“A war within a war”: Transgender woman says transphobia and discriminatory laws keeping her hostage in Kyiv during Russian invasion.
Zi Faámelu was born and raised in Crimea, an area of Ukraine that was invaded and taken over by Russia in 2014. Now the 31-year-old lives in Kyiv, the capital city that has been under Russian siege for nearly a week. She is running out of food and hasn’t left her house for days as […]
Are We For The Community?-A Young LGBTQ Activist Questions His Existance.
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” Asata Shakur. This is a chant I was introduced to when I joined the SMUG Quchu leadership academy, a leadership/mentorship program run by sexual minorities […]
Majority of Anglicans back same-sex marriage despite Church of England’s archaic stance Majority of Anglicans back same-sex marriage despite Church of England’s archaic stance.
A majority of English Anglicans now back same-sex marriage, despite the Church of England’s refusal to perform or bless them. The Church of England does not perform same-sex marriages and refuses to bless same-sex civil unions. LGBT+ clergy members are allowed to be in relationships, but must remain celibate. But a YouGov poll, commissioned by […]
Queer youth transforming one of Australia’s most religious regions — the Riverina.
Living as a young queer person in a regional town is sometimes a difficult experience, but these youth are creating change. Bianca Lubke just graduated from high school and she is already achieving big things. She created a group for queer youth aged 13 to 18 called Alphabet Soup which meets every week after school […]
Guyana’s transgender community calls for protection under anti-discrimination laws.
Marcia John (not her real name), a Guyanese transgender woman, readied to leave a transgender support group meeting. She slipped off her black wig, replacing it with a bandana and hat. Her employer only allows her to perform her duties if she presents as a man. “I have no choice,” she said. “I have to […]
Singapore’s highest court refuses to overturn country’s gay sex ban.
Singapore’s highest court rejected a bid by LGBTQ+ activists to overturn the country’s law that criminalises men having sex with men. The Court of Appeals stated that the law, which was first drawn up in 1938, does not breach the plaintiff’s constitutional rights as it is not enforced. Despite being “rarely used” by law enforcers, […]
India’s LGBTQ+ ‘pioneer’ state bans abuse and boosts trans rights
NEW DELHI – Police threats, slurs and even violence are all part of LGBTQ+ life in India, but a new rule could ease the onslaught in one southern state as it becomes a “pioneer” for sexual minorities. The Tamil Nadu government has changed its state conduct rules to tell its police officers to stop harassing LGBTQ+ Indians. […]
Gay activist stabbed to death by cousin in Azerbaijan
Authorities in Azerbaijan say a cousin of local gay activist Avaz Hafizli stabbed him to death last Tuesday. Police conveyed the dead man to a morgue in a garbage truck after refusing to touch his body because he was gay. According to a statement from the prosecutor’s office, Amrulla Gulaliyev murdered his cousin following an argument. Gulaliyev […]
Will Supreme Court ruling on abortion affect LGBTQ rights?
With a heavily conservative Supreme Court signaling that they would hobble or overturn landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade, more questions were raised about other seemingly set in stone decisions, especially those surrounding LGBTQ rights. In the fall, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. In 2018, Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a clinic […]
More than a label: Transgender issues in Hong Kong
Life as a transgender person can often be difficult and isolating. Here’s where to find help for transgender issues in Hong Kong and advice for how to be an ally. Although attitudes are changing in many parts of the world, transgender people in Hong Kong continue to suffer from social and systematic exclusion. I wanted […]
China bans gay dating app Grindr citing national law on security
China has banned the gay dating app ‘Grindr’ which is popular among networking apps among the circles of the LGBTQ community across the globe. The removal came as a part of the clean-up campaign during the Lunar New Year holidays in late January this year. Sources say the location-based dating app started disappearing from several […]
Gay Afghan wounded in Taliban stabbing feels ‘alone’ during LGBT+ History Month
A gay, non-binary Afghan has told of how they were left “injured and alone” after suffering severe injuries in a knife attack by the Taliban, as thousands in the queer community continue to face persecution “in a society that has turned against them”. Sara, who did not want their last name included, was left with […]
A year of progress on global LGBTQ rights, but so much remains to do
U.S. support of worldwide LGBTQ rights during the first year of the Biden administration led to “significant progress” but “there is far to go”, according to an analysis by the Council for Global Equality. a U.S.-based advocate for international recognition of the human rights of LGBTQ people. One year ago this month (Feb. 4, 2021), […]
Botswana | Activists slam “misleading” video about LGBTI sexuality
In the clip, a seemingly inebriated man is filmed talking about having sex with other men for money. He also claims that he does not use a condom. It’s not clear who made the video, what their intention was and if the man was in a position to consent to being filmed. It has, however, gone […]
The UK’s First LGBTQ+ Museum
For Joseph Galliano, Director of UK charity Queer Britain, museums signal what stories and communities we value. A new museum in London, dedicated to Britain’s LGBTQ+ history, will open in Spring 2022 and share the journey of a community whose history many had feared forgotten. In 2013, the United Nations Human Rights Office launched the UN Free […]
Support group helps parents of LGBTQ Iranians in California
In Iranian communities outside of the country, queer identity is still often seen as something that must be kept secret, and many suffer from social isolation within their family and community. One organization is looking to change that by helping parents reconcile.
Ukraine’s Gay Combat Volunteers Are Ready to Fight for Their Lives Against Anti-LGBTQ Putin
Desperate to avoid the shadow of Vladimir Putin’s bigoted regime falling over Ukraine, LGBTQ combat volunteers told The Daily Beast that members of the gay community had been rushing to prepare for this invasion of Ukraine in recent weeks. Now, they stand ready to fight back and resist a Russian occupation if Putin’s forces look […]
National Medical Commission forbids conversion therapy
CHENNAI: Any doctor found engaged in conversion therapy — a controversial gender and sexual reorientation practice often slammed as pseudoscience — is liable to be prosecuted for professional misconduct, the National Medical Commission (NMC) told the Madras high court. The council made its stand clear while making a submission on a recommendation by a committee constituted […]
Kyiv Pride sends defiant message to Putin after Russia invades Ukraine: ‘We will never give up’
There was widespread shock and condemnation across the world on Thursday morning (24 February) when the Russian president launched a “military operation” in Ukraine. He announced the decision in a surprise televised announcement that was immediately condemned by other world leaders. Explosions could reportedly be heard across the country, while Ukraine’s foreign minister warned that a […]
How China’s Youtube Became a Rare Safe Space for LGBT Streamers
Before it was China’s answer to YouTube, Bilibili started as a niche streaming platform for fans of anime, comics, and games (ACG). Today, it’s one of China’s biggest media portals, home to everything from documentaries and variety shows to a much-loved annual alternative New Year’s Eve Gala. But its status as a home for niche […]
Some LGBTQ Ukrainians fear human rights abuses if Russia stays: “We will fight”
Kyiv, Ukraine – Some LGBTQ people in Ukraine are fearing targeted human rights abuses if Russia occupies the country. “That would mean a direct threat to me and especially, well, to me and to the person I love,” Iulia, an 18-year-old law student, told CBS News. She is training to be a lawyer in Kharkiv, an eastern city […]
Poland’s President Should Veto Bill Targeting Sex Education
Rights activists, students, and educators in Poland wait anxiously this week as the country’s president Andrzej Duda decides whether to sign a dangerous bill that would increase government control over what students can and can’t learn, threatening access to already-limited comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). If passed, the bill, dubbed “Lex Czarnek” after education minister Przemysław Czarnek, would […]
Texas Gov. Abbott: Agencies must investigate gender-affirming care for trans kids as ‘child abuse’
AUSTIN — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to investigate reports of transgender kids receiving gender-affirming care as “child abuse,” but it’s unclear what immediate effect the directive will have on kids, teachers, doctors and parents. In a letter to the Department of Family and Protective Services sent Tuesday, Abbott said the agency “is responsible for […]
Chechnya jails queer siblings on ‘fabricated’ charges after years of persecution and torture.
A court in Chechnya has sentenced a pair of LGBT+ siblings to almost a decade’s detainment on seemingly bogus charges. On Tuesday (22 February), the Achkhoy-Martan district court of the southern Russian republic convicted siblings Salekh Magamadov, 21, and Ismail Isayev, 19, for “complicity with illegal armed formations by providing products”. Magamadov received an eight […]
High court takes case involving refusal to serve gay couples.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a new clash involving religion and the rights of LGBTQ people in the case of a Colorado web designer who says her religious beliefs prevent her from offering wedding website designs to gay couples. The high court said Tuesday it would hear the case of Lorie Smith. The […]
Transgender woman Doski Azad’s ‘honour killing’ uncovers disturbing culture.
WARNING: Distressing. Doski Azad had been in hiding from her own family. The make-up artist, 23, had been forced to move to another city and start a secret life to avoid scrutiny about her sexuality. In Iraq, being transgender comes at a cost. Members of the LGBTIQ+ community are not only shunned, they are hunted […]
Court quashes Home Ministry’s ban on ‘Gay Is OK!’ book.
A local book titled Gay is OK! A Christian Perspective can now be sold in Malaysia after the High Court here quashed a ban on the book that was implemented by the Home Ministry in 2020. Lawyer Michael Cheah Ern Tien, who represented the book’s writer Ngeo Boon Lin, confirmed that judge Datuk Noorin Badaruddin […]
Gay weddings for Russia: How The Sims became a battleground for the LGBTQ+ community
Two weeks ago, Electronic Arts opted not to launch a same-sex marriage story in Russia for its hit life-simulation video game The Sims 4. At a glance, this is a simple story – a game publisher refusing to compromise its art in order to comply with Russia’s controversial “homosexual propaganda” law. Yet to Russian LGBTQ+ […]
Black History Month: Destination Tomorrow Dedicated To Helping LGBTQ+ Community In The Bronx.
In celebration of Black History Month, CBS2 is taking you to a center dedicated to helping the LGBTQ+ community in the Bronx. As CBS2’s Cindy Hsu reports, it’s a special place where everyone is welcome. Sean Ebony Coleman is the founder of Destination Tomorrow, and says he’s the first African American of transgender experience to […]
REIGN OF DEATH Russia drawing up ‘kill list’ of gay & ethnic minority Ukrainians amid fears of a ‘human rights catastrophe’, US claims.
Russia is drawing up a kill list including gay and ethnic minority Ukrainians if it invades, the US has claimed. In a chilling warning, America’s ambassador to the UN has spoken of a “human rights catastrophe” as 200,000 Russian troops and 500 warplanes are massed on the border. The troops reportedly have orders from Vladimir […]