HONDURAS: Ricky Martin Ain’t Welcome

The Advocate reports:

Some people don’t want Ricky Martin to visit Honduras this month as part of his world tour, but it’s not entirely clear if it’s right-wing religious leaders or government officials objecting.

Martin is scheduled to perform in Tegucigalpa on October 16. The minister of interior of Honduras, Africo Madrid, is telling the media that evangelical and Catholic leaders want Martin’s visa denied in order to “protect the moral and ethical principles of our society.” Madrid says the Christian officials don’t approve of Martin’s homosexuality or the fact that he’s a proud father to two children. “His nuclear family is not the type of family that Honduran society and laws approve of,” Madrid said, according to Fox News Latino. 

The odd thing is that El Heraldo newspaper reports that sources in the Honduran secretary of state’s office claim there have been no written petitions to deny Martin entry into Honduras. Considering this as well as Madrid’s statements to the media, it may be Madrid who really doesn’t want Martin coming to his country.

Trans, Gay Murders Rock Honduras

The Advocate reports:

Three murders in Honduras have raised the number of LGBT deaths in the Central American country to 31 in recent months, a cause for concern among officials at the U.S. Embassy.

“The protection of Honduran law extends to all its citizens regardless of sexual orientation and the Lobo Administration has repeatedly expressed its commitment to defend the rights of all Honduran citizens,” read a statement from the embassy. ”It is in this regard that we call upon Honduran law enforcement authorities to vigorously investigate these crimes, bring to justice the perpetrators, and take all necessary steps to protect LGBT persons, who are among the most vulnerable to violence and abuse in Honduras.”

Those killed recently include a 23-year-old transgender woman known as Lorenza, according to Gay City News in New York. She was found dead in Comayagüela in December, with bloody rocks near her body, indicating she may have been stoned to death as well as set on fire. Condoms were also found near her body, leading to speculation that she was also raped.
Gay City News blames the murders on a government-backed campaign to target gay people. 

According to the National Resistance Front’s website, which has been keeping tabs on the murders, police have been minimally invested in solving the cases.