🚨 OUTRAGE after a Pretoria court acquits a man accused in an alleged "corrective rape" case of a lesbian teenager from Atteridgeville. LGBTQIA+ activists say the verdict was undermined by forensic and investigative failures. Full story ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/09/a...

🚨 A new GLAAD report says LGBTQ people are less safe online than ever. Meta, YouTube and X all saw their LGBTQ+ safety scores drop — with warnings about rising hate, harassment and anti-trans rhetoric. ⬇️ Read more on MambaOnline. www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/08/h...

For the first time, a Vatican Synod report includes personal testimonies from LGBTQ+ Catholics. Advocates say it signals a more open tone from the Catholic Church. Read the full story ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/08/v...

"Do our lives matter?" Anger is growing after the alleged killers of queer Cape Town teen Kwakhanya Mhlanganisi apply for bail amid ongoing court delays. Read the latest update in the case here. ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/07/a...

As anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric gains ground across Africa, Mpho Buntse argues that what is often framed as “tradition” is in fact a dangerous regression rooted in colonial legacies and global conservative influence. Read his opinion piece here. ⬇️  www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/06/o...

“The elephant in the room.” Namibia says LGBTQ+ equality must “wait” — but for how long? At the UN, calls for protection were met with deflection about "moral convictions". 👇🏿 Read the full story. www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/06/m...

Amid public hearings on Ghana's pending anti-LGBTQ+ bill, an MP claims condoms and lubricant promote homosexuality. The country's AIDS Commission has responded. Full story ⬇️  www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/05/g...

The SA Human Rights Commission has responded to criticism over its settlement with the Beloftebos wedding venue after one of the same-sex couples say they were excluded. www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/01/s...

A major step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Europe. The European Parliament has voted to support a ban on conversion therapy across the EU. Here’s what it means. www.mambaonline.com/2026/05/01/e...

Submissions from over 250 queer artists from 22 African countries! We speak to filmmaker and author Renaldo Schwarp, who's curating a bold new Pan-African exhibition in Johannesburg to mark IDAHOBIT 2026. www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/29/q...

After 6 years, the Beloftebos same-sex wedding venue discrimination case is settled in the Western Cape Equality Court, but the outcome is mixed, and questions remain. Full story ⬇️  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/28/s...

🏳️‍🌈 All you need to know in one weekly email! 📢 The latest African and global LGBTQ+ news and views in your inbox! Subscribe now to the FREE Mamba Wrap weekly newsletter here. 👇🏾 www.mambaonline.com/newsletter-2/

"Long overdue." More than 6 years after Botswana’s courts first struck down the colonial-era ban on same-sex intimacy, the government has formally removed the discriminatory provisions from the law. Read about this historic moment here ⬇️  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/25/h...

“I have to act straight to avoid being treated differently.” New research reveals that many LGBTQIA+ women in South Africa are avoiding healthcare. Here’s why 🏳️‍🌈 ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/24/i...

A gay couple were just taking a walk with their newborn baby… until a “journalist” approached them. The resulting clash has gone viral with one of the gay dads arrested. www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/24/c...

South Africa’s out and proud Deputy Minister Steve Letsike just visited what is said will become the world’s largest LGBTQ2+ monument. Find out more here. ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/24/s...

🌈 We need your help to keep independent LGBTQIA+ media alive in Africa. Every rand you give will be matched by The Other Foundation, up to a total of R200,000. 💥 Double your impact. Support queer independent media now: www.mambaonline.com/donate-now/

He was previously found guilty of hate speech… so why is he targeting the queer community again? Cape Town Pastor Oscar Bougardt attacks comedian Marc Lottering, and condemns gay people as "reprobates". Read more here ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/23/c...

BREAKING: 🚨 The Constitutional Court has limited the SA Human Rights Commission’s powers. What does this mean for LGBTQ+ rights and access to justice in South Africa? Read more here ⬇️  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/22/c...

Lesbian Visibility Week is here — and this year, it’s about something we can’t afford to ignore: Health and Wellbeing. 🌈 From mental health and safety to access to affirming healthcare, lesbian and queer women continue to face barriers that too often go unseen and unspoken. #LesbianVisibilityWeek

A major blow to anti-LGBTI+ so-called "propaganda laws" in Europe. The EU’s top court rules that Hungary's discriminatory law is incompatible with core European Union values. Find out more here ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/22/e...

Predators spiking people's drinks is a real risk in nightclubs and queer spaces. But now there are reports that spiked lube is also being used to target victims. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe. www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/20/h...

Can a child’s future be decided by a vote? In Eswatini, LGBTIQ+ students were reportedly expelled after parents voted on their fate. Bradley Fortuin says this raises serious human rights concerns. www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/20/o...

“We have raised our voices, now we must raise our impact.” 🌈 Details for eThekwini Pride 2026 have been announced, with the week-long event set to culminate with the march along the Durban Promenade on 6 June. Find out more here ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/18/e...

The SA Human Rights Commission says that intersex children's rights are often overlooked from birth. Its new guide for parents and guardian aims to prevent that. Read more here ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/15/s...

A 24-year-old man has become the first person to be jailed under Senegal’s harsh new anti-LGBTQ+ law, just weeks after it was enacted. Read more ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/15/s...

An LGBTQ+ women’s football team from South Africa is set to make its international debut as it prepares to compete at the Gay Games XII in Valencia this June. Acclaimed artist Zanele Muholi is helping make it happen. Read more ⬇️  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/15/s...

1/2 We’re honoured that Sibonelo Ncanana-Trower, Co-chair of South Africa's's LGBTQIA+ National Task Team is celebrating 25 years of MambaOnline. 🌈 But as we face funding cuts and a growing backlash against our rights and dignity, MambaOnline needs your help to write the next 25.

After more than 15 years of repression and anti-democratic policies, Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community is finally seeing a glimmer of hope. A political shift could mark a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights. www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/14/h...

“It completely broke me.” Transgender South Africans are waiting up to 30 years for gender-affirming surgery at the country’s only state trans clinic. Read more ⬇️  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/14/s...

March 2026 shows a disturbing pattern of violence, hate speech, and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in South Africa — from brutal attacks to court delays and rising intolerance. Read the full monthly LGBTIQ+ Rights Watch report here. ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/13/s...

🏳️‍🌈 The Pride flag is officially returning to the Stonewall Monument! After a legal battle against the Trump administration, activists have secured a major victory for LGBTQ+ visibility and history. Read the story here ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/14/v...

"When our healthcare is gone, when our media is gone, when our organisations are gone, when our gathering places are gone, who is going to speak for us?" A powerful must-read warning from Hendrik Baird on the future of LGBTQ+ life in South Africa. 👇🏿  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/13/o...

Hermina Khoza - a queer life full of warmth, cut short by brutal violence. Now, a Gauteng community is asking: Was this a hate crime? www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/11/t...

From voguing on Harlem dance floors to queer nightlife in District Six — the history behind Cape Town’s ballroom scene is richer than you might think. Find out more here. 👇🏿  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/10/c...

Eswatini’s King Mswati III has sparked outrage after using his Easter message to attack LGBTQ+ people. Activists say the remarks are irresponsible and dangerous. Read more here. 👇🏾 www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/07/e...

At a recent gathering in Johannesburg, parents spoke about fear, violence, and learning to stand up for their LGBTQIA+ children. Now they’re organising across Southern Africa. www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/27/s...

A crucial legal challenge to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act has been postponed. The delay prolongs the continued oppression of the country's LGBTQ+ community. www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/03/u...

Psychiatrists are sounding the alarm after a US Supreme Court decision that reopened a challenge to a Colorado conversion therapy ban. They warn that LGBTQ+ youth could be at risk. www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/02/p...

For many LGBTQ people, Easter isn’t a celebration — it’s a painful reminder of exclusion from family or church. A queer minister shares a powerful survival guide. Read more 👇🏿  www.mambaonline.com/2026/04/01/w...

“Lorato ke lorato" - Love is love. Botswana’s High Court prepares to hear a historic marriage equality case that could redefine democracy, constitutional rights, and LGBTQ equality in the country. Read more ⬇️ www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/31/o...

In an exclusive video, MambaOnline went behind the scenes to speak to Yaya Mavundla, Ilano Sky and Celeste Makeup about what African transgender visibility and power mean to them. Watch it here! www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/31/v... #TransDayOfVisibility

From Ghana and India to the USA and the Olympic stage, transgender people are facing growing attacks, scapegoating, and the erosion of their rights. Hate flourishes when voices are silent. Visibility challenges that silence.

India’s Parliament has pushed through a controversial transgender bill — critics say it could harm the very community it claims to protect. Here's what's at stake. 👇🏾 www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/30/w...

“This will harm all women.” More than 130 LGBTQ+ and human rights groups are sounding the alarm after the IOC bans trans women from women's events at the Olympic Games and reintroduces sex testing. www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/28/t...

🚨 “I Will Beat Her to Death”: Outrage as a Ghanaian TV host says he would murder his own children if they were LGBTQ+. A rights group is demanding action. www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/26/g...

A US university has cancelled plans to honour Ghana’s President John Mahama. The reason for the snub? His support for his country’s extreme anti-LGBTQ+ bill. 👇🏿 Read more www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/26/u...

A 23-year-old Russian woman has been sent to a penal colony for running an LGBTQ+-inclusive nightclub. The authorities claim she's guilty of "extremism". Read the full story: www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/25/n...

Justice delayed. A “corrective rape” case in the Eastern Cape has been postponed after a new bail bid by the accused — sparking anger from activists. 👇🏿 www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/24/b...

🏳️‍🌈 Sandy Bay in Cape Town, one of the world’s top gay-friendly nudist beaches, is still not officially recognised. A new campaign aims to change that. www.mambaonline.com/2026/03/23/c...