Venezuela’s LGBTQ community is in an extremely vulnerable situation due to the increasing repression and systematic human rights violations that President Nicolás Maduro’s regime has perpetrated after July 28’s disputed election.

Local activists and international organizations have widely documented the situation, and the queer community is one of the groups most affected by this wave of repression.

A prominent Venezuelan LGBTQ activist, who has requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, has described the situation as desperate. 

“In Venezuela, unlike most Latin American countries, no meaningful recognition has been achieved for the LGBTIQ+ population,” she said in an interview with Washington Blade from Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. “There is no equal marriage, no identity recognition for trans people, and existing anti-discrimination laws are never enforced in practice. This has led the community to seek new forms of resistance, such as supporting opposing candidates.”

The activist highlighted the lack of recognition and protection of rights has led to a consolidation around presidential candidate Edmundo González and other opposition figures. 

American Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other global figures say González defeated Maduro in the July 28 election. González on Sept. 8 arrived in Spain where he received asylum.

The Maduro regime since the disputed election has launched a fierce crackdown on human rights.

Hate speech from Attorney General Tarek William Saab, who has called transgender people “human aberrations,” and others has intensified the climate of hostility.

Diosdado Cabello, the political head of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, has launched systematic attacks against LGBTQ activists who are fighting for civil and democratic rights. Repression has increased in the wake of the election, with more than 1,500 arbitrary arrests and summary convictions.

The situation is even more critical for LGBTQ activists, who have been targeted for illegal searches and arbitrary arrests.

Among the prominent cases is that of Yendri Velasquez, an activist who authorities detained at Caracas’s Simón Bolívar International Airport after they arbitrarily revoked his passport. Although he was released, his case highlights the dangerousness of the situation. 

“Other cases, such as that of Nelson Merino and the recent raids on the homes of Koddy Campos and Leandro Viloria, underscore the imminent risk faced by LGBTIQ+ rights defenders,” said the activist who spoke anonymously with the Blade 

In a context of increasing repression, the Venezuelan National Assembly recently passed a law that severely limits the operations of NGOs, endangering many organizations working to defend human rights. 

“This law follows the model of repression observed in Nicaragua, where civil society organizations have been dissolved en masse,” said the activist from Caracas. “The cancellation of more than 23,000 passports without legal justification has been reported, a measure that affects numerous citizens, including the LGBTIQ+ community seeking asylum abroad.” 

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has denounced the situation in Venezuela as a case of “State Terrorism.”

“The LGBTIQ+ community in Venezuela, already one of the most vulnerable, now faces exacerbated risk due to systematic repression and human rights violations,” said the activist, who urged the international community to intervene. “The situation is critical and international pressure is our only hope to stem this wave of repression and protect those on the front lines of defending our rights.”

“In this context of oppression and violence, Venezuela’s LGBTIQ+ community continues to face monumental challenges in its struggle for equality and justice, while the government appears increasingly authoritarian and repressive,” she added.

South African LGBTQ organizations have condemned the tragic murder of a lesbian couple in Dambuza near Pietermaritzburg on Aug. 27.

Reports indicate the couple — Nombulelo Thandathina Bixa, 28, and Minenhle Ngcobo, 22, — were shot dead by Ngcobo’s ex-boyfriend who was reportedly not happy with her recent relationship with Bixa. 

Bixa was laid to rest on Sept. 5. Ngcobo was buried on Sunday.

ILORA, an LGBTQ rights organization, says the couple’s murder has left their families, friends, and the broader community in profound grief.

“We stand in solidarity with all those who are mourning and call for justice for our fallen siblings,” said ILORA. “Together, we must continue to fight against the violence and hatred that threaten our lives and communities.”

Uthingo Network, another LGBTQ rights organization, said the couple’s death was a horrific incident that could have been averted, noting Ngcobo’s ex-boyfriend had been harassing them and ignored a protection order.

“This brutal act highlights the deep-seated homophobia and violence that persists in South Africa, especially in rural areas where LGBTI+ individuals are often marginalized and under protected,” said the group in a statement. “The systemic lack of awareness and understanding in these communities contributes to an environment where such hate crimes can occur frequently and with little consequence.” 

“The fear of further victimization often silences those who seek justice, perpetuating a dangerous cycle of violence and impunity,” added the Uthingo Network.

The Uthingo Network also said it is calling for urgent and comprehensive action at all levels — including more vigorous enforcement of hate crime laws, training for police officers on LGBTQ issues, and community-based education programs to challenge harmful prejudices. 

“Uthingo Network urges the government, civil society, and individuals to stand together against all forms of hatred and violence, working towards a future where no one is targeted for who they are or who they love,” said the group.

Gay man killed outside his home on Aug. 18

Xolani Xaka, a 32-year-old gay man from Gqeberha, was murdered outside his home on Aug. 18.

A family representative said Xaka heard noises at the gate of the home he shared with his uncle. He went to investigate, and three men confronted him, repeatedly stabbing him until he was dead.

The three men fled.

“LGBTIQ+ people should not have to live in fear of discrimination and deadly violence simply because of who they love or their gender identity,” said OUT Civil Society Engagement Officer Sibonelo Ncanana. “We call on the authorities to act with urgency to arrest and prosecute the men alleged to have callously taken another queer life.” 

Ncanana said no arrests have been made, even though authorities continue to investigate Xaka’s murder. A motive remains unclear.

Crimes against LGBTQ South Africans remain prevalent, even though the country is the only one in Africa that constitutionally recognizes rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and President Cyril Ramaphosa in May signed the Preventing and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Act. Activists say homophobic and transphobic religious and cultural beliefs contribute to continued attacks against LGBTQ South Africans.

Steve Letsike, a lesbian who won a seat in the South African National Assembly earlier this year, on June 30 became the country’s deputy minister of women, youth and people with disabilities. Activists are hopeful she will work to raise awareness for the need to protect LGBTQ South Africans.  

SERBIA

Thousands of people marched through the Serbian capital on Sept 7 in what organizers are calling the largest Belgrade Pride yet. The march went off peacefully under the protection of a heavy police presence, a marked contrast to previous years that have seen the march threatened or canceled due to violent anti-LGBTQ protestors.

This year’s Pride marchers were demanding that the government pass laws to expand LGBTQ rights, including a long-promised same-sex partnership law and a law to facilitate legal gender recognition.

The march route took participants past the Serbian parliament, where organizers read out a list of demands and an unidentified participant hung a rainbow flag from an office window.

“Politicians, with political will, could easily fulfill the demands. Of course, it is also important that these laws are then applied,” Goran Miletic, one of the Pride organizers, told media.

A civil union bill has been under discussion by the Serbian government since 2019, under former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who is openly lesbian. But after years of consultations, President Alexander Vucic announced in 2021 that he would veto the bill if it passed parliament. While consultations have continued, the bill has been effectively stalled since then. 

Serbia is also required by the European Convention on Human Rights to provide some legal recognition to same-sex couples.

Serbian European Integration Minister Tanja Miscevic attended the Pride event and told media that the government is still considering civil union legislation, though she offered no timeline to implement it.

“The issue is protecting the rights of various citizens, which must be equalized with the rights that we all have,” Miscevic told media at the event.

Belgrade Pride was first celebrated in 2001 with a march that was attacked by right-wing organizations, leaving more than 40 people injured. After several failed attempts to hold a second parade, the next Belgrade Pride was held in 2010, which led to street battles between police and anti-LGBTQ protestors, with more than 100 officers injured and more than 250 arrests. Pride was banned by authorities in 2011 and 2012, before being revived in 2014.

In 2022, Belgrade was due to host EuroPride, but authorities denied permits at the last minute, citing security concerns, and only a shortened march was held.

ALBANIA

A conservative member of the Albanian parliament is stirring up a homophobic controversy over a third grade language textbook that depicts a wizard in a rainbow robe on its cover.

The controversy was first kicked up by right-wing commentator Auron Kalaja, who posted the cover of the textbook “Gjuha Shqipe” on Instagram with a caption directing parents to “reject this book.”

“What is the meaning of the rainbow and its colors on the cover of the most beautiful subject?! Will this creature holding a magic wand change the children’s minds so that the latter ones change sex or … ?!” Kalaja wrote.

Tritan Shehu, an MP from the right-leaning Democratic Party, claimed that the textbook was an attempt by the government to “deform” children, in a Sept. 6 Facebook post. 

“The cover of the official text of ‘Gjuha Shqipe’ for children is a cynical insult on children, their development, their future and their vision for life and family,” he writes. “A child appears there and on top of that a ‘man’ with a beard wearing a dress of ‘rainbow’ colors, dancing barefoot like a woman!!! Here we are not dealing with coincidences, but with a strategy of the regime, dangerous gender for sexual orientation in the new female age.” 

While the comments have stirred up outrage in the predictable circles, the book’s publisher Albas backed the design in a statement, noting the book has been used in schools for eight years without any complaints from parents or educators.

Albas’ statement explains that both the rainbow and the wizard relate to stories contained in the textbook.

“The tendentious and discriminatory interpretations, the more they spread on social networks and in the media, the more they deepen the crisis we are going through as a society, damaging the mental health of children,” Albas’s statement reads.

GEORGIA

The government got one step closer to passing its draconian anti-LGBTQ “propaganda” law last week, as the bill secured passage at second reading in parliament. A final vote is scheduled for Sept. 17.

The ruling Georgian Dream party introduced the bill this summer, drawing swift condemnation from Western allies. Analysts believe the government is using the bill to foment division among the opposition ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for late October.

The bill, inspired by similar legislation passed by Russia in 2013, would ban any gathering, product, or educational program that “popularizes” LGBTQ people or identities, bans gender-related care for trans people and legal recognition of their gender, bans any legal recognition of same-sex couples, bans adoption by same-sex couples, and bans any marriage by non-heterosexual or non-cisgender people. 

The passage at second reading was strongly condemned by the European Union in a statement.

“This package undermines the fundamental rights of Georgian people and risks further stigmatization and discrimination of part of the population,” the statement reads. “The EU calls on the Georgian authorities to entirely reconsider this legislative package.”

Georgian Dream has taken an increasingly authoritarian and anti-Western stance in recent years, positioning itself and its patron Russia as a bulwark against liberal and inclusive European values that it portrays as promoting LGBTQ rights.

This turn has come despite the public’s overwhelming support for EU membership, and the government’s stated goal of joining the bloc. The country was given candidate status last year, but recent anti-democratic actions have led the bloc to threaten to suspend its candidacy.

Earlier this year, Georgia passed a “foreign agents” bill, requiring any organization that receives funding from abroad to register as an agent of a foreign power or face stiff fines and sanctions. Critics said the law, also inspired by a similar Russian law, was an attempt to silence and discredit opposition groups, the media, and civil society organizations.

Several Eastern European countries have adopted or considered “LGBT propaganda” bills recently. Lithuania and Hungary both have laws banning promotion of LGBTQ issues to minors on the books, though Lithuania’s has been ruled in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. A similar bill has been proposed in Slovakia. 

HONG KONG 

NGOs serving the LGBTQ community have faced deep cutbacks in funding from the government over the past year, putting services and events the queer community relies on in jeopardy.

The Hong Kong Free Press reports that groups like Gay Harmony and PrideLab have had to cut back staff and resources in the wake of surprise cuts to grants they have received from the government.

That’s led the groups to cancel HIV awareness and outreach programs, and the annual Pride Market.

These groups had received money from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau’s Equal Opportunities (Sexual Orientation) funding scheme since 1998. Between 2018-2023, CMAB had allocated funding to between 18 and 24 organizations, with a budget of HK$1.3 million (approximately $170,000). But for the current fiscal year, that’s dropped to 10 organizations from a budget of just under HK$700,000 (approximately $90,000).

Compounding the damage, the CMAC also allocates funds to three anti-LGBTQ organizations that promote conversion therapy — New Creation Association, Post Gay Alliance, and the Hong Kong Psychosexual Education Association.

Additionally, the city’s AIDS Trust Fund has also drastically reduced funding to LGBTQ organizations.

Hong Kong’s queer activists say this reflects an overall shift in attitudes from the city’s government. 

While previously, the Equal Opportunities Commission attended LGBTQ events in support of the community, the EOC has announced it no longer considers it “suitable” to engage in activities in support of possible legislation on banning anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

The situation in Hong Kong has become complex for LGBTQ people, since Beijing has moved to exert greater control over the former British colony. 

NGOs are reluctant to accept funds from foreign governments, lest they be branded a potential national security threat. Public demonstrations and Pride events have also become more difficult to plan and receive approval for.