ - The African Mirror

Aug

2020

Chinese LGBT+ group ShanghaiPRIDE halts work to ‘protect safety’

ShanghaiPRIDE, one of China's longest-running gay pride groups, said it was cancelling all activities and events for the foreseeable future, citing the need to protect the "safety" of its people and prompting a chorus of regret on social media. Homosexuality is legal in China, which until 2001 had classified it as a mental disorder. However same-sex marriage is not recognized and concerns over stigma still dissuades people from coming out to their families. "ShanghaiPRIDE regrets to announce that we are cancelling all upcoming activities and taking a break from scheduling any future events," it said late on Thursday in a…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

‘LGBT people are also humans’: Thai Buddhist monk backs equality

LGBT+

RINA CHANDRAN WITH his simple saffron robe and shaved head, Shine Waradhammo stands out at the often loud and colourful LGBT+ events that he occasionally attends in Bangkok, listening intently, taking notes, and engaging cheerfully with anyone who approaches him. As a monk, Waradhammo is a rare - but welcome - presence in the LGBT+ community as Thailand prepares to pass a landmark civil partnership bill that would recognise same-sex unions with nearly the same legal rights as married couples. A largely conservative Buddhist society, Thailand has a reputation for its relaxed attitude towards gender and sexual diversity since homosexuality…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigerian lesbian love film to go online to avoid censorship board

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

ANGELA UKOMADU and ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM TWO young women fill the screen, reclining on a bed, talking about their hope of having children. They are protagonists in a new Nigerian film called "Ife" depicting their love story. The topic is controversial in Nigeria, where same-sex relationships are theoretically punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Producer Pamela Adie said "Ife" - which means "love" in the Yoruba language widely spoken in southwest Nigeria - would be released online to avoid any possible move by censors to ban it. "I really feel that the censors board is playing a big part…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Ugandan officials summoned before court over torture of LGBT+ youth

LGBT+

ALICE McCOOL A town mayor and senior prison official in Uganda have been summoned to appear before a criminal court over allegations of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment against a group of LGBT+ youth, the victims' lawyers have said. The court's move is seen as a positive step for sexual minorities in the East African nation, where gay sex carries a life sentence and homophobia and the persecution of LGBT+ people is widespread, yet rarely punished. Witnesses and the victims say Hajji Abdul Kiyimba, chairman of Kyengera town council, beat members of the group and bound them with ropes before…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Ancestors guide LGBT+ South African healers to mend mental scars

HEALTH

KIM HARRISBERG SMOKE swirled around Badanile Maci as she crouched on all fours, clapping and chanting with half a dozen other sangomas - South African traditional healers - to greet their ancestors' spirits. Widely respected by South Africans as spiritual guides, healers and counsellors, gay sangomas like 23-year-old Maci are also challenging the idea that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT+) is unAfrican. "When we are together in our traditional ceremonies, we are free," said Maci, who knew she was gay at the age of 15 and brought her first girlfriend home a year later. "Our traditional beliefs have…

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…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Who is going to stand up for us?’ A trans sex worker in Uganda on life under lockdown

LGBT+

LGBT+ rights in Uganda have long faced social and cultural hurdles. Last year, the "Kill the Gays" bill – so-called as it would introduce the death penalty for gay sex – was raised again by Ugandan lawmakers, despite having provoked international condemnation on its first airing in 2014. The proposal was dismissed by the government, but the controversy sparked by the bill's new backers shone a spotlight on the problems faced by the LGBT+ community in the country. Transgender people living in Uganda, many of whom earn a living as sex workers, face particular difficulties, as Anna Xwexx Morena explains.…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

‘Great first step’ as Sudan lifts death penalty and flogging for gay sex

NEWS

BAN BARKAWI and RACHEL SAVAGE SUDAN's decision to lift the death penalty and flogging as punishment for gay sex was hailed by LGBT+ activists on Thursday as a promising sign after almost four decades of Islamist rule, with calls for prison sentences to be abolished as well. Others criticised the relaxation of the law in conservative Sudan, where a transitional government has promised to lead the country to democracy after the toppling last year of autocrat Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power since 1989. "These amendments are still not enough but they're a great first step for the transitional…