Transgender people in Puerto Rico say they are invisible in the eyes of the island — and it’s contributing to a culture of violence
While celebrating her 16th birthday at a gay bar in Puerto Rico a few years ago, Lina, a trans woman, said an older man drugged her and attempted to rape her. She then sought out the police to report her experience. “When I turned to the police station, they said, ‘You were in a gay […]
Latin America LGBTQI+ Panel at San Sebastian: Trends, Hurdles
Taking place inside a cool, concrete extension of the San Telmo Museum, a dedicated Basque cultural hub, the challenges facing LGBTQI+ cinema in Latin America was the subject of an industry panel at San Sebastian International Film Festival. Participants included Patra Spanou of the eponymous German sales outfit, which handled sales for the homoerotic feature […]
Polish region scraps anti-LGBT motion after EU threatens to cut funds
A Polish province on Wednesday annulled a motion opposing “LGBT ideology” after the European Union threatened to pull funding, Polish state news agency PAP reported. Numerous local authorities in Poland have declared themselves “LGBT free” zones as gay rights have become a high-profile and deeply divisive issue in the predominantly Catholic country under conservative nationalist […]
Thailand considers deportation of Malaysian transgender entrepreneur
Thailand is considering whether to deport a transgender businesswoman who was convicted this month of illegal entry and is wanted in Malaysia for insulting Islam, a case that has put a spotlight on Malaysia’s approach to gender identity. Cosmetics company owner Nur Sajat, as she prefers to be known, fled from Malaysia this year. Thai […]
LGBTQIA community members may be Maguindanao bombing targets
The bombing that happened in Datu Piang, Maguindanao on Saturday (September 18) may have been motivated by hate against LGBTQIA people there. This is according to Lt. Col. John Paul Baldomar, spokesperson of a local military unit, who added that they found out that members of the local LGBTQIA community received death threats from the […]
Berlin becomes a magnet for LGBT+ Poles fleeing homophobia at home
When conservative politicians started making anti-LGBT+ speeches on the campaign trail, Piotr Kalwaryjski, a gay man from western Poland, decided it was time to pack up and leave. Weeks after a 2019 European parliamentary election, Kalwaryjski and his boyfriend moved from the city of Poznan to Berlin – joining a growing number of LGBT+ Poles […]
Prosecutor investigates anti-LGBT, Nazi march in downtown Madrid
The Madrid prosecutor’s office opened an investigation on Monday after a crowd of about 200 people sporting Nazi paraphernalia marched in the Spanish capital’s gay-friendly neighbourhood of Chueca on Saturday shouting offensive anti-LGBT slogans. The protesters shouted “Out of our neighbourhood” and “Get out of Madrid” prefaced by derogatory words for gay people, the prosecutor’s […]
Ghana: LGBT Activists Face Hardships After Detention
Arbitrary arrests and detention of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Ghana, and a proposed draconian anti-LGBT bill are causing serious economic hardship and psychological stress for LGBT people, Human Rights Watch said today. On May 20, 2021, Ghanaian police in Ho, in the Volta region, assisted by security forces, raided and unlawfully […]
‘The Taliban will have no mercy’: LGBTQ+ Afghans go into hiding
Laila, a transgender woman in Afghanistan, rubs her eyes to wipe tears away. “I am terrified. It’s like a nightmare. I don’t feel safe even in my room. I’m scared of the Taliban. When I see them I feel they will know who I am and they will come to beat me, kick me or […]
Malaysian transgender entrepreneur arrested in Thailand
A prominent Malaysian transgender entrepreneur wanted in her homeland for insulting Islam by cross-dressing has been arrested in Thailand, police said Monday, with authorities seeking her extradition. The case of Nur Sajat, who runs a cosmetics business, has added to concerns about the worsening climate for the LGBT community in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Officials increasingly speak […]
Joe Biden Cancels Meeting With HH After Nalumango Gay Rights Snub
The highly publicized meeting between US President Joe Biden and President Hakainde Hichilema has been cancelled after Vice President Mutale Nalumango told Parliament that Zambia will not entertain gay rights. According to an earlier programme released by the Zambian Mission in Washington, President Hichilema was due to meet President Biden at the White House on […]
Gay Swedish Priest Refuses to Marry Heterosexual Couples to Protest Church Bigotry
As Swedish priests are not obliged to marry a couple if they are morally opposed, Lars Gårdsfeldt is using that right to fight against church bigotry. The roles have reversed in Sweden where a 56-year-old priest is taking a stand against the discrimination of same-sex couples in the church by refusing to marry opposite-sex couples. […]
LGBTQ issues lacking in federal election, say voters from Sask. community
LGBTQ voters in Saskatchewan say federal leaders have missed the mark on issues important to the queer community during the election campaign. According to recent statistics, Canada is home to more than one million people who identify as LGBTQ. Despite the national queer population being almost equal to the entire population of Saskatchewan, their issues […]
12 Yr Old Gamer Deserves An Ally Award For Saying It Like It Is
We’ve all heard of horror stories of overly masculine men (or insecure closeted ones) making online gaming not so much of a safe space for LGBTQ+ gamers. There are even games out there that target the Gaymers by design (Alt-Right Video Game Has Player Eliminate Gay and Transgender People). It is up to the gamers […]
Salvadoran president rules out allowing abortion, same-sex marriage
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on Friday a raft of constitutional reforms the government will send soon to Congress will not contain decriminalization of abortion, legalization of same-sex marriage or steps to permit euthanasia. The package of planned measures Bukele received this week from Vice President Felix Ulloa includes the extension and possible early termination […]
Chinese LGBT athlete comes out as gay on social media and receives huge support despite government repression and censorship
A Chinese volleyball athlete has taken the rare step of publicly revealing she is gay by releasing a marriage-registry-style photo of her and her girlfriend on Weibo. “She doesn’t need to do anything, but I am surrendered time and again. She is the whole part of me, for one year and another,” athlete Sun Wenjing […]
Thousands march in Ukraine for LGBT rights, safety
Some 7,000 people gathered in Ukrainian capital on Sunday for the annual March for Equality to support the rights of the country’s LGBT community. Equipped with colorful costumes and rainbow flags, the crowd marched down the central streets of Kyiv, some carrying banners reading “Fight for right!” Participants announced eight demands for Ukrainian authorities, including […]
LGBT veterans booted out of army for being gay win right to lay wreath at Cenotaph
Forces veterans jailed or booted out for being gay will lay an official wreath at the Cenotaph for the first time on Remembrance Sunday. The LGBT support group Fighting With Pride has at last won the right to join the march-past watched by the Queen at the November ceremony organised by the Royal British Legion. […]
Belgrade Pride to Highlight Calls for Same Sex Union Law
A law on same-sex unions and stronger official responses to hate speech and hate crimes against the LGBT community are among the key requests of those attending Belgrade Pride on Saturday. This year’s Belgrade Pride, scheduled for Saturday, takes place amid calls for Serbia to adopt a same-sex union law and improve the rights of […]
Bangladesh’s transgender tycoons create safe work
Simran Snigdha was begging when a chance encounter helped get her off Bangladesh’s streets and realize her artistic dreams — one of a growing number of transgender people securing formal employment as the government boosts support for the marginalized community. The Muslim-majority nation’s roughly 1.5 million transgender people have long faced discrimination and violence. Kicked […]
Appeal court overturns UK puberty blockers ruling for under-16s
The court of appeal has overturned a controversial judgment that children under the age of 16 considering gender reassignment are unlikely to be mature enough to give informed consent to be prescribed puberty-blocking drugs. Tavistock and Portman NHS foundation trust, which runs NHS England’s only gender identity development service (GIDS) for children, challenged a high […]
LGBT vets with other than honorable discharges will get VA benefits under new plan
Tens of thousands of LGBT veterans forced from the military for their sexual orientation and given other-than-honorable discharges will be able to receive full Veterans Affairs benefits despite their dismissal status under a new move set to be announced Monday. The change comes as the country approaches the 10th anniversary of repeal of the controversial […]
Gay war veteran speaks out for equal rights in Ukraine’s military
KYIV (Reuters) – Viktor Pylypenko has become a role model for dozens of LGBT+ Ukrainian war veterans and their supporters since he organised their participation two years ago in Kyiv’s largest ever gay pride march. Pylypenko, 34, spent almost two years from 2014 to 2016 on the frontline fighting with Kyiv’s forces against Russian-backed separatists […]
South Korea LGBT youth threatened by lack of non-discrimination provisions: report
LGBTQIA+ youth in South Korea are threatened by the country’s failure to enact non-discrimination provisions, according to a report published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday. The report, entitled “I Thought of Myself as Defective”: Neglecting the Rights of LGBT Youth in South Korean Schools, interviewed students in the country who identify as LGBTQIA+ […]
Draft of Cuba’s new family code opens door for gay marriage
The draft of a new family code for Cuba released Wednesday proposes allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt as well as giving children greater participation in decisions that affect them. The preliminary draft, which must be approved by Cuba’s parliament then go to a grassroots plebiscite, comes almost three years after the island’s communist […]
Brave Nigerian lesbian couple ‘publicly wed’ and declare their love in defiance of archaic laws
LGBT+ activist and YouTuber Amara shared a series of photos detailing her symbolic marriage to her new wife, Olayinka, on social media. The beautiful couple can be seen gazing adoringly at each other in several photos and celebrating their commitment to each other with a drink poolside. She also shared a picture and videos of […]
New Zealand locals send record 100,000 submissions to ban LGBT conversion practices
New Zealand is on its way to become the land of conquering the impossible, and adding another feather to this cap of victories is its new record against conversion practices. More than 100,000 people have lent support to ban LGBTQ conversion practices in New Zealand, which is more than any other legislation. Till now, the […]
LGBT school pupils are more likely to be bullied by teachers: report
Around a quarter of LGBT school pupils who face bullying at school are actually harassed by teachers and other school staff rather than their classmates, according to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The report, based on a survey of almost 30,000 pupils at 136 secondary schools in the Netherlands, also found that […]
Transgender professor ordered reinstated with tenure at university in Oklahoma by federal court
A transgender professor who was denied a promotion more than a decade ago must be reinstated with tenure at Southeastern Oklahoma State University because the school discriminated against her, a federal court ruled this week. Rachel Tudor, who was fired from the university in 2011, won a landmark civil rights discrimination case in 2017 in […]
Hong Kong Gay Games postponed due to Covid travel restrictions
The Hong Kong Gay Games have been postponed until November 2023 in view of the current coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions, its organisers have told HKFP. The games, the first to be held in Asia, were originally set to take place next November. Hong Kong Gay Games founder and co-chair Dennis Philipse said the decision […]