Oscar-nominated star of 2007 American coming-of-age comedy-drama, Juno and star of American superhero television series, The Umbrella Academy, Elliot page, has come out as trans. Yesterday, December 1, Elliot Page posted a coming-out note posted on Twitter and Instagram. “Hi friends, I want to share with you that I am trans, my pronouns are he/they and my…
This piece was written for The Rustin Times’ #OurStories column by Nigerian Writer, Ado Aminu Nigeria is a homophobic country. The country has laws and codes that prohibit both homosexual relationship and homosexual sex. I grew up watching viral videos of people like me—gay people—being humiliated in the southern region of the country. I also…
Grindr, the social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people, has updated its community guidelines. Although, the rules are pretty much the same, except a few changes that reflect more detail and allow for transparency, the major difference in the updated guidelines is in the section that guides profile photos. According to the…
An Algerian court had sentenced 44 men after the police raided an alleged ‘gay wedding’ in the country. While the court sentenced 2 of them to prison terms, the other 42 were sentenced to suspended terms. According to the report on Human Rights Watch, the Algerian police had raided a private residence and arrested 44…
The Vatican has come out to clarify Pope Francis’ comments, which endorsed same-sex civil unions in a documentary that aired last month, saying that they were taken out of context. The Pope had made the comment, which had gone viral after its release, in a documentary, Francesco, which premiered at the Rome Film Festival on October, 21….
As part of its recent end-of-the-year tradition, The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERS) — a Nigeria-based non-for-profit organisation working to create a society where human rights are guaranteed regardless of status, identity, orientation and affiliation — has announced its 2020 Freedom Awards. The Freedom Awards was created in 2019 to honour individuals, organizations, agencies or…
Defiance explores the lives of young queer individuals who are not just out and visible but are vocal in the fight for equality in Nigeria. It also explores the laws in Nigeria and how they affect the personal lives of LGBT+ people in the country. Directed by Harry Itie, it features interviews with Matthew Blaise,…
In line with the mission of using storytelling as a form of advocacy, Equality Hub, a nonprofit organization working to advance the rights and elevate voices of lesbian, bi, & queer women, has launched their streaming service, EhTv Network. EhTv Network is Nigeria’s first digital streaming platform dedicated to amplifying Nigerian LGBTQ-related content. EhTv Network…
A little over two years ago, 57 innocent men were unlawfully arrested by the Nigerian Police at a birthday in Lagos. Since then, they have been harassed, blackmailed and denied their right to a fair hearing. In August 2020, The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs), the organisation that has been actively involved in the turnout…
A recent study by Dutch HIV charity, Aidsfonds, has revealed that funding to fight HIV among LGBT persons was “way off track” with only 2% dedicated to programmes targeting them. The report, released on the 19th of October 2020, at the HIV 2020 conference by Aidsfonds through the Bridging the Gaps and PITCH partnerships, looks…
The head of The Catholic Church, Pope Francis, in a documentary that premiered on Wednesday, 21st of October 2020 at the Rome Film Festival, called for legislation to protect same-sex civil unions. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They are children of God and have a right to a family,”…
Blvck Queer Block is not an independent festival. It is organised under the umbrella of Blvck Queer Initiative, an entertainment company in Johannesburg focused on LGBTQIA+ POC representation. Like its parent organisation, Blvck Queer Block [BQB, for short] is a new South African creative, sophisticated, collaborative, authentic performance forum that represents black and queer women…
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