Dear Readers
These are indeed perilous times. And for us as journalists and human rights defenders, we need not lament the associative risks that move in tandem with what we do.
Over a fortnight ago, a bill was introduced on the floor of the House of Representatives in Liberia. That bill, titled the Anti-Homosexual 2024 Bill, doesn’t only target the LGBTQ+ community; it also targets the media for reporting on the LGBTQ+ community.
For Team journalRAGE, we do feel personally threatened as this targets us directly because our sole focus of coverage is the LGBTQ+ community.
If such a Bill sailed through the Legislature, that means our legal registration with the government would be cancelled for 25 years (according to what is proposed) and we could be looking at a considerable number of years in the slammer. Actually, 20 years.
What a time to be a journalist!
Imagine us going to jail and losing our license because we dare to uphold human rights by reporting fairly and properly on the LGBTQ+ community in Liberia. The Bill can be viewed here.
The threats we face are surreal; sometimes, we try to ignore though they can’t be. About three weeks ago, an online news platform accused us of promoting the spread of homosexuality in Liberia. A grave allegation that cannot be ignored nor dismissed by a wave of the hand, given the context of the environment we work in.
Assuming that the proposed Bill that is currently before the Legislature was a law, that means we would have ceased to exist legally in Liberia and my colleagues and I would have been dragged to court to be trialled and sentenced to jail for 20 consecutive years. Thankfully, that is not the case. At least for now.
Honestly, we are strong individuals. The work we do requires a ton of mental and sometimes physical strength. Mentally, there’s only so much a person can take before they start to quiver and have a breakdown. I would be a liar if I told you it’s a bed of roses–it’s far from it. More a bed of thorns every where you lay.
Some nights when I read what is written about us online by the trolls on social media, the tears duct in my eyes watered. For my workmates, I can imagine what they go through silently even though we don’t say a word or talk about it. I guess our silence is what keeps us soldiering on amid the hiss and hail of bullets as we refuse to act nor be like the proverbial ostrich which buries its head in the sand while the tempest rages all about it.
Mental and physical strength aren’t the only thing we need during these perilous times.
We also need to be strengthened financially for the ides of March as they come.
Two years ago, my colleague was detained when he took a case to the police. The Police, rather than focusing on his complaint, instead focused on his sexuality and detained him on trumped-up charges. Thanks to the intervention of our partner, he was released. By then, his assailants who had been in the custody of the Police, were released. With funding we had received from ISDAO, we were able to safely relocate him from where he lived.
We have joined forces with Out for Equality to launch a fundraiser to strengthen our operations as the Sword of Damocles hovers. Our initial goal is US$1,000. This money will help in the case of any emergency, ranging from legal, physical threats and attacks, etc. Whatever is donated is greatly appreciated as it goes towards a noble cause. To donate, click here.
In Solidarity,
Gboko John Stewart
Curator-in-Chief
journalRAGE