Georgian President Refuses To Sign Anti-LGBT Bill Into Law
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has refused to sign into law a bill approved by parliament last month that rights groups and many opposition politicians say drastically curbs the rights of the country’s LGBT community. The so-called “family values” bill was pushed through parliament by the ruling Georgian Dream party on September 17 in an 84-0 […]
Kyrgyzstan: Reject Proposed Law on ‘Extremist’ Materials
Kyrgyzstan’s government has proposed problematic amendments to the criminal code and other legislative acts that would restore criminal charges for the mere possession of materials deemed “extremist,” Human Rights Watch said today. This move threatens to undo crucial progress made in 2019 when authorities decriminalized possession without intent to distribute such materials.
“US ‘Welcome Corps’ helps resettle LGBTQ+ refugees fleeing crackdowns against gay people
Cabrel Ngounou’s life in Cameroon quickly unraveled after neighbors caught the teenager with his boyfriend. A crowd surrounded his boyfriend’s house and beat him. Ngounou’s family learned of the relationship and kicked him out. So Ngounou fled — alone and with little money — on a dangerous, four-year journey through at least five countries. He […]
Based in Japan: Being Gay in Japan with Tokyo BTM
Tokyo BTM is an increasingly popular channel that focuses on queer culture in Japan. Created by two expat, Andrew Pugsley, from Canada, and Meng Delvey, from mainland China, the duo has garnered over 9 million views and 75 thousand subscribers since starting in June 2020. Pugsley’s love for Japan started decades ago. It was the […]
Labor’s 11th-hour decision on LGBTQ+ census questions prompted weekend scramble, documents reveal
The Albanese government’s last-minute rejection of proposed questions on sexuality and gender diversity in the upcoming 2026 census sent bureaucrats into a weekend scramble, new documents show. In the late hours of Friday 23 August and Saturday 24 August, officials at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) agreed to cancel a scheduled media briefing on […]
Trans Man & Passionate Refugee Advocate: The Story of Thomars Shamuyarira
Thomars Shamuyarira is proudly out trans man from Harare, Zimbabwe. Despite enduring immense adversity—including being disowned by his family and forced to flee his home country due to his LGBTQI+ identity—Thomars has emerged as a leading advocate for LGBTQI+ refugees in South Africa. As the founder of The Fruit Basket, an organisation committed to supporting […]
How ‘The Queer Arab Glossary’ Challenges Stereotypes About Arab Homophobia
With Lebanon experiencing its deadliest day in nearly 20 years this month — not to mention the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine that has left more than 40,000 Palestinians dead — Marwan Kaabour says he has struggled with how to navigate the release of his debut book, “The Queer Arab Glossary,” especially when these […]
First Ugandan who faced death penalty for gay sex is out on bail
The first man arrested under Uganda’s new Anti-Homosexuality Act is out on bail awaiting trial. Micheal (also known as Michael) Opolot was held for 350 days of pretrial detention until the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Soroti granted him release on cash bail on July 30 on a charge of “unnatural offense”. That charge was a […]
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party wins election – here’s what it could mean for LGBTQ+ people
A far-right party has won the most votes in an election in Austria for the first time since World War II. The pro-Kremlin, anti-Islamic, alt-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) won 29.2 per cent of the vote, beating the ruling Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which gained 26.5 per cent. The FPÖ’s leader, Herbert Kickl, who calls […]
Seoul Drag Parade brings queer culture out of nightclubs, into daylight
Gojoseon was founded over 4,000 years ago, after a bear in a cave ate garlic and mugwort until she transformed into a human. Although this legend gives us a statutory holiday in Korea, there aren’t that many street celebrations held for this fabled story. Instead, people around central Seoul’s Haebangchon and Itaewon will be treated […]
Ukraine’s LGBTQ+ soldiers call for more rights – as Russia forces minorities into active service
Russian authorities have been rounding up gay men and coercing them to fight in Ukraine, according to some recent reports. The Russian leader has long vilified the gay community in Russia and introduced a raft of new anti-LGBTQ+ laws while promoting supposedly “traditional” masculinity as part of his narrative of creating support for the war. He regularly uses conservative values […]
Why are HIV infections on the rise in Lithuania?
Last year, 267 new cases of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) were registered in Lithuania. This is significantly more than in 2021 when 121 cases were diagnosed. Specialists attribute the rapid growth of the disease to immigration. The data from the National Public Health Centre (NVSC) shows that almost half of the new HIV cases in both […]
KSOU to provide free education to transgender students
With an aim to promote higher education in the transgender community, the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), Mysuru, has decided to offer all courses free with “zero fee” for transgender students. KSOU is now writing to all NGOs and other organisations working with the transgender community to create awareness about this facility. They want to […]
A U.S. activist allegedly accepted $300K from Russia to push anti-gay laws in Africa
A wide-ranging investigation by the Wall Street Journal has uncovered evidence linking Russian cash to an anti-LGBTQ+ U.S. activist who helped promote “Kill the Gays” laws in Uganda and across Africa. The publication found a large infusion of Russian cash helped fund an international conference in Uganda organized by Mormon anti-LGBTQ+ activist Sharon Slater and […]
Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, the 1st LGBT mariachi group, celebrates 10 year anniversary
A local mariachi group is celebrating a decade of showcasing the best Mexican folk music with a welcoming flair. Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles, or Rainbow Mariachi of L.A., is an all-LGBT mariachi group, the first of its kind. At the helm is Carlos Samaniego, the group’s founder and director. “I’m an openly gay man […]
What’s at stake in Georgia’s October election?
The South Caucasus country of Georgia holds a parliamentary election on Oct. 26 that pits a government seen as leaning increasingly towards Russia against an opposition that champions integration with the West. Here’s what to look out for. HIGH STAKES POLLS The ruling party, Georgian Dream, is seeking a fourth term in office. A mountainous […]
Uganda: Activists Slam World Bank’s “Façade” Plan to Resume Loans
Activists are pushing back against the possibility of the World Bank resuming lending to Uganda despite the country’s continued oppression of LGBTQ+ people. In August 2023, the World Bank suspended new loans to Uganda due to the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was signed into law in May that year. The move followed pressure from more […]
LGBTQ advocates struggle for visibility in Eswatini
Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities, an LGBTQ advocacy group, was denied registration by authorities in 2019, and even after seeking relief from the Supreme Court, which had ruled the group must be registered, its efforts have been unsuccessful. Human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi said the harsh legal environment for LGBTQ individuals in the southern African […]
Formerly an anti-gay haven, Seychelles becomes a protector of its LGBTQ citizens
In eight years, the tiny African islands of Seychelles have changed from a country that threatened LGBTQ people with prison into a land that protects LGBTQ people from hate-fueled violence. Up until 2016, the law in Seychelles provided for prison sentences of up to 14 years for same-sex intimacy between men. Now a newly revised […]
At historic Belgian Catholic university, pope hears pleas for women’s ordination, LGBTQ acceptance
During a Sept. 27 visit to one of the Catholic Church’s most storied universities, Pope Francis heard pleas for the church to reconsider its stance against the ordination of women, become more welcoming to LGBTQ people and have a deeper reckoning with its history of clergy abuse and cover-up. “Why do we tolerate this considerable […]
More transgender teens attempted suicide after states passed anti-trans laws
Half of all states, including Texas, have passed some kind of law impacting transgender youth, from outlawing minors from accessing gender-affirming health care to banning transgender athletes from participating in school sports. Now, a first-of-its-kind study from the Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ youth suicide-prevention organization, says those laws increase suicide attempts among transgender and […]
Wave Of Arrests Targets LGBT Community In Belarus
At least eight transgender people have been arrested and around a dozen others were detained in Belarus since August, the transgender support organization TG House Belarus told RFE/RL on September 26. According to a representative of TG House Belarus, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the crackdown on the LGBT community began in late August and intensified in […]
World Bank Imposes Measures to Counter Uganda’s Anti-Gay Legislation Impact
The World Bank announced on Thursday new measures to ensure that recipients of fresh loans to Uganda will not face discrimination due to the country’s stringent anti-gay legislation. Uganda enacted the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) in May last year, leading to widespread Western condemnation and U.S. sanctions. The act criminalizes same-sex intercourse with life imprisonment and […]
More trans teens attempted suicide after states passed anti-trans laws
States that passed anti-transgender laws aimed at minors saw suicide attempts by transgender and gender nonconforming teenagers increase by as much as 72% in the following years, a new study by The Trevor Project says. The peer-reviewed study, published published Thursday in the journal Nature Human Behavior, looked at survey data from young people in 19 states, comparing rates […]
‘Monumental step’: Thai king signs same-sex marriage into law, a first in Southeast Asia
Thailand on Tuesday became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex union after King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed a historic marriage equality law. Thai activists have been pushing for same-sex marriage rights for more than a decade, with their advocacy often stalled by political upheaval. Currently, only two other countries in Asia recognise same-sex […]
Namibia marks HIV/AIDS wins but stigma puts LGBTQ+ people at risk
When Friedel Dausab tested positive for HIV in 1999, treatment was both scarce and expensive in his home country of Namibia. He found medical care a decade later, when he was armed with the language, confidence and contacts being an activist brought him. Many others in Namibia still struggle to get the care they need […]
Guyana urged to repeal laws against same sex couples to capitalise on LGBT tourism
Guyana has been told that the tourism industry could bring US$1 billion in revenue annually if it repeals some of the “colonial” era laws that could be used to discriminate against same sex couples. President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Dee George, speaking at a Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) […]
Russian lawmakers back adoption ban on ‘sick’ countries allowing gender reassignment
Russia’s parliament on Wednesday voted to back a bill banning the adoption of Russian children in countries that allow gender reassignment, the latest in a series of ultraconservative social measures. Moscow has long portrayed itself as a bulwark against liberal values, but that trend has hugely accelerated since the Kremlin launched its Ukraine offensive, further […]
South Australian Parliament Passes Ban On Conversion Practices
South Australia has officially passed legislation in Parliament that bans harmful conversion practices, following in the steps of Victoria, ACT and NSW. The bill, passed with 13 votes to 8 on Tuesday night, has been welcomed by survivors and advocacy organisations, who emphasise that it will save lives. Conversion practices, which seek to change or […]
Hate crimes, particularly against LGBTQ community, on the rise: FBI data
Hate crimes motivated by gender-identity and sexual orientation rose from 2022 to 2023, according to FBI data, sparking concern among LGBTQ advocates about the potential impact of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and legislation. “Today’s abysmal FBI report highlights that it is still dangerous to be LGBTQ+ in this country,” said Brian K. Bond, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy […]