Global Feminist Daily News Wire
February-26-97

Report Says Lesbians and Gay Men Are Targeted for Abuse

According to “Breaking the Silence,” a report by Amnesty International, lesbians and gay men are killed, tortured and imprisioned on the basis of their sexual orientation and face prosecution in up to 60 countries. The report cited death squads that kill gay men and transvestites in the name of social cleansing in Columbia and the use of the death penalty and public stoning as punishment for homosexuality in Iran. Homosexuality remains illegal in Nigeria, Romania, and India. Amnesty International called for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide, and it praised South Africa for including sexual orientation in its constitution’s anti-discrimination provision, the first country to take such a step. The groups also lauded policies in 10 U.S. states that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Media Resources: : The Washington Post - February 26, 1997

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