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04/19/2007


Two Men Marry in First Traditional African Gay Wedding: VIDEO

Sithole

Tshepo Cameron Modisane and Thoba Calvin Sithole were married yesterday in the town of KwaDukuza in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in the area's first traditional African gay wedding.

WeddingMamba Online profiled the couple in February:

The relationship has become something of a cause célèbre in KZN, with a local newspaper celebrating their upcoming nuptials as the area’s first legal gay marriage with a front page feature. Tshepo says that one of the reasons they’ve chosen to be so open is that they "hope to inspire people out there who are still struggling to come to terms with their sexuality”.

"We see no reason to hide in darkness as if there is something to be ashamed about. Our marriage is largely symbolic and a sign that black gay men can commit and build family through a happy and loving marriage,” he says.

Thoba chimes in that “This is who we are and we are just tired of people judging with no understanding. We are people and entitled to live life to the fullest”.

Watch an excellent report on the wedding from ENCA, AFTER THE JUMP...

Continue reading "Two Men Marry in First Traditional African Gay Wedding: VIDEO" »


Malawian Jailed For 2010 Gay Wedding: 'I Have No Regrets'

Tiwonge2

As Americans in Washington state celebrate same-sex marriage and UK lawmakers work toward equality there, hundreds of thousands of LGBT people still live in fear, many of them in African nations like Malawi, where Tiwonge Chimbalanga (pictured, right) and then-husband Steven Monjeza were sentenced in 2010 to 14 years in prison for getting married.

A massive, global outcry and the intervention of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon led late Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika to pardon them.

Chimbalanga, no longer with Monjeza, is living as a woman in South Africa, and recently sat down with AFP for her first interview since her marriage started an international incident:

"I don't have any regrets, I didn't do anything wrong," Chimbalanga, who identifies as a transgender woman despite being tried as a gay man, told AFP.

...

I had mixed feelings because on the one hand I felt it was a wonderful thing for me to do a normal, natural thing like getting married, whilst on the other hand it was very painful," said Chimbalanga.

"I was beaten in prison. During the trial the security guards ill-treated me. I was verbally abused and suffered all sorts of inhumane treatments, I have scars from the beatings. Yet I felt good that I was able to do what I wanted to do."

Chimbalanga says in Malawi there are two sets of human rights, one for the rich and one for the poor.

"I want everyone to have their human rights and freedom to choose what they want to be and the only way to achieve that is by coming out and claiming their rights," she said.

She also said she plans on marrying again in South Africa, "Even here in South Africa I want to get married and I am going to invite the reporters from Malawi to come and witness for themselves and to report the truth about it. I want the whole world to know because this is not the end."


LGBT Activists, Organizers Clash at Johannesburg Pride Parade: VIDEO

Joburg

Clashes broke out at Johannesburg's Pride parade on Saturday when LGBT activists formed a blockade in protest of the depoliticized nature of the event, Mamba Online reports:

The group of activists, from the 1 in 9 campaign, ran out from behind the Goodman Gallery building and set up an impromptu blockade. A number of life-size dummies and activists were stretched out on the road, representing LGBT victims of hate crime, backed by banners that read "Dying For Justice" and "No Cause for Celebration".

Pride participants were confused by the protest and some appeared to be under the impression that it was being staged by an anti-gay group. Tempers flared as marshals insisted that the activists move out of the way.

When marshals attempted to divert the parade to the other side of the road, around the protest, the activists moved to again block the parade from proceeding. This angered both participants and marshals who attempted to pull down the banners stretched across the avenue.

Scuffles erupted amid shouts of the parade being an "elitist" and "depoliticised" event. Both Joburg Pride organisers and 1 in 9 have accused the other of reacting with violence and abusive behaviour.

Watch a clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Continue reading "LGBT Activists, Organizers Clash at Johannesburg Pride Parade: VIDEO" »


Towleroad Guide To The Tube #1189

NOT PRETTY: South African police open fire on striking mine workers.

LEND AN APPENDAGE: The next generation of robotic hand is here.

ALL HAIL: Presenting Yasushi, king of the capybara.

'YOU REALIZE FROM YOUR FIRST STROKE': Vintage Gillette commercial.

For recent Guides to the Tube, click HERE.


NEWS: A Pansexual Legislator In Texas, A Tormented Androgyne In London, And The Sanctity Of Marriage In Nevada

Matthew-mitcham-float

Towleroad-roadicon After his London disappointment, gay Aussie diver Matthew Mitcham ponders the future:

Mitcham ... has had enough of the incessant pounding and had gone to London pretty much convinced that he and his body couldn't take much more. But then he felt his love of the Olympic Games reignited, so much so that he never wants to miss another one of them. That means either joining the dread ranks of those reporting on his sport, or continuing in it, almost certainly in the shape-shifting role of a springboard diver.

"I've always been a platform specialist who's done springboard either to fill spots or because I was semi-OK at it," Mitcham said. "So I have been in discussion with Chava (Sobrino), my coach, about the possibility of becoming solely a springboard diver. It's certainly a possibility and I'm not really going to take a holiday when I get home. I'm actually going to start working on the strength to become a springboard diver right away because it's going to take a long time to get my thighs as big as (China's) He Chong's."

Towleroad-roadicon Now that she's running unopposed, Texas pol Mary Gonzalez has come out. Not as a lesbian -- she already did that -- but as pansexual:

“During the campaign if I had identified as pansexual, I would have overwhelmed everyone,” she said this week, adding that people don’t know what being pan means. “Now that I’m out of the campaign, I’m completely much more able to define it.”

Although her election focused on helping El Paso’s District 75 citizens gain access to clean drinking water and better educational opportunities, her sexuality was front and center, and something she had to repeatedly address. Mainstream media called her the Latina lesbian lawmaker. The coverage led to negative comments about her dating men in the past and accusations that she was not a “true lesbian,” Gonzalez said.

Towleroad-roadicon In Nevada, US District Chief Judge Robert Jones has set a date to hear arguments on marriage equality. He'll accept lawyers' arguments only -- no testimonies:

Jones ... said he planned to rely on oral and written arguments from attorneys, not courtroom testimony from people who might be offered as experts on the history of discrimination against homosexuals.

"Testimony would be not only useless but an absurd inquiry.

CasterSemenya Towleroad-roadicon Yesterday, the lovely androgyne Caster Semanya, a world-champion runner and now an Olympic silver-medalist, looked a little like a woman throwing a race.

Towleroad-roadicon -- and who would blame her? This three-year-old, marvelously written story from the New Yorker details the terrible torment endured by the then 18-year-old athlete when her dominance in the 800-meters led to a protracted investigation of her gender. 

Towleroad-roadicon Steve and Roger have been together 19 years, and their family is very large.

Towleroad-roadicon More on Paul Ryan's homophobia.

Towleroad-roadicon How Olympic skepticism gave way to delight.

Towleroad-roadicon Reykjavik mayor Jon Gnar, at Iceland's iconic pride parade, supports imprisoned Russian punk band Pussy Riot. 

Towleroad-roadicon (They're in prison for behaving badly in a church, and could be imprisoned for up to seven years. They'll learn their fates on Friday.) 

Towleroad-roadicon Tonight, watch the Perseids

 


Hillary Clinton Puts on Her Dancing Shoes in South Africa: VIDEO

Hillary_clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in South Africa last night on an 11-day tour to seven countries. Here's an awesome video making the rounds of Clinton getting down at a dinner hosted by South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Clinton also visited 94-year-old Nelson Mandela on the trip.

Continue reading "Hillary Clinton Puts on Her Dancing Shoes in South Africa: VIDEO" »





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