News
Sports highlighted during U.N. human rights declaration anniversary
Ban Ki-moon says Navratilova ‘inspired’ him
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Dec. 10, 2013, said Martina Navratilova “inspired” him. (Photo courtesy of John Wright Photo)
UNITED NATIONS—LGBT activists this week used the 65th anniversary of the ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the U.N. to highlight efforts to combat homophobia and transphobia in sports.
Gay MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts on Dec. 10 moderated a U.N. panel at the U.N. on which retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova, former Washington Wizards center Jason Collins, South African activist Thandeka “Tumi” Mkhuma, intersex advocate Huda Viloria, Anastasia Smirnova of the Russian LGBT Network and U.N. Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic sat. Singer Melissa Etheridge and Jessica Stern, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, were among those who also attended the event.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a video that Navratilova, who came out in 1981, “inspired” him. He added the retired tennis champion “paved the way for” Collins and other LGBT athletes to publicly declare their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.
“They understand an abuse against any of us is an affront to all,” said Ban. “Human rights can only be visible when we stand in solidarity as one.”
Smirnova said the attention the Kremlin’s LGBT rights record has received ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics that will take place in Sochi, Russia, in February has allowed her organization to “shed light on the most ugly developments happening in the country.” She added the Olympics and other international sporting events can be “a great celebration of excellence and diversity.”
“As a celebration of diversity, it has great potential to show common universal commitment to humanity, to show dignity, to show international solidarity with those who are experiencing hardships,” said Smirnova.
Mkhuma paid tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela during the panel, noting he unified his country through sports. The anti-Apartheid champion presented the 1995 Rugby World Cup championship trophy to Francois Pienaar, a white South African who was the then-captain of the Springboks, while wearing the team jersey with his number.
Mkhuma said her stepfather, who is a pastor, kicked her out of her home when she was 16 because she is a lesbian. South African authorities have yet to arrest the person who beat and raped her in 2009.
Mkhuma said the lesbian soccer team she joined has become her family and “my community.”
“As a survivor of rape, it is still hard for me to live in South Africa,” she said as her voice quivered and Navratilova comforted her. “It is all our responsibility to end hate and to end violence.”
The U.N. General Assembly on Dec. 10, 1948, ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The U.N. in 2011 adopted a resolution in support of LGBT rights.
“The [U.N.’s] Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises a world in which everyone is born free and equal in dignity and rights — no exceptions, no one left behind,” said U.N. High Commission for Human Rights Navi Pillay in July during a Cape Town, South Africa, press conference at which the U.N. launched a campaign in support of global LGBT rights. “Yet it’s still a hollow promise for many millions of LGBT people forced to confront hatred, intolerance, violence and discrimination on a daily basis.”
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power on Tuesday described the Russian law that bans gay propaganda to minors as “outrageous” and “dangerous” during a meeting with nearly 30 LGBT rights advocates at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in New York that IGLHRC organized. Turkish Parliamentarian Melda Onur, Maria Fontenelle of the St. Lucian LGBT advocacy group United and Strong, Thilaga Sulathireh of the Malaysian organization Justice for Sisters and Family Equality Council Executive Director Gabriel Blau are among those who attended the roundtable.
LGBT rights advocates from Namibia, Malawi, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and other African countries also took part in an IGLHRC briefing in lower Manhattan on Dec. 9.
“To deny gays and lesbians the right to live freely and to threaten them with discrimination and even death is not a form of moral or religious Puritanism,” said Power. “It’s in fact barbarism.”
Etheridge joined “Milk” producer Bruce Cohen and Smirnova on Dec. 9 for the formal launch of the “Uprising of Love” campaign that seeks to support LGBT Russians. Collins is among those who attended a Manhattan fundraiser for United for Equality in Sports and Entertainment the following day.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy on Dec. 5 held a reception at her Tokyo residence to commemorate the ratification of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims is among those who spoke.
“Today, we recognize that human rights include women’s rights, reproductive rights, racial and ethnic justice, the rights of the ill and infirmed, the rights of the differently abled, and the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities,” said Sims in his speech.
Florida
Former Fla. gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum arrested on drug charges
Democrat narrowly lost to DeSantis in 2018, later came out as bisexual
Andrew Gillum, the former Democratic nominee for governor of Florida and former mayor of Tallahassee, was arrested on drug possession charges in Alabama last week.
Police in Daphne, Ala., said they pulled Gillum over for erratic driving and found marijuana and methamphetamine in his vehicle. He was charged with possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, according to the Daphne Police Department. Jail records show he was arrested on July 2 and released on July 3, the Associated Press reports.
Gillum, the first Black nominee of a major political party for governor in Florida, lost the 2018 election to current Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in a highly contentious race.
Once considered a rising star in national politics, Gillum served in Tallahassee’s local government, first as a city commissioner and then as mayor of Florida’s capital from 2014- 2018.
The Daphne Police Department said officers stopped Gillum’s vehicle around 10:45 p.m. and initiated a probable cause search after one officer noticed a glass pipe on the center console.
During the search, officers found several rolled marijuana cigarettes and three packages containing a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, police said.
The day after his arrest he was charged with possession of dangerous drugs, use or possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.
In 2020, Gillum was involved in a similar incident when he was found in a Miami Beach, Fla., hotel room with a man identified as an escort who had apparently overdosed on drugs. Police also found three bags of suspected crystal methamphetamine in the room. The man survived, and no one was ever charged with a crime.
Later that year, Gillum came out as bisexual during an appearance on “The Tamron Hall Show,” where he discussed his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and his decision to seek treatment following the 2020 incident.
In the same interview he shed light onto this, saying his substance use was a byproduct of the emotional struggles he experienced after losing the 2018 gubernatorial race to DeSantis.
This is not the first time Gillum has faced legal scrutiny.
During his 2014 mayoral campaign, he faced allegations of misconduct after hiring private equity investor Adam Corey as his campaign treasurer, raising questions about a potential conflict of interest. However, the FBI ultimately concluded there was no conflict of interest.
Netherlands
Dutch prime minister scheduled to open World Pride human rights conference
Rob Jetten is country’s first openly gay head of government
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten is scheduled to open this year’s World Pride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam.
Organizers in a July 1 press release said Jetten will open the conference on Aug. 5. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema; South African Deputy Minister for Women, Youth, and People with Disabilities Steve Letsike; former Venezuelan National Assemblywoman Tamara Adrián; and Graeme Reid, the independent U.N. expert on LGBTQ and intersex issues, are among those who are also expected to participate in the gathering that will end on Aug. 7.
Jetten, 39, in February became the Netherlands’s first openly gay prime minister.
His centrist D66 party won the country’s elections last October. Geert Wilders’s far-right Party for Freedom narrowly lost.
Jetten took office after he formed a coalition government that includes the center-right Christian Democrats and the center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy.
World Pride will take place in Amsterdam from July 25-Aug. 8.
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia murder suspect remains at large
Two killed, one injured in attacks motivated by victims’ sexual orientation
Police seek the public’s support in finding a suspect wanted in connection with three Philadelphia shootings, including two murders, who may have targeted his victims because they were gay. All three shootings took place near Hunting Park Recreation Center between May 29 and June 26.
The suspect is 21-year-old Jahylin Melchur, who has not been located by police and is not in police custody as of July 7. Police seek the public’s support in tracking down the suspect, whose image was captured on surveillance cameras. Previous reporting underlined that Melchur should be considered armed and dangerous.
Each of the victims was found partially clothed between 10 and 11 p.m.
On May 29, a 55-year-old in Juniata Park was found two miles from the rec center. The victim, who survived the encounter with critical injuries, said a man approached him and announced his intention to rob him, before shooting him in the elbow and torso.
Martin Higgins, 45, was pronounced dead on the bleachers of the rec center’s baseball field on June 20, suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. Sharef Holman, 29, was found near the basketball courts on June 26, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Temple University Hospital but died shortly thereafter.
Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore declined to answer the Philadelphia Inquirer’s question regarding whether the victims may have met Melchur on a dating app, citing the ongoing investigation. Sources told the Philadelphia Inquirer that investigators are exploring this possibility
Although robbery may be at least part of the motive in the first shooting, other movies are unclear.
NBC10 reported that law enforcement sources told the station all three victims were targeted because they were gay, but the Philadelphia Police Department did not confirm this.
The Philadelphia Police Department replied to PGN’s questions with an email stating, “This remains a very active investigation, and investigators are looking at all aspects of the case, including underlying motivations for committing these crimes.
“At this point, we can confirm that Melchur is wanted for two homicides by shooting and one non-fatal shooting, all of which occurred in the Hunting Park area.
“The investigation has not established that the victims were specifically targeted because of their sexual orientation.”
The Philadelphia Police Department is urging anyone with information to contact the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or submit an anonymous tip by calling the PPD Tip Line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
(This story is republished with permission of the Philadelphia Gay News.)
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