Call us now

Author: Rachel Badham

Senegal proposes tougher anti-LGBTQ+ laws

Posted on by Rachel Badham

Lawmakers in Senegal, West Africa have drafted a law that would enforce even harsher punishments for the country’s repressed LGBTQ+ community, causing concern among activists. While same-sex relations between men are already punishable by 5 years in prison, the new law would lengthen prison sentences by an additional five years, as well as extending its coverage to all members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Alioune Souare, who helped to draft the legislation, told Reuters that the law will likely be proposed to parliament in the coming days. Senegalese LGBTQ+ activist, Djamil Bangoura, called on international leaders to condemn the law, saying: “When individual freedoms, in particular the most sacred privacy between consenting adults – are attacked, then there is little time left to realise that democracy is in danger.”

Senegal is not the only West African country to be considering tougher anti-LGBTQ+ laws, with Ghana also planning on extending prison sentences for those found engaging in same-sex relations. The UN has already spoken out against the proposed laws in Ghana “which seems to establish a system of state-sponsored discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ persons.” 

 

Conversion therapy officially banned in Canada

Posted on by Rachel Badham

Canada has become the latest country to nationally ban LGBTQ+ conversion therapy after the bill was approved to become law last Wednesday. Effective as of January 7, Bill C-4 will amend the Canadian criminal code so that anybody who has caused another to undergo conversion therapy could face up to 5 years in prison. Promoting conversion therapy will also be criminalised, with those who do so facing up to 2 years in prison. 

The bill condemns the controversial practice, saying that it “causes harm to society because, among other things, it is based on and propagates myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.” It also notes that a ban on conversion therapy is vital “to protect the human dignity and equality of all Canadians.” Prime minister Justin Trudeau celebrated the success of the bill on Twitter, saying: “LGBTQ+ Canadians, we’ll always stand up for you and your rights.”

Nicholas Schiavo, the founder of No Conversion Canada, also expressed joy at the news, telling the Hill: “[Bill C-4] sends a clear message to LGBTQ+ Canadians: you are valid and deserving of a life free from harm…Today, as we celebrate this historic moment, we must thank survivors and their tireless advocacy to reach this moment where conversion ‘therapy’ is finally outlawed in our country.”

50th trans person killed in the US

Posted on by Rachel Badham

2021 has become even more deadly for trans Americans after Nikai David, a 33-year-old Black trans woman, was murdered in Oakland, California on December 4, making her the 50th trans person to have been violently killed in the US this year. David was found at 4 am after police responded to reports of gunshots near West Oakland’s Castro Street, according to the Bay Area Reporter. 

As well as being the 50th trans person to have been killed in 2021, David was the 159th person to have been murdered in Oakland this year. Oakland LGBTQ+ Community Centre worker, Ashlee Banks, said that David was a model with dreams to open her own clothing boutique. So far, no arrests have been and no motive has been identified as police continue to investigate the incident. 

Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign’s director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, described the news of David’s death as “disheartening and alarming”, adding: “In the year that we’ve marked as the deadliest year on record for our community, we continue to see a frightening rate of fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people. We must all continue to demand that the violence cease.”

In 2020, 44 trans and gender non-conforming people were killed in the US, the majority of which were targets of gun violence. At least 350 trans people were murdered globally in 2021, with Brazil being the deadliest country in the world for the trans community. 

Government extends conversion therapy consultation after accessibility failure

Posted on by Rachel Badham

The UK government has decided to extend its consultation on conversion therapy by an additional 8 weeks after failing to provide an easy read version of the form until December 9 – one day before the original deadline. The consultation was first launched in October as officials laid out plans to ban the controversial practice, with the aim to gain further insight into the issue.

Although everyone was free to participate in the consultation, an easy read version of the document was not made available until recently, sparking backlash among activists. Stonewall CEO Nancy Kelley criticised the lack of accessibility, saying: “This consultation should have been accessible from the beginning so it is important that the UK government is fixing its mistake by providing an easy read version.”

She also noted that the government’s mistake will cause further delays to the ban: “Across the globe, there has been urgent action taken by governments to ban this abhorrent practice, and the UK is already lagging behind on the global stage…Now the UK Government must make clear that this necessary extension will not delay their plans to bring forward a bill in Spring 2022.” The government has insisted that the extension was not a result of its accessibility failure, but rather a mode to gain more information on conversion therapy. 

The new consultation deadline is February 4 2022.

Pansexual Pride Day 2021: 5 Out and Proud Pansexual Celebrities

Posted on by Rachel Badham

In celebration of the history and achievements of the pansexual community, December 8 is Pansexual Pride Day. Falling under the bisexual+ umbrella, GLAAD defines pansexuality as an “identity presenting an additional opportunity to express attraction to multiple genders.” However, pansexual and panromantic identities continue to be misunderstood and underrepresented, with Pansexual Pride Day aiming to bring more visibility to the community.

In honour of Pansexual Pride Day 2021, here are 5 out pansexual celebrities who are shedding light on pansexuality and unapologetically embracing their queer identities.

Janelle Monáe

Musician and Moonlight actor, Janelle Monáe, is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, having come out as pansexual in 2018 in an interview with Rolling Stone. While Monáe initially identified as bisexual, she said: “I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am.”

Courtney Act

Performer and Drag Race alumni, Courtney Act, has openly discussed their pansexuality and gender fluidity, saying that “gender and sexuality are fun to explore”. The drag queen told Cosmopolitan: “I am attracted to people irrespective of their gender. I am mostly attracted to guys, but I’ve had experiences with people of different genders. I feel like if I’m attracted to someone I’ll see where that takes me.”

Demi Lovato

Non-binary singer, Demi Lovato, came out as pansexual earlier this year after previously referring to themself as queer. Appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in March, Lovato confirmed that they identify as pansexual, saying “I’m so fluid now, and a part of the reason why I am so fluid is because I was super closeted off.” They also said that they are “proud” to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Yungblud

Last year, Yungblud came out as pansexual during Pan Week 2020, saying in an interview with Attitude magazine that he is attracted to people of all genders. The singer continued: “My sexuality is mine and I’m proud of it…I love everyone. I’m attracted to everyone”, and explained that his previous partner, Halsey – who is proudly bisexual – helped him discover his sexuality.

JoJo Siwa

Singer, dancer and YouTube creator, JoJo Siwa, opened up about her pansexual identity at the beginning of 2021, sparking joy among the LGBTQ+ community as Siwa became a role model for young queer people. Speaking with People magazine in April, she said: “Technically I would say that I am pansexual because that’s how I have always been my whole life is just like, my human is my human.”

Happy Pansexual Pride Day from Scene!

Law Commission rejects proposal to make misogyny a hate crime

Posted on by Rachel Badham

The UK Law Commission has decided to reject appeals to make misogyny a hate crime following the murder of Sarah Everard, sparking disappointment among women’s rights campaigners. After running a consultation on the matter, the Law Commission concluded classing misogyny as a hate crime would not solve the “real problem” of gender-related prejudice, according to a report by The Guardian. 

The Commission argued that any law is unlikely to “provide tangible results in the way that many campaigners have suggested”, and may add ‘complexity’ to rape and domestic abuse cases. Boris Johnson also rejected the notion of misogyny becoming a hate crime in October, saying: “If you simply widen the scope of what you ask the police to do, you’ll just increase the problem.”

20 women’s rights groups responded to the Commission’s decision in a statement, which condemned the review for being “too narrow”. It continued: “By not joining together hate crime legislation, it especially ignores the experiences of women from minority communities who experience hatred based on multiple factors yet all too often are let down by the criminal justice system because they do not fit their tick boxes.”

Man faces homophobic attack on London underground

Posted on by Rachel Badham

Alan Hunter, a 35-year-old retail worker, was the victim of a homophobic attack on November 27 while travelling on the Jubilee Line, which left him feeling “completely demoralised” as no one came to his aid. According to the Independent, Hunter was travelling home from a Steps concert when he asked a woman and her friends to stop using balloons of nitrous oxide on the tube, which then escalated into an argument. 

Hunter said that he was called a ‘f**king f****t’ by the woman, as well as being physically assaulted by her and her friends. He admitted to insulting the woman in response, adding: “Had she not called me a ‘f**king f****t’ I wouldn’t have said anything. I refuse for us to be second-class citizens and just stand there and take it.” He also noted that no one offered him help during the attack, which left him with cuts and bruising on his face. 

Alan Hunter after the attack: the Independent

A recent report found that anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime in the UK is at its highest level since the pandemic began, with over 14,500 homophobic hate crimes being recorded from January to August 2021. Hunter attributed the rise in homophobia to the spread of “right-wing politics” which has “given a free mouthpiece to people who for a long time couldn’t say anything”.

The British Transport Police confirmed that it is investigating the incident and taking it “extremely seriously”.

Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes at a record high after lockdown ends

Posted on by Rachel Badham

Figures obtained by the PA News Agency have found that anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime in the UK is at its highest level since the pandemic began, with police officers reporting a stark rise in homophobic and transphobic offences. In total, 14,670 sexual orientation hate crime offences were recorded from January to August 2021, compared with 11,841 within the same months of 2020 and 10,817 in 2019.

Homophobic incidents averaged at 1,456 a month from January to April in 2021 but increased to 2,211 from May to August. Similarly, transphobic offenses jumped from 208 a month to 324 a month over the course of this year, meaning an average of 12 anti-trans hate crimes are committed every day. Stonewall described the findings as “worrying”, adding: “[LGBTQ+ people are] still at risk of attack because of who we are.”

While the figures reflect incidents that have been reported to authorities, it is likely that many more offences have gone unreported. The National Police Chiefs’ Council encouraged victims to come forward, ensuring that officers will “treat everyone with respect and dignity and handle cases sensitively”. Deputy chief constable Mark Hamilton added: “We will always pursue action against perpetrators of hate crime where there is the evidence to do so.”

MPs vote to ban conversion therapy in Canada

Posted on by Rachel Badham

Canada’s House of Commons has voted unanimously to ban LGBTQ+ conversion therapy in what has been dubbed a “great day for survivors” of the controversial practice. According to the BBC, the bill would make it illegal to practise conversion therapy on minors or anybody unwilling to undergo it, with it now going to a vote in the upper chamber of parliament where a previous version of the bill was unsuccessful. 

The bill was first proposed by prime minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party, with Trudeau himself describing conversion therapy as “harmful” and “degrading”. Tourism minister and LGBTQ+ advisor Randy Boissonnault praised the decision to advance the bill, saying: “No one can consent to torture…It’s a great day for survivors, to know that no-one else is going to go through what they went through.”

According to GLAAD, conversion therapy is “any attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression”. The organisation found nearly 700,000 LGBTQ+ adults in the US alone had been subjected to the practice, leaving them six times more likely to experience depression. Studies untaken by the Canadian government also discovered 20% of gay, bisexual, trans and gender non-conforming men in the country had undergone conversion therapy.

Botswana rejects bid to criminalise same-sex relations

Posted on by Rachel Badham

Bostwana’s Court of Appeal has officially rejected a bid to reinstate a colonial-era law that criminalises same-sex relations in what Rightify Ghana has dubbed a “huge win” for the country’s LGBTQ+ community. The original law was repealed in 2018, but soon faced challenges from attorney general Abraham M. Keetshabe, who launched an appeal to reintroduce it into the country’s legal code. 

However, on November 29, the Court of Appeal closed Keetshabe’s case, with judge Ian Kirby saying that the laws banning same-sex relations “have outlived their usefulness, and serve only to incentivise law enforcement agents to become key-hole peepers and intruders into the private space of citizens”.

Sethunya Mosime, chair of the Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals of Botswana, hailed the court’s decision, telling Reuters that it will “forever change the landscape of democracy, human rights and equality in Botswana. Finally the state will have no business in what two consenting adults do in their privacy.” 

Although same-sex couples will no longer face persecution, same-sex marriage and civil partnerships continue to be illegal in Botswana, with LGBTQ+ activists urging the government to address this issue. Similarly, discrimination is only illegal in some contexts, with trans and gender non-conforming citizens having no protection from employment discrimination.

Latest News

Transgender News Trans activists hold “noise demo” to show solidarity with Zoe Watts, a trans woman currently being held in a male prison wing
Books New book from Sandra Chen Weinstein is an enduring visual testament to the strength, resilience, and joy of the queer community
LGBTQ+ News Gay comedian Tony Slattery has died at the age of 65
LGBTQ+ News Pride Bands Alliance, a group of LGBTQ+ marching bands, pulls out of Trump’s inaugural parade
X