World
Second group of LGBTQ Afghans arrive in U.K.
Taliban has threatened to execute gay people
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s LGBTQ rights envoy has said another group of LGBTQ Afghans has arrived in the country.
Nick Herbert, who is a member of the British House of Lords, in a tweet said the group “arrived in the U.K. safely” on Nov. 5.
A group of 29 LGBTQ Afghans who Stonewall, Rainbow Railroad and Micro Rainbow evacuated from Afghanistan with the help of the British government arrived in the U.K. on Oct. 29. Herbert in his tweet did not say how many LGBTQ Afghans are part of the second group.
UPDATE: one week on, the UK has supported a further group of LGBT+ Afghans who arrived in the UK safely yesterday. Good news š¬š§š³ļøš https://t.co/XMnlPKCE4e
ā Nick Herbert (@nickherbertcbe) November 6, 2021
The Taliban entered Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Aug. 15 and regained control of the country.
A Taliban judge in July said the group would once again execute gay people if it were to return to power in Afghanistan.
Some of the 50 Afghan human rights activists whoĀ Taylor Hirschberg,Ā a researcher at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health who is also a Hearst Foundation scholar, has been able to help leave the country since the Taliban regained control of it are LGBTQ. Rainbow Railroad, Immigration Equality and the Human Rights Campaign are among the groups that continue to urge the Biden administration to do more to help LGBTQ Afghans who remain in the country.
United Kingdom
Current, former PinkNews staffers accuse publisher, husband of sexual harassment
CEO Anthony James suspended from NHS job after allegations became public
Thirty-three current and former employees of an LGBTQ news website in the U.K. have accused its publisher and husband of sexual harassment and misconduct.
The BBC on Tuesday reported āseveralā former PinkNews staffers saw Chief Operating Officer Anthony James ākissing and touching a junior colleague who they saw appeared too drunk to consentā outside of a London pub after a company event.
Jamesās husband, Benjamin Cohen, founded PinkNews in 2005.
The BBC reported the current and former staffers with whom it spoke said āa culture of heavy drinking led to instances whenā Cohen and James ābehaved inappropriately towards younger male employees.ā
Stephan Kyriacou, who worked at PinkNews from 2019-2021, told the BBC that Cohen slapped him on his butt at a Christmas party.
“I just shut down for a minute. I didnāt know what to say. I was in shock,ā Kyriacou told the BBC. āI remember turning to my friends and saying, ‘What the hell just happened?'”
The BBC spoke with PinkNews staffers who said āthey were shouted at and belittled by Mr. Cohen, and that there was a ātoxicā culture at the company. Others said they saw āmisogynisticā behavior.
Neither Cohen, nor James spoke with the BBC. The Washington Blade has reached out to PinkNews for comment.
Media reports indicate Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS (National Health Service) Foundation suspended James, who is a doctor, from his job after the allegations against him and Cohen became public.
Ghana
Activists: Ghanaian presidential election results will not improve LGBTQ rights
Supreme Court on Dec. 18 to rule on anti-LGBTQ law
Former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama from the opposition National Democratic Congress has won Saturday’s general elections, defeating current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party.
The NDC before the election had pledged its support for the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which would further criminalize LGBTQ people and those who support them.
The bill, which MPs approved in February, has yet to be signed by outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo because of a ruling the Supreme Court is expected to issue on Dec. 18. Richard Dela Sky, a journalist and private lawyer, challenged the law in March.
The NDC, NPP and other parties used recognition of LGBTQ rights to persuade Ghanaians to vote for them. Mahama during a BBC interview last week said LGBTQ rights are against African culture and religious doctrine.
Berinyuy Hans Burinyuy, LGBT+ Rights Ghana’s director for communications, said homophobic attacks and public demonstrations increased during the campaign.
“The passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill into law will institutionalize State-sanctioned discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, leaving little to no legal recourse for those affected,ā said Burinyuy. āThe climate of fear and uncertainty that has gripped Ghanaās LGBTQ+ community cannot be overstated.”
āWhile the political atmosphere remains hostile, there is still hope that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of human rights and constitutional protections,ā added Burinyuy. āShould the court strike down the bill, it will be a significant victory for LGBTQ+ rights and a blow to the growing wave of homophobia that has swept the country.”
Awo Dufie, an intersex person and cross-dresser, said the LGBTQ community is going to be at increased risk under the NDC-led government because it supports anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.
“Mahama supported the anti-LGBT bill as well as the arrest and prosecution of human rights defenders,ā noted Dufie. āPoliticizing queer rights as a distraction actually started under Atta Mills (the-late president of Ghana) and the NDC government in 2011, and it was an NDC MP (Sam George) who furthered this in 2021 vocalizing support for the anti-LGBT bill.”
Dufie added Ghanaians āvoted out a worse corrupt government who had no respect for human rights, and brought in a former corrupt president who has also promised to not respect human rights.”
Activism Ghana, another LGBTQ rights group, said the attacks against LGBTQ Ghanaians are a series of political ploys designed to win votes as opposed to accelerating development.
“Hate the gays, win the votes, and when they win and fail to deliver development and prosperity, they scapegoat the gays to take away attention from real problems,” said Activism Ghana.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday congratulated Mahamaās election, and noted Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang will become the countryās first female vice president.
āThe United States commends the Electoral Commission, its hundreds of thousands of poll workers, civil society, and the countryās security forces, who helped ensure a peaceful and transparent process,ā said Blinken in a statement. āWe also applaud Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia for his gracious acceptance of the results.ā
Mahamaās inauguration will take place on Jan. 7.
Advocacy groups continue to urge Akufo-Addo to veto the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill or amend sections that further criminalize LGBTQ people and allies.
World
HRC Foundation awards grants to 18 LGBTQ groups around the world
Organizations to receive up to $5,000 through Global Small Grants program
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation on Tuesday announced it has awarded grants to 18 LGBTQ rights groups around the world.
A press release notes the groups will receive up to $5,000 through its Global Small Grants program. The recipients include:
ā¢ LighT in Central Asia
ā¢ MĆ”s Igualdad PerĆŗ
ā¢ The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality
ā¢ XY Spectrum in Serbia
ā¢ Lesbian Intersex Trans and Other Extensions in Malawi
ā¢ Right Side Human Rights Defender NGO in Armenia
ā¢ The Blue Diamond Society in Nepal
ā¢ The Barbados LGBTQ+ Coalition
ā¢ Sin Etiquetas +593 in Ecuador
ā¢ Icebreakers Uganda
ā¢ Equal Ground in Sri Lanka
ā¢ The Equal Asia Foundation in Thailand
ā¢ The Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association
ā¢ Key Watch Ghana
ā¢ South Trans Voice in Morocco
The press release notes this yearās grant priorities included āprojects centering LGBTQI+ people who are racial, religious or ethnic minorities, have a disability, communities disproportionately impacted by climate change, or who have experienced displacement.ā The HRC Foundation also āsought to assist programs working to focus on increasing trans and/or intersex leadership or advocacy and those generally creating more inclusive access to services or other institutions of daily life, including engaging employers/businesses or faith institutions as allies for equality.ā
Sean Sih-Cheng Du of the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+ Hotline Association said the grant will allow his organization to expand its campaign that seeks to make āworkplaces in Taiwan more diverse and inclusive.ā
HRC launched the Global Small Grants Program in 2020.
Tuesdayās announcement coincides with International Human Rights Day, which commemorates the U.N. General Assemblyās ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on Dec. 10, 1948.
President-elect Donald Trumpās election last month sparked concern among LGBTQ activists and advocacy groups in the U.S. and around the world. The incoming president has nominated U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to serve as his administrationās secretary of state and U.S. ambassador to the U.N. respectively.
-
Rehoboth Beach4 days ago
Rehoboth Beachās iconic Purple Parrot is sold
-
District of Columbia2 days ago
D.C. gay bar Uproar issues GoFundMe appeal
-
Los Angeles23 hours ago
Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters dies at 63
-
Opinions4 days ago
Navigating the holidays while estranged from ultra-religious, abusive parents