Tag Archives: murder of lesbian

South Africa: brutal murder of lesbian Anele Bhengu

DURBAN – THE MEC for Social Development in KwaZulu-Natal is calling on residents to rally around the LGBTI+ community following the gruesome murder of a 22-year-old woman.

MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza said KwaMakhutha resident Anele Bhengu’s body was found dumped in the Durban south township.

She was raped and stabbed repeatedly. Her throat and abdomen was also slit.

“The brutal murder of this child is symptomatic of the challenges we have in the society. We are left in shock and fear by the killing of our children in this province,” she said.

Khoza said communities had a responsibility to end these violent crimes in the province.

“We need to get to the bottom of this as to why people have so much hatred towards the LGBTQIA+ community. We call on all citizens to work with the law enforcement agencies, government and different bodies to end such cruelty,” Khoza said.

She said although the government and different activities continue to fight the scourge of these murders, some communities continue to discriminate against some people based on their sexual orientation.

Continue reading at: https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/kzn-lesbian-found-murdered-throat-and-abdomen-slit-ece6043c-920b-4dd1-9e5f-b9ac21afbdfa (Source)

South Africa: Lulama Mvandaba – murdered for being lesbian

Cape Town – A black lesbian, living in Khayelitsha, was killed in a suspected homophobic attack after her body was discovered on Friday inside her home at a newly-established informal settlement.

The family of Lulama Mvandaba said they believed she was targeted because of her sexuality. Mvelisi Mvandaba said their elder sister’s death came five months to the day after their mother’s death.

“We ask for privacy at this point and will issue a statement about her death once we have had time to grieve, as, unfortunately, she was murdered due to her sexuality and as a member of the LGBTQI+ community.

“To those who knew her vivacious energy and warmth, we extend our heartfelt condolences to you all.

“We are extremely shocked and traumatised as a family and can only imagine how all the kids she touched during her career will be feeling,” he said.

Mvandaba’s death comes after the murder of several gay and lesbian people across the Western Cape.

Continue reading at: https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/lulama-mvandaba-murdered-in-khayelitsha-because-she-was-a-lesbian-says-family-d035b459-54ed-4173-877b-3320950be664 (Source)

South Africa: promising lesbian chef Phelokazi Mqathana murdered

May 2021: An aspiring young chef is the latest LGBTIQ+ South African murdered in the heartbreaking wave of hate crime violence gripping the country.

On Monday, MambaOnline received initial reports that a lesbian woman had been killed in Cape Town. On Tuesday, the Daily Sun confirmed the news and stated that the victim was 24-year-old Phelokazi Mqathana.

She was stabbed to death in Khayelitsha, allegedly after she rejected the advances of a man while she was out socialising near her home.

“We heard that the man was touching her bum. When she told him to stop, he stabbed her,” Lelethu Ngalo, a family member told the Daily Sun.

The young woman had recently finished a chef course and was described by Ngalo as a “go-getter who had plans to take this family to another level…”

Lwethu Kala, Chairperson of Free Gender, told MambaOnline that Phelokazi had previously attended various workshops hosted by the organisation which speaks out for black queer women.

“She had very big plans, she was the best sushi chef at her school. She was going places,” said Kala.

Phelokazi’s murder is the eighth known LGBTIQ+ killing in a period of less than three months; a wave of hate that has shocked and terrified South Africa’s queer community.

Continue reading at: https://www.mambaonline.com/2021/05/04/hate-crime-crisis-phelokazi-mqathana-is-8th-lgbtiq-person-murdered/ (Source)

South Africa: Lesbian murdered in Pietermaritzburg

March 2021: It’s been reported that Nonhlanhla Kunene was raped and murdered in Pietermaritzburg last weekend. According to The Witness, the body of the 37-year-old was discovered near the Edendale Primary School on Friday 5 March.

“When police arrived, they found that the woman was lying flat on her face and was naked from the waist down,” a police spokesperson told the newspaper.

“We are waiting on the post-mortem to give us further information as the police did not find any visible wounds on the victim’s body.”

“It is really sad that hate crimes and gender-based violence are still part of our daily struggle,” said the Pietermaritzburg-based Gay & Lesbian Network (GLN) on Facebook. “We continue to fear for our lives every day.”

While The Witness article did not refer to Kunene’s sexuality or gender identity, GLN Project Coordinator Tracey Sibisi confirmed to MambaOnline that she had been a member of the LGBTIQ community.

“Her friend called the organisation and reported the case and they told us that she was a lesbian,” said Sibisi.

Continue reading at: https://www.mambaonline.com/2021/03/12/report-lesbian-woman-murdered-in-pietermaritzburg/ (Source)

US: “Proud Black lesbian” teen killed with girlfriend’s parents in murder-suicide

Image courtesy of Sarah Ward

Lauren “Lela” Leslie, an 18 year-old Black lesbian from Bloomfield, Connecticut, was among three killed at the house of her girlfriend early in the morning of Friday, May 28.

Now her older siblings are saying that her murder is connected to her relationship or her sexual orientation.

Leslie was found dead along with Delores Wisdom and her husband, David Wisdom. David is the alleged perpetrator in what police are considering a domestic murder-suicide.

Police received 911 calls after 1 a.m. to the Wisdom household in Windsor Locks and found three people with “no signs of life.” One woman is currently in the hospital, and another teenager — believed to be Leslie’s girlfriend — was found uninjured.

While police have not publicly stated what they believe is the motive, Leslie’s brothers knew that she didn’t always feel “welcome” at her girlfriend’s home and believe she may have been hurt because of that.

Continue reading at: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/06/proud-black-lesbian-teen-killed-girlfriends-parents-murder-suicide/ (Source)

South Africa: The footballer raped and murdered for being a lesbian

An international footballer, coach and aspiring referee, Eudy Simelane dedicated her life to the sport.

She was one of the first openly gay [sic] women to live in her township of Kwa-Thema in South Africa and was a well-known LGBT+ activist.

But because of her sexuality, Simelane was brutally raped and murdered in 2008, aged just 31.

This is the story of her life and how the legacy of her death is still impacting South African society.

A campaigner for equality rights and social change, she was one of the first women to come out as a lesbian in South Africa.

On 27 April 2008, Simelane’s body was found in a stream just a few hundred metres from her home in Kwa-Thema.

Reports stated she was approached after leaving a pub, raped and then stabbed repeatedly.

Despite her death shocking many, activists claimed many lesbians in South Africa were targeted for ‘corrective rape’, a crime where the perpetrator aims to ‘cure’ the victim of their sexuality, converting them to heterosexuality.

Thato Mphuthi pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Simelane in February 2009 and was sentenced to 32 years in prison. The following September, Themba Mvubu was also found guilty of the crimes and was sentenced to life in prison. When questioned by reporters in court, he responded: “I’m not sorry.”

Simelane’s sexuality put her in a vulnerable position, something her mother recognised, telling the BBC, “the whole of South Africa knew Eudy was a lesbian”.

The unfortunate reality is Simelane’s story isn’t unique – she is one of many victims of similar, horrific crimes in South Africa.

A year prior to her death, Sizakele Sigasa, a women’s and gay rights activist, and her friend Salone Massooa were heckled outside a bar and called ‘tomboys’. The women were then gang-raped, tortured, and shot dead.

Just a few years after Simelane’s murder, Noxolo Nogwaza, a 24-year-old lesbian, was found beaten and stoned to death in the same township Simelane lived.

Continue reading: https://www.modernghana.com/sports/1061337/the-footballer-raped-and-murdered-for-being-a-lesb.html (source)

Tua’s journey to asylum as a lesbian from Cameroon

Tua is a lesbian from Cameroon who finally received her leave to remain in the United Kingdom in 2019.

Tua talks to Sally Jackson about the violent lesbophobia she was subjected to in Cameroon, and how she was forced into a marriage by her mother. During her escape, she was exploited and trafficked to England where she faced the shameful policies of the UK’s Hostile Environment before finding support here. Her asylum claim was finally accepted in 2019 and she has received her leave to remain.

Continue reading at: https://filia.org.uk/podcasts/2021/1/25/tua-journey-to-asylum

Colombia: two men arrested for assassination of lesbian

Madeleine Montes Castillo, 48, was killed on September 22 2020 in her business. Two men approached her on a motorcycle and one of them shot her repeatedly, apparently for opposing the illicit sale of narcotics in her area. The victim was transferred to the Reina Catalina Clinic, Baraboa headquarters, where they pronounced her dead.

Three months after the murder, and after the various investigations were completed, last sunday [27 December 2020] the authorities announced the capture of the alleged perpetrators of the crime: the mastermind of her murder, Ángel Fabián Avellaneda Negrete, alias ‘Mello’, owner of “Baraboa Pig”, a business next to Madeleine’s and Emir Rafael Gómez Melo, who allegedly facilitated the transport of the hitmen and helped them escape.

The victim had opposed the sale of narcotics, which lead to an argument with Avellaneda, who apparently hired two hitmen for $10 million to carry out the crime, before they then left the area.
(Translated)

Continue reading at: http://impactonews.co/capturados-por-crimen-de-madeleine-montes-en-baranoa/ (Source)

However, the Caribbean Affirmative organization has asked whether the 48-year-old merchant’s murder “could be related to her sexual orientation, since she openly recognized herself as a lesbian.”

Although the possibility that the murder was the result of extortion has been considered, Wilson Castañeda, director of the organization that defends the rights of the LGBTI community, called for the investigation to determine whether or not this crime constituted another case of gender violence.

Continue reading at: https://www.bluradio.com/blu360/caribe/exigen-determinar-si-asesinato-de-madeleine-montes-fue-por-su-orientacion-sexual (Source)

Chilean lesbicide: lesbian stabbed after ongoing harassment

In the early morning hours of Sunday, August 9 [2020], Cynthia Leslie Velásquez was stabbed after intervening in an argument and defending a girl from a man who was trying to sexually assault her. Chico Leslie – as she called herself and was known in her neighborhood – was a lesbian and died a few hours after the attack, in a hospital in Santiago, with a punctured lung.

So far nobody has been arrested in relation to her stabbing but several witnesses and close friends have pointed to a man known in the community as “El guatón Iván”. Paola says that Leslie had already experienced ongoing problems with him and that when he saw her on the street “he would yell things at her, her appearance, what she was like and that how she looked bothered him”.

Paola states that during the party Iván Poblete tried to assault another young woman and Leslie saw him. “I don’t know the details but I know that after things calmed down, the guy took advantage of the fact that she was not paying attention and attacked her from behind, stabbing her several times. After that, he and another person dragged her from the house and into the street, bleeding and unconscious. Someone asked for help and a group of Haitians arrived, who helped take her to the hospital. They filed a complaint with the Carabineros, but so far nothing has been known about the aggressor and there is still no arrest warrant against him”.
(Tanslated)

La madrugada del domingo 9 de agosto, Cynthia Leslie Velásquez fue apuñalada después de intervenir en una discusión y defender a una chica de un hombre que intentaba atacarla sexualmente. Chico Leslie -como escogió nombrarse y como la conocían en su barrio- era lesbiana y murió a las pocas horas del ataque, en un hospital de Santiago. Tenía uno de sus pulmones totalmente perforado.

Hasta ahora no hay detenidos por el caso, pero varios testigos y cercanos señalan a un hombre conocido en la comunidad como “El guatón Iván”. Paola dice que Leslie ya había tenido algunos problemas previos con él y que cuando la veía en la calle “le gritaba cosas, le molestaba su aspecto, como era ella y cómo se veía”.

La información que Paola maneja es que durante la fiesta Iván Poblete trató de abusar de otra joven y Leslie lo vio: “Desconozco en detalle cómo fue, pero sé que cuando se calmaron las cosas, el tipo aprovechó que se descuidó y la atacó por la espalda, con varias puñaladas. Luego de eso, él y otra persona la arrastraron desde la casa donde estaba hasta la calle, sangrando e inconsciente. Alguien pidió ayuda y llegó un grupo de haitianos, quienes ayudaron a llevarla al hospital. Ellos hicieron la denuncia ante Carabineros, pero hasta ahora no se sabe nada del agresor y aún no hay orden de detención en su contra”.
(Original)

Continue reading at: https://agenciapresentes.org/2020/08/13/asesinaron-a-punaladas-a-una-joven-lesbiana-en-santiago-denuncian-lesbicidio/ (Source)

Public statement on the lesbicide of Lesie Velásquez: https://www.docdroid.net/2oOeRcJ/comunicacion-publica-por-lesbicidio-de-leslie-pdf

Colombia: young lesbian murdered

Belén Pérez says she has no way to understand the reason for the murder of her daughter. She only knows that Kelly Carolina Pérez Trigos was working on the terrace of her house on Monday afternoon, as she had been for two years, when a man murdered her.

“ They say it was a robbery, but no one tried to rob her. I saw that the murderer arrived with a cap and mask, approached and shot her twice and walked away as if nothing had happened,” said Kelly’s mother, while she was making the arrangements for the delivery of her body to Legal Medicine.

The woman pointed out that the 29-year-old victim had been living on the corner of 60B Street and 13th Street, in the Nuevo Milenio neighborhood, in Soledad for more than 16 years.
(Translated)

Belén Pérez dice que no tiene más cabeza para intentar descifrar las causas que desencadenaron el homicidio de su hija. Ella solo sabe que Kelly Carolina Pérez Trigos estaba la tarde del lunes en la terraza de su casa trabajando, como desde hacía dos años, cuando un hombre la asesinó.

“Dicen que fue un atraco, pero a ella nadie intentó robarla. Yo vi que el homicida llegó con gorra y tapabocas, se acercó y le disparó dos veces y se fue caminando como si nada”, relató la mamá de Kelly, mientras realizaba las gestiones para la entrega de su cuerpo en Medicina Legal.

La mujer señaló que la víctima, de 29 años, llevaba más de 16 años residiendo en la calle 60B con la carrera 13, del barrio Nuevo Milenio, en Soledad.
(Original)

Continue reading at: https://www.elheraldo.co/judicial/piden-investigar-nuevo-asesinato-de-miembro-de-la-comunidad-lgbti-755215 (source)

Update: Four people convicted for murder of South African lesbian couple

Seven-arrested-after-horror-torture-and-murder-of-lesbian-couple

Four people tried for the murder of Mooinooi same-sex couple Anisha and Joey van Niekerk, who were raped and killed in December 2017, were convicted in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday.

Mercia Strydom, 24, Aaron Sithole, 27, his brother Jack Sithole, 21, and Alex Modau, 39, killed the couple before taking their bodies to a nearby river where they were burnt beyond recognition, National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said in a statement.

Their burnt-out car was found in Magaliesburg six days later.

Strydom’s husband, Koos, believed to be the mastermind behind the murders, killed himself last year, News24 reported. He had been found dead in his single cell at Kgosi Mampuru 111 Prison in Pretoria.

Continue reading: https://www.news24.com/news24/
southafrica/news/4-convicted-for-murder-of-mooinooi-same-sex-couple-whose-bodies-were-burnt-beyond-recognition-20200826
(source)

Original article: South Africa: Seven arrested after horror torture and murder of lesbian couple

Update: Nicole Saavedra’s family still fighting for justice four years after the young lesbian’s death

Nicole Saavedra 2

In 2016 Nicole Saavedra Bahamondes went missing for a week. She appeared on June 25, but not as her family expected. She was found dead, with her hands tied and showing signs of torture, in a rough part of the Limache commune in the Valparaíso Region. Since then, her family has relentlessly fought for justice in a case that exposed not only the lesbophobia that exists in our country, but also the negligence of the judicial system in cases of sex based violence.

Three years and three months after the murder, and after having four prosecutors investigate, a suspect was finally identified and remanded in custody, something that would not have been achieved without pressure from the family and lesbian-feminist organizations who never stopped demanding justice. María Bahamondes and other women even stormed the Quillota Prosecutor’s Office in 2019, for which they are under investigation to this day.

The family’s lawyer, Silvana del Valle , described as “very hard” everything that has happened in this case, especially in matters of justice, because in confronting Nicole’s alleged femicide, it was evident that the judicial system was able to prevent this crime , since the man had already been reported for other sexual crimes.

The lawyer commented that this situation reveals that if crimes against women and girls were really considered important by the the system, the crime against Nicole Saavedra and the kidnapping with rape that Pulgar committed in December 2016 would not have occurred. Unfortunately, injustice not only affects the families of the victims when there is no timely action, it also enables more crimes against women and girls to be committed. In this sense, unfortunately, the justice system that does not believe us (the first victim of Víctor Pulgar was not believed) is also complicit in the additional crimes that are committed against us.”

A crime in a red zone
The Nicole Saavedra case not only revealed the unjust and, often, wrong of the judicial and police system when it comes to clearing up femicides, but also along with other cases it shows the danger of the Valparaíso region for lesbian women.

In June 2019, the British media BBC published a report in which they described this place as a red zone, in which it alluded to the so-called “trucks” and exposed the cases of Nicole Saavedra, María Pía Castro and Susana Sanhueza, all lesbians found dead in the region.(Translated)

En 2016, Nicole Saavedra Bahamondes desapareció por una semana. Apareció el 25 de junio, pero no como su familia la esperaba. Estaba muerta, con las manos atadas y con signos de tortura en un sitio eriazo de la comuna de Limache en la Región de Valparaíso. De ahí en adelante, sin descanso, su familia ha luchado por justicia en un caso que dejó en evidencia no solo la lesbofobia que existe en nuestro país, sino también la negligencia del sistema judicial en los casos de violencia de género.

Tres años y tres meses después del homicidio, y después de haber tenido cuatro fiscales investigando, se llegó a un sospechoso, después vino la prisión preventiva, algo que no se hubiera logrado sin la presión de la familia y las organizaciones lesbofeministas, quienes nunca dejaron de exigir la justicia. Incluso, María Bahamondes y otras mujeres se tomaron la Fiscalía de Quillota en 2019, hecho por el que hoy están siendo investigadas.

La abogada de la familia, Silvana del Valle, calificó como “muy fuerte” todo lo que ha sucedido en este caso, especialmente en materia de justicia, pues al encontrarse al presunto femicida de Nicole quedó en evidencia que el sistema judicial pudo evitar este crimen, dado que el hombre ya había sido denunciado por otro abuso sexual.

La abogada comentó que esta situación revela que si para el sistema este y en otros crímenes contra mujeres y niñas fuesen realmente considerados importantes, el crimen de Nicole Saavedra y el secuestro con violación que cometió Pulgar en diciembre de 2016 no habrían ocurrido. “Lamentablemente la justicia no solo incide en dañar a las familias de las víctimas cuando no encuentran una oportuna acción, también incide en la comisión de crímenes contra mujeres y niñas. En ese sentido, para nosotras, lamentablemente, el sistema de justicia que no nos cree, como no se le creyó a la primera víctima de Víctor Pulgar, es cómplice también de los crímenes que se cometen en contra nuestra”.

Un crimen en una zona roja
El caso de Nicole Saavedra no solo reveló lo injusto y, muchas veces, errado del sistema judicial y policial a la hora aclarar femicidios, sino también junto a otros casos evidencia la peligrosidad de la región de Valparaíso para mujeres lesbianas.

En junio de 2019, el medio británico BBC publicó un reportaje en el que calificó de zona roja este lugar, en el que hizo alusión a las denominadas “camionas” y expuso los casos de Nicole Saavedra, María Pía Castro y Susana Sanhueza, todas lesbianas encontradas muertas en la región.
(Original)

Continue reading at: https://radio.uchile.cl/2020/06/24/la-lucha-no-termina-familia-de-nicole-saavedra-continua-exigiendo-justicia-a-cuatro-anos-de-su-muerte/ (Source)

Related articles:

U.S: Mother vows she’ll get personal justice after teenage lesbian daughter killed

ashanti-posey-1

A 17-year-old girl in Tennessee was shot to death in a possible anti-gay hate crime.

Ashanti Posey, a high school senior in Nashville, was shot and killed last Thursday, April 9 while driving with another 17-year-old in the car with her.

Police believe that Posey was leaving a neighborhood after a small marijuana sale, but the girl’s mother doesn’t think that the drug deal had anything to do with her daughter’s death.

“This was out of jealousy because my daughter was openly gay and in a happy relationship with a young lady for two years,” she told WTVF.

“Sometimes being different is not accepted in society, it’s just not.”

Continue reading: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/
2020/04/mother-vows-shell-get-personal-justice-teenage-lesbian-daughter-killed/
(source)

South Africa: Teen lesbian dead after being knifed 13 times in brutal attack

SA

As the country was celebrating Human Rights Day on Saturday, 16-year-old Liyabona Mabishi’s right to life was taken away.

The Grade 11 learner from Nkanini in Khayelitsha [South Africa] was slaughtered by three men who left her fighting for her life.

The teen lesbian was walking with her 18-year-old friend when she accidentally bumped into one of the men.

She apologised for knocking him but her words fell on deaf ears and she was stabbed 13 times.

Her friend, who tried to intervene, was also attacked.

Suspected hitman of lesbian politician Marielle Franco killed by police

marielle franco

Friends and relatives of the murdered Brazilian politician Marielle Franco are demanding answers after Adriano da Nóbrega – a notorious hitman, whose gang of contract killers is suspected of involvement in her assassination – was gunned down by police in the north-east of the country.

Nóbrega, an ex-special forces police captain, also had close links to the family of the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro. Nóbrega was killed by police on Sunday in Bahia state where he had been on the run.

“Who gained from the death of ex-special forces captain Adriano Nóbrega,” tweeted Franco’s widow, Monica Benicio.

Franco’s leftist PSOL party said Nóbrega was a “key piece” in discovering who ordered Franco’s killing and called for a full investigation. “Witness elimination? Another attempt at obstruction of justice? Who ordered our companion killed? We demand answers,” tweeted Sâmia Bonfim, a PSOL congresswoman.

Continue reading at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/09/hitman-with-links-to-marielle-francos-killed-by-police (Source)

Previous article: Brazil: two ex-police charged with murder of lesbian activist politician Marielle Franco and her driver

Original article: Protests held across Brazil after lesbian Rio councillor shot dead

Mexico: lesbian couple murdered at home

L2L Mexico

A female couple died after being shot dead in their home, located in the Luis Salas García neighbourhood in the municipality of Papantla, causing the mobilisation of various response agencies. One woman died in the house and the other was taken to the local hospital, where she died shortly after due to the severity of her injuries.

The attack happened on Friday afternoon, when a couple of armed men riding a motorcycle arrived at the house, located at the corner of Andrés Lasteri Mota and Pablo Platas streets, in the aforementioned suburb, where Karina MC, 32 years old, and María Susana N Sánchez, 31 years old, were living.

When they opened the door, the assailants fired on the women, then fled. Neighbours called the emergency number 911, where the request for help was directed to the Municipal and State Police, as well as paramedics.

The medics pronounced Karina MC, who was found in bed with bullet wounds to her head, chest and abdomen, dead on the scene while María Susana was found in the courtyard with gunshot wounds to the torso and hip. She was transferred to the local hospital, where she died due to her injuries.

It is alleged that Karina had been the subject of death threats from her ex-partner, the father of her two children, after she went to live with the Maria Susana, and police are investigating the double murder.
(Translated)

Una pareja conformada por dos mujeres fallecieron luego de ser atacadas a balazos, cuando se encontraban en su vivienda, ubicada en la colonia Luis Salas García, municipio de Papantla, provocando la movilización de diversos cuerpos de socorro; una mujer murió en la misma casa y otra aún con vida fue llevada al hospital regional, donde falleció minutos después debido a la gravedad de sus heridas.

La agresión se registró la tarde de este viernes, cuando un par de hombres armados a bordo de una motocicleta, llegaron hasta una casa, ubicada en la esquina de las calles Andrés Lasteri Mota y Pablo Platas , en la citada colonia, donde se encontraban Karina M.C., de 32 años de edad y María Susana N. Sánchez, de 31 años de edad.

Al ser abierta la puerta, los agresores disparó en contra de las mujeres, para luego huir, por lo que vecinos pidieron auxilio al número de emergencias 911, donde se canalizó el apoyo a elementos de la Policía Municipal y Estatal, así como un grupo paramédico.

Los socorristas confirmaron en el lugar, la muerte de Karina M.C., quien presentaba impactos de bala, en la cabeza, tórax y abdómen, siendo hallado sobre la cama, mientras que María Susana fue encontrada en el patio y tenía heridas de bala, en el tórax y la cadera, la cual tuvo que ser trasladada al hospital regional, donde debido a sus lesiones, falleció.

Supuestamente Karina ya había sido amenazado de muerte por su ex pareja y padre de sus dos hijos, luego que se fuera a vivir con la otra mujer, por lo que las autoridades policiacas, ya investigan el doble asesinato.
(Original)

Continue reading at (IMAGE WARNING): https://www.diarioeyipantla.com/ejecutan-a-dos-mujeres-dentro-de-su-casa-en-papantla/ (Source)

2019 in review: Lesbians in the News

 

By Liz Waterhouse

2019 Lesbian News Summary

In 2019 Listening2Lesbians expanded our coverage to challenge the previous dominance of English stories to better report global lesbian experiences. This shift saw an increase in news reported, with information from additional countries in 10 languages.

It remains difficult to find comprehensive reports of lesbian experiences given the legal or social situation in many countries; largely disinterested mainstream and specialist media; and various language barriers including a reliance on freely available news translation services and sometimes limited use of the word lesbian by victims, police or media.

The news that was reported in 2019 indicated significant continuing opposition to or punishment of lesbians, particularly in religiously conservative regions. The increasing conservatism and religiosity in some of these areas is of particular concern for lesbians who are subjected to both homophobia and sexism, as well as the intersection of the two.

LOCATION – CHALLENGING THE ANGLO DOMINANCE

2019 Stories by Country

 

In 2019 Listening2Lesbians found and shared 258 news stories from 53 counties, up from 152 stories from 35 countries in 2018.

Reports from the USA and United Kingdom dropped as a percentage from 50% of stories to 26% of location specific stories.

In 2018 we identified the dramatic over-representation of news from the USA and UK, based both in the cultural dominance mirrored in media resourcing / output and our reliance on English language media.

In an attempt to better track global lesbian experiences, we expanded news searches from only English to include daily searches in English, Russian, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. It is hoped that this search can expand in coming years. Any readers who can assist are requested to contact us.

This expanded news search resulted in news posted in 10 languages in 2019 with 55% of news posted solely in English, 23% in Spanish, 6% in both French and Italian and 3% or under in Portuguese, German, Chinese, Polish, Dutch and Russian.

There remain significant gaps in representation, particularly in countries where homosexuality is strictly or defacto illegal (45 of the 123 countries never reported on by Listening 2 Lesbians). A lack of reported news from these countries cannot mean a lack of discrimination, harassment and persecution of lesbians in these countries.

The under-reporting of lesbian experiences in these countries is almost certainly exacerbated by the (LGBTI and mainstream) media focus on other groups within the LGBTI community. Lesbians continue to be omitted from reports on legal changes, persecution and their effects even when it is evident that they will be affected, and that their experiences will be further exacerbated by cultural expectations of and pressures on women and the punishment levied against women who do not meet these cultural norms and sex roles.

 

ISSUES

Discrimination and harassment were the dominant issue reported in 2019, representing 46% of the global stories reported in the English media.

Physical and sexual violence against lesbians, including murder, represented 37% of reported stories with persecution a further 11%, often including stories of lesbians seeking asylum to escape it.

Issues reported 2019 Global

This breakdown is not globally representative with the USA breakdown between discrimination and harassment and persecution significantly different to that in the rest of the world. Discrimination and harassment in the US represents 77% of the news items and persecution is not represented. This represents a shift from 2018 when 61% of the stories reported discrimination and harassment and persecution was present in 5% of the stories.

Physical or sexual violence, including murder, represented only 14% of the stories, down from 31% in 2018.

Issues reported 2019 USA

For the rest of the world, minus the USA, discrimination and harassment represent just 40% of the stories in 2019, marginally up on the 36% in 2018. Persecution stories decreased from 24% to 13%. 

Physical or sexual violence, including murder, represented 41% of the stories, up from the 29% in 2018.

Issues reported 2019 not USA

 

HOSTILITY SOURCE

News stories reported in 2019 were coded for source of hostility, abuse or discrimination to provide insight into the nature of the opposition to lesbians.

Global data was considered first, with individuals and community hostility increasing from 35% in 2018 to 55% of 2019 reports. Government hostility and discrimination dropped as a percentage from 28% in 2018, the single largest source, to 9% in 2019.

2019 hostility source chart global

The USA vs global minus USA data was also assessed, showing significantly lower community hostility than global reports but a mirrored increase in business hostility (approximately 10% difference in both).

2019 hostility source chart USA

 

The USA hostility source data shows no publicly reported hostility from family and friends and little government hostility.  Public sphere hostility represented 66% of hostility in USA stories (education, business and individual/stranger hostility combined), an increase on the 50% reported in 2018.

2018 hostility source chart global - usa

2019 hostility source chart not USA

Government as a formal source of hostility decreased from 34% to 10% in global reports that excluded the USA. It is hard to know whether this represents a variation in incidents or reporting, or a variation in the source countries included in the 2019 news reports.

For countries other than the USA, community and in individual/stranger hostility rates are significantly higher than in 2018 reports (from 14% to 25% and 19% to 35% respectively, a net increase in 26%). The stories reported in 2019 challenge the idea that lesbians do not experience street violence, with butch or gender non conforming lesbians particularly subjected to harassment, violence and murder.

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The data gathered in reporting discrimination and violence against lesbians around the world in 2019 shows significant variation across the global lesbian experience, reinforcing our need to focus on the communities we do not hear about.

Given the fragmented and unreliable nature of reporting on crimes against lesbians, it is difficult to draw any conclusions from the limited reports we have, however, it is evident that the experiences of living in countries with deep and clearly expressed social and legal opposition to lesbians differs from that of lesbians facing discrimination and harassment in states with civil remedies and protections. The increasing conservatism and windback of legal protections in various jurisdictions around the world is of particular concern.

Civil remedies and greater community acceptance do not appear to have resolved the issue of interpersonal violence which represents approximately 36% of the 2019 reports, an increase on 30% in 2018.

RESPONSE TO THE NEWS

In 2018, the Listening2Lesbians story with the most individual views on WordPress was Brazil: murders of lesbians increased by 237% in 3 years, also the Facebook post with the greatest engagement.

In general, responses mirrored patterns evident in 2018, namely that reports of harassment or discrimination against white lesbians in the USA or UK received consistently higher engagement than reports of even murder of lesbians of colour, particularly those outside English speaking first world countries.

While this is disappointing it is not unusual. Listening 2 Lesbians will continue to respond by seeking to focus particularly on finding reports of non white lesbian experiences.

AREAS NOT REPORTED ON

Listening2Lesbians has largely not reported in depth on:

  • Harassment of lesbians in relation to views of gender identity
  • Inclusion or exclusion of mothers on birth certificates in various jurisdictions
  • Access to in vitro fertilisation treatment

In particular, lesbian experiences in relation to gender identity is a specific area with dedicated sites better suited to this focus.

 

POSTS FROM 2019:

 

Mexico: bar staff charged with death and assault of lesbians celebrating anniversary

Debraye

December 2019: Two employees of the Debraye bar in Cuernavaca, Morelos, were arrested in relation to the death of a 24-year-old woman and assault of her girlfriend when they left the establishment.

Nancy Guadalupe and her girlfriend went to the bar on December 7 to celebrate their first anniversary, but it all ended in a nightmare.

When they left, they said that they had not left a tip and returned to leave the money on the table.

Back at the exit, one of the men struck Nancy in the head and the other did not let her girlfriend out because she had a glass. After discussing for a few moments, she returned to find a disposable container for the drink.

On her return, she found Nancy beaten by the bar. She had to be transferred to a Cuernavaca hospital but she died on December 9 as a result of the head injury caused by the blows.
(Translated)
Dos empleados del bar Debraye en Cuernavaca, Morelos, fueron detenidos por estar relacionados con la muerte de una joven de 24 años y agredir a su novia cuando salían del establecimiento.

Nancy Guadalupe y su novia fueron a ese bar el 7 de diciembre para festejar su primer aniversario, pero todo acabó en pesadilla.

Cuando salían, estos dos sujetos primero les reclamaron que no habían dejado propina, por lo que regresaron para dejar el dinero sobre la mesa.

Nuevamente en la salida, uno de los hombres le dio un golpe a Nancy en la cabeza y el otro no dejaba salir a su novia porque se llevaba un vaso de vidrio; tras discutir por unos momentos, su pareja tuvo que regresar a buscar algo desechable para la bebida.

Pero cuando volvió, encontró a Nancy golpeada abajo del edificio donde está el bar y tuvo que ser trasladada a un hospital de Cuernavaca.

Sin embargo, murió el 9 de diciembre a consecuencia de un traumatismo craneoencefálico provocado por los golpes.
(Original)

Continue reading at: https://www.elsoldemexico.com.mx/mexico/justicia/feminicidio-empleados-bar-debraye-cuernavaca-nancy-guadalupe-novia-4611448.html (source)

South Africa: Lesbian, Madonnah James, beaten and brutally murdered

Madonnah-James-murder.jpg

The brutalised body of Madonnah James, a 32-year-old lesbian woman, was found dumped in a field in Bloemfontein’s Namibia township.

According to family members, Mabatho Maradonnah James, known as Madonnah, was last seen alive on the night of Friday 29 November. It’s believed that she’d gone out to buy cigarettes with an unknown man.

Her body was discovered the next morning near her family home, where she’d lived with her younger brother and sister.

Madonnah had been stoned until her face was unrecognisable. It’s also suspected that she’d been raped. Her funeral was held on Saturday.

Continue reading: https://www.mambaonline.com/
2019/12/18/lesbian-woman-madonnah-james-brutally-murdered-in-bloemfontein/
(source)

Lesbian creates Argentinian hate crime map of lesbophobia

 

The lesbophobia hate crime map

Every March 7, Lesbian Visibility Day is celebrated in Argentina. The date was chosen in memory of 27 year old Natalia “La Pepa” Gaitán, who was killed by her girlfriend’s stepfather on March 7 2010.

The story of “La Pepa” is a standard for Argentine lesbian activism because it showed how far hate can go. Today, her smiling face is stamped on flags and t-shirts.

Paula E. (as she is identified online) is a Social Work student who has been working in the systems area of ​​a company for 10 years. Lesbian and an activist, last year she noticed that many cases of violence against her community went unnoticed in the media and were somewhat forgotten by activism as well.

“I also saw that among heterosexual people there is a perception that lesbians do not suffer violence, that they do not violate us and that because of the Argentinian laws, we have no more problems,” she explains.

But changes in laws are not enough to end the violence.

Paula knows it well: all the time, stories come from other lesbians who are assaulted, discriminated against or verbally abused.

“That’s why I came up with the idea of ​​the map, to keep track and help make the cases visible,” she tells us.
(Translated)

 

Cada 7 de marzo, se celebra en Argentina el Día de la Visibilidad Lésbica. La fecha fue elegida en recuerdo de Natalia “La Pepa” Gaitán, quien a los 27 años fue asesinada por el padrastro de su novia, el 7 de marzo de 2010.

La historia de “La Pepa” es estandarte para la militancia lesbiana argentina porque desnudó cuán lejos puede llegar el odio. Hoy, su cara sonriente está estampada en banderas y camisetas.

Paula E. (así se identifica ella en sus redes) es estudiante de Trabajo Social y hace 10 años que trabaja en el área de sistemas de una empresa. Lesbiana y activista, el año pasado notó que muchos casos de violencia hacia su comunidad pasaban desapercibidos en los medios y quedaban algo olvidados por la militancia.

“También veía que entre las personas heterosexuales hay una percepción de que las lesbianas no sufrimos violencia, que no nos violentan y que con las leyes que hay acá en Argentina no tenemos más problemas”, explica.

Pero los cambios en las leyes no alcanzan para terminar con la violencia.

Paula lo sabe bien: todo el tiempo, le llegan historias de otras lesbianas que son agredidas, discriminadas o insultadas.

“Por eso se me ocurrió la idea del mapa, para llevar un registro y ayudar a visibilizar los casos”, nos cuenta.
(Original)

Continue reading at: https://www.playgroundmag.net/comunidad/mapa-crimenes-odio-lesbianas-argentina_48632290.html (Source)