Stories about LGBTQ+ from December, 2010
Glimpses of Citizen Media from Portuguese language countries in 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.
Uganda: On 10 Most Influential Persons in Uganda
David Bahati, a Member of Parliament in Uganda who presented the Anti- Homosexual Bill, which would classify “aggravated homosexuality” as a capital offence is one of The Ten Most Influential Persons in Uganda in 2010.
Armenia: Homosexuality & National Security?
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Malaysia: ‘Justice for Sisters’ campaign
‘Justice for sisters’ is a grassroots campaign to raise public awareness about issues faced by the Mak Nyah community in Malaysia. Mak nyah is a Malay term for a male-to-female transsexual.
South Africa: Lesbian activist Ncumisa Mzamelo murdered
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?
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...
Iraq: Black Day in the UN
Iraqi Wamith Al-Kassab is concerned the UN is not doing enough to protect gay people.
Cuba: UN Vote Not In Our Name
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...
Lusophone countries: anti-capitalist portal, ten months on
Diário Liberdade (Daily Freedom, pt/gz), an anti-capitalist portal serving left-wing activist groups in the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia and Portuguese-speaking countries, analyses its first ten months online.
Taiwan: Blogger initiate “It gets better” campaign in Taiwan
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
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...
