via pisnews.net, by Monica Tabengwa Jun 14 2012 (IPS) – At a news conference shortly after she was sworn in as Malawi’s president, Joyce Banda announced her government’s intention to decriminalise homosexuality. It is unclear how she will achieve this, but the move is in stark contrast to the approach of her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika, who Read More >>

Via Bloomberg, by Simon Clark Young women in sub-Saharan Africa have HIV infection rates up to three times higher than their male peers, largely because of relationships with older “sugar daddies” who give them money in exchange for sex. The phenomenon contributes significantly to HIV’s spread, said Ester Etkin of loveLife, South Africa’s largest anti-AIDS group. A Read More >>

via International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission Antiquated laws against same-sex sexual activity as well as deeply ingrained social stigma result in the all-too-frequent targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Africa for blackmail and extortion, said the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) in a report launched today. The report, Read More >>

via NY ASA Times Malawi government on Wednesday took a strong stand against bilateral donors saying it cannot compromise its sovereignty to legalise homosexuality in order to get aid. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Dr George Chaponda led a team of Presidential spokesperson Hetherwick Ntaba, Information and Civic Education Minister Symon Vuwa Kaunda and Gender, Women Read More >>

via Washington Post, by Raphael Tenthani A planned deal to give Malawi $350 million in U.S. aid will not be signed this week because more talks are needed amid international concerns new laws curb individual freedoms, officials said Monday. The Millennium Challenge Corporation announced the power projects in January. U.S. Embassy spokesman Benjamin Canavan said officials from Read More >>

 AIDS Behav. 2010 Dec 10. [Epub ahead of print] Fay H, Baral SD, Trapence G, Motimedi F, Umar E, Iipinge S, Dausab F, Wirtz A, Beyrer C. Abstract Same-sex practices are stigmatized in much of sub-Saharan Africa. Cross-sectional relationships between discrimination, access to and use of health care services, and HIV knowledge among men who have sex Read More >>

via New Statesman, by Philip Dayle Excerpt: Eric Heinze, professor of law at Queen Mary, University of London, believes that there is a “manufactured sensitivity” in pressing human rights relating to sexual orientation. Why shouldn’t gay rights attract the same moral revulsion as the fight against racism or violence against women? Can the UK call out its Read More >>

Via The Lancet, Kathryn Senior The issue of human rights for men who have sex with men and how national and local attitudes can affect the spread of HIV and AIDS was highlighted last month when Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a male couple in Malawi, were sentenced to 14 years hard labour for sodomy, after they Read More >>

via PeterTatchell.net “The couple had been subjected to many death threats and the government had threatened to re-arrest them if they got back together,” said London-based human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, spokesperson for the LGBT rights group OutRage! He supported the couple in prison and campaigned, along with many other people, for their release. For the full Read More >>

via Huffington Post, by Mark Canavera Before the outsized international human rights outcry. Before the world had even heard of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga. Before their chinkhoswe ceremony – akin to an engagement ceremony although more complex – landed these two in prison, then convicted for “indecent practices between males,” and finally sentenced to 14 years Read More >>