Category Archives: Africa

Gay Eqypt: Report from the Streets – “enough police brutality and torture!” #JAN25

From GayEgypt.com: “27 January Egypt update: El Baradei expected to arrive from Vienna at 19.15 Cairo international airport terminal 3. Protests already restarted today in Halwan, Cairo, and Ismailia. I can personally verify that on each road leading into Tahrir Square police in vans are already waiting (as of 1pm) for anticipated protesters. If I had to put a number I would say around 100, including those inside vans, at the entrance of each street into the main square.

I saw a large number of police at other points including Medan Opera. Plain clothes officers also waiting and a few already carrying long sticks

Last night police blocked all access to parts of Tahrir Square after 9pm. Hundreds of shield and baton wielding recruits ran from one suspected point of protest to another. Plain clothes officers redirected pedestrians while others carried large sticks, and beat some who failed to escape from repeated small protests near to the Corniche. Even onlookers were effected by a cloud of tear gass. We hope to post some photographs shortly.Egypt’s gay and lesbian community has had enough of years of police brutality and torture and GayEgypt.com calls on all lesbians and gays to join their brothers and sisters on the street to peacefully express their demand for immediate change.”

More of Egypt on GH: here and here.

If Your Government Shuts Down the Internet, Shut Down Your Government.

No idea where this originated, but it showed up on Reddit and the Mother Jones blog and is making the Facebook rounds. It is simple and smart and deserves to go viral. It also makes a nice screen-saver or wallpaper. Background for the baffled: Guy Fawkes and V. for Vendetta. Libertarianism meets anarchism…yet again! For a strange sighting of Tut in San Francisco, click here.

Egyptian Kiss: amid turmoil, protesters show appreciation to low-key government soldiers.

An Egyptian anti-government activist kisses an Egyptian army officer in Tahrir square in Cairo on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011. Ben Curtis/AP Photo

It could be a blood-bath, but its not. One of history’s ugliest lessons: it can always turn bloody. So far, so good. Some looting, very little shooting, and now a little soldier-kissing. Nothing particularly gay about it. Men do kiss in many cultures. Nevertheless, it is good to see. The young soldier is kissable, at the very least, and the older man looks good in his bomber jacket. Leather in Cairo? Who knew!

Which Six Countries punish Gay Men with the Death Penalty?

The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) has issued a condemnation of yesterday’s murder of Ugandan activist David Kato. ILGA reports that Uganda is among the countries that punish male  to male relationships with imprisonment of 10 years or more. Bad, but not the worst. Death is a legal option in Mauritania, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Iran. For other interesting statistics, including which countries get gold stars, and the status of women check out the interactive map on ILGA’s main page.

Gay Ugandan activist David Kato beaten to death in his Kampala home.

In Oct. 2010, “Rolling Stone,” a newspaper in Kampala, published photographs of gay Ugandans. Included was one of David Kato, a gay activist, who was killed on Wednesday. AP Photo.

In the United States, we worry about marriage and inheritance rights. Activism might mean putting on the old tux for an HRC event. The cheese is divine; try the wine. Elsewhere, things are different. In most of sub-Saharan Africa, our brothers and sisters have to worry about being outed in the press, and activism can mean being beaten to death by thugs with rebars. In Central Asia, family fatwas are common. Try being a little gay twink in Kyrgyzstan. The male members of your family may well be honor-bound to kill you on sight. Give a fuck? When the charity wagon next pulls into your station, consider supporting ILGA, The International Gay and Lesbian Association, where your American dollars and Euros can support gay rights work in Sri Lanka, Tanzania, China, and other places where it is Really Interesting to be queer. R.I.P. David Kato….read the New York Times Article here.