IDAHO on the 17th of May marks the date in 1990 when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.

Marking this date Portugal became the 8th country in the world to legalise gay marriage joining Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Sweden. Although the Pope in a visit to the Iberian country last week referred to gay-marriage as *“insidious and dangerous”* affirming that the family was *“founded on indissoluble marriage between man and woman”*.

Gay Marriage seems to be gaining greater acceptance around the world with developments in Latin America, the US and the European Union particularly raising hopes in those who suffer violence and discrimination that they will one day achieve legal parity with their heterosexual neighbours.

The European Union’s foreign minister, Catherine Ashton issued a statement for IDAHO saying, *“The European Union rejects and condemns any manifestation of homophobia as this phenomenon is a blatant violation of human dignity. It considers that discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity is incompatible with the basic principles on which the EU is founded, and it is and will remain committed to the prevention and eradication of discrimination based on the six grounds mentioned in Articles 10 and 19 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which include sexual orientation.”*

The Polish President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek said in a video message, *“Homophobia is a clear breach of human dignity… and must be strongly condemned.”* He went on to explain that the EU should continue to oppose homophobia inside and outside the European Union.

For all the positive messages from Europe, the picture is not all rosy for gays and lesbians in other parts of the world. In Malawi two young men, Steven Monjeza & Tiwonge Chimbalanga, have been found guilty of the “crime” of homosexuality and in a statement by Peter Tatchell, the British human rights activist and founder of the pressure groups Outrage!, he said, *“The law under which they were convicted is a discriminatory law that only applies to same-sex relations. It is unconstitutional. Article 20 of Malawi’s constitution guarantees equality and non-discrimination. The law in Malawi is not supposed to discriminate”*.

Denouncing the legal system in Malawi which is a hangover from British colonial rule Tatchell went on, *“Malawi’s anti-gay laws were not devised by Malawians. They were devised in London in the nineteenth century and imposed on the people of Malawi by the British colonisers and their army of occupation. Before the British came and conquered Malawi, there were no laws against homosexuality. These laws are a foreign imposition. They are not African laws.”*

Prior to the verdict, Tiwonge and Steven issued a defiant message from their prison cell. It affirmed their love for each other and thanked their supporters in Malawi and worldwide.

Tiwonge said: *”I love Steven so much. If people of the world cannot give me the chance and freedom to continue living with him as my lover, then I am better off to die here in prison. Freedom without him is useless and meaningless.”*

*”We have come a long way and even if our family relatives are not happy, I will not and never stop loving Tiwonge,”* said Steven.

The two young Africans have been adopted by Amnesty International as prisoners of conscience. In a statement Amnesty said, *“Amnesty International considers both men prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for their perceived consensual same sex relationship, and has urged the Malawian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the two men.”*

The men’s sentence is due on Thursday 19th May, but according to Malawi’s colonial-age laws they could face up to 14 years in prison.