In the words of an LGBTQI refugee – from the streets of Kenya… with more to come …. In the dark, I sit where the site of distress is bliss, my thoughts are cadacomn cliffs and I teeter Voices of responsibility ring out bleakly, my eyes can’t close up My brain won’t free me It’s … More 2020 Overwhelmed by LGBTQI Migrant Crisis
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As we close out the 2019 year, a choice of PHOTOS through this decade all depicting me – Melanie Nathan: My criteria – I am in each photo, reflecting on my personal experiences in the world of LGBTQI activism and advocacy for the past decade. A select few…. and there are so many more… Thank … More Mel’s Activism Through this 2010-2020 Decade
2019 This year, per EQAULDEX – there were 10 recorded legal changes made affecting LGBT people. In the previous year, there were 76 changes made. A total of 1256 legal changes have been made so far since 2010 in the decade….. July 8 Ecuador Same-sex marriage becomes legal. Civil marriage between same-sex couples is already a … More 2019 LGBT Law Changes
The State Department is pulling the US ambassador to Zambia after the country’s president objected to the ambassador’s harsh criticism of the government’s record on gay rights and corruption. This rare and extraordinary move indicates a vast change in American strength of values abroad as we acquiesce to complaints of this nature. Earlier this month, US … More Who to Blame as US Ambassador to Zambia Withdrawn
And a Reflection on the Decade 2010-2020 As we enter a new decade, and with this BLOG just hitting one million reads, I post my annual Heroes and Zeroes- a tradition since 2013. This year I have to start with our Number 01! Hero… HEROES #1 Nancy Pelosi: The East Coast Italian Grandma from Baltimore … More Heroes and Zeroes 2019 from O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da
QUESTION: what if she were asked as an expert witness in her family law custody mediation expert testimony practice to testify in court for or against an Israeli Plaintiff or Defendant? Facebook, the social media platform is that oddity that brings us humans together in cause, kinship, and opinions. Often opinions differ. Often we fail … More Jan Falk Therapist – Is this Anti Semitism Within our Ranks
Queer Asylum in Germany: Better visibility and access to legal and social support needed for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum in Germany Human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity are grounds for seeking asylum in Europe. However, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) people claiming asylum face particular legal and social … More Queer Asylum in Germany: More Needed for LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum in Germany
Catching up on the world. There is a lot going on – and here is a start: The Queer Displacements: Sexuality, Migration and Exile 2019 conference (Queer Displacements) was organised by two queer refugee women, emerging academics and activists Renee Dixson and Tina Dixson. Queer Displacements took place on the Traditional lands of the Ngunnawal … More Queer Displacements Conference: Refugees and Ongoing Hardship in Australia
Zambia Complains to U.S. After Ambassador Condemns Jailing of Gay Couple- And how to start changing the narrative! The president of Zambia plans to issue an official complaint to the United States over remarks its ambassador made after a homosexual couple were jailed for 15 years in the African country. Read my Dec 01 Article … More Zambian President Complains About U.S. Ambassador Gay Support
Despite having one of the more progressive legal landscapes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, many LGBT South Africans experience barriers to economic inclusion based on their race, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity and expression. Join us in a discussion of highlights from the new, groundbreaking report, The Economic Cost of LGBT Stigma … More Economic Cost of LGBT Stigma and Discrimination in South Africa
While in general I am pleased that we are covering some serious issues, make sure manner and implementation is not imposing – Melanie Nathan of African Human Rights Coalition is urging caution on LGBTQI Global Rights – Melanie Nathan The Washington Blade Notes: “Three U.S. senators on Tuesday introduced a bill that would require the … More African HRC Urges Caution with Introduction by the US Senate Global ACT
Monument was Removed from Courthouse Circle in Chatham County CHATHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is celebrating a North Carolina court’s decision to dismiss the United Daughters of the Confederacy’s (UDC) lawsuit to stop Chatham County from removing the Confederate monument from the courthouse circle in Pittsboro. The monument … More COURT UPHOLDS DECISION ON REMOVAL OF CONFEDERATE MONUMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA
HOW GABORONE PRIDE MAKES CASE FOR WHY LGBTQI TOURIST AND GROUPS SHOULD SUPPORT BOTSWANA Botswana is a country I love. I visited often as a young child. My late mom is now buried just across the border in Motswedi, (formally other names, then Union of South Africa, then Bophuthatswana, and now South Africa) with great … More Interview with Chairperson of the Historic Gaborone Pride in Botswana
Hey World- check this out – PRIDE in Botswana is now OUT in the open and does not mean a Safari or a Pride of Lions! Welcome to Gaborone Pride in Botswana. In the wake of this years’ historic decriminalization of homosexuality, Botswana’s gay community held its inaugural Pride in Gabarone. Here are the pictures … More Decriminalized Botswana Holds Inaugural Pride in Gaborone
The High Court in Bulawayo in a groundbreaking judgment, awarded damages against Zimbabwean police in favor of a transgender woman. Honorable Justice Bere awarded Ricky Nathanson, a transgender woman and activist $400,000 in damages for unlawful arrest, malicious prosecution and emotional distress. Ms. Nathanson sued Zimbabwe police in 2014, after she was arrested by six riot … More History Made as Transgender Woman Awarded Damages by Zimbabwe High Court
EDGE HOTEL Presents: THE PEACE WALL POP-UP EXHIBIT Come celebrate in the neighborhood where the artist lives and works. 100 Peace Boxes have been painted for this NYC event to promote and gift peace during the holiday season. Located just steps from Columbia University Medical Center and Washington Heights’ array of cultural and educational institutions, the sleek … More Peace Boxes in NYC – A Solo Pop-Up Show of Original Works
On this World AIDS Day we are reminded that it has been almost 40 years since the HIV epidemic hit, taking the lives of so many of our loved ones. While much progress has been made and AIDS is no longer an absolute death sentence, there is still so much more to be done, as … More World AIDS Day Reminds Criminalization of Sexuality Impedes Eradication of HIV AIDS
TWO men who were caught having sex at a lodge in Kapiri Mposhi in 2017 have been sentenced by the High Court in Lusaka, Zambia to 15 years imprisonment. Japhet Chataba, 28, a carpenter of Ndeke Township, and Steven Samba, of Kasenshi in Kapiri Mposhi. The Judge ruled that the men had committed an “act against … More Zambia Jails Gays for 15 Years and US Ambassador Calls Out Hypocrisy
LGBTQI Asylum Seekers and Refugees – At Thanksgiving, we are grateful for the honor to work hand in hand with some of the most courageous people on the Planet- Dear Friends, THANK YOU – Let us talk gratitude! Thank you for your ongoing support of African Human Rights Coalition: At African HRC we provide humanitarian services, resources, … More Hand in Hand the most Courageous People on the Planet
Today HIAS, Church World Service (CWS), and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), took Donald Trump to court over his recent executive order giving state and local officials authority to block refugee resettlement in their jurisdictions. These agencies are suing the administration because it is attempting to enact a state-by-state, city-by-city refugee ban. “It was not … More Refugee Agencies Sue Trump Over Executive Order
The Refugee Protection Act (RPA) of 2019, led by Senator Patrick Leahy and Representative Zoe Lofgren and cosponsored by more than two dozen members of Congress seeks to restore justice to the U.S. asylum and refugee resettlement systems and revive our country’s founding commitment to offer safe haven for those fleeing persecution. Congress must support … More Urging Congress to Support the Refugee Protection Act of 2019
Dear Friends, Almost there…… 997,323 ……. The seemingly trite and amusing name of my 8 year old BLOG stands in stark contrast to the mostly serious and not funny subject matter it deals with. I am proud to say that with 2000 to go, we have almost hit the ONE MILLION view mark! O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da has … More One Million Hits One Million Thanks from O-Blog-Dee-O-Blog-Da
“HELP they are taking us,” the real time call from RAM BAR in Uganda heard here in Marin County, California and the World should know Uganda Government is orchestrating the hunting of Gays …. In the early morning hours of Nov 11 a popular bar in Kampala, RAM BAR known to be frequented by LGBTQI community … More Uganda Ramps up its War on Gays
In Climate of Escalating Antagonism by Kenyan Authorities toward LGBTI refugees Following the recent endorsement by Kenya’s High Court where it refused to decriminalize Penal Codes criminalizing homosexuality, it is not surprising that President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya has yet again demonized Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community by declaring homosexuality as unacceptable to Kenyan … More Kenyan President Demonizes Gays Again
“When you live in a homophobic country its is impossible to report even a violent crime perpetrated against you because you will be the one who is arrested!” Ugandan Gay Man A day ago Let’s Walk Uganda (LWU), a local LGBTQI support group was attacked by a screaming mob at the organization’s headquarters. Although a prominent … More Ugandan Police Arrest Victims of Mob Attack and Force Anal Exams
If you are a ‘Most Powerful Women’ then show us who you truly are! Follow the example of the award-winning filmmaker dream hampton! Upon hearing that Kirstjen Nielsen, Trump’s former Department of Homeland Security secretary who oversaw the caging of children and separation of families, is being given a platform at this month’s Most Powerful Women … More FORTUNE Most Powerful Women Summit 2019 Platforms in Disgrace
Police arrest the Human Rights Victims Instead of the Mob Perpetrators Tonight at African HRC we received a message that Let’s Walk Uganda (LWU), a local LGBTQI support group was under attack by a mob, screaming outside their offices. Another prominent human rights organization HRAPF was immediately called in to push for police protection. Seventeen … More Ugandan Mob Attacks NGO Amidst Increasing Violence against the LGBTI Community
We have received a report from Uganda that another member of the LGBTI community has been brutally beaten with a threat “we will kill you all.” The number of beatings and murders of gay people in Uganda has been on the rise since recent hateful rhetoric delivered by Ugandan Government officials, including the threat to … More Under Threat of WE WILL KILL YOU ALL Another LGBTI Person Beaten in Uganda
…… Trump delivering refugees into the hands of their persecutors…. San Francisco, CA – Earlier this week, the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) filed an amicus brief in East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Barr, the lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s most far-reaching attempt to slam the door on asylum seekers, the third country asylum rule. Dubbed “asylum ban 2.0” by advocates, … More U.S. States, UNHCR, CGRS Call on the Ninth Circuit to Block Asylum Ban 2.0
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