Showing posts with label gay sex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay sex. Show all posts
Monday, July 15, 2024
Namibia Strikes Down Colonial-era Laws Criminalizing Gay Sex | DW News
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Biden Pardons Veterans Convicted under Military Ban on Gay Sex | BBC News
Jun 27, 2024 | US President Joe Biden has pardoned thousands of veterans who were convicted of crimes under a military law that banned gay sex for more than 60 years. The veterans were convicted under a provision of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which criminalised sodomy from 1951 to 2013. The US Congress had repealed the portion of the code that outlawed consensual sodomy in 2013.
This military provision is separate from the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" President Bill Clinton-era policy, which banned openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military.
The BBC’s Caitríona Perry spoke with Steve Marose, a former US Air Force officer who was charged with three counts of consensual sodomy in the late 1980s. Marose served two years in prison for those charges.
This military provision is separate from the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" President Bill Clinton-era policy, which banned openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military.
The BBC’s Caitríona Perry spoke with Steve Marose, a former US Air Force officer who was charged with three counts of consensual sodomy in the late 1980s. Marose served two years in prison for those charges.
Thursday, August 04, 2022
Sandi Toksvig Says ‘Lives at Stake’ after Anti-gay Anglican Church Declaration
THE GUARDIAN: Broadcaster appeals to archbishop of Canterbury to reverse decision, saying: ‘Let me talk you round’
‘It was a sin in 1998 and you just wanted to make clear in 2022 that no one in your finely frocked gang has moved on from that,’ wrote Toksvig (centre). Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA
The lives of LGBTQ+ people are at stake, the broadcaster and author Sandi Toksvig has said, after the archbishop of Canterbury affirmed the validity of a 1998 resolution that gay sex is a sin.
In a letter to more than 650 bishops attending the once-a-decade Lambeth conference on Tuesday, Justin Welby, who is also leader of the Anglican church, said the resolution, known as Lambeth 1.10, was “not in doubt”.
“It was a sin in 1998 and you just wanted to make clear in 2022 that no one in your finely frocked gang has moved on from that,” wrote Toksvig in her letter published on Twitter on Wednesday evening. “Seriously, with the state the world is in, that is what you wanted to focus on?”
Responding to the latest knot the Church of England has tied itself into, Toksvig laid bare the facts, including that suicide is contemplated by young LGBTQ+ people at higher rates than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. She said she had faced death threats herself, and questioned the Church of England’s interpretation of Jesus’s views on homosexuality.
“The lives of LGBTQ+ people are at stake here,” Toksvig wrote. “Jesus doesn’t mention sexuality at all. It clearly wasn’t a big deal for him.” » | Geneva Abdul | Thursday, August 4, 2022
Related article.
The lives of LGBTQ+ people are at stake, the broadcaster and author Sandi Toksvig has said, after the archbishop of Canterbury affirmed the validity of a 1998 resolution that gay sex is a sin.
In a letter to more than 650 bishops attending the once-a-decade Lambeth conference on Tuesday, Justin Welby, who is also leader of the Anglican church, said the resolution, known as Lambeth 1.10, was “not in doubt”.
“It was a sin in 1998 and you just wanted to make clear in 2022 that no one in your finely frocked gang has moved on from that,” wrote Toksvig in her letter published on Twitter on Wednesday evening. “Seriously, with the state the world is in, that is what you wanted to focus on?”
Responding to the latest knot the Church of England has tied itself into, Toksvig laid bare the facts, including that suicide is contemplated by young LGBTQ+ people at higher rates than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. She said she had faced death threats herself, and questioned the Church of England’s interpretation of Jesus’s views on homosexuality.
“The lives of LGBTQ+ people are at stake here,” Toksvig wrote. “Jesus doesn’t mention sexuality at all. It clearly wasn’t a big deal for him.” » | Geneva Abdul | Thursday, August 4, 2022
Related article.
Wednesday, August 03, 2022
Anglican Church Still Tying Itself in Knots over Same-sex Marriage
THE GUARDIAN: Analysis: leader Justin Welby has sought to hold together polarised wings of church over last decade
It goes back to the Book of Leviticus and its declaration that a man lying with another man is “an abomination”. Fast forward 3,500 years and the reverberations are still being felt within the global Anglican church.
The issue of same-sex relationships, and more recently same-sex marriage, has caused bitter divisions among Christians. Conservatives argue for faithful adherence to the teachings of the Bible, saying there can be no questioning of its words.
Liberals and campaigners for LGBT+ equality say that such a rigid approach to biblical teaching should also mean adulterers being put to death and a ban on wearing wool and linen at the same time. The constant reference to Leviticus 18:22 is demeaning and hurtful to LGBT+ people, they say.
The Anglican Communion, the umbrella organisation of the 65 provinces of the global Anglican church, has been in combat over sexuality for at least four decades. To complicate matters, the divisions fall broadly along the lines of the global north and the global south. » | Harriet Sherwood | Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Divisions in Anglican church on show as Lambeth conference opens: Gathering likely to descend into acrimony over polarised views on same-sex relationships »
Powerful Anglican bishops call on ‘homosexual practices’ to be rejected because gay sex is a sin: A influential group of Anglican bishops are calling for “homosexual practice” to be “rejected” at the Lambeth Conference, insisting that “God’s power” will help gay people with the “ordering of relationships”. »
It goes back to the Book of Leviticus and its declaration that a man lying with another man is “an abomination”. Fast forward 3,500 years and the reverberations are still being felt within the global Anglican church.
The issue of same-sex relationships, and more recently same-sex marriage, has caused bitter divisions among Christians. Conservatives argue for faithful adherence to the teachings of the Bible, saying there can be no questioning of its words.
Liberals and campaigners for LGBT+ equality say that such a rigid approach to biblical teaching should also mean adulterers being put to death and a ban on wearing wool and linen at the same time. The constant reference to Leviticus 18:22 is demeaning and hurtful to LGBT+ people, they say.
The Anglican Communion, the umbrella organisation of the 65 provinces of the global Anglican church, has been in combat over sexuality for at least four decades. To complicate matters, the divisions fall broadly along the lines of the global north and the global south. » | Harriet Sherwood | Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Divisions in Anglican church on show as Lambeth conference opens: Gathering likely to descend into acrimony over polarised views on same-sex relationships »
Powerful Anglican bishops call on ‘homosexual practices’ to be rejected because gay sex is a sin: A influential group of Anglican bishops are calling for “homosexual practice” to be “rejected” at the Lambeth Conference, insisting that “God’s power” will help gay people with the “ordering of relationships”. »
Tuesday, August 02, 2022
Justin Welby ‘Affirms Validity’ of 1998 Declaration That Gay Sex Is a Sin
THE GUARDIAN: Archbishop indicates he won’t seek to punish churches allowing same-sex marriage, in balancing move at Lambeth conference
In a letter to more than 650 bishops attending the conference, Welby said the 1998 resolution was ‘not in doubt’. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Getty Images
Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the global Anglican church, has sought to mollify conservative bishops by “affirming the validity” of a 1998 declaration that gay sex is a sin.
But, as a balancing gesture, he also indicated that he would not seek the authority to punish churches – including those in Scotland, Wales and the US – that allow same-sex marriage.
In a letter sent to more than 650 bishops attending the once-a-decade Lambeth conference just two hours before a potentially rancorous discussion on sexuality, Welby said the 1998 resolution, known as Lambeth 1.10, was “not in doubt”.
Campaigners for LGBTQ+ equality within the church responded to Welby’s attempt to reconcile polarised views with anger. Jayne Ozanne said: “I feel deeply angry and frustrated that yet again priority has been given to saving a manmade institution over protecting LGBTQ+ people’s lives.
“Let us be clear that Lambeth 1.10 encourages ‘conversion therapy’ and negates the God-given love between two individuals. It is a stick with which many of us have been beaten and will continue to suffer under around the world.”
Welby’s letter was issued as conservative church leaders from the global south called on bishops at the conference in Canterbury to reaffirm the 1998 declaration in defiance of a decision by organisers to drop voting in favour of “supportive applause”. » Harriet Sherwood | Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Goodbye, Anglicanism! Auf Nimmerwiedersehen! Adieu pour toujours ! Apropos of this nonsense, my next move could well be to atheism. Well done, Mr. Welby! By the way, you affirm that "gay sex" is a sin. What about gay love? 'Having sex' outside of marriage has always been a sin in Christianity, even in the heterosexual community. But it has to be said that only animals 'have sex'. Observe dogs copulating! That is 'having sex'. But civilised people shouldn't be 'havng sex' anyway; rather, they should be 'making love'! What does the Bible say about two men/two women 'making love'? – © Mark Alexander
Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the global Anglican church, has sought to mollify conservative bishops by “affirming the validity” of a 1998 declaration that gay sex is a sin.
But, as a balancing gesture, he also indicated that he would not seek the authority to punish churches – including those in Scotland, Wales and the US – that allow same-sex marriage.
In a letter sent to more than 650 bishops attending the once-a-decade Lambeth conference just two hours before a potentially rancorous discussion on sexuality, Welby said the 1998 resolution, known as Lambeth 1.10, was “not in doubt”.
Campaigners for LGBTQ+ equality within the church responded to Welby’s attempt to reconcile polarised views with anger. Jayne Ozanne said: “I feel deeply angry and frustrated that yet again priority has been given to saving a manmade institution over protecting LGBTQ+ people’s lives.
“Let us be clear that Lambeth 1.10 encourages ‘conversion therapy’ and negates the God-given love between two individuals. It is a stick with which many of us have been beaten and will continue to suffer under around the world.”
Welby’s letter was issued as conservative church leaders from the global south called on bishops at the conference in Canterbury to reaffirm the 1998 declaration in defiance of a decision by organisers to drop voting in favour of “supportive applause”. » Harriet Sherwood | Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Goodbye, Anglicanism! Auf Nimmerwiedersehen! Adieu pour toujours ! Apropos of this nonsense, my next move could well be to atheism. Well done, Mr. Welby! By the way, you affirm that "gay sex" is a sin. What about gay love? 'Having sex' outside of marriage has always been a sin in Christianity, even in the heterosexual community. But it has to be said that only animals 'have sex'. Observe dogs copulating! That is 'having sex'. But civilised people shouldn't be 'havng sex' anyway; rather, they should be 'making love'! What does the Bible say about two men/two women 'making love'? – © Mark Alexander
Monday, February 28, 2022
Singapore’s Latest Ruling on Gay Sex Is ‘Cold Comfort,’ Activists Say
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Plaintiffs had hoped the Court of Appeal would overturn the colonial-era law. Instead, the top court said it was not “an architect of social policy” and that any change was up to Parliament.
The Singapore Court of Appeal, the country’s top court, declined Monday to overturn a law criminalizing gay sex, ruling that three men who brought challenges did not have legal standing because the government has pledged not to enforce the colonial-era law.
Gay rights advocates had sought to overturn the law, known as Section 377A, arguing that it stigmatizes gay men and promotes discrimination. The law, enacted in 1938 during British rule, does not apply to women.
Pink Dot SG, a leading L.G.B.T.Q. advocacy group that organizes Singapore’s annual pride event, said it was “profoundly disappointed” by the decision.
“The acknowledgment that Section 377A is unenforceable only in the prosecutorial sense is cold comfort,” the group said in a statement. “Section 377A’s real impact lies in how it perpetuates discrimination across every aspect of life: at home, in schools, in the workplace, in our media, and even access to vital services like health care.” » | Richard C. Paddock | Monday, February 28, 2022
The Singapore Court of Appeal, the country’s top court, declined Monday to overturn a law criminalizing gay sex, ruling that three men who brought challenges did not have legal standing because the government has pledged not to enforce the colonial-era law.
Gay rights advocates had sought to overturn the law, known as Section 377A, arguing that it stigmatizes gay men and promotes discrimination. The law, enacted in 1938 during British rule, does not apply to women.
Pink Dot SG, a leading L.G.B.T.Q. advocacy group that organizes Singapore’s annual pride event, said it was “profoundly disappointed” by the decision.
“The acknowledgment that Section 377A is unenforceable only in the prosecutorial sense is cold comfort,” the group said in a statement. “Section 377A’s real impact lies in how it perpetuates discrimination across every aspect of life: at home, in schools, in the workplace, in our media, and even access to vital services like health care.” » | Richard C. Paddock | Monday, February 28, 2022
Tuesday, May 07, 2019
George Clooney Vows to Keep Up Pressure on Brunei over Gay-sex Death Penalty
George Clooney has promised to keep up pressure on Brunei after the oil-rich country’s sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, announced it would not enforce the death penalty for gay sex.
Gay sex remains illegal in Brunei, punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
Clooney said the moratorium on executions was a “huge step forward after a giant leap backwards”, but that “the law to stone their citizens is still in place”. He added: “For my family and me, we simply can’t walk away until this draconian law is no longer on the books.” » | Andrew Pulver | Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Sunday, May 05, 2019
Brunei Says It Will Not Enforce Gay Sex Death Penalty after Backlash
Brunei’s Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, has extended a moratorium on the death penalty to incoming legislation on punishments for gay sex, after a global backlash led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John.
The country provoked an outcry when it rolled out its interpretation of Islamic laws, or sharia, on 3 April, punishing sodomy, adultery and rape with death, including by stoning.
Brunei has consistently defended its right to implement the laws, elements of which were first adopted in 2014 and which have been rolled out in phases since then.
However, in a rare response to criticism aimed at the oil-rich state, the sultan said on Sunday that the death penalty would not be enforced in the implementation of the sharia penal code order (SPCO). » | Reuters | Sunday, May 5, 2019
Monday, April 22, 2019
Brunei Defends Death by Stoning for Gay Sex in Letter to EU
Brunei has written to the European parliament defending its decision to start imposing death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex, claiming convictions will be rare as it requires two men of “high moral standing and piety” to be witnesses.
In a four-page letter to MEPs, the kingdom’s mission to the EU called for “tolerance, respect and understanding” with regard to the country’s desire to preserve its traditional values and “family lineage”.
The new penal code, which also provides for the amputation of thieves and whipping of people wearing clothes associated with the opposite sex, was brought in on 3 April, despite international condemnation.
But in the letter, the kingdom claimed the outcry is due to a misconception that it wanted to clarify.
“The criminalisation of adultery and sodomy is to safeguard the sanctity of family lineage and marriage to individual Muslims, particularly women,” it said.
“The penal sentences of had – stoning to death and amputation – imposed for offences of theft, robbery, adultery and sodomy, have extremely high evidentiary threshold, requiring no less than two or four men of high moral standing and piety as witnesses, to the exclusion of every form of circumstantial evidence.” » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Monday, April 22, 2019
Sunday, April 07, 2019
‘It’s Dangerous to Go Out Now’: Young, Gay and Scared in Brunei
A day after it became legally possible to be stoned to death for having gay sex in Brunei, 21-year-old Zain* got a bitter taste of the new reality.
Walking down the street in skinny jeans and high-heeled boots, a flamboyant anomaly in the conservative sultanate, the university student became a target.
“I saw this van about 50 metres away,” said Zain, who is gay. “When the driver saw me, the van accelerated, just to run me over, but I dodged it. I was like, ‘Bitch, what the hell was that?’”
Last week Brunei – a tiny tropical nation on the island of Borneo, a former British protectorate that is home to 420,000 people – introduced harsh new sharia laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, and amputation of limbs for theft. » | Kate Lamb in Bandar Seri Begawan | Saturday, April 6, 2019
Saturday, April 06, 2019
RAF and Royal Navy Urged to Cut Ties to Sultan of Brunei over Anti-gay Law
The RAF and Royal Navy are under pressure to cut links with the sultan of Brunei amid a global backlash against his country’s decision to introduce death by stoning as punishment for homosexuality.
The calls came after crowds protesting against the country’s new draconian penal code surged through barriers outside the Brunei-owned Dorchester Hotel yesterday afternoon, forcing the police to stand in front of its doors.
More than 100 people, many bearing a mixture of rainbow flags, banners and placards, chanted “shame on you” outside the luxury hotel in Park Lane.
The protest was led by gay-rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who said: “The sultan is copying the barbaric punishments by Isis in Syria and Iraq; enacting death by stoning for people found guilty of homosexuality, adultery and insulting the prophet Muhammad.
“He is comparable to the Isis fanatics who executed people for these so-called crimes during their murderous caliphate. Brunei should be isolated as a pariah state, just like Isis was.” » | Charles Richardson and Jamie Doward | Saturday, April 6, 2019
Friday, April 05, 2019
Companies Abandon Brunei's Dorchester Hotel over Gay Sex Law
High-profile events and awards shows have been cancelled at the Dorchester in London in protest at the decision of Brunei, the hotel’s ultimate owner, to make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death.
The boycott against businesses owned by the Brunei state has continued to grow in recent days, following an outcry from LGBT campaigners including Sir Elton John over the introduction of the new rules, ordered by the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.
With other celebrities including the actor George Clooney giving their support to the boycott campaign, a string of companies confirmed on Friday that they would no longer be using the five-star hotel’s facilities. The TV Choice awards, several major property companies and the Financial Times were among those that said they would be cancelling events. » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Friday, April 5, 2019
Holidays and Arms Deals with Brunei Don’t Trump Gay People’s Right to Exist
Gay lives either matter or they don’t. Declaring that you support LGBTQ rights is cost-free; so is wrapping yourself in the rainbow flag, smiling at a same-sex couple publicly holding hands with that “Good for you” look in your eyes, or waving on a Pride parade with your kids. But what happens when a dictatorship allied to Britain and linked to the British establishment announces that it will stone gay people to death and torture lesbians?
Our own government has failed this test. “The Sultan of Brunei has been a great friend of this country over many years,” cooed Mark Field, describing the country as a “friendly and generous place”, blaming Britain’s mate for getting “a little bit more devout as he got older”, and calling for a “positive and constructive dialogue on this issue”. On the spectrum of condemnation, this barely qualifies as mild tutting. Over the last few years, in our time-honoured tradition of flogging weapons to human-rights abusing despots, the British government has approved millions of pounds worth of arms licences to Brunei. » | Owen Jones | Friday, April 5, 2019
This is a wonderful article by Owen Jones. Don't miss reading it all. – MA
Thursday, April 04, 2019
The Guardian View on Brunei and Stoning: Don’t Leave It to Celebrities to Act
Brunei’s introduction of new laws allowing stoning for adultery and sex between men has sparked international outrage. Elton John and George Clooney’s calls for a boycott of luxury hotels owned by the tiny south-east Asian kingdom have grabbed the spotlight. The United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has condemned the “cruel and inhuman” measures, as have the EU, Australia and others.
The punishment is only one of many horrifying changes in a penal code which also covers apostasy, amputation as a punishment for theft and flogging for abortions. Lesbian sex is punishable by 40 strokes of the cane as well as jail. In some cases children who have reached puberty are subject to the same penalties as adults; younger ones may be flogged. The sharia code was first introduced in 2013, and was supposed to be enacted gradually; following an outcry the government did not bring forward its harshest elements until now. Many suspect that the impact of declining oil revenues on public spending has left Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the longest-ruling absolute monarchs, keen to bolster support among conservative elements. » | Editorial | Thursday, April 4, 2019
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Backlash as Brunei Introduces Death by Stoning for Homosexual Sex | ITV News
Questioning Brunei's Consulate on Anti-LGBT Sharia Law Death Penalty | Janice Atkinson
Human Rights Watch: LGBT Law Will Turn Brunei into 'Human-rights Pariah'
The Sultan of Brunei’s Frugal Brother! »
Brunei Enacts New Penal Laws amid International Condemnation | #TheCube
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Brunei Introduces Death by Stoning for Gay Sex and Adultery » | Iliana Magra | Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Trump's Silence Is Deafening As Brunei's Brutal Anti-LGBTQ Laws Arrive
As of today, in Brunei, gay sex and adultery can be punished with death by stoning — and the president of the United States hasn’t said a word about it.
Donald Trump’s silence comes despite his administration’s announced campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality around the world — although that is something he seemed to have no clue about when questioned on it in February.
The small but oil-rich nation is an absolute monarchy ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who decided to set this new rule with little explanation to why.
"I want to see Islamic teachings in this country grow stronger," Bolkiah said on Wedneseday morning local time, according to AFP news agency, but did not mention the new laws.
Homosexuality has been illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison for some time already — and are connected to Bolkiah's 2014 pursuits to usher in more conservative laws. However this new era seems to promise a level of brutality that has put the global community on edge. » | Trudy Ring | Wednesday, April 3, 2019
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