From a Gay Man’s Twins in Namibia to Hate Crimes in Canada, This Week in Int’l LGBT News – SouthFloridaGayNews.com
This week read about protests in Namibia over Phillip Lühl’s twin daughters, and LGBT people being the most targeted in hate crimes in Canada.
Protests Erupt in Namibia Over a Gay Man’s Twins
Phillip Lühl is currently stuck in South Africa with his month-old twin daughters. His partner is anxiously awaiting his return and that of their daughters.
According to Face 2 Face Africa, Namibia’s Ministry of Home Affairs has refused him emergency travel authorization papers, leaving the twins stateless.
Lühl and his partner are registered as the parents of the twins, yet Namibia is not willing to recognize their marriage or issue them the necessary travel documents.
In a sworn affidavit, Lühl stated that the home affairs ministry asked him to provide genetic proof that he is the biological father, which is a stance he believes was taken because of his same-sex marriage.
According to Face 2 Face Africa, same-sex relationships are illegal in Namibia, but those involved are not prosecuted.
LGBT People Amongst the Most Targeted Victims of Hate Crimes in Canada
Photo via Adobe.
The Georgia Straight reports that incidents against people of Black skin color or sexual minorities accounted for nearly a third of hate crimes in 2019, which has increased 7% since 2018.
“Other than a single peak of 2,073 hate crimes in 2017, police-reported numbers are the highest since 2009,” Statistics Canada reported.
Hate crimes targeting Black citizens increased the most in Ontario and British Columbia. Alberta, on the other hand, saw the biggest drop.
Police reported that 263 hate crimes targeted sexual orientation in 2019, which was up 41% from 2018.
The federal agency also stated that nearly nine in 10 or 88% of these crimes specifically targeted the gay and lesbian community.
The remaining percentages were incidents against bisexual people, people with other orientations, and those whose sexual orientation was unknown.