Ghana’s top court upholds law criminalizing gay sex
Ghana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a six-decade-old law criminalizing gay sex as the west African country awaits another court decision on whether to introduce even harsher penalties in a new bill. The seven-member panel dismissed a lawsuit challenging the law, with presiding Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie saying reasons for the decision will be given later. The Ghanaian […]
Namibia: Government Appeals Historic Same-Sex Ruling
The Government of Namibia has chosen the wrong side of history by challenging the recent High Court ruling that declared the country’s apartheid-era ban on same-sex intimacy unconstitutional and invalid. In their ruling, the judges also found that criminalising gay men “poses a greater threat to the fabric of society as a whole than tolerance.” The landmark 21 […]
All 45 Gay Women’s Soccer Players Competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics
It’s hard to believe it was little over a year ago. Just 12 months ago, the best women’s soccer teams from across the globe and their fans converged on Australia and New Zealand to crown a new World Cup champion. We cheered on the perennial powerhouses and celebrated the debutantes. We saw some of the […]
Elon Musk’s transgender daughter, in first interview, says he berated her for being queer as a child
Vivian Jenna Wilson, the transgender daughter of Elon Musk, said Thursday in her first interview that he was an absent father who was cruel to her as a child for being queer and feminine. Wilson, 20, in an exclusive interview with NBC News, responded to comments Musk made Monday about her and her transgender identity. On […]
UN says nearly 40 million people had HIV in 2023, lack of treatment means someone died every minute
Nearly 40 million people were living with the HIV virus that causes AIDS last year, more than 9 million weren’t getting any treatment, and the result was that every minute someone died of AIDS-related causes, the U.N. said in a new report launched Monday. While advances are being made to end the global AIDS pandemic, […]
Police Investigate Chilling Grindr Attacks in Canberra
In distressing news, ACT Police are investigating two alleged homophobic assaults in Canberra, where gay men were lured via dating apps such as Grindr, and attacked. These incidents, which took place in Denman Prospect and Red Hill in Canberra, have shocked the community with their brazen and aggressive nature. The first incident occurred on the […]
Martinique: Dancer’s shimmy triggers town council into blocking Pride Month events
In June, the LGBT+ association Kap Caraïbe in the French Caribbean island of Martinique had to cancel many of the events it planned as part of Pride Month. The cancellations came after various obstructions from the town council of Fort-de-France, Martinique’s capital. Those officials opposed the Pride Month events after receiving complaints from some of […]
Here’s what Project 2025 says about gay marriage, LGBTQ+ rights
Nothing in Project 2025 proposes banning gay marriage, but it does have several policy proposals that are anti-LGBTQ+.
‘A big F’: LGBTQ+ groups disappointed with Marcos SONA
LGBTQ+ groups are disappointed with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) as he did not mention equal rights as a priority issue of his administration. In his speech that clocked over an hour, Marcos did not mention anything about the LGBTQ+ community or a measure that would prohibit discrimination based […]
US Asks Supreme Court to Unblock Transgender Student Protections
The Biden administration wants the US Supreme Court to step in and limit lower court orders that fully blocked it from extending protections against sex discrimination in education to transgender students. In emergency requests on Monday, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar asked the justices to partially stay rulings from federal district courts in the Western […]
Out of the closet, out of care: LGBTQ communities in Malawi struggle to access health care
In Lilongwe, Malawi, 24-year-old Cleo Jones recalls feeling more comfortable around girls than boys during childhood. Jones came out as queer and nonbinary at the age of 15, a decision that was met with harsh rejection by their father and attacks and stigma from society, causing them to fall into periods of depression. Since then, […]
Israel LGBTQ+ Medical Society launches course on transgender-friendly protocols
When Y. J. Chichester Salant, a 27-year-old trans woman, went to an ENT doctor in Tel Aviv because of a serious upper respiratory infection, one of the first questions the doctor asked was about her “bottom surgery.” Salant, the health care coordinator at the Trans Center in Tel Aviv, was taken aback and told him […]
Police advice to LGBTQ+ individual to avoid public restrooms ruled as rights violation
A court has ruled that police advising an LGBTQ+ individual, who was undergoing the process of gender correction and changing their resident registration number, to avoid using public restrooms for a period constitutes an infringement of personal rights. The court’s decision highlights the illegality of such remarks, noting that they fail to consider the reality faced […]
Trans Housing Coalition Receives Grant to Fight Trans Homelessness in Atlanta
Trans Housing Coalition will be expanding its Housing First Program after receiving a grant from Health Care Advocates International’s HCAI Fund. The non-profit, an Atlanta-based trans-led organization aimed at getting chronically homeless Black trans women off the streets, received $35,000 to support their housing program. “The HCAI Fund grant empowers the Trans Housing Coalition to expand their […]
From fear to freedom: LGBTQ+ migrants seek safe haven in Germany
Faced with rape threats, forced conversion therapy, and the necessity to flee their homeland, four queer individuals share their experiences with DW. “The Russian police threatened to have me raped in prison,” recounts 21-year-old Yusif Muradov. He had to flee Russia after authorities started cracking down on him for being openly queer. As of 2024, 64 […]
Bangladesh Supreme Court sets aside government jobs for third-gender people
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruled today that 1 percent of government jobs must be set aside for third-gender people and those with physical challenges. The human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) declared that it “heartily welcomes the landmark verdict”. The decision came after days of nationwide unrest and deadly clashes between police and protesters, […]
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act challenged at Supreme Court
Following months of preparations, the long-awaited joint appeal to the Supreme Court of Uganda against the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) was formally lodged on July 11 by 22 parties who were dissatisfied with the Constitutional Court ruling that upheld AHA in April. Although the Constitutional Court nullified a few sections that it said were inconsistent with […]
At least 144 LGBTQ athletes to compete in Paris Olympics
At least 144 out LGBTQ athletes will be heading to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games, with a record number of out male Olympians participating, according to the LGBTQ sports site OutSports. In the last Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021, there were at least 186 out competitors, but the list originally started at […]
Glasgow celebrates Pride after Palestine protest row
Thousands of people have taken part in colourful Pride celebrations in Glasgow after concerns were raised about plans for pro-Palestine protests. A Glasgow Pride spokesman said it was “firmly against” conflict of any kind, but the purpose of Pride was to “stand-up for the human rights and inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community”. The Glasgow Greens […]
‘Better days’ ahead for South Korea LGBTQ couples after landmark ruling
When South Korea was run by a military-backed authoritarian government in the 1970s, a “coffee house” where lesbians secretly gathered was an easy target. The country has progressed from the days of police raids on gay spaces, with the top court ruling on Thursday that same-sex couples are just as eligible for state health insurance […]
Two lifelong Republicans leave the GOP in support of trans grandchild
Two Ohio grandparents, Mike and Melissa H., were both lifelong Republican voters, but they recently left the GOP because its anti-transgender politics threaten the well-being of their trans grandchild. “I just felt a real departure from the Republican Party. I got some mailings from both the national Republican Party and the Ohio Republican Party, and […]
British government report says trans suicide claims overblown
A United Kingdom government advisor on Friday said statistics do not indicate that there had been a large spike in suicides among young people who identified as transgender after a 2020 decision by UK’s National Health Service restricting access to puberty blockers for those under 16. The UK’s health secretary asked Professor Louis Appleby to […]
Marriage equality comes to Aruba and Curacao; South Korea sees progress on LGBTQ unions
The global push to recognize the rights of LGBTQ couples continued in separate parts of the world this month when the Dutch Supreme Court ordered the legalization of marriage equality in the Caribbean-based constituent countries of Aruba and Curaçao, while South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of health insurance coverage for same-sex couples. The […]
Turkey Bans Transgender Art Exhibition Amid Intensified LGBTQ+ Crackdown
Turkish authorities have banned an exhibition that explores the art and history of the country’s transgender community, the Art Newspaper reported Thursday. Authorities shut down the exhibition, titled “Turn and See Back: Revisiting Trans Revolutions in Turkey,” by an order of a district governor who said the show “incited the public to hatred.” “Turn and […]
House to review anti-homosexuality law
Capitol Hill, Liberia, July 19, 2024 – Liberia’s House of Representatives has instructed its committees on Gender, Health, and Judiciary to review the request for the amendment of the country’s anti-homosexuality law. The proposal seeking an amendment to Chapter 14, Subchapter D of a bill titled “Anti-Homosexuality Law of Liberia 2024 was sent to the House […]
This African country never outlawed homosexuality… until now
The military junta ruling the West African county of Burkina Faso announced that homosexual acts will now be a punishable offense. As such, the nation is the latest in a growing number of African nations to crack down on same-sex relations. “Henceforth homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law,” Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue […]
What is Trump running mate J.D. Vance’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights?
LONDON – Donald Trump’s decision to name J.D. Vance as his running mate for November’s U.S. election has been criticised by LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, who say the Ohio senator has a history of working against the progression of gay and transgender rights. Vance, a best-selling author who was elected to the Senate in 2022, was announced […]
In landmark ruling, South Korea’s top court confirms state benefits for gay couples
SEOUL, July 18 (Reuters) – South Korea’s supreme court on Thursday upheld a ruling that a same-sex partner was eligible for spousal benefits from state health insurance, a move hailed as a win for LGBTQ rights in a country that has lagged others in the region. The court confirmed a landmark decision by the Seoul High […]
Ghana supreme court defers ruling on anti-LGBTQ bill
Ghana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred its ruling on a request to restrain parliament from transmitting a highly contested anti-LGBTQ bill to President Nana Akufo-Addo for his final approval. The ruling means debate around the bill, which has dominated Ghana’s political discourse since parliament passed it in February, will be sidelined from the campaign for December’s presidential […]
Dutch Supreme Court Allows Gay Marriage in Aruba and Curaçao
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled that Aruba and Curaçao must allow same-sex couples to marry, overturning an existing prohibition on the practice in those constituent countries. Same-sex couples have been able to wed in the Netherlands since 2001, and since 2012 in Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, three Caribbean municipalities under Dutch control. But the […]