In a historic and festive celebration, Swaziland held its first-ever LGBT pride parade over the weekend.
Hundreds of people marched down the streets of the capital Mbabane waving rainbow flags and holding signs that read, “Turn hate into love” — a scene almost unimaginable not so long ago.
The small southern African country, recently renamed the Kingdom of eSwatini by its king, is Africa’s last absolute monarchy and has a bleak record on LGBT rights. The country of 1.4 million also has the world’s highest HIV/AIDS rates and suffers from severe poverty.
Saturday’s parade was organized by the Rock of Hope, a local nonprofit, and supported by international LGBT advocacy organizations.
“This is a small country, an absolute monarchy that makes same sex love illegal and is not often on the radar of the international community and media,” said Matt Beard, Executive Director of the advocacy group All Out, in a Medium post. All Out helped fund and promote the parade, which featured well-known Swazi musicians and artists.
“At certain moments during the parade, the infectious joy of this community was so intense, it was difficult to hold back the tears,” Beard added.
The pride parade was also supported by Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBT rights group in the United States.
Swaziland was part of HRC’s Global Partnerships in Pride program, which supports LGBT communities abroad and emphasizes international solidarity.
Marchers in Swaziland’s first-ever pride parade in Mbabane.
In Swaziland, same-sex relationships are illegal and the country maintains a colonial-era law against sodomy. The US State Department’s report on global human rights practices in 2017 stated that Swazi people open about their sexual orientation “faced censure and exclusion from the chiefdom-based patronage system.”
The pride celebration was not endorsed by King Mswati III.
Nonetheless, the parade marks a major milestone for Swaziland’s LGBT community and brings June’s pride month celebrations to a new part of the world.
Saturday’s celebration in Mbabane was held the day before hundreds of people defied a Turkish government ban to take part in a Pride Parade in Istanbul before being dispersed by police.
The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has upheld President Donald Trump’s travel ban, in a landmark decision which has been announced on the third anniversary of the SCOTUS decision to allow same-sex marriage.
The ban is a major victory in the administration’s mission to restrict the number of immigrants and visitors into the United States.
However the ruling marks a distinct change from the same day in 2015, when the Court voted for marriage equality rights. Critics say the latest Court ruling will dangerously impact the LGBT community.
In a 5-4 decision, the judges confirmed the president’s powers over matters of national security.The ban levels a range of restrictions against five majority-Muslim countries – Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. But there’s also travel restrictions on North Korea and Venezuela.
Human rights defenders have attacked the decision and highlighted how the LGBT community will be impacted by the SCOTUS decision.
In a podcast discussing Trump’s third order of the ban, LeGaL’s (a New York LGBT group of lawyers) Executive Director Eric Lesh said: “Trump’s travel ban is dangerous particularly for members of the LGBTQ community. In addition seven of the eight countries that have been targeted by Trump’s ban, explicitly criminalise homosexual conduct, some of them authorise or even mandate a death penalty for such offences.”
While Human Right’s First’s Shawn Gaylord spoke about the impact of the ban on queer and trans communities, in 2017: “Barring LGBT people from these seven countries creates an additional burden and makes them increasingly under threat to violent acts,” he said.
“LGBT refugees already face heightened risks based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. They are vulnerable to violence during the entire resettlement process and may have additional challenges as they adjust to their new lives after resettlement,” Gaylord added.
CEO Rachel B. Tiven said: “As a queer woman and a Jew, I am outraged and frightened. The LGBT community knows what it’s like to be red meat for a demagogue’s base. Future generations will ask us what we did to object. We stand in solidarity with our Muslim family – straight and gay – and pledge our continued support to fight the ban and the stigma, discrimination, and violence it helps encourage.”
Deputy legal director with the American Civil Liberties Union, Cecillia Wang, tweeted that the decision marked “a dreadful day” for the United States. “But we Americans will fight on to express the will of the people to uphold equality and freedom,” she wrote.
The travel ban’s history began in December 2015, when Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” during his Presidential campaign.
During his first week in office Trump signed the executive order to ban people from seven Muslim-majority countries. The Supreme Court halted enforcements of most of the ban, until March 2017 when Trump issued a “watered down” second order. The Supreme Court allowed the second order to go into effect in part.
But in September Trump issued a third ban with more changes. After challenges, the Supreme Court allowed this version to go into effect while appeals were heard.
Another historic royal wedding is set to take place this summer – the family’s first same-sex nuptials.
Lord Ivar Mountbatten, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, first made history when he announced he was gay in 2016 and became the first member of the royal family to do so.
Following his announcement, Lord Mountbatten revealed he was in a relationship with James Coyle, who he will marry during the summer.
The wedding will be made even more special because Lord Mountbatten’s ex-wife will play a special part in the ceremony, it was revealed at the weekend.
Penny, with whom Lord Mountbatten has three daughters, told the Daily Mail she will be the one walking her ex-husband down the aisle.
“It was the girls’ idea,” she said. “It makes me feel quite emotional. I’m really very touched.”
Lord Mountbatten’s first royal wedding, which he referred to as “the best day of my life,” was attended by the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, who have extended their blessing to the happy couple.
Speaking to the Mail, Lord Mountbatten said his royal relatives know of the plans and are “really excited for us.”
“Sadly they can’t come to the wedding. Their diaries are arranged months in advance and they’re not around, but they adore James. Everyone adores him,” he told the newspaper.
As for the plans for the big day, James revealed that the ceremony, taking place in the private chapel on Lord Mountbatten’s estate in Devon, will be small and intimate, with just close friends and family in attendance followed by a bigger reception of 120 guests.
Of the couple’s decision to marry and have a wedding, Lord Mountbatten said he wants to do it for his partner.
“For me, what’s interesting is I don’t need to get married because I’ve been there, done that and have my wonderful children; but I’m pushing it because I think it’s important for him,” Lord Mountbatten said. “James hasn’t had the stable life I have. I want to be able to give you that.”
Although the Queen has not commented on her cousin’s upcoming nuptials, she has previously made statements in support of LGBT rights. During her speech at the State Opening of Parliament in 2017, she said: “My government will make further progress to tackle the gender pay gap and discrimination against people on the basis of their race, faith, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.”
On May 19 2018, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, made history when she married Prince Harry and became the first mixed-race woman to marry into the British royal family.
The proceeds from the T-shirt will go to an LGBTQ health centre (Mother/screengrab)
Gay employees at the creative company Mother have created a T-shirt printed using their blood to protest the gay blood donation ban in the US.
The company, which has offices in New York and London, launched the Blood is Blood T-shirt to highlight the discrimination LGBT people face when donating blood.
The front of the T-shirt reads: “This shirt is printed with the blood of gay men.”
On the back, a longer piece of text states the US Food and Drug Administration’s current guidelines for donating blood are “outdated” and propagate stigma.
The T-shirts will be sold at gender-neutral retailer The Phluid Project, with proceeds going to Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, a LGBTQ service provider in New York.
The T-shirt protests the gay blood donation ban (Mother)
The ink for the shirt was created by British artist Stuart Semple.
It was launched for Pride month and World Blood Donor Day.
Under US federal law, men who have sex with men (MSM) cannot give blood for 12 months from their last sexual encounter.
The law came into effect in 2015, when the FDA overturned a lifetime ban on accepting blood donations from MSM, which was introduced in 1983 during the AIDS epidemic.
The Blood is Blood website reads: “Due to the stigma of another era, members of the community can’t be proud of their own blood. The Food and Drug Administration claims that the blood of men who have had sex with men in the last 12 months is ‘too risky’ to donate.”
“Instead of making the call based on real risk-factors, the regulation discriminations based on sexual orientation.”
“If the FDA changed its risk-assessment, it is estimated that an additional 360,600 men would likely donate 615,300 additional pints of blood each year, possibly saving the lives of more than 1.8 million people.”
Gay men will be allowed to give blood three months after having sex, rather than a year, as per the previous guidelines.
Dr Gail Miflin, medical and research director at NHS Blood and Transplant, said the change was based on the latest available medical and scientific evidence.
“We have one of the safest blood supplies in the world. Anyone may require a blood transfusion in the future and so it’s in all our interests to ensure that we work hard to keep blood safe for patients,” Miflin said.
“This starts with selection of donors before they give blood. Everyone must answer questions on their health and lifestyle before they donate and answering these questions correctly is crucial, in order to keep blood safe.”
A leading lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender refugee organisation is rallying to ask Canada to invite more LGBT+ asylum seekers into the country.
Rainbow Railroad, an organisation in Canada, saved the lives of 206 LGBT+ asylum claimants in 2017.
After working with some of the most vulnerable claimants on record, the charity wants the Canadian government to step up and save more lives.
Rainbow Railroad’s size is ever-increasing. They helped 206 Canadian refugees to safety in 2017 (Rainbow Railroad)
“It’s fitting that World Refugee Day falls during Pride Month,” said Rainbow Road executive director Kimahli Powell.
“LGBTQI asylum seekers are often forced to flee their home, family and country because of who they are and who they love.”
Rainbow Railroad has helped 450 LGBTQI people in dangerous situations find safety since it was founded in 2006.
“This is a chance to put the spotlight on the global refugee crisis, and remember that LGBTQI refugees are particularly vulnerable to violence and abuse,” said Powell in a statement.
In 72 countries, queer and trans people can face criminal charges under colonial-era anti-gay laws that can result in life in prison, according to ILGA’s 2017 report.
As the case of Bruce McArthur proves, the spotlight is on Canada to provide as much support and safety for refugees as possible.
The suspected serial killer was said to have targeted vulnerable asylum claimants who had moved over to the country to start a new life.
Queer Sri Lankan asylum claimant Skandaraj Navaratnam, gay Aghanistani Majeed Kayhan and gay Turkish man Selim Esen are just a few of the LGBT+ men allegedly targeted by McArthur.
Bisexual asylum applicants also face particular difficulties in securing residency in the nation.
Researcher Sean Rehagg found that bisexual applicants made up 7 percent of the claims, and the success rate of bisexual applicants was 25 percent, while LGBT+ applicants that identified other than bisexual had a 49 percent success rate.
Ireland is to issue an apology for historical persecution under anti-gay laws.
The Republic of Ireland only decriminalised homosexuality in 1993, five years after its archaic sodomy law was found to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Prior to decriminalisation, laws dating from the nineteenth century made “buggery” an offence punishable by imprisonment, and gay men in the country lives under a culture of fear.
In a poignant move today, the government of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to issue an apology to men who were persecuted under the laws.
The move has a particular resonance as Varadkar is the country’s first openly gay leader, taking office in June 2017.
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (Charles McQuillan/Getty)
The leader is expected to give a speech before the Dáil today on a Labour Party motion on the issue, tabled by Senator Ged Nash.
The motion is supported across parties.
Nash told HotPress: “This historic motion represents an important reckoning with our past. The State inherited draconian laws we applied over many decades to persecute and prosecute gay men merely for being who they were.
“It took until 1993 for Irish law makers to show the moral courage to banish these cruel, antiquated and inhumane laws from our statute books.
“Apart altogether from those who were convicted of offences that no longer exist, the chilling effect of having such harsh and discriminatory laws in place had a negative impact on progress towards equality for the LGBTI community.
“Incalculable harm and hurt was caused to countless thousands of citizens of this Republic who were deterred by those laws from being open and honest about their identity with themselves, their family and with society.
“This prevented citizens from engaging fully in civic and political life and deprived society of their full contribution. They were badly wronged by this country, and they and their families are owed an apology.
“I look forward to this powerful statement being made in both Houses of the Oireachtas next Tuesday and I am hopeful that support will be garnered from across the political spectrum.”
Nash added: “The Labour Party is continuing to work with government to identify ways in which convictions received by men for engaging in sexual activities which are no longer offences can be set aside or disregarded in a legally secure manner.
“As a country, we have made very significant progress on LGBT rights in recent years. However, we still have some way to go before we achieve full equality for LGBTI citizens in Ireland.”
“This motion also represents an opportunity for the Oireachtas to unite to affirm that Ireland should be a country where all LGBTI citizens are free to fully express their identities without fear, prejudice or discrimination and that we put global LGBTI rights at the very centre of our foreign policy.”
Three well-known LGBTI rights advocates in the Mexican state of Guerrero were killed over the weekend.Authorities on Sunday found the bodies of Rubén Estrada, Roberto Vega and Carlos Uriel López in Taxco, a city between the state capital of Chilpancingo and Mexico City that is popular with tourists.
Estrada, 35, was the main organizer of Taxco’s annual Pride march and a local gay beauty contest. Vega and López, who was his partner, were also activists.
Gaby Soberanis, president of Diversidad Guerrero, an LGBTI advocacy group that is based in the resort city of Acapulco, on Monday told the Washington Blade during a telephone interview that Estrada, Vega and López were at a local nightclub early Sunday morning when a group of men tried to extort money from them.
Soberanis said Estrada, Vega and López refused to give them any money. She told the Blade the men returned, forcibly removed them from the nightclub and placed them into a van.
Authorities found their bodies a few hours later on a dirt road near the main highway between Mexico City and Acapulco.
A local newspaper published a picture of one of the murdered activists who appeared to have been shot in the back of the head. Another local media report indicates Estrada, Vega and López had been tortured before they were killed.
“We are sad, depressed,” Soberanis told the Blade. “They were young. They had a future ahead of them. The entire state’s LGBTI rights movement is sad, is in mourning.”
Other activists across Mexico also mourned their deaths.
“The loss is for a society that demands equality, freedom and an end to violence,” said Lol Kin Castañeda, a lesbian activist who is a member of the Mexico City Constituent Assembly in a tweet that tagged Guerrero Gov. Héctor Astudillo. “We demand justice.”
Local media reports say the manner in which Estrada, Vega and López were killed indicates they were victims of criminal gangs that operate throughout Guerrero.
“I don’t know if it was a hate crime based on homophobia,” Soberanis told the Blade.
The Blade has reached out to the Guerrero Ministry of Public Safety for comment.
Violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity remains commonplace throughout Mexico.
Drug cartels and criminal gangs that operate throughout Guerrero have made it one of the most violent states in the country. An advisory the State Department issued on March 16 urges U.S. citizens not to travel to Guerrero and the states of Colima, Michoacán, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas “due to crime.”
A group of 43 college students known as “normalistas” disappeared in Iguala, a city that is roughly an hour south of Taxco in Guerrero, on Sept. 26, 2014.
From left: Rubén Estrada, Roberto Vega and Carlos Uriel López were murdered in Taxco, Mexico, on June 17, 2018. An activist in the state of Guerrero with whom the Washington Blade spoke said Estrada, Vega and López were killed after a group of men tried to extort money from them at a local nightclub. (Photo courtesy of Gaby Soberanis/Diversidad Guerrero)
Mexican authorities have accused former Iguala Mayor José Luis Abarca and his wife, María de los Ángeles Pineda, of masterminding the kidnapping. The Associated Press reports Abarca allegedly ordered local police officers to turn the students over to members of a local criminal group who killed them.
The election to choose the successor to President Enrique Peña Nieto, who cannot run for a second term under the Mexican constitution, will take place on July 1. Violence and corruption are among the top issues for Mexican voters.
Tres conocidos activistas LGBTI asesinados en Guerrero
Tres conocidos activistas LGBTI en el estado mexicano de Guerrero fueron asesinados durante el fin de semana.
Autoridades el domingo descubrieron los cadáveres de Rubén Estrada, Roberto Vega y Carlos Uriel López en Taxco, una ciudad entre la capital estatal de Chilpancingo y la Ciudad de México que es popular con turistas.
Estrada, 35, era el principal organizador de la marcha anual del Orgullo de Taxco y un concurso de belleza gay local. Vega y López, quién era su pareja, también eran activistas.
Gaby Soberanis, presidenta de Diversidad Guerrero, un grupo LGBTI basado en Acapulco, el lunes dijo al Washington Blade durante una entrevista que Estrada, Vega y López estaban a una discoteca local temprano el domingo por la mañana cuando un grupo de hombres trató de extorcionar el dinero de ellos.
Soberanis dijo que Estrada, Vega y López se negaron darles ningún dinero. Ella dijo al Blade que los hombres regresaron, los sacó por la fuerza de la discoteca y los pusieron en una camioneta.
Autoridades encontraron sus cadáveres unas horas después en un camino de terracería cerca de la carretera principal entre la Ciudad de México y Acapulco.
Un periódico local publicó una foto de uno de los activistas asesinados quién parecía haber recibido un disparo en la parte posterior de la cabeza. Otro informe de la prensa local indica que Estrada, Vega y López habían sido torturados antes de ser asesinados.
“Estamos tristes, deprimidos,” Soberanis dijo al Blade. “Eran jóvenes. Tenían una carrera futura. Toda la diversidad en el estado está triste, está de luto.”
Otros activistas en México también están de luto por sus muertes.
“La pérdida es para una sociedad que exige igualdad, libertad y fin a la violencia,” dijo Lol Kin Castañeda, una activista lésbica quien es miembra de la Asamblea Constituyente de la Ciudad de México en un tweet al gobernador de Guerrero Héctor Astudillo. “Exigimos justicia.”
Informes en la prensa local dicen que la manera en que Estrada, Vega y López fueron asesinados indica que son víctimas del crimen organizado.
“No sé si era un crimen de odio por homófobia,” Soberanis dijo al Blade.
El Blade se ha comunicado con la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública de Guerrero para comentar.
Violencia basada en la orientación sexual y la identidad de género sigue ser común por México.
Los cárteles y grupos del crimen organizado que operan por Guerrero se lo ha hecho uno de los estados más violentos en el país. Un aviso que el Departamento de Estado (EEUU) emitió el 16 de marzo insta a los ciudadanos estadounidenses de no viajar a Guerrero y los estados de Colima, Michoacán, Sinaloa y Tamaulipas.
Un grupo de 43 estudiantes conocidos como los ‘normalistas’ desaparecieron en Iguala, una ciudad que está casi una hora al sur de Taxco en Guerrero, el 26 de septiembre de 2014.
Autoridades mexicanas han acusado al exalcalde de Iguala José Luis Abarca y su esposa, María de los Ángeles Pineda, de orquestar el secuestro. El Associated Press reporta Abarca supuestamente ordenó a agentes de la policía local de entregar a los estudiantes a miembros de un grupo criminal quién los mataron.
La elección para elegir el sucesor del presidente Enrique Peña Nieto, quién no puede postularse para un segundo mandato bajo de la constitución mexicana, se celebrará el 1 de julio. La violencia y la corrupción están entre las principales preocupaciones para los votantes mexicanos.
Russian police on Thursday arrested a prominent British LGBTI rights advocate ahead of the opening of the 2018 World Cup in MoscowA picture the Peter Tatchell Foundation released shows Peter Tatchell holding a sign while standing near the Kremlin that highlighted the ongoing crackdown against gay men in Chechnya. Tatchell was speaking with a police officer as two reporters with microphones stood behind him.
A second picture shows a group of police officers standing around Tatchell before they put him into a police car.
Tatchell said on Twitter after his release from a Moscow police station that he has been charged with violating a Russian law and a presidential degree that “prohibit all protests near the Kremlin” during the World Cup, which began on Thursday. Tatchell said he has been ordered to appear in court on June 26.
“Glad to stand in solidarity with Russian and Chechen LGBTs,” he tweeted.
“Our staff in Moscow are assisting Peter Tatchell who was arrested, and subsequently released, in Russia earlier today,” it said. “We have spoken to the local authorities and are pleased to confirm that he is well and has now been released.”
The World Cup will take place in Russia through July 15.
The 2014 Winter Olympics took place in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Russia’s LGBTI rights record — including a 2013 law that bans the promotion of so-called gay propaganda to minors — overshadowed the games.
The Washington Blade will provide additional updates as they become available.
Russian police on June 14, 2018, arrested Peter Tatchell near the Kremlin as he was protesting against the country’s human rights record. The arrest coincided with the first day of the 2018 World Cup that Russia is hosting. (P
Sanchez, who became Prime Minister after a vote of no-confidence prompted former leader Mariano Rajoy to step down last week, appointed 11 women and six men to the cabinet.
Prime Minister Sanchez and his cabinet (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
Both Maxim Huerta and Fernando Grande-Marlaska are openly gay.
Grande-Marlaska married his longtime partner Gorka Gómez shortly after the introduction of marriage equality.
Journalist and author Huerta has been appointed the new Minister of Culture and Sports, and will now be responsible for Spain’s arts, sports and cultural exports.
According to The Guardian, Sanchez said: “This is a highly qualified government for a society with equal representation, open to the world but anchored in Europe.”
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska (JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images)
As leader of the Socialist Party Sanchez began a vote of no-confidence against former Prime Minister Rajory in a protest against corruption within the ruling party.
Rajory was ousted as Prime Minister on June 1, after 180 MPs voted to support the motion of no-confidence.
With the appointment of the two openly gay ministers, there are hopes that Sanchez’s new government will be more supportive of LGBT rights.
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Prior to his appointment in 2011, Rajoy said that he supported civil unions for same-sex couples, but he does not think they should be able to marry.
Mariano Rajoy during the vote of no confidence (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
His conservative Popular Party launched an unsuccessful appeal in Spain’s Constitutional Court against the country’s 2005 landmark law, which granted the rights of same-sex couples to marry.
Spain became the third member of the European Union after Belgium and the Netherlands to allow same-sex weddings, and ahead of neighbouring Portugal and Sweden.
Europe currently has five openly LGBT leaders in power, including Ireland’s Taoiseach and the prime ministers of Iceland, Belgium, Serbia and Luxembourg.
The capital of Poland has celebrated Pride with an “unbreakable” monument after the previous one was destroyed.
Before the Warsaw Equality Parade on Saturday, a new rainbow monument was unveiled at a busy intersection in the country’s capital, where a rainbow is formed by light bouncing off of water vapour, producing a holographic rainbow.
The monument is stationed at a busy intersection in the city on the site of a previous rainbow monument before it was repeatedly vandalised.
Organisers hope the rainbow will be “an unbreakable symbol of love, peace, LGBT rights and equality.”
Love Does Not Exclude Association, who helped organise the monument, said that it was symbolic.
Association chairperson Ola Muzinska told The Telegraph: “This rainbow signifies the start of a wider campaign to raise awareness of LGBT rights and in particular the fight for marriage equality in Poland.”
The rainbow has also become a hit on social media, with one person tweeting: “It’s indestructible and here to stay, gay science is so powerful.”
(Creative Commons)
The previous rainbow was made of flowers and erected in 2012, before finally being removed in 2015 after repeatedly being vandalised.
The light rainbow was sponsored by ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s. The company has notably supported LGBT causes in the past.
The politician blocked same-sex marriage legislation in 2017, stating that marriage between a man and a woman was “clearly and expressly regulated in the Constitution.”
He also vetoed the Gender Accordance Act, which would allow trans people to legally change their gender.
In Poland, approximately 91 percent of the population identify as Roman Catholic, according to a Eurobarometer 393 poll in 2012.
Although it is legal to be gay in Poland, public opinion as a whole is not in favour of LGBT+ rights.
According to pollsters Equaldex, 46 percent of the country surveyed said that society should not accept homosexuality.
Robert Biedron (WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Current polls indicate that one in four Poles intend to vote for the left-wing candidate Robert Biedroń, who entered his political career as an LGBT+ activist.
Biedroń, who is the mayor of Slupsk, a town with a population of 98,757 in northern Poland, is considered a strong contender to current President Andrzej Duda.
Although the election is not set to take place until 2020, it means that the politician has a generous amount of time on his side to win nationwide support.