In Brief

Staff Reports

Liberian Anti-Gay Group Puts Out "Hit" List On Country's LGBTQ People

MONROVIA, LIBERIA -- An extremist anti-gay group in the west African nation of Liberia distributed fliers this past weekend with a hit list of people who support gay rights saying that said those involved in promoting gay rights “should not be given space to get a gulp of air,” and one member of the group was quoted as saying he'd like to “get to them [LGBTQ People] one by one.”

The group, calling itself the Movement Against Gays in Liberia, stated in the fliers; “Having conducted a comprehensive investigation, we are convinced that the below listed individuals are gays or supporters of the club who don’t mean well for our country. Therefore, we have agreed to go after them using all means in life.”

The national debate over LGBTQ equality rights in this nation has become increasingly hostile. This past February, the country's lawmakers introduced legislation that would criminalise 'homosexuality' with convicted offenders punished with lengthy felony jail sentences in place of current statues that specify gay sex acts as first degree misdemeanors, punishable by up to a year in prison.

A spokesperson for Liberian Senator Jewel Howard-Taylor indicated that one bill changing the classification to a felony means imprisonment from one year to life and in specific instances provides for the death penalty on a judge’s discretion in “extreme cases."

The Associated Press reports that no individual members of MOGAL signed the flier. But Moses Tapleh, a 28-year-old resident of the main community where the flier was distributed, said he was affiliated with the group and stressed that its threats should be taken seriously.

“We will get to them one by one,” Tapleh said. “They want to spoil our country.”

Asked what specific action might be taken against those on the list, he said they could be subjected to “dangerous punishments” including “flogging and death.”

A relative of one of those targeted, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the person on the list already had received threatening phone calls.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, said she would not sign legislation strengthening the current anti-gay laws, but would similarly not sign a bill repealing them.

Last month, during an interview alongside the Liberian president, former UK prime minister Tony Blair dodged questions over proposals to strengthen the anti-gay laws.

In that interview, President Sirleaf said: “We’ve got certain traditional values in our society that we would like to preserve. We’re going to keep to our traditional values.”

A relative of one of those targeted, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the person on the list already had received threatening phone calls. 

The flier distributed in Liberia warned that the group would begin taking action shortly. “Let these individuals be aware that we are coming after them soon,” the flier reads. “We urge them to also begin saying their Lord’s prayers.” 

Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, said the emergence of the hit list should put pressure on Liberia’s president to take a stance in support of gay rights. Simply refusing to sign the new anti-gay laws, he said, was insufficient. 

“She cannot sit on the fence when there’s this kind of provocation taking place. She needs to take a clear and unequivocal stance on this issue,” Reid said. 

Homophobia is rife in many African countries. Last year, Nigeria’s Senate voted in favor of a bill that would criminalize gay marriage, gay advocacy groups and same-sex public displays of affection. A newly added portion of the bill levels 10 years in prison for those found guilty of organizing, operating or supporting gay clubs, organizations and meetings. ~ The Associated Press via The Washington Post

Chicago’s LGBT Howard Brown Health Center To Repay Feds $715K

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- In an announcement made Tuesday, the chief executive officer of the nationally known Howard Brown Health Center, Jamal Edwards, said that the centre will pay back $715,000 to three separate federal agencies settling a claim that the clinic improperly used research grants monies.

According to an investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, during the period from 2005 to 2010, the center used $1 million in federal grants designated for an AIDS research study to pay general operating expenses.

Edwards, who took the helm of the health clinic network in 2010, after allegations of misspending became public told the Chicago Tribune, "This is all behind us now."

Edwards said the agency has boosted fundraising efforts since he came aboard and was able to repay the money with revenues from its charity resale shops and clinical and pharmaceutical operations. Edwards said the federal grant money was used to pay operating costs for Howard Brown, a violation of federal law. 

Under terms of the settlement, Howard Brown will immediately send $53,924 to the Centers for Disease Control and $86,076 to Health Resources and Services Administration, and will repay a total of $575,000 to the National Institutes of Health over three years. 

The total settlement of $715,000 is less than $1 million that was misspent from 2005 to 2010, and federal authorities could have demanded more than $3 million in total fines and interest, Edwards noted. 

"The fact they were willing to accept less than they were owed is a really strong statement that we have been open and transparent," Edwards said. ~ The Chicago Tribune

The Chicago health clinic was founded in 1974 and provides health care and research primarily focused on the LGBTQ community.