Category: NEWS

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender news and perspectives of LGBT community

Scott Lively’s Pleading Spews Hateful lies about Murdered Gay Activist

November 21, 2013

By Melanie Nathan, NOV 20, 2013. Today, Scott Lively, the fervently anti-gay Pastor being sued by Uganda human rights organization Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), under the Alien Torts Act, for persecuting gays in Uganda, filed his “Answers and Defenses to Plaintiff’s first Amended Complaint,” in the  UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS … More Scott Lively’s Pleading Spews Hateful lies about Murdered Gay Activist

Ugandan Minister of Ethics Conjures Up GAYS in Schools to promote Anti-Gay Legislation

November 21, 2013

AND the best way to do it is through an INVESTIGATION By Melanie Nathan, Nov 21, 2013. We have recently reported on a spate of arrests and now the Ugandan press is reporting that the Ugandan Government is investigating four prominent secondary schools in Kampala and Wakiso districts over allegations that their students are involved … More Ugandan Minister of Ethics Conjures Up GAYS in Schools to promote Anti-Gay Legislation

APB put out on ENDA

November 20, 2013

Boehner buries ENDA, where is the Executive Order Obama? By Cathy Kristofferson and Ellen Sturtz, November 20, 2013 After the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) passed the Senate with bi-partisan support, all eyes turned to the House. It seems when we looked there, the Bill had been buried in four different committees and House Speaker John Boehner … More APB put out on ENDA

Transgender Day of Remembrance |Remembering Naoimi

November 20, 2013

On International Transgender Day of Remembrance ZIMBABWE’S GALZ Pays Tribute to Naoimi Posted by Melanie Nathan, Nov. 20, 2013. We pay tribute to Naomi, Zimbabwe’s very own trans woman who championed the struggle for LGBTI rights in so many ways. She came out at a time when there was very little to no information on … More Transgender Day of Remembrance |Remembering Naoimi

New Yorkers Urged to Reflect on Transgender Day of Remembrance

November 20, 2013

Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) Observes Transgender Day of Remembrance  Organization Urges New Yorkers to Reflect on All Those Lost to Anti-Transgender Violence Including Harlem Resident, Islan Nettles New York, NY, November 20, 2013- On this 15th Transgender Day of Remembrance, the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) is urging New Yorkers to … More New Yorkers Urged to Reflect on Transgender Day of Remembrance

Homophobic Jamaican star Sizzla denied visa to U.S.

November 19, 2013

By Cathy Kristofferson, November 19, 2013 The Jamaica Observer is reporting that Jamaican Rastafarian star Sizzla has been denied a visa into the U.S. for his tour scheduled for this month and December. Sizzla has been called out for his homophobic lyrics for at least the last decade. In the past he has had concerts cancelled in multiple … More Homophobic Jamaican star Sizzla denied visa to U.S.

South Africa Mall Collapses Traps 40 Construction Workers

November 19, 2013

BBC Reports that two people have died and about 40 are feared trapped after a roof collapsed at the construction site of a South African shopping mall, paramedics say. Rescue teams are working in the dark to find those beneath the rubble at the site in Tongaat, north of Durban. Crisis Medical, an emergency service … More South Africa Mall Collapses Traps 40 Construction Workers

London protests Ugandan witch-hunts and show trials of LGBT people

November 18, 2013

By Melanie Nathan, November 18, 2013. Obscuring the photo of a gorilla in the window, an enticement for London’s tourists to keep Uganda’s safari and wildlife tourism going strong, were a group of LGBT human rights defenders and allies, protesting the horror that is now impacting Uganda’s LGBT community.  Many gay people are waiting in … More London protests Ugandan witch-hunts and show trials of LGBT people

NOM fails to present public tax returns at deadline

November 17, 2013

By melanie Nathan, Nov 17, 2013. We all know that cashing in can be a lucrative enterprise for those who have declared war on marriage equality in the United States. National Organization for Marriage (NOM) under the leadership of Brian Brown, in the footsteps of Maggie Gallagher, is one such organization. Rights Equal Rights (RER), under … More NOM fails to present public tax returns at deadline

South Africans want to Ban Melissa Bachman the Lion Killer

November 16, 2013

Show presenter Melissa Bachman slammed after posting photo of lion she killed in South Africa  By Melanie Nathan, November 16, 2013, 5:14 AM “Bachman posted a smiling picture of herself with a dead lion in front of her, gushing about her ‘incredible hunting day.’ Her enthusiasm was not shared by thousands of others, who signed … More South Africans want to Ban Melissa Bachman the Lion Killer

Gay positive PSA ban upheld in Jamaica

November 16, 2013

By Cathy Kristofferson, November 16, 2013 The Jamaica Gleaner is reporting that Maurice Tomlinson has lost his suit against Jamaica’s major television stations TVJ and CVM for refusing to air his gay positive “Love and Respect” Public Service Announcements (PSA). The court found that Tomlinson’s freedom of expression does not give him the right to … More Gay positive PSA ban upheld in Jamaica

GAY U.S.A. the Movie Launches Magnificent Marriage Equality Video

November 16, 2013

By Melanie Nathan, November 16, 2013 Lest I forget this caveat, I am co-producing the film GAY U.S.A. the Movie, with Kristina Lapinski, the ‘lesbian filmmaker,’ famed amongst other antics, for tackling Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, at a Tea Party Debate. This, the latest video, poised to go viral, captures a series of extraordinary … More GAY U.S.A. the Movie Launches Magnificent Marriage Equality Video

Symposium Denies Laws Responsible for Violence in Russia

November 15, 2013

By Cathy Kristofferson, November 15, 2013 As we posted earlier, friend of OBLOGDEE Ellen Sturtz attended today’s World Congress of Families (WCF) Symposium “Family Policy Lessons from Other Lands : What should America Learn?” What the WCF believes America should learn sounds like a whole lot of denial! Here are some of the claims and insights … More Symposium Denies Laws Responsible for Violence in Russia

Boehner Houses Anti-gay Family Symposium kicked out of Senate building

November 15, 2013

“Cathy, I want to tell you I’m shaking and I have a bad taste in my mouth. Just repulsed. A shower will not help.”  By Cathy Kristofferson, November 15, 2013 Late last night, The World Congress of Families Symposium “Family Policy Lessons from Other Lands : What should America Learn?” was denied their original meeting … More Boehner Houses Anti-gay Family Symposium kicked out of Senate building

Outrage in Ugandan LGBT Community as Activist Faces Possible Life in Prison

November 15, 2013

Outrage as basic rights are infringed  By Melanie Nathan, November 15, 2013. Samuel K. Ganafa,  Executive Director of Spectrum Uganda Initiatives and Board Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), was arrested on Tuesday November 12, 2013.  He had reported to Kasangati Police Station on the outskirts of Kampala pursuant to a phone call from the … More Outrage in Ugandan LGBT Community as Activist Faces Possible Life in Prison

Family Symposium Uses Anti-Gay Russian Law to Promote its Message in U.S. Senate Building

November 14, 2013

By Melanie Nathan, Nov 14, 2013. Using an official Senate space, American supporters of Russia’s anti-LGBT laws will come to Capitol Hill tomorrow to argue that these hateful policies should serve as an example for us here in United States. The American anti-gays such as Scott Lively have provoked the Hate Bills in foreign jurisdictions … More Family Symposium Uses Anti-Gay Russian Law to Promote its Message in U.S. Senate Building

Unlawful Arrest of Ugandan LGBT Executive Director

November 14, 2013

Five men detained without cause By Melanie Nathan, November 14, 2013 Samuel K Ganafa, The Executive Director of Spectrum Uganda Initiatives and Board Chairperson of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), was arrested on Tuesday November 12, 2013.  He had reported to Kasangati Police Station on the outskirts of Kampala pursuant to a phone call from the … More Unlawful Arrest of Ugandan LGBT Executive Director

Pirira|Off Broadway to stage play set in Malawi

November 14, 2013

‘Pirira,’ Set in Malawi & NYC, to debut off-Broadway on Friday, Nov. 15 | Written by J. Stephen Brantley, critically acclaimed ‘Pirira’ will run Nov. 15-24 at West End Theatre By Melanie Nathan, Nov 14, 2013. As the tiny African nation of Malawi erupts in riots around them, American aid workers Jack and Ericka take … More Pirira|Off Broadway to stage play set in Malawi

Is Uganda’s Kill the Gays Bill Going to be THIS year’s XMAS gift?

November 13, 2013

So was the promise really for THIS Xmas? Last year around this time Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga promised the Anti-Homosexuality Bill as a Xmas gift to Uganda. But it never happened. The controversial Bil, otherwise known a ” kill the Gays Bill”, continued its dirty dance on the Order Papers, Uganda’s Parliamentary … More Is Uganda’s Kill the Gays Bill Going to be THIS year’s XMAS gift?

No, surely not a photo of Anti-Gay Maxim Martsinkevich Tesak about to sodomize a man

November 13, 2013

What else can one presume from a photo like this right? What disturbs me are people who pretend not to be gay when they are actually gay. What I find even more disturbing is when men like this, are so terrified of it, that they turn their backs on their fellow gays and become persecutors … More No, surely not a photo of Anti-Gay Maxim Martsinkevich Tesak about to sodomize a man

Warrant out for Arrest of Russian Maxim Martsinkevich who Tortures and Rapes Gays

November 11, 2013

Judging by the accusations of two new victims, it would seem that Martsinkevich himself has been sexually aroused by these encounters. By Melanie Nathan, November 11, 2013. We recently featured a story here on OBLOGDEE naming Maxim Martsinkevich, also known as “Tesak”,  as WANTED – using the instance of kidnappings and assaults of young gay … More Warrant out for Arrest of Russian Maxim Martsinkevich who Tortures and Rapes Gays

Russian group visits the Castro to discuss LGBT Human Rights

November 11, 2013

By Melanie Nathan, November 11, 2013. I was privileged today to attend a meeting with the the group of LGBT Russians and organizers, at the San Francisco LGBT Center in the Castro, to discuss LGBT human rights in Russia.  The group is visitng the United States under the auspices of the Department of State’s International … More Russian group visits the Castro to discuss LGBT Human Rights

WANTED | Names and Faces of Russian Criminals who Tortured South African Student

November 8, 2013

SA student perceived as Gay tortured by Russian gangsters known as Occupy Pedophile who are given Impunity by Vladimir Putin and his homophobic regime #WANTED Let us #OUT these criminals so the world knows who they are. By Spreading this Article around we are showing the faces of the cowardly Russian criminals who lure and … More WANTED | Names and Faces of Russian Criminals who Tortured South African Student

European Union Court of Justice rules lesbian and gay asylum seekers can’t be told ‘go home and hide’

November 7, 2013

By Oram, November 07, 2013. Lesbian and gay asylum seekers in the European Union can no longer be told to go home and pretend they’re straight. The European Union Court of Justice ruled Thursday, November 7th, that ‘voluntary discretion’ is not an acceptable rationale for rejecting asylum claims based on persecution grounded in sexual orientation. … More European Union Court of Justice rules lesbian and gay asylum seekers can’t be told ‘go home and hide’

Schedule Set for Historic Anti-gay Crimes Against Humanity Trial

November 7, 2013

Community continues to rally in support of LGBT Ugandans’ case against hatemonger Scott Lively  By Cathy Kristofferson, November 7, 2013 Yesterday a scheduling meeting was held at the Crimes Against Humanity trial of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) v. Scott Lively.  Lively did not appear although he did have one supporter attend. In contrast, about 3 … More Schedule Set for Historic Anti-gay Crimes Against Humanity Trial

Russian Conductor Gergiev Fails to Convince Queer Nation

November 6, 2013

Queer Nation denounces conductor Valery Gergiev’s attempt to defend himself against charges that he is anti-LGBT in New York Times Posted by Melanie Nathan, November 06, 2013. NEW YORK— Valery Gergiev, the Russian conductor whose performances have drawn protests in New York and London this fall from gay-rights advocates opposing Russia’s new law placing restrictions … More Russian Conductor Gergiev Fails to Convince Queer Nation

Republican amendments further water down ENDA protections

November 5, 2013

What is the point of ENDA now? By Cathy Kristofferson, November 5, 2013 Republicans have introduced two amendments to the already highly contentious religious exemption of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013 (ENDA), further watering down the bill’s protections. With all Democrats already committed to vote Yes and only 59 votes secured, supporting Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) … More Republican amendments further water down ENDA protections