A court in Uganda upholds its anti-gay law, a jailed man in Qatar is pressured to name sexual partners, and a Welsh athlete apologizes for making an anti-trans post.
Despite Petition, Uganda Court Upholds Anti-Gay Law
Uganda’s Constitutional Court rejected a petition seeking to annul an anti-gay law.
“We decline to nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 in its entirety, neither will we grant a permanent injunction against its enforcement,” said Justice Richard Buteera, Uganda’s deputy chief justice and head of the court, according to Al Jazeera.
The court acknowledged that some sections of the law violated the right to health and were “inconsistent with right to health, privacy and freedom of religion.”
However, in a unanimous decision, they did not block or suspend the law.
“The court’s decision opens a ‘Pandora’s box’ that will push the lives of gay Ugandans further more into darkness,” said Steven Kabuye, the executive director of Colored Voice Truth to LGBTQ.
Jailed Man ‘Pressured To Name Sexual Partners’
Photo via QatarMustFreeManuel, X (formerly Twitter).
Manuel Guerrero Aviña was arrested in Qatar for using Grindr in February. Although he has been released from prison, he still faces prosecution and is banned from leaving the country.
Manuel’s brother, Enrique Guerrero Aviña, told Pink News that Manuel is now being pressured to reveal the names of his sexual partners as a condition of his release.
“They made an intervention to know the names of Manuel’s sexual partners, that was before the release. That act of torture was documented by the UK embassy,” said Enrique.
Enrique continues to worry about Manuel’s health considering that he is HIV positive, and claims that Manuel’s medication was withheld to “create psychological pressure” on him in prison.
Welsh Athlete Apologizes For Anti-Trans Post
Photo via Samatha Wallace-Joseph, Instagram.
Samatha Wallace-Joseph, a netballer for the South Wales Swifts, publicly apologized for her social media post that offended the transgender community.
Wallace-Joseph says her comment was “taken out of context.”
According to The Guardian, Wallace-Joseph commented on an Instagram post about Joe Biden declaring Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility, saying: “the disrespect is crazy. Don’t play with God.”
Now, in a joint statement from Wallace-Joseph and club officials, Wallace-Joseph said, “It was not my intention to upset and disrespect anybody and whilst I feel my post was taken out of context, I didn’t say what I meant clearly.”
She continued, “I did not wish to cause any offense to members of the transgender community, and it is clear that I have and for that, I am sorry.”
Kath Tetley, the executive general manager of the South Wales Swifts, said the club wants to “be a safe and inclusive space for all” and said they have a continued commitment to “education required to ensure there is a common understanding among all of the cultures and communities that make up the Swifts.”
