Africa

The first gay couple to marry in Malawi face a humiliating medical examination aimed at proving they have had sexual relations, reports the Guardian. Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza could be sentenced to 14 years in prison if found guilty of “unnatural practices between males”. Gay rights campaigners reacted angrily to the men’s treatment and […]

A gay couple in Malawi who held a public wedding ceremony have been arrested and charged with “gross indecency,” police officials said Tuesday. According to Reuters: Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza publicly wed in a symbolic, traditional ceremony on Saturday. “We arrested them last night at their home and charged them with gross public indecency […]

Two Malawian men became the first gay couple in their country to publicly tie the knot, the Nation newspaper reported on Monday, risking arrest in the conservative southern African state where homosexuality is illegal. According to Reuters: Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza were married in a traditional but symbolic ceremony in southern Malawi on Saturday, […]

Uganda has signaled plans to soften its proposed anti-gay legislation, but the government denied on Wednesday that it was bowing to an outcry in the West over a controversial bill that could have seen homosexuals put to death, reports Reuters. Ethics and Integrity Minister Nsaba Buturo told Reuters the revised law would now probably limit […]

Five members of the U.S. Congress are calling on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to reject proposed anti-gay legislation that imposes harsh penalties, including execution, for certain acts of homosexuality. The five representatives — Chris Smith, Frank Wolf, Joe Pitts, Trent Franks and Anh “Joseph” Cao (all Republicans) — have written a letter to Mouseveni pressing […]

The United States said Friday it is urging Uganda’s leadership to block a bill that would criminalize homosexuality.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution Thursday condemning Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality legislation that is said to have the support of the government.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about the Administration’s vision for human rights at Georgetown University this week, specifically referencing Uganda’s proposed anti-gay legislation that would carry a death sentence for certain acts of homosexuality, and calling gay rights the “new frontier.” Here’s an excerpt: “Our goal is to encourage—even demand—that governments must also take […]

The BBC has come under fire for opening a debate on its website asking: “Should homosexuals face execution?” The discussion comes in response to a proposed anti-gay legislation in Uganda that could lead to the death penalty for homosexuals. Several British politicians denounced the BBC, said the taxpayer-funded broadcaster should not treat the execution of […]

The current version of the anti-gay bill under consideration in Uganda still contains punishments including life inprisonment and the death penalty, despite recent reports to the contrary, according to The Guardian. The Ugandan bill extends existing laws to make it illegal to promote homosexuality by talking or writing about it, and forcing people to tell […]