Grindr has warned users to hide their identities on social media following the arrests of scores of gay men and fears Egyptian police are using the social network to seek out members of the country’s LGBT community.
“Egypt is arresting LGBT people and police may be posing as LGBT on social media to entrap you,” Grindr warned users in an on screen message. Read more
A Cape Town mosque which preached acceptance of gay people has been damaged in an arson attack. The controversial Open Mosque opened its doors last month, causing outrage among hard-line Islamists, as it allows women to lead prayers, does not segregate based on gender, and accepts gay people.
However, the mosque, whose founder Taj Hargey said he hoped to counter radicalism by being more inclusive, was damaged in an arson attack last night. Dr Hargey told AFP that the attack – which caused substantial damage to the building – was caught on CCTV on the eve of the Muslim holy festival of Eid. Read More
Members of the LGBT community abandoned the first pride event in the English-speaking Caribbean "out of fear" of repercussions after death threats were posted on Facebook. Read More
Author Chetan Bhagat has spoken about India’s anti-gay law to say that it contradicts the country’s culture:
"Section 377 is not an Indian law but an inheritance of British law. The same law existed in over 40 colonies of the British empire. Most have junked or modified it to decriminalise homosexuality.
We have held on to it as if it is part of India’s cultural heritage, whereas it is nothing but a relic of an unscientific, Victorian past. Of course, the final question is this: Why should the selfish, non-homosexual, growth-seeking Indian care? Well, we should." Read More
Egyptian prosecutor general ordered the arrest of 9 men, after a YouTube video depicting a gay marriage surfaced. The video, filmed in April but has only gone viral recently, entitled ‘Egypt’s First Gay Marriage’ shows two men appearing to have a ceremony on a Nile boat.
The two men hug and exchange rings, surrounded by male guests. Several charges have been levelled against the men including ‘inciting debauchery and violating public decency’. Read More
Mayor Akim Tasmagambetov of Kazakhstan's capital city has accused the international media of “promoting” homosexuality, and “brainwashing” children. “It has not just become a political norm in a range of developed countries, but the perception of the society has been distorted to such an extent that the US state of California approved a compulsory course on historical accomplishments of representatives of sexual minorities. I think you see for yourself how the topic is promoted in the international media.” Read More
Head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, announced that LGBT people will not be allowed to hold public events and may be deported. Gay Forum Ukraine estimates there are about 10,000 gays and other sexual minorities living in Crimea. Russian activist Kochetkov says they have been caught up in the “general deterioration of human rights” in the region since it was annexed by Moscow where the anti-gay propaganda law has led to increased rights violations and violence since the new law was passed last year. Read More
Two AIDS support groups, Colibri and Humanity First Cameroon, have been evicted from their respective headquarters due to homophobia, according to the organizations' leaders. Both centers provided human rights advocacy, health counseling, STI treatment, and HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Read More
A man has withdrawn his Supreme Court case against Jamaica's antigay law out of fear for his safety. Javed Jaghai said he's received death threats since bringing his case before the Supreme Court, which would have considered the constitutionality of Jamaica's law against gay sex. Read More
In Lebanon police have intensified their campaign against LGBTI people by using arrestees’ mobile phones to try to entrap other allegedly gay men, according to Helem, Lebanon’s LGBTQI advocacy organisation. Meanwhile sources claim Egyptian cops have used popular dating app Grindr to arrest gay and lesbian community members. A reported security flaw compromises users' security by revealing their GPS location.
Saif Rahman, founder of the Humanist and Cultural Muslim Association and Author of The Islamist Delusion interviewed a former convicted jihadist – a teenage convert to Islam and now an ex-Muslim – about his previous views on homosexuality and women. Read More
Up to 28 people could face jail or expulsion from Lebanon after two raids on Turkish baths believed by police to be meeting spaces for gay and bisexual men. This comes after an earlier raid on the Agha Hammam baths where another 27 people were arrested. They have now been charged with homosexuality and could be jailed. Read More