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14 June 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on LGBTI rights
Articles
Gay Kenyans hope for legal win, eyeing broader shift in Africa
by Yahoo News, 13 Jun 2018
In February, Kenya’s high court heard arguments in a case challenging the country’s colonial-era anti-homosexuality law, which prohibits “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” – or put more simply, gay sex – as a felony punishable with up to 14 years in prison. The case is expected to be decided later this year.
It’s part of a wider groundswell, in which lawyers and activists are using increasingly receptive courts to slowly chip away at legal prohibitions against homosexuality across the continent. (Homosexual sex is still explicitly criminalized in more than 30 countries in Africa.) In coming months, a court in Botswana will also hear a case challenging its “carnal knowledge” law, and activists hope the two cases will help spark change elsewhere – in part, because they point to legal acceptance of LGBT rights within Africa, not just outside it.
Russian LGBT group sets up safety hotline for visiting World Cup fans
by Outsports, 13 Jun 2018
With the World Cup starting Thursday in Russia — a country that can be hostile to LGBT people — an activist group has set up a safety hotline for any visiting fans who feel threatened.
The St. Petersburg-based group Coming Out notes that “although Russia promises to demonstrate a high level of tolerance and security, foreign football organizations warn LGBT fans that there are no effective laws in Russia that would protect them against potential manifestations of intolerance.”
Korean LGBTQ experts push for peace
by Los Angeles Blade, 13 Jun 2018
A brief statement signed June 12 by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un concluded a historic summit in Singapore. The agreement was short on details but fodder for explosive speculation.
Trump committed the U.S. to vague “security guarantees” in exchange for a “firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” with no specific language about verification or a timeline.
Bookmakers give £10,000 to LGBTI charity every time Russia scores in World Cup
by Gaystar News, 13 Jun 2018
The 2018 FIFA World Cup begins tomorrow, 14 June, in Russia. The bookmaker company Paddy Power announced its support of the host country in an interesting way.
Every time Russia, a country known for its anti-LGBTI stances, scores a goal, Paddy Power will donate £10,000 to Attitude magazine’s Foundation. The money will go towards a campaign tackling homophobia in football.
Working with Foundation, the donations will support:
- Challenge LGBT+ prejudice on and off the field
- Support footballers and those in the game in coming out
- Fund educational programmes in schools and colleges
- Make grass-roots teams safe spaces for LGBT+ players
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Parents of LGBTI kids from former Soviet countries key to ending homophobia
by Gaystar News, 13 Jun 2018
A group in the Ukraine is helping train parents from former Soviet countries be better allies for their LGBTI children.
Tergo is the first official organization in the Ukraine providing support and training to parents and families of LGBTI people.
The group acknowledges that ‘Ukraine is far from being an ideal place to live for LGBT+ people’. But it also knows it’s much luckier than other former Soviet countries in that it’s allowed to exist at all.
For five years, Tergo has endured ongoing attacks from right-wing groups and runs completely without any government financial support.
Vatican-backed Catholic rally to host panel on welcoming LGBTI people: There will also be sessions on protecting children from clerical abuse
by Gaystar News, 12 Jun 2018
A major Catholic rally, supported by the Vatican, will host a speech on welcoming gay and lesbian people to the Church.
The World Meeting of Families is a Catholic Church run event taking place in Dublin, Ireland 21-26 August. Pope Francis will attend for the final two days. It will culminate with a large-scale mass at Phoenix Park.
The event yesterday released further program details.
Major topics of the gathering include, among other issues, the impact of technology on the family and the impact of conflict on faith and the family. But it is some of the smaller events that may raise eyebrows.
Beirut Pride Was Forcibly Canceled. Lebanon’s LGBTQ Community Remains Undeterred
by Huffington Post, 11 Jun 2018
BEIRUT ― Behind a building in the northern outskirts of the city, a crowd gathered around a black door.
Inside, drag queens beat their faces with makeup to prepare for the Grand Ball, a nod to the queer subculture that flourished in New York City during the 1970s and ’80s, popularized in the famous documentary “Paris is Burning.” On the catwalk, they danced to Bonnie Tyler’s “I Need a Hero” and other pop songs in Arabic as their young audience roared with applause.