Time to Act: Nigeria

The bill passed by the Nigerian Senate is one of the most repulsive in recent times.

Read part of the article by Christian Purefoy and Faith Karimi of CNN:


"It would place a wide range of people at risk of criminal sanctions, including human rights defenders and anyone else -- including friends, families and colleagues -- who stands up for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Nigeria," Amnesty International said in a statement.

The bill passed Tuesday comes nearly a month after British prime minister, David Cameron, threatened to withhold aid from nations violating gays rights, sparking outrage in Africa where leaders interpreted it as "colonial" display of power.

Homosexuality is illegal in most African countries based on remnants of sodomy laws introduced during the British colonial era and perpetuated by cultural beliefs.

Punishments across the continent range from fines to years in prison.


Act now! Contact

Johnnie Carson
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Department of State
202-647-4000

John Kerry
Chairman
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Washington D.C. 20510
202-224-2742

Richard Lugar
Ranking Minority Member
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
202-224-4814

THE WORLD IS WAITING

Caught in our own struggle for marriage equality in the United States, it is relatively easy to forget that in some parts of the world there are still heinous legal consequences for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered. LGBT communities across the globe are still parochial in outlook, concerned with struggles on a local or national level rather than the common struggles across the globe. This type of focus is understandable given the adversity and challenges we face from day to day. But it is imperative that we see our quest for full equality, and the valuing of our humanity, as interconnected with other LGBT people we will never know or meet. SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, has to say SOMETHING. It might as well be you.

Where We are Persecuted

Countries where homosexuality is illegal:
(F) Denotes countries where its legal for females.

AFRICAN COUNTRIES:

ALGERIA
ANGOLA
BOTSWANA
BURUNDI
EGYPT
LIBYA
MOROCCO
SUDAN
TUNISIA
NAMIBIA
GAMBIA
GUINEA
MAURITANIA
SENEGAL
TOGO
SAO TOME & PRINCIPE
COMOROS
DJIBOUTI
ERITREA
ETHIOPIA
MOZAMBIQUE
SOMALIA
UGANDA
TANZANIA
LIBERIA
SIERRA LEONE(F)
LESOTHO(F)
SWAZILAND(F)
GHANA(F)
NIGERIA(F)
KENYA(F)
MALAWI(F)
MAURITIUS(F)
SEYCHELLES(F)
ZIMBABWE(F)
ZAMBIA(F)

CARRIBEAN ISLANDS:

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA
BARBADOS
DOMINICA
ST VINCENT & GRENADINES
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
GRANADA(F)
JAMAICA(F)
SAINT KITTS & NEVIS(F)
SAINT LUCIA(F)

MIDDLE EAST:

KUWAIT
LEBANON
OMAN
QATAR
SAUDI ARABIAI
SYRIA
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
IRAN
YEMEN
BAHRAIN
PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES(GAZA) (F)

ASIA/PACIFIC:

AFGHANISTAN
BANGLADESH
BHUTAN
MALDIVES
PAKISTAN
SRI LANKA
PAPAU NEW GUINEA
SOLOMON ISLANDS
BRUNEI
BURMA
MALAYSIA
WESTERN SAMOA
UZBEKISTAN
KIRIBATI(F)
NAURU(F)
PALAU(F)
COOK ISLANDS(F)
TONGA(F)
TURKMENISTAN(F)
TUVALU(F)
SINGAPORE(F)

SOUTH AMERICA:

GUYANA(F)

CENTRAL AMERICA:

BELIZE(F)

Our Rights

•The right to be free of imprisonment of imprisonment, detention, or banishment because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

•The right to be free of imprisonment for involvement in same sex relationships.

•The right to live free of violence, intimidation or threat of violence.

•The right to live free of verbal harassment, bullying, or hateful speech.

•The right to live a life of honesty and openness in regards to sexual orientation and relationships.

*The right to not be discriminated against in housing.

•The right to not be discriminated against in employment.

•The right to not be discriminated against in educational settings.

•The right to not be discriminated against in medical care.

•The right to not be discriminated against by civilian police authorities.

•The right to defend one’s nation in the armed services as any other member of society.

•The right to assemble,organize, and form associations.

•The right to vote, be a candidate for public office, and hold public office.

•The right to not have one’s life disrupted by the religious based bigotry of others.

•The right to not be censored in the art, the culture, and in the media.

•The right to have monogamous, two person relationships recognized by the state.

•The right to have same sex families with children recognized as family units by the state.

•The right of inheritance for the surviving partner of a former couple.

•The right of international recognition of marriages performed by different nations.