TAG: discrimination

Orlando, Mon Amour: Stand against Terror and Hate

Early reports suggest that Mateen pledged allegiance to “Islamic State” while launching his shooting spree. We will know more in the days to come. I am grateful to those who are righteously rushing in to defend Muslims from the inevitable backlash and deplorable discrimination in the shell-shocked wake of this massacre. However, I would also ask them not to do so by downplaying the harsh realities of Islamist political ideology and the way it purveys hatred against many groups, including gays.

Fear and Loathing in Orlando

The drumbeats have started. Almost immediately after a mass shooting that left over fifty people dead on Latin night in a Florida gay nightclub, Pulse, the news shifted to the identity of the shooter himself. As soon as his name and the fact that his father immigrated (long ago) from Afghanistan was announced, the narrative began unfolding as Naeem Mohaiemen put it, on cue: This must be a terrorist attack.

Sexual politics in May 2016

As the Brazilian crisis continues unfolding it gets increasingly intricate with gender and sexuality politics. Read Sonia Corrêa and Fábio Grotz report on what happened in May and the first days of June. A financial crisis is underway at the Inter-American Human Rights System. The Inter-American Human Rights Commission (IACHR) announced the loss of 40% […]

UN Human Rights mandate on SOGI

At the UN Human Rights Council the LAC Group 5 – formed by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay – announced the decision to submit to the Council a resolution proposing the creation of the mandate of an independent expert to discuss violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI-OSIG). The proposal […]

Brazil: The conservative restoration and sexual politics

It is not exactly to keep track of the Brazilian political development these days. On May 11th, the Brazilian Senate confirmed the admissibility of the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, which had been approved by the House on April 17th.

Brazil and Argentina unite in protest against culture of sexual violence

Two different protests, two different countries, but the same continent and the same cause: violence against women in “macho” Latin America.

‘Illegal, but they’re everywhere’: How women help other women get abortions

In Indonesia, where abortion is illegal, many women undergo unsafe abortions putting their lives at risk. Other times, they are forced by doctors to engage in sexual intercourse in exchange for an abortion.

Nauru Decriminalizes Same-Sex Conduct, Suicide

Nauru’s government has updated its archaic criminal code, striking same-sex relations and suicide off the list of crimes.

Telling women to avoid pregnancy is not a solution for HIV and the Zika virus

To the development community on International Day of Action for Women’s Health: don’t curtail our rights by legitimising conservative religious ideologies.

ACTIVISTS BRIEF: Coalition of African Lesbians says NO to a Special Rapporteur on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity

In June 2011, the South African government, with support from Brazil and Norway, led in the adoption of a historic resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). This was followed by a second resolution on the same issue in September 2014, led by four Latin […]

Amnesty International publishes policy and research on protection of sex workers’ rights

Amnesty International has published its policy on protecting sex workers from human rights violations and abuses, along with four research reports on these issues in Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Norway and Argentina.

A call for critical reflection on queer/LGBTIA+ activism in Africa

This essay looks at the complex relationship between the personal and the political in queer/LGBTIA+ organizing in Africa. It considers how current modes of organizing impact the connection between professional activism and grassroots participation and explores some of the consequences of these two intersecting factors for activist praxis.