The past few days have seen a number of alarming anti-LGBT international news items. Among them:
– in Australia, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has refused to set up a meeting with members of the advocacy group GetUp! (famous most recently for incredibly compelling marriage equality advertisement that’s gone absolutely viral), despite the fact that the group won an “intimate dinner” with Ms. Gillard in a June charity auction, intending to send same-sex couples to dine with the anti-equality prime minister and share their stories. ABC News Australia later reported that Gillard’s office agreed to hold the dinner, but not until after her party’s national conference early next month. h/t: Andy
– in Russia, the St. Petersburg administrative region is considering legislation that would ban so-called “gay propaganda,” essentially prohibiting anyone from writing, publishing, or speaking in public about LGBT identity. Two other regions, Arkhangelsk and Ryazan, have already taken similar steps. h/t: Rex
– in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has pledged to “punish severely” any Zimbabwean known to be an LGBT person. He also called homosexuality “Satanic” and lashed out at Western governments seeking to make future aid contingent upon the recipient nation upholding all human rights, including gay rights.
