The Gay & Lesbian Network in Pietermaritzburg is to host a public meeting for the local government elections on the 14 July at 10h30 at Emaphethelweni, 5 Lenister Road, Scottsville (opposite the Winston Churchill Theatre).

The objectives of the public meeting are:

1. To provide a platform to engage all political parties on local issues for vulnerable and marginalised persons

2. To understand the election process and how it works for the local government elections on 3 August 2016

The target participants at this meeting will be the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) community and the aim is to discuss with the political parties service delivery issues, redress for marginalised and vulnerable groups (LGBTI, foreign nationals, youth, women, old age etc.), hate crimes, safety in the community and functionality of ward committees/ward councillors and why we need to vote for them.

The organisation has also invited the IEC with the aim to educate the participants at the meeting on the election process and how it works. The following political parties have been invited to the public meeting DA, ANC, IFP, NFP and EFF.

The program will include presentations by the IEC on the election process and political parties will have to present convincing arguments as to why LGBTI voters should vote for them.

Anthony Waldhausen, Director of the Gay & Lesbian Network said: “This is a great opportunity to engage political parties and to see where they stand on LGBTI issues and how to address hate crimes that are been perpetrated against the LGBTI community. We will also want to tackle issues of unemployment as a large amount of youth in our province is unemployed as well. This also provides an opportunity for the LGBTI voters to make an informed decision who they can vote for, provides us to be proactive as citizens and to hold political parties and ward councillors accountable come post-election day.”

The LGBTI community and other marginalised communities are encouraged to attend the public meeting and must RSVP and indicate their dietary requirements by no later than the 11 July to Anthony Waldhausen at 033-3426165/director@gaylesbian.org.za.

The public meeting is proudly funded by the Heinrich Boll Foundation.

The post PMB: Gay & Lesbian Network local elections public meeting appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

The Love Not Hate campaign has reacted with shock at new statistics that show a sharp increase in homophobia in South Africa’s most populous province.

On Tuesday, the 2015 Gauteng City-Region Observatory Quality of Life Survey revealed that 14% of Gautengers agree that it’s acceptable to be violent to gay and lesbian people.

That represents around 1.26 million people in the province, and reflects an increase from 13% in 2013.

Equally shocking, only 56% of respondents felt that gays and lesbians deserve equal rights. This is a significant drop compared to 2013, when 71% agreed with the statement.

The results have emerged as South Africa faces continued incidents of violent hate crimes against LGBTI people and growing anti-LGBTI intolerance and hate speech on social media.

Yet, as the country (rightly) speaks out against racism, it appears that these increasing levels of homophobia are not being addressed by our society with the same passion and energy. These latest statistics have also barely been reported by the mainstream media.

Lerato Phalakatshela, Hate Crime Manager at OUT LGBT Well-being and spokesperson for the Love Not Hate campaign, commented on the shocking survey results in a statement on Thursday.

“These findings are heartbreaking because they show just how vulnerable we are as LGBTI people in our own communities, simply for who we are and who we love,” he said.

Phalakatshela continued: “It is evident that there is still a lot of work to be done with regard to tackling discrimination and hate crimes against LGBTI people. It is also clear that South Africa in general is a very homophobic nation and this might be because people have limited or no information about human sexuality, gender identity and sexual minorities.

“The work that has been undertaken by both government and civil society to tackle homophobia appears to have had little impact on the general population. This requires urgent and more integrated and consistent interventions and improved awareness campaigns,” he added.

Love Not Hate called on government, civil society, religious leaders, political parties, the media and individuals “to speak out loudly against the scourge of LGBTI intolerance and to urgently devise new strategies that will succeed in changing hearts and minds”.

“The situation is worsening and cannot be allowed to continue; the very lives of LGBTI people are at stake,” Phalakatshela added.

Love Not Hate is a collaboration between seven South African civil society organisations in Gauteng, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal.

The programme works with government and other partners to bring awareness about LGBTI hate crimes to the public and service providers. This includes assisting LGBTI persons to report incidents of violence and to navigate the justice system, as well as tracking hate crimes.

The Love Not Hate partners are: Access Chapter 2; Durban Lesbian and Gay Community and Health Centre; Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (Gala); Gay and Lesbian Network; OUT LGBTI Well-being; Social, Health and Empowerment Feminist Collective of Transgender Women of Africa (SHE); and Triangle Project.

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South African actor Oros Mampofu has revealed that he was afraid of how his first on-screen gay kiss would be received by others.

Mampofu, who plays the character of Phila on the Mzansi Magic series Igazi, exchanged the sizzling smooch with his on-screen boyfriend in last weekend’s episode.

Speaking to Soweto Live, Mampofu said that shooting the scene was something of a challenge.

“Stepping towards that task, I didn’t think I could do it. It was overwhelming with thoughts of how people will receive it…” he said.

The star added that the response, however, has ben largely positive: “…amazingly, I even got calls from people I went with to high school complementing my craft.”

This was not the first gay kiss in a South African television production, with soaps having led the way in the past. At times, however, the public reaction has not been positive. In 2009, almost 20,000 people joined a Facebook group threatening to boycott Generations because of a male same-sex kiss.

Mampofu said that he felt an obligation to represent the character as authentically as possible in order “to portray the best image of the gay community”.

Oros Mampofu

The 24-year-old continued: “I realised that as actors, it’s our obligation to evoke subjects that our peers and the elderly are reluctant to create dialogue on, it’s our duty to express those concerns and issues so that we evolve.”

When asked about his own sexuality, Mampofu responded that it was something he didn’t want to discuss.

“I’d like to not have this open for discussion due to certain reasons but it’s yet to be confirmed. Right now, I’m focused on my future. It was important for me to represent the character I had developed in the purest way I saw possibly without giving too much or too little. This is what I believe I did for Phila and South Africa,” he said.

Mampofu is best known for his previous role as Jama on the SABC1 soap opera Skeem Saam. He’s also starred in the show Kowethu and the movies Rise and The Lucky Specials.

Igazi is a drama series that tells the story of a Xhosa royal family in conflict over its throne. Mampofu’s character, Prince Phila Mbangatha, is the family heir whose modern views are not always well received. The final episode of the first season screens on Sunday 3 July at 20:00 on Mzansi Magic.

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The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) says it won’t condemn gays and lesbians, despite posting anti-gay comments on social media ahead of next month’s local elections.

On Sunday, the party’s Rustenburg Facebook page posted a link to a January 2012 Mambaonline article about a DA Student Organisation (DASO) poster campaign that featured an interracial heterosexual couple that was then adapted to an interracial gay couple.

Along with the link, the post included the comment in Afrikaans: “It is clear from this photo and article that the DA is promoting promiscuity among the youth. DASO (DA and their student organisation). Can you associate yourself with this party?”

The implication is that homosexuality and interracial relationships are inherently promiscuous and immoral. The post is now no longer visible on the page.

Mambaonline spoke to FF+ North West Leader Dr Pieter Groenewald, who distanced the party from the sentiments expressed and confirmed that he had the post taken down.

“The moment I was aware of it I gave the order to remove it,” he said, explaining that “in an election a lot of candidates are running and they were not supposed to put it on. They contravened our policy and I have spoken to them.”

On the matter of interracial relationships, Groenewald said the party had no policy on the matter. “That is an individual choice. The DA is promoting this as the future and it is up to the people and the electorate to make a decision on it.”

With regard to the party’s position on lesbian and gay people, Groenewald said that while the FF+ does not support same-sex marriage or unions, because “we are a Christian Party,” it “does not condemn gays and lesbians”. He added: “That would be unchristian.”

When asked if the party’s focus on protecting minority rights in South Africa includes the gay and lesbian community, Groenewald indicated that was not currently the case.

“It for them to come knock on our door and ask us, ‘we also want you to protect our minority rights,’ but they have to understand that won’t include same-sex marriages.

“Different minorities have different issues – and it’s not necessarily that you will agree with each issue of every minority,” said Groenewald.

The Freedom Front Plus voted against legalising same-sex marriage in 2006. The party also blocked a motion for Parliament to congratulate South Africa’s Francois Nel after he won Mr Gay World in 2011.

The post Freedom Front Plus pulls anti-gay, racist Facebook post appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

(Left to Right): Stuart Diamond (councillor), Jan Richter (Pride Shelter matron), Dave Bryant (ward councillor), Brandon Golding (prospective ward councillor), Dave Nel (PST board member).

Africa’s first and only LGBTI crisis centre was visited by three City of Cape Town politicians this week.

On Tuesday, Oranjezicht Ward 77 Councillor, Dave Bryant, prospective councillor Brandon Golding, and Councillor Stuart Diamond toured the Pride Shelter.

They were hosted by the Matron, Jan Richter, with Board Members Andrew Howard and Dave Nel.

The Pride Shelter provides short-term accommodation for LGBTI people from the greater Cape Town area during crisis periods in their lives.

Located in Oranjezicht, the shelter is managed by the Pride Shelter Trust, a non-profit organisation.

“We were very pleased to meet the councillors,” said Howard. “It’s pivotal that we maintain a solid working relationship with the City of Cape Town and draw on the support of our local elected representatives,” he explained.

“It was also great to update the councillors on our work, which we are planning to extend beyond offering short-term emergency accommodation to new training and counselling programmes for the residents and our staff.”

The Pride Shelter Trust helps LGBTI people as diverse as those who have experienced “corrective rape” to those who’ve been kicked out of home for being gay.

It provides a safe place for residents to find their feet again, and offers healthy meals, job search assistance and group and individual counselling.

The shelter’s work is funded through donations and events such as Cape Town Pride and occasional fundraising markets at the premises. The most recent market in April raised R20,000, with the next market being held on 12 November.

Anyone who would like to make a donation or be involved is welcome to contact the shelter at kim@pridesheltertrust.co.za or 021 423 2871.

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A star-studded musical tribute to the victims of the Orlando massacre, titled Hands, has been released.

Proceeds from the sale of the single will benefit Equality Florida, the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida, and GLAAD.

Hands features a host of music luminaries including: Mary J Blige, Jason Derulo, Tyler Glenn, Selena Gomez, Halsey, Ty Herndon, Imagine Dragons, Juanes, Adam Lambert, Mary Lambert, Jennifer Lopez, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, Kacey Musgraves, MNEK, Alex Newell, P!nk, Prince Royce, Nate Ruess, RuPaul, Troye Sivan, Jussie Smollett, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, and Meghan Trainor.

“The horrific attack on the LGBT community in Orlando has left us devastated, but not defeated,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.

“As we continue to mourn the crushing loss of 49 Americans, the majority of whom were Latino and whose lives were lost to hate, we stand resolved in paying tribute to their memory, supporting the victims and families, and working together to achieve full acceptance once and for all.”

The tribute is available for digital download in the US exclusively through iTunes, although you can listen to it below.

“The second I heard about this horrible tragedy where so many of my LGBTQ brothers and sisters lost their lives, I immediately got on a plane to Orlando to volunteer my help anyway I could,” said Hands writer and producer Justin Tranter. “Putting this charity single together is just a way for me, and everyone involved to keep volunteering our help and promote peace and love in the world.”

Hands was also co-written by Julia Michaels and Blood Pop and produced by Blood Pop, Mark Ronson, and Justin Tranter.

Forty-nine people were slaughtered by the Omar Mateen when he opened fire on hundreds of revellers inside the Pulse gay nightclub on June 12.

The post Britney Spears, Mary J Blige & Pink join host of stars for Orlando massacre single appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

UN Human Rights Council

Egypt has dismissed the recent landmark resolution against LGBTI discrimination and violence passed at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). 

The resolution was adopted in Geneva last week and will mandate the appointment of an Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

It was hailed as a historic victory for LGBTI people by human rights groups around the world.

In response, Egypt’s permanent delegate to the UN, Amr Ramadan, described any “pro-homosexuality resolution” as “worthless”, claiming that it violates “Egyptian culture and values”.

According to the Egypt State Information Service, he explained that the vote will not change global attitudes that “reject such perverted thoughts being promoted by western countries”.

Ramadan also said Egypt will not comply with such resolutions due to their “contradiction with international laws” and “the national sovereignty of member states of the UN…”

While Egypt was not eligible to take part in the vote because it is not currently a UNHRC member, its views were supported by other members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, who voted against the resolution. (South Africa shamefully abstained in the vote.)

Homosexuality is not specifically outlawed in Egypt but gay people are often targeted and jailed through immorality or public indecency laws. The Egyptian authorities have been accused of using social media, including dating apps, to track down and arrest gay men.

The post Egypt won’t comply with latest UN LGBTI resolution appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

Geno Jonkers’s injuries

A young Western Cape man is still grappling with the after effects of being brutally targeted by two youths because of his sexuality.

Geno Jonkers, a beauty spa consultant from Crawford, told Mambaonline that he fears for his life after being attacked last month at his uncle’s home in Cape Town’s Eerste River.

The 20-year-old was visiting his family when he heard voices calling him outside. He walked out the house to the gate when he was grabbed from behind.

“He was choking me. I couldn’t breath or call out for help. Then another one came around the corner and they dragged me across the road, behind a house, and they beat me there,” he said.

“While attacking me the one said, ‘Maak die moffie vrek’ (Kill the faggot). They were banging my head against a concrete fence and the other one said, ‘Ja, maak die ding dood, maak die moffie vrek’ (Yes, kill the thing, kill the faggot).”

Jonkers believed that he was going to die: “My only thought while they were beating me was, ‘What about my family?’ I was worried about my mom.”

He was eventually able to escape from the attackers and ran back inside his uncle’s house. “They must have gotten tired of beating me and I just ran.”

The assailants continued to threaten their victim from outside the home for some time before they finally left.

Jonkers said he knew his attackers, who are believed to be in their teens. Earlier in the day he had interacted with them at a shop when they asked him for money.

Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk told the Daily Voice that a 15-year-old was arrested and appeared in the Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court on a charge of assault on June 24, but Jonkers claims that he was never informed and that the attacker is back home.

“I’m worried they will come after me again because the police haven’t done anything about it. And today it is three weeks after the incident happened and the police still hasn’t gotten back to me since I reported the case.”

Jonkers explained that this was the first time he had been the victim of overt homophobia and that the experience has scarred him.

Geno Jonkers before the attack

“I’m more scared because I don’t know what will happen. It has changed me emotionally because I’m not the person I used to be. I used to be an outgoing person but I don’t go out any longer. I’m just in the house.”

When asked if he regrets reporting the case to the police, Jonkers responded: “A month ago one of my friends was murdered and justice hasn’t been served in his case. At first I didn’t want to report to the police but I thought to myself, ‘It could happen to someone else tomorrow, so I have to take a stand’.”

He added: “Something has to be done about it.”

Triangle Project’s Matthew Clayton told Mambaonline that the organisation, which is one of the Love Not Hate campaign partners, has provided counselling to Jonkers.

Triangle has also forwarded details of the case to the Department of Justice’s hate crime Rapid Response Unit and is waiting for a reply.

The post “Kill the moffie,” said attackers in Cape Town gay hate crime appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

Minette Van Rensburg

Minette Van Rensburg, a member of the LGBT community, has won her Equality Court case against a George woman who said that the Pink Loerie Festival was a curse on the region.

In an April 21 Facebook post, Desiree du Preez lashed out against the annual LGBT event in neighbouring Knysna, which this year featured a mass same-sex wedding.

“People of Eden, why do we allow a curse on our region due to the Pink Loerie Festival and mass gay marriage?” she asked.

Du Preez made the comments in Afrikaans in the Georgiete Staan Saam community group, which has over 18,000 members.

“It is only because Christians do nothing. Let us stand up and tell the gays they are no longer welcome. They have to find another home. Who agrees with me?” she wrote.

Van Rensburg, another George resident, lodged a complaint with the Equality Court, which led to a court appearance by both women last Friday.

At the hearing, Du Preez agreed to offer an unconditional apology to the gay community in the local newspaper, as well as on Facebook. She also agreed to undergo sensitivity training facilitated by the Gender Equality Commission.

“Her defence was that she did not mean it as I interpreted it. And that it was not aimed at a specific person,” explained Van Rensburg. “Still she feels that according to her conviction of faith she did no wrong. But she acknowledged that according to the Constitution she was wrong.”

Van Rensburg said she was very satisfied with the outcome of the case. “I realise that this will always be an issue with some religions, and I respect that. But all of us must abide by the Constitution.

“And I mainly wanted to get people to realise they cannot say what they want, especially in public and on social media,” explained Van Rensburg.

Mambaonline asked if she would urge others to take instances of LGBT discrimination to the Equality Court.

“Yes,” she replied. “I would definitely recommend it, because if we’re not willing to stand up for our rights, how can we expect others to respect them?”

If you have been the victim of hate speech or discrimination you can lodge a case with an Equality Court in your area. It is free and you do not need a lawyer.

Visit the nearest Magistrates’ Court and ask for the Equality Court. A clerk will give you a Form 2 to complete and to lodge a complaint. For more information, including a list of Equality Courts, visit www.justice.gov.za/EQCact/eqc_main.html.

You can also file a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission on their website at www.sahrc.org.za.

The post Equality Court victory against Pink Loerie “gay curse” woman appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

John Cho as Sulu

While many have welcomed news that the iconic Sulu will be revealed to be gay in the latest Star Trek movie, the character’s original actor (who is gay) isn’t impressed.

John Cho, who now plays Hikaru Sulu, told the Herald Sun that the character will be shown in the upcoming Star Trek Beyond as raising a daughter with a male partner.

“I liked the approach, which was not to make a big thing out it, which is where I hope we are going as a species, to not politicise one’s personal orientations,” said Cho.

Sci-fi fans have for decades called for more LGBT characters in mainstream films like Star Trek, and so the move is pretty groundbreaking.

The decision was, said Cho, made by the film’s writer Simon Pegg and director Justin Lin as a tribute to George Takei, who first played the role of Sulu in the original series and movies.

Takei is not only openly gay himself but has also become a vocal and respected LGBT activist.

Surprisingly, the one person who is upset about the news is Takei himself. The star told The Hollywood Reporter that while he’s “delighted that there’s a gay character” he doesn’t believe it should be Sulu.

In light of the franchise’s 50th anniversary this year, Takei believes that the character should have stayed as he was conceived by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry – a straight man.

George Takei originally played Sulu

He revealed that he was called months again by Cho who told him about the decision and that he tried to convince the younger actor not to go ahead with the plan.

“I told him, ‘Be imaginative and create a character who has a history of being gay, rather than Sulu, who had been straight all this time, suddenly being revealed as being closeted.’”

Takei believed that the filmmakers would take his thoughts to heart and was disappointed when he recently discovered that they did not.

“Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate,” he said.

As Star Trek fans ourselves we aren’t with Takei on this one. We say: Move with the times and bring on the gay Sulu!

Star Trek Beyond is released on 26 August in South Africa. Watch the trailer below.

The post Shock as Star Trek’s George Takei condemns Sulu being made gay appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

The fifth Chevrolet Feather Awards Dialogue takes place in QwaQwa in the Free State on Saturday 9 July.

This year, the annual awards ceremony is marking its eighth anniversary by travelling to eight provinces to engage with communities about LGBTI issues and challenges.

The dialogues are hosted in partnership with long standing sponsors Chevrolet and Films and Publications Board, joined by the Thami Dish Foundation, an education foundation founded by Thami Kotlolo, who is also the co-founder of the Awards.

“This year’s theme is ‘it took a community to get here’ and this is true to the journey of the Feathers’. We have enjoyed support from various sectors and societies and now the time has come to pay it forward,” said Kotlolo.

“These dialogues are only one facet of the broader vision and the growth path we are following. As the Chevy Feather Awards team we believe there is a need to share our platform with communities. It is also important to have conversations that many are afraid to have and to play a role in changing ideologies.”

The next Dialogue will be held in QwaQwa and will address the subject of: “Access to community services for the LGBTI.”

The event will be facilitated by Lumko Johnson and is scheduled to include speakers from Amsher, OUT LGBT Well-being, Access Chapter 2, Department of Social Development and RFS LGBTI and Health Campaigns. All from the LGBTI community are welcome to attend and participate.

The Saturday 9 July event starts at 9.30am. The venue is Cultural House (behind the Game store) in QwaQwa.

Mambaonline.com is a proud supporter of the Chevrolet Feather Awards Dialogues.

EVENT DETAILS
Date: Saturday 9 July 2016
Venue: Cultural House (behind the Game store), QwaQwa, Free State
Time: 9.30am
Theme: Access to community services for the LGBTI

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Ambassador Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko

The South African ambassador who led the abstention in last week’s LGBTI resolution vote at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has been unable to clearly explain the decision in a frustrating radio interview.

Nozipho Mxakato-Diseko, South Africa’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, appeared on Redi Tlhabi’s 702 show on Thursday in a bid to justify the country’s controversial stance. In a series of long and rambling statements, she managed to say very little of coherent substance.

She argued that South Africa could not vote for the resolution because the “manner in which things were done [at the UNHRC] were divisive and arrogant”.

Mxakato-Diseko said that this approach meant that South Africa was not “able to carry everybody, which is really important for us.”

“We as South Africa try to carry as many African countries as we can,” she said, in order to make sure that decisions that are taken “lead to real results with the intended consequences”.

Mxakato-Diseko’s convoluted comments led to a confused Tlhabi saying that she still didn’t understand what the issue really was.

“You need to give people time to understand where you are taking them,” said the ambassador, who also claimed that countries were being bullied in the council.

Steve Letsike, Director of the NGO Access Chapter 2, accused Mxakato-Diseko of contradicting herself and insisted that “in everything we do on the international platform we [must] have the vested interest of South Africans, we [must] have the vested interest of the values of our country, which are all enshrined in our Constitution”.

Letsike also claimed that South Africa had originally intended to vote “no” on the resolution “because of solidarity” with other African countries, and only abstained because of pressure from civil society groups.

She further pointed out that South Africa “could have addressed the issue around bullying and treatment of other countries [at the UNHRC] in a different space, not at the cost of LGBTI issues”.

As the discussion became more heated, the ambassador responded that, “We were not going to vote no,” and then accused civil society groups of “being in disagreement” over the resolution.

“There’s not one NGO in LGBTI in South Africa and I’d like to be sure that I represent all of them,” she said.

Letsike, in turn, pointed out that even if there were disagreements, “You had a mandate; the mandate is the Constitution which prohibits discrimination”.

Steve Letsike, Director of Access Chapter 2

She continued: “Unfortunately you are not consistent ambassador; unfortunately at the costs of lives… The mandate of the ambassador is to represent the Constitution, even if you have to be bold…”

The discussion concluded with the ambassador shouting over Letsike’s comments.

The resolution, approved by 23 countries and rejected by 18, with 6 abstentions, will mandate the appointment of an Independent Expert on violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

It was widely supported by most local LGBTI groups in South Africa and by more than 600 organisations around the world, many of them from the Global South.

You can listen to the debate between Letsike and Ambassador Mxakato-Diseko here.

The post UN LGBTI resolution: Take several seats, ambassador! appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

A billion people, around one seventh of the world’s population, now live in jurisdictions with full marriage equality.

The figure, equal to 13.8% of humanity, is based on a new analysis by Melbourne-based LGBT rights activist, Tony Pitman.

“The turning point came a few weeks ago when Colombia and then several Mexican states all achieved marriage equality within a few days. That pushed us up over a billion for the first time in history,” revealed Pitman.

“When you think that the first ever same-sex marriages took place in the Netherlands in 2001, that means we’ve gone from zero to a billion in just 15 years. That’s an extraordinary rate of social progress. We’re witnessing an historic shift on a truly global scale,” he said.

The USA, with 328 million inhabitants, is the most populous country in the world with full marriage equality, followed by Brazil with 206 million citizens.

June and July are traditionally times for LGBT Pride celebrations in the northern hemisphere. Tragically, this year, festivities have been marred by the horrific events in Orlando.

“Hopefully the news that we’ve reached this historic milestone can bring some comfort and encouragement to a worldwide community still in shock and mourning from Orlando,” commented Pitman.

He noted that his home country of Australia still does not yet rank among the nations with marriage equality.

“It’s terribly disappointing that Australians will never be able to say that we were among the first billion people in the world to achieve marriage equality. That’s a sad historical fact now and an indictment of our spineless, dithering politicians,” said Pitman.

Below is an infographic depicting the regions and countries that have full marriage equality and their populations.

The post A billion people now live with marriage equality appeared first on MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online.

Pastor Steven L Anderson

An American hate preacher who has repeatedly called for the murder of gays and lesbians is set to visit South Africa in September to add more followers to his twisted brand of Christianity.

Pastor Steven L Anderson of Tempe’s Faithful Word Baptist Church has called AIDs “the judgement of God” and stated that killing gay people would free the world from the epidemic.

“…if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldn’t have all this AIDS running rampant,” he famously said in 2014.

Most recently, Anderson praised the slaughter of 49 (at first thought to be 50) people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando

“The good news is that there’s 50 less paedophiles in this world, because, you know, these homosexuals are a bunch of disgusting perverts and paedophiles,” he proclaimed in a YouTube video the day after the massacre.

According to this Facebook event page, Anderson is among 20 or so Americans and Canadians coming to Johannesburg to hold a “soul-winning marathon” on Sunday, September 18.

Based on Anderson’s website, Soul-Winning appears to be an intrusive process in which his church members preach to people, often knocking door to door, in a bid to convince them to turn to God or Christ.

The day long event will include a breakfast and fellowship at the Spur in Festival Mall, lunch at Wimpy at the mall to “prepare for another round of soul-winning” and a church service at the Premier Hotel OR Tambo, where Anderson will preach.

Hendrik Baird, the Station Manager at GaySA Radio is appalled that Anderson will be coming to South Africa to promote hate Christianity. He has started a petition calling on the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to refuse to allow Anderson entry into South Africa

“I think there are already high levels of homophobia in South Africa and in the wake of Orlando we don’t want anyone to stoke more hate that could lead to violence against LGBTI people,” he told Mambaonline.

Baird said that while some may believe that Anderson is entitled to freedom of speech, “there is a difference between hate speech and free speech and if someone is known to call for the death of LGBTI people I don’t think he should be welcome in a country that constitutionally protects LGBTI people.”

Baird has also written to Spur, Wimpy, Festival Mall and the Premier Hotel OR Tambo making them aware of Anderson’s plans and urging them to take action.

Wimpy replied in an e-mail that,”unfortunately we are unable to refuse him entry, however we have written to him to ensure that he is aware that we do not permit any preaching or religious gathering in a Wimpy restaurant.”

“We have also informed the store owners and operational support team, to ensure they are aware of the situation,” said Wimpy Marketing Manager Luise Peters.

Lee-Anne Leathley, Marketing Manager at Festival Mall, also responded: “Thanks for alerting us to this. We will monitor it.”

Neither the hotel nor Spur, which was embroiled in an alleged homophobic incident last month at a branch in Pretoria, have yet gotten back to Baird.

Baird noted that visits and campaigns by Christian evangelists from the US have been blamed for the spike in homophobia and the enactment of anti-gay legislation in Uganda and fears the same could happen here.

“They swayed certain influential decision makers to try to impose the death penalty, and we don’t want someone here to be working to take away our rights under the guise of Christianity,” he said.

Baird’s bid to block Anderson’s visit is not unprecedented; countries such as the UK and Australia have been known to deny visas to gay hate preachers. You can sign the petition to keep Anderson out of South African here.

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Iconic South African artist Chris Chameleon has dedicated his new music video to the victims of the Orlando massacre, “with love, hope and faith”.

The video for the track Hurt was recently released on YouTube and features the former Boo front man dressed in drag; something for which he was known when with the band.

Chameleon, 44, told Mambaonline that he’d recorded the song last year and made the video in March and was about to launch it when the killings at the Pulse nightclub hit the headlines.

“When I saw the Orlando attack I thought it was a good association because of the contents of the video.” The SAMA-winning singer, musician and actor explained that, “a lot of people over the years have been challenged by my comfort in cross dressing. And I knew that it would be confronting people.

“Although my art isn’t about making statements but providing a vehicle for my own expression, and I’m very grateful for being able to do that, sometimes you have to make a statement. And the timing was right.

“The Orlando massacre was a fresh reminder of the insanity of the world we live in – of picking a bunch of people and snuffing them out. People need to think about the right of people to be who they are meant to be or feel comfortable with being,” he said.

Chameleon, who identifies as straight, said that he has always felt a connection with the gay community.

“There is so much I like about the gay community, I really enjoy their contribution,” he said. “If you take every gay person out of history, this world would be a hugely impoverished place. I cannot imagine my life without Tchaikovsky, for example.”

When asked what impact he’d like the video to have on its viewers, he responded: “Whatever judgement people reserve for gay people, whatever judgement they reserve for straight people, they should be less judgemental and be a lot more accepting and a lot more tolerant.”

Hurt is featured on Chameleon’s upcoming new English album Firmament. Watch the video below.

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Zachary Quinto in Star Trek

Openly gay Star Trek star Zachary Quinto has backed the decision to make the character of Sulu gay.

It was recently revealed that Sulu (John Cho) will be shown in the upcoming Star Trek Beyond as raising a daughter with a male partner.

Many were taken aback when LGBT activist and actor George Takei, who first played Sulu, said the news was “unfortunate” as he feels the character should stay straight, as conceived by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

Takei argued it would have been better to introduce a new gay character.

Quinto, who plays Spock in the latest Star Trek movies, responded via Pedestrian.TV, commenting: “As a member of the LGBT community myself, I was disappointed by the fact that George was disappointed.”

He expressed surprise about “any member of the LGBT community that takes issue with the normalised and positive portrayal of members of our community in Hollywood and in mainstream blockbuster cinema…”

Quinto went on to say: “I get it. He [Takei] has had his own personal journey and has his own personal relationship with this character but, you know, as we established in the first Star Trek film in 2009, we’ve created an alternate universe, and my hope is that eventually George can be strengthened by the enormously positive response from especially young people who are heartened by and inspired by this really tasteful and beautiful portrayal of something that I think is gaining acceptance and inclusion in our societies across the world, and should be.”

The latest film’s co-writer, Simon Pegg (who also stars as Scotty), further defended the decision, noting that the recent Star Trek films reflect an “alternate timeline with alternate details” from the original series and films.

John Cho as Sulu in Star Trek Beyond

“I have huge love and respect for George Takei, his heart, courage and humour are an inspiration,” he said in a statement to The Guardian. “However, with regards to his thoughts on our Sulu, I must respectfully disagree with him.”

“He’s right, it is unfortunate, it’s unfortunate that the screen version of the most inclusive, tolerant universe in science fiction hasn’t featured an LGBT character until now. We could have introduced a new gay character, but he or she would have been primarily defined by their sexuality, seen as the ‘gay character’, rather than simply for who they are, and isn’t that tokenism?”

Pegg added: “I don’t believe Gene Roddenberry’s decision to make the prime timeline’s Enterprise crew straight was an artistic one, more a necessity of the time.”

Star Trek Beyond is released on 26 August in South Africa.

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Maurice Tomlinson

In a blow to a bid to overturn Jamaica’s anti-gay law, the country’s Supreme Court has said that religious views must be considered in the matter.

Last week, the court ruled that it would allow nine religious groups to be interested parties in the legal challenge of Jamaica’s sodomy law by lawyer Maurice Tomlinson.

However, it declined a similar application by Public Defender Arlene Harrison Henry who believes that LGBT people “are entitled to equality, representation, and equal protection of laws”.

The religious groups argued that they must be allowed to participate in the case on the basis of freedom of religion, equality before the law, the right to a healthy environment, and the right to privacy.

They also claimed that gay men must be banned from having sex because that will inevitably lead to the exploitation of children.

“This is truly a David and Goliath situation, requiring me to respond to not only the government’s, but also the religious groups’ arguments,” commented Tomlinson.

The legal challenge, supported by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and AIDS-Free World, argues that Jamaica’s anti-sodomy law violates the constitutional rights of its people. The 1864 British colonial era law criminalises all forms of intimacy between consenting adult males, even in private

“During the hearing of the applications, the court stated that some of the churches’ allegations seem far-fetched. Nevertheless, the court found that the opinion of the majority of Jamaicans — as reflected by the religious groups — was important in deciding what two consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms,” said Tomlinson.

He told Erasing 76 Crimes that, “At best, this reasoning is at odds with the constitutional principle of protecting minority rights from being trampled on by the will of the majority.”

UNAIDS and other groups involved in the national HIV response have identified the law as contributing to the reason Jamaica has the highest HIV prevalence rate among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the western hemisphere, if not the world (33%). MSM are driven underground and away from effective HIV prevention, treatment, care and support interventions, they say.

The Public Defender has indicated that she will seek leave to appeal the court’s ruling and the matter will likely be suspended until that appeal is heard. This means that the full hearing is not expected to take place before 2017.

Jamaica has a reputation of being one of the world’s most homophobic countries and those found guilty of gay sex can be jailed for up to ten years.

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Pastor Steven L Anderson

The Premier Hotel OR Tambo has laudably rejected a booking by American pastor Steven L Anderson who believes that gay people should be executed.

Anderson is set to visit Johannesburg in a missionary style excursion to “win souls” for his hateful cause.

Following a campaign to block the trip, the Premier Hotels & Resorts Group have announced that they “have taken the decision to decline a booking by Pastor Steven Anderson at Premier Hotel OR Tambo on the 18th of September 2016.”

Anderson intended to hold a church service at the hotel during which he was to preach.

The company said in a statement: “This decision was taken when it was brought to our attention that some of the contents of his sermons contradict the Bill of Rights contained within the South African constitution. This particularly relates to clause 9.3 which states that ‘No person may unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including…sexual orientation…’

“As a South African company, we support the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom laid out in this cornerstone of our country’s democracy. We reserve the right of admission to any of our properties and will be exercising this right in this instance.”

Anderson also planned to have a breakfast and fellowship at the Spur in Festival Mall and lunch at the Wimpy at the same mall to “prepare for another round of soul-winning”.

Wimpy commented on Monday that while it won’t stop Anderson from coming into the branch it will “not permit any preaching or religious gathering in a Wimpy restaurant”.

On Tuesday, Spur said in a statement to Mambaonline that, “the Spur Group, are reserving our right to prohibit this person entering any Spur restaurants as his views are contrary to the non-discriminatory and openly tolerant stance of our brand”.

Festival Mall, however, has used the Constitution to defend the right of Anderson to enter its premises.

The company said in a statement: “Festival Mall adheres to the requirements of section 15 of the Constitution which states ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion’.”

It said, however, that it will not “tolerate religious or political movements canvassing people or preaching” at the mall.

“Mr Anderson will be treated fairly like any other patron who will be paying for meals provided. He will not be allowed to conduct fellowship session or win souls, as the two tenants [Wimpy and Spur] are restaurants and not places of fellowship and/or worship.

“In conclusion Festival Mall is not at liberty to contravene section 21 of the Constitution of the RSA which makes a provision for the right of freedom of movement to all humans,” stated the company.

A petition launched by Hendrik Baird, Station Manager at GaySA Radio, calling for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to refuse to grant Anderson a visa is gaining momentum with over 1,000 signatories.

While Mambaonline believes that Anderson is entitled to his views, he is not entitled to publicly call for the murder of a group of people who already face a daily threat of violence.

We further feel that he should not be allowed to promote his deadly brand of hate in South Africa, and any local organisation, company or government department that facilitates him in this endeavour will be complicit in promoting violence against the LGBT community.

Anderson, who heads up Tempe’s Faithful Word Baptist Church, has stated that killing gay people would free the world from the AIDS epidemic. “…if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldn’t have all this AIDS running rampant,” he said in 2014.

Most recently, Anderson praised the slaughter of 49 (at first thought to be 50) people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando. “The good news is that there’s 50 less paedophiles in this world, because, you know, these homosexuals are a bunch of disgusting perverts and paedophiles,” he proclaimed in a YouTube video the day after the massacre.

In a blog post on Monday, Anderson wrote about sending missionaries to other countries: “A missionary needs to be willing to speak out against the false religions in the area and also preach hard on sin.”

He also revealed that his church has “an awesome new missionary to Botswana, Brother Garrett Kirchway,” adding that, “Botswana is one of the more receptive areas in Africa…”

American evangelists campaigning against LGBT equality in Africa have been cited as one of the major drivers of homophobia in a number of countries.

You can sign the petition to keep Anderson out of South African here.

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Following a controversial voting glitch, the Anglican Church of Canada has within a day rejected and then affirmed same-sex marriage.

On Monday, over 200 delegates narrowly voted at the General Synod in Toronto against a resolution, by one vote, which would have allowed same-sex marriage in the church.

The next day, concerns were raised that some of the votes had not been counted correctly.

A voting irregularity was then identified, leading to a recount and the stunning announcement that sufficient delegates had in fact voted for the resolution.

For the resolution to pass, the vote required a two-thirds majority within each category of delegates; lay people, clergy and bishops.

“Today we discovered that the electronic voting system we were using miscoded my electronic file,” said General Secretary Ven. Dr. Michael Thompson in a statement.

“I was listed, and my vote was counted, as a lay person instead of a priest. This one vote changed the outcome of resolution A051-R2—the resolution to amend the marriage canon.”

The resolution will not be officially adopted for another three years. Because it is a “canonical” change, it will be voted on for a final time at the next General Synod in 2019.

Rev. Allison Courey of Winnipeg told CBC Radio that she welcomed the news. “I’m very happy, I’m excited, I’m relieved for the future of our church and for our young people,” she commented.

“It might mean that we actually can’t move ahead with same-sex marriages right away, while we wait to have a second vote at our next Synod, but it does mean that this is becoming a reality and a norm in our church. And it means that I belong.”

Courey added: “I think it says we’re prepared to engage with the 21st century.”

The Anglican Church is the third largest church in Canada. Civil same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since 2005.

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Robert Sepulveda Jr.

A first of its kind television reality show will see a group of men vying to win the heart of a hunky gay bachelor.

Titled Finding Prince Charming, the new dating show is currently in production and will début on America’s Logo network.

Hosted by former ‘N Sync member Lance Bass, the series will see 13 charming and gorgeous suitors, all housed together, compete to win the heart of an eligible gay heartthrob.

The sexy suitors will grapple to stand out from the crowd, all hoping for a moment of intimate connection, romance and, perhaps, true love.

One by one, the suitors will be eliminated until the heartthrob chooses one ideal man to sweep him off of his feet and commit to an exclusive relationship.

“Logo has a long history of showcasing LGBTQ-focused stories with memorable characters that transcend pop culture,” commented Pamela Post, SVP of Original Programming for Logo.

“Finding Prince Charming will take viewers on a whirlwind journey through modern love and relationships in a way that only Logo can do,” she said.

Lance Bass is the host

Although the identity of the bachelor has not been announced, TMZ reports that it is none other than stunning Atlanta-based interior designer Robert Sepulveda Jr.

Based on his Instagram account Robert not only sports eye-popping good looks but also lives quite the jet-setting life.

While it’s not been officially confirmed that he’s the one, we have no doubt whatsoever that should he be “Prince Charming” he will make for VERY entertaining television.

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