Global news drenched in Activism
Because of criminalization of homosexuality they must live only as “friends” in home countries By Melanie Nathan, April 12, 2013. Last year’s winner and current Mr. Gay Namibia, Ricardo Amunjera married his partner Marc Themba from Botswana. The civil ceremony took place in Johannesburg, South Africa where same-sex marriage is legal. The men wed last … More Mr Gay Namibia ties knot with man from Botswana
By Melanie Nathan, April 12, 2013. Gay rights activist Paul Kasonkomona pleaded not guilty in a Zambian court yesterday to charges of “idle and disorderly conduct by inciting the public to engage in idle and disorderly conduct by promoting illicit activities” and was released on Kr5,000 bail ($1,000USD) Kasonkomona who was picked up and detained … More Zambian gay rights activist released on bail
European protestors, the group Femen take their protests to an effective extreme – at least I think so – certainly noticeable and passionately expressive. This makes American protests in the vein of Code Pink and GetEQUAL seem tame. I say ‘way to go and thank you FEMEN! By Melanie Nathan, April 10, 2013. A must … More Topless Protestors in Germany lunge at Putin in Protest at Trade Event
By Melanie Nathan, April 11, 2013. Further to our report about the lowering of rainbow flags to half mast in the Netherlands and protests against Russian PM Vladimir Putin, on April 08, the Dutch LGBT community and allies turned out by the thousands to protest Putin’s proposed anti-gay propaganda law in Russia. On stage performers … More Watch Video of show as thousands turn out in Amsterdam to Protest Anti-gay Putin
“My sisters and brothers, Jesus calls us to love even our enemies. Demeaning the humanity of another person is not a virtue but a vice. You don’t need reminding that the first step to genocide is demeaning your opponents’ humanity.” Reverend Kapya Kaoma By Melanie Nathan, April 10, 2013. This week we reported the detention … More Outrage at detention of Zambian gay human rights defender
By Melanie Nathan, April 09, 2013. In January we reported that an Arts School in Bloemfontein, South Africa, claimed in its prospectus that it could cure homosexual students. We reported that a “South African Christian arts academy, Creare Training Centre may be breaking the law by advertising that it can “cure” homosexual students, and that … More South African Arts Academy guilty of human rights violations by claiming gay cure
Zambia – LGBTI Community under attack as scapegoats- as government discusses contentious issues in the draft constitution… By Melanie Nathan, April 09, 2013. This evening, prominent HIV/Aids activist Paul Kasonkomona was picked up from Muvi TV station in Lusaka’s mass media area by Woodlands police for questioning after his appearance on a live program called … More Zambian Police Hunting Homosexuals and Arrest HIV/AIDS Activist
By Melanie Nathan, April 07, 2013. South Africa is a leader in the world of equality, enjoying an all inclusive constitution, where same-sex marriage is legal and discrimination against LGBTI people outlawed. However that has not stopped homophobia and fear to embrace LGBTI South Africans as fully equal. This video and the report of the … More Breaking ground in South Africa with a traditional Zulu gay wedding
By Melanie Nathan, Sunday April 07, 2013. So while there are probably many health issues we should be considering and on more days than once per year, here is what we can think about today- it may save your life. The World Health Organization (WHO) theme for World Health Day in 2013 is high blood … More Today is World Health Day | focus high blood pressure and salt
By Melanie Nathan, April 06, 2013. Uganda is “at risk of violent instability” come next year (2014), a US Intelligence threat assessment report has stated. This report is released every four years after the US President is elected, by the National Intelligence Council, and it names Uganda among 14 other countries that risk becoming a … More Report says Uganda likely to have violent instablity 2014
If the Bill does see passage, in whatever form, with or without the death penalty, this Ugandan Parliament will go down in global history as one which legislated hate and genocide and all of them will be held accountable, both as a group and as separate individuals. By Melanie Nathan, April 06, 2013. An article … More Fearful Ugandan Parliamentarians want to vote in secret for the Anti-Homosexuality Bill
The 27-year-old son of the Rev. Rick Warren, one of America’s most influential religious anti-gay leaders, committed suicide, Mr. Warren said in an e-mail released on Saturday to staff members and congregants at his 20,000-member Saddleback Valley Community Church. NBC News reported that Warren was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound around 10 a.m. … More Anti-Gay Pastor Rick Warren’s son committs suicide
Award Ceremony for the 2013 New Economy Forum Prize for Social Cohesion and Economic Development, presented to United Nations in Spain. In a profound and moving acceptance speech, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that we need to be Global citizens, while he received the award in the name of democracy and human rights, for … More Watch UN recieve Award for Social Cohesion and Economic Development
ASKING FOR HELP TO BRING MAX HOME TO DONALD The worst outcome of the unconstitutional DOMA is when it separates spouses and partners | If Max and Donald were a straight couple, this would not be happening By Melanie Nathan and Ken Williams, April 05, 2013. A 26-year-old gay man is being held in immigration … More Gay Man in San Diego immigration detention ailing and desperate to reunite with Fiancé
By Melanie Nathan, April 05, 2013. We have been watching the progress of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill on this site.Previous updates can be seen at http://oblogdeeoblogda.me/2013/02/19/ugandas-anti-homosexuality-bill-moves-up-to-1-on-parliaments-notice-of-business/ Since the end of March, Uganda’s Parliament had a short recess and returned to business on April 03. However something unusual seems to have occurred. The Parliament’s website has suddenly … More Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill April 2013 Updates
SF Pride is looking for medical volunteers By Melanie Nathan, April 04, 2013 In an announcement naming Rock Medicine a partner in services to San Francisco Pride this year, organizers noted that this June, San Francisco Pride will need as many medical volunteers as possible because they will be expecting an increase in Pride attendees … More San Francisco Pride expects bigger crowd due to SCOTUS Prop 8 and DOMA decisions
By Melanie Nathan, April 04, 2013. There was no keeping me away from Washington D.C., on Tuesday 26th, the day that The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) would be hearing the Prop 8. arguments. I was there ‘wearing many hats; activist, blogger, co-producer of Gay U.S.A. the Movie, and the most important of … More A story from the steps of SCOTUS | Hoping the Justices consider the children hurt by Prop 8
Believing that Dr. Martin Luther King would have stood for marriage equality. By Melanie Nathan, April 04, 2013. When Dr. Marin Luther King, Jnr. was assassinated on April 04, 1968, I was a small child in South Africa, living apartheid. I came to the United States in 1985, before apartheid ended, expecting a country that … More Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr. as a leader in equality for all
By Melanie Nathan, April 04, 2013. The board of Johannesburg Gay Pride Festival Company (JGPFC) has voted to wind up the Section 21 (not-for-profit) company that has produced ‘Joburg Pride’ over the past seven years. The voluntary winding up of JGPFC was decided by an unanimous resolution at a board meeting held on Wednesday, 13 … More Johannesburg Gay Pride Cancelled as Board Dissolves
By Melanie Nathan, April 02, 2013. (Washington, D.C., March 29, 2013)—Last week, several national LGBT groups and a cooperating attorney filed an administrative challenge to Medicare’s ban on medically necessary healthcare for transgender patients. Medicare, which provides healthcare to Americans ages 65 and older and younger people with certain qualifying disabilities, currently prohibits all forms … More LGBT Groups Challenge Medicare’s Refusal to Provide Healthcare to Transgender Patients
Will HRC put its money where its mouth is? By Melanie Nathan, April 1, 2013 Thousands of LGBT community members and allies showed up at the steps of SCOTUS this past week to support marriage equality, and many were there because of the extraordinary organizing efforts of a coalition of LGBT organizations under the title, … More After the Apology demands that HRC be all inclusive on all issues
“Say No To Homosexuality” Campaign officially launched By Melanie Nathan, March 31, 2013. Ugandan Pastors Solomon Male & Rev. Musoke are conducting an anti gay rally next door to David Kato ‘s burial grounds in Mukono Uganda to not only further persecute LGBTI Ugandans, calling for hate in the name of Christianity, but also to … More Ugandan anti-gay pastors hold hate rally next to gay hero David Kato’s grave
by Melanie Nathan, March 28, 2013 I joined a group U.S. service members, GetEQUAL activists, as well as well known U.K. activist Peter Tatchel at the White House today, for a rally in support of Lt. Dan Choi ,who is being tried by the U.S. Government, after he was arrested in November 2010, together with … More Dan Choi ‘s trial day starts with DADT activists re-living arrests at White House
Article by Melanie Nathan – Cross postings – March 27, 2013. PHOTOS by Melanie Nathan and Cathy Kristofferson, Oblogdee© A majority of the Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and whether it created unequal classes of married couples by denying federal benefits to legally wed same-sex couples. … More DOMA Day at SCOTUS
MARRIAGE EQUALITY USA HOPEFUL FOR RULING IN FAVOR OF THE | FREEDOM TO MARRY AFTER UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT ARGUMENTS After oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court today, Marriage Equality USA is hopeful that the Court will rule in favor of the freedom to marry later this year. MEUSA was heartened by many … More Marriage Equality USA reports from SCOTUS on Prop 8 arguments
Museveni ‘under pressure to ban’ Red Pepper In an article by Grace Natabaalo it is revealed that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that he is under pressure to ban local tabloids such as Red Pepper for exposing nudity. “We could have closed it but because of the pressure by western powers about the free … More Ugandan President agrees that anti-gay Red Pepper Tabloid is bad news
“I realized that it was good old fashioned c\Catholic prejudice towards homosexuality, or those who seem to be homosexual.” By Melanie Nathan, March 20, 2013. After Ugandan Catholic cleric Fr. Anthony Musaala authored an open letter To Bishops, Priests and Laity, entitled “The failure of Celibate Chastity among Diocesan Priests” accusing his Catholic Church colleagues in … More Exclusive: Father Anthony Musaala speaks about his suspension by Ugandan Catholic Archbishop
PLEASE VOTE \ at http://www.sfpride.org/vote/ By Melanie Nathan, March 21, 2013 UPDATED 3/21/2013. : After informing the San Francisco Pride Board that Ugandan activists were horrified by this nomination and concerned about the harmful backlash that could follow, the Pride organizers agreed to remove Kadaga from the site as a nominee. They were apologetic for … More Uganda Speaker Kadaga nominated for San Francisco Pride most harmful to gays Pink Brick award
In a bombshell “Open Letter To Bishops, Priests and Laity: The failure of Celibate Chastity among Diocesan Priests” By Melanie Nathan, March 20, 2o13. The Archbishop of Kampala Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga has suspended cleric Fr. Anthony Musaala, who authored a document criticizing Catholic Church colleagues in Uganda, accusing them of sexual immorality and crimes. … More Ugandan Catholic Priest suspended for speaking out against sexual immorality and crimes
The Ugandan Parliamentarians should note that the President of Uganda makes the case that Anti–gay legislation is unnecessary By Melanie Nathan, March 19, 2013. According to Ugandan press, a delegation of USA human rights activists, led by Kerry Kennedy, the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, met with Ugandan … More Ugandan President Museveni seems to make case against Anti-Homosexuality Bill in visit with Kerry Kennedy
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