Touted by the media as “Egypt’s first gay film” Hany Fawzy‘s ‘Family Secrets’ has censors asking for 13 scenes to be deleted, even though the movie is not explicit in nature. Trailer for ‘Family Secrets’ » See on www.cairoscene.com

Uzbek pop stars sing about the forbidden. Homosexuality, currently banned in Uzbekistan, is finding its way into performances by pop musicians. In 2012, Azlar became famous – and banned – in Uzbekistan for a song about this topic, and now, the musician Asal Choi (“Honey Tea”) is stirring up controversy …

Actor James Franco launched an online appeal on YouTube, speaking directly to the Australian Classification Board after censors banned a gay film, ‘I Want Your Love’, from screening in Australia. His appeal has been viewed almost 80,000 times during its first six days on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3rbDIsT4f0 “Frankly, adults should be …

Performances of a play about the struggles of a young, gay Ugandan businessman was halted by Media Council authorities one day before its scheduled opening night at the National Theatre in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. ‘The River and The Mountain’, written by the British playwright Beau Hopkins, portrays a corporate businessman …

The conservative American mothers’ group One Million Moms has launched an attempt to stamp out homosexuality from the world of graphic novels. The American Family Association-run conservative Christian organisation has taken issue with the news that DC Comics is planning to reveal that one of its established characters is gay …

An article in Al-Akhbar explains about the censorship of tv-series and films about lesbians, such as the television series ‘Behind Bars’ and the new short film, ‘A Lesbian Tale’. In an interview with Al-Akhbar, director Muhammad Khair Diab explains about his new short film titled ‘A Lesbian Tale’ which is …

Their gigs have been cancelled all over the world and their names withdrawn from awards. But Jamaica’s dancehall stars refuse to apologise for – or even stop singing – songs that encourage the murder of gay people. The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis travels to the Caribbean and discovers a culture that …

Brighton will be the first UK city to demand that music retailers ban reggae and rap albums with “anti-gay” lyrics. Brighton and Hove City Council voted unanimously on Thursday to write to the managing directors of its three largest stores condemning the music. It urged them not to stock artists …

Reggae star Sizzla has refused to apologise for his lyrics advocating violence against gay men, despite his UK tour being cancelled after protests. “They can’t ask me to apologise,” he told BBC radio station 1Xtra. “They’ve got to apologise to God because they break God’s law.” Sizzla is not allowed …

The first city-wide boycott of reggae and rap albums with “anti-gay” lyrics is being considered in Brighton. Councillors want music retailers HMV, Virgin Megastore and MVC to stop selling albums with homophobic lyrics in its Brighton and Hove branches. While the council does not have the power to ban their …