• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Body
  • Daily Resist
  • POLITICS
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • TV
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Men
  • Marriage Equality
  • Space
  • Trans Rights
  • Books
  • Science
  • Gay Iconography
  • TowleREAD

Haiti Cancels First LGBT Film Festival Following Death Threats and Police Pressure: VIDEO

September 29, 2016 by Michael Fitzgerald Leave a Comment

massimadi

Haiti’s first LGBT film festival has been cancelled following threats of death and arson.

Members of Kouraj, Haiti’s leading LGBT group, said death and arson threats were made by phone and on social media. Jean Danton Leger, commissioner of Port-au-Prince, said the Massimadi festival was blocked to protect public morals.

jean-renel-senatusRELATED: Haitian Anti-Gay Marriage Protesters Kill Two Men, Threaten To Burn Down Parliament: VIDEO

Adding to the pressure on organizers, Senator Jean Renel Senatus (right) wrote on Facebook that the Massimadi festival “aims to promote homosexuality in our country” and poses “great danger” to Haitian families. Senatus also congratulated one of the hosts of the festival for pulling out, adding that the money saved should be spent on education.

Haiti – Politic : «Zokiki» declares war against homosexuality:
Monday, Senator Jean Renel Sénatus, aia…… https://t.co/Fz5eIXsZxl

— HAY ONLINE, INC (@HAYONLINEINC) July 13, 2016

According to Reuters, the president of Kouraj, Charlot Jeudy, said organizers are “worried about the security of the members of the [LGBT] community who live in this country.” Jeudy added that the festival was banned “precisely because there has been a verbal ban by the government commissioner of Port au Prince, Jean Danton Leger.”

Haïti: le premier festival de films LGBTI reporté à cause de menaces #Massimadi @KOURAJayiti https://t.co/DdQukfCsqo

— Massimadi Montréal (@massimadi) September 28, 2016

In July, Senatus launched a war against television shows “advocating homosexuality.” Targeting Glee specifically, he said:

“I want to send a signal to the Haitian families that are in danger today. Fathers and mothers should observe an outstanding vigilance during the holidays. We want to draw their attention to these serials that promote bad manners, to the contrary of morality.”

The Massimad festival, which has also been held in Brussels and Montreal, aims to raise awareness of homophobia in African and Caribbean communities.

Watch a report on the 2014 Montreal Massimadi festival below.

(Senatus image via Facebook. Massimadi image via Twitter).

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: film festival, Haiti, Jean Renel Senatus, Massimadi

Recent Posts

  • Lindsey Graham Tells Trump to ‘Keep Your Movement Alive,’ Urges Him to Resist Pardoning the Rioters: WATCH

    Lindsey Graham Tells Trump to ‘Keep Your Movement Alive,’ Urges Him to Resist Pardoning the Rioters: WATCH

    4 hours ago
  • Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Who Rallied Trump Insurrectionists, Claims He and Rep. Lauren Boebert Could Have Stopped Them After the Capitol Siege Was Underway

    Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Who Rallied Trump Insurrectionists, Claims He and Rep. Lauren Boebert Could Have Stopped Them After the Capitol Siege Was Underway

    6 hours ago
  • It’s Bottoms Up on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ [RECAP and RANKINGS]

    It’s Bottoms Up on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ [RECAP and RANKINGS]

    7 hours ago
  • Maskless Leopard Print ‘Karen’ Goes Down Shrieking at Palm Beach Bagel Shop: WATCH

    Maskless Leopard Print ‘Karen’ Goes Down Shrieking at Palm Beach Bagel Shop: WATCH

    1 day ago
Previous Post: « Killer Who Sexually Assaulted, Shot Teen Lesbian Couple in Texas Sentenced to Life in Prison – VIDEO
Next Post: CA Gov. Jerry Brown Signs Bill Mandating PrEP Education for HIV-Negative Test Recipients »

Primary Sidebar

  • Lindsey Graham Tells Trump to ‘Keep Your Movement Alive,’ Urges Him to Resist Pardoning the Rioters: WATCH

  • Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Who Rallied Trump Insurrectionists, Claims He and Rep. Lauren Boebert Could Have Stopped Them After the Capitol Siege Was Underway

  • It’s Bottoms Up on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ [RECAP and RANKINGS]

Recent Posts

  • Lindsey Graham Tells Trump to ‘Keep Your Movement Alive,’ Urges Him to Resist Pardoning the Rioters: WATCH

    Lindsey Graham Tells Trump to ‘Keep Your Movement Alive,’ Urges Him to Resist Pardoning the Rioters: WATCH

    4 hours ago
  • Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Who Rallied Trump Insurrectionists, Claims He and Rep. Lauren Boebert Could Have Stopped Them After the Capitol Siege Was Underway

    Rep. Madison Cawthorn, Who Rallied Trump Insurrectionists, Claims He and Rep. Lauren Boebert Could Have Stopped Them After the Capitol Siege Was Underway

    6 hours ago
  • It’s Bottoms Up on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ [RECAP and RANKINGS]

    It’s Bottoms Up on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ [RECAP and RANKINGS]

    7 hours ago
  • Maskless Leopard Print ‘Karen’ Goes Down Shrieking at Palm Beach Bagel Shop: WATCH

    Maskless Leopard Print ‘Karen’ Goes Down Shrieking at Palm Beach Bagel Shop: WATCH

    1 day ago
  • Pete Buttigieg Confirmation Hearing Scheduled for Thursday

    Pete Buttigieg Confirmation Hearing Scheduled for Thursday

    1 day ago
  • Married Lincoln Project Co-Founder John Weaver Admits Sending Sexually Inappropriate Texts to Male Job Applicants, Says He’s Gay

    Married Lincoln Project Co-Founder John Weaver Admits Sending Sexually Inappropriate Texts to Male Job Applicants, Says He’s Gay

    1 day ago
  • Bill Maher Shoots Down Kellyanne Conway’s Defense of Trump’s Legacy, That Many Folks Are Better Off: ‘A Lot of Them Are Dead!’ — WATCH

    Bill Maher Shoots Down Kellyanne Conway’s Defense of Trump’s Legacy, That Many Folks Are Better Off: ‘A Lot of Them Are Dead!’ — WATCH

    1 day ago
  • Ralph Lauren Drops 7-Year Sponsorship of Pro Golfer Justin Thomas Over Homophobic Slur

    Ralph Lauren Drops 7-Year Sponsorship of Pro Golfer Justin Thomas Over Homophobic Slur

    1 day ago
  • James Lankford, Dolly Parton, Vaccine Rollout, Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor, Palm Beach, The Big Lie, Joshua Bassett: HOT LINKS

    James Lankford, Dolly Parton, Vaccine Rollout, Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor, Palm Beach, The Big Lie, Joshua Bassett: HOT LINKS

    2 days ago
  • Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Takes Down QAnon GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert After Accusations He Named Her as Member Who Gave ‘Reconnaissance Tours’ of US Capitol Ahead of Trump Insurrection

    Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Takes Down QAnon GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert After Accusations He Named Her as Member Who Gave ‘Reconnaissance Tours’ of US Capitol Ahead of Trump Insurrection

    2 days ago

Most Commented

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Footer

Copyright © 2021 · Log in