Category: East Africa
Ugandan activists welcome new UNAIDS leader, Ugandan Winnie Byanyima
Gay rights activists in Uganda have welcomed the appointment of Ms Winifred ‘Winnie’ Karagwa Byanyima, a Ugandan national, as the new executive direct [...]
Fear: If unchained, faith-based bias would crush LGBT medical care
Gay Africans barred from medical care. A rise in HIV infections in homophobic countries. Reduced access to health care for LGBTI people both in the Un [...]
Uganda: Activist ‘was already condemned’ before trial
Political activist and strong gay ally Stella Nyanzi was sentenced on Aug. 2 to 18 months in prison after being convicted of "cyber harassment" for pu [...]
Nigeria’s first lesbian documentary film is finally here
The Equality Hub, a Lagos-based Nigerian human rights non-governmental organization, has produced Nigeria's first lesbian-focused documentary film.
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Roundup of 76 gay African refugees: Desperate, dangerous, confusing times
Confusion surrounds this week's heartless decision to move 76 gay refugees from Nairobi back to the often violently homophobic Kakuma refugee camp fro [...]
Religious leaders warn gay tourists: Ethiopia might kill you
Conservative Christian and Muslim leaders in Ethiopia are trying to block a trip planned for gay American tourists who want to see ancient religious s [...]
Defeat in Kenya didn’t reverse gay Africans’ gains
Two gay rights advocates see encouraging signs for LGBT+ Africans, even though Kenya's High Court refused to overturn that nation's anti-gay laws.
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Kenya refuses to overturn anti-gay laws
Kenya's High Court today missed an opportunity to move the country forward. Instead, it ruled that the nation's repressive anti-homosexuality laws are [...]
Uganda: Five months in prison awaiting verdict
More than five months after her arrest for offending Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, outspoken LGBT and women's rights activist Stella Nyanzi remai [...]
Kenyan queer refugees win freedom; hunger strike ends
Reports from Nairobi say that the hunger strike by LGBTQ refugee advocate Mbazira Moses and his supporters has succeeded in winning authorities' promi [...]
Uganda: Queer-themed magazine focuses on mental health
Kuchu Times Media Group, a Ugandan LGBT media advocacy enterprise, has launched the fourth edition of its powerful queer-themed "Bombastic" magazine. [...]
Kenyan refugee leader threatens hunger strike; 20 still in jail
Mbazira Moses, leader of the Refugee Flag Kenya advocacy group, threatened today to wage a hunger strike until 20 jailed LGBT refugees have been relea [...]
LGBT refugees protest Kenya arrests and jail time
LGBT refugee activists gathered outside a Nairobi courtroom today to protest the mistreatment of 20 LGBT refugees who were arrested at an earlier prot [...]
20 gay refugees protest, then are jailed in Kenya
Twenty LGBTQ refugees who fled from anti-gay violence in Uganda are being held in Nairobi-area jails after they protested against mistreatment by Keny [...]
Kenyan court rejects anti-gay, anti-lesbian appeal
The Kenyan Court of Appeal today rejected a government attempt to block registration of an LGBT advocacy group, the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rig [...]
Gay bishops, not gay spouses, welcome at Anglican meeting
Several African churches are protesting the decision by the top Anglican archbishop to invite gay bishops to an upcoming worldwide gathering of the ch [...]
Kenyan court delays decision on anti-gay law
Kenya's High Court in Nairobi today delayed a much-anticipated ruling on a lawsuit challenging the nation's anti-gay laws.
From the African Hum [...]
Trump official’s push for gay rights focuses on Iran, not Africa
The 33 African nations with anti-gay laws seem to be a side issue for U.S. ambassador Richard Grenell, who has announced a worldwide campaign against [...]
Gay refugees suffer in Kenya’s UN-enforced squalor
Living conditions for gay refugees in Kenya remain terrible after the U.N. refugee agency's decision to move about 200 of them from the Kakuma refugee [...]
Gays welcome at new Uganda church
Uganda's new LGBTQ-affirming church had its first service on Dec. 23.
From the African Human Rights Media Network
Kuchu Times reports:
LG [...]
Christmas in prison for outspoken Ugandan gay ally
Political activist, gay ally and devoted mother Stella Nyanzi will spend Christmas in prison, still awaiting court action stemming from her Nov. 2 arr [...]
Gay refugees escape Kakuma’s dangers, reach Nairobi’s squalor
The U.N. refugee agency has moved more than 200 gay refugees from dangers of Kakuma refugee camp to safety in crowded, unsanitary quarters in Nairobi. [...]
Anglican Church must pay Kenyan priests it said were gay
A Kenyan court has ordered the homophobic Anglican Church of Kenya to pay U.S. $67,000 to three priests whom it ousted in 2015 on unproven allegations [...]
Gay arrests in Malawi: More mixed signals on gay rights
The southeast African country of Malawi remains torn about homosexuality -- unwilling to repeal its anti-homosexuality law, but also unwilling to enfo [...]
Cutting aid to Tanzania: It worked (somewhat)
Cutting off foreign aid to homophobic countries can work, but only as a weapon that's used with discretion. That seems to be the moral of the story of [...]
U.N.: We’re moving LGBT refugees out of unsafe Kakuma Camp
The U.N. refugee agency announced today that it is moving LGBT+ refugees to safe houses in Nairobi, evacuating them from Kenya's huge Kakuma Camp wher [...]
Welcome, Kevin Hart and other formerly anti-gay converts
COMMENTARY: The Kevin Hart case shows the LGBTQ community how it SHOULD NOT respond to reformed homophobes, says Edwin Sesange, African gay rights act [...]
Commentary: Help LGBT Africans by cutting aid to anti-gay Tanzania
Many African LGBT activists urge Western donors not to cut off aid to Tanzania or other homophobic African nations, even when those countries launch a [...]
Commentary: Withholding aid to Tanzania is a bad idea
LGBT+ Tanzanians will lose out and become scapegoats if donors cut aid, says Anthony Oluoch, program manager for the LGBT+ rights organization Pan Afr [...]
Stella Nyanzi: A mom / activist’s writings from prison
In her writings from prison, longtime gay activist Stella Nyanzi proves herself to be a devoted mother as well as a fierce opponent of Ugandan Preside [...]
Uganda: Mom, activist, gay ally Stella Nyanzi imprisoned again
Political activist and devoted mother Stella Nyanzi, a strong gay ally, has been imprisoned again, this time for new online insults directed at Uganda [...]
Tanzania: 10 men released with ‘no evidence’ against them
Police in Tanzania say they found no reason to press charges against 10 men arrested Saturday in Zanzibar on suspicion of homosexual activity. The men [...]
Tanzania’s anti-gay purge vanished into thin air?
Many signs suggested that this week's threatened roundup of gay Tanzanians was a nightmare that had vanished with the light of day. That might still t [...]
Tanzania government disavows Monday’s anti-gay roundup
The Tanzanian government distanced itself Sunday from Dar es Salaam governor Paul Makonda and his plans for an anti-gay roundup starting today (Monday [...]
U.N. to Tanzania: Your duty is to protect LGBT people
As Tanzanian officials prepare for a threatened round-up of gay citizens, the United Nations' top human rights official reminded them of their duty to [...]
Tanzania plans anti-gay police state, not without opposition
The Tanzanian plan for a public surveillance squad and police round-up of gay Tanzanians ran into strong opposition today, even as reports circulated [...]
Tanzania hunts homosexuals, threatens ’round-up’
A Tanzanian official is threatening to launch a round-up of homosexuals starting next week. Paul Makonda, the governor of Dar-es-Salaam, said his anti [...]
Anti-gay law in Kenya might die in February
The Kenyan High Court in Nairobi has set Feb. 22, 2019, as the date when it will announce whether it will overturn the law condemning people convicted [...]
Gay rights? ‘Shut up’ says world parliamentary forum
A coalition of largely anti-gay nations has voted to block discussion of LGBT rights at a global forum of parliamentary governments.
The Inte [...]
Kanye and Kim missed their chance to make a difference
Outspoken rapper Kanye West once urged the hip-hop community to switch off its homophobia, but on Monday he missed the chance to do the same to Uganda [...]
Create a safe place for LGBT Ugandans? Official refuses
A plan to create a safe gathering place for Uganda's LGBT community has run into opposition from Uganda's anti-gay ethics minister, who says the propo [...]
How can LGBTI activists avoid burnout and depression?
How can LGBTI activists working in a hostile environment such as Uganda combat the dangers of burnout and depression? To answer that question, Kikonyo [...]
Uganda honors the work of health-rights activist journalist
The Ugandan government has honored LGBTI right-to-health activist / human rights defender / journalist Kikonyogo Kivumbi “in recognition of his valuab [...]
Uganda: Homophobic archbishop will retire
The homophobic Anglican Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali, has said he will retire on March 1, 2020.
Local Ugandan media [...]
Protesters: Uganda must free tortured activist singer
Protesters in London are demanding an end to the torture and detention of Ugandan activist singer/politician Robert Kyagulanyi. The protest is schedul [...]
As Museveni wins peace prize, he wars against homosexuals
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni waged verbal war on homosexuality on Aug. 2, even as he accepted an international peace prize. He demanded that the [...]
LGBTI activists at risk of burnout; what can we do?
Last month's rejection of the LGBTI community by former LGBTI activist Val Kalende has shined a spotlight on disturbing flaws in how activists are tre [...]
Ugandans flee anti-gay Kakuma, find worse in Malawi
Trouble was all that four desperate Ugandan LGBTI refugees found when they tried to escape from the homophobia and food shortages of Kenya's Kakuma re [...]
Uganda: Why Val Kalende ‘renounced lesbianism’
Longtime Ugandan activist Kikonyogo Kivumbi explores the background of former activist Val Kalende's decision to turn away from the LGBTI community.
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Trans group serves trans youths? Ugandan landlord balks
An organization that advocates for the rights and equality of trans youth in Uganda has been forced to temporarily shut down operations after being or [...]