LATE Saturday, Mr. Chimbalanga, who has said he considers himself a woman in a man’s body, and Mr. Monjeza were released from custody.
The police escorted Mr. Chimbalanga back to his home village in the remote hills of Thyolo District. He stayed for a reunion with family members, and planned to return to Blantyre early Sunday.
The New York Times: Malawi President Pardons Gay Couple
“I’ve been under so much emotional stress that I need to find somewhere to rest,” said Mr. Chimbalanga, speaking by cellphone through an interpreter. “I still want to marry Steven. But I don’t know what he is thinking any more. We’ve been through so much.”
He said: “I think it is going to be hard to stay in Malawi. I am afraid of what people might do to us. We probably need to seek asylum in some other country. Is there a place for us? I don’t know.” …
External links:
- Akimbo – In The Interest of “Equality,” Malawian Woman’s Identity Is Erased
- BBC News – Malawi pardons jailed gay couple
- Guardian.co.uk – Gay couple freed by Malawi presidential pardon return to home villages
- Gender DynamiX – Malawian couple sentenced to 14 years hard labour – Transgender activists speak out.
- Guardian.co.uk – Malawi frees jailed gay couple
- LGBT POV – Peter Tatchell on Properly Identifying Tiwonge Chimbalanga, Imprisoned in Malawi
- The Huffington Post – Is the Malawi Couple Gay?
- Wikipedia – LGBT Rights in Malawi
