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May 20, 2010 development minister Alan Duncan has warned against cutting aid money to Malawi but says the government will make “urgent representations” to the county over the 14-year jail term handed to two gay men.

Writing for PinkNews.co.uk, Mr Duncan, who was the first Tory MP to come out, said the conviction of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza was “shocking and disturbing” and violated Malawi’s own laws on human rights.

The couple were jailed for 14 years with hard labour today, almost five months after they were arrested for holding a traditional wedding ceremony.

Mr Duncan said using aid money as a “political weapon” would only create more victims in one of the poorest countries in the world.

He wrote: “Around 40 per cent of [Malawi's] people live on less than 34 pence a day. They face a challenge just to survive and we have a moral obligation to help them in their daily battle against hunger, disease and despair.

“Our aid programme is worth almost £80 million this year and it is aimed directly at helping those most in need.

“We cannot make them victims along with Mr Chimbalanga and Mr Monjeza.”

Instead, he said, the British government and its international partners would make “urgent representations” to the Malawian government to review its laws on homosexuality.

Exact details of the contact between Britain and Malawi have not been released, but it is understood that the British ambassador to the country and the Department for International Development head of office in Malawi have spoken to Malawian officials today.

The nature of such talks is likely to be discreet and informal, due to the political sensitivity around colonialism.

But Malawi is expected to come under international pressure for the sentence and PinkNews.co.uk understands it will be raised in future budget support discussions.

Mr Monjeza and Mr Chimbalanga pleaded not guilty to offences of unnatural acts and gross indecency but were convicted earlier this week.

After being arrested in December, their case received worldwide media attention. Today, they were handed the maximum sentence for gay sex – 14 years with hard labour. In sentencing, they would told the harsh punishment would act as a deterrent to others.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who has been raising awareness of their plight, described the 14-year sentence as “brutal”, while Amnesty International called it “an outrage”.

The men’s lawyers confirmed they would appeal the sentence.

The Annual International Retreat for 2010 will take place in Tulbagh, just outside of CapeTown, from the 8th -12th April. the cost is R2000 for an amazing 4 nights which include food and accomodation, study packs and much more…

A deposit of R500 is payble before 28 February 2010. So RSVP as soon as possible 60 participants will be accomodated.

30-09-2009: Religious schools will be able to continue refusing to employ homosexual teachers, despite home affairs ministry plans to amend discrimination laws, it emerged on Tuesday.

The government is to scrap a clause which bans discrimination against people simply on the grounds of sex, race, sexual orientation or nationality because it is ‘confusing’, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst told MPs on Tuesday.

And schools will still be able to refuse to employ gay teachers who practise homosexuality because it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

The change in the law maintains the balance between anti-discrimination laws and freedom of education and religion, the minister said.

Fundamentalist Christian

The Netherlands has dozens of fundamentalist Christian schools which oppose homosexuality on Biblical principles. While funded by the government, they are run independently. Such schools may not discriminate but are free under European rules to determine their own ‘professional demands’ for teachers, the paper says.

In May a strict Protestant primary school in Gelderland suspended a teacher because he was gay and lived with another man. That case is being taken to the equal opportunities commission.

Gay rights groups said they are very disappointed at the decision. There is a real chance that certain schools will feel their anti-gay stand is now legitimate, Wouter Neerings, of the COC lobby group told Nos tv.

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=16872

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Inayat Bunglawala, Monday 5 October 2009

Some religious communities are not reciprocating the tolerance and respect they insist on from others when it comes to gay rights, particularly in Muslim and some Christian communities. That seemed to be the bleak message at the heart of To Be Straight With You, which was performed at the O’Reilly Theatre in Dublin last week following a sell-out three-week run at the National Theatre in London.

I had been invited to Dublin for a public discussion on issues surrounding religious freedom and sexuality alongside the production’s director, Lloyd Newson, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, Dr Katherine Zappone and Father Michael Collins.

In Muslim communities the issue of homosexuality is very rarely discussed in a candid manner and is all too often wished away as if it is an affliction that involves other groups, not them. Not far from the surface, however, are reports of gay Muslim men being pressurised into rushed marriages by parents desperate to avoid any social stigma. The woman’s family is never told the truth about her husband’s sexuality, of course, with the result that another soul has to endure unhappiness due to the initial failure to face up to the issue. It is a highly dishonest and unethical approach.

Islamic scholars and imams should ideally be performing a much-needed pastoral role by helping in these situations and providing guidance. At the very least they should insist that any intimidation or discrimination against gay Muslims is unacceptable.

Newson’s show makes mention of Nelson Mandela’s experiences in 1950s South Africa when the teachings of the Dutch Reformed Church were dominant. In order to get around the country and spread his message of black emancipation and freedom, Mandela used to disguise himself as a chauffeur, pretending to take with him a white passenger who happened to be a colleague in the anti-apartheid movement. That white colleague also happened to be gay, and during those many journeys they had the opportunity to discuss many issues. Mandela came to the conclusion that South Africa could not properly be described as a free and liberated country until all its communities, including the gay community, were freed from persecution.

Just over two years ago, I wrote an article for Cif commending the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) for publicly backing new sexual orientation regulations that had just come into effect as part of the Equality Act 2006. The Equality Act brought the goal of a fairer society closer by proscribing – for the first time – discrimination in the provision of goods and services on the grounds of religious belief or sexuality.

The 2006 act did not in any way compel believers to change any view they had about the practice of homosexuality being against the teachings of their religion. However, it did rightly insist that if someone wanted to provide goods and services to the public, then they should do so without discrimination on grounds of ethnic background, faith or sexual orientation.

The MCB, by supporting the act in it’s entirety, had taken a positive step forward and had inevitably attracted some criticism from within, which I noted at the time.

Would it not be another positive step if the MCB – as a broad-based umbrella organisation – were to include a gay Muslim support group as an affiliate? There does not appear to be anything in the MCB’s constitution that would seem to preclude such groups from joining and indeed the following clause from the declaration of intent section of the MCB constitution is particularly relevant:

“[The MCB] is a broad-based, representative organisation of Muslims in Britain, accommodating and reflecting the variety of social and cultural backgrounds and outlook of the community.”

At its best, Islamic civilisation was more than willing to learn from other surrounding countries and cultures and adopt the best aspects as its own. Actively working to ensure that people are able to live free of discrimination based on one’s ethnicity, gender, religion or sexual orientation is a worthy goal and should be viewed as an Islamic goal.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/oct/05/gay-muslims-support

June 01, 2009: BEIRUT: Hundreds of people gathered at Beirut’s Medina Theater on Saturday for the launching of “Bareed Mista3jil,” (or “Mail in a Hurry”), Lebanon’s first ever book about the experiences of gay women and transgenders. A collection of 41 true stories written by lesbian, bisexual, questioning, and transgender women, the book aims to “dispel the myths surrounding female sexuality and gender identities in all their diversity.” “Bareed Mista3jil” sheds light on a number of issues faced by the women, such as reconciling religion with sexuality, family relationships, self-discovery and identity issues, sexual violence and discrimination. According to the book’s website, “It reflects both the urgency of getting these stories across and also the private nature of the stories - like letters written, sealed, and sent out to the world.”

http://www.gaymiddleeast.com/news/news%20170.htm

20 August 2009: Facing questions about her gender, South African teenager Caster Semenya easily won the 800-meter gold medal Wednesday at the world championships.

Her dominating run came on the same day track and field’s ruling body said she was undergoing a gender test because of concerns she does not meet requirements to compete as a woman.

Semenya took the lead at the halfway mark and opened a commanding lead in the last 400 meters to win by a massive 2.45 seconds in a world-leading 1 minute, 55.45 seconds. Defending champion Janeth Jepkosgei was second and Jennifer Meadows of Britain was third in 1:57.93.

After crossing the line, Semenya dusted her shoulders with her hands. Semenya did not speak to reporters after the race or attend a news conference.

About three weeks ago, the international federation asked South African track and field authorities to conduct the verification test. Semenya had burst onto the scene by posting a world-leading time of 1:56.72 at the African junior championships in Maruitius.

Her dramatic improvement in times, muscular build and deep voice sparked speculation about her gender. Ideally, any dispute surrounding an athlete is dealt with before a major competition. But Semenya’s stunning rise from unknown teenage runner to the favorite in the 800 happened almost overnight. That meant the gender test—which takes several weeks—could not be completed in time.

Before the race, IAAF spokesman Nick Davies stressed this is a “medical issue, not an issue of cheating.” He said the “extremely complex” testing has begun. The process requires a physical medical evaluation and includes reports from a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, internal medicine specialist and gender expert.

South Africa team manager Phiwe Mlangeni-Tsholetsane would not confirm or deny that Semenya was having such a test.

“We entered Caster as a woman and we want to keep it that way,” Mlangeni-Tsholetsane said. “Our conscience is clear in terms of Caster. We have no reservations at all about that.”

Although medals will be awarded for the 800, the race remains under a cloud until the investigation is closed, and Semenya could be stripped of the gold depending on the test results, IAAF general secretary Pierre Weiss said.

“But today there is no proof and the benefit of doubt must always be in favor of the athlete,” Weiss said.

Semenya’s rivals said they tried not to dwell on the issue before the race.

“I’ve heard a lot of speculation, but all I could do was just keep a level head and go about my business,” Meadows said. “If none of it’s true, I feel very sorry for her.”

One thing not in doubt was Semenya’s outstanding run.

“Nobody else in the world can do that sort of time at the moment,” Meadows said. “She obviously took the race by storm.”

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=AfricaAbroad&id=2241

18 August 2009:
Hijab: Unvieling Queer Muslim Lives was launched on Firday the 14 August at  The Centre for the Book in Cape Town, South Africa. It is the first known collection of South Afica Muslim stroies relating to Islam and sexual diversity. This anthology shares real-life stories of people that have struggled, or may still be struggling, to reconcile their spirituality and their sexuality. Theses are stories that illustrate the oneness of being and reflect on how some interpretations of the scriptures may alienate others. Although the collection focuses predominantly on Muslim stories, it is universal in its approach in dealing with spirituality rather than religion.

The stories are all biographies, or auto-biographies, and the writing process was a theraputic one for the authors of these powerful stories. Hopefully they will provide strength and courage to others in similar situations, not so much through a deeper understanding of those who hare their stories in this collection, but rather through aprocess of identification with the circumstances related by these courageous story-tellers.

03 June 2009: Trial for a rape case of a gay man known only as Luanda will be heard on 22 June this year following its postponement on Friday 29 May as two of the three accused did not pitch up.

On Friday members of the Western Cape End Hate Alliance gathered outside the Blue Downs Magistrate Court to protest against this homophobic attack and to offer support to the victim.

Luanda was allegedly raped and left in the ditch of his eMfuleni township home on 26 April last year.

Three men were initially arrested and later released on bail following their appearance in court on 11 March 2009.

According to Triangle Project (TRP) this is the first case of rape of a black gay man from the township that has reached trial in the province and it is expected to ensure justice for Luanda and all the other gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people whose cases never reached a court room.

“The latest hearing is part of a broader campaign to pressure the South African criminal justice system to strengthen its human rights protections of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals”, TRP said in a statement.

Musa Ngubane of Triangle Project revealed that a warrant of arrest was issued for the two accused that did not show up.

“Because it was raining heavily on Friday the demonstrations also could not be as effective as we would have liked them to be, however pamphlets with a synopsis of Luanda’s case, our demands, other heterosexist hate crimes in the Western Cape were handed out to patrons at the court on Friday”, Ngubane added.

Amongst other demands the Western Cape End Hate Alliance wants the criminal justice system to “uphold victims’ rights as set out in the Victims Charter and the Minimum Standards on Services for Victims of Crime.”

The alliance also demands that the court commits to ensuring that victims are not subjected to further discrimination on accounts of their sexual orientation or gender presentation during the trial.

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=southafrica&id=2153

April 28, 2009
Gay rights activists in Zimbabwe have demanded to be recognised in the country’s new Constitution which is currently being drafted.

In a statement to the Zimbabwe Times, the Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe, GALZ, said: “The purpose of a Constitution is to protect vulnerable and marginalised minorities.

“Most gay and lesbian people in Zimbabwe live in fear and are driven underground. This is blatant discrimination against a group of people whose only difference from the majority is in who they are attracted to sexually.

“And homosexuals do not choose to be homosexual just as heterosexuals do not choose to be heterosexual. Choosing to be gay or lesbian in Zimbabwe would be lunacy given the levels of disapproval shown by many elements of society.”

GALZ also highlighted the issue of lesbians being more vulnerable to discrimination than gay men.

“On the other hand,” said the statement, “whilst sexual conduct between women is not criminalised in Zimbabwe, the mere fact that there is no specified protection for lesbians under our present constitution makes them equally vulnerable to discrimination as their male counterparts, perhaps even more so, given their status as women who are generally not recognised as having the right to their own sexuality.

Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe has previously described gay people as worse than “dogs and pigs”, claiming homosexuality is “un-African” and a “white man’s disease.”

He has warned against the dangers of homosexuality and threatened pro-gay clergy with prison sentences.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12205.html

16
March 2009
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
(IGLHRC) is working on an advocacy strategy to respond to the formation
of an Anti Gay Task Force aimed at wiping out homosexuality in Uganda.

The task force was a result of an anti gay conference held in Kampala on 5 - 7 March, which aimed to
unravel the causes of homosexuality, explore possible treatment for and
provide tips for preventing homosexual behavior among youth.

Stephen
Langa, Executive Director of Family Life Network, which spearheaded the
conference, told reporters that the group intends to fight against the
spread of homosexuality in that country.

The
conference, which was earlier condemned by gay rights groups as just
another way of encouraging gay hatred, was attended by several Ugandan
Parliamentarians, civil society organisations, parents, guardians, gays
and concerned people.

It
featured keynote American speakers Scott Lively, Don Schmierer and
Caleb Lee Brundidge whom, according to IGLHRC are known for their
efforts to dehumanise lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex
(LGBTI) people and for their belief that homosexuality can be cured.

The
conference was reportedly a platform for homosexuals insult as one of
the attendants declared, “homosexuals are sick and dangerous”, another
adding “homosexuality is unnatural.”

Langa
allegedly failed to respond when a gay rights activist, who was present
at the conference, questioned what disease were homosexuals suffering
from and who decides what is natural.

“Presenters
wanted the participants to be vigilant about everything that had
anything to do with homosexuality. Pastors and spiritual counselors
referred to homosexuality as a spiritual diversion. According to them
homosexuals are sinners who need to repent”, an ally of the gay
community who attended the conference said.

Hinting
the way forward, Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda, Frank Mugisha
said, “The Ugandan LGBTI movement needs to be strong. We need to
sensitize our own community, equip them with knowledge, basics and
principals of activism so that religious leaders do not install hate
within our communities.”

Kasha
Jacqueline, Director of Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) concluded,
“People were brainwashed, at the end of the conference most
participants had a sense of gain, they smiled and hugged each other in
what seemed like a victory.”

The
task force comes as an addition to the Interfaith Rainbow Coalition
Against Homosexuality which was previously established by Pastor Martin
Ssempa of Uganda to root out homosexuality in Uganda.

http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=uganda&id=2067