Candygram

The BBC reports:

An Australian surfer has made an incredible escape after encountering two sharks during a major competition in South Africa. Mick Fanning was competing in Jeffreys Bay, on the eastern Cape, when one of the sharks approached his surfboard. The final of the J-Bay Open had only just started when Fanning was knocked off his surfboard and into the sea. Fanning, the defending champion, escaped injury. The tournament was called off soon afterwards. "I was just sitting there and I felt something just get stuck in my leg rope, and I was kicking trying to get it away," Fanning told Fox Sports. "I just saw fins. I was waiting for the teeth."

SOUTH AFRICA: Surgeons Announce World's First Successful Penis Transplant

The Washington Post reports:

In a nine-hour surgery, a South African medical team successfully transplanted the penis of a dead donor to a young man without one. Three months later, they say, the recipient, who lost his penis because of complications from a ritual circumcision, has a totally functional sexual organ. That makes him the first successful recipient of a donated penis. To get the approval of the donor's family, doctors had to fashion a pseudo-penis for him out of abdominal skin. That way he could be buried with something resembling a penis. South Africa has a greater need for penis transplants than most of the world. Young men who are members of the Xhosa people often undergo ritual circumcision, sometimes in rural areas without proper instruments or sterilization. Complications from this practice lead to an estimated 250 penile amputations each year.

The surgical team now has nine patients awaiting donated organs.

SOUTH AFRICA: Black Group Withdraws From Cape Town Pride, Claims Racism

Via the Independent Online:

A lesbian and gay rights campaign organisation has hit out at the Cape Town Pride, saying the celebration does not represent the black homosexual community and it will not be supported. “Free Gender has made the decision to continue to suspend its support for the upcoming Cape Town Pride 2015,” said Funeka Soldaat, who is the chairperson of Free Gender, an organisation that campaigns for the rights of homosexuals in Khayelitsha. “The events currently tabled for the upcoming Cape Town Pride are exclusionary and do not represent the black lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and transgender community (LGBTI),” she added. Cape Town Pride week starts on Friday and will take place from February 20 to 28, culminating in a pride parade and mardi gras along Cobern, Liddle and Napier streets in De Waterkant.  Response from festival organiser Matthew van As: "Cape Town Pride does not see race or gender, but people willing to put in the effort and time, for free, to create gay spaces to celebrate being gay. We are Capetonians and gay. That is all we are."

Cape Town Pride is the largest such event in all of Africa. Indeed, there are no gay pride events anywhere outside of South Africa. Cape Town Pride begins tomorrow. (Tipped by JMG reader Bruce)

Oscar Pistorious Found Not Guilty

Via Newsweek:

South African Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius has been found “not guilty” of murdering long-time girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of 14 February 2013. The court will resume shortly when Judge Thokozile Masipa will deliver her verdict on the charge of culpable homicide, or manslaughter, and other firearms offences. Masipa accepted the defence’s timeline of events, ruling that the shooting took place at 3.12 in the morning, crucially making the screams of distress heard by neighbours around 3.17am those of a shocked Pistorius and not Steenkamp, meaning her killing was sudden and was unlikely to have been premeditated.

More from the Los Angeles Times:

Judge Thokozile Masipa halted the proceedings before delivering a ruling on a lesser charge of culpable homicide and said she would resume the proceedings on Friday. "It's clear that his conduct was negligent," Masipa said. But the judge said she did not find sufficient evidence to prove the prosecution’s contention that Pistorius intended to kill Reeva Steenkamp after the couple had an argument, though she did conclude that the athlete was negligent in firing his weapon four times through the door of the bathroom in his residence, in which Steenkamp had locked herself. Pistorius admitted to firing four expanding bullets into the toilet cubicle off his bathroom. But he had insisted that he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder, fired unintentionally and not meaning to kill anyone.

Strangest. Spokesman. Choice. Ever.

South Africa "Respects" Right Of Uganda To Enact Anti-Gay Legislation

South African President Jacob Zuma said today that his government respects Uganda's anti-gay legislation.

Responding to a parliamentary question on whether he intended to clear South Africa's policy position regarding Uganda's anti-homosexuality law, Zuma said: "South Africa respects the sovereign rights of other countries to adopt their own legislation." "In this regard, through diplomatic channels South Africa engages with Uganda on areas of mutual concern bearing in mind Uganda's sovereignty," Zuma said through a written response to the National Assembly. The SA Human Rights Commission called for the country's government to condemn the law. "The commission believes that our government should make its rejection of Uganda's draconian law clear and visible," spokesperson Isaac Mangena said in February.

RELATED: Zuma was elected in 2009. In 2005 he was charged and later acquitted of the rape of an HIV+ positive woman. Zuma was mocked in the press for claiming that he took a shower after having sex with the woman in order to reduce the chance of having been infected. A polygamist, Zuma married his fourth wife in 2012 and is thought to have fathered more than 20 children. In 2002 he paid ten cattle for a Swazi princess whom he ended up not marrying.

Lawn Again Christians

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Headline Of The Day

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SOUTH AFRICA: "Fake" Sign Language Interpreter At Mandela Memorial

Deaf people around the world took to social media yesterday to declare that the sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial was speaking gibberish. Many wondered if the man was using a sign language unique to South Africa, but that was not the case.

Paul Breckell, chief executive of the U.K.-based charity Action on Hearing Loss, said: "We are shocked by the quality of sign language interpretation at Nelson Mandela’s memorial -- if it could be called interpretation at all." He added that "the limited number of signs, the amount of repetition, lack of facial expressions and huge gaps in translation meant that deaf or hard of hearing people across the world were completely excluded from one of the biggest events in recent history." Among the first to express their dissatisfaction was Wilma Newhoudt-Druchen, the first deaf woman to be elected to the South African parliament, who tweeted that the signing was "rubbish," adding: "He cannot sign. Please get him off."

And the YouTube parodies have already arrived.

President Obama Alludes To LGBT Rights During Speech At Mandela's Funeral

The funeral is continuing at this writing, see the live video below this post. The Washington Post published the president's remarks, which included a reference to LGBT rights.

It is a question I ask myself - as a man and as a President. We know that like South Africa, the United States had to overcome centuries of racial subjugation. As was true here, it took the sacrifice of countless people - known and unknown - to see the dawn of a new day. Michelle and I are the beneficiaries of that struggle. But in America and South Africa, and countries around the globe, we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact that our work is not done. The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality and universal franchise may not be as filled with drama and moral clarity as those that came before, but they are no less important. For around the world today, we still see children suffering from hunger, and disease; run-down schools, and few prospects for the future. Around the world today, men and women are still imprisoned for their political beliefs; and are still persecuted for what they look like, or how they worship, or who they love.

LIVE VIDEO: Nelson Mandela's Funeral

Westboro: We'll Picket Mandela Funeral

Yeah, let's see if THIS actually happens.

Empire State Building Honors Mandela

The Empire State Building was lit in the colors of South Africa's flag in honor of Nelson Mandela and the Tea Things are very upset about this.

LGBT Groups React To Mandela's Death

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

Nelson Mandela was an inspiration to the millions of people who yearn for freedom across the world. With great personal sacrifice, he fought Apartheid and state-sanctioned racism. His principled approach, his willingness to reach out to former enemies, led to the introduction of multi-party democracy and real change in South Africa. Indeed, South Africa's post-apartheid constitution was the first in the world to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. His legacy is hope; hope that people can achieve peace and freedom in a world with more than its fair share of conflict.

Human Rights Campaign

Nelson Mandela tore down oppression, united a rainbow nation, and always walked arm-in-arm with his LGBT brothers and sisters—and with all people—toward freedom. Though every man, woman and child who seeks justice around the world mourns this loss, his vision of an equal future lives on undimmed. Mandela, who was South Africa’s first post-Apartheid president, was an outspoken advocate for LGBT equality. He appointed an openly-gay judge to South Africa's High Court of Appeal and during his presidency, South Africa became the first nation in the world to constitutionally prohibit sexual orientation-based discrimination. Mandela will be remembered for his social justice activism and commitment to equality for all people.

Lambda Legal

Lambda Legal joins others around the world in mourning the loss of Nelson Mandela, one of the 20th century's giants in the struggle for justice and human dignity. Every one of us who continues the fight for equality and civil rights in our own communities labors in the shadows of this man who withstood imprisonment as a consequence of his courageous leadership and grew only stronger, more resolute and more dignified. As South Africa's first elected black president, he led the people of his country toward reconciliation and forgiveness. Under his leadership, the new constitution of South Africa included explicit prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation - a degree of legal protection that LGBT people still do not have in the United States.

All Out

We are deeply saddened to hear about Nelson Mandela’s passing. Yet, we are hopeful his legacy of tolerance and mutual respect will live on for generations," Andre Banks, Executive Director and Co-Founder of All Out said. “As All Out continues to work with partners throughout Africa to free those who are oppressed and imprisoned for who they are and who they love, we will be inspired by Nelson Mandela’s story and words.”

Nelson Mandela Dead At Age 95

TRAILER: Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

UN Unveils LGBT Rights Campaign

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights today unveiled a global LGBT rights campaign at a meeting in South Africa.  The campaign is called Free & Equal.

The multi-pronged campaign — announced at a news conference in Cape Town, South Africa — will include videos and public-service announcements distributed through social media, a new website, a series of fact sheets, and engagement by celebrities well-known in different regions of the world. ‘‘Changing attitudes is never easy... It begins with often difficult conversations,’’ said Navi Pillay, the high commissioner for human rights. ‘‘And that is what we want to do with this campaign. Free & Equal will inspire millions of conversations among people around the world and across the ideological spectrum.’’ There were multiple reasons for choosing South Africa as the news conference venue. It is Pillay’s home country, and is a leading nation on a continent where discrimination and violence against LGBT people is widespread.

The above-linked article notes that the campaign is being funded by "outside contributors" and should therefore "skirt objections" from UN member states opposed to LGBT rights.

UPDATE: A press release from the UN adds more details.

The campaign will focus on the need for both legal reforms and public education to counter homophobia and transphobia.  A number of celebrities with a commitment to equality have pledged their support for Free & Equal by becoming UN equality champions and helping to spread campaign messages and materials via social media. These include the pop star Ricky Martin, South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Bollywood actress Celina Jaitly, and Brazilian singer Daniela Mercury. Additional equality champions will be announced as the campaign unfolds.

Updated Global Marriage Map

After last week's first gay wedding in France, the Agency France-Presse posted the above map.

Christian School Tells Gay Couple To Break Up Or Their Son Will Be Expelled

A private Christian high school in a northern province of South Africa has told a married lesbian couple that they must break up or their son will be expelled.

Legally married Samantha (27) and Kally Mabe (26) told The Star newspaper that they were called to a meeting with the principal of Secunda Highveld Christian School and were told their homosexuality was problematic. They were also accused of falsifying the information stating their sexual orientation in the school’s application letter.  “We never hid the fact that (our son) has two mothers and I filled in my details under the section in the form that asks for mother’s details and Sam filled in the area that said ‘Father/Guardian’, but filled in her title as Mrs,” the boy’s biological mother Kally said. The couple was initially summoned to the meeting last month, after the child told the teacher he had two mothers. Later, another meeting was called with a pastor present. “The pastor said if they had known we were a lesbian couple, they would never have allowed our son in the school.”

Provincial authorities say they will look into the matter even though the school is private. (Tipped by JMG reader Harry)

Updated Gay Marriage Map

Source.