· August, 2011

Stories about LGBTQ+ from August, 2011

Cameroon: Deeply homophobic laws

  28 August 2011

Talking about risk of toughening the law on homosexuality in Cameroon, the bonaberi.com site reveals [fr] that: “While the first paragraph of Section 347-1 of the penal code banned homosexuality, the second and third sections state sentences of up to eight years for homosexuality committed by minors between 16 and...

Jamaica: No Love for Gays?

  16 August 2011

“The situation in Jamaica concerning the status and well-being of its homosexual citizens continues to evolve in a one step forward-two steps backward manner”: Active Voice explains.

Cuba: First “Gay” Marriage

  15 August 2011

This past weekend, a gay man and a trans-sexual woman, got married. In Cuba - on the same day that Fidel Castro turned 85. Bloggers weigh in on the landmark event, including Cuba's most well-known netizen, Yoani Sanchez, who acted as matron of honour.

Mexico City's 1000th Gay Wedding

  15 August 2011

“Mexican national José Carlos Gómez and the Dutch Tjarda Olaf Helias became the 1000th gay couple to legally wed in Mexico City”, writes Aguachile, and adds: “I don't know about yours, but neither one of those thousand has made my own marriage feel threatened in the slightest.”

Brazil: Constraining the “Spread” of Homosexuality by Law

  13 August 2011

The City Council of São José dos Campos, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, has approved a law by the councilman Cristõvao Gonçalves that forbids the “disclosure of any material that may induce children to homosexuality”, reports [pt] the blog Eleições Hoje (Elections Today).

Jamaica: The “Performance of Gender”

  12 August 2011

“Everyone is involved in this baseless discrimination. Effeminacy is apparently extremely off-putting. The effeminate man, whether he is gay or straight, catches a whole lot of hell”: Under the Saltire Flag suggests that “what is being policed is not sexuality, but gender.”

Cuba: Gay “Wedding”

  12 August 2011

“When did we Cubans become prudish and old-fashioned? What were our reasons or intentions for not joining the twenty-first century?”: Generation Y blogs about Wendy and Ignacio, a gay couple who will cement their relationship this coming weekend and “[place] our country into the third millennium, into the desired time...

Brazil: Hetero Pride or Homo Intolerance?

  9 August 2011

On August 2, 2011, the city council of Sao Paulo, Brazil, established Heterosexual Pride Day, an event to be celebrated on the third Sunday in December. Indignant netizens are asking the question: does it make sense to dedicate a day to a majority social group that does not suffer any kind of prejudice?

Brazil: Proposal to Award a Homophobic Pastor Causes Outrage

  5 August 2011

The proposal of Rose Sales, councilwoman of the city of São Luis from the Communist Party of Brazil, to award a “Title of Citizen of São Luís” to the pastor Silas Malafaia has caused outrage among the defenders of gay rights. Malafaia is considered by many a homophobic preacher, tells...

Norway: The Lesbian Couple who Saved 40 Teenagers

  3 August 2011

U.S. gay rights blog Talk About Equality explain what compelled them to write a hugely popular post earlier this week calling attention to a lesbian married couple who rescued 40 teenagers during the massacre on Utøya island in Norway last week.