In Belarus, journalists and members of the LGBTQ+ community face alarmingly restrictive landscapes.  Thirty-four journalists are currently jailed in Belarus, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ). Most are charged with “extremist activities” or “violating public order” as part of the crackdown on the press following the 2020 presidential election. More recently, BAJ was […]

Mariana Escobar Bernoske and Felipe Morales Sierra are both reporters at El Espectador, one of Colombia’s biggest national newspapers, working in the Gender and Diversity section and the Judicial section, respectively. Both a part of the LGBTQ+ community, they find that their identity as queer journalists informs their reporting on their respective beats.  For Escobar […]

In Ethiopia, “when you’re a journalist, once or twice you will end up in jail”, said a journalist who spoke to IPI requested anonymity. But for an LGBTQ+ journalist, they said, this could mean an investigation into one’s personal life — and if someone is found to be queer, they could be charged and imprisoned […]

Before publishing a recent project centering on the LGBTQ+ community in Africa, an anonymous Kenyan journalist prepared for backlash and harassment online. Though the negative response was not as strong as he had feared, the personal risks for a queer journalist remain high.  Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya, punishable by up to 21 years in […]