AFRICA & OTHER INTERNATIONAL NEWS

South Africa's cabinet gives nod to gay marriage (August 24, 2006) South Africa's cabinet has given the green light for a bill allowing gay marriage, which would make it the first country in Africa to accord homosexual couples the same rights as their straight counterparts.

African Homosexuals Come Out of the Closet (July 13, 2006) Leone Immanuel is an invisible man, part of a minority community that many in conservative Africa prefer to believe does not exist and which is reviled, shunned and persecuted when it dares seek recognition.

Sodomy Hell in Cameroon (June 15, 2006) Seven of the nine men in Cameroon, Western Africa, whose "crime" was attending a gay-friendly nightclub last year have been found guilty of sodomy and sentenced to a 10-month jail term, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission learned Tuesday.

Africa shuns liberal bishop (May 25, 2006) The Archbishop of Kenya, Benjamin Nzimbi, has cold-shouldered the Bishop of Chelmsford, John Gladwin as he led a delegation on a two-week tour of Africa. The group’s remaining scheduled activities have been cancelled following a local newspaper report which implied Gladwin had liberal views on homosexuality.

Mauritius sees first gay rights march (May 20, 2006) Hundreds of gays and lesbians staged the first gay rights march on the largely conservative Indian Ocean island on Saturday May 20th, 2006, shocking afternoon shoppers in the bustling town of Rose Hill.

Gay Refugees Seek Asylum in the U.K. (May 17, 2006) Lesbian and gay refugees who have suffered violent and sexual abuse in their home countries are being declared "failed" asylum seekers and scheduled for deportation by the Home Office. Among those due to be sent back are gay refugees from violently homophobic countries like Cameroon, Pakistan, Uganda, Sudan, Jamaica, Iran, Palestine, Algeria, Iraq, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Egypt.

Nigeria: African Diaspora Organization Speaks Out (May 15, 2006) Nigeria is about to set itself apart, yet again, in one of the most sweeping anti-gay laws in the world. While the pending civil law proposes a lighter sentence than the criminal law, its legal reach is breathtaking. Interestingly, homosexuality is already criminalized in Nigeria.

Participants of ILGA's 23rd World Conference Protest (April, 2006) With some 220 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists coming from all regions of the world, the 23rd World Conference of the International Lesbian and Gay Association, held in Geneva, from March 27 till April 3 2006 has been a strong demonstration of how alive and needed the LGBT movement and ILGA as its platform are in the world today.

Being gay, Christian and African (March 13, 2006) A 32-year-old Kenyan student, angered by a campaign in Cameroon "outing" top personalities for their alleged homosexuality, speaks anonymously to the BBC News website about his struggle to accept his sexuality.

Cameroon's 'gay' witchhunt (February 6, 2006) Cameroon's political and business elites have been rocked by a campaign by tabloid newspapers to "out" top personalities they say are homosexual. The newspaper editors say they are exposing people who engage in "deviant behaviour". Some 50 people have been named and the papers have sold out.