Tag: Africa

Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash We’ve got ourselves a Bermuda situation where anti-gay politicians can’t take no for an answer. Last month, we shared with you that the African country of Botswana legalized gay sex after its High Court voted that the colonial era laws were unconstitutional. Unfortunately, some conservative politicians aren’t letting this battle end. Just as the island nation of Bermuda became a political tug-of-war after its own high court chose to legalize gay marriage to the disgust of...

Botswana’s supreme court just overturned the country’s ban on homosexuality. The Botswanan High Court ruled unanimously today that the country’s sodomy law is discriminatory and unconstitutional. Section 164 of Botswana’s Penal Code bans “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature,” and section 167 bans “acts of gross indecency.” These laws have been used to criminally prosecute people for being gay. The challenge to the laws was brought by a gay student, Letsweletse Motshidiemang, 21, who argued that the law...

Photo by Nathaniel Tetteh on UnsplashA change is coming to Africa. While Kenya’s High Court has decided to keep laws against gay sex in the country, the country of Botswana has made the opposite decision. Botswana’s High Court has ruled to end colonial-era laws criminalizing sex between members of the same sex. Section 164 of Botswana’s Penal Code stated that “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature,” was an offense...

Kenya’s High Court just upheld the country’s antigay laws punishing “carnal knowledge” and “gross indecency” with five to 14 years in prison. The disappointing news comes just as same-sex marriages began in Taiwan and Brazil’s high court issued a ruling declaring queerphobia unconstitutional. Kenya’s three-judge hight court upheld Sections 162 (a) and (c), 163 and 165 of the country’s penal code, ruling that petitioners failed to provide “credible evidence” the law infringed on their rights, according to Quartz.com. The laws are holdovers...

The small landlocked African country of eSwatini had its first gay pride march. Yesterday, around 500 people turned up to march in Mbabane, the country’s largest city, while wearing rainbow colors or shirts that said, “God is Love.” “We are thrilled to see this happening today,” said Lisa Peterson, U.S. Ambassador to eSwatini, to the South China Morning Post. “Just to refer you to the words spoken by Martin Luther King Jnr that ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’. Some...

Here’s an inspiring story to start off the week with some positivity. This weekend, the first ever LGBTQ+ pride in a refugee camp took place. Rainbow flags flew and demonstrators marched through Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp. The organizers of the event were from Refugee Flag Kakuma, and most of the participants were LGBTQ+ refugees who fled from neighboring Uganda. Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda. The Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act was passed in Dec. 2013, inciting a punishment of life in prison for...

A video has surfaced of two young gay South African boys showing some love and affection for one another on Valentine’s Day. The video was shared on social media by Bujy Bikwa, a Zimbabwean-born South African radio host, television presenter and producer. The influencer posted the video and shared his comment “What a time to be alive! Love always wins…” https://twitter.com/Bujy/status/963821308302807040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Finstinctmagazine.com%2Fpost%2Fviral-video-gay-african-boys-will-melt-your-heart On Instagram, the video received many positive and supportive comments, celebrating the two school boys who were thrilled to share a...

Andrew Jackson was president when Jonathan the Seychelles giant tortoise was born. Homosexuality has been exhibited across the animal kingdom, but veterinarians in Africa have uncovered the oldest known living gay creature on earth. Jonathan, a 186-year-old Seychelles giant tortoise, lives on St Helena, a British territory off the coast of Africa. For nearly 30 years he’s been in a relationship with another tortoise, originally named Frederica. But when doctors repaired a lesion on Frederica, they realized “she” was actually a...

New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight looked over at his boyfriend and personal trainer Harley Rodriguez. “You got it,” he seemed to tell himself, holding back the excitement. https://www.instagram.com/p/BGiJqzYJrxy/ He may or may not have been planning to pop the question since summertime, but the time for mind games was through. “We were in Africa, our parents were there — our moms were there — and I just figured this was the time to pop the question and make it official,” Knight...

Breathtaking scenery, the array of colors in the market place, the freshest of vegetables and the most luscious of fruits. These are just a few of the things that make Africa really special. But, the real Africa is bound by so many rules and traditions. Before I came out, I remember befriending a young butch girl. She was not only seeking a life partner but she was seeking someone who would be strong enough for her to run to. You...