Bob and Gay Smher, whose dghter Lra disappeared and was... News Photo - Getty Imag

Contents:

• GAY SMHER: WHERE IS LRA SMHER’S MOM NOW?
• WHO ARE LRA SMHER PARENTS? MEET HER MOTHER GAY SMHER AND FATHER
• WHERE IS LRA SMHER’S MOM GAY SMHER NOW?
• SOMIZI MHLONGO: GAY TV STAR NCELS ZIMBABWE TRIP AFTER CHURCH PLA
• GAY ZIMBABWEANS FIGHT STIGMA, HARSH LAWS
• THE GAY ORAL HISTORY PROJECT ZIMBABWE: BLACK EMPOWERMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THE REARCH PROCS*
• GAY-UNIENDLY ZIMBABWE HOSTS INTERNATNAL AIDS CONFERENCE
• GAY SMHER: WHERE IS LRA SMHER'S MOM NOW?
• BOB AND GAY SMHER, WHOSE DGHTER LRA DISAPPEARED AND WAS MURRED 1997 FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS, GREET MARK KLAAS, (RIGHT) AT THE FAIRMONT HOTEL ON TUDAY OCT. 1, 2013, SAN FRANCIS, CALIF. TWENTY YEARS AFTER THE KIDNAP AND MURR OF POLLY KLAA

GAY SMHER: WHERE IS LRA SMHER’S MOM NOW?

Tragilly, Gay Smher’s worst nightmare me te when her 12-year-old dghter, Lra Smher, went missg om her hometown of Friendswood, Texas, on April 3, 1997. Lra had set out on a morng jog after takg Gay’s permissn, and she was the first who noticed that the girl was gone for longer than ual.

WHO ARE LRA SMHER PARENTS? MEET HER MOTHER GAY SMHER AND FATHER

While Netflix’s ‘The Texas Killg Fields’ talks about the cint and follows the police vtigatn, let’s fd out where Gay Smher is at prent, shall we? People who know Gay mentned that she is a lovely and genero human beg who lov to extend a helpg hand and wel everyone wh a se. On April 3, 1997, Gay planned on makg pank for the fay breakfast, but Lra asked her if she uld nip out for a quick jog around the neighborhood.

WHERE IS LRA SMHER’S MOM GAY SMHER NOW?

Sce Lra lived an active life and would often go out on ns, Gay agreed but asked the 12-year-old to return soon. Once Gay realized that her dghter was takg more time than ual, she went out on her own and asked around the neighborhood. However, no one knew where the 12-year-old was, and as the hours passed, Gay began fearg the worst.

Gay regularly attend the Texas trial and was relieved when the killer was sentenced to prison for life. Left to Right: David Smher, Gay Smher, Bob Smher// Image Cred: Texas Center for the Missg/Facebook.

Days after Lra went missg 1997, Gay and her hband, Bob Smher, started the Lra Revery Center, a not-for-prof anizatn that fights agast child abductns and helps fai lote their missg children. Sourc claim that while Gay Smher retired om her profsnal life 2007, the rint of Friendswood, Texas, still serv as the Co-Founr and Print of the Lra Revery Center. Gay’s perseverance the face of tragedy is immensely spirg, and we would like to wish her the very bt for the years to e.

SOMIZI MHLONGO: GAY TV STAR NCELS ZIMBABWE TRIP AFTER CHURCH PLA

Mr Manyati is on one of his first viss to the drop- centre of Gays and Lbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) Mutare, eastern Zimbabwe.

GALZ is a membership-based associatn that promot, reprents and protects the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) people Zimbabwe.

While Mr Manyati may look out of place, beg at GALZ is the most “fortable” he has ever felt as a gay man livg Zimbabwe his 60 years. The kd of homophobia that, as recently as 2017, saw the former print scribe gay people as, “worse than dogs and pigs.

GAY ZIMBABWEANS FIGHT STIGMA, HARSH LAWS

GALZ matas that the hatred and fear ed by the late print’s particular brand of homophobia, “is still beg felt Zimbabwe today. While same-sex marriage is legal and LGBTI rights are nstutnally enshred, beg gay is dangero. In the first half of 2021, there has been a spate of murrs of young gay men and an outcry om the LGBTI muny for the ernment, media and public to take hate crim more serly.

This helped to secure US$ 2 ln for programm that serve gay men and other men who have sex wh men, the largt vtment ever an HIV and sexual and reproductive health rponse for the muny. Although Gay gave the Police full operatn and assisted them as need, she longed for her dghter’s killer to be brought to jtice. While there isn’t any rmatn about Lra’s Father, Bob, her mother, Gay Smher, regularly attend the Texas trial and exprsed relief when the murrer was given a life sentence jail.

Gay Smher, a native of Friendswood, Texas, is allegedly still the -founr and print of the Lra Revery Center spe havg retired om her reer 2007. We want to exprs our admiratn for Gay’s strength the face of sorrow and our bt wish for the future.

THE GAY ORAL HISTORY PROJECT ZIMBABWE: BLACK EMPOWERMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND THE REARCH PROCS*

This is precisely what happened to Gay Smher, whose darlg 12-year-old dghter had gone missg.

One fe morng of April 3, 1997, a rint of Friendswood, Texas, Gay Smher, worked up early a lovg fay wh her hband and 12-year-old dghter. Gay scrib Lra as lovely and genero and lik to extend a helpg hand and enterta people wh her se. Lra has always been an active kid who loved to jog, and Gay gave her permissn on the ndn that she would return early.

GAY-UNIENDLY ZIMBABWE HOSTS INTERNATNAL AIDS CONFERENCE

Gay did all she uld to help the police their vtigatn and remaed hopeful to have her dghter reach her closure and fally reach peace.

Blown by Lra gog missg, Gay and Bob, her hband, started a non-prof anizatn lled ‘Lra Revery Center’ to fight agast child abductns and to help fai fd their missg children. Gay Smher retired om Lra Revery Center 2007, but she still serv the foundatn as Co-Founr and Print. Gay’s story is one of termatn and strength, which should not be fotten, so Netflix cid to film their show lled ‘Crime Scene: Texas Killg Field.

Zimbabwe’s recently posed print Robert Mugabe ma no secret of his loathg for gay men and lbians.

GAY SMHER: WHERE IS LRA SMHER'S MOM NOW?

In 2015, he stood before the UN General Assembly and clared “we [Zimbabweans] are not gays”. This is bee there are two bs of legislatn that directly affect the LGBT muny: the first is that ’s illegal to be gay Zimbabwe. In the crowd streets of Harare’s central bs district, Mojalifa was for a taxi to take him to the Gays and Lbians Associatn of Zimbabwe (GALZ) office for a aln meetg for LGBTQI+ anizatns and activists.

Mojalifa Ndlovu is an openly gay man livg Zimbabwe, and an LGBTQI+ rights activist at the center of the Natnal Democratic Instute’s (NDI) work, supported by the Uned Stat Agency for Internatnal Development (USAID), to build and promote a strong aln of LGBTQI+ groups on electoral reform.

I lost iends and other fay members who felt by g out openly as gay I was kd of tarnishg them, so they chose to disassociate themselv wh me. The LRC is a member of AMECO, which is a natnal associatn of missg and exploed children's anizatns and Gay serv on their board of directors.

BOB AND GAY SMHER, WHOSE DGHTER LRA DISAPPEARED AND WAS MURRED 1997 FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS, GREET MARK KLAAS, (RIGHT) AT THE FAIRMONT HOTEL ON TUDAY OCT. 1, 2013, SAN FRANCIS, CALIF. TWENTY YEARS AFTER THE KIDNAP AND MURR OF POLLY KLAA

Gay is a member of Team HOPE and a nsultant to Fox Valley Technil College, prentg around the untry as an advote for missg children. Gay was the natnal speaker for missg children 2005, speakg for the Office of Juvenile Jtice & Delquency Preventn for Natnal Missg Children's Day Washgton DC.

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Somizi Mhlongo is bt known as a judge on South Ai's versn of Amerin IdolA South Ain celebry has ncelled an appearance Zimbabwe after a Christian group tried to ban him om enterg the untry bee he is gay.