LGBTQ activists in Mauritius have applauded Michelle Karla, the first transgender woman to reach the final of the Miss Universe Mauritius pageant that took place on Aug. 10.

Karla was among the top 15 finalists who were vying for the ultimate crown, which Tania Renée, a cisgender woman, won.

“Queer visibility has often been weaponized against the LGBTQ community and the participation of Karla in Miss Universe Mauritius one year after the advancement of the transgender rights project where trans people have started being positively represented is a powerful message and symbol of a door being opened by us for us,” said Hana Telvave, an LGBTQ activist. “It is important that we back Karla up so that, she knows that the whole community is behind her and that her participation is courageous in a climate that still encourages online transphobia and online hate speech.” 

Telvave added Karla’s participation in the pageant was a powerful message of hope to other aspiring trans models.

“Now we get to write our own history and our own journeys, and it is through such powerful opportunities where the whole nation can see us perform, represent and being our best where we can in a subtle way start positive change,” said Telvave. 

Telvave noted the Miss Universe organization has allowed trans women to compete since 2012, but added “it took a long time for one transgender woman to join Miss Universe Mauritius, and it shows the gap between our administrative and legal systems.”

However, this is a powerful message of hope but it also shows us how much work we still have to do when it comes to legal gender recognition so that people can freely express their gender identity, and their dreams,” added Telvave.

Daniel Wong, another LGBTQ activist, said Karla’s participation in the beauty pageant is an epitome of the inclusion of LGBTQ people in society.

“This is a true and real example of inclusion that says much about moving into the right direction for the advocacy work for transgender persons to acquire equal civil rights,” said Wong. “The participation of Karla is a milestone that values and respects all transgender women wishing to participate in future beauty pageants. Hats off to the Miss Universe Mauritius organization for that bold and pioneer move of supporting the LGBTQIA+ cause in Mauritius.” 

Wong, however, criticized the lack of full consultation of LGBTQ people and organizations in the drafting of the Gender Equality Bill, which would ban discrimination based on gender identity in Mauritius.

“Long is the way though, as the policy makers in Mauritius are demonstrating a lack of political will as the Gender Equality Bill is not being given its due recognition because most of the civil society organizations are yet to be consulted,” said Wong.

Miss Universe Mauritius says Karla is the first trans woman to work in the country’s financial sector, and is studying to become Mauritius’s first trans flight attendant. She is also the vice treasurer of the Young Queer Alliance, and has won several pageants that include Miss Fashion Mauritius 2015 and Miss Universe T International 2023/2024. 

The Supreme Court last October declared unconstitutional Article 250 of the country’s penal code that criminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations. This landmark ruling also paved way for Mauritius’s first Pride month in two years.

Kenya’s largest umbrella LGBTQ organization has partnered with Grindr to allow their members to access vital information about their rights.

GALCK+, which is a coalition of 16 LGBTQ rights groups, announced its partnership with the gay hookup app earlier this month under the Grindr for Equality initiative. GALCK+ is the second LGBTQ rights group in Africa to enter into such a collaboration with Grindr.

Grindr on July 11 announced the partnership with IntraHealth Namibia, a non-profit health care provider in Windhoek, the country’s capital. IntraHealth Namibia is the first African organization to provide Grindr users with essential information on sexual and mental health and safety.

Grindr’s collaboration with the two African organizations to provide crucial information to its LGBTQ users directly through the app brings such partnerships to 30 countries around the world.  

“A key pillar of Grindr for Equality’s work towards a world that is safe, just, and inclusive for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities is supporting initiatives that advance safety and sexual health for the LGBTQ+ community,” Grindr said in the latest partnership statement.

Grindr stated its new partnerships with organizations around the world will provide its users access to localized and real-time information on the issues that matter to them via a side drawer on the app’s home screen.  

“We’ve also partnered with GALCK+ to provide our users in Kenya with in-app access to ‘Know Your Rights,’ a safety page designed to empower the Kenyan LGBTQ community by informing them of their rights,” said Grindr. 

GALCK+, while acknowledging the partnership with Grindr, expressed optimism that its ‘Know Your Rights’ resource on the platform not only informs LGBTQ Kenyans about their legal rights but also offers critical information about free therapy, handling extortion and other issues.

“The brand new tab ‘Do I Have Rights?’ on Grindr app specifically for our community in Kenya is packed with essential safety and sexual health resources to help you navigate your experiences with confidence and peace of mind,” GALCK+ said on X.  

GALCK+, through its Grindr resource tab, affirms queer rights are human rights meant to promote a position of social and legal equality for the LGBTQ people in society. It further notes the rights highlighted seek to address injustices that queer people face by outlawing homophobic discrimination and violence and pushing for changes to laws for easy access to health, education, public services, and recognition of same-sex relationships. 

GALCK+, however, notes that despite queer people having the same rights as other Kenyans, laws criminalizing consensual same-sex partnerships remain in place. There are laws that protect intersex and transgender people, but they continue to suffer discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. 

The Kenyan LGBTQ group also cites several constitutional provisions and statutes.

“According to Article 19 (3) (a), the constitution states that your rights belong to you because you are a human being and are not granted by the state,” GALCK+ states. “Although some rights can be limited in some situations (Article 24), some rights cannot be limited at all.”

GALCK+ also highlights to Grindr users Sections 162 and 165 of the Kenyan penal code that outlaw homosexuality by listing sexual activities involved and the fines, including a 14-year prison term if convicted. It notes the two sections affect queer people’s sexual rights because criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct interferes with their lives.

“A person’s sexual orientation is an important part of an individual which, when not fully and freely expressed, negatively affects a person’s search for happiness,” GALCK+ states.

GALCK+ stresses laws that criminalize adult, private, and consensual same-sex acts contribute to violence and discrimination against individuals on the grounds of their sexual orientation. 

“In some cases, members of the transgender and intersex community face violence and discrimination after being mistaken for being gay, lesbian, or bisexual,” GALCK+ states. 

It informs Grindr users that identifying as LGBTQ is not a crime because Kenya’s anti-homosexuality laws only criminalize acts, and not identities that are protected freedom of speech and expression under the constitution. GALCK+ also tells Grindr users that an employer cannot fire or deny them employment based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

“According to the Employment Act, it is the duty of the government and an employer to promote equality of opportunity between employees,” GALCK+ states.

The Employment Act covers equal chances of being employed; promoted; and equal treatment in the workplace without any form of discrimination, although it does not explicitly mention sexual orientation. 

GALCK+ also educates Grindr users about their right to shelter without discrimination by a landlord based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression under Article 43 (1) of the constitution. It states that every person has the right to “accessible and adequate housing, and reasonable standards of sanitation.”

Clement Hadebe, a 29-year-old gay crossdresser, was shot nine times at a Johannesburg B&B on Aug. 10 

Local media reports indicate Hadebe, who is from KwaZulu-Natal province, was at a popular outing area in Johannesburg on the night of Aug. 9 with a friend when they began to interact with the alleged male shooter who was showing interest in them, particularly Hadebe.

Before they decided to leave with the alleged shooter, however, Hadebe’s friend asked him to disclose he was a gay crossdresser. Hadebe did not follow his friend’s advice.

They then left with the alleged shooter, but he didn’t want to go with Hadebe’s friend to the B&B. The friend was later dropped off, and Hadebe and the alleged shooter were left alone. 

Hadebe’s body was found at the B&B on Aug. 10, and the alleged shooter was nowhere to be seen.

Locals have suggested the murder was premedicated, while others have faulted Hadebe because he did not disclose his gender identity.

Sibonelo Ncanana, civil society engagement officer for OUT LGBT Well-being, an LGBTQ advocacy group, in a statement said the organization “is appalled by the murder of Clement as well as the queerphobic victim-blaming sensationalism surrounding his death.” 

“Victim-blaming is never acceptable,” said Ncanana. “The notion that LGBTIQ+ people are hiding who they are when they are simply being themselves is deeply concerning. Our identity is not something that requires disclosure.”

Ncanana said OUT LGBT Well-being will closely follow the investigation into the murder and called upon law enforcement officials to ensure there is justice for Hadebe.

“No one should be forced to reveal their true identity to appease someone else’s curiosity or assumptions,” said Mohale Motaung, a prominent LGBTQ activist. “Again, Clement Hadebe’s tragic story is a reminder that self-disclosure should always be a choice, not a condition for acceptance or safety.”

Although South Africa is the only African country that recognizes and upholds the rights of the LGBTQ community, many South Africans do not support it because of cultural and religious beliefs.

Several attacks against LGBTQ people — including hate crimes, rapes, and murders — in recent years have sparked widespread concern. These crimes have left some who identify as LGBTQ to be skeptical about to whom they disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa in May signed the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill into law. It, among other things, seeks to protect the rights of those who identify as LGBTQ and those who advocate for the community.

The new law, however, does not seem to be a deterrent, especially to those who do not support LGBTQ people as Hadebe’s murder and continued anti-gay political rhetoric prove. So-called conversion therapy also remains commonplace in the country, especially in semi-urban areas where anti-LGBTQ cultural beliefs are entrenched.

LGBTQ organizations in June celebrated Ramaphosa’s appointment of Steve Letsike, a lesbian woman who founded Access Chapter 2, an LGBTQ rights group, as the country’s Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities. Letsike, a member of the African National Congress who is a member of parliament, has already vowed to ensure LGBTQ rights are upheld and respected in the same manner as other human rights.

The Delhi High Court on Aug. 13 directed the Indian government to clarify its stance on non-consensual sexual offenses against LGBTQ people and men under the country’s revised penal code. The court’s order has spotlighted the gaps in the legal framework, urging the government to address the protection of these vulnerable groups within the new law.

The Indian LGBTQ community on Sept. 6, 2018, celebrated one of its most significant legal victories when the Supreme Court struck down Section 377 of the country’s colonial-era penal code that criminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations. The Supreme Court invalidated the law for consensual acts, but it retained provisions that concern non-consensual sex to protect transgender people and other vulnerable communities.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which revised the existing penal code, took effect on July 1 and entirely omits the law.

“Where is that provision? There is no provision at all,” asked the court. “There has to be something. The question is that if it is not there, then is it an offense? If an offense is not there and if it is obliterated, then it is not an offense.”

The petitioner who approached the Delhi High Court said the omission of protections in the new law could have unforeseen consequences. The petitioner, lawyer Gantavya Gulati, argued that even after the Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations, Section 377 continued to provide crucial protection to men and LGBTQ people from non-consensual sexual acts.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, in its 2023 report on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, noted that omitting Section 377 would result in the absence of penalties for non-consensual sexual offenses against men and trans people, and for acts of bestiality. The committee, therefore, recommended including Section 377 in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The Supreme Court in its 2018 ruling referred to the portions of Section 377 that criminalized consensual sex as “irrational, indefensible, and manifestly arbitrary.” The Supreme Court at the time emphasized authorities used Section 377 as a weapon to harass LGBTQ people, leading to widespread discrimination.

“Persons who are homosexuals have a fundamental right to live with dignity,” said the Supreme Court. “We further declare that such groups (LGBTQ) are entitled to the protection of equal laws, and are entitled to be treated in society as human beings without any stigma being attached to any of them. We further direct that Section 377, insofar as it criminalizes homosexual sex and transgender sex between consenting adults, is unconstitutional.”

Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela on Aug. 12 led a bench of justices who heard the case that Gulati brought.

The petitioner argued that “the absence of Section 377 of the Indian penal code poses a threat to every individual, but especially to LGBTQ persons.” The petitioner also highlighted that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita does not include any protections for a man who is sexually assaulted by another man.

The Indian government contended the court could not compel parliament to enact a specific provision, even in the presence of a legal anomaly. The government’s counsel emphasized a motion had already been submitted, highlighting this issue to the national government, and it is currently under consideration. The High Court, led by Manmohan, in response directed the government to return on Aug. 28 to clarify its position on non-consensual sexual offenses in light of Section 377’s omission.

The remnants of Section 377 after the 2018 judgment were gender-neutral, offering protection regardless of gender. When the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita came into effect, however, the government completely omitted this provision from the new law. It failed to introduce an alternative to protect male rape victims and trans people. Section 63 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita instead defines rape in a highly gendered manner: As an act where a man’s penis penetrates a woman’s vagina, mouth, urethra, or anus, or compels her to do so with him or another person. This definition narrows the scope of the law, failing to provide adequate protection for LGBTQ individuals.

A report the Guardian published in 2018 found 71 percent of men respondents reported being abused, yet 84.9 percent of them never disclosed their experiences to anyone. The report highlighted the primary reasons for this silence were shame (55.6 percent), followed by confusion (50.9 percent), fear (43.5 percent), and guilt (28.7 percent). The findings shed light on the profound psychological barriers that prevent male survivors from seeking help or sharing their stories.

Gulati recently spoke to the Washington Blade about the case.

He said his concern is the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in its current form primarily frames rape as an act committed by a man against a woman. This narrow definition, he argued, fails to encompass the full spectrum of sexual abuse endured by trans people and men, particularly those within the LGBTQ community.

Gulati emphasized that while there are existing laws that address various forms of sexual violence, they often fall short in specifically protecting these marginalized groups in the way that is urgently needed. He underscored this significant omission within the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita indicates a pressing need for reform. Gulati suggested the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita must be thoughtfully revised and expanded to ensure that every person, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, is afforded the protection they deserve from sexual abuse.

“Whether Parliament’s decision was deliberate or not, the removal of Section 377 provision has raised concerns,” Gulati told the Blade. “Section 377 of the Indian penal code covered important issues, like bestiality and other non-consensual acts, that are not clearly addressed in the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita). By leaving out this provision, the law may no longer provide the same level of protection against these acts. It’s a decision that has significant consequences, especially for those who are vulnerable.”

He also said the roles of the courts and parliament are different in a democracy.

The courts’ job is to interpret the law and make sure it is applied fairly, while parliament is responsible for creating and changing laws. Gulati said courts can point out when a law is missing or needs improvement, but they cannot force parliament to make a specific law. Gulati said that the government’s position reflects this balance of power, acknowledging only elected representatives have the authority to make laws.

Sudhanshu Latad, the dedicated advocacy manager at Humsafar Trust, an organization at the forefront of promoting LGBTQ rights in India, also spoke with the Blade.

Latad reflected on the crucial role the judiciary has historically played in bridging gaps within existing legal frameworks, particularly when they fall short of safeguarding specific groups or subgroups. Latad said the Delhi High Court’s decision to hear the Section 377 case is emblematic of this judicial intervention.

“We hope that the Honorable Delhi High Court orders the parliament to create a provision to separately address protection of transgender persons and LGBTQ+ community or reinstitute Section 377 until such provisions are made separately in BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita),” said Latad. “Section 63 of BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) primarily presents itself to be written with a heteronormative perspective.”

“While if read with the NALSA vs Union of India judgment 2014, trans women may be able to seek recourse under this, there is an element of ambiguity for assigned males at birth nonbinary persons,” he added. “It does though take into consideration any person raping a woman as it refers to objects being used for the purpose of rape, which may be the case in an instance of woman or nonbinary persons raping a woman.”

Latad told the Washington Blade the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s introduction is a pivotal point of transformation for the Indian legal system and strengthening it to a position to be able to govern and protect a country with the highest population in the world may be a strenuous affair. He said rape and other sensitive topics may need longer discussions.

“Hence, I feel this is a great opportunity — a clean slate — to introduce a robust gender-neutral law against rape,” said Latad. “I am hopeful that parliament will view this the same way and will take into consideration the recommendations made by the Standing Committee. If they do not retain Section 377 to protect consent, I hope they introduce something equivalent that protects every citizen of the country from rape.”

Ankush Kumar is a reporter who has covered many stories for Washington and Los Angeles Blades from Iran, India, and Singapore. He recently reported for the Daily Beast. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is on Twitter at @mohitkopinion. 

QATAR

A British-Mexican man who was arrested in a Grindr sting operation in Qatar has been released and has returned to the U.K., following more than six months in and out of prison while his case was heard and appealed.

Manuel Guerrero Aviña, who had lived in Qatar for seven years, was arrested in February after arranging to meet a man on the Grindr app. When he went down to his lobby to meet the man, he was detained by police, whom he says planted meth amphetamines on him and charged him with drug possession.

Guerrero says his arrest was due entirely to his being a gay man — gay sex is illegal in Qatar and carries a possible penalty of up to three years imprisonment, with a death sentence possible if the accused is a Muslim. However, Qatari authorities say that the arrest was strictly due to the alleged possession of drugs.

While in detention, Guerrero says was denied access to a lawyer or translator and was pressured into naming other gay men with whom he had relations. 

He was also kept in solitary confinement once authorities learned he is HIV positive, and denied regular access to his medication.

His case generated international headlines and saw intervention by politicians from both the UK and Mexico, as well as several human rights and civil society groups.

In June, he was given a 6-month suspended sentence and ordered deported, a decision that Guerrero appealed unsuccessfully.

On Aug. 11, a group lobbying for Guerrero’s release posted a statement to X, saying that Guerrero was “flying free” to London.

“As we write these letters, Manuel flies free to London, far from the Qatari dictatorship that tortured and criminalized him for being gay and living with HIV,” the statement from QatarMustFreeManuel says.

“To the people of Mexico and the people of the United Kingdom, to the LGBT community, to the media, to the solidarity and hearts that accompany us, the Manuel Guerrero Committee, Manuel and his family thank you for your tireless support in this emblematic struggle against injustice, against homophobia, and in favor of human rights for all people.”

Guerrero is in London undergoing medical treatment for the abuse he suffered in Qatari prison, including possible complications related to being denied his HIV medications. After that, he plans to return to Mexico.

BULGARIA

President Rumen Radev has signed a controversial bill banning “LGBT propaganda” in schools into law, sparking international condemnation and multiple protests across the country.

The bill, which was rushed through parliament with minimal consultations earlier this month, bans “propaganda, popularization, and encouragement, directly or indirectly, of ideas and views connected to nontraditional sexual orientation or to gender-identifying different from the biological,” in Bulgarian schools. The law does not prescribe any specific punishment for infractions. 

The new law has clearly been inspired by similar laws enacted in Russia, Lithuania, and Hungary in recent years, and was pushed by a political party with strong ties to Moscow.

The law has drawn criticism from NGOs and multinational organizations, including the Council of Europe, the UN Human Rights Office, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, and ILGA-Europe.

Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, has seen multiple protests against the law since it was passed on Aug. 7. Including from LGBTQ groups, feminist organizations, health organizations, and human rights groups.

Some activist groups opposed to the bill are calling on the European Union to take action against Bulgaria over the bill, calling it a violation of the fundamental rights and values of the union. They’re seeking to have the EU freeze funds that would normally go to Bulgaria, including for education and culture. 

“This law is not just a Bulgarian issue — this is a Russian law that has found its way into the heart of Europe,” Rémy Bonny, executive director of the LGBTQ rights group Forbidden Colours, told Politico. “The European Commission must step in and hold Bulgaria accountable.”

Last year, 15 EU countries joined a lawsuit against Hungary over its similar anti-LGBTQ law. 

So far, the European Commission — the executive branch of the EU — has requested more information on the law from the Bulgarian minister of education.

Friction with the EU could also stall Bulgaria’s long-hoped dream of joining the Eurozone, which it was hoping to do next year.

Bulgaria is heading to new parliamentary elections in October, after politicians elected in June were unable to form a government. It’ll be country’s fifth election in three years.

RUSSIA

A Russian artist who was released during the Aug. 1 prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries has announced plans to marry her long-term partner now that they are settled in Germany, where same-sex marriage is legal.

Sasha Skochilenko, 33, was arrested in St. Petersburg weeks after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, for replacing price tags in stores with anti-war messages. She was charged with extremism and making false statements about the military and eventually sentenced to 7 years in prison.

At the beginning of her detention, she was denied visitation or communication with her partner Sofya Subbotina. As they weren’t married, Russian authorities deemed her a witness to Skochilenko’s supposed crimes. 

Eventually, she was allowed brief visitation rights, which became a lifeline for Skolichenko, who suffers from several medical conditions that were exacerbated by her stay in prison. Skolichenko has celiac disease and couldn’t digest the food she was given in prison. 

Skolichenko was finally convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison in November 2023. She had filed an appeal and a request for a presidential pardon but made no progress with either.

In July, she was suddenly transferred to a prison in Moscow, and then on Aug 1, she was flown to Ankara, Turkey, where the prisoner exchange was made. 

In all, Russia and Belarus released 16 people, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and several of Russia’s opposition figures. In turn, eight Russians were released by the United States, Germany, Poland, and Norway, most of whom were known Russian spies. 

From Turkey, Skolichenko was flown to Germany. Subbotina followed the next day, as soon as she heard the news.

The pair are settled for now in Koblenz but have not yet decided where in Germany they’d like to settle permanently. 

Skolichenko plans to return to making art, while Subbotina wants to join a human rights organization to continue to work for political prisoners in Russia.

They had talked about getting married back in Russia, but that wasn’t possible as Russia does not recognize same-sex unions and has led a severe crackdown on LGBT rights advocacy in recent years.

Now that they live in Germany, they finally plan to tie the knot.

“We don’t know how or in which city we will do it, but that’s the plan,” Skochilenko told The Associated Press.

CHINA

In what some are hailing as a historic decision, a Chinese court for the first time recognized that a child can have two mothers in awarding visitation rights to a child born to a lesbian couple that since broke up.

The two women married in the U.S. in 2016 and conceived two children via IVF the following years. The embryos were made from one of the women’s eggs and donor sperm, and each woman carried one of the children. 

When the couple broke up in 2019, the woman who is the children’s genetic mother denied her former partner, Didi, visitation rights and moved from Shanghai to Beijing.

Didi, sued for custody in 2020. She finally won a partial victory in May.

Chinese law does not recognize same-sex couples or same-sex parents, so children of same-sex parents are generally only recognized as belonging to the biological parent. But because Didi gave birth to her daughter, she was recognized as her mother, even though she has no genetic link to her. 

The court granted her the right to make monthly visits to her daughter, and she made her first visit to her in more than four years this month.

But because she shares no genetic link to the child her former partner carried – her daughter’s brother – she was denied any visitation rights to him.

While the decision is bittersweet, LGBTQ activists have hailed the decision as a big step forward in recognizing the possibility of same-sex parents. 

Didi says she hopes the legal system will catch up to the growing social acceptance of queer people in China by recognizing that same-sex couples exist and have children.“It’s very simple, other families have one father and one mother. We have two mothers,” she told the Guardian

Pope Francis on Tuesday met with two LGBTQ activists from Africa at the Vatican.

Clare Byarugaba of Chapter Four Uganda posted to her X account a picture of her sitting next to Francis. A video that she shared shows Juan Carlos Cruz — a gay Chilean man who is a survivor of clergy sex abuse and a member of a commission that advises Francis on protecting children from pedophile priests — introducing her to the pontiff.

Cruz is also a member of the GLAAD board of directors.

Byarugaba, who also founded PFLAG Uganda, said she was “honored to meet” Francis. She added she briefed him on “the ruinous impact of Uganda’s two in a decade anti-LGBTIQ rights laws,” including the Anti-Homosexuality Act that President Yoweri Museveni signed in 2023, and “the gross human rights violations therein.”

“He reiterated discrimination is a sin and violence against LGBTIQ communities is unacceptable,” said Byarugaba.

The Washington Blade has reached out to Byarugaba for additional comment.

Francis on Tuesday also met with Rightify Ghana Director Ebenezer Peegah.

“With LGBTQI+ criminalization rising in Africa, and Ghana’s anti-LGBTQI+ bill pending, we shared our experiences as queer individuals in Ghana and expressed gratitude to the pope for his progressive stance, especially his opposition to violence and discrimination,” said Rightify Ghana on X. “Pope Francis encouraged us to ‘keep fighting for your rights,’ and that’s exactly what we will do.”

On Tuesday, August 14, 2024, Rightify Ghana’s Director @Ebenezer_Peegah had the honour of meeting Pope Francis @Pontifex at the Vatican.

With LGBTQI+ criminalisation rising in Africa, and Ghana’s anti-LGBTQI+ bill pending, we shared our experiences as queer individuals in.. pic.twitter.com/tYfW1X4W6D

— Rightify Ghana (@RightifyGhana) August 15, 2024

Francis during a Jan. 24, 2023, interview with the Associated Press said homosexuality is not a crime and laws that criminalize it are “unjust.” Francis a few days later reiterated these comments during a press conference on board his plane after it left South Sudan, a country that borders Uganda.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in South Sudan.

“The criminalization of homosexuality is a problem that cannot be ignored,” Francis told reporters. “Criminalizing people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice.”

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, among other things, contains a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.”

The U.S. after Museveni signed the law imposed visa restrictions on Ugandan officials and removed the country from a program that allows sub-Saharan African countries to trade duty-free with the U.S. The World Bank Group also announced the suspension of new loans to Uganda.

The Ugandan Constitutional Court on April 3 refused to “nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act in its totality.”

More than a dozen activists appealed the ruling to the country’s Court of Appeal. They filed a second appeal with the Supreme Court on July 11.

Angola, Botswana, Mauritius, and Seychelles are among the countries that have decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations over the last decade.

The Namibian government last month appealed a ruling that struck down the country’s apartheid-era sodomy laws.

Burkina Faso’s military government on July 10 announced it plans to recriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations in the nation. The Ghanaian Supreme Court on July 24 upheld the country’s colonial-era sodomy law.

Ghanaian lawmakers on Feb. 28 approved the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that would, among other things, criminalize allyship. President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will not sign the bill until the Supreme Court rules on whether it is constitutional or not. 

Police in Nigeria have confirmed the death of popular gay crossdresser in the country’s capital.

Authorities on Aug. 8 found Area Mama’s body along the Katampe-Mabushi Expressway in Abuja.

Several LGBTQ activists have labeled the 33-year-old’s death as a brutal homophobic murder; his body was found naked with bruises on his face. His appearance on “Living in Abuja with Deka George,” a YouTube podcast, earlier this year has also been linked to his death.

Area Mama during the podcast said he knew he was gay since he was 10. He also disclosed he was a male sex worker whose clients often included high profile people. 

He also said his clients sometimes only discovered he was not a woman when they were about to become intimate, noting some did not mind while others walked away. Speculation has grown over one of Area Mama’s clients who could not come to terms with his sexuality after discovering he was man led to his murder. 

“Area Mama didn’t harm anyone and no human deserves to be gruesomely murdered for living their truth,” said Rinu Oduala, a human rights activist. “The lifestyle of another person is not an invitation for harassment, discrimination, or murder.” 

Intersex Nigeria said it was appalled by Area Mama’s death, and called upon law enforcement officials to expedite their investigations into his murder.

“It is essential that justice is served, not only for the victim and their loved ones but also to restore a sense of security and trust within our communities,” said Intersex Nigeria. “The failure to secure justice in this case would send a dangerous signal that violence and discrimination against marginalized groups is acceptable, thereby making our society unsafe for everyone.”

“Hate should have no place in our society, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure justice must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done,” added Intersex Nigeria.

The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs Nigeria) said Area Mama’s murder shows the vulnerability of marginalized groups in Nigeria.

“This tragic loss is a stark reminder of the ongoing threats to the safety of vulnerable groups in Nigeria,” said TIERs Nigeria.

Sadiq Lawal, an LGBTQ rights activist, also condemned Area Mama’s murder.

“Nobody has the right to take a human life, no one has the right to physically abuse anyone or kill them because they disagree with their lifestyle or sexuality,” said Lawal.

Iyanda Ayinde, another LGBTQ and human rights activist, added Nigeria’s LGBTQ community has always been at risk, noting attacks are becoming commonplace.

“Area Mama was brutally murdered, which is terrible. It demonstrates the depth of hatred for those who choose to live differently,” said Ayinde. “The LGBTQ+ community in Nigeria is always in danger. Online, they face threats, harassment, attacks, and bullying. This has to stop.”

“The attacks are getting too common, and it isn’t good,” added Ayinde. “The culprits must be located, and the police must act. Nobody ought to die because they are who they are.”

Authorities on Aug. 4 released Bobrisky, a popular Nigerian transgender woman, from prison after serving a 6-month sentence for flaunting Naira notes, an offense many believe was linked to her gender identity.

Forms of consensual same-sex sexual relations remain illegal throughout Nigeria, and are punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The punishment can be death in states with Sharia law. 

BULGARIA

Parliament rushed through passage of a Russia-style “LGBT propaganda” law Aug. 7 in a marathon session that was marked by speeches that queer activists have denounced as bordering on hate speech, and that sparked protests around the capital.

The vaguely worded law bans “propaganda, popularization and encouragement, directly or indirectly, of ideas and views connected to nontraditional sexual orientation or to gender-identifying different from the biological,” in Bulgarian schools. The law does not prescribe any specific punishment for infractions. 

The bill was introduced by the Revival Party, which maintains strong ties to Russia’s government, but passed with surprising support from the pro-European Union center-right GERB party. Altogether, 159 MPs voted for the bill, while only 57 voted against it, mostly from the reformist We Continue the Change Party.

Bulgaria is currently without an elected government, as June national elections yielded a hung parliament. Fresh elections are scheduled for Oct. 20 — Bulgaria’s fifth election in three years. Parties are likely using the threat of “LGBT propaganda” to shore up votes.

Nevertheless, the passage of the law sparked protests from queer, women, and human rights groups around the capital, Sofia, calling on President Rumen Radev to veto the law.

“This is the first step in making non-traditional sexual orientation a crime. I consider this absolutely unacceptable and out of the spirit of what we strive to be as a country and society,” Ivan Ivanov, a protestor at the Aug. 7 rally, told Euronews.

Anti-LGBTQ “propaganda” laws have been spreading since Russia passed its law in 2013. Hungary and Lithuania have laws restricting LGBTQ speech in schools or around children, but Bulgaria is the first EU country to pass such a law since the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Lithuania’s law breached the European Convention in January 2023. 

Other countries considering such laws right now are Georgia and Kazakhstan. Several African states have also recently passed or are considering laws criminalizing promotion of LGBTQ rights, including Uganda, Ghana, Namibia, and Liberia. Increasingly, similar laws are also being passed in Republican-led U.S. states.

AUSTRIA

Local organizers Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour cancelled three dates in Vienna after authorities arrested two suspected extremists on charges that they planned to attack a concert. 

Swift had been scheduled to play at the Ernst Happel Stadium on Aug. 9, 10, and 11. 

Authorities said they had arrested a 19-year-old main suspect in Ternitz, about 50 miles south of Vienna, and a second 17-year-old suspect in the capital. 

Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, head of Austria’s Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, says the 19-year-old had been radicalized in the direction of the Islamic State, and that they had found material related to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda at the home of the 17-year-old. 

Haijawi-Pirchner says that the suspect was employed by a company providing services at the concerts and was planning to use knives or self-made explosives to “kill as many people as possible” at the concert.

Initially, promoters said the concerts would go ahead with extra security provided by the national police, but the dates were quickly cancelled hours later. 

Promoters Barracuda Music said all tickets would be automatically refunded within 10 business days.

The concert dates had been sold out for months, with an estimated 170,000 people expected to attend.

This isn’t the first time an Islamic extremist has allegedly targeted a pop concert. In 2017, an extremist suicide-bombed an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, killing 22 people and wounding more than 100. 

CANADA

The Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from alt-right figure Jordan Peterson of the decision by the College of Psychologists of Ontario requiring him to undergo social media training or risk losing his license to practice. 

Peterson, who rose to international prominence for his strident opposition to a transgender rights bill passed by the Canadian government in 2017, has become a darling of the alt-right movement for his writings and social media posts advancing frequently misogynistic and transphobic views on women, masculinity, and gender identity, as well as general antipathy to other left-wing issues.

In 2022, the College of Psychologists found that his posts may be “degrading” and call into question his ability as a psychologist and bring the profession disrepute. It ordered he undergo social media training. 

Peterson sought judicial review, but he lost at lower courts. The Supreme Court did not give reasons why it dismissed the appeal. Peterson was ordered to pay costs.

Initially, Peterson said he would continue to fight the order, somehow, but days later his lawyer had told CBC that Peterson would attend the training.

The case has divided rights groups in Canada, with the LGBTQ advocacy group Egale intervening on behalf of the College of Psychologists of Ontario, while the Canadian Civil Liberties Union intervened on behalf of Peterson, arguing that professional associations shouldn’t regulate speech unrelated to the profession. 

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who has also courted the alt-right and far right in Canada, also posted in support of Peterson. 

“Another government bureaucracy threatens to ban a Canadian from practicing his profession because he expressed political opinions the state doesn’t like,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The College of Psychologists of Ontario is not a government bureaucracy. It is a professional association.

BELGIUM

Former Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo spoke out against transphobia in an open letter after the current deputy prime minister raised alarms this week by recommending a transphobic book on his social media channels.

Deputy Prime Minister David Clarinval of the center-right Reformist Movement was accused of transphobia after he posted on X praise of the book “Transmania: Investigation into the Excesses of Transgender Ideology” by Marguerite Stern and Dora Moutot.

The book, originally published in France, is full of conjectures and conspiracy theories asserting that trans people aren’t real and that they are associated with pedophilia. It has become a symbol of the far right in France since it was published in April 2023.

Clarinval defended his post to the Brussels Times. 

“This book gives a broader view of the transgender issue,” he said.

Di Rupo, who was Belgium’s first openly gay prime minister and now serves as a member of the European Parliament, wrote an open letter calling for conservatives and liberals to agree to protect all people’s rights in the wake of the controversy. 

“In this reactionary climate, it is essential to emphasize that the freedoms granted to transgender people in no way diminish the freedoms of other citizens. The extension of rights and freedoms to some never diminishes those of others,” Di Rupo writes.

“Finally, it is important to remember that the freedoms we enjoy today are the fruit of fierce struggles, countless political battles and incalculable human tragedies. They are indeed heroic struggles, often marked by great suffering and sacrifice, that have shaped the free world in which we live in the West. Whether it is the fights for civil rights in the United States, for gender equality, for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people or for freedom of expression, they have all been driven by the same unwavering will: That of defending the dignity, freedom and respect of the human being in all its complexity.”

The political turmoil in Bangladesh that led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and subsequent decision to flee the country on Monday has left the LGBTQ community under unprecedented threat.

The Washington Blade this week heard harrowing accounts of targeted violence and intimidation that has forced many LGBTQ Bangladeshis to go into hiding. Factions seeking to exploit the power vacuum in the wake of Hasina’s resignation have made this situation worse.

Tushar Kanti Baidya, program director of Inclusive Bangladesh, a local NGO and transgender-led LGBTQ youth organization, said a more sinister development has overshadowed the ongoing protests against Hasina’s job quota policies.

He noted the recent rise of right-wing political parties, which have spearheaded anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ movements, poses an even greater threat to the community. Badiya fears the lives of local trans activists are now in grave danger as these groups move to align themselves with the newly formed interim government. This alliance, he says, not only encourages those who wish to silence them but also creates an environment where hate and violence could escalate unchecked.

“The quota that has been reserved for disability and transgender people are only for those who are physically disabled and intersex people,” said Baidya. “In Bangladesh, by the common people, transgender refers to intersex people. Some of the (leaders) of the protesters deny the existence of transformation from male to female or vice versa and (continue their) opposition to include transgenders into the quota but intersex people.”

Baidya said trans activists had initially raised the issue of their inclusion in the job quota system nearly two years ago, well before the current crisis emerged. The trans and LGBTQ communities, however, chose not to participate in the quota demand. Baidya said fear drove this decision, noting anti-LGBTQ and anti-trans rhetoric from some quota reform movement leaders grew more intense.  

While some trans people have supported the broader student movement that demanded Hasina’s resignation, they have been cautious about specifically advocating for the quota reserved for them because they were wary of the potential backlash. Baidya emphasized this reluctance reflects the severe risks and hostility the community faces in this fraught political climate.

Baidya told the Blade that despite Hasina’s government’s problematic human rights record and her autocratic regime, it is noteworthy that LGBTQ and other minority groups felt relatively safe when she was in office and were able to conduct their advocacy work with minimal government interference. The trans community, in particular, saw significant benefits that included increased social support, greater acceptance in mainstream jobs, and even successful bids for local government positions. 

Baidya pointed out Inclusive Bangladesh Executive Director Sanjiboni Sudha, and Saraban Tahura, the group’s project coordinator, are among those who anti-trans activists publicly targeted, publishing their photos and sharing their personal information. 

This targeted harassment, according to Baidya, underscores the dangerous shift in the current political environment, where the progress made under the previous government is now at risk.

“Currently, we are processing some of our staff’s asylum process and also trying to facilitate to relocate them into a safe place or out of the country and also sending advisories and security suggestions to the community members,” Baidya told the Blade

US State Department spokesperson condemns ‘all recent acts of violence’

Hasina fled Bangladesh after protesters stormed her official residence on Monday.

She has been in India, where she met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. 

The political unrest — and anti-government protests that have taken place across Bangladesh in recent weeks —has left upwards of 300 people dead and many others injured. At least 94 people were killed on Sunday, the deadliest day since the protests began.

Students in Bangladesh began demonstrating against the government, demanding reforms to the civil service quota system. Protests argue loyalists of Hasina’s ruling party, the Awami League, disproportionately benefited from the existing quotas.

“We condemn all recent acts of violence in Bangladesh,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Wednesday during his daily press briefing in Washington. “We support the freedom of peaceful assembly.” 

“We condemn violence against those who are exercising their peaceful right to assembly. And we condemn violence on behalf of any protester who has turned their peaceful exercises simply into an excuse for violence,” he added. “We condemn violence in all cases.”

Tahura, a trans activist in Bangladesh, spoke exclusively with the Blade. 

She said the situation of the LGBTQ community since Hasina’s resignation is out of control.

Saraban told the Blade she is now safe after she sought refuge in a shelter away from her home. Saraban said the escalating violence and targeted harassment made it imperative for her to find a secure location to avoid the growing threats.

“This is very difficult for us,” said Saraban. “We are facing threats from anti-LGBTQ groups in Bangladesh. They are telling the LGBTQ community that your story ends now. They are telling us that there is no place for LGBTQ people in Bangladesh. They only want to only recognize (the) hijra community. We are not hijra, but transgenders, so our situation is really bad.”

Hijra or kinner on the Indian subcontinent are intersex or eunuch people. The hijra community has a distinctive social structure, traditions, and rituals.

Saraban told the Blade the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat) are related and often align with each other. 

She said she went into hiding under the previous government. Jamaat, which is anti-LGBTQ, has resurfaced in the wake of Hasina’s resignation and is now threatening Saraban and other LGBTQ activists. 

“It is a dangerous situation for the LGBTQ community, mostly, three activists are targeted in our country,” said Saraban. “Other than me, Ho Chi Minh Islam, and Sanjiboni Shudha, are the three most popular transgender activists in Bangladesh.” 

“We are in very grave risk,” added Saraban.

Saraban said she and other activists are looking to escape the country for their own safety. She told the Blade that although she does not want to leave Bangladesh, the situation is not safe for her or the community.

Ankush Kumar is a reporter who has covered many stories for Washington and Los Angeles Blades from Iran, India, and Singapore. He recently reported for the Daily Beast. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is on X at @mohitkopinion.

Argentine President Javier Milei’s government has officially closed the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI).

INADI, created in 1995, was a key player in the promotion and protection of human rights in Argentina, offering support and resources to people affected by discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and other characteristics.

Officials announced INADI’s closure on Tuesday during a press conference. Milei’s government has presented the move as part of a reform to streamline public administration and restructure human rights policies.

“One of President Milei’s ideals is the reduction of the state and the elimination of everything that does not generate a benefit for Argentines,” presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said in February when he announced INADI’s closure. “The decision was made to move forward in the dismantling of different institutes that effectively serve absolutely no purpose or are big boxes of politics or places to generate militant employment and the first of them is going to be INADI.”

The international community, including human rights organizations and LGBTQ activist groups, have expressed strong concern. 

INADI has played a crucial role in the implementation of progressive laws in Argentina, such as the Gender Identity Law and marriage equality. Its dissolution raises questions about the continuity of these efforts.

“It is extremely serious, especially because we are in a moment in Argentina, not only because of the local context, but also the global context of a growth, an increase in anti-Semitism, racism, violence, xenophobia, LGBTphobia,” gay Congressman Esteban Paulón told the Washington Blade.

Paulón added Tuesday marked “three months since a triple femicide that occurred in the city of Buenos Aires with three lesbian women who were set on fire by a person who attacked them.” 

“INADI was acting in many cases as an auxiliary of justice, with opinions that although they were not binding, they were a great support for the judicial instances,” he said. 

Alba Rueda is a transgender woman who was Argentina’s Special Representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity under former President Alberto Fernández’s government. Rueda resigned last November ahead of Milei’s inauguration.

Milei’s government earlier this year closed the Women, Gender and Diversity Ministry, under which Rueda worked.

“The closure of Women, Gender and Diversity Ministry, the closure of the special representation on sexual orientation and gender identity, the position of the Foreign Ministry’s position in the OAS (Organization of American States) to reaffirm conversion therapies, and INADI’s closure is one of the situations that comes to institutionally break public policies that protect the most excluded sectors of Argentina,” Rueda told the Blade. 

“The closing of INADI is a very, very serious situation,” she added.

Activists are calling on the government to clarify how it will guarantee queer rights in the future and whether it will create alternative mechanisms to address discrimination complaints.

Santiaga D’Ambrosio, an LGBTQ activist who is a member of the country’s Socialist Workers’ Party, told the Blade “the closure of INADI is an adjustment that endorses discrimination, not only towards sexual diversity, but also towards so many other oppressed, violated or persecuted sectors, such as workers in struggle, migrants, people with disabilities.” 

“INADI, in fact, has played a progressive role in the face of discrimination due to political and union persecution in different workers’ conflicts, against dismissals and for the recognition of union privileges in workplaces,” added D’Ambrosio.

D’Ambrosio, at the same time, said INADI’s closure deepens the economic and social crisis through which the Latin American country is going.

“Behind the closure of an agency, there are layoffs and uncertainty among its workers and their families,” said D’Ambrosio, noting layoffs have also taken place at Aerolíneas Argentinas, the country’s national airlines, and other companies. “Meanwhile, the enormous tax benefits for national and foreign businessmen remain untouched.”

D’Ambrosio added LGBTQ Argentines and other marginalized groups have to “self-organize independently from all governments who don’t really care about our lives.”

“We have to debate in our workplaces and study … how to conquer and strengthen our claims in the streets,” said D’Ambrosio.