MOMBASA — Astraeus O'Levin is tired of strangers telling her they want to kill her.
In 2015, as a transgender woman, she left the scrutiny of her family in western Kenya, seeking peace and new opportunities in the tourism sector in the eastern coastal city of Mombasa.
Across the African continent, LGBTQ+ people are facing what Amnesty International calls a"barrage of discriminatory laws stoking hate," arbitrary arrests and"a disturbing regression of progress" on human rights. Across Kenya, organizations serving minorities reported an uptick in threats and vandalism. MP Mohammed Ali called for the mass expulsion of LGBTQ+ people. The Anti-LGBTQ+ Movement launched huge protests in Mombasa that often included calls to beat and even kill gender and sexual minorities.
Other clinics have closed, and UNAIDS says Uganda risks squandering its hard-fought progress toward containing HIV. Cameroon is among 30 African countries that jail people for homosexual acts, and lawyer Alice Nkom said judges have gone from issuing three-month suspended sentences to the full five-year punishment.
"The whole continent is in crisis right now," said Caroline Kouassiaman, head of the Sankofa Initiative for West Africa. She said the real issue is a global gay lobby focused on"branding those who tolerate but don't promote these practices as being homophobes," Yamb said. Solomon Atsuvia, program officer with the organization Rightify Ghana, said the bill is a convenient distraction from Ghana’s economic woes, with a jobs and affordability crisis that has many turning to religion to help them cope.
Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ activists say onerous paperwork from Canada and other western countries makes it hard to access funding needed to do public-awareness campaigns or to advocate for human rights — particularly in French-speaking countries. Kaluma also praised American states that have restricted access to abortion, medical treatments for transgender people and school education that includes"things they call sexual rights and whatever."
That legacy transcends political affiliation, with Ugandan activists praising former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper for raising anti-gay policies with his Ugandan counterpart. His government also launched a refugee resettlement program focused on LGBTQ+ Iranians. Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, said it’s an issue of humanity more than geopolitics.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
LGBTQ+ Africans look to Canada for help as anti-gay laws expandMOMBASA — Astraeus O'Levin is tired of strangers telling her they want to kill her.
Read more »
LGBTQ+ Africans look to Canada for help as anti-gay laws expandMOMBASA — Astraeus O'Levin is tired of strangers telling her they want to kill her.
Read more »
LGBTQ+ Africans look to Canada for help as anti-gay laws expandMOMBASA — Astraeus O'Levin is tired of strangers telling her they want to kill her.
Read more »
Democrats Abroad Canada warns U.S. voters to take action ahead of possible Canada Post strikeDemocrats Abroad Canada is warning Americans that a potential postal workers strike this weekend could affect the ability to vote in next week's election.
Read more »
Why Canada Dry's 'made from real ginger' claim isn't on U.S. cansA Canadian can of Canada Dry, and an American can of Canada Dry.
Read more »
Here's a list of October inflation rates for selected Canadian citiesOTTAWA — Canada's annual inflation rate was two per cent in October, Statistics Canada says.
Read more »