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Nigerian President Signs Anti-Gay Law Imposing Up to 14 Yrs in Prison

Disturbing news from Nigeria. The president of Africa's most populous nation has defied international pressure and signed extreme anti-gay legislation that outlaws same-sex unions, "same-sex amorous relationships", public displays of same-sex relationships or homosexuality and bans pro-LGBT organizations, reports Al Jazeera.

President Goodluck Jonathan's spokesman, Reuben Abatim said on Monday that the president signed the bill because it was consistent with the attitudes of most people towards homosexuality in the west African nation. "I can confirm that the president has signed the bill into law," Abati said, without specifying a date but adding that it happened earlier this month.

Amnesty International urged Jonathan to reject the bill, calling it "discriminatory" and warning of "catastrophic" consequences for Nigeria's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Under the terms of the law, anyone who enters into a same-sex marriage or civil union can be sentenced to 14 years in prison while any such partnerships entered into abroad are deemed "void". It also warns that anyone who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations or who directly or indirectly makes a public show of a same-sex relationship will break the law. Punishment is up to 10 years in prison, it adds.

Sodomy is already outlawed under existing federal law in Africa's most populous nation. Twenty-four of Nigeria's 36 states punish same-sex acts with up to 14 years imprisonment. Twelve Islamic states in northern Nigeria have introduced Sharia law that has sentenced several gays to death. However, the death sentences have reportedly never been enforced and the sentences were commuted.

The new law is also expected to be extremely "popular" and should help President Jonathan's re-election campaign, adds The Guardian.

As in much of sub-Saharan Africa, anti-gay sentiment and persecution of homosexuals is rife in Nigeria, so the new legislation is likely to be popular. Jonathan is expected to seek re-election in 2015 but is under pressure after several dozen lawmakers and a handful of regional governors defected to the opposition in the past two months.

The legislation also bans same sex couples from living together, bans pro-LGBT websites or groups and prosecute their friends or human rights activists. Previous versions of the bill banned gays from meeting, living together, reading LGBT websites or even going out to dinner. The comprehensive anti-gay legislation was passed unanimously by Nigeria's House of Representatives in late May 2013. It later passed the Senate.  

Prosecutions related to same-sex relations were generally rare in Nigeria—but there has been an increase in arrests and prosecutions since the introduction of comprehensive anti-gay legislation in parliament in 2007.

The legislature of the Katsina State reportedly also approved harsh anti-gay legislation in December. The bill approved by the Katsina State House of Assembly mandates a 14-year prison sentence for any man or woman convicted of same-sex relations. Seven youths aged 18 to 25-years-old were arrested on "suspicion of homosexuality" in neighboring Jigawa State in November.

Katsina and Jigawa are among the twelve Islamic states in northern Nigeria that have mandated the harsh Sharia law that has sentenced several gays to death. 

Meanwhile: Two teenagers were arrested October 1 "on charges of homosexual activity and released on bail pending trial" in Osun State in the southwest, reports 76 Crimes. The "suspected homosexuals" are aged 18- and 19-years old and both pleaded not guilty.

Same-sex acts are currently illegal in at least 38 of 54 African countries. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African nations that protect LGBT rights. South Africa is the only African nation that mandates equal marriage.

Some Background ...
NIGERIA: Katsina Approves Anti-Gay Legislation
NIGERIA: REPORT: Police Arrest "Gay Pastor"
NIGERIA: 3 Gay Men Stripped, Beaten by Mob
NIGERIA: Criticism After Actor Sentenced
Nigerian Actor Sentenced for "Unnatural Offences"
"Daily Sun" Warns "Homosexuals in Trouble"
NIGERIA: Activists Harassed During Testimony
Nigeria Advances Extreme Anti-Gay Bill
NIGERIA: Hearings Begin on Extreme Legislation
Nigerian Village Vows to "Stone Any Homosexual"
EU Considers Suspending Aid to Nigeria
Nigerian Legislators Vote to Ban Gay Marriages
EU: Level of Homophobia in Nigeria "Unacceptable"
Nigerian Mob Attacks Gay Activist
Nigerian Lynch Mob Storms Jail
Nigeria: 18 Gays Face Death Penalty
Nigerian Lesbian In Hiding After Reported Wedding
Nigeria's Homophobia Threatens Bid for Games
Nigeria One Step Closer to Outlawing Gays

PHOTO: Business Card-Sized Chip Diagnoses HIV and T-Cell Counts

PHOTO: University of British Columbia

You're looking what could become the next frontier in global health and medicine across the developing world: A credit-card sized "microfluidic" biochip that scans blood to detect HIV and accurate T-cell counts.

The test takes less than 20 minutes and costs about ten dollars, according to new research from scientists at the University of Illinois and Daktari Diagnostics.

The chip is designed to work in a battery-powered handheld device that would “deliver simple HIV diagnostics to patients anywhere in the world, regardless of geography or socioeconomic status,” the researchers say in the paper.

The chip, developed by researchers at the University of Illinois and Daktari Diagnostics, is enclosed in a small chamber. Because cells block electric current, passing a current through a tiny microfluidic pore causes the cells to essentially announce their size and shape. That’s enough to identify the cell by type, so the test can count CD4 and CD8 cells, types of T cells that indicate how healthy the patient’s immune system is.

Once in wide use, the reader would cost less than $1,000 and each test would run less than $10, according to project lead Rashid Bashir.

The microfluidic chip could become a tremendous asset in frontier medicine across Sub Saharan Africa. That region is home to about 70 percent of all people living with HIV/AIDS, according to AVERT. Many areas are without electrical power, telephone service, adequate roads, hospitals or clinics ... which severely impacts conventional testing and treatment strategies.

10 HIV/AIDS Stories That Defined 2013 in the U.S.

"10 HIV/AIDS Stories That Defined 2013 in the U.S." is my year-in-review special for The Body.

Making this year's list: The Food and Drug Administration has approved the antiretroviral medication Truvada to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals. That biomedical prevention strategy is known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP.

Truvada becomes the first medication ever to be approved for HIV prevention in adults, marking a major milestone in the 30-plus years of the global epidemic. But many questions remain around adherence, risk, access .. as well as the outrageous $14,000 annual price tag. Meanwhile, there are promising developments in the decades-long quest for an HIV vaccine.

PrEP, vaccines, the Affordable Care Act, escalating criminal prosecutions, the gender divide, race and other issues are in the "10 HIV/AIDS Stories That Defined 2013 in the U.S." my year in review special for The Body. This is my second year reporting their annual wrap. The first time was on World AIDS Day 2011.

#WAD2013 INFOGRAPHIC: Gay Men and the Global HIV Epidemic

Today is the 25th World AIDS Day, which is a global day of reflection and activism to raise awareness to the devastating HIV/AIDS epidemic.

After more than 30 years of the crisis, about 35 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS or UNAIDS. In the United States, about 1.1 million people are positive and nearly 50,000 people contract the virus each year—with African Americans and Latinos disproportionately affected. Men who have sex with men—especially African American, Caribbean, Latino and African men—are experiencing the highest increases in new infections both at home and across the globe.

"Due to a confluence of factors, young gay men are often left out of research, policy and programs that are designed for adult gay men, he general pool of youth, or the overall population." reports TheBody.com, the world's largest HIV/AIDS news and resource portal. "What is the current state of the global epidemic among young gay men and how do we address it?" 

TheBody.com has created a clever infographic on the global MSM epidemic. Click to enlarge.

"Breakthrough" in Vaccine Research

PHOTO: GETTY

BARCELONA: After more than 30 years into the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a vaccine remains elusive—and much needed. Globally, about 35 million people are living with HIV, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS or UNAIDS. In the United States, about 1.1 million people are HIV positive, and nearly 50,000 people contract the virus each year—with African Americans and Latinos disproportionately affected. Men who have sex with men—especially those of color—have among the highest infection rates across the globe.

A possible "breakthrough" in the decades-long quest for a vaccine that could prevent people from acquiring HIV created the most buzz at the 13th AIDS Vaccine Conference in Barcelona. More on the nuances of the "science" behind the vaccine strategy in my report for POZ, "Possible 'Breakthrough' in Vaccine Research." It's the second article in my international media fellowship to AIDS Vaccine 2013 Barcelona.

AIDS Vaccine 2013 was the first public presentation of the research by Oregon Health and Science University's Louis J. Picker, MD, originally published in the journal Nature. Picker's study demonstrated that vaccinated monkeys can clear simian immunodeficiency virus—SIV, the monkey equivalent of HIV—from their bodies. Picker's research team used an aggressive strain of the simian virus, called SIVmac239 and described as "up to 100 times more deadly than HIV." The vaccine was effective in nine of the 16 monkeys in the study.

Picker's research team fused SIV genes to the cytomegalovirus (CMV), which is from the herpes virus family. The immune system responded to the infection by doing what it normally does—releasing new white blood cells called CD8 "hunter-killer cells" that kill cells infected with SIV. These CD8s are normally primed to target the virus, but in this case, according to The New York Times, they operated in "an atypical state of mid-activation" and persisted in tissue while "eliminating their targets quietly without triggering inflammation or even a mild fever."

This new vaccine strategy could be a "breakthrough" because HIV is "particularly Machiavellian," said Picker. The virus constantly mutates and hides from the body's immune system—which is why vaccine research has so far proved largely ineffective.

Read the full report HERE.

AIDS Vaccine 2013 Barcelona has been described as the "world's leading scientific meeting on HIV vaccine research" and was attended by more than 1,000 leading researchers, funders and policy makers.

AIDS Vaccine 2013 Barcelona and the international media fellowship were sponsored the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise—the international consortium that has pooled resources to "speed the development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine." The Enterprise includes the USA, Thailand and South African governments, the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNAIDS, World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention, GlaxoSmithKline, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Merck, Novartis, USAID, Sanofi Pasteur, the largest company in the world devoted to vaccine development.

I'm also reporting for Der Spiegel and EBONY.

AIDS Vaccine 2013 Barcelona: A "Breakthrough" in Research?

PHOTOS: GETTY

BARCELONA:  It's been more than 30 years since the start of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic that has claimed "an estimated 36 million deaths" and Blacks across the African Diaspora have been disproportionately impacted. There is finally some very promising news in HIV vaccine research.

My first report from AIDS Vaccine 2013 Barcelona for EBONY: "A 'Breakthrough' in AIDS Vaccine Research?"

A possible “breakthrough” was presented publicly for the first time at the 13th AIDS Vaccine Conference, which was held in Barcelona, Spain from October 7 to 10.  Louis J. Picker, M.D.  associate director of the Vaccine &  Gene Therapy Institute at Oregon Health and Science University, presented research that demonstrated vaccinated monkeys can clear simian immunodeficiency virus—the monkey equivalent of HIV—from their bodies.

The vaccine was effective in nine of the 16 monkeys in the study. Picker originally published his research last month in the journal Nature. “This is the first proof of concept that an AIDS-causing virus can be eliminated by an immune response,” Picker said. The vaccine used cytomegalovirus as a platform. CMV is already found in most humans and belongs to the herpes virus family.

Picker is confident the vaccine could work in humans. "The stars are aligned and we feel we have a very good shot. [It] also seems to work for tuberculosis and we need a larger study to prove this.” Picker estimates it could take “at least two years” to secure funding and regulatory approval for Phase I clinical trials in humans.

Read the full report HERE.

AIDS Vaccine 2013 Barcelona has been described as the "world's leading scientific meeting on HIV vaccine research" and was attended by more than 1,000 leading researchers, funders and policy makers.

AIDS Vaccine 2013 Barcelona and my international media fellowship  was sponsored the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise—the international consortium that has pooled resources to "speed the development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine." The Enterprise includes the USA, Thailand and South African governments, the European Union, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNAIDS, World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention, GlaxoSmithKline, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Merck, Novartis, USAID, Sanofi Pasteur, the largest company in the world devoted to vaccine development.

I'm also reporting for Der Spiegel and POZ Magazine.

MALAWI: Moratorium on Anti-Gay Arrests, No Repeal Scheduled Yet

PHOTO: Getty

An update from Malawi, whose brand new President Joyce Banda made international news this month when she promised to repeal the southern African nation's anti-gay laws. Malawi would become the first African nation to do so since South Africa in 1994.

Parliamentary leaders of Banda's ruling Democratic Progressive Party have announced a "moratorium" on arrests and prosecutions of suspected gays and lesbians. Repeal is not expected immediately, reports Malawi Today.

Leader of government in Malawi parliament Henry Phoya said Tuesday that the controversial law that restricts homosexuality is not part of business in the current sitting. The statement sharply contradicts President Joyce Banda’s statement that the law will be repealed as a matter of urgency.

"We don’t have any business on same sex marriages and you can cross check with our time table. If you ask me about what the president said, then the message was that she would like to see these laws reviewed some time in future,” Phoya said. [...]

"There’s currently a moratorium on the law, so there will be no arrests or prosecutions based on the law,” [Justice Minister] Ralph Kasambara, the justice minister, told Zodiak Radio.

Zodiak Radio broadcast an unconfirmed report that "two lesbians reportedly got engaged" in Blantyre, the nation's second largest city and its commercial capital. It's worth noting that the radio station is controlled by the opposition party.

Malawi faced international condemnation for the May 2010 conviction and 14-year prison sentences given to Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga. The couple was convicted of "unnatural acts" and gross indecency" after holding an engagement ceremony. The late President Mutharika pardoned the couple on "humanitarian grounds."

Same-sex acts are currently illegal in Malawi, as they are in at least 38 of 54 African countries. The maximum punishment is 14 years behind bars and hard labor. In September 2009, a senior official first suggested that the conservative African nation "must recognize" gay rights if it hopes to properly address HIV/AIDS.

Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African nations that protect LGBT rights. South Africa is also the only African nation to guarantee marriage equality. Kenya's parliament and supreme court are considering decriminalizing its sodomy statute.

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