World
Gay Nigerian priest makes religion serve LGBTQ people
Rev. Jide Macaulay founded House of Rainbow
It is impossible to speak of queer identity and culture without acknowledging the important role religion has played in shaping it throughout history. Whether itās Pope Francis praising the work an American priest has done to affirm LGBTQ identity, or a Republican legislator rebuking the existence of transgender people by invoking scripture from the Bible, religion and spirituality unquestionably influence conversations about sexual identity in the U.S. and how American society would like for people to manifest their sexuality.Ā
A significant portion of LGBTQ people in the U.S. are religious.
A study the UCLA School of Lawās Williams Institute conducted in 2020 found that 5.3 million LGBTQ adults are religious with almost half of this metric identifying as āhighly religious.ā Forty percent of those between ages 18 and 35 are religious, and 65 percent percent of those over 65 identify as religious as well. In addition, 71 percent of Black LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are religious.
The Washington Blade recently spoke with Rev. Jide Macaulay, founder and CEO of the London-based House of Rainbow CIC, to talk about his work as a gay Black African Christian priest.
Macaulay was born in London and grew up in Ikeja, the boisterous capital of Nigeriaās Lagos State. He was born into a religious family to parents who he described to the Blade during a 2017 interview as āvery dedicated Christians.ā His father was one of Nigeriaās leading theologians, so Macaulayās upbringing was naturally Christian-centric, with him being involved in the church from a young age.
As a budding adult, Macaulay pursued theology as a profession and became an ordained minister in 1998 after training with his father. After a two-year hiatus from the church, he joined the Metropolitan Community Church in London to study theology and later joined its congregation as a minister in 2003. Macaulay says it was there that he became confident in his understanding that āGod loves gay people regardless of all these messages of it being a taboo or abomination.ā
Sheathed with this conviction, Macaulay moved back to Nigeria to create an environment that mimics that which he had experienced at the Metropolitan Community Church.
āIt became important to me to go to Nigeria to create the same space and tell LGBTQ people that āGod loves you just the way you are,āā says Macaulay. āI embodied a lot of the spirit of the human rights church that came out of the origin of the Metropolitan Community Church.ā
Macaulay started House of Rainbow under this ideology on Sept. 2, 2006. This weekly gathering of LGBTQ Christians initially began with 34 congregants, but the congregation grew rapidly to a point where Macaulay ādidnāt know what to do with all the people.ā He says the growth āperplexedā him as he didnāt realize that House of Rainbow was so popular.
House of Rainbow encountered problems that emanated from operating in a country with virulent homophobic laws, despite its popularity. Many congregants were physically attacked for identifying as queer, and Macaulay recalls individuals emerging to church with broken noses and arms. The media also caught wind of House of Rainbowās weekly gatherings and chaos ensued.Ā
The culmination of these events forced Macaulay to leave Nigeria after two years. House of Rainbow remained steadfast with its mission to create a community for LGBTQ Christians and soldiered on for a couple of more years before it eventually dissolved.
āItās unfortunate, now, that as I speak to you we do not have a House of Rainbow community in Nigeria,ā says Macaulay. āWe still have people connected [to the community], but we donāt have a physical presence or anyone leading it.ā
House of Rainbowās reach has nevertheless now become global, with communities established in 22 countries. The majority of them are in Africa.
āHomosexuality is not a sin; it is who we areā
The crux of Macaulayās ideology centers on inclusion and acceptance. He creates a space at House of Rainbow where LGBTQ individuals can not only gather in community, but can also feel seen and recognized as meaningful members and contributors to Christianity
āThe important thing [that people need to understand] is that as a minister of the gospel of Christ, I want every LGBTQ person to make [it to] heaven,ā says Macaulay. āI want them to be on a path towards salvation and redemption.ā
āThis whole language that if you are gay, you are destined for hell and eternal damnation is so wrong. That is even abusive in itself,ā adds Macaulay.
He further invokes a popular scripture that loosely states, āFor all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.ā
This scripture is a part of what homophobic Christians use to denounce queerness. Macaulay, nevertheless emphasizes that there is a lack of complete understanding of what the scripture truly communicates.
ā[The scripture] didnāt say that anyone is going to hell. It said that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,ā says Macaulay. āHaving said that, it is important to understand that homosexuality is not a sin; it is who we are.ā
Macaulayās work is therefore enmeshed in the need to fight for social justice causes. He aims to use the church as a platform to bring awareness to and fight for all iterations of LGBTQ rights. Whether it be racism, sexism, or classism, Macaulay aims to ābe like Jesusā and emulate his unwavering passion to uplift those at the bottom of societyās hierarchy.
āItās inconceivable to think that any religious space wouldnāt be a platform for social justice. Jesus Christ was about social justice,ā says Macaulay. āEven the Civil Rights Movement in America had the church fighting injustices relating to racism.ā
Macaulay stresses that the church needs to ādo what is rightā and stand up for the rights of LGBTQ people.
āIn the Bible in Micah 6:18, it says, āWhat does the Lord require of you but to do justice? To love kindness and work in humility with your God,ā says Macaulay. āTherefore, Christian leaders need to have a strong understanding of justice.ā
When reflecting on the current state of religion, its diversion from and/or weak approach towards social justice, and also its complicity in oppressing minority groups, Macaulay says, āJesus Christ would definitely be mad.ā
Can you be a gay African and Christian?
Prior to being colonized by European countries, many African cultures had relaxed attitudes towards sexuality and gender. The Shona in Zimbabwe, Pangwe in Cameroon, Igbo in Nigeria and other African tribes all permitted queer existence without any negative repercussions.
The expansion of European global influence brought with it homophobic laws, which were largely enacted under the pretense of āChristian values,ā that forced African countries to institutionalize queerphobia, which has now become an undeniable legacy of colonialism on the continent.
That colonialism introduced African populations to Christianity is not an uncommon sentiment among queer Africans and Africans in general. Hence, it is not uncommon to find LGBTQ Africans who denounce Christianity not only because of its association with the racism that fueled European occupation of the continent, but also its functioning as a tool that erased what many of them nostalgically view as a queer-affirming past tainted by the arrival of the white man.
Macaulay both believes and shuns this. He acknowledges that colonialism did participate in the erasure of queer acceptance in African cultures, however, the concept of Christianity being āunAfricanā is fallacious.
He asserts that African and Black African Christians existed before colonialism, and thus, the notion that Christianity is the āwhite manās religionā is a false notion.
āChristianity was present in pre-colonial Africa,ā says Macaulay. āIn the Bible there are numerous references to Africa, including Egypt and Ethiopia where important biblical events happened, [for example], the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt in search of the promised land.ā
Macaulay, because of this, spotlights the need for religion to be decolonized.
By reframing how Christians conceive of religion, from unlearning the notion that Jesus is white to acknowledging the existence of Black people in the Bible, one can have a more wholesome and truthful interaction with Christianity.
Also, this will allow for queer African Christians to exist in their queer communities comfortably as Macaulay states that thereās a need for them to occupy space in the community as proudly religious people without bearing the shame that is cast on them by what seems to be an agnostic-leaning landscape.
Lil Nas X and āgoing to hellā
Lil Nas X on March 26 released a single titled āCall Me By Your Nameā which garnered massive attention for both its musical mastery through a catchy hook and its depiction of Black queerness. The accompanying video further dramatized the story by drawing from Christian visual imagery of heaven and hell, and God and the Devil.
The songās video features scenes of Lil Nas X in sensual form, including him giving a caricature of Satan a lap dance. This particularly angered many religious groups, including Christian allies of the LGBTQ community who USA Today reported criticized the video for āgoing too far to prove a point.āā
Macaulay is a fan of Lil Nas X, who he dubs as his āfavorite artist of all time right now, after Michael Jackson,ā and for him, Lil Nas Xās discography extends beyond simple displays of queer identity.
Macaulay has one thought at the forefront of his mind when he looks at āCall Me By Your Nameā: The concept of hell is abusive and a form of scaremongering.
āThe concept of hell is propaganda. It is almost fictional,ā says Macaulay. āThe idea that if you do something wrong you will go to hell, is wrong in and of itself. Homosexuality was never wrong. Homophobia is wrong.ā
He further underlines that God made gay people, and supports this with a scripture from the book of Philippians which loosely points to Godās omnipotent knowledge before, during, and after oneās life on earth.
Macaulay says that people should listen to Lil Nas Xās pain, and not rebuke him, because he speaks for millions of gay people.
āThe reality is that when you tell people that they are going to hell, you are excommunicating them from living their own lives appropriately,ā says Macaulay.
Macaulay nonetheless has a deep admiration for todayās younger generations, especially because they refuse to align themselves with the bigotry that ravages societal discourse about identity.
āIām really glad for the young people that have stepped out. They are fighting back. They are the warriors and heroes saying, āEnough is enough. Iām proud, queer and African,’ā says Macaulay. āI think that the sad reality for the Christian community is that theyāre missing out on the gift and talents of the queer community [by being exclusive].ā
Macaulay and House of Rainbow have created āGAYMoment,ā a weekly online service that centers queer worship. Each Sunday, queer people from around the world gather online for prayer, sermon, and testimonies, all provided by queer people.
Macaulay champions sex positivity
Discussing sex and sexual identity is a topic from which Macaulay does not shy away. In fact, it is one that although he is a religious leader, he also approaches as a person of faith.
Macaulay, who lives with HIV, is a proponent of sex positivity.
āI think itās important for every adult human being to experience a sexual relationship that is appropriate, suitable, and consensual,ā says Macaulay. āIt is important that everyone in their lifetime engages positively with sex, particularly adults. I donāt recommend it for minors though.ā
Macaulay is also a vocal advocate for having honest and open conversations about sex and sexuality. He gives credence to the fact that society needs to address the lack of comprehensive sex education.
āCountries that have [addressed sex education] are doing better. They have less cases of STIs and teenage pregnancies,ā says Macaulay. āAlso, students get more opportunities to know more about various sexulities.ā
Sex education should be age-appropriate and geared towards protecting children, minors, and vulnerable adults, says Macaulay. He believes that children should know about their bodies and be armed with the confidence to talk to adults when their boundaries are violated.
Thus, by keeping advocacy as the focal point, Macaulay, who is affectionately known as āMama Jideā functions in a quintessential role in the queer community, one similar to that of house mothers in ballroom culture who outstretch themselves to the limits to ensure that their children not only have their basic needs, but also reach a point of complete self-actualization and realization of their purpose in life.
World
Out in the World: LGBTQ news from Europe and Asia
Marriage equality advances in Liechtenstein, Thailand
UNITED KINGDOM
BY ERIN REED | FollowingĀ a recent decision in England by the National Health ServiceĀ to stop prescribing puberty blockers for transgender youth, former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss introducedĀ a billĀ that would outlaw gender-affirming care for trans youth. The bill would also eliminate any recognition of social transition and would define sex to exclude trans individuals in the Equality Act. Currently, trans youth can still access gender-affirming care throughĀ private clinics. However, Trussā bill ran into trouble on Friday when, instead of being debated, MPs spent hours deliberating over ferrets and pet names, exhausting the available time and preventing the bill from being heard.
As of this week, the National Health Service in England has declared that it will no longer permit trans youth to receive puberty blockers for gender dysphoria. Although the announcement sparked significant public backlash, its practical impact was somewhat mitigated by the extreme waitlist for care, which exceeds five years. Only a hundred trans youth had been prescribed blockers of the thousands waiting for an appointment. Importantly, the decision does not affect care through clinical research trials and does not affect private clinics ā a route many parents had already pursued due to the surging wait times at the limited number of NHS clinics providing care.
Truss introduced a bill aimed at curbing that latter route of obtaining care. The proposed legislation would criminalize the prescription of gender-affirming care to trans youth. It seeks to prevent āthe recognition of gender inconsistency in children,ā which is defined as āreferring to a child with language that is inconsistent with their sexā and ātreating a child in a manner that is inconsistent with their sex.ā However, the bill does not specify how boys and girls should be treated in accordance with the law. Additionally, it proposes amendments to the Equality Act to define sex to exclude trans individuals and end protections in bathrooms and other similar spaces.
See these lines from the bill here:
However, when the time arrived to debate bills, MPs diverted their attention to hours of discussions about ferrets and pet animal names within the context of an animal welfare bill. In one notable interaction, Labour MP Sarah Champion addressed Labour MP Maria Eagle, remarking humorously on the frequent mentions of ferrets:
Champion: āI am very interested in my honorable friendās, well, key mention of ferrets at every opportunity in this debate. Iād like to put on record that my brother had a ferret called Oscar.ā
(Laughter)
Eagle: āWell she has that now on the record. I donāt know really what else to say about that except that Iām sure that Oscar brought her brother great joy, and thatās what pets do, and Iām sure there are many other ferret owners who might attest to the same thing.ā
You can watch the exchange here:
In another exchange, even some conservatives appeared to be in on it, such as MP Mark Spencer, who spoke at length listing off of many pets that had been named and put on the record.
Spencer: āI am confident that Members of all parties will agree that animals have been of great support to individuals and families, particularly during COVID-19, when my pets were certainly of great support to me. Pets often help to keep people sane when they are under pressure in their everyday pursuits, so it would be remiss of me not to put on the record the names of my three dogs, Tessa, Barney and Maisie, and the name of my cat, Parsnip. There has been a proud tradition this morning of mentioning various pets, including: Harry, George, Henry, Bruce, Snowy, Maisie, Scamp, Becky 1, Becky 2, Tiny, Tilly, Pippin, Kenneth, Roger, Poppy, Juno, Lucky, Lulu, Brooke, Lucy, Marcus and Toby, who are the dogs; and not forgetting Perdita, Nala, Colin, who is sadly no longer with us, Frank, two Smudges, Attlee, Orna, Hetty, Stanley, Mia Cat, Sue, Sulekha, Cassio, Othello, Clapton, Tigger, who is sadly no longer with us, and Pixie, who are the cats.ā
The lengthy exchanges on pet names and ferrets ran the time out, and as such, the bill targeting trans people could not be heard. The lengthy discussion, which has since been referred to as a filibuster, echoes filibusters that have occurred in the U.S. to kill similar legislation, including recently in West Virginia on a bill that also would have defined sex in an identical way.
The exchanges provided a ray of hope for trans residents in England, which has been beset by anti-trans politics in recent years. Likewise, it was a sign that the Labour Party, whichĀ has previously beenĀ seen as ābackslidingā on trans rights, has not completely abandoned its transgender constituents. Though the bill is not officially dead, it has been placed at the bottom of the priority list for March 22, meaning it almost certainly will not be debated, with government sources calling the billĀ āunworkable.ā
For those who advocate for trans rights, however, the ferret has become āan overnight symbol of trans resistanceā and a sign that anti-trans politics may be reaching their limit even in the U.K.
IRELAND
BY ROB SALERNO | The Irish people delivered a major rebuke to the political establishment by voting overwhelmingly against a pair of constitutional referendums that had been endorsed by all parties which would have amended language in the constitution that says a womanās place is in the home, and that families are based on marriage.
The government had held the referendum on International Womenās Day, March 8, in a symbolic move, and turnout was measured at 44.4 percent. Results were announced the following day.
Irelandās gay prime minister, Leo Varadkar, accepted defeat Saturday.
āIt was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote āyesā and we clearly failed to do so,ā Varadkar said.
The first question, which was defeated 67 percent to 33 percent, asked voters to add the words āwhether founded on marriage or on other durable relationships,ā to the constitutionās definition of āfamily,ā in order to be more inclusive of diverse family types.
The second question, which was defeated by a similar margin, as voters to delete a clause that says āthe State recognizes that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved. The State shall, therefore, endeavor to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labor to the neglect of their duties in the home.ā
Critics say the language promotes sexist gender stereotypes. The revised language would have used gender-neutral language to recognize āthe provision of care, by members of a family to one another.ā
Advocacy group LGBTQ Ireland had called for people to vote āyesā to both referendums, āso all children and families, including LGBTQ families, are recognized equally in the constitution.ā
But a persuasive ānoā campaign had arisen that alleged the revision would have struck womenās privileges and rights. Forces aligned against the referendum included some progressive and feminist groups that alleged the proposed language was unclear and lacked consultation.
Irish voters have in recent years approved a number of progressive reforms to their constitution, including streamlining the divorce process in 2019, legalizing abortion and decriminalizing blasphemy in 2018, and legalizing same-sex marriage in 2015.
LIECHTENSTEIN
BY ROB SALERNO | The tiny principality of Liechtenstein got one step closer to full equality for LGBTQ people as its parliament approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage with a 24-1 vote, bringing a years-long process nearly to a close.
Local LGBTQ advocacy group FLAY expressed gratitude to members of Landtag, the Liechtenstein parliament, for advancing the law last week.
āThank you for 24x āyesā in the Landtag,ā the group posted to its Facebook page.
āFLay the association for the queer community in Liechtenstein is very happy that 24 out of 25 deputies in parliament voted in favor on todayās first reading. Keeping in mind the completely blocked situation only 3 years ago, the denial of our government for participating any public discussion, we can be more than proud and happy on our successful steps towards the legitimation of the civil marriage for all,ā Stefan Marxer, a FLay board member told the Washington Blade in an email.
The marriage bill is expected to pass second reading before the summer parliamentary break, and come into effect by Jan. 1, 2025, unless a referendum is called on the issue.
The tiny country of about 40,000 people, about the size of D.C., has made major progress on advancing LGBTQ rights in the last decade, though the International Gay and Lesbian Association-Europe ranked the country 38th among 49 European countries in its annual survey of LGBTQ rights on the continent last year.
Liechtenstein has allowed same-sex couples to form registered partnerships with limited rights since 2011. The registered partnership law was subject to a referendum after gay rights opponents collected more than 1,000 signatures demanding it. The law was approved by voters 69 percent to 31 percent.
A same-sex couple had sued the state seeking the right to marriage in 2017, but ultimately lost when the state court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was not unconstitutional. However, the court did find that the law banning same-sex couples from adopting was unconstitutional and ordered the country to amend the law. It eventually did so last year.
Discussion of marriage equality began in earnest in Liechtenstein after neighboring Switzerland passed its same-sex marriage law in its parliament in 2020.
One obstacle was the prince, who wields significant executive authority in Liechtenstein compared to other European monarchies. In 2021, Prince Hans-Adam II said that while he supported same-sex marriage, he would not support adoption rights. That obstacle seemed to disappear when the state court ordered the government to legalize full adoption rights. By 2022, Hans-Adamās son Alois, who governs as regent, told a magazine that same-sex marriage was ānot a problem.ā
The Catholic Church had also intervened, with former Archbishop of Liechtenstein Wolfgang Haas leading a campaign against the bill and cancelling a traditional service at the opening of last yearās Parliament in protest. Haas retired last autumn.
Despite broad agreement among legislators, the same-sex marriage law has taken a slow path through Parliament. In November 2022, Parliament voted 23-2 asking the government to bring forward a same-sex marriage bill. The government held a three-month-long public consultation on same-sex marriage last year before putting the bill on the agenda for Parliamentās March 2024 meeting.
Under the marriage bill, the country will stop registering new partnerships, and people in partnerships will have the option of converting them to marriages or keeping them as they are. All other rights will be equalized.
Liechtenstein is the last German-speaking country to legalize same-sex marriage. Around the world, 37 countries have legalized same-sex marriage, including 21 countries in Europe. The most recent country to legalize same-sex marriage is Greece, and Thailand is expected to pass a same-sex marriage law later this year.
JAPAN
BY ROB SALERNO | Two courts ruled this past Thursday that Japanās ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, increasing pressure on the government to legalize it.
District courts have been weighing same-sex marriage since several coordinated cases were filed across the country in 2019. Along with Thursdayās ruling from the Tokyo District Court, five district courts have ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, while one court has upheld the ban. A seventh district court case was filed last month.
But on Thursday, the Sapporo High Court delivered the first ruling on same-sex marriage at the appellate level, and same-sex couples won there, too.
So far, all courts have dismissed claims for monetary compensation.
Itās likely that all of the cases will end up at the Supreme Court.
In a statement released after the ruling, the plaintiffsā lawyers called on the government to act swiftly to protect their rights.
āI would like to reiterate that this shows that there is no time left for legal reform. The government should take seriously this judgment that found this provision to be unconstitutional … and promptly amend the law to allow marriage between same-sex couples,ā the statement says.
Under Japanās legal system, courts rarely invalidate or amend laws that are ruled unconstitutional, leaving that to the legislature.
But Japanās national government has long been cold to LGBTQ rights. Last year, queer activists had hoped that the government would finally pass a long-demanded anti-discrimination bill, but by the time it was put before the legislature, it had been watered down to a bill that only calls on the government to promote understanding of LGBTQ people.
At the local level, queer activists have seen greater success. Twenty-nine of Japanās 47 prefectures, as well as hundreds of municipalities, have enacted partnership registries for same-sex couples that at least afford some limited rights.
THAILAND
BY ROB SALERNO | Same-sex marriage could soon be a reality in the Southeast Asian country, as a bill to legalize cleared its first test in the legislature Thursday.Ā
A committee set up by the House of Representatives to examine the bill approved it, setting it up for a final vote in the House on March 27. After that, it will need to be approved by the Senate, which is dominated by appointees of the former military junta that ruled the country until 2017. It is expected that the bill will pass into law by the end of the year.
The proposed bill gives same-sex couples equal rights to married heterosexual couples, including in inheritance, tax rights and adoption.
Same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights generally have become a major political issue in Thailand in recent years, with queer people becoming increasingly visible and demanding greater equality.
Parties promising to legalize same-sex marriage and promote LGBTQ rights were the major victors of last yearās election, although the leading party was controversially disqualified from forming a government due to its support for reforming laws that penalize disparaging the monarchy, which was deemed unconstitutional. Nevertheless, the parties that formed government agreed to pass a same-sex marriage law, and last December, the house voted overwhelmingly to approve in principle a series of draft marriage bills.
The new government has also signaled that it will soon introduce a bill to facilitate legal gender change for trans people, and has begun a campaign to provide free HIV medication as an effort to eliminate HIV transmission by 2030.
Reporting by Erin Reed and Rob Salerno
Africa
Burundi’s president reiterates LGBTQ people should be stoned in a stadium
Ćvariste Ndayishimiye first made comment last December
Burundian President Ćvariste Ndayishimiye on March 8 reiterated his call for LGBTQ people to be stoned in a stadium.
Ndayishimiye made the remark during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day in Gitega, the country’s political capital. He first called for the public stoning of LGBTQ people lastĀ December during a public event.
LGBTQ activists sharply criticized the comments and some international diplomats even threatened to cut economic ties with Burundi. Ndayishimiye, however, seems unmoved by this pushback and maintained that if it meant if his nation would cut economic ties with the developed countries on the basis of his anti-LGBTQ stance then so be it, reaffirming that nothing will change his stance.
JĆ©sus Dior Kant, a gay man and LGBTQ activist from Burundi, said the president’s remarks are tantamount to publicly calling for the lynching of gay people.
“This violent and anti-LGBT+ rhetoric endangers the lives of many individuals in Burundi and stains the nation’s commitment to human rights,” said Kant. “Such discourse not only incites homophobia and violence but also violates international human rights laws and norms that protect individuals regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Kant also said what Ndayishimiye said now poses a real and immediate threat for LGBTQ people in the country.
“The impact of this statement is not merely rhetorical, it poses a real and immediate threat to the safety and well-being of the LGBT+ community in Burundi,” said Kant. “It encourages hate crimes, promotes discrimination and undermines progress made towards equality and justice. This is not just a problem for the LGBT+ community but a stain on the moral fabric of our global society, reflecting on us all.”
Kant called for Ndayishimiye to immediately withdraw his remarks and commit to protecting the rights of LGBTQ people in the country.
“Your call to stone gay individuals constitutes a blatant violation of human rights and an incitement to violence and discrimination,” said Kant. “We implore you to take the necessary measures to withdraw your statement advocating violence against the LGBT+ community, commit to protecting LGBT+ individuals in Burundi by enforcing laws that guarantee rights and well-being and respecting international human rights conventions, ensuring that Burundi is a nation that respects and values every human life.”
ClĆ©mentine de Montjoye, a researcher at Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division, said the anti-LGBTQ crackdown in Burundi could become worse, including continued political repression and restrictions on freedom of expression to maintain the governing partyās control.Ā
“This type of fearmongering is not new in Burundi, where sexual relations between people of the same sex have been illegal since former President Pierre Nkurunziza signed a new criminal code into law in 2009,” noted de Montjove. “The law was a fierce blow to Burundiās LGBT people, who had begun to come out and organize, albeit in small numbers, to demand their rights be respected.”
De Montjove further noted the National Assemblyās human rights commission added the anti-homosexuality provision in the 2009 criminal code at the last minute, apparently under pressure from Nkurunziza, who made statements on television that described homosexuality as a curse.
“Ndayishimiye, who presents himself as a progressive, rights-respecting leader, should be working to reverse this trend rather than stoking more fear and hatred,” said de Montjoye.
United Nations
US global LGBTQ, intersex rights envoy participates in UN womenās conference
Jessica Stern traveled to N.Y. this week
Jessica Stern, the special U.S. envoy for the promotion of LGBTQ and intersex rights abroad, traveled to New York this week to participate in the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the U.N.
Stern arrived in New York on Tuesday and left on Friday.
The CSW68, the largest annual U.N. gathering on gender equality and womenās empowerment, began on Monday and will take place through March 22 under the theme of āaccelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” This year’s session holds particular significance as global statistics reveal persistent gender disparities, with 10.3 percent of women living in extreme poverty and progress towards poverty eradication lagging significantly behind targets.
Accelerating progress towards gender equality necessitates substantial investment, with an estimated additional $360 billion per year needed to achieve key global goals. Stern while in New York sought to advocate for prioritizing policies and programs that address gender inequalities and enhance women’s agency and leadership, noting the transformative impact such investments could have on lifting millions out of poverty and spurring economic growth.
At CSW68, governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists will converge to discuss actions and investments aimed at ending women’s poverty and advancing gender equality.
Moreover, the CSW68 serves as a critical platform for sharing best practices and innovative approaches to addressing gender disparities. Stern participated in panel discussions and workshops, offered insights gleaned from her extensive experience in advocating for the rights of LGBTQ people and marginalized communities.