SAUDI ARABIA’S TOP RELIGIOUS BODY SAYS HOMOSEXUALITY IS ‘ONE OF THE MOST HEINOUS CRIMES’
Saudi Arabia’s top religious body has declared homosexuality to be ‘one of the most heinous crimes’. According to a statement by the official Saudi Press Agency, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said that homosexuals are a ‘disgrace and shameful in this world and the hereafter’. He also added, “Human rights… are first and foremost within God’s […]
Desmond Tutu, South African equality activist, dies at 90
Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning icon, an uncompromising foe of the country’s past racist policy of apartheid and a modern-day activist for racial justice and LGBT rights, died Sunday at 90. South Africans, world leaders and people around the globe mourned the death of the man viewed as the country’s moral conscience. Tutu […]
Swiss to Allow Simple Legal Gender Transition From Jan. 1
People in Switzerland will be able to legally change gender by a visit to the civil registry office from Jan. 1, putting the country at the forefront of Europe’s gender self-identification movement. Switzerland joins Ireland, Belgium, Portugal and Norway as one of the few countries on the continent that allow a person to legally change […]
Russia blocks website of group that tracks political arrests
A Russian organization that tracks political arrests and provides legal aid to detainees said Saturday that government regulators blocked its website, the latest move in a months-long crackdown on independent media and human rights organizations. OVD-Info reported that Russia’s internet and communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, blocked the group’s website. The organization said in a tweet that […]
Understanding the plight of Intersex
In our society, the intersex have always had to face stigma as well as discrimination because of the misconceptions that are imbedded in the minds of the community. Despite the numerous awareness campaigns conducted by different groups such as the human rights defenders, this gender which is different from the normal male/female category, is still […]
Sri Lanka court OKs case seeking to ban anti-LGBTI police training
At a training session for police officers in July 2021, a counsellor was recorded making homophobic remarks, including alleging that homosexuals prey on youth to lure them into the LGBT community. She was also recorded encouraging participants to proclaim that they are against same-sex relationships. The counsellor has a well-known track record of malicious statements […]
Russian Justice Ministry includes two LGBT organizations in foreign agents list
The Russian Ministry of Justice has included the Coming Out LGBT initiative group from St. Petersburg and the Revers LGBT+ initiative group from Krasnodar in the list of unregistered non-governmental organizations fulfilling the function of a foreign agent, the agency’s website reported on Friday. “On December 24, 2021, in complying with the requirement of existing […]
Students sued their school for the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance. They just won.
Students of an Indiana high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance group (GSA) who sued their school for the right to be treated like all other clubs were finally granted that right earlier this week. On Wednesday, a judge issued a preliminary injunction against Pendleton Heights High School requiring that the school allow the GSA to fundraise, advertise, […]
Senegalese parliament to debate bill criminalising homosexuality
A group of MPs in Senegal tabled a bill on Wednesday to strengthen the repression of homosexuality in the Muslim-majority West African country. The bill was tabled by MPs Mamadou Lamine Diallo, Cheikh Bamba Dièye, Aliou Souaré and Moustapha Guirassy, all from the parliamentary opposition. It is not illegal to identify as gay in the deeply conservative […]
Psychologists investigated for practising ‘conversion therapy’ in Costa Rica
In response to an openDemocracy investigation into anti-gay ‘conversion therapy’ in Costa Rica, the country’s professional association of psychologists – the Colegio de Profesionales en Psicología de Costa Rica (CPPCR) – announced that they are investigating the practice of both therapists. Last month, openDemocracy revealed that two therapists in Costa Rica, linked to US Christian conservative groups, […]
The Worrying Regression Of LGBT Rights In Eastern Europe
From physical attacks to online abuse and legislative setbacks, the LBGT community in Central and Eastern Europe had little to cheer about in 2021. Populist governments in Poland, Hungary, and elsewhere were able to exploit frustrations and fears, some stoked by church leaders, some by the grinding COVID-19 pandemic, to push through anti-LGBT legislation. It was, however, […]
Mauritius: Workshop Focuses On Equality-Reducing Inequalities and Advancing Human Rights
A half-day workshop on the theme ‘Equality-Reducing Inequalities and Advancing Human Rights’, organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to the Republic of Mauritius, was held, this morning, at the Maritim Resort & Spa, in Balaclava. The President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing […]
Gay Santa ad highlights big shift in Norwegian society
Christmas ads have become an annual tradition, often appearing as mini-films with their own festive story. But one Norwegian commercial, featuring Father Christmas kissing a man waiting for him at home on Christmas Eve, has become a surprise hit. In When Harry meets Santa, the four-minute ad by Norway’s state-run Posten postal service, the man […]
Namibia Pride seeks repeal of nation’s anti-LGBTQ law
The LGBTQ community in the southern African nation of Namibia recently held its biggest-ever Pride celebration, which included appeals for the repeal of the country’s unenforced law prohibiting same-sex intimacy. The recent week-long Namibia Pride was the country’s biggest ever Pride celebration, featuring a colourful and defiant Pride Parade through the capital Windhoek. Organised by […]
Qatar seizes ‘un-Islamic’ children’s toys with rainbow patterns similar to LGBT flags
Authorities in Qatar have seized a line of what they called ‘un-Islamic’ children’s toys that feature rainbow patterns similar to LGBT flags. The small oil-rich peninsular will host next year’s football World Cup, and despite repeated assertions by authorities that anyone will be welcome to visit for the tournament, homosexuality remains illegal in the conservative […]
Colombia’s Ombudsman calls for protection of sexually diverse individuals
The Office of Colombia’s Ombudsman Monday launched an appeal for the authorities to look after the integrity of LGBTQ people after 35 transgender women have been murdered this year nationwide. “From the Ombudsman’s Office we make an urgent call to all authorities to guarantee the life and integrity of transgender women,” Carlos Camargo posted on […]
South Africa: LGBTQ+ activist seeks more inclusion in churches
South Africa’s constitution is considered progressive. This, has manifested in religion. More churches are creating a dedicated ministry for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Queer and Intersex community. In regions like the United States and Western Europe some prominent Protestant churches have advocated for LGBTQI inclusion. With only a few exceptions, this has not […]
‘You’ll be destroyed’: LGBTQ Israelis receive hate texts allegedly sent by rabbi
Thousands of members of Israel’s LGBTQ community have recently received disturbing hateful text messages, which were allegedly sent by a yeshiva rabbi, police revealed Monday. The Aguda – Israel’s LGBT Task Force has asked the police to launch a criminal investigation after receiving messaged signed by the rabbi, whose name is not allowed for publication. […]
European Court of Human Rights finds Georgia complicit in violence against LGBT demonstrators
The European Court of Human Rights Thursday held against Georgia in a case concerning an attack on LGBT protestors in the capital city Tbilisi. Amidst threats of a counter-demonstration by ultra-conservative NGOs and clergymen, senior officials of the Ministry of the Interior had guaranteed the safety of the applicants, a group of 35 Georgian nationals […]
U.S. okays veteran diplomat as Cameroon ambassador. Also, he’s gay.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Christopher John Lamora’s appointment on Saturday. His was one of dozens of Democratic president Joe Biden’s ambassador nominations that had been stalled since last spring by powerful dissident Republican senator Ted Cruz, who wants the United States to apply increased pressure against the opening of a natural gas pipeline from Russia […]
Two Japanese LGBTQ rights activists of different faiths find common ground
Buddhist monk Kodo Nishimura and Christian pastor Yoshiki Nakamura share a belief that LGBTQ lifestyles and organized religion can coexist, even when Japanese society makes people believe that finding such commonality is impossible. Often, LGBTQ people, like Nishimura and Nakamura, are seldom welcomed openly. That, plus personal experiences of exclusion, has been reason enough for many LGBTQ […]
Hungary anti-LGBTQ blitz meets backlash as election looms
Budapest (AFP) – For independent bookshop manager Janos Szakacs, Hungary’s new law banning the “promotion and display” of homosexuality to minors just makes for pointless, extra work. “This stupid law means certain books must be sealed in wrapping, and separated from the others,” he tells AFP, at his Budapest store Irok Boltja (Writers Shop in Hungarian). […]
Uganda tests drones to speed up delivery of HIV medicine
Uganda is delivering HIV medicine by drone in an archipelago in Lake Victoria, a pilot programme aiming to improve the transport of medical supplies for the country’s health system, which faces chronic shortages. The trial is funded by pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), and run by the government-run Infectious Diseases Institute. It delivers HIV […]
Treatment of LGBTQ people across Middle East examined in new report
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) published a report on Tuesday covering the criminalization of consensual same-sex relations, stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim-majority countries are suspected of executing gays. “Possible executions were identified in at least two countries (Iran and Saudi […]
Russian LGBT Organization Branded As ‘Foreign Agent’
An organization that provides legal and counseling assistance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Russia’s Far East has been listed as a “foreign agent.” The nonprofit organization Mayak, which says it has been operating in Russia since 2016, was added to the Justice Ministry’s list of “unregistered public associations performing the functions […]
Why religious lobby groups are fighting to keep schools’ power to discriminate
Buried in a recent article in Quadrant magazine is a revealing insight into the mindset of those who want to retain laws that allow religious schools to expel – or refuse to enrol – LGBTQI students. “I’m uncomfortable about discrimination against ‘straight’ gay students, if you understand my meaning,” wrote Peter Smith, a regular contributor. […]
Germany Bible museum puts on play presenting Jesus as transgender, weeks before Christmas
A Bible museum in Germany set up an exhibit claiming that there are LGBTQ themes in biblical studies, and hosted a play that presents a transgender Jesus Christ as a male who identifies as female. The Bibelhaus in Frankfurt has the exhibit running until Dec. 19, and the play took place on Dec. 15, according […]
Malaysia’s human rights commission crucified over conservative view on apostasy, LGBTQ
Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission, or SUHAKAM, has drawn criticism over its recent statement targeting apostate individuals and those in the LGBTQ community. Two days after the commission gave its unsolicited point of view that emphasized the need to uphold societal and religious norms over equal rights to live, including leading a gay life, local activists […]
LGBTI activists live in fear amid renewed Sudan protests
Queer activists in Sudan say they’re living in fear after police on Monday fired tear gas at protesters during renewed pro-democracy protests seeking an end to the country’s political deadlock. Daily life in Sudan has been disrupted by ongoing protests in which pro-democracy groups demand that the military should not be part of the government, […]
Senegalese lawmakers draw up chilling new law for LGBT+ people and allies: ‘Democracy is in danger’
Anti-LGBT+ lawmakers in Senegal are seeking to toughen the west African nation’s already horrific repression of queer citizens. A bloc of National Assembly members have drafted a bill that would lengthen potential jail terms for those convicted of same-sex acts. The penalty is already up to five years imprisonment for “acts against nature” – but […]