(Humaneness: marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals) Well, isn’t this a sweet headline from a government official: Ugandan Ethics Minister James Nsaba Buturo spoke with journalists today. While acknowledging the great numbers of “foreigners” who express grave concern over the possibility of such a [proposed anti-gay] bill becoming law, he made
Arab Homophobia, Poverty, Religion and Forbidden Sex
Westhampton, MA – October 18, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com According to a new UN report presented in Tunis, Tunisia, on October 20th, Tunisia, Libya and United Arab Emirates are the only 3 Arab nations where famine has been eradicated. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations conducted the survey of 17 Arab
Proposed Anti Homosexuality Bill in Uganda
Westhampton, MA – October 15, 2009 Richard Ammon –GlobalGayz.com Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG) Condemnthe Proposed Anti-homosexuality Bill Last year GlobalGayz visited Uganda and met several of the LGBT activists involved in SMUG and other rights organizations. Their story is one of persecution, clandestine living, arrests and police abuse. Just before and after
Knowing and Feeling Beethoven Through His Music – a Film
Westhampton, MA – October 14, 2009 Richard Ammon –GlobalGayz.com In Search of Beethoven – A Documentary Film Long deceased great artists are lost to our modern minds even as their art lives on. Yet what of the sentient person behind a great opus? The art of film often tries to connect old history and modern
Death of Important Gay ‘Hero’ Keith Goddard of Zimbawe
Westhampton, MA – October 13, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Yesterday I received the very sad news about the death of LGBT leader Keith Goddard, director of GALZ (Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe). GlobalGayz was privileged to meet and interview with Keith in the spring of 2009. He was comfortable to be with, witty and
Gaining Rights vs Being Privileged–Gays and Obama
Westhampton, MA – October 11, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Last night President Obama gave a speech at a Human Rights Campaign fund-raising dinner in DC. This is remarkable in itself since no other president has ever given specific attention to a gay organization in a public forum. The press were there and captured his
Banquet for a 26 Year-Old War-Maimed Marine: Who Should Police the World?
Westhampton, MA – October 11, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Marine from Amherst, MA loses leg following Humvee explosion in Afghanistan Read story here This evening I went to a benefit banquet for a 26 year-old war-maimed marine, a local resident here in the Northampton area of western Massachusetts–on the same day Barack Obama was
Olympic Committee Should Monitor Host Countries on Human Rights
Human Rights Watch New York October 7, 2009 Olympic Congress Should Adopt a Plan to Oversee Human Rights Environment for the Olympic Games The Copenhagen Olympic Congress should create a permanent mechanism to monitor human rights in host countries before, during and after Olympic Games. Human Rights Watch, which has submitted a proposal to the
Coming Out at 13 Years Old – an Eternal Truth
Westhampton, MA – September 30, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com The September 27, 2009 New York Times Magazine cover story of a 13 year-old boy who has come out at school is notable in many ways: -it was published by America’s premier newspaper -it was made a daring headline story with photos -it’s about homosexual
The Complex Mind of a Nobel Prize Scientist, Demonized as a Pedophile
Westhampton, MA – September 27, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com This is a very sad story of world-class Nobel recipient gay man whose decades-long research made significant discoveries into a degenerative brain disease that struck particularly at children known as kuru–now known as the deadly Mad Cow Disease. For his work on kuru, Dr. Daniel
Algerians Modernize Tradition of Circumcision
Westhampton, MA – September 24, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com This is a story from Magharebia News by Hayam El Hadi published yesterday about the ritual of male circumcision in Algeria. The action taken is a surgical removal of the penis foreskin, essentially a mutilation of the body. And for this pain and humiliation the
Age of Consent in Vatican is 12 (?!?)
Westhampton, MA – September 19, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Ever wonder where the sexually abusive Catholic priests might have gotten the idea that sexual activity with children is acceptable–even legal? Look at this: There is an equal age of consent set at 12 years of age (Article 331 (1) of the Vatican laws). When
Bush starts war, retires in luxury; protester throw shoes, goes to jail + tortured
Westhampton, MA – September 14, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Don’t you just love the values and justice of our modern political world: Bush started a war on false pretenses resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent people and got to retire in luxury, and a protesting journalist who opposed the war got thrown
Italy Grapples With Priest Sex Abuse and Cover Up
Westhampton, MA – September 14, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Quoted here are excerpts from the Associated Press of September 14, 2009 and published by the New York Times. It is easy to be cynical and exaggerate the extent of abuse by clergy against children but that serves no purpose other than creating more abuse,
UK Government Aplogy to WW2 Hero Alan Turing
Westhampton, MA – September 11, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com On September 10, 2009, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown officially apologized to Alan Turing for the UK Government’s persecution of this WWII hero because of his homosexuality. Turing brilliantly invented his ‘Turing Bombe’ that crucially helped crack the German Enigma coded messages (sometimes thousands
A Murdered Friend, His Hate-filled Parents, and Lives Lost to Homophobia
Westhampton, MA – September 11, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com (See the recent, 2011, film about Ahmet’s murder: Zenne Dancer; also, website for the film) This is a very sad story, about a father and a son, a family and a culture torn by blind hatred. Last year during a visit to Istanbul, Turkey my
Let the Taliban Have Afghanistan
Westhampton, MA – September 5, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Let the Taliban have Afghanistan! They want a place to rule with primitive Sharia law so let them have that poor wretched patch so they can suppress people and move back in time—and in the process destroy the poppy crops and stop the warlords from
Homophobic Discrimination Against Straight Athlete
Westhampton, MA – September 4, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com The Amateur Boxing Association of Thailand (ABAT) has discriminated against a straight boxer for posing suggestively for the cover of a gay magazine. This is a new take on homophobic discrimination: instead of acting prejudicially against a gay person, the ABAT has discriminated against a
Circumcision, Jesus and the Faithful
Westhampton, MA – September 4, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Given the current swirl of science, medicine, folk opinions and religious attitudes about male circumcision and its correlation (or not) with HIV infection in Africa and the West, it should not come as a surprise to see a zany book come out of left field
In loving memory of Zambian lesbian activist Buumba Sikumba
In loving memory of Zambian lesbian activist Buumba Sikumba (BMJ) who was interviewed by me for the GlobalGayz story on gay life in Zambia in 2008. She passed away in September 2009 after an illness. She was a full spirit with a passion for life and for human rights. A bigger-than-life figure she was also
Gay Pride Budapest Supported by Whoopi Video
Westhampton, MA – September 1, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com For fifteen years attempts to conduct a peaceful pride parade in Budapest, Hungary have resulted in violence and arrests of right-wing groups who are fiercely homophobic. Next up is the 2009 parade on September 5 when both sides of the battle will gear up for
New Book by Matthew Shepard’s Mother, Advocate for Hate Crimes Bill
Westhampton, MA – August 30, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com Can there be any stronger sacrifice to the cause of truth or principle than the death of a person? The truth is that Matthew Shepard was gay. His murderers killed him for the vague principle that killing or maiming gays is okay. Sanctioned homophobia comes
Major Lesbian Publication Issued from Copenhagen Conference
Posted by Richard Ammon, GlobalGayz.comI was fortunate to attend the July 2009 OutGames and Human Rights Conference in Copenhagen, Denmarkwhere the following publication was presented by ILGA on behalf of worldwide lesbian activists and supporters. In the past decade lesbians have taken their full place on the world stage of human rights advocacy. Once relegated
Gay Rights Organizations react to Death of Ted Kennedy
“For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.” From GlobalGayz.com: Richard Ammon, owner Westhampton, MA I grew up with the Kennedys in our government, the longest serving being Ted Kennedy. He was a presence in my life
An Appreciation of Gay Rights Advocates and Ellen DeGeneres
Westhampton, MA – August 18, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com This blog is a note of greeting and appreciation to the many LGBT activists – some whom I know – who made the July 2009 Copenhagen World OutGames Human Rights Conference a profound success: I was delighted and my heart was warmed to see your