Four out of 10 LGBTQ people in Italy believe discrimination has damaged them at work, a survey by national statistics bureau ISTAT and state anti-discrimination office UNAR showed on Monday.
Among those surveyed, 41.4% said that being gay or bisexual had been a disadvantage for their career, professional recognition or salary, especially among payroll workers in the private sector.
More than six out of 10 preferred not to speak about their private lives at work in order to avoid revealing their sexual orientation, the survey showed.
The poll was carried out in 2022 and surveyed 1,200 people.
LGBTQ rights and gender equality in Italy have been a particularly sensitive issue since right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to power seven months ago vowing to combat what she called the “LGBT lobby.”
Her government has told mayors to stop registering the children of same-sex parents and the ruling majority has submitted a bill to parliament aimed at prosecuting couples who go abroad to have a baby via a surrogate, mainly targeting gay couples.
In a historic ruling, the Supreme Court of Namibia has ruled that the government is required to recognize same-sex marriages performed legally in other nations between citizens and foreign nationals.
In a 4-1 vote, the judges overturned a previous ruling from the country’s High Court that said these marriages could not be acknowledged.
The litigants spoke with LGBTQ Nation about their fight for equal rights.
“This Court accordingly found that the approach of the Ministry to exclude spouses, including the appellants, in a validly concluded same-sex marriage… infringes both the interrelated rights to dignity and equality of the appellants,” stated the ruling.
The lawsuit was brought by a Namibian woman who married a German woman, as well as a Namibian man who married a South African man (South Africa is the only African country where same-sex marriage is legal). The non-Namibian spouses could not obtain resident rights in the country, so the couples sued.
Homosexuality remains illegal in the Christian-majority nation, though according to Africa News, the 1927 sodomy law is almost never enforced.
“Today’s verdict and outcome clearly indicates that Namibia is moving towards recognizing diversity in this country irrespective of people’s political or social positioning,” LGBTQ+ rights activist Linda Baumann told Reuters.
“Today after a six-year battle, we finally won, and the court has ruled that the Ministry of Home Affairs has to recognize these marriages by foreign spouses to Namibian spouses,” Carli Schickerling, a lawyer who represented the couples, told VOA.
Baumann also spoke with VOA and cautioned that there are so many more rights to fight for.
“It is important to understand the status of this case; it’s couples that are coming back to this country to claim their right to equality, their right to dignity and their right to family. To answer that question about same-sex marriages, I believe that a lot of LGBTQ people in this country, we experience a number of inequalities in service, in benefits, in having the right to say something over your partner.”
She hopes this ruling will lead to other rights for same-sex couples as well.
Mark your calendars for the SF Pride 2023 Kick Off, “A Night of Queer Entertainment,” taking place at the legendary Castro Theatre on Friday, June 2nd at 7pm. Prepare to be enthralled by an evening of dazzling queer entertainment, featuring excerpts from the powerful play “Compton Cafeteria Riots,” captivating movie shorts “Mrs. Vera’s Daybook” and “The Girl from 7th Avenue,” and the extraordinary vocal talents of Tori Teasley.
This year our pride celebration is more crucial than ever. On June 25th, as we march down Market St., let us reaffirm our commitment to San Francisco’s role as a beacon of hope for our nation and the world. In this city, we embrace the freedom to be ourselves and love whomever we choose. Join us in ensuring that SF Pride carries on the profound work of the past 53 years; educating the world, commemorating our heritage, celebrating our culture, and liberating our people. The resilience of SF Pride shone brightly in 2022, as we hosted our first in-person event since 2019. Although the pandemic has severely impacted our revenue, necessitating the replenishment of our reserves and the adoption of new strategies to sustain the Parade and Celebration, we are thrilled to bring you a memorable pride season.
SF Pride is funded entirely by donations, and every ounce of your support matters. Click here to help us further our mission and get your ticket for our kick-off soiree on Eventbrite! We eagerly anticipate your presence at this remarkable event, as we come together to celebrate our community’s resilience, diversity, and collective spirit. Suzanne Ford (she/her) Executive Director SF Pride
About San Francisco PrideThe San Francisco Pride Celebration Committee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to produce the San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade. The mission of the organization is to educate the world on LGBTQ+ issues, as well as to commemorate the heritage, celebrate the culture, and liberate the people of all LGBTQ+ communities. As a world leader in the Pride movement, San Francisco Pride is also a grant-giving organization through its Community Partners Program. Since 1997, San Francisco Pride has granted more than $3 million in proceeds to local nonprofit LGBTQ+ organizations as well as to organizations working on issues related to HIV/AIDS, cancer, homelessness, housing rights, and animal welfare.
A Tanzanian man last month sentenced to 30 years in prison after a court convicted him of violating the country’s sodomy law.
According to LGBT VOICE Tanzania, an LGBTQ and intersex rights organization, the Kilwa District Court sentenced Muharami Hassan Nayonga to 30 years in prison after it convicted him of violating Sections 154 and 157 of the country’s Penal Code that criminalize so-called unnatural offenses and “indecent practices between males.”
LGBT VOICE Tanzania said Nayonga was a security guard who lived in Masoko Ward. He was arrested on April 13 “after he used his phone to persuade a young man known as Zalafi Selemani to be intimate with him.”
“After the arrest, Muharami was examined by health professionals who found that he had engaged and engages in unnatural sex,” said LGBT VOICE Tanzania. “He was then brought to court and confessed his crimes where he was sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Resident Magistrate of the Court, Carolina Mtui, under case number 27 of 2023.”
LGBT VOICE Tanzania accused the country’s government of violating Nayonga’s human rights.
“Using Sections 154 and 157 of the Penal Code to persecute LGBTQIA people is a violation of human rights and a violation of the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania,” said LGBT VOICE Tanzania.
There have been consistent reports of discrimination and violence against LGBTQ and intersex Tanzanians in recent years. These include murder, assault, harassment and denial of basic rights and services.
The Health Ministry in 2016 prohibited community-based organizations from conducting outreach on HIV prevention to men who have sex with men and other key populations, based on the pretext that such organizations are engaged in the promotion of homosexuality. The ministry also closed drop-in centers that provided HIV testing and other services to key populations. International organizations ran many of these centers, and the government accused them of promoting homosexuality.
The ministry also banned the distribution of lubricant.
A crackdown against LGBTQ and intersex Tanzanians has been underway since 2018; with reports of raids, mass arrests, arbitrary detention and forced anal examinations.
According to Daniel Marari, a human rights lawyer and researcher, most Tanzanians strongly oppose LGBTQ and intersex rights on the assumption that non-traditional sexual orientation or gender identity is ungodly and immoral.
“While acknowledging the presence of LGBT people in the Tanzanian society, many anti-LGBT actors find it easy to demonize the issue as un-African, and a western invention as there is no such thing as a right to homosexuality. Those who are quick to condemn homosexuality hardly bother to reflect on the scientific aspects of sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Marari.
Marari also stressed LGBTQ and intersex Tanzanians are not asking for any special rights but basic human rights like every other citizen.
“What LGBT people are asking for is the fulfillment of the Constitutional promise of equality and there is nothing specifically western about that. Tanzania has ratified international and regional treaties guaranteeing basic rights including the right of minorities and vulnerable groups and it is time it lives up to its promises,” said Marari. “There is no doubt that the criminalization of private consensual homosexual acts between adults affects the private lives of LGBT people as they cannot express their sexual or gender identity without being liable to prosecution.”
“Even where there is justification to restrict homosexual relationships so as to protect special groups like children or other vulnerable persons from sexual abuse, just as heterosexual relationships can be restricted on the same grounds, that argument would not justify all-inclusive criminal sanctions where persons involved are consenting adults,” added Marari.
Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain prohibited in Tanzania, and anyone convicted under the country’s sodomy law faces up to life in prison.
Researchers from the Williams Institute and the Social Justice Legal Foundation reviewed transcripts of 42 parole hearings in California to understand how transgender parole seekers are treated since the implementation of the Transgender, Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act.
In this report, we describe findings of research conducted by scholars at the Williams Institute in collaboration with the Social Justice Legal Foundation (SJLF) that aimed to understand how transgender parole seekers fare in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) parole hearings. As a result of a public records request by SJLF, we received transcripts of 42 parole hearings that took place between January 1, 2021 – February 28, 2022, in which persons seeking parole identified as transgender.
Our analysis shows that
Transgender individuals, aged 30 – 76, for whom transcripts were provided, were granted parole at approximately the same rate as the general population of parole seekers during that period: 31% of the transgender individuals in our sample (13 of 42) were granted parole as compared with 34% of all parole seekers in 2021, as reported by the CDCR.
Approximately 43% (16 out of 37 with relevant data) of parole hearings for transgender individuals included misgendering and/or insensitive or biased comments.
Examples of insensitive or biased statements included parole commissioners questioning whether the parole seeker would remain sober because the “LGBTQ community has big parties,” and one commissioner spending several minutes discussing whether a transgender woman is able to maintain an erection.
Examples of misgendering include a parole seeker’s own attorney misgendering them, stating that he felt “weird” about using his client’s preferred pronouns. One nonbinary individual asked the commissioners to be addressed by name, but the commissioners pushed the individual to choose a pronoun.
Some commissioners appeared moved when parole seekers spoke about how challenges stemming from being closeted as a transgender person (prior to transition) contributed to criminal behavior or how a transition could facilitate rehabilitation.
Other commissioners had negative reactions to the transgender individuals before them.
For example, one commissioner doubted that the incarcerated individual’s transgender status would make life easier on the outside, suggesting that because one parole seeker had never “lived in society as a transgender woman . . . surely it’s going to be difficult.”
Another commissioner stated, without prompting, “I don’t want to offend anybody, but your whole . . . , how you identify, is going to be an issue in the community. Right? I mean, that’s going to cause stress.”
Having an explicit parole housing plan was an important factor in granting parole—10 of 18 (56%) people with a housing plan were granted parole as compared with 3 out of 24 (13%) individuals who did not have an explicit housing plan.
Although finding appropriate transitional housing is extraordinarily challenging for transgender individuals, parole commissioners heavily consider this factor in their parole determination.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Monday a bill restricting how race and gender can be taught in Florida’s public higher education institutions and banning them from using state or federal funding for diversity programs.
At a ceremony at the New College of Florida in Sarasota, DeSantis signed three bills that he said would give students foundational skills and prevent people from imposing orthodoxies at public universities. It marked an escalation of a broader conservative effort to limit the ways schools can teach about issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Referring to the initialism for “diversity, equity and inclusion,” DeSantis said: “If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI is better viewed as standing for ‘discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,’ and that has no place in our public institutions. This bill says the whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida.”
Critics, however, say the measures, particularly Senate Bill 266, censor teachers and will make it harder to attract and support diverse populations at Florida’s schools. Andrew Gothard, the president of United Faculty of Florida, a union of faculty at Florida’s public universities, called the bill “authoritarian censorship” in a statement sent to NBC News.
“We believe in the free exchange of all ideas, and we reject efforts to control what students get to learn and what professors have the right to teach,” Gothard said.
A spokesperson for DeSantis referred a request for comment to the governor’s news conference.
Senate Bill 266, which passed the Legislature this month, will prohibit state colleges and universities from using state or federal funds for programs that promote activism or advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.
The bill also augments the study of Western civilization, directing universities, whenever applicable, to provide instruction about the history and philosophy of Western civilization, particularly the nation’s founding documents. It requires that humanities courses include selections from the Western canon.
The bill bans general education core courses that “distort” historical events or teach “identity politics.” It requires the Board of Governors, the strong majority of whose members DeSantis appoints, to review every institution’s mission and make updates or revisions as it deems necessary. The board must include in its review a directive on university programs that are “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”
Brandon Wolf, the press secretary for Equality Florida, an anti-discrimination organization, said the bill represented a “war on academic freedom.”
“From the podium today, he encouraged students that value academic freedom to look for educational opportunities elsewhere, cementing him as a governor who would rather drive away good talent than miss an opportunity to generate content for his right-wing acolytes,” Wolf said of DeSantis.
DeSantis also signed House Bill 931, which will prevent universities from requiring prospective students or faculty members to pledge loyalty to any “ideology or movement,” including to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Taken together, the three bills devote millions of dollars to civic and workforce education efforts. The laws will go into effect July 1. Protesters chanted in opposition to DeSantis as he signed the bills, according to local news reports.
New College, where DeSantis signed the measures, had been considered a progressive institution before he installed conservative allies on the board of trustees.
Homophobic gangs in Nigeria are targeting LGBTQ+ people and blackmailing them for money using fake online dating profiles, it has been revealed.
These criminals are called ‘kito’, which is a Nigerian term for a person who pretends they are queer on social media and dating apps to entrap LGBTQ+ people.
A new BBC Africa documentary, Kito: Blackmailing LGBT Nigeria, sheds light on the crimes perpetuated against the country’s LGBTQ+ community, as criminals use people’s sexual identities to blackmail them.
In Nigeria, being gay can carry a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.
In the documentary, a father of three, Mohammed, shares the story of when he was the victim of a kito gang.
Mohammed had been talking to a man named Jamal online before he decided to meet up with him.
They went back to his home and when Mohammed got into the shower, a group of men burst in and began beating him. Jamal and the gang took a video of the assault and posted it online.
“I couldn’t believe that someone I trusted could go to the extent of doing that to me,” Mohammed told the BBC.
Mohammed said he became suicidal after the experience but his son’s unconditional love kept him alive.
“I called my kids, three of them. My son told me he loves his father. Even if his father is queer, he has no issues with that,” he said.
Emmanuel, another victim of the kito, told the BBC he was also filmed after being tricked. His attackers didn’t post the video online, but instead forced him to withdraw 500,000 naira (£860) from his bank accounts and tortured him with an iron.
He said the experience hurt him “mentally” and left him feeling “insecure”.
Most of the men interviewed in the documentary lost their jobs when the blackmail videos went online.
Crimes targeting gay men using dating apps have become a common occurrence across the continent. In South Africa, authorities recently warned gay men using Grindr to be careful as criminals were using the app to find targets and blackmail them.
Legendary queer comedian Margaret Cho will be honored as the Icon Grand Marshal, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California has been named the Community Grand Mashal, and the late gay actor Leslie Jordan will be honored posthumously as the parade’s Legacy Grand Marshal.
“Christopher Street West is honored and humbled by this year’s three grand marshals,” said Gerald Garth, president of CSW, in a press release. “Each have contributed to the LGBTQ+ community in their own unique ways, furthering our fight for acceptance, equality, and justice.”
Cho said that she was excited to be selected as the Icon Grand Marshal, a recognition that goes to someone “who needs no introduction and achieved major milestones within their career and industry.” CSW said that the five-time Grammy and Emmy nominee has championed causes dear to her for years while continuing to find success in comedy.
“I’m thrilled and incredibly honored to be the Icon Grand Marshal,” Cho shared. “We need this Pride more than ever. I have been attending Pride celebrations since 1978 and this time around the need to celebrate as well as unite is more urgent than it has ever been. Our love is greater than their hate.
CSW said that Jordan will be recognized for his varied career over the last few decades and his dedication to making people laugh. The Emmy-winning actor died last year of a cardiac dysfunction. He was starring in the recently canceled Call Me Kat sitcom before his death. Jordan was well-known for his role as Beverly Leslie in Will & Grace.
“He conquered the international stage and remained an in-demand mainstay as a performer, voice-over artist, fundraiser, spokesperson, out artist, equal rights activist, and all-around Southern Baptist celebutante,” the organization said.
Jana “Cricket” Jordan, Jordan’s sister, said,“This honor further solidifies the positive impact he made in the world, but more importantly for the LGBTQ+ community. His spirit continues to bring love and light.”
The ACLU of SoCal will be celebrated for its influence and dedication to the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, the affiliate helped CSW in putting on the first L.A. Pride Parade. In 1970, the organization joined CSW in a lawsuit against the L.A. Police Commissioner to receive a permit to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City. CSW prevailed and L.A. Pride became the first permitted queer parade in the world.
“For a century, we’ve been on the front lines fighting for people to be their true, authentic selves,” said Hector Villagra, executive director of the ACLU SoCal. “We’re honored to be the Community Grand Marshal and proud to love, live among, and protect LGBTQ Californians.”
The parade route will start at Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue heading north before ending at Sunset Boulevard and Cahuenga Boulevard. The parade, which will feature a special drag performance presented by the ACLU SoCal and staged by Morgan McMichaels to music by 14-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren, will air LIVE on long-time LA Pride broadcasting partner KABC/ABC7 on Sunday, June 11 beginning at 11:00 a.m. PDT. It will also air nationally on ABC News Live and Hulu, and wherever viewers stream ABC7 including abc7.com and the ABC7LA mobile app.
Drag queens and other performers who work up and down Wilton Drive, filed into the city commission chamber at Wilton Manors City Hall.
They, along with other citizens, stood up and spoke out, urging commissioners to stand with them against the tyranny of Tallahassee.
In the end, the panel sympathized, empathized, and voted against them.
The issue was amending the permit for Stonewall Pride Inc. to force compliance of a new law that expands the definition of “live adult entertainment” to include drag entertainment. The new permit language reads: “Organization responsibilities to Include language regarding a possible new state law pursuant to SB 1438 and HB 1423 (Florida 2023). These bills, which are anticipated to become law, prohibit performances in violation of section 827.11. Florida Statutes.”
The law is still being analyzed, but it likely means no public performances by drag queens.
Queens play an integral part in Stonewall and most prides throughout the world. They host parades and stages as well as perform. It appears that will not be the case at next month’s event.
“We may be constrained by the narrowest interpretation of the law today but that does not dissuade us from our long-term fight against injustice against our community,” Jeff Stirling, CEO of Stonewall Pride Inc., told SFGN exclusively.
‘Our Community Is Not Safe’
Before the vote, more than a dozen people got up to speak against the law and the city’s acquiescence.
“The laws are just unjust,” said one speaker representing Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar. “We are entertainers. We are emcees. We are comedians in our culture, not criminals.”
Coco Lords sat near the front in full regalia representing the drag community.
“I’m here to make sure we are heard and are seen,” she said. “To show that we are one community and we have to represent each other and stand up for each other.”
Michael Rajner, chair of Broward County’s Human Rights Board, said, “We are not safe in Florida, but we stay here. Some of us are going to stay here and fight. We hope we have enough Democrats that are registered that will vote and we can start stemming that tide.”
No Good Choices
The city had few choices and none of them were good. To take a principled stand and blatantly allow the law to be broken with the city’s permission could result in political upheaval in the city.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has the right to remove elected and appointed officials if he deems they are not enforcing state laws. It is possible the entire city commission and other positions could be filled with lackeys who would blindly do the governor’s bidding.
Before the vote, Mayor Scott Newton said people marginalized by the law are still welcome to be part of the event.
“We’re proud to have drag queens and the transgender community come and walk and ride in floats down Wilton Drive. And that’s not going to change, not on our watch.”
The permit language puts the onus on Stirling, who says decisions are still being made about who will be allowed in the parade. He is open to the idea of a float or delegation of drag entertainers, since that is not a performance. In the end he wants Stonewall and the city to live to fight another day.
“There are no good answers. We’re trying to get by and fight again.”
Stonewall Pride Parade & Street Festival is scheduled for June 17 from 3-11 p.m.
Spain has become the latest country to join a U.S. initiative that seeks to promote LGBTQ and intersex rights around the world.
“The United States and Spain recognize that all human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love. Promoting and protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons is an important part of our shared foreign policy objectives,” reads a statement from the U.S. and Spanish governments the State Department issued on Wednesday.
“Consistent with its commitment to these values, Spain formally announced it would join the Global Equality Fund as a donor partner,” it adds.
The statement notes Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares on Wednesday “participated in a signing ceremony to mark this commitment.”
Argentina, Australia, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Uruguay contribute to the fund alongside the Arcus Foundation, the John D. Evans Foundation, the M•A•C AIDS Fund, Deloitte, the Royal Bank of Canada, Hilton Worldwide, Bloomberg and Out Leadership.
“Through the Global Equality Fund, like-minded governments, foundations, and corporations provide support to civil society organizations working to promote inclusion and respect for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or sex characteristics,” notes the statement from the U.S. and Spain. “The United States and Spain will continue to work to ensure that all people — including LGBTQI+ persons — can live in dignity, freedom, and equality.”