TAG: homosexuality

The sexual politics landscape in July 2015

In July the hottest topic to be reported on is, undoubtedly, the global controversy that emerged when Amnesty International made public a draft policy defining a new line of work aimed at the protection of the human rights of sex workers, to be approved by the forthcoming meeting of its International Council (beginning on August […]

Colonizing African Values: How the U.S. Christian Right is Transforming Sexual Politics in Africa

Uganda’s infamous 2009 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which would institute the death penalty for a new and surreal category of offenses dubbed “aggravated homosexuality,” captured international headlines for months. The human rights community and the Obama administration responded forcefully, the bill was tabled, and the story largely receded from U.S. headlines. But as the Rev. Dr. Kapya […]

Gay hanging in Iran: Atrocities and impersonations

I. Everybody on earth knows that last week a deal on Iran’s nuclear program was announced. Everybody also knows that this apparent step toward peace launched a new stage in an old war: of propaganda. Proponents praise the possibility of a historic opening. Opponents — who include Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Republican Party — warn […]

“The Republic of Love”

By Anne Mulhall On the complex achievement of the same sex marriage referendum in Ireland The importance of the political mobilization of working-class communities in Dublin in the process of building a self-organized and powerful anti-austerity movement cannot be overstated, and this was a decisive factor in the marriage referendum passing. Voters in Jobstown and […]

Statement regarding the arrest of two homosexuals in Rabat – « Aswat »

Aswat Collective has condemned the arrest of two Moroccan homossexuals accused of “Homosexuality ” and “breach of public modesty”. Click here to read the Statement.

The gay sex worker who defied sharia law in Banda Aceh to organize

Faisal Riza is a national organizer for the Organisasi Perubahan Sosial Indonesia (the Organization for Social Change, or OPSI) — an Indonesian human rights initiative focusing on the welfare of sex workers. Anna Marie Sterling JAKARTA, Indonesia — Faisal Riza started as a sex worker in one of the riskiest possible places for any kind of transgressive behavior: Aceh, a […]

Mexico Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage

Mexico’s Supreme Court has effectively legalized same-sex marriage after finding that state laws restricting marriage only to heterosexual couples were discriminatory. “When I heard the judge pronounce us legally married, I burst into tears,” Hiram Gonzalez told The New York Times. Gonzalez married his boyfriend, Severiano Chavez, last year in the state of Chihuahua after […]

Moroccan Magazine Under Fire for Cover Asking ‘Should We Burn Homosexuals’

Rabat – Weekly magazine Maroc-Hebdo has come under fire after it ran a cover deemed by many as homophobic. The cover depicts two men ‘intimately’ looking at each other in a swimming pool under the headline “Shall we burn homosexuals?” “Sure it’s an individual right. But what about moral and religious values,” the sub-head added. […]

Mozambique decriminalises same-sex sexual conduct between consenting adults

After decriminalizing abortion last December, Mozambique has once again taken an important step toward sexual rights by decriminalizing same-sexual relations between consenting adults. The change was celebrated by civil society in the African country.

Buhari, LGBT rights, and international pressure

This week General Muhammadu Buhari will be inaugurated as Nigerian’s president, a position he won by campaigning on a platform of change. But will that change include the people on the fringe of society, like lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals?

Li Yinhe: Chinese Sexologist Opens Up About the Future for China’s LGBT Community

After rounding up the interview, I turned off my voice recorder, thanked Li Yinhe, and asked her what she has been up to since retiring in 2012. She smiles, and without hesitation tells me she is working on some S&M novels. “Do you know what that is?” she asks.

Sticks and Stones: Violence in Intimate & Family Relationships of MSM, Transgender Women & Hijras and its Impact on HIV Vulnerability

This policy brief summarizes the impact of intimate partner and family violence on the HIV vulnerability of men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender and hijra community members in India. It calls for an end to the denial and acceptance of emotional, physical, sexual and financial violence experienced by these groups and offers recommendations […]