Frank Musgisha, who is with Sexual Minorities Uganda ( SMUG ) , stopped in the United States recently to talk about the anti-gay bill his country's legislators are considering, according to GoQNotes.com . Musgisha stopped by New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C., where he denouned the measure. U.S. evangelical ministers have been promoting the legislation in Uganda as well as in Nigeria and Kenya.
In the Philippines, the country's top court has ruled that the pro-gay Ang Ladlad party can take part in May 10 elections, according to news.com .au. Last year, the Commission on Elections ( Comelec ) denied Ang Ladlad from being in the polls, citing moral reasons. However, the Philippine Supreme Court said that homosexuality is not a crime, clearing the way for Ang Ladlad. According to Ang Ladlad's Web site, the group supports projects for physically challenged and poor LGBT individuals, and is against the anti-vagrancy law "that some unscrupulous policemen use to extort bribes from gay men."
In England, the organization Equality South West is monitoring the Devon and Cornwall councils to make sure they don't cut jobs for LGBT people first, according to BBC News. The group feels that LGBT-related services may be easy targets to eliminate as the economy worsens. However, Equality South West's Katie Pratt said, "Our message to public sector employers is simple. You have a legal requirement to promote equality and we'll be watching you to ensure you meet that requirement."
In South Africa, several dozen gay-rights activists were outside the Wynberg Magistrate's Court to show their opposition to bail for a man accused of a lesbian's beating and "corrective rape," according to iol.co.za. The suspect, 43—who cannot be named until he was pleaded—is accused of beating and raping the woman, saying he would teach her a lesson, presumably about her sexual orientation, by killing her. Ndumie Funda—the founder of Luleki Sizwe, a group that helps victims of anti-gay rapes—is taking care of the woman, 30.
Gay British HIV activist Clint Walters has died at the age of 31, Pink News reported. Walters was just 17 when he found out he was HIV-positive. After being diagnosed, he took his story to the public and campaigned to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS among youth and young adults, touring schools around England. He also ran marathons, skydived and biked to raise money.
---
Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, a fervent gay-rights supporter and former Polish deputy prime minister, was among those killed in the April 10 plane crash that also killed anti-gay Polish President Lech Kaczynski and other leaders, according to Advocate.com . Jaruga-Nowacka, who was 59, often criticized Kaczynski's anti-gay policies, which includes cancellations of gay-pride rallies and marches when he was Warsaw's mayor. Ninety-seven people were killed in the crash, which occurred in western Russia; no one survived.
In Australia, several footballers are participating in an anti-homophobia campaign, Advocate.com reported. Players such as Jimmy Bartel and Adam Goodes are among dozens of competitors who are part of an "inclusion and diversity" program; some have also held signs that read, "We all have our differences—let's celebrate them!" Ian Roberts, an openly gay retired footballer, said, "'Obviously they've recognized there's a massive problem and they're finally doing something about it. … Something's got to change, and this is a positive reaction by positive people.''
In Senegal, gay men's dead bodies are being desecrated, according to Metro.co.uk. Online video has shown a gang digging up the body of gay HIV victim Madieye Diallo out of its grave and throwing it at the dead man's parents' front door. The acts—of which at least four have occurred over the past two years—have left gay men very afraid, with one man locking himself inside his room for days.
