Turkish LGBTI+ Activist Arrested Over Posts Condemning Attacks on Refugees
An LGBTI+ rights activist and member of the Workers’ Party of Turkey, TIP, Iris Mozalar, was arrested on Thursday over her social media posts condemning violent incidents against refugees in past weeks. “While those who burned the homes of small children and wanted to carry out massacres were released, I was arrested because I criticized […]
Uganda rights activists file appeal against ruling on anti-LGBTQ law
Ugandan human rights advocates on Thursday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against a ruling by a lower court that upheld a draconian anti-homosexuality law which includes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts. An April ruling by the country’s constitutional court declined to void Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), a move requested by the […]
These millions of Americans are more likely to live in poverty, be unemployed and have no family support
Quinn Merriss, an 18-year-old who identifies as transgender and non-binary, barely makes ends meet. Merriss was kicked out of their home after years of tension and arguments with their parents over being transgender. They now live independently without any financial support from relatives, working as a server earning $5.50 an hour plus tips. “I’m living […]
Lesbian shares daily reality of life in Cameroon after president’s daughter comes out
Brenda Biya, the daughter of Cameroon’s president, continues to be praised for coming out. Biya, who lives in the US and Switzerland, officially came out as LGBTQ+ on Instagram on 30 June, with a picture of her sharing a kiss with girlfriend, Brazilian model Layyons Valença. Since then, she has spoken about her hope of […]
Black LGBTQ+ spacemakers on building community with intention in L.A.
Nothing upgrades your time in Los Angeles quite like finding your people. For Black LGBTQ+ folks in L.A., spaces created by and for community, where you can show up as your loudest, truest self and feel safe, seen and affirmed, offer an essential type of nourishment that can be life-sustaining. The gathering spaces created by […]
‘Sexual Orientation’ A Political Manipulation Of West – ECOWAS Commissioner
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof Fatou Sow Sarr, has said the issue of “sexual orientation” is a political manipulation of the West. Prof Sow Sarr stated this during an interactive session with ECOWAS Commissioners on the implementation of the programmes of their departments at the ongoing 2024 Ordinary Session of […]
Osaka Court Again Overturns Asylum Denial for LGBTQ Refugee
Is Japan warming up to refugees? An Osaka court has overturned a denial of a gay man’s request for asylum – the second time it’s done so. Japan is not a country famous for accepting refugees with open arms. A majority of those who apply are denied; in 2023, there was an acceptance rate of […]
Gay furry hackers target Heritage Foundation
A collective of self-described “gay furry hackers” breached the right-wing Heritage Foundation’s computer networks and released sensitive data from the group that is spearheading the dangerous Project 2025 agenda, which promises to roll back LGBTQ+, women’s, and minority rights in America. The hackers released sensitive data as part of their ongoing campaign against organizations that oppose […]
Labour reportedly drops ban on ‘woke’ LGBTQ+ lanyards in civil service
The government has reportedly dropped the ban on members of the civil service wearing rainbow lanyards. Ministers are also set to consider whether or not to revoke guidance on Whitehall diversity and objectivity, which many saw as a means of moving the civil service to the right and made simply being LGBTQ+ a political view, the i […]
Court in Japan allows transgender woman to officially change gender without compulsory surgery
TOKYO — A Japanese high court has approved a legal gender change for a transgender woman without requiring compulsory gender-affirming surgery, a step that LGBGQ+ groups on Thursday called a mixed victory. Under the law, transgender people who want to have their gender assigned at birth changed on official documents must be diagnosed as having gender dysmorphia […]
Burkina Faso’s military junta to ban homosexual acts
Burkina Faso’s military junta has announced a ban on homosexual acts, making it the latest African state to crack down on same-sex relations despite strong opposition from Western powers. Homosexuality was frowned upon in the socially conservative West African state, but it was never outlawed. Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said the junta’s cabinet had now approved […]
Overturning of sodomy laws a win for human rights in Namibia
The Namibian high court recently invalidated the country’s colonial-era “sodomy law”, which had made consensual sexual acts between men a criminal offence. The court declared that the common law offences of “sodomy” and “unnatural sexual offences” were unconstitutional. This ruling follows a separate decision in 2023 where Namibia’s supreme court ruled to recognise certain same-sex unions contracted outside the country. […]
Reports falsely claim Nigeria’s approval of Samoa deal legalises same-sex relationships
“LGBT: Knocks As Nigeria Signs $150 Billion Samoa Deal,” reads the headline of the Daily Trust article published on July 4, 2024. The newspaper is Nigeria’s most influential daily in the Muslim-dominated conservative north. The newspaper reported that Africa’s most populous country had signed a “$150 billion” accord with the EU containing clauses that “compel underdeveloped and […]
Kazakhstan Should Reject Attempt to Curtail LGBT People’s Rights
In June, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information said it was reviewing a petition, “We Are against Open and Hidden LGBT Propaganda in Kazakhstan!” initiated by the head of Kazakhstan’s Union of Parents, a public association, after the petition met threshold requirements to be considered by the government. The government of Kazakhstan should reject this discriminatory and […]
7 states sue to block new Biden transgender nondiscrimination rule
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) and six other states are suing to prevent the implementation of a federal rule that expands nondiscrimination rules to include transgender people. This lawsuit comes on the heels of a federal judge issuing a preliminary injunction last week against the rule in a separate federal case. “Joe Biden is once again exceeding his legal authority to force […]
Anglicans face deeper rift after General Synod steps closer to backing standalone blessing services for same-sex couples
A widening split could affect the Church of England (C of E) following opposition by evangelicals to the General Synod approving the prospect of trialing a standalone blessing service for homosexual couples. On Monday, the General Synod, the governing body for Anglican churches, met in the city of York, England, to debate progress made since […]
Queer rights are in danger in Canada. Pierre Poilievre owns some of the blame
For years, Ipsos has been asking individuals around the world for their opinions on Queer people. And for years, the pollster has found, those opinions have steadily improved. People had been growing more and more supportive of the LGBTQ community with each passing year, especially in Canada. In 2011, more than six-in-ten Canadians said people […]
Isolated by their ‘allies,’ LGBTQ Jews gather to parse Pride’s anti-Israel leanings
Leah Forester knows what rejection feels like. When the Orthodox Jewish comedian came out as a lesbian several years ago, her Haredi family stopped speaking to her. But that “was nothing compared to the hate and vitriol I felt from my own Queer community during Pride month,” Forester told a packed room at The Glasshouse […]
House Urges FG to Suspend Samoa Agreement, Seeks Probe of Contentious Clauses
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Agreement. A national daily had reported that there were clauses that mandate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the $150 billion Samoa Agreement signed by the Nigerian government on 28 June. Based on the story, the […]
Biden threatens to veto House disapproval of Title IX transgender rule
President Joe Biden has issued yet another veto threat against the GOP-controlled House, this time over his controversial Title IX rewrite. The House could vote as soon as Tuesday on H.J. Res. 165, a congressional disapproval of a new Department of Education rule prohibiting discrimination of sex in education programs or activities that receive federal […]
What the heck is happening in France? Out gay PM Gabriel Attal tries to resign after far-right blowout
France’s legislative elections have concluded with a resounding loss for the country’s far-right party, but the left and centrist parties weren’t entirely victorious. Politicians in France are grappling with how to run the National Assembly after the leftist coalition New Popular Front won the most seats (182) in last week’s sudden elections. President Emmanuel Macron’s […]
Bridget Phillipson and Anneliese Dodds named as ministers for women and equalities
Bridget Phillipson is the new minister for women and equalities, while Anneliese Dodds has been named a minister for women and equalities in the Department for Education. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson was named as minister for women and equalities on Monday (8 July), even though Dodds was the shadow secretary when the party was in […]
Does The New Criminal Code (BNS) Protect Men And Trans Persons From Sexual Violence?
Institutional understanding of sexual violence is often informed by patriarchy and misogyny. Courts, police and lawmakers are all prone to this bias. The institutionalisation of such patriarchal notions about sexual violence and victimhood not only greatly harms women who face sexual violence, but renders invisible other victims. Sexual violence, undoubtedly, disproportionately affects women. An overwhelming […]
New York Pledges $5.4 Million Investment in LGBTQ+ Community Initiatives
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a significant $5.4 million investment aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community in New York. This includes a $4.4 million allocation to the Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center for developing safe and culturally affirming programs, particularly for LGBTQ+ people of color. An additional $1 million will be directed towards workforce development programs for […]
Website tracks legal rights for trans people in Middle East and North Africa
The Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute has unveiled the MENA Trans Archive, a new, free online archive focused on legal and sharia-law information for trans people living in the Middle East and North Africa. The MENA Trans Archive is designed to empower and inform not only activists and researchers but also policymakers and the general public. It […]
Trans teen who protested at NHS England HQ sends powerful message to new PM Keir Starmer
A group of transgender teenagers begun occupying a ledge at Wellington House in central London on 28 June, urging political pundits to stop discriminating against trans youth. Several banners, including ones that read, “We are not pawns for your politics” and “trans kids deserve better” remain stuck to the entrance of the building. Ahead of […]
Argentina once led on LGBTQ rights. After 4 lesbians are set on fire, critics blame rising intolerance on Milei’s government
It was an attack that sent shockwaves through a country long considered a pioneer in LGBTQ rights. In the early hours of May 6, four lesbian women were set on fire in Argentina. Only one of them survived. It happened at a boarding house in the Barracas neighborhood of Buenos Aires, where Pamela Fabiana Cobas, […]
LGBTQ storm in $150bn Samoa deal teacup
In the last two days, my social media feed has been suffused with impassioned expressions of grief and outrage from Nigerians over a putative June 28 agreement that the Nigerian government has signed with the European Union to legalize LGBTQ+ rights in the country in exchange for a $150 economic package. It turned out that […]
Who are the LGBTQ+ allies in Keir Starmer’s new cabinet?
Keir Starmer appointed his cabinet following a landslide Labour victory in Thursday’s (4 July) general election that saw the party sweep back into power of the first time in 14 years. Shortly after speaking to the nation outside Number 10 Downing street in his first address as prime minister Friday (5 July), the Labour leader […]
Tallahassee students keep the spirit of Stonewall alive
On June 30, two days after the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, students and community members gathered at Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society’s annual pride talent show, one of the longest-running non-corporate pride events in the city. SDS organized the talent show to celebrate the historic victories that queer people have won through […]