Two former Birmingham students have defied death threats to make legal history by becoming the first Muslim lesbian couple to get married in a civil ceremony in the UK. Rehana Kausar, 34, and Sobia Kamar, 29, from Pakistan, tied the knot at a registration office in front of their solicitors and two Pakistani friends earlier this month.
Continue reading at: Muslim lesbian couple defy death threats to tie the knot in civil ceremony – Birmingham Mail (Source)
Pratt also sent the two women a message which included their home address, and another in which he said he couldn’t wait to “ruin” their Christmas.
He then began phoning the couple, leaving a number of voicemails, including one where he said “you’re dead”.
Continue reading at: Man threatened the lives of his lesbian niece and her girlfriend in homophobic attack · PinkNews (Source)
The man who brutally assaulted a teenage lesbian couple in Texas is being sued for $500 million by the survivor of his horrible attack.
Continue reading at: $500 Million Lawsuit Filed Against Man Who Brutally Raped, Shot, Young Lesbian Couple | NewNowNext (Source)
Innes Frazer, 30, who is engaged to be married, confessed to describing the vulnerable 18-year-old autism sufferer to others as “my favourite lesbian”.
Continue reading at: Rugby player sexually assaulted teenage lesbian after saying he was the ‘only one who could turn her straight’ (Source)
A DISABLED lesbian has told a court she was physically sick after being sexually assaulted by a groom-to-be in a storage container at a rugby club Christmas party.
The 18-year-old, who is autistic and dyslexic, said she ran to the toilet and vomited after being groped by Innes Frazer.
Continue reading at: Disabled lesbian ‘sexually assaulted by groom-to-be in storage container’ at Ardrossan rugby club Christmas party (Source)
According to activists on the ground, three men have been arrested in connection with the murder, with two subsequently released. It is believed that one man remains in custody.
Shockingly, it appears that he has only been charged with robbery after being found in possession of items belonging to Smous.
Mambaonline has as yet been unable to communicate with the authorities in the area and officially verify these reports.
Local LGBTI activist Nthabiseng Mokanyane, who is also a relative of Smous, told Mambaonline that one of the released suspects had allegedly threatened a member of the community. “He said that they are going to kill all the lesbians and take off their heads,” she said.
Continue reading at: Lesbian South Africa Lifestyle | News | Dating (Source)
A recent murder case in Gujarat India highlights the plight of lesbians who are trapped in abusive situations in countries with high rates of family imposed sex-based abuse and homophobia and where living independently as a woman and lesbian is difficult. Where there are few to no legal or social remedies to prevent violence against themselves and their loved ones, abused lesbians may have no meaningful choices other than to remain in danger or breach legal or social rules. All courses of action open to them will be harmful, and possibly dangerous. Retaliating to stop the violence may stop familial abuse but results in exposure to significant legal sanctions. The emotional and psychological toll of facing these choices and their consequences adds to the tragedy of women trapped in this way.
In early April 2017, the body of a man, Yunis Maniya, was found in Bharuch dictrict of Gujarat, India. A woman (Mayaben), reportedly the lesbian partner of the victim’s daughter (Jaheda), and an unrelated male (Jayendra) have been charged with the man’s murder. The motive for the murder is reported by the local police responsible for the investigation as the ending of sexuality-based domestic violence:
Information on this case is scarce in English and the articles do not appear sympathetic to the plight of the abused daughter or her partner accused of the murder. What isn’t clear, reading only the English articles, is what the options would be for women experiencing domestic violence on the basis of their sexuality in a country where sex-based violence against women alone is endemic, homophobia is widespread and women’s capacity to leave the family circle is limited.
While domestic violence is illegal in India, women and girls remain highly susceptible to abuse within the family. In 2016 it was reported that so-called honour killings had risen by 800% year on year, although it is unclear whether this represents an increase in the killings or an increase in reporting.
Lesbians are particularly vulnerable given the criminalisation of same sex activities under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, introduced in 1860 and only repealed in 2009. In 2016 the Indian Supreme Court committed to reviewing Section 377 after a 2013 decision had reinstated the law . Only months before, a 2 judge bench of the Supreme Court named homosexuality “a social evil for some” in a tax ruling on a Gujurati film on homosexuality. The Supreme Court action was reportedly the last chance for law reform, save only an appeal to the conservative politicians of India.
Although the legal sanctions are not directly applied, they remain a potent backdrop to social sanctions and persecution in a country where national surveys report a 75% disapproval rate of homosexuality and in which lesbians face a double oppression as both women and lesbians.
A brief reading of lesbian writings about their life in India demonstrates some of the risks lesbians face, both on the basis of their sex and their sexuality.
This Gujurati case represents the catch-22 lesbian around the world can face – how do lesbians being abused for their sexuality and relationships defend themselves in societies where violence against women is endemic and where homosexuality is punished? This is a no win situation for lesbians who are trapped in violent situations with few options for escape or defense, and where retaliatory violence exposes them to far greater legal sanctions.
When lesbians have no safe way to leave or stay, what meaningful choice remains?
We have tried to ensure information presented in this piece is accurate, however if you notice any inaccuracies or accidental misrepresentations, please email us with additional information at liz@listening2lesbians.com or lisa@listening2lesbians.com.
Sources:
More on the legal situation and processes:
What still needs to be achieved in the current movement?
“So much. We will never erase all of the hate and fear directed at gay people. Difference is too threatening to many non-gays, especially those who follow religions that demonize us. Being out is the essential basic step to achieving and preserving something like equality. Encouraging and supporting one another, as the Golden Crown Literary Society and lesbian publishers do, for example, are necessary. Legitimizing our right to exist through the legal system will protect us to some extent. Electing supportive non-gays and gays to local and national office is another tool that can protect us in the future. Fighting demagogues every step of the way is a must. We will continue building our culture until it’s so strong our would-be oppressors and executioners can’t begin to tear it down.”
Continue reading at: The Amazon Trail: Questions from a lesbian high school student | LGBT Weekly (Source)
Potchefstroom’s lesbian community has been shaken by another possible hate crime incident after a young lesbian woman was attacked and raped.
According to reports from local activists, on the night of 31 March, the 26-year-old was talking to a friend on the phone outside her home in Mohadin, Potchefstroom.
As she was chatting, three men grabbed her and pulled her into a stretch of veld, where they assaulted her. They hit her on the head with a stone, stabbed her in the left side of her back and kicked her in the face.
Continue reading at: Lesbian Woman Raped and Stabbed in Potchefstroom| mambagirl.com (Source)
A Nigerian woman held at Britain’s most infamous immigration detention center has pleaded with the authorities not to send her back to her home country, where her ex-husband is allegedly waiting to kill her.
Continue reading at: Lesbian asylum seeker says ex-husband will kill her if Britain deports her to Nigeria — RT UK (Source)
There are fears that a young lesbian woman has become the victim of a shocking hate crime, after a burnt body was discovered in Kroonstad.
Continue reading at: Burnt body feared to be that of young lesbian woman – MambaOnline – Gay South Africa online (Source)
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Tagged Hate crimes, Lesbians in South Africa, violence against lesbians, violence against women
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