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African LGBTQ activists meet with Pope Francis

Pontiff met with Clare Byarugaba from Uganda and Ebenezer Peegah from Ghana

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Clare Byarugaba, left, with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Aug. 13, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Byarugaba's X account)

Pope Francis on Tuesday met with two LGBTQ activists from Africa at the Vatican.

Clare Byarugaba of Chapter Four Uganda posted to her X account a picture of her sitting next to Francis. A video that she shared shows Juan Carlos Cruz ā€” a gay Chilean man who is a survivor of clergy sex abuse and a member of a commission that advises Francis on protecting children from pedophile priests ā€” introducing her to the pontiff.

Cruz is also a member of the GLAAD board of directors.

Byarugaba, who also founded PFLAG Uganda, said she was ā€œhonored to meetā€ Francis. She added she briefed him on ā€œthe ruinous impact of Ugandaā€™s two in a decade anti-LGBTIQ rights laws,ā€ including the Anti-Homosexuality Act that President Yoweri Museveni signed in 2023, and ā€œthe gross human rights violations therein.ā€

ā€œHe reiterated discrimination is a sin and violence against LGBTIQ communities is unacceptable,ā€ said Byarugaba.

The Washington Blade has reached out to Byarugaba for additional comment.

Francis on Tuesday also met with Rightify Ghana Director Ebenezer Peegah.

“With LGBTQI+ criminalization rising in Africa, and Ghana’s anti-LGBTQI+ bill pending, we shared our experiences as queer individuals in Ghana and expressed gratitude to the pope for his progressive stance, especially his opposition to violence and discrimination,” said Rightify Ghana on X. “Pope Francis encouraged us to ‘keep fighting for your rights,’ and that’s exactly what we will do.”

Francis during a Jan. 24, 2023, interview with the Associated Press said homosexuality is not a crime and laws that criminalize it are ā€œunjust.ā€ Francis a few days later reiterated these comments during a press conference on board his plane after it left South Sudan, a country that borders Uganda.

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in South Sudan.

ā€œThe criminalization of homosexuality is a problem that cannot be ignored,ā€ Francis told reporters. ā€œCriminalizing people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice.ā€

Ugandaā€™s Anti-Homosexuality Act, among other things, contains a death penalty provision for ā€œaggravated homosexuality.ā€

The U.S. after Museveni signed the law imposed visa restrictions on Ugandan officials and removed the country from a program that allows sub-Saharan African countries to trade duty-free with the U.S. The World Bank Group also announced the suspension of new loans to Uganda.

The Ugandan Constitutional Court on April 3 refused to ā€œnullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act in its totality.ā€

More than a dozen activists appealed the ruling to the countryā€™s Court of Appeal. They filed a second appeal with the Supreme Court on July 11.

Angola, Botswana, Mauritius, and Seychelles are among the countries that have decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations over the last decade.

The Namibian government last month appealed a ruling that struck down the countryā€™s apartheid-era sodomy laws.

Burkina Fasoā€™s military government on July 10 announced it plans to recriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations in the nation. The Ghanaian Supreme Court on July 24 upheld the country’s colonial-era sodomy law.

Ghanaian lawmakers on Feb. 28Ā approvedĀ theĀ Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that would, among other things, criminalize allyship. President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will not sign the bill until the Supreme Court rules on whether it is constitutional or not.Ā 

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Hungary

Hungarian MPs amend constitution to ban public LGBTQ events

Viktor OrbĆ”n’s government spearheaded amendment

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The Hungarian parliament in Budapest, Hungary, on April 4, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Hungarian MPs on Monday voted to amend their country’s constitution to ban public LGBTQ events.

The vote took place less than a month after lawmakers banned Pride events and gave authorities the green light to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them.

The Associated Press notes MPs approved the constitutional amendment ā€” which Prime Minister Viktor OrbĆ”n’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition government proposed ā€” by a 140-21 vote margin. Authorities before the vote removed a group of protesters who tried to block the entrance to a parliament parking garage.

OrbĆ”n’s government over the last decade has moved to curtail LGBTQ and intersex rights in Hungary.

A law that bans legal recognition of transgender and intersex people took effect in 2020. Hungarian MPs that year also effectively banned same-sex couples from adopting children and defined marriage in the constitution as between a man and a woman.

An anti-LGBTQ propaganda law took effect in 2021. The European Commission sued Hungary, which is a member of the European Union, over it.

MPs in 2023 approved the ā€œsnitch on your gay neighborā€ bill that would have allowed Hungarians to anonymously report same-sex couples who are raising children. The Budapest Metropolitan Government Office in 2023 fined Lira Konyv, the countryā€™s second-largest bookstore chain, 12 million forints ($33,115.76), for selling copies of British author Alice Osemanā€™s ā€œHeartstopper.ā€

Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, who is gay, participated in the Budapest Pride march in 2024 and 2023. Pressman was also a vocal critic of Hungaryā€™s anti-LGBTQ crackdown.

The Washington Blade has reached out to Budapest Pride for comment on the constitutional amendment.

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Denmark

Denmark issues US travel advisory for transgender people

Federal government only recognizes two genders: Male and female

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(Bigstock photo)

Denmark is the latest country to issue a travel advisory for transgender people who plan to visit the U.S.

ā€œWhen applying for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) or visa to the United States, there are two gender designations to choose from: Male or female,ā€ reads the travel advisory the Danish Foreign Affairs Ministry issued on Friday, according to the Associated Press. ā€œIf you have the gender designation ‘X’ in your passport, or you have changed your gender, it is recommended that you contact the U.S. Embassy prior to travel for guidance on how to proceed.ā€

President Donald Trump shortly after he took office on Jan. 20 issued an executive order that bans the State Department from issuing passports with ā€œXā€ gender markers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in response to directive ordered State Department personnel to ā€œsuspend any application requesting an ā€˜Xā€™ sex marker and do not take any further action pending additional guidance from the department.ā€

Trump on Feb. 5 issued another executive order that bans trans women and girls from female sports teams. The Guardian reported Rubio later instructed American consular officials to deny visas in ā€œcases where applicants are suspected of misrepresenting their purpose of travel or sex.”

The German government earlier this month issued a travel advisory for trans and nonbinary people who are planning to visit the U.S. The AP notes Finland followed suit.

WorldPride is scheduled to take place in D.C. from May 17-June 8.

InterPride, the organization that coordinates WorldPride events, on March 12 issued its own travel advisory for trans and nonbinary people who want to travel to the U.S.

ā€œDue to an executive order issued by the U.S. president on Jan. 20, all travelers must select either ā€˜maleā€™ or ā€˜femaleā€™ when applying for entry or visas. The gender listed at birth will be considered valid,ā€ reads the advisory. ā€œIf your passport has ā€˜Xā€™ as a gender marker or differs from your birth-assigned gender, we strongly recommend contacting the U.S. diplomatic mission before traveling to confirm entry requirements.ā€

The Capital Pride Alliance is the local WorldPride host. Capital Pride said it is working on the guide mentioned in the InterPride advisory.

The guide has yet to be released.

The African Human Rights Coalition, a group that promotes LGBTQ rights in Africa, last week called for a boycott of WorldPride, noting an “antagonistic fascist regime which presents distinct dangers to foreign LGBTQI+ attendees” now governs the U.S. Egale Canada, one of Canadaā€™s largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations, in February announced its members will not attend WorldPride and any other event in the U.S. because of the Trump-Vance administrationā€™s policies.

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Hungary

New Hungarian law bans Pride marches

Viktor OrbĆ”n’s government has cracked down on LGBTQ rights

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Stickers on the door to the HƔtter Society's offices in Budapest, Hungary, in April 2024. Hungarian lawmakers have approved a bill that would ban Pride events in the country. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill that would ban Pride events and allow authorities to use facial recognition technology to identify those who participate in them.

The Associated Press reported thousands of protesters gathered outside the Hungarian parliament in Budapest, the country’s capital, after MPs approved the measure by a 136-27 vote margin. The protesters later blocked traffic on the nearby Margaret Bridge over the Danube River.

ā€œNot only does this law introduce discriminatory and simply evil restrictions on freedom of assembly, but it was also adopted in a highly undemocratic manner, through an extraordinary procedure that did not allow for any real debate,ā€ said TamĆ”s Dombos of the HĆ”ttĆ©r Society, a Hungarian LGBTQ and intersex rights group, in a statement that Outright International released after the vote. ā€œThey proposed it yesterday, and the parliament adopted it today.”

Amnesty International Hungary Director DƔvid Vig also criticized the vote.

ā€œThis law is a full-frontal attack on the LGBTI community and a blatant violation of Hungaryā€™s obligations to prohibit discrimination and guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” said Vig.

Prime Minister Viktor OrbƔn and members of his government in recent weeks said they would ban public Pride marches in Budapest. The 30th Budapest Pride is scheduled to take place on June 28.

“The Hungarian government is trying to restrict peaceful protests with a critical voice by targeting a minority,” said Budapest Pride on Tuesday in a statement the Washington Blade published. “Therefore, as a movement, we will fight for the freedom of all Hungarians to protest!”

OrbƔn and members of his ruling Fidesz party over the last decade have moved to curtail LGBTQ and intersex rights in Hungary.

A law that bans legal recognition of transgender and intersex people took effect in 2020. Hungarian MPs that year also effectively banned same-sex couples from adopting children and defined marriage in the constitution as between a man and a woman.

An anti-LGBTQ propaganda law took effect in 2021. The European Commission sued Hungary, which is a member of the European Union, over it.

MPs in 2023 approved the ā€œsnitch on your gay neighborā€ bill that would have allowed Hungarians to anonymously report same-sex couples who are raising children. The Budapest Metropolitan Government Office in 2023 fined Lira Konyv, the countryā€™s second-largest bookstore chain, 12 million forints ($33,001.94), for selling copies of British author Alice Osemanā€™s ā€œHeartstopper.ā€

Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, who is gay, participated in the Budapest Pride march in 2024 and 2023. Pressman was also a vocal critic of Hungaryā€™s anti-LGBTQ crackdown.

“We will not be intimidated, we will not give in to bullying,” said Dombos. “We are celebrating Pride for the 30th time in Budapest this year.”

“There was Pride before the OrbĆ”n governments, and there will be Pride after,” he added.

Elections will take place in Hungary in 2026.

Budapest Pride spokesperson Johanna Majercsik earlier this month said the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a Budapest-based human rights NGO, has offered their organization legal advice.

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