Compiled by David Webb
Foreign aid funds used for conversion therapy clinics in Africa
AFRICA — Clinics in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania that received funds from USAid, UKAid and the Swiss-based Global Fund told clients that being gay is “evil, for whites” and is a mental illness, according to a six-month undercover operation by reporters for the global news website Open Democracy.
African human rights leaders called for the aid groups to redirect their funding from the offending clinics to LGBTQ clinics operating in Africa.
The reporters found 12 of the 15 clinics they visited conducting conversion therapy. They visited clinics flagged in previous research to see if the practice had continued.
Governor of Brazilian state comes out as gay on TV talk show
BRAZIL — Gov. Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul state acknowledged being gay on July 1 during an interview with a late-night TV talk show host.
“I am gay; I am gay,” Leite told the host. “I didn’t bring this issue up, but I never denied who I am. I didn’t try to make people believe in something different, and I am proud of this integrity.”
Leite, 36, added that he has lived with his boyfriend, a doctor, for nine months. He is the first openly-gay governor in Brazil’s history.
LGBTQ activists called Leite’s coming out a courageous act, especially in light of the conservative “machista” culture of the state. They noted he recently attended a gay activist’s wedding.
WeChat deletes accounts featuring LGBTQ topics
CHINA — The termination of dozens of WeChat accounts this week raised concerns the Communist Party plans to censor LGBTQ content. The account holders received notices they had violated rules, but there were no details provided.
The LGBTQ commentary was being hosted by university students and advocates.
The move comes as the ruling party tightens its grip on political groups and tries to silence dissenters. Advocates speaking to reporters asked for anonymity because they feared retaliation by authorities.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997, but anti-LGBTQ discrimination is still common. Authorities often block LGBTQ activities. The LGBTQ population in China is estimated to be 70 million, or about 5 percent of the population.
Croatian police detain anti-LGBTQ protesters at Pride march
CROATIA — Verbal and physical attacks against Pride participants and the burning of a Pride flag led to several arrests in Zagreb on July 3.
It was the 20th Pride parade in the capital city and the first since 2011 to be marred by violence, according to activists. Police are still searching for other suspects involved in the anti-gay assaults.
Advocates are demanding the suspects be charged with hate crimes and not violations of public order.
The incidents included a man blocking passage to two women and spitting on them. In another, a group of people jumped two young men and assaulted them.
Distributor of ‘rainbow families’ children’s book fined
HUNGARY — Officials fined the distributor of a Hungarian translation of a U.S. book about a boy with two mothers. The distributor was accused of violating fair trade practices because the book was shelved along with other children’s books without a warning of its LGBTQ content.
The levying of the fine came just as a new censorship law went into effect July 8 banning the dissemination of LGBTQ content in public schools. American science fiction and fantasy author Lawrence Schimel called the fine related to his book “Early One Morning” an attack on freedom of information and publishing.
The unnamed distributor was fined the equivalent of $834 US.
European Court condemns Moscow officials for transgender-rights violation
RUSSIA — The European Court of Human Rights ruled on July 6 that Moscow officials violated the rights of a transgender woman by denying her child visitation rights.
The Moscow officials prevented the transgender woman from having any contact with her children because of her gender identity and transition, according to Transgender Europe and ILGA-Europe advocates. Russian courts had defended the decision to restrict the parental rights, saying visitation would have a “negative impact on the mental health and psychological development” of the children.
The European Court ruled that Russia had violated the European Convention on Human Rights that guarantee a person the “right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence.”
Advocates said the ruling marks the first time the court has rendered such a decision based on gender identity.
Pride march called off due to threats of violence
RUSSIA — A Pride march scheduled for July 5 in Tbilisi, Georgia, was called off after violent groups threatened activists and journalists.
Activists had launched five days of Pride to culminate in a “March for Dignity,” but counter protesters disrupted the march before it began. The anti-LGBTQ protesters also stormed and ransacked the offices of the activists in the capital city.
Videos posted by the activists showed protesters scaling the building of the Tbilisi Pride office to reach a balcony where they tore down a Pride flag. Other footage showed a journalist with a bloody mouth and a man on a scooter trying to run over journalists.
Media reported that a tourist was stabbed because he wore an earring.
24-year-old gay man beaten to death outside nightclub
SPAIN — A dozen assailants using an anti-gay slur beat a 24-year-old gay man to death on July 3 outside of a nightclub in the city of A Coruna in the northwestern area of the country.
Three suspects were arrested three days later. The attack was described as savage by onlookers.
Witnesses said the man, identified as nursing assistant Samuel Luiz, was talking on his phone to a friend when a group of people accused him of trying to take their photo and attacked him.
LGBTQ activists called for protests in response to a recent surge in anti-gay attacks. Massive protests followed across the country as news of Luiz’s death spread.
Social Rights Minister Ione Belarra condemned the attack on Luiz as a hate crime and added, “We want a country free of violence where everybody feels free to be who they are.”
Research shows LGB people almost three times as likely to suffer mental health problems
UNITED KINGDOM — The 2011-2018 Health Survey for England conducted by the National Centre for Social Research “confirms well-established health inequalities for gay, lesbian and bisexual people,” according to the advocacy group Stonewall.
Two percent of the respondents identified as LGB. Transgender individuals were not included in the study, but that is planned for future research. The research will help guarantee equality in the delivery of national health care, a Stonewall official said.
About 16 percent of LGB people reported having long-term mental or behavioral disorders, compared to 6 percent of heterosexual respondents.
They also reported lower feelings of mental well-being, and 30 percent acknowledged drinking more alcohol than is recommended, compared to 25 percent of heterosexuals. LGB people were found to be more likely to smoke, but they were less likely to be overweight.
