Seoul government, Mnet dance around ‘Born This Way’ LGBTQ references
The Seoul metropolitan government is facing criticism by some viewers for airing wrongly translated lyric subtitles for a dance performance of “Born This Way,” thus blurring the LGBTQ references of the song during a New Year ceremony, Saturday. LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning. The city held the […]
Tom Daley promises to use his OBE to advocate for LGBT+ rights across the world
The Olympic diver was made an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List, and he told BBC Breakfast that he now feels a responsibility to make the Commonwealth “a more inclusive” place. “I’m extremely proud to be honoured with an OBE,” Tom Daley said, adding that he felt “a responsibility to make the whole […]
We fear that this may end in legalizing gay rights’: MP on adding female noun to constitution
MP Ahmed Al-Qatawneh said Sunday that after legal inquiries it became clear that the word ‘Jordanians’ includes both males and females. He added, during the parliament session devoted to considering constitutional amendments, that women have taken all their rights, wondering why this word is being added. He explained, “We fear that the matter will reach […]
Queer kiss-a-thon staged at Six Flags Mexico theme park in response to ‘homophobia’
A “besotón”, or kiss-a-thon, has been staged at the Six Flags Mexico theme park after a queer couple visiting said they were victims of “homophobia”. A friend of the couple went viral on Twitter after he described how his friends were reprimanded for kissing at the theme park on Wednesday (29 December). He wrote: “The […]
30% of children in foster care identify as LGBTQ. Here’s one transgender teen’s story in Virginia.
Taliah, a 14-year-old transgender girl, looks and acts like any teenager growing up in Chesterfield County. She loves YouTube and TikTok and texting her friends. She listens to Cardi B, Doja Cat and Beyoncé “of course,” she said. She loves to roller skate at Skate Away and can dance hip-hop, jazz and ballet. She likes […]
Trans man who took school bathroom case all the way to the Supreme Court facing homelessness
The LGBT+ community and allies are raising funds for trans trailblazer Gavin Grimm, who is at risk of homelessness. Grimm was involved in a seven-year-long battle that put him at the centre of the debate on trans rights in the US. In 2014, when he was just 15-years old, Grimm was banned from using the […]
How one underground party night changed Ljubljana – and Yugoslavia – forever
In 1984, the K4 Club was an inconspicuous venue tucked among the concrete streets of Ljubljana. But while the bar seemed innocuous from street level, the inside walls were plastered with homoerotic posters: men giving and receiving oral sex, wearing fetish gear, and sporting “Tom-of-Finland” style moustaches. If you decided to follow the electronic music […]
Mexico: Six Flags amusement park drops PDA ban
The Six Flags amusement park in Mexico City has decided to drop a ban on “affectionate behavior” on its grounds. It comes after criticism members of the LGBTQ community were singled out for kissing while in line for a ride. Two visitors were taken out of the line and surrounded by security guards in an […]
Burkina Faso: In Burkina Faso, Trans People Self-Medicate in ‘Dangerous’ Transition
It took Aicha Sylla three attempts to get a prescription for hormones in Burkina Faso so she could start to transition gender. In the end, one doctor agreed – if she had sex with him first. “I didn’t have any choice … The other doctors didn’t even listen to me; they refused,” Sylla, 22, told […]
Tutu’s Advocacy for LGBTQ Rights Did Not Sway Most of Africa
Desmond Tutu is being remembered for his passionate advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ people as well as his fight for racial justice. But the South African archbishop’s campaign against homophobia had limited impact in the rest of Africa, where same-sex marriage remains illegal and most countries criminalize gay sex. Even within his own denomination, the Anglican […]
In Burkina Faso, trans people self-medicate in ‘dangerous’ transition
OUAGADOUGOU, Dec 30 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – It took Aicha Sylla three attempts to get a prescription for hormones in Burkina Faso so she could start to transition gender. In the end, one doctor agreed – if she had sex with him first. “I didn’t have any choice … The other doctors didn’t even listen […]
Anti-Trans Violence and Rhetoric Reached Record Highs Across America in 2021
2021 was the deadliest year for transgender and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. on record. At least 50 trans and gender non-conforming people were killed this year alone, per a report by LGBTQ advocacy organization the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)—the highest number of deaths since the organization began recording fatal violence in 2013. The report makes clear that […]
Lesbian pop star Denise Ho arrested amid growing crackdown against China’s critics.
Lesbian pop star and regionally famous pro-democracy activist Denise Ho was one of seven people arrested on Wednesday morning by national security police in Hong Kong. She was released on Thursday afternoon. All seven arrestees were linked to the pro-democracy news website Stand News and were accused of “conspiracy to publish seditious material,” a colonial-era […]
10 essential LGBT+ books that opened minds and broadened horizons in 2021
Over the last year, countless powerful and important LGBT+ books have been published – and they’ve helped queer people feel seen in new and exciting ways. Queer literature has always been vital to our community – it provides a window for us to see ourselves represented and for big questions to be explored and answered. […]
Out in the World: Mixed record on LGBTQ rights across the world in 2021
The year started out on a hopeful note. The world was looking forward to getting past a dark period in America’s leadership and the global COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden’s administration and the rollout of vaccines brought some optimism to LGBTQ people globally. However, conservatives and progressives continued their fights over LGBTQ rights. There were […]
“7 Out of 10 LGBTIQ+ People in Costa Rica Consider the Lack of Family Support Their Main Problem “
Seven out of ten people in the LGBITQ+ community consider the lack of family support as the main problem they face, according to the National Survey on Sexual Diversity (ENDS) conducted, for the first time, by the non-profit social organization Somos Más. For this study, 1,119 questionnaires were collected (of which 1,007 were used) in two months, it began on May […]
“Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas’ teammates considered boycotting final meet in protest “
A group of UPenn swimmers were so upset by transgender athlete Lia Thomas’ advantages that they mulled boycotting their final home meet — but decided not to for fear they’d be banned from the Ivy League championship, according to a report. Thomas, 22, who has smashed several records at the University of Pennsylvania this season, has sparked outrage […]
“Tutu’s advocacy for LGBTQ rights did not sway most of Africa “
Desmond Tutu is being remembered for his passionate advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ people as well as his fight for racial justice. But the South African archbishop’s campaign against homophobia had limited impact in the rest of Africa, where same-sex marriage remains illegal and most countries criminalize gay sex. Even within his own denomination, the Anglican […]
Foreign countries funding Turkey’s LGBT organizations – interior minister
Turkey’s LGBT organizations are being supported by foreign funding, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said on Tuesday, adding that the strong “Turkish family structure’’ was standing tall despite attempts to alter it. The Turkish official made the remarks during an event with muhtars, elected village heads, in capital Ankara, Duvar news site reported. “Which mother and […]
Russia is using a dirty trick to kick LGBTQ websites off of the internet
Russia has used a dirty trick to shut down two LGBTQ organizations and block their websites and social media accounts from appearing online. It has labeled them as “foreign agents.” On Friday, Russia’s Justice Ministry added two LGBTQ advocacy groups to its registry of so-called foreign agents: Coming Out and Revers. Both groups offer help […]
Court case seeks to legalize homosexuality in Tunisia
A group of lawyers, human rights activists and the LGBT community filed an appeal on Thursday, December 16, to overturn two convictions for homosexuality, in a country where it is still punishable by prison sentences. This is the first appeal against the law on homosexuality (punishable by up to three years in prison), which its […]
Bid to block release of landmark gay marriage trial video fails, again
A federal appeals court on Tuesday said it would not reconsider its November decision upholding the release of rare federal court video from the 2010 landmark trial in California that struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order denied a petition urging the court to […]
LEBANON ARRESTS 25-YEAR-OLD LESBIAN REFUGEE ON THEIR WAY TO AUSTRALIA
A Jordanian LGBTQI+ ‘rights defender’ and refugee on their way to Australia has been detained in Lebanon. According to Amnesty International Australia, AOA, a 25-year-old lesbian, non-binary activist was arrested on December 21, 2021, in Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut. Amnesty International Australia stated in a Christmas Day media release that AOA is a “vocal […]
Lesbian risks life and flees Afghanistan to escape forced marriage to cruel Taliban brute
Rabia was just 15-years-old when she became engaged to a Taliban officer against her will in a small village in Afghanistan. Now 22-years-old, Rabia has fled Afghanistan and has managed to get away from the man who made her adolescence hell. She is temporarily living in Pakistan, but she’s hopeful she will ultimately be able […]
Explained: Why LGBTQ-friendly Thailand is yet to recognize same-sex marriage
Despite its international LGBTQ-friendly image, rights activists in Thailand warn that the country is still far from granting equal rights to members of the LGBTQ community. Nattawut Kongsawat, an LGBTQ activist and employee at a multinational firm, told DW that the fact that same-sex marriage is still banned in Thailand is evidence that members of […]
30,000 People Volunteer To Act As Stand-In Parents For LGBTQ+ Couples Whose Family Disowned Them For Getting Married
A viral TikTok video, which offers families to stand in as parents for same-sex couples on their wedding day, has led the creation of an LGBTQ+ Facebook support group, TikTok Stand in Families. Daniel Blevins, a hairdresser from Tennessee, posted on his TikTok page asking same-sex couples who “do not have biological parents there to […]
GAY BROTHERS DETAINED IN CHECHNYA GO ON HUNGER STRIKE
Brothers Salekh Magamadov (20) and Ismail Isaev (17), detained by authorities in Chechnya for the past 10 months, have announced that they would go on a hunger strike unless the case against them is moved to another region. Magamadov and Isaev, who are gay, had moved to the city of Nizhny Novgorod in July 2020 […]
Rights watchdog to recommend gov’t collect statistics on sexual minorities
The nation’s human rights watchdog will recommend sexual minorities be included in the government’s statistical and fact-finding surveys, concluding that Korea lacks any government-level efforts to learn about the demographics and current conditions of such people, it said, Sunday. The recommendation follows a series of cases where sexual minorities, including transgender people, suffered discrimination in […]
Specially-abled Kiran Nayak striving for transgender rights
Hyderabad: Since the annulment of Article 377 two years ago, the members of LGBTQ in India are still battling to come out of the closet — especially those who live in the rural areas. However, a 35-year-old transgender from Warangal, Kiran Nayak, is not only happily married but is also working for the rights of […]
Nearly all Japan’s school boards scrap gender field on applications
As of Sunday, students applying to enter public high schools from next spring will no longer be required to specify their gender on the application form in all of the nation’s 47 prefectures except Tokyo, local education boards said. The decision comes amid growing awareness of transgender and nonbinary individuals in Japan, many of whom may […]