Kenya Bans LGBTQ+ Documentary for ‘Promoting Same-sex Marriage’

THE GUARDIAN: ‘Discriminatory’ banning of I Am Samuel, about a gay man’s struggles with his sexuality, criticised by activists and producers

Samuel and Alex in a scene from I Am Samuel. Activists say the ban reflects Kenya’s ‘intolerant and intrusive religious and cultural beliefs’. Photograph: Peter Murimi/Reuters
Activists and film producers have criticised a decision by the Kenya Film Classification Board to ban a documentary that tells the story of a Kenyan man struggling with his sexuality.

They said banning the 52-minute film, I Am Samuel, amounted to “discrimination and persecution” of LGBTQ+ people.

The film – which was shot over five years and took two years to edit – follows the life of a young man tormented by his sexuality while growing up in rural Kenya, who finds acceptance after moving to the capital, Nairobi.

“The ongoing criminalisation of LGBTQ+ persons in Kenya is a sad trend bordering on discrimination and persecution of individuals perceived to have a minority orientation. The move is dictated by very intolerant and intrusive religious and cultural beliefs,” said Kamau Ngugi, the executive director of Defenders Coalition, an umbrella group of rights organisations and activists.

The film classification body said last week that the film “blatantly” violated the country’s laws that penalise all forms of homosexuality or same-sex marriage, and that the storyline was a “clear and deliberate attempt by the producer to promote same-sex marriage as an acceptable way of life”. » | Peter Muiruri in Nairobi | Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Homosexuality: The Countries Where It Is Illegal to Be Gay

BBC: A crackdown on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Cameroon has resulted in the arrest or assault by security forces of dozens of people this year, according to Human Rights Watch.

In the most recent incident, two transgender Cameroonians have been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of "attempted homosexuality".

Where is homosexuality still outlawed?

There are 69 countries that have laws that criminalise homosexuality, and nearly half of these are in Africa.

However, in some countries there have been moves to decriminalise same-sex unions. In February this year, Angola's President Joao Lourenco signed into law a revised penal code to allow same-sex relationships and bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

In June last year, Gabon reversed a law that had criminalised homosexuality and made gay sex punishable with six months in prison and a large fine.

Botswana's High Court also ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in 2019.

Mozambique and the Seychelles have also scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years.

In Trinidad and Tobago, a court in 2018 ruled that laws banning gay sex were unconstitutional.

But there are countries where existing laws outlawing homosexuality have been tightened, including Nigeria and Uganda.

And in others, efforts to get the laws removed have failed.

A court in Singapore dismissed a bid to overturn a law that prohibits gay sex early last year.

In May 2019, the high court in Kenya upheld laws criminalising homosexual acts. Colonial legacy » | Reality Check team, BBC News | Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Russia Proposes ‘Extremist’ Label for LGBT, Feminist, Child-Free Movements

THE MOSCOW TIMES: Russia’s LGBT, radical feminist and child-free groups should be recognized as “extremist,” the chairman of an influential government commission said Wednesday.

“LGBT ideology, radical feminism and child-free movements should be recognized as extremism — an extremist ideology,” the state-run TASS news agency cited Andrei Tsyganov, chairman of a commission for the protection of children at the Roskomnadzor communications regulator, as saying Wednesday.

The proposed ban would help protect Russian children and adolescents from the influence of destructive content on social networks and the internet, Tsyganov said. » | The Moscow Times | Thursday, September 30, 2021

Human Rights Lawyers Call on UK Government to Ban ‘Conversion Therapy’

THE GUARDIAN: Experts say all practices, including prayer, aiming to change sexual orientation or gender identity must be criminalised

Activists have long campaigned for the government to outlaw conversion practices. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock
Leading human rights lawyers and experts have called for swift action to outlaw so-called conversion therapy, which they say is degrading and harmful, and should not be tolerated in a civilised society.

The Forum, chaired by Helena Kennedy QC, says all practices, including prayer, that seek to suppress, “cure” or change sexual orientation or gender identity must be criminalised. There should be no defence that a victim appears to have consented.

“Individuals who seek out conversion practices in the hope of being ‘cured’ are not made aware of the severe psychological harm to which they are exposed, and so cannot give informed consent,” says the Forum’s report, published on Friday.

People who “actively sought out and ‘consented’ to these practices … have since provided evidence of the severe, long-term, negative psychological impact”. » | Harriet Sherwood | Friday, October 1, 2021

Hot!

I give my thanks again to El Chulo Dominicano for this great and expressive photo.

How Romantic!

Hot love in a hot tub!
Thanks and gratitude again to El Chulo Dominicano for this attractive photograph.

The Things People Do for Love!

Many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano on Pinterest for this great photo.

Vintage Gay : "Secretly"

A montage of vintage pictures of gay couples set to the music of "Secretly"

Who Is Japan's Designated Prime Minister Fumio Kishida? | DW News

Sep 30, 2021 • Japan's ruling party lawmakers voted on Wednesday to elect a new leader, with Fumio Kishida announced as the winner. Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members were voting to replace Yoshihide Suga, who announced he was stepping down from the leadership position after drawing intense criticism over his handling of the pandemic during the Olympic Games. The new leader will almost certainly become the next prime minister of the country. Kishida should be approved by the parliament within days, and will then contest elections as the leader of the LDP. The LDP is expected to retain its majority in the powerful lower house of the parliament during general elections in November. The election was being closely watched, with race looking particularly tight between the two lead candidates.

A softly-spoken former foreign minister who hails from the Hiroshima family of politicians, Kishida had long targeted the top job. This was his second time running for the position of leadership, after having lost out to Suga last year. He was the first candidate to step into the race and ran on a platform of pandemic stimulus, touting himself as a listener who carried a suggestion box to events to note down proposals from citizens. Though Kishida faced stiff competition from his rival in the first round of voting, he delivered a convincing victory in the runoff elections. He won 257 votes, while his rival won 170. The outcome of the runoff vote was somewhat expected since he has greater support from party members. He is also likely to broadly continue the policies of Suga government. Though any major shift in policies is unlikely, Kishida has called for a "politics of generosity." He has said he wants to move from the neo-liberal economic policies that has dominated Japan. Kishida faces tough tasks in the short term, which includes reviving a pandemic-battered economy as well as confronting security risks in the region from China and North Korea.

Gay Parents: Gabriel and Dylan's Story

Will There Ever Be a Post-Brexit US-UK Trade Deal? - BBC Newsnight

Sep 22, 2021 • Boris Johnson and Joe Biden hold face-to-face talks in the White House. Is there any progress of a free trade deal with the US?

Those post-Brexit sunny uplands are looking far, far away now, aren’t they? Things were good for us in the European Union. But BoJo and his clique thought they knew better, and out we came for a wonderful trade deal with the US.

From where I’m sitting, no deal the US can give us will compare with the deals we had as full members of the EU. A Single Market of 500m+ consumers.

BoJo, Hannan, Rees-Mogg et al are clearly living in cloud cuckoo land!

Would that we had some decent leaders! Margaret Thatcher, with all her antipathy towards the notion of a federal Europe, was all for the Single Market—indeed she was one of its principal architects—and I’m absolutely sure that she would never have sanctioned that stupid Brexit referendum. She was a shrewd politician. She knew which side Britain’s bread was buttered. These hacks, by contrast, haven’t got a clue.

I could say 'I told you so.' But I shall refrain from doing so, since it would be in rather bad taste. – © Mark

La France, exutoire de Boris Johnson

LE MONDE : Pêche, migrants, sous-marins australiens… Les sujets de conflits s’accumulent entre la France et le Royaume-Uni. Pour masquer ses propres difficultés, le premier ministre britannique multiplie les attaques contre Paris, ce qui ravit la presse populaire tabloïd de son pays.

Editorial du « Monde ». De très longue date, les relations entre le Royaume-Uni et la France oscillent entre « entente cordiale » et exaspération réciproque sur fond de rivalité et, en réalité, de grande ressemblance. Mais jamais, dans l’histoire récente, les deux pays n’ont connu pareille accumulation de tensions. Aux différends sur la pêche, sur les migrants trans-Manche et sur la mise en œuvre du Brexit en Irlande du Nord s’est ajouté le « coup dans le dos » du pacte Aukus, conclu sur l’Indo-Pacifique entre Londres, Washington et Camberra au prix de la rupture de l’énorme contrat de fourniture de sous-marins français à l’Australie.

Le fil rouge qui relie chacun de ces conflits et exacerbe chacune de ces aigreurs est bien connu : il s’agit du Brexit. Tandis que la stratégie politique du premier ministre britannique vise à justifier le divorce avec l’Union européenne et à en souligner les prétendus bienfaits pour son pays, le président français, fondamentalement pro-européen, n’a cessé de fustiger le « mensonge » qui fonde le Brexit et dont Boris Johnson a été le principal artisan. Au printemps, M. Johnson a tenté d’attribuer au Brexit l’avance qu’avait alors son pays dans la vaccination, grâce à AstraZeneca. Cet argument ayant fait long feu, il entend aujourd’hui porter l’accord Aukus au crédit de sa politique de « Global Britain », corollaire de la sortie de l’Union européenne. » | Éditorial | jeudi 30 septembre 2021

Der niederländische Ministerpräsident Mark Rutte ist offenbar im Visier der Drogenmafia

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: In den Niederlanden wird gerade einem berüchtigten Drogenboss und seiner Bande der Prozess gemacht. Sollte es die «Mocro-Mafia» auch auf Mark Rutte abgesehen haben? Der Ministerpräsident steht derzeit unter erhöhtem Polizeischutz.

Ministerpräsident Mark Rutte sei seit mehreren Tagen schon nicht mehr mit seinem Velo zur Arbeit gefahren. | Imago
Mark Rutte gibt sich gerne volksnah. Allein in ausgebleichten Jeans durch Den Haag radelnd – am besten noch einen angebissenen Apfel in der rechten Hand –, so lächelt der niederländische Ministerpräsident am liebsten in die Kameras der Fotografen. Auf sichtbaren Personenschutz verzichtet er seit Jahren. Allenfalls gut versteckt im Hintergrund sollen sich die Männer mit den Knöpfen im Ohr halten. Kritik, dass dieses Verhalten leichtsinnig sein könnte, ignorierte der 54-Jährige. » | Daniel Steinvorth, Brüssel | Mittwoch, 29. September 2021

Dutch PM Given Extra Security amid Fears of Drug Gang Attack »

Tory Donor Made Life Peer and Appointed as Government Minister

THE GUARDIAN: Malcolm Offord, who has donated almost £150,000 to the Conservatives, sent to the Lords and becomes minister in Scotland Office

Malcolm Offord is the Founder and Chairman of Badenoch & Co. Photograph: Badenoch & Co
A financier who has donated almost £150,000 to the Conservatives has been made a life peer and given a ministerial job, Downing Street has announced.

Malcolm Offord, founder and chair of an Edinburgh-based “boutique investment” company, Badenoch and Co, will be made a life peer, a statement said, and become a junior minister in the Scotland Office.

Offord was a candidate for the Conservatives in May’s Scottish parliamentary election, a decision that prompted accusations of cronyism given that he had donated £147,500 to the party. Offord stood as a list candidate in the Lothian region, but was not elected.

He is the latest Conservative donor or associate to be sent to the Lords under Boris Johnson. In December last year, of 54 people ennobled by Johnson, 13 had either funded the Tories or had an employment or personal connection to Johnson. » | Peter Walker | Thursday, September 30, 2021

Comment mieux accueillir les élèves transgenres à l'école: la circulaire préparée par Blanquer

Jean-Michel Blanquer, le ministre de l'Éducation nationale. JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
LE FIGARO : INFO LE FIGARO - Le ministère de l'Éducation nationale s'apprête à publier un texte destiné à mieux accompagner les «transitions de genre» en milieu scolaire.

«Transgenres», «non binaires»* et «intersexes»**. Le ministère de l'Éducation nationale, après des mois de tergiversations, s'apprête à clarifier le rôle que doit tenir l'institution face à ces «transitions de genre» que de plus en plus d'élèves manifestent et souhaitent voir reconnues au sein de leur établissement scolaire. Après avoir auditionné les représentants de la communauté éducative, la rue de Grenelle va publier une circulaire intitulée «Pour un meilleur accueil des élèves transgenres en milieu scolaire».

La version provisoire de ce texte, que Le Figaro s'est procurée, tente, tant bien que mal, de fixer les règles pour répondre aux demandes de changement de prénoms, mais aussi concernant les tenues vestimentaires et l'usage de lieux d'intimité, comme les toilettes, vestiaires et chambres d'internat. Car sur le terrain, d'un chef d'établissement à un autre, d'un professeur à un autre, la situation de ces élèves, qui fait écho à l'intime de chacun, est très variablement accueillie. » | Par Caroline Beyer | jeudi 30 septembre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

*Personne qui ne s'identifie ni comme homme, ni comme femme

** Personnes nées avec des caractéristiques sexuelles qui ne correspondent pas aux définitions types des corps féminins ou masculins

Jan-Werner Müller im Gespräch über Populismus und Identität | Sternstunde Philosophie | SRF Kultur

Aug 27, 2018 • Ob in Italien, den USA oder der Türkei: Populisten sind auf dem Vormarsch. Sie sehen sich als Stimme des Volkes im Kampf gegen die Elite. Doch was macht den Populismus derzeit so erfolgreich?

Der deutsche Politikwissenschaftler Jan-Werner Müller im Gespräch mit Yves Bossart über Erdogan, Trump, Orban, Salvini, Chavez und Blocher.

Sternstunde Philosophie vom 26.05.2018

Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite, Op.71a, TH.35 - 3. Valse des fleurs (Tempo di Valse)

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group | Berliner Philharmoniker · Herbert von Karajan · Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites

COVID-19: Furlough Support Scheme Ends

Sep 30, 2021 • The government furlough support scheme, which supported people wages during the pandemic, closes.

Democracy Now ! Top US News & World Headlines — September 30, 2021

Die Inflation in Deutschland steigt auf 4,1 Prozent

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Am stärksten ist der Preisanstieg weiterhin bei Öl, Gas und Benzin. Aber auch Fleisch und Gemüse werden deutlich teurer – und viele Dienstleistungen. Bleibt das alles ein vorübergehendes Phänomen im Krisen-Ausklang, wie die Notenbanken sagen?

Die Inflation in Deutschland ist abermals deutlich gestiegen. Wie das Statistische Bundesamt am Donnerstag nach einer ersten Schätzung mitteilte, legten die Verbraucherpreise auf Jahressicht um 4,1 Prozent zu. Im August hatte die Rate bei 3,9 Prozent gelegen, nachdem sie noch Ende vorigen Jahres negativ gewesen war.

Die Teuerung hat damit den höchsten Stand seit immerhin Dezember 1993 erreicht. Damals, nicht lange nach der Wiedervereinigung, hatte die Inflationsrate in Deutschland bei 4,3 Prozent gelegen - seither immer unter 4 Prozent.

Der starke Anstieg der Inflation in letzter Zeit hält die Finanzmärkte in Atem. Christine Lagarde, die Präsidentin der Europäischen Zentralbank (EZB), hatte am Dienstag - wohl im Vorgriff auf solche zu erwartenden Zahlen - gesagt, es sei eine große Herausforderung für die Notenbank, sie dürfe jetzt nicht „überreagieren“. Am stärksten steigen weiterhin die Energiepreise » | Von Christian Siedenbiedel | Donnerstag, 30. September 2021