Gay Africans are facing increased persecution in a continent where two thirds of countries retain laws against homosexuals. Sorious Samura investigates what it’s like to be gay in Africa.

Dispatches produce another great documentry, definately worth watching!

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Online, whether it is gaming on Xbox live with your friends or on any of the hundreds of image boards, the online world is full of homophobia.

There seems to be a three way split currently between most people, there are 3 categories:

• The Hardcore Gamers – These people usually fit the stereotype of a ‘gamer’ people who spend more time online than outside. This doesn’t always make them bad people however the effect of spending more time with their TV/Computer than with friends often affects not only their social skills but quite often their physical and mental health. I myself often I fit into this category, I spend a average of 6 Hours on the internet on my computer daily and on one of my games I have spent nearly 9 days of online play since I brought it. This category is normally reserved for men, however in my time online I have met a couple girls who are hardcore gamers too. Traditional examples of ‘hardcore’ games include FPS (First person shooter) MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game).
• The Casual Gamers – These people are probably the most hated group by the non-gamers and the hardcore gamers for a few reasons. The hardcore gamers believe that casual gaming is reserved for the ‘weak’ people who are not very good at gaming and buy games not for their game play but for their ‘fun’. The non-gamers usually put both of these gamers into the same lump of ‘anyone who plays a game’ as people who are wasting brain cells and their own time. The casual gamers see hardcore gamers as people who get obsessed by games whilst the non-gamers are people who are afraid of technology and killjoys. Examples of these types of casual games are getting more common with the introduction of handheld consoles (Nintendo 3Ds) and the most controversial console, the Wii.
• The Non-Gamers – These are people that believe that gaming is a waste of time and brain cells. They believe that there are too many other things to be doing than wasting time online/playing games. Sometimes these people have been gamers and had bad experiences of online play and given up on it and sometimes they are scared of new technology or believe that it really does kill brain cells and social skills.

There are of course games that transcend multiple categories of gamers, for example, racing games are both played by the casual and hardcore gamers as are adventure games and RPGs (Role Playing Games).

Now what does this have to do with homophobia?

Homophobia is deeply rooted in online games and the internet. A simple visit to any of the internet’s image boards and you will discover the huge amount of homophobia that is all over the internet. Behind the veil of the internet people let their true feelings show. This unfortunately shows us how much work is still left to change people’s views on homosexual behaviour.

The Gaymer Survey, conducted at the University of Illinois and involving over 10,000 respondents, found that gay gamers experienced a high level of homophobic attitudes and language.

Eighty-eight per cent of respondents said that they had heard the phrase “that’s so gay”, while 84 per cent said that the word ‘gay’ had been used in a derogatory way.

Over half of the respondents felt that gays were stereotyped, 52 per cent found gaming worlds to be hostile to gay and lesbian gamers and 42 per cent felt that gays were under-represented.

Only a minority of participants (nine per cent) claimed that they had never encountered anti-gay remarks.

This has been noticed by the gaming manufacturers and they are working towards equality in gaming, for example the Sims, a game where you control people’s lives has been a leader in promoting gay rights, and is always the first to allow the player to make homosexual relationships. Xbox Live is now forcing its game manufacturers to keep in line with its new equality rules.

Fable 3, due to come out soon will allow you to impregnate your friends in co-op mode on Xbox live. But with fable history of being able to have homosexual relationships the chance of adopting being integrated in the game is a definite possibility.

The online world and the gaming community is a big part of society but is mostly completely ignored by government unless a game is too controversial, for example ‘No Russian’ Scene in modern warfare 2 and all of the GTA games. This means that the manufacturers have nearly all of the control of how progressive the games are.

Unfairness can be seen in Mass effect 2 where you can have a lesbian relationship but not a gay male one. This sparked controversy among many ‘gaymers’ the girls and straight males were delighted whilst the gay men were a little bit more miffed at the developers of ME2.

There is a brilliant way to catch up on gay game news, via podcast

We have no real power as gamers to force companies to change their ways, the American gamers vastly outnumber the British gamers and the deep root of homophobia created by most of these Americans will always make online play hard for out gay people. All the power we have is our buying power, by not buying homophobic games and complaining to the moderators online we can slowly get rid of homophobic behaviour.

Iranian filmmaker, actress and lesbian activist Kiana Firouz is in danger of being deported back to Iran for her “crime of unrepentant homosexuality“; for which the punishment is execution.

Kiana worked as an underground activist for LGBT women’s rights. During this time, she documented the horrific treatment of LGBT people in Iran and shot footage for a documentary about the commonplace horrific abuse of human rights there. When items of footage were discovered by Iranian Intelligence, Kiana was harrassed by agents in Tehran and fled to the UK as a student two years ago. Kiana has since directed and played a key role in Cul de Sac, the culmination of her work.

Her application for asylum in the UK was rejected by the Home Office, who were fully aware of the persecution Kiana faced in light of her sexual orientation. The Ministry argued that she could return to Iran and conceal her homosexuality. Seeing as the well-publicised evidence blatantly contradicts this ruling, it would seem that the Home Office is guilty of, at best, gross incompetence; at worst, wilful negligence.

LGBTQ rights in Iran

Iran’s “lawful” approach to sexuality; noosing two unidentified gay teens for their “crime”.

LGBTQ equality was once a reality in Iran, prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution; a Gay Liberation movement was in the works and even publicised gay marriages were tolerated. Since then, the country’s laws regarding LGBTQ rights have been based on an extremely conservative interpretation of Islamic law. Homosexuality is punishable by lashing, or execution by hanging in more “extreme” cases; Transexuals are institutionalised and often forced to undergo hormone treatments; LGBTQ people as a whole undergo sex change operations for fear of extreme persecution. It is utterly disgusting.

Make no mistake; forcing Kiana to return to Iran is nothing short of marching her to her death. We’re talking about a women who, in the face of extreme oppression, had the courage to step forward and speak out against it; to put a face to the abuse suffered by Kiana and her LGBTQ comrades in Iran. Every free and liberal LGBTQ person has an obligation to stand with her in solidarity and prevent this travesty from taking place.

What the student community can do

First and foremost, please sign this petition and join this Facebook group and show your support. And please…spread the word. Raising national awareness of this issue is a crucial part of this campaign.

Both the Lib Dems AND the Tories pledged to change the rules specifically for asylum seekers; acknowledging the consequences suffered by LGBTQ people who – just like Kiana – were sent back and told to keep quiet under the previous Government’s policy. That being said…the new Minister for Women and Equalities, Theresa May, has consistently voted against LGBTQ rights and – in my humble opinion – was a poor choice for the job. Regardless, it is time for her to do her part to uphold her party’s pledges. I will also be writing to Lynne Featherstone, the Lib Dem undersecretary for Equality – who, by contrast, has an excellent voting record for LGBTQ rights – to doubly ensure that conservative views towards homosexuality in the UK do not further jeopardise Kiana Firouz. I invite you all to lobby your MP’s to take action on this issue.

righttoparty.lgbtq.co.uk

To read our motion submitted to NUS LGBT Conference see below:

My brother recently wrote an article for the Guardian that might be of some interest to LGBTQ students, especially in the current climate. It is aptly entitled “HIV is not a gay disease” and speaks out against the inaccurate association of sexual transmitted diseases with the gay community; more specifically, the comments of Julian Lewis that I myself raised in my recent blog about the General Election.

For your consideration.

Today is the ninth annual Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK, a day commemorating the millions who were killed in the Nazi Holocaust.

The Guild and JSoc held an event yesterday in the Guild Council Chambers at which a Holocaust survivor was invited to tell her story. Due to University Commitments I was sadly unable to attend the event, however I’m told that it was a fitting memorial. It is essential that we honour the memory of the victims and and never forget the horror that was allowed to take place during this dark time in history. Among them were some six million Jews and some ten thousand LGBTQ people.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

George Santayana

The LGBTQ Association will be holding a discussion on the Holocaust – with particular focus to persecution of LGBTQ people – at the Wednesday Coffee Afternoon. The Association will be showing Paragraph 175 at the usual Sunday evening Film Night and would like to extend an invitation to all members of JSoc and members of the Jewish Community on campus.