OK, kiddo! Here are all the fantastically amazing posts tagged with Unjust laws
Senegalese Gays Get Government-Funded Housing
Senegal is drawing international condemnation by human rights organisations for jailing nine gay men this week. Each of the men were sentenced to eight years in prison for “indecent conduct and unnatural acts,” Senegal’s legalese for, basically, being gay.
Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal, with a maximum prison sentence of five years. However, these men were given an additional three years on top of the maximum for belonging to a “criminal organisation.” The organisation, AIDES Senegal, provides free condoms and information about HIV prevention.
Senegal recently played host to an important international AIDS conference which featured several prominent gay rights activists and AIDS workers. I guess Senegal cares about human rights—when the world is watching.
- Shock at Senegal gay jail terms [BBC News]
- 9 men jailed in Senegal for homosexual acts [Associated Press]
U.S. Not Signing UN Gay Rights Declaration
Fresh off the Vatican’s refusal to support a UN statement decrying the criminalization of homosexuality, the United States is stalling their signature approving the symbolic declaration.
While the United States has plenty of precedent to sign the statement, including a similar declaration before the 2006 Human Rights Council in Geneva, the delay is unusual—and the deadline is looming.
Over 50 countries worldwide have signed the declaration, including Canada. The U.S. might be a little slow, but that’s forgivable; they’re in the middle of a somewhat important transition, those cuties.
- U.S. stalls signing U.N. gay rights statement [Washington Blade]
Anti-Gay Lobbyists Warn Canada Not To Sign UN Initiative
David Quist, the executive director of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada lobby group, has said that Ottawa should reject a UN declaration opposing the criminalization of homosexuality.
The Institute of Marriage and Family Canada was, of course, a furious opponent of same-sex marriage in Canada, as well as an opponent of adding sexual orientation to the list of identifiable minorities protected from hate crimes. But don’t go thinking their opposition to the UN measure is motivated by anti-gay sentiment; oh my no. David Quist explains their real motivation:
The UN shouldn’t be unilaterally attempting to change the laws of a sovereign country. [...] Any laws that Canadians change should be debated by Canadians.
Aw, how nice. They just don’t want to meddle with other countries’ laws.
Of course, over 85 countries jail or fine people just for being gay, and several even impose the death penalty, but that’s really none of the world’s business, is it?
And, of course, the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada would never, ever influence, condemn, or support another nation’s laws. I’m sure the front page of their website would never contain two articles written by Andrea Mrozek, the Institute’s manager of communications, decrying New Zealand’s decriminalization of prostitution, as well as an article supporting the banning of same-sex marriage via constitutional amendment in three U.S. states, and another lamenting the passing of Washington’s Death with Dignity Act.
Why that would make them a… what’s the word again?
- Gay activists urge Ottawa to sign global declaration [Canada.com]
Vatican Fights To Keep Homosexuality Criminalized
The Vatican is opposing a French-led U.N. resolution that calls on worldwide governments to abolish laws that criminalize homosexuality. Many developing countries around the world still imprison gay people just for being gay, and several even go as far to enforce a death penalty.
Celestino Migliore, a Vatican spokesperson, justified the church’s support for persecuting gay people by saying that de-criminalization would “create new and implacable discriminations.” “For example,” he said, “states which do not recognize same-sex unions as matrimony will be pilloried and made an object of pressure.”
Franco Grillini, leader of Italy’s largest gay rights group, was astonished by the Vatican’s reasoning, calling it “madness”:
The Vatican’s reasoning smacks of total idiocy and madness. The French resolution, which is supported by all 27 members of the European Union, has nothing to do with gay marriage. It is about stopping jail and the death penalty for homosexuals.
After making their statement, Vatican officials retreated back into the hall of the most amazingly homoerotic artwork ever.
- Vatican attacked for opposing gay decriminalization [Reuters Canada]
African Country Sneakily Outlaws Gay Sex
The African nation of Burundi has snuck a law that criminalizes homosexuality into an omnibus bill that abolishes the death sentence and outlaws torture. The bill, which passed Burundi’s first house unanimously, also included provisions and stiffer sentences against genocide, rape, and war crimes.
International gay rights groups are irritated, to put it lightly, as Burundi’s gay-criminalization law comes immediately on the tails of a UN declaration stating that laws against homosexuality are in violation of human rights to privacy and equality.
Both of Burundi’s uncloseted gays have indicated they will ignore the law.
- Burundi abolishes death penalty, criminalizes homosexuality [Canada.com]
- Burundi to criminalise homosexuality [Afrol News]
Gay Wedding Photos Spark Mass-Arrest
Between seven and twenty Senegalese men have been arrested after photos from a gay marriage ceremony were published in a local magazine. Police haven’t released any information about the arrests, other than that the men are charged with suspicions of homosexuality.
It’s illegal to be gay in Senegal, with the usual punishment ranging from fines to up to five years of jail time (forcibly locked up with other men, no less).
Mansour Dieng, the magazine editor, said he published the wedding photographs to dismiss accusations that homosexuality doesn’t exist in Senegal. He has since received death threats, and has been interrogated by police.
I bet he’ll think twice before confirming reality again.
Cameroon Imprisons Gay Men
Three men in Cameroon have been sentenced to six months hard labour for being gay. (This is in addition to six months already served in jail before the trial.)
Being gay is a crime in Cameroon, carrying a maximum sentence of three years in prison. While the three men in this case aren’t serving the full sentence, they weren’t caught doing anything gay in particular either. I guess the judge just has some kind of super, acute gaydar.
Hey, how about that? Gaydar pings are now admissible trial evidence.
- Three men sentenced to hard labour for being gay in Cameroon [Canada East]
- 3 sentenced in Cameroon for being gay [Pierceland Herald]
Nicaraguan Law Spells Trouble For Canadian Refugee
Alvaro Orozco, a gay refugee facing deportation to Nicaragua, is struggling to remain in Canada after his home country has started the process to decriminalize gay sex. While the reversal of Nicaragua’s invasive and discriminatory law is ultimately good news for gays in the country, homophobia and violence remains a problem.
Alvaro seeked Canadian citizenship after escaping Nicaragua at the age of 12 because his father beat him for being gay. His Calgarian adjudicator, Deborah Lamont, ordered his deportation, insisting that Alvaro failed to prove he was gay.
El-Farouk Khaki, Alvaro’s lawyer, said that repealing a gay sex ban won’t ensure the safety of his client:
The reality is that many queer people around the world still get persecuted in countries where homosexuality is not necessarily illegal. You have to take a look at societal attitudes and the police.
For more information on Alvaro and what you can do to help stop his deportation, read Ed Lee’s two-part guest post on Slap, which includes a plea from Alvaro himself.
Israel To Ban Gay Rights Demonstrations
Gays seeking equal rights will no longer be allowed to congregate and demonstrate in Israel. The Knesset passed two bills through their first reading last week. If enacted into law, these bills will forcibly silence gay rallies across Israel.
This curious denial of rights is a hypocritical irony, demonstrated most succinctly by an anti-gay demonstrator during what will probably be Tel-Aviv’s last gay pride parade. According to an Army Radio reporter, a religious protester shouted to the marchers: “It’s a shame the Nazis didn’t finish you off.”
Meanwhile, Badatz, an Orthodox sector of rabbis, placed a curse on gay rights marchers and the police who maintain order during their demonstrations:
All those involved in the matter [of gay rights rallies], those of impure souls and those helping them and guarding them, they will feel in their souls a curse, a bad spirit will come over them and haunt them, they will never be cleansed of their sins from the judgment of God, in their bodies, their souls and their finances.
Spooky stuff. Who knew Orthodox rabbis were so practiced in their evil curse casting skills?
(And a very special hat tip goes out to Montreal Simon, who has some choice words on the whole matter.)
Will Singapore Decriminalize Homosexuality?
Gay travelers may be in for a treat! Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s influential former prime minister, has been openly mulling why gayness is still illegal in his country:
If in fact it is true, and I have asked doctors this, that you are genetically born a homosexual—because that’s the nature of the genetic random transmission of genes—you can’t help it. So why should we criminalize it?
Well, asking doctors may be a teeny bit of an oversimplification, but actively pondering why gay people say their orientation is not a choice is probably a step in the right direction.
Incidentally, gay travelers are sometimes surprised by the anti-gay laws of popular travel destinations. While Singapore still has a pretty healthy gay scene, random arrests are possible and being gay is punishable by prison terms. To help educate travelers, the Canadian government has issued warnings for gay vacationers.
And in the meantime… If you’re a gay traveler disappointed by Singapore’s current laws, here’s some alternative destination advice: Afghanistan, while popular in the news, might not be the best second-choice.
Potentially Illegal Religious Bill Drafted By Tories
It’s… It’s aliiiiiiiive! Well, almost.
The federal Tories have drafted a “religious freedom” bill that would allow civil marriage commissioners or Justices Of The Peace to refuse their public services to gay and lesbian couples, but haven’t introduced it in parliament yet.
While the government continues to deny they have plans to actually table legislation on the subject, The Globe and Mail was able to access over 1200 pages of information confirming that such a bill was researched and drafted as late as October. Oddly enough, the Globe also revealed that these records were almost entirely blacked out. (Though, since Mr. Harper has assured us a much more open government, I’ll attribute the blacked out portions to unrelated poetic clutter.)
Now, as for why the Conservatives don’t intend on introducing this bill after so much planning… Who can say? I mean, it’s certainly not in their character to be sneaky with human rights issues, springing this bill upon an unsuspecting public only after they’ve been handed a majority, right?
Incidentally, other provinces have tried to introduce bills on the subject (I’m looking at you Alberta and New Brunswick!), but legal experts have panned them for being fundamentally illegal.
- Tories drafted law on religious rights [Globe and Mail]
“Religious Protection” Bill Unveiled in New Brunswick
I guess there’s an ill-reported eleventh commandment to note!
Religious conservatives in New Brunswick are positively rhapsodic over a Tory-introduced bill, known as Bill 37, that will allow government servants to refuse civil marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The bill, according to the Christian lobby group Canada Family Action Coalition, will protect the religious freedoms of civil servants.
Hey, how about that? Did you know that Christianity forbids its followers from performing secular duties for gays? I was raised Roman Catholic, but must’ve skipped past that part of the bible. Luckily I didn’t mention I was gay when I got my government health forms mailed out!
Both supporters and opponents of the bill admit that the whole idea is probably unconstitutional, and therefore illegal. But, now that the federal Conservatives have scrapped the Court Challenges Program, who can afford to challenge illegal laws anyway?
So who’s next on the list of people to protect? Probably chauffeurs who just don’t feel like transporting gays to city hall, bless their hearts. And, while we’re on a roll, maybe those fundamentalist vendors who don’t think women should be sold property of their own. Religious protections abound!
Anything Remotely Gay To Be Outlawed in Nigeria
Get ready for some serious closet!
A Nigerian bill is poised to outlaw anything that’s remotely close to being interpreted as sort of gay in the country. The bill prescribes a five-year prison sentence for—are you ready for this? Meeting with gays, promoting equality for gays, donating money to gay organisations, expressing gay love in letters and emails, attending or participating in a gay wedding or ceremony, publishing, selling, renting, or loaning a gay book or video, taking or possessing pictures of a gay couple, selling or renting housing to gay couples, and visiting, hosting, or creating gay websites. That, of course, in addition to the harsher interpretations.
Hey, how about that? Slap’s actually illegal somewhere! Kudos to you, my law-breaking visitors!
Anyway, misinformation about homosexuality is rampant in Nigeria. A special advisor to the president recently announced that being in a same-sex relationship directly causes “mental retardation, and high tendency to commit suicide.”
Fascinating, no?
- Nigeria planning crackdown on gays [Edmonton Journal]
- 4% of Nigerians are homosexuals [The Tide Online]
Tories Quietly Reverse Discriminatory Law
A discriminatory law from 2004 that disallowed same-sex spouses from sponsoring their partner for Canadian citizenship was quietly overturned by the Conservative government last week. In fact, the law was reversed so quietly, that it was announced by none other than NDP MP, Bill Siksay.
“Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley has informed the Standing Committee of Citizenship and Immigration that her department’s interim policy on same sex marriage [...] has been annulled,” Siksay said in a press release, adding: “This is another important victory towards full equality of gay and lesbian Canadians.”
Now, there’s no word on why the Conservatives didn’t announce this change themselves, although I guess I could try to share some insight. Let’s see… They, uh, outsourced their policy announcements to the NDP?
No?
Well, perhaps Siksay’s voice resounds with Canadians more. Or—Oh! I know! The parties are merging! The New Canadian Democratic Conservative Reform Alliance. Yes, that sounds about right to me.
Ted Morton’s Bill 208 Is Back
Someone call a nanny! Alberta’s hysterical temper-tantrum over same-sex marriage is still going strong, apparently. Ted Morton (MLA and super bigot extraordinaire) resumed debate on Bill 208 Friday. The bill, which was presumed dead after legislature ended back in spring, was granted a surprise resurrection.
Here’s what the bill will do, if passed:
- Allow civil marriage commissioners to refuse their public services to gays
- Allow teachers to refuse to acknowledge the existence of same-sex marriage in Canada
- Force teachers to hand out “parental warnings” if they do choose to acknowledge reality
- Remove all punishment for an individual “exercising their beliefs” against gay marriage.
Un-freaking-believable!
Julie Lloyd, a local activist, is terrified.
The effects of this bill, should it become law in Alberta, would be devastating for gays and lesbians.
[Bill 208], if passed, would allow employers to fire gays and let landlords evict gay tenants with impunity because they’re “exercising a belief against same-sex marriage.”
Of course, the bill is also grossly unconstitutional, and certainly wouldn’t survive a court challenge (assuming the obscure notwithstanding clause isn’t used—which Alberta has done before to prevent court challenges to a ban on same-sex marriage from 2000-2005). But, really, even if the bill doesn’t survive, how much more of this hemorrhaging fit can Teddy produce?
Yeah, that’s totally a rhetorical question.
- Battle lines being drawn over Alberta same-sex bill [Globe and Mail]
- City gays & lesbians lash out [Edmonton SUN]
Zimbabwe’s New Laws
Zimbabwe’s latest anti-gay law has gone into effect this month, and the “crime” to consequence ratio is amazing.
What used to be an unjust anti gay sex law has been expanded to ban all physical contact between males that could be deemed “indecent” by, well, pretty much anyone. This has already been interpreted to include kissing, hugging, and even hand holding!
The new law was enacted by Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, who once famously called homosexuals “worse than pigs and dogs.” Nice guy.
But, to all the Zimbabwean gays out there, don’t fret! Try my helpful suggestions:
- Hold hands through a hollow basket with a blanket on top so it looks like you’re just helping each other carry a heavy item.
- Swing your hands with exaggerated movements and “accidentally” brush your hands together every now and then.
- Pretend to have an injury affecting mobility and lean on your boyfriend for physical support.
- Or go through the often painful, but always worthwhile process of demanding a government that respects human rights.
Any of the above should do, really…
- New laws in Africa further restrict gays [Gay.com]
Visa Delays for Out Games Participants
The 1st World Out Games for gay athletes, to be held in Montreal from July 26th to August 5th, has run into a teensy little problem. Nearly 250 of the foreign athletes to compete, it appears, still have not yet been granted visas by the federal government.
Immigration minister, Monte Solberg (who, incidentally, voted against the marriage equality bill last year), issued a statement through his office saying that they are not discriminating based on sexual orientation, and that many visa applications are still in the review process. In fact, it turns out that several of the athletes have criminal records causing the government to go into a lengthy review.
The problem with this? Many of these criminal records are for athletes who were persecuted in their respective countries for being homosexual.
Hmm… This doesn’t bode well, Monte. You might want to speed the review process along here. After all, there’s no fury quite like that of a gay man deprived of throwing his men’s-diving-watching party!
- Visa delays plague games for gays [CBC News]
Anti-Gay Bill Targets Teachers
Ever notice that annoying “Whaaah!” sound coming from the Alberta parliament? No need to be alarmed, kids! It’s just the provincial government throwing another one of its temper tantrums over same-sex marriage.
Ted Morton‘s Bill 208, which passed second reading this week, would make it OK for teachers to not acknowledge the existence of same-sex marriage in Alberta. And for teachers that do wish to acknowledge reality… well, they’d be required to send out parental warnings before speaking a word about the gays. How quaint!
When asked why this craziness was conceived, Morton replied: “[It's] to pre-empt the type of harassment of people who disagree with same-sex marriage.” Yeah, because those people are so discriminated against. Also—wait, did that response have anything to do with parents and teachers?
Of course, Frank Bruseker, president of the Alberta Teacher’s Association, whom this bill would actually affect, is insulted.
Requiring teachers to advise parents prior to making any mention of the fact that marriage in Canada may be between persons of the same sex will effectively gag any emergent discussion of this issue.
What does that communicate to gay and lesbian students, to their families and to the school community? These students are already at greater risk of being bullied, being alienated from school and eventually dropping out. They need all the help and support that the school system can provide.
If I may practice my Alberta lingo, let me say: “Darn Tootin’, Frank!” But now, for my adorable elected Alberta MLAs, whoever wants to play crazy anti-gay make-believe forever, say “Yea.”
- Teachers call on MLAs to reject bill [Alberta Teacher's Association]
- ATA gives Morton’s Bill 208 a failing grade [Cochrane Times]
- Kill Bill 208 [Edmonton Journal]
