Homosexual acts are illegal in Kenya, as in most African countries. Gay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Until today’s ruling, Kenya was one of at least eight countries worldwide where men suspected of being gay are subjected to forced anal testing. The others – according to Human Rights Watch (HRW) – are Cameroon, Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and Zambia.

Today’s decision by the Court of Appeal overturns a previous ruling from 2016 on the legality of such examinations, and whether they violate an individual’s privacy.

HRW says the “cruel, inhuman and humiliating” process usually involves medical personnel “inserting their fingers, and sometimes other objects, into the anus of the accused. In other cases, men are ordered to strip naked and bend over or lie down with their feet in stirrups while doctors “visually” examine their anal regions”.

Following today’s ruling, a lawyer for Kenya’s National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission said: “The humiliation and pain caused by these useless anal examinations will follow our clients for the rest of their lives.”

LGBTQ campaigners hope the ruling will influence another court case under way to decriminalise gay sex.

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Source: BBC

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The app, Rela, is no longer available in the Android or Apple app stores, and its website and Sina Weibo account have been deleted.

Users began to notice that the app was not accessible last week. It is unclear why it has been shut down.

Rela told its users on WeChat that the service had been suspended for an “important adjustment in service”.

“Rela has always been with you and please await its return!”

Conservative attitudes

The state internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), has not commented on the shutdown.

Some users have suggested that it was connected to Rela’s support for parents of LGBT children who wanted to take part in a “marriage market” in Shanghai on 20 May.

The group joined the weekly event in People’s Park where older parents try to find partners for their unmarried sons and daughters, and handed out “educational flyers”.

According to Sixth Tone, security officers ordered the group to leave the park, saying they had not registered their “advertising event” with the police.

It is not illegal to be gay in China, but homosexuality was considered to be a mental disorder until 2001 and attitudes towards it remain conservative.

Grindr buyout

In April, a Chinese dating app aimed at gay and bisexual men, Zank, was shut down after the CAC accused it of broadcasting pornographic content.

But in February, another dating app, Blued, received substantial funding from the state-backed Beijing News.

Rela’s closure comes a week after a Chinese gaming company completed its buyout of Grindr, the world’s biggest gay social networking app.

Beijing Kunlun Tech bought a 61.5% stake in Grindr in January 2016 for $93m (£72.3m). Last week, it announced it was buying the remaining 38.5% for $152m (£118m).

It also coincides with Taiwan’s top court ruling in favour of legalising same-sex marriage.

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Source: BBC

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But some vloggers, including Tyler Oakley, say they’re “perplexed” by non-explicit material being blocked.

The site tweeted: “We regret any confusion this has caused and are looking into your concerns.”

YouTube said: “LGBTQ+ videos are available in Restricted Mode, but videos that discuss more sensitive subjects may not be.

“We are so proud to represent LGBTQ+ voices on our platform – they’re a key part of YouTube what is all about.”

How Restricted Mode works

The company hasn’t addressed how Restricted Mode works, or why it’s blocked certain LGBTQ videos, but the statement added: “The intention of Restricted Mode is to filter out mature content for the tiny subset of users who want a more limited experience.”

Restricted Mode is intended to protect younger viewers from seeing adult content.

YouTube says it uses community flagging, age-restrictions and “other signals” to identify what is potentially inappropriate content and filter it out.

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Source: BBC

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