Showing posts with label Steven Monjeza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steven Monjeza. Show all posts

Saturday, 29 May 2010

Malawi Couple: Free At Last


Great news - the President of Malawi has pardoned Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, following a visit to the country by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
We might now see some interesting questions answered: Why did the Malawi newspaper The Nation put their "marriage" on its front page last December? It was this publicity, that led to their arrest.
How many men are currently in prison in Malawi for committing "unnatural offences"? Will they also be released?
And how do Steven and Tiwonge feel about being described as a "gay couple" when it appears that they split up in December and moreover Tiwonge identifies not as a gay man, but as a woman?
From an interview in The Times (London)in January; "Dressed in a blouse and describing himself as a woman, he said that they became engaged after “my darling, Steven, proposed love to me and we agreed to get married”.
"Unlike Mr Monjeza, he refused to accept that he had broken any law. “Which laws? I am a woman, I can do what a woman can do,” he said. “I love Steven for what he is, he doesn’t give me money. In fact, I do everything for him, but love is love.”'
More importantly, will the UK offer them asylum?

Friday, 28 May 2010

Malawi Couple: At Least They Got The 'Malawi' Bit Right


Apart from the fact that they are no longer a couple and probably don't identify as gay, it's hard to find fault with press coverage of the imprisoned "Malawi gay couple", Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza...