LGBT

Faris Gezahegn: ‘I was forced to flee my country because of my sexuality’

Faris Cuchi Gezahegn is an LGBT rights activist who lives in Austria after fleeing his home country of Ethiopia. He was brutally beaten like a punching bag because of the work he does for the LGBT community in his home country and also for…

The Nigerian filmmakers risking jail with lesbian movie Ife

Two Nigerian filmmakers face the prospect of imprisonment if they ignore the stern warning of the authorities and proceed with the release of a movie about a lesbian relationship. The dramatic face-off with the regulators - the Nigerian…

Botswana decriminalises gay sex

Botswana's High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for campaigners. The High Court rejected laws that impose up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships, stating they were…

Binyavanga Wainaina, pioneering voice in African literature, dies at 48

Binyavanga Wainaina, the acclaimed Kenyan author who inspired a generation of writers and became one of the most prominent Africans ever to publicly identify as gay, died on Tuesday in Nairobi. He was 48. His brother, James Wainaina,…

My family and I received death threats because I am an LGBT rights activist

In 2009 Ugandan MPs tried to introduce new laws against homosexuality that would include life imprisonment and even the death penalty. Homophobia was rife in the media with tabloid papers printing the names and addresses of gay men and…