One year Memorial in Uganda for our Murdered Comrade David Kato

Ugandan LGBTI activists are holding a day of remembrance and services for brother David Kato , the outspoken LGBTI activist who was brutally murdered last year. Kato known to be  the most vocal gay rights advocate in Uganda, a country where homophobia is so severe that Parliament is considering a bill to execute gay people.  … More One year Memorial in Uganda for our Murdered Comrade David Kato

Oakland | An Evening Dedicated to Lesbian Poets of the Harlem Renaissance

OAKLAND – California,  and a night of poetry, music, and celebration. This event will be featuring local lgbtiqqaa poets of color, and will be dedicated to the poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Interweave and GLBT Historical Society is bringing this important event to Oakland and judging by the program and participants it promises to be … More Oakland | An Evening Dedicated to Lesbian Poets of the Harlem Renaissance

South Africa DASO Controversial Nude Interracial Ad Campaign | The Gay Version

A campaign by the student wing of South Africa’s official opposition party is just perfect for a country that has an all inclusive Constitution; and so why the big deal?  Well the Ad has caused a storm and depicts a black woman embraced by a white man. Judging by the social network comments, it would … More South Africa DASO Controversial Nude Interracial Ad Campaign | The Gay Version

Unprecedented Ruling on Immigrants’ Right | Freedom from Arbitrary Detention

Posted by Melanie Nathan, January 20, 2012 District Court Rules that “Arriving Aliens” May Not Be Subjected to Prolonged Detention Without a Hearing To Determine Whether Detention Is Justified SAN DIEGO — A district court today ruled that the Department of Homeland Security may not detain an immigrant for a prolonged period without proving that … More Unprecedented Ruling on Immigrants’ Right | Freedom from Arbitrary Detention

Zulu King Homophobic Spit on South African Constitution | President Jacob Zuma Stands by in Silence

I am calling on President Jacob Zuma to condemn homophobic remarks on Center stage in harsher terms; his feeble attempt at reprimand does not make leadership grade! By Melanie Nathan – January 23, 2011 Johannesburg – Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini has criticized people who engage in same sex relationships, labelling them as “rotten”, according … More Zulu King Homophobic Spit on South African Constitution | President Jacob Zuma Stands by in Silence

Zulu King Homophobic Remarks insult to his Gay Ancestor Shaka Zulu

By Melanie Nathan: I am calling on President Jacob Zuma to condemn homophobic remarks on Center stage in harsher terms; his feeble attempt at reprimand does not make leadership grade! Johannesburg – Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini has criticized people who engage in same sex relationships, labelling them as “rotten”, according to a newspaper report … More Zulu King Homophobic Remarks insult to his Gay Ancestor Shaka Zulu

Tunisia | Interior Minister Gay Scandal Inflames Homosexual Panic

By Guest Dan Littauer, Executive Editor of Gay Middle East Tunisia’s new interior minister, Ali Larayedh, has been embroiled in controversy and scandal as a leaked video allegedly shows him in a gay prison sex video.  This scandal has outraged and inflamed public opinion against homosexuality which was already jittery, due to the  electoral political … More Tunisia | Interior Minister Gay Scandal Inflames Homosexual Panic

Liberian Gays Assaulted | African Press and The Anti-Gay Attacks

by Melanie Nathan, January 22, 2012 In Liberia where same-sex relationships are outlawed and sodomy criminalized with fines, a Liberian pro-Gay group, “Movement in Defence of Gay and Lesbian Rights”  came under physical assault when promoting LGBT  rights. The group’s leaders, LeRoy Archie Pon-pon and Abraham Kamara, apparently escaped death last week at the hands … More Liberian Gays Assaulted | African Press and The Anti-Gay Attacks

Uganda | Visiting South African Mbeki Slams Bahati’s Kill-The-Gays Bill

Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has hit out at Ndorwa West MP David Bahati’s anti-gay Bill, telling a public audience in Kampala that what two consenting adults do in private “is really not the matter of law.” by Melanie Nathan Finally, a South African leader has spoken out publicly and forcefully against the Anti-Homosexuality … More Uganda | Visiting South African Mbeki Slams Bahati’s Kill-The-Gays Bill

Gay Zambia | Constitutional Recognition of Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation

by Charles Zambia, Guest Writer “Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in Zambia live in constant fear of detention, discrimination in education, employment, housing, and access to services, and extortion – all buttressed by the existence of sections 155 – 157 of the Penal Code and the lack of specific legal protections for LGBT people under Zambian … More Gay Zambia | Constitutional Recognition of Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation

South Africa Gay Men Murders | Possible Serial Killer Ignored by Police

“The police may well be indifferent and unmotivated to solve the murders because of the men’s sexual orientation….” SOUTH AFRICA – On 17 December 2011, 39-year-old activist and television presenter Jason Wessenaar was found stabbed to death in his home in Pretoria. The killing occurred in the early morning hours as neighbors heard screams for … More South Africa Gay Men Murders | Possible Serial Killer Ignored by Police

Russia | Pussy Riot Rock Group Arrested Protesting Putin & Sex Tourism

Russian police detained a punk group called Pussy Riot on Friday after they performed a protest song criticising Vladimir Putin next to Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow. The Pussy Riot an all-female band, wearing  brightly colored mini-dresses and balaclavas, were arrested after their protest song slammed  the “Putin-system,” prostitution, and sexism. The all female group, … More Russia | Pussy Riot Rock Group Arrested Protesting Putin & Sex Tourism

California Health Care Bill | Senator Leno’s Single-Payer Bill Clears Senate Appropriations

SB 810 Creates a Private-Public Partnership That Provides Universal Coverage by Redirecting the Funds Californians Already Spend on Health Care  SACRAMENTO – The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved the California Universal Health Care Act, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). Senate Bill 810 guarantees all Californians comprehensive, universal health care while reducing the state’s … More California Health Care Bill | Senator Leno’s Single-Payer Bill Clears Senate Appropriations

Newt Gingrich Defecated on Traditional Marriage

Open marriage and divorce seems to be what Newt Gingrich thinks marriage is about. The old news is now well documented, Newt Gingrich, who while engaged in an affair with Callista, so insensitively asked his ex-wife Marianne for a divorce, over the phone while she was attending her mother’s 84th birthday. The would be Republican … More Newt Gingrich Defecated on Traditional Marriage

SOPA BLACKOUT | WordPress Announces Internet Blackout Day For Protests

  WordPress.org is officially joining the protest against Senate Bill 968: the Protect IP Act that is coming before the U.S. Senate next week. As I wrote in my post a week ago, if this bill is passed it will jeopardize internet freedom and shift the power of the independent web into the hands of … More SOPA BLACKOUT | WordPress Announces Internet Blackout Day For Protests

SOPA BLACKOUT | Google and Wikipedia Go Dark

We have come to rely on Wikipedia, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter – our everyday lives so impacted  and adjusted accordingly. Thousands of websites are going dark today to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, (SOPA) which is designed to thwart copyright infringement but that Web experts warn could threaten the Internet as we know it. … More SOPA BLACKOUT | Google and Wikipedia Go Dark

LGBTI South Africa | Human Rights Conference Deals with Homophobia and Health Issues

PRETORIA – The Aids and Rights Alliance of Southern Africa (Arasa)  addressed a meeting of Human Rights Defender organizations to discuss human rights issues with a focus on LGBTI issues and how to improve resources for health and responses to homophobia. The two day meeting, in Pretoria, South Africa, began today and brings together human … More LGBTI South Africa | Human Rights Conference Deals with Homophobia and Health Issues

Australian Open | Laura Robson’s Rainbow Hairband Defies Margaret’s Court

by Melanie Nathan, January 17, 2012 British tennis player Laura Robson defied the Court by wearing a rainbow colored hair band in Melbourne on Monday in support of gay and lesbian rights during her match at the Australian Open. There may well be a lot more to what was meant as a gesture of solidarity … More Australian Open | Laura Robson’s Rainbow Hairband Defies Margaret’s Court

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Meet the Press 1965 Watch Video

Ned Brooks on NBC’s meet the Press in 1965 with guest Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr., from San Francisco after he delivered his sermon at Grace Cathedral.  A must watch video below will remind us on this important day of the force of the Civil Rights movement and what it takes to bring change. MLK … More Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Meet the Press 1965 Watch Video

LGBTI Refugees hurt if Canada changes Refugee Sponsorship Program

Asylum for LGBTI refugees is fraught with hurdles. Canada has been viewed as a country that provides some measure of promise and hope; but now the Canadian government is proposing changes to regulations pertaining to refugee sponsorship, which could have a dramatic impact on LGBTI applications for asylum. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) … More LGBTI Refugees hurt if Canada changes Refugee Sponsorship Program

Saudi Man Arrested for Gay Dating via Facebook

By Guests Dan Littauer and Sami Hamwi, 13.01.2012 Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) As British Prime Minister, David Cameron visits Saudi Arabia today, activists report the plight of a man arrested by the religious police who may face corporal punishment. Activists are concerned for the safety of a 30-year-old man arrested by the religious … More Saudi Man Arrested for Gay Dating via Facebook

Suicide of Gay Anti Bullying Activist EricJames Borges

Raised in an extremist Christian household, assaulted in classroom with a teacher present, EricJames Borges, 19,  was repeatedly bullied, tormented, terrorized,  for the duration of his childhood and teen  years. He came out with the video “it Gets better”  below, yet he could not live through the pain. EricJames committed suicide yesterday! “Disgusting, perverted, unnatural … More Suicide of Gay Anti Bullying Activist EricJames Borges

SABC Allows use of Airwaves to Attract Listeners to Pastor’s Anti- LGBTI Agenda

The South African LGBT community is in an uproar about Riekert Botha, a radio evangelical from South Africa who has been spewing anti-gay comments at the expense of the South African taxpayer. South Africa, which  has a fully inclusive constitution outlaws discrimination against LGBTI people and have anti-hate speech laws to  protect groups against hate … More SABC Allows use of Airwaves to Attract Listeners to Pastor’s Anti- LGBTI Agenda

Oprah Winfrey on First Graduation for South African School – The Class of 2011

The South African school year ends in December in time for summer vacation. Oprah Winfrey is in South Africa to attend graduation of the first graduating class of her elite academy and while she has spent millions on this school for underprivileged South African girls, she is now contemplating the question of  lways to make … More Oprah Winfrey on First Graduation for South African School – The Class of 2011

Marriage Equality Bill Introduced into Washington State Senate with 2 Republicans Sponsoring

Today, the Washington state senate filed a bill that would make the State seventh in the union to legalize marriage equality.  If the bill passes the Senate and is signed into law, anti-LGBT groups are likely to try and overturn it at the November ballot. The senate bill which is supported by Gov. Christine Gregoire … More Marriage Equality Bill Introduced into Washington State Senate with 2 Republicans Sponsoring

Study of Teens of Lesbian Parents shows Happy as Teens from Heterosexual Parents

The quality of life of 17-year-olds reared in lesbian-parent families did not differ from that of a matched group of adolescents who grew up in heterosexual-parent families, according to a new study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The study took 78 17-year-olds from the NLLFS—all of whom have lesbian mothers—and matched them based on … More Study of Teens of Lesbian Parents shows Happy as Teens from Heterosexual Parents

Court Rules against Anti-Gay Breakaway Episcopals in Church Property Case

A Virginia judge today has ruled against the conservative anti-homosexual breakaway Episcopal Church in Northern Virginia. The conservative group of congregations, which included infamous Truro Church, Fairfax, broke away from the main Episcopal Church … More Court Rules against Anti-Gay Breakaway Episcopals in Church Property Case

CA State Sen. Mark Leno, Rep. Lynn Woolsey to be Honored by MHRC at MLK Jr. Award Dinner

Marin County’s Human Rights Commission Highlights Connections to Civil Rights Movement30th Anniversary Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.  Award Dinner Jan. 19th. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘The Little Rock 9,’ ‘Tuskegee Airman,’ and LGBT Education Bill SB 48 will all top this year’s renowned Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Marin Awards Dinner, while the Marin … More CA State Sen. Mark Leno, Rep. Lynn Woolsey to be Honored by MHRC at MLK Jr. Award Dinner

Petition New Hampshire: Hands off Marriage Equality Rights

by Melanie Nathan, January 12, 2012, New Hampshire wants to reverse two year old marriage equality law and we cannot let that happen. The U.S. is turning toward marriage equality and not away from it. If you have not signed this petition please consider doing it now. The entire country is impacted by marriage equality … More Petition New Hampshire: Hands off Marriage Equality Rights

Calling South African President Zuma in New York to Speak to AU for LGBT Human Rights

Melanie Nathan, January 10, 2012 President Jacob Zuma arrived in New York on Tuesday ahead of South Africa’s officially assuming the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for January. “SA will utilize its presidency to continue exploring concrete measures for strengthening the relationship between the United Nations and regional organizations, in particular the African … More Calling South African President Zuma in New York to Speak to AU for LGBT Human Rights