Three police officers in El Salvador will be tried for the murder of a transgender woman who was deported from the United States two years ago after failing to prove her life was at risk in the violent Central American country.
The unidentified police officers face prison sentences of up to 30 years. They all deny the charges.
Camila Diaz, a 29-year-old sex worker who fled from El Salvador following repeated threats on her life from a gang, was killed in early February after she was kidnapped and beaten.
Judge Sidney Blanco said in court proceeding on Wednesday that sufficient evidence existed to implicate the police officers for the crime of aggravated homicide.
El Salvador’s attorney general’s office has said that on Jan. 31 the accused officers arrested Diaz for supposedly creating a public nuisance and then forced her into a police vehicle.
Once in the vehicle, she was severely beaten and then thrown out onto a highway, according to prosecutors.
Diaz died of her injuries in hospital three days later.
She had turned herself over to U.S. immigration agents in August 2017 in a bid to apply for asylum protections, arguing that she had received death threats from members of Barrio 18, one of El Salvador’s most violent street gangs.
But she was deported in November 2017 after her asylum request was rejected, and she returned to sex work in San Salvador.
Violence against transgender women in El Salvador has been a problem for years.
More than 600 transgender women were murdered between 1993 and 2020, according to one human rights group.
Pride festivals across Europe are facing the prospect of cancellation due to the threats posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Pride season, due to kick off in June, is likely to be impacted if measures are put in place to restrict large public gatherings amid the outbreak – which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation on Wednesday.
Organisers of Pride events across the continent joined an online meeting on Monday to discuss contingency plans for the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus disruption to Pride festivals is now ‘inevitable’.
Kristine Garina, president of the European Pride Organisers Association, said that it is “inevitable” that events will face “cancellation, curtailment or postponement”.
She said: “Coronavirus is presenting a new challenge for all governments and organisations, and Prides are no different.
“The unique challenge for Prides is that most are entirely volunteer organisations, where people have to juggle this additional complexity alongside a career or being a full-time carer. We’re doing all we can to help Pride organisers navigate through this challenge.”
She added: “It is ironic that over the last few decades various politicians, presidents, prime ministers, mayors, archbishops and other bigots have done their best to thwart and cancel Pride parades, but it was mother nature who succeeded.
“The admirable resilience of Pride organisers has met a challenge for the health of our wider community, and that means that some events will inevitably face cancellation, curtailment or postponement.”
Event organisers are contingency planning for pandemic restrictions.
The first major UK pride festival this year is Birmingham Pride on May 23, while Pride in London is set to take place on June 27 – with other events due to take place across July, August and September.
A Pride in London spokesperson told PinkNews: “We are paying close attention to the latest advice from the World Health Organisation and the UK government around coronavirus.
“Though the UK Chief Medical Officers have raised the risk to the country from low to moderate, the current guidance is that the risk to individuals remains low.
“In line with our duty to safeguard the event, we will be working closely with our production partners and the authorities to ensure we have considered any risks to the Parade. Our priority is keeping all attendees safe and secure, and we will be following the advice of Public Health England to ensure this.”
A spokesperson for Brighton and Hove Pride, which will take place in August, told PinkNews: “While the current situation regarding COVID-19 is concerning, with August being several months away we will not be taking any immediate action other than contingency planning and will continue to work with our partner agencies to plan to deliver a safe and successful event.
“If government and WHO advice changes then we will implement appropriate plans in accordance with those guidelines.
“We review our position on a regular basis and will likely to make a final decision by early to mid July as to whether we would implement a postponement plan, but on current advice we are optimistic that Brighton Pride will go ahead.”
“Brighton and Hove Pride is an important community fundraising event for our city and at this stage our planning will continue as normal.”
Dublin Pride festival director Jed Dowling said in a statement: “Dublin Pride is working closely with the Department of Health, the HSE, Dublin City Council and our international Pride colleagues in the planning of our annual Pride parade currently scheduled for June 27.
“The board and management of Dublin Pride are very mindful of the current situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) and of our responsibility to act in the best interests of the community.
“We will follow all advice given by the relevant authorities and are contingency planning for the possibility that the date may need to move out.”
PinkNews has also requested comment from the organisers of Birmingham Pride, Manchester Pride and Northern Pride on whether contingencies have been put into place.
A lesbian from Uganda has been granted asylum in Germany, but the judge said that it will not set a precedent for future LGBT+ asylum seekers from the country.
The 41-year-old woman, who remains anonymous, suffered repeated violence, death threats and an arson attack on her home in Uganda.
She applied for asylum in Germany in 2011, but was rejected and forced to go to trial.
However according to Deutsche Welle, during the trial at a Munich courthouse, the federal office for migration and refugees admitted that she did in fact qualify for refugee status, and the case was thrown out.
LGBT+ activists celebrated the outcome, hoping that it would pave the way for other LGBT+ asylum seekers from Uganda, who suffer extreme violence and persecution in their home country.
However, the judge said that it was an “individual case” and would not set a precedent for LGBT+ asylum seekers from Uganda in the future.
Sara Schmitter, a psychologist at the lesbian advice centre LeTRa which supported the woman through the asylum process, said in a press releasethat she still had hope.
She said: “Even though it was not recognised that LGBTIQ are being persecuted as a group in Uganda, we still see this individual decision at a higher judicial level as an encouraging step in the right direction. We are really happy for our client.”
The 41-year-old woman, who no longer has to fear being deported, said: “I am happy and I still can not really believe it.”
Uganda’s ethics and integrity minister Simon Lokodo announced plans in October 2019 month to re-table a “kill the gays” bill, which was first floated several years ago but was not enacted.
Nearly 100 Polish municipal or local governments have now proclaimed themselves to be “free from LGBT+ ideology”. Local authorities in these areas pledge to refrain from acts that encourage tolerance and must avoid providing financial assistance to NGOs working to promote equal rights.
An “Atlas of Hate” map created by activists reveals the extent of Poland that has signed up to this pledge – and it covers an area greater than the size of Hungary.
Alicia, 19, is a queer woman and one of the only openly LGBT+ people in her village. She told Channel 4 News that she was born and raised there.
She said that she is “scared” every day living in the so-called LGBT-free zone, and added: “My neighbours are scared to tell me to my face that they don’t like me, they don’t accept me.”
Alicia said she has tried to speak out about LGBT+ rights, which has made her more of a target.
She said: “I’m scared because they know where I live. But, the fear is motivating me. Someone has to fight.”
The 19-year-old is fighting back in her own way, and as homophobic graffiti and stickers crop up across her city, she has been covering them with her own stickers which read: “Too queer to fear.”
Alicia attended the march and was attacked there. She said: “It was terrifying. The hooligans chose me as a target and threw the firecrackers, a lot of them. I was really scared.”
The number of LGBT-free zones in Poland has continued to grow, even after the European Parliament passed a resolution that strongly condemned the concept of LGBT-free zones in December.
MEPs described the measures as part of “a broader context of attacks against the LGBT+ community in Poland, which include growing hate speech by public and elected officials and public media, as well as attacks and bans on Pride marches and actions such as Rainbow Friday”.
President Vladimir Putin has proposed amending the Russian constitution to spell out that marriage means a union between a man and a woman and nothing else, a senior politician was cited as saying on Monday by the RIA news agency.
Putin, who has aligned himself with the Russian Orthodox Church and sought to distance Russia from liberal Western values, has proposed a shake-up of Russia’s political system that critics say may be designed to extend his grip on power after 2024, when he is due to leave the Kremlin.
He and his supporters see that overhaul as an opportunity to modify the constitution to enshrine what they see as Russia’s core moral and geopolitical values for future generations.
Putin on Monday submitted his constitutional proposals to parliament just before the deadline, RIA cited Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy chairman of the lower house, as saying.
“For me, the most important one is his proposal to enshrine in basic law the concept of marriage as a union between a man and a woman,” Tolstoy added.
Putin said last month Russia would not legalize gay marriage as long as he was in the Kremlin. He said he would not let the traditional notion of a mother and father be subverted by what he called “parent number 1” and “parent number 2.”
Homosexuality in Russia, where the influence of the socially conservative Orthodox Church has grown in recent years, was a criminal offense until 1993, and classed as a mental illness until 1999.
Under Russian law, only heterosexual couples can adopt children in Russia.
Western governments and human rights activists have criticized the Russian authorities for their treatment of LGBTQ people. Gay British singer Elton John was among those to speak out against a 2013 law that banned the dissemination of “gay propaganda” among young Russians.
Under the law, any event or act regarded by the authorities as an attempt to promote homosexuality to minors is illegal and punishable by a fine. The law has been used to stop gay pride marches and to detain gay rights activists.
Putin has said he is not prejudiced against gay people, but that he finds a Western willingness to embrace homosexuality and gender fluidity out of step with traditional Russian values.
A third of Poland has declared itself to be an official “LGBT-free” zone as local municipalities sign a pledge adopting resolutions against “LGBT propaganda”.
Nearly 100 Polish municipal or local governments have now proclaimed themselves to be “free from LGBTI ideology”. Local authorities in these areas pledge to refrain from acts that encourage tolerance and must avoid providing financial assistance to NGOs working to promote equal rights.
An “Atlas of Hate” map created by activists reveals the extent of Poland that has signed up to this pledge – and it covers an area greater than the size of Hungary.
The area has continued to grow after the European Parliament passed a resolution that strongly condemned the concept of LGBT-free zones in December.
MEPs described the measures as part of “a broader context of attacks against the LGBTI community in Poland, which include growing hate speech by public and elected officials and public media, as well as attacks and bans on Pride marches and actions such as Rainbow Friday.”
They called on Poland to “firmly condemn” LGBT+ discrimination and to revoke resolutions attacking LGBT+ rights, and instructed the European Commission to ensure that EU funds are not “being used for discriminatory purposes”.
This warning was ignored by the ruling party Law and Justice (PiS), who are largely responsible for driving the upswing anti-LGBT+ sentiment in Poland.
Equality parades in Poland are routinely attacked by far-right activists who violently oppose Pride-goers with homophobic chants and explosive projectiles.
Polish hate crime laws provide little deterrent as they do not cover sexuality or gender identity. Earlier this week, a husband and wife convicted of bringing three deadly homemade explosives to a Pride march in Lubin were sentenced to just one year in prison.
A Polish court has dismissed a lawsuit against the organisers of an anti-LGBT+ campaign that linked homosexuality with paedophilia, ruling that it was “informative and educational”.
The campaign was run by ultra-conservative NGO Fundacja Pro, which drove around Poland in vans with loudspeakers and banners bearing the slogan: “Paedophilia is 20 times more common in homosexuals. They want to teach your children. Stop them!”
The group also publicises various claims regarding the alleged prevalence of child abuse among LGBT+ people, based on controversial and contested research by American scholars Mark Regnerus and Paul Cameron.
Last year lawyer Bartłomiej Ciążyński filed a civil suit against Fundacja Pro, arguing that its campaign “insulted, slandered and violated the dignity” of LGBT+ people.
Yesterday the case was dismissed by a district court in Wrocław, western Poland. In his ruling, Judge Adam Maciński said the campaign “should be considered as having an informative and social dimension” as it helped raise awareness of paedophilia.
“It illustrates the issue of paedophilia to the public, as well as differences in the way sex education is implemented among minors…while [also] addressing the problem of extreme sexual education,” he said.
“The campaign did not take the form of aggressive criticism, let alone stigmatising or harassing the plaintiff.”
As Poland’s hate crime laws do not cover sexuality or gender orientation, Maciński ruled that the campaign “is an expression of the defendant’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and of belief”.
The ruling was announced as a picket formed outside the courtroom, with angry protesters holding signs reading: “Stop pedophilia: homosexuals often molest children” and “What does the LGBT lobby want to teach children?”
Homophobia rises in Poland
Poland is experiencing an upswing in anti-LGBT+ sentiment, largely driven by the ruling party Law and Justice (PiS). Party leader Jaroslaw Kaczyński recently secured an election victory with a campaign that was centred on hardline homophobic views.
In August Kaczyński hit out at Pride parades, telling voters: “The hard offensive, this travelling theatre that is showing up in different cities to provoke and then cry… we are the ones who are harmed by this, it must be unmasked and discarded.”
He also promised to fully enforce the law to “regulate these matters”, but did not explain what he meant by this.
This rhetoric has resulted in more than 80 municipal or local governments proclaiming themselves to be “free from LGBTI ideology”, a move strongly condemned by the European Parliament.
Local authorities in the LGBT-free zones pledge to refrain from acts that encourage tolerance and must avoid providing financial assistance to NGOs working to promote equal rights.
The incident occurred last weekend off school grounds after he attempted to reprimand a student for spouting a homophobic slur towards him, IOL reported.
What happened to the gay teacher?
“I heard a child calling me a moffie [African slang for an effeminate, gay man], and I went to reprimand him,” the Robertson local said.
“I later went to report the incident to his parents, and was met by his mother who was rude and shouted at me.
“She said her husband would deal with me,” Dyamara said.
“I called the police to report a case of discrimination. Her husband appeared out of nowhere and smacked me with an open palm.
He repeatedly attacked me with a fist, and at that time, I was defenceless.
Dyamara continued: “The husband took out a knife and wanted to stab me. If my friend was not there it would have been a different story.
“Members of the LGBTI+ community are not given the respect they need and deserve.
“The community, even though it is diverse, needs to respect gay people.”
Dyamara alleged that the parent is a former member of the student governing body.
IOL reached out to the body for comment, in which a spokesperson said that, as the incident took place off school premises, it is out of their control.
“The teacher has opened a case against the man,” the spokesperson said.
“For emphasis, the man is no longer a member of the [school governing body], as he resigned. We, as the Masakheke [school governing body], condemn the alleged incident.
“We can offer emotional support to the teacher, because although it happened outside the school premises, it affects the school.
“Once a teacher is emotionally broken, he can be a danger to himself and to the learners.”
School officials also confirmed they were informed of the incident.
“The department cannot confirm what was said between the children, parents and the educator, as it was outside of the school,” a provincial education department spokesperson said.
Moreover local law enforcement described the incident as “common” and that the assault was being investigated.
Despite recent government promises to protect LGBT+ people, children in Vietnam are still taught at home and at school that being gay is a “disease”, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Same-sex marriages are not recognised in Vietnam, but gay sex is legal and it is believed to have never been criminalised in the country’s history. There is an equal age of consent, and LGBT+ people are able to serve in the military.
In 2015, the country made headlines for voting to allow trans people who had been through gender affirmation surgery to register as their correct gender.
In 2016, while serving on the United Nations Human Rights Council, Vietnam voted in favour of appointing a watchdog to protect LGBT+ rights.
While recent legal changes in Vietnam make the futures of queer people seem promising, socially LGBT+ people commonly face extreme stigma and discrimination.
In its report on education for LGBT+ youth in Vietnam, HRW interviewed queer youth who were searching for information against a “steady tide of stereotypes, misinformation, and anti-LGBT rhetoric”.
They described how being LGBT+ was frequently described as a “disease”, both by their families and at school.
Nhung, a 17-year-old bisexual girl, said: “I don’t feel safe at school, because the view and mindset of other people on LGBT+.
“I didn’t get hurt physically, but I did suffer mentally. You have to be hurt when people tell you have a disease that frequently.”
Other young people told HRW that the most frequent comments they heard from teachers on LGBT+ issues was that being gay is a “mental illness”.
Quân, an 18-year-old gay man, said he was taught in his high school biology class that “LGBT+ people need to go to the doctor and get female hormone injection” to cure their “disease”.
In 2019, Vietnam’s education ministry announced plans for an inclusive sex education curriculum, but it is yet to be implemented.
Graeme Reid of HRW told The Guardian: “Largely thanks to a vibrant civil society-led LGBT rights movement, social awareness and acceptance of sexual orientation and gender identity has increased greatly in recent years in Vietnam. The government’s actions, however, have so far not officially reflected these changes.
“One result of the sluggish policy change is that social perceptions in many cases remain mired in outdated and incorrect frameworks – such as the widespread belief that same-sex attraction is a diagnosable mental health condition.”
Police in Russia cited the country’s “gay propaganda” law when they shut down a music video shoot with punk band Pussy Riot in Saint Petersburg yesterday.
Pussy Riot said in a statement that police accused them of “extremism” and of “making an illegal video” and had them removed from Lenfilm studio.
The band was shooting a music video for a song called “БЕСИТ / RAGE” with 150 activists who were mostly queer or female when police turned up, Pitchfork reports.
They said that police insisted staff at the studio shut the power off to bring about an end to the shoot.
Pussy Riot said they lost $15,000 after their music video was shut down because of Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ law.
Bizarrely, Lenfilm claimed that the police seen in recorded footage were actually actors – however, Pussy Riot responded: “Damn it, if the actor played this, he would have been given an Oscar.”
We’ll be thankful if you share this info and/or be kind enough to help us to raise the money to make this video happen anyway.
The band said they lost $15,000 as a result of the video shoot being shut down, and said the incident occurred because of Russia’s “absurd ‘gay propaganda’ law”.
“We’ll be thankful if you share this info and/or be kind enough to help us to raise the money to make this video happen anyway,” Pussy Riot added.
Russia is well-known for having strict anti-LGBT+ laws. The county’s controversial ‘gay propaganda law’ a unanimously approved federal bill, has prohibited even the mention of homosexuality since 2013.
A Russian feminist recently faced charges under the archaic law.
A number of people have faced charges under the law. In December, a Russian feminist was arrested for “gay propaganda” because she shared drawings of vaginas online.
Yulia Tsvetkova was named as a suspect in a case investigating the distribution of “criminal pornography”. She was investigated for running a social media page called Vagina Monologues, which aims to “remove the taboo” around vaginas.
Despite the law, recent research found that school children in Russia are actually highly tolerant of LGBT+ people.
Following anti-government protests attended by thousands over the summer, Russian authorities have been targeting youth with recent initiatives including funding for patriotic education and a ban on minors attending protests.
But the recent study found that 62 percent of Russian youth say they are patriots and while 70 per cent had heard about the recent wave of protests, 75 percent said they wouldn’t protest themselves.