Lynne Browne is believed to be first openly-gay cabinet minister in Africa. She will serve as Minister of Public Enterprises.
The significance of her appointment is innumerable, especially against the backdrop of an extremely homophobic continent.
Eusebius McKaiser, a broadcaster and political author, remarked that though she isn’t a gay activist, there is still a clear impact:
“Insofar as the social impact of openly gay people in high-profile public leadership positions cannot be discounted in a country like South Africa where levels of homophobia, including violence against black lesbian women, remain rife.”
First let us say that the K Word would never ever ever ever ever ever suggest you go to your old job and do something like this. But we have to give former state, Sen. Nicole LeFavour her props for this one.
She hid in a closet in the Idaho Statehouse for more than five hours in an attempt to convince Republican lawmakers to update the language in the Idaho Human Rights Act. She is attempting to get lawmakers to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the act which outlines the state’s anti-discrimination provisions.
We are sure you have heard bits and pieces about this over the last few days, but yes it is true that the Ugandan Parliament passed and President Yoweri Museveni signed into a law, a bill that made some homosexual acts (and not so homosexual acts) punishable by life in prison.
Marco Fidel Ramirez is calling on Colombia’s National Television Authority to ban the video of her tune ‘Can’t Remember To Forget You’ from being broadcast on any of the nation’s channels.
The Public Option party councillor, from the capital of Bogota, said the video ‘damages the moral character of the youth of Bogota, Colombia and Latin America.’ He dubbed the 37-year-old Colombian singer, who appears in various provocative positions with Rihanna, a reference point for a society in moral decay. Continue reading :60 Second Shorts – Rihanna is fine but come on son…→
Now I am going to make this quick because I have said all I thought I would ever say about Kaitlyn Hunt in not one but twoposts.
Kaitlyn Hunt is back in jail. Not because the right-wing is trying to get her. Not because America doesn’t love the gays. But because she violated a plea deal that kept her out of jail. How did she violate this plea deal might you ask? Was she was arrested at a peaceful gay rights rally? Nope. Did she chain herself to a 100 year old oak tree? That would be a negative. It is because she (allegedly) continued to send explicit pictures and texts to the now 15 year old girl that got her sent to jail in the first place.
Oh and don’t get me started about her mother… well her mama needs her ass whooped (figuratively). No matter the conversation about Kaitlyn’s age, her mother is sho nuff an adult (my southern is about to slip in). How dare she (allegedly) send texts to the child urging her to delete the evidence that they were still in contact? If the victim’s mother was anything like Mama KWord… there would have been smoke in the city (ok I slipping further and further).
I think we as gay people are falling into a trap that we as black people have found ourselves in in the past. In our effort to put up a united front, we are backing the wrong people. At least once a year, we are still hearing about how we marched for Tawana Brawley, and we all know we were wrong for sticking behind OJ’s murdering self too.
Wrong is wrong and if a 19 year old man OR woman was sleeping with my 14 year old child I’d send their ass straight to jail (don’t pass go, don’t collect 200 dollars) myself.
WASHINGTON, DC — A coalition of national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organizations, led by the National Black Justice Coalition and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, today issued the following open letter.
An Open Letter: Trayvon Deserves Justice
We cannot begin to imagine the continued pain and suffering endured by Trayvon Martin’s family and friends. We stand in solidarity with them as they continue to fight for justice, civil rights and closure. And we thank everyone who has pushed and will continue to push for justice.
Trayvon Martin deserves justice and his civil rights. We support the organizations and community leaders who are urging the federal government to explore every option to ensure that justice is served for Trayvon and that his civil rights are honored and respected. But our work does not end there: we will honor Trayvon Martin by strengthening our commitment to end bias, hatred, profiling and violence across our communities.
Sakia Gunn
We represent organizations with diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender constituencies. Our community has been targets of bigotry, bias, profiling and violence. We have experienced the heart-breaking despair of young people targeted for who they are, who they are presumed to be, or who they love: Rashawn Brazell, Lawrence King, Ali Forney, Brandon Teena, Brandon White, Matthew Shepard, Marco McMillian, Angie Zapata, Sakia Gunn, Gwen Araujo and countless others.
Every person, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, must be able to walk the streets without fear for their safety.
Justice delayed is justice denied and in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “a right delayed is a right denied.” We honor Trayvon by seeking justice for all people.
All Out
American Civil Liberties Union
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice
Believe Out Loud
BiNet USA
Bisexual Resource Center
Center for Black Equity
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals
Equality Federation
Family Equality Council
Freedom to Work
Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
Gay-Straight Alliance Network (GSA Network)
GetEQUAL
GMHC
GLAD
GLAAD
Harvey Milk Foundation
Human Rights Campaign
Immigration Equality
Lambda Legal
Movement Advancement Project
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Minority AIDS Council
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
PFLAG National
The Trevor Project
Trans Advocacy Network
Transgender Law Center
Trans People of Color Coalition
To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce.
Eusebius McKaiser, a broadcaster and political author, remarked that though she isn’t a gay activist, there is still a clear impact:
Hello 40s (formerly the Kword) 