· December, 2010

Stories about LGBTQ+ from December, 2010

Glimpses of Citizen Media from Portuguese language countries in 2010

  31 December 2010

Throughout 2010 the lusophone blogsphere has given new perspectives on important issues that mainstream media tends to ignore. Read this post and discover a selection of the voices that Global Voices has amplified - from citizen media phenomena, to politics, governance and indigenous peoples.

Armenia: Homosexuality & National Security?

  27 December 2010

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on a recent statement from the Secretary of Armenia's National Security Council, Artur Baghdasarian, labeling homosexuals as a ‘extremely dangerous.’ The blog says that such comments are not only homophobic and in violation of Armenia's human rights commitments, but is also totally at odds with a...

Cuba: Change of vote on LGBT Rights

  25 December 2010

The LGBT activist and blogger Paquito commends [es] the Cuban government for changing its vote at the United Nations after having previously supported an amendment to remove the explicit reference to sexual orientation from the periodic resolution condemning extrajudicial, arbitrary or summary executions.

South Africa: Corrective rape is a hate crime

  24 December 2010

Corrective rape is a criminal practice, whereby men rape lesbian women, purportedly as a means of “curing” the woman of her sexual orientation. Despite South Africa being the first nation on earth to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, the first African country to legalize same-sex marriage and the world’s first republic to guarantee LGBT citizens equal rights in all realms of life (including adoption and military service), cases of corrective rape have been on the rise.

Trinidad & Tobago: A Vote vs. Human Rights

  24 December 2010

Trinidad and Tobago bloggers are upset about their country's abstention on a UN vote regarding an amendment to a resolution “condemning extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions” which “restores a reference to sexual orientation in the list of groups of people particularly targeted in extrajudicial killings.”

Caucasus: The Year in Review

  23 December 2010

With 2011 nearly upon us, the year in new and social media in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia during 2010 was surprisingly positive. So, what did the past year hold in store for the South Caucasus? Read on.

Uruguay: Gay Rights in Uruguay

  22 December 2010

In the blog for Ola Uruguay, Jane McDevitt writes about Gay rights in Uruguay: “The current president’s much publicised liberal political ideology is being put to the test, as pressure increases from gay rights activists and human rights groups to legalize gay marriage, in a country where church influence on...

Puerto Rico: A Charming Podcast with Plenty of Bite

  21 December 2010

The members of the podcast Kitty Kitty Dinosaur come from all walks of life. The team tries to take some time off their busy schedules every two weeks or so to talk about the current media climate and state of affairs in Puerto Rico. Global Voices interviewed them about the Puerto Rican blogosphere, social media networks, online freedom of expression, mainstream media and gender.

Cuba: Mariela Castro Espín on LGBT Rights

  18 December 2010

Vladia comments [es] on Mariela Castro Espin's –director of the Cuban National Center for Sex Education, and daughter of President Raúl Castro– opinions and analysis on the future of LGBT rights in Cuba.

Africa: Corrective rape testimonies from around Africa

  17 December 2010

Rose highlights corrective rape testimonies from around Africa: “it’s really important to point out how the increasing incidences of violence against gay people in Africa include the grotesque practice of corrective rape, where women are raped, and in some cases, infected with HIV and/or made pregnant.”

Brazil: Pension rights for gay couples

  11 December 2010

Marcelo Marques in Blog do Bacana [pt] informs of a recent decision by the Social Security Ministry in enforcing a rule that recognizes that the social security benefits to relatives, such as pension in case of death, must include partners of same sex in stable marriage.

Cuba: UN Vote on LGBT Rights Sparks Controversy

  10 December 2010

During the UN General Assembly, Cuba supported the amendment to remove the explicit reference to sexual orientation from the periodic resolution condemning the extrajudicial, arbitrary or summary executions. The vote has sparked a debate in the Cuban blogosphere that has reached the governmental sphere.

South Africa: Lesbian activist Ncumisa Mzamelo murdered

  4 December 2010

Black Looks on the murder of the South African lesbian activist Ncumisa Mzamelo: “Three weeks after Ncumisa Mzamelo was found dead her story was published on page 16 of the South African newspaper, The Star. This is a story of a brutal murder of a Black lesbian from Bhambayi in...

Uganda: Why do i fight wars about my sexuality?

  4 December 2010

Gay Ugandan explains why he fights wars about his sexuality: “So, why do I fight the wars about my sexuality? No worthier causes? [Well, my life might depend on it, life and liberty. But, I am a chameleone. I do not have to fight. I can blend in and hide...

Cuba: UN Vote Not In Our Name

  2 December 2010

Generation Y “still can't believe that the Cuban delegation at the United Nations added its vote to a group of countries that include homosexuality as a crime under the law”, adding: “It goes without saying that no one consulted Cubans before ratifying — in our name — a resolution that...

Taiwan: Blogger initiate “It gets better” campaign in Taiwan

  2 December 2010

Wikipedian, blogger, and gay right activist mingwangx vows to initiate “it gets better” campaign in Taiwan in his new post[zht]. He was shocked and saddened by yesterday's news about “two Taiwanese 16 year-old college lesbians committed suicide because their families had been asking them to break up”, and he thinks...

El Salvador: “Entre Amigos” Helps LGBT With HIV/AIDS

  1 December 2010

The Latin Americanist shares information on HIV/AIDS in Latin America: “over two million people in the region are hit with HIV, ‘more than in the U.S., Canada, Japan and the UK combined.'” The post finishes with a video of Entre Amigos (Among Friends), a charity in El Salvador: “Their work...