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Gay Navy veteran’s widower fights for benefits in historic appeal

Navy veteran Rhett Chalk was rendered quadriplegic on Thanksgiving Day in 2003 after his knee — which he severely impaired while serving in Vietnam — gave out, causing him to suffer a life-changing spinal injury. At the time, Chalk had been with his partner, Lawrence Vilord, for roughly 26 years. However, Vilord was barred from […]

Years after legalizing gay marriage, Ireland finally removes homophobic and misogynistic teaching material

Irish education officials have removed teaching material that asked teenage students to discuss inflammatory, false statements such as “all gays molest children,” “girls who don’t wear make-up are lesbian” and “all gays are HIV positive.” The online teaching resources, developed after relationships and sexuality education became a compulsory part of the school curriculum in the […]

How ABCQueer hopes to help young LGBTQIA+ people feel less alone

Mon Schafter: As a proud queer person and the Content Lead of ABCQueer, this week’s news that the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and WorldPride will be broadcast on the ABC from 2022-2024 is one of the most exciting moments of my career. You don’t have to be queer to appreciate Mardi Gras or […]

A Discriminatory System Killed a Transgender Man in Egypt

August 26 should have been a day of celebration for Ezz Eldin, a 26-year-old transgender man, but it ended in tragedy. He bled to death after he was prematurely discharged following a gender-affirmation surgery in an underground clinic, transgender activists told Human Rights Watch. Ezz Eldin, who also went by Ahmed Fares, need not have died, and what […]

Poland: Trio back in court over posters showing Virgin Mary with LGBT halo

Three activists cleared in Poland earlier this year over posters depicting the Virgin Mary with an LGBT halo are back in court today. They were acquitted of “offending religious beliefs” in March, but prosecutors have appealed that verdict. Article 196 of Poland’s penal code states that offending people’s religious feelings by publicly outraging an object […]

BBC quits Stonewall diversity scheme over impartiality concerns

The BBC has quit a diversity programme run by the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, saying it believes coverage of transgender issues should be considered an impartiality topic that requires the inclusion of critical voices. The national broadcaster said it would no longer be a member of the Diversity Champions programme, under which the corporation paid Stonewall […]

LGBTQ+ organizations launch plan to combat sexual abuse

After a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations against gay TV personality Gal Uchovsky and activist Etai Pinkas-Arad, the Agudah-The Association for LGBTQ+ Equality in Israel and additional organizations in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have launched a plan to combat sexual abuse in that community. The plan, which will continue for […]

LGBTQ American Indians report high levels of depression and abuse, study finds

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) adults have higher levels of mental health issues, physical abuse and economic instability than their non-LGBTQ peers, according to a new report. The study, released last month by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law in advance of Native American Heritage Month […]

As anti-LGBTQ+ crackdowns persist across Africa, these activists continue to fight

Across Africa, queer people face oppression, discrimination and violence for their identities. A 2020 report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) reveals that the continent accounts for almost half of the 69 countries where homosexuality is criminalized. State actors like the police have used anti-gay laws as pretext to continue […]

Sudan LGBT organizations condemn military coup

Sudan has been undergoing a democratic transition since the overthrow of dictator Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Last year, the Transitional Legislative Council passed a series of bills amending the Criminal Code to protect fundamental rights, including eliminating the death penalty and flogging as punishment for consensual same-sex intercourse, giving LGBT activists hope that full […]

Russia Labels Main LGBT Group ‘Foreign Agent’

Russia on Monday declared the main group defending LGBTQ rights a “foreign agent” on Monday, as part of a continuing crackdown on media outlets and rights groups. The ministry also declared several lawyers close to the Russian opposition “foreign agents.” The Russian LGBT Network, which was set up in 2006 and operates in several regions, […]

Failed by the healthcare system, transgender people find help elsewhere

For many transgender people, accessing gender-affirming care is a labyrinth of insurance coverage trap doors, referral letter hoops, and discriminatory falling axes. Social media and online communities are often the guiding threads out of the waiting room. Gender-affirming care is lifesaving. It has been shown to reduce the risk of suicide and increase the mental health and overall wellbeing […]

Married lesbian couple launch discrimination action against NHS

A married lesbian couple are launching a landmark legal test case against a branch of the NHS fertility sector in England, claiming it discriminates against LGBT+ families. Influencers Megan Bacon-Evans, 34, and her wife Whitney, 33, from Windsor in Berkshire, have accused their clinical commissioning group (CCG), Frimley, of penalising them financially because of their sexuality. The couple, […]

Iran: Gay couple sentenced to death for adultery after family demanded execution

After his father-in-law sought their execution, a married Iranian man and his male lover were given the death penalty for adultery. The couple, who are 27 and 33 years old, are expected to be hung, even though the man’s wife pleaded with the authorities to spare their lives. In Iranian law, persons convicted of a […]

China opens first clinic for transgender children

China has opened its first dedicated clinic for adolescents and children who wish to change their gender. The clinic, at the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, will offer evaluations, diagnosis and interventions to help young people understand sexuality and improve family relations, according to state media. It will integrate clinical departments and “serve as a […]

Spain extends free IVF treatment to single women and LGBT+ community

Spain has extended the availability of free IVF treatment to single women and the LGBT+ community. Health minister Carolina Darias signed an order on Friday granting more women access to medically assisted reproduction in Spain’s public health system. The measure had long been demanded by LGBT+ rights groups that represent lesbian, bisexual, and trans people. […]

Navy launches ship named for gay rights leader Harvey Milk

A Navy ship named for slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, who served four years in the Navy before being forced out, was christened and launched in San Diego Bay on Saturday. The replenishment oiler USNS Harvey Milk slid down the shipyard ways after a bottle of champagne was smashed on the bow by former […]

Discussion under way on how to improve transgender recognition and intersex policies in SA

A discussion on transgender and intersex policies for legal gender recognition and ending intersex genital mutilation took place on Thursday and will conclude today. The purpose of the dialogue is to shift South Africa from a particular model of gender recognition in the country that is pathologising and oppressive to gender-diverse persons. The current legal […]

Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill leads to surge in anti-LGBTQ violence

“The anti- LGBTQI bill in the Parliament of Ghana is fueling hate and emboldens homophobic individuals and groups to harm LGBTQ persons. The worrying part is that the perpetrators mostly go unpunished. We fear their actions may result in deaths soon if the police don’t act now,” says the LGBTQ advocacy group Rightify Ghana. “While […]

Spain extends free IVF treatment to single women and LGBT+ community

Spain has extended the availability of free IVF treatment to single women and the LGBT+ community. Health minister Carolina Darias signed an order on Friday granting more women access to medically assisted reproduction in Spain’s public health system. The measure had long been demanded by LGBT+ rights groups that represent lesbian, bisexual, and trans people. […]

Alleged leader of Bulgaria LGBTQ community center attack charged

Bulgarian authorities have charged an ultranationalist presidential candidate in connection with an attack against an LGBTQ community center. Media reports indicate Boyan Rasate, who leads the Bulgarian National Union, has been charged with hooliganism and infliction of injury in connection with the Oct. 30 attack against Rainbow Hub, an LGBTQ community center in the Bulgarian […]

‘Disgraceful’: Italy’s senate votes down anti-homophobic violence bill

Italy’s senate has killed off a bill that would have made violence against LGBT people and disabled people, as well as misogyny, a hate crime. The 315-member senate voted by 154 to 131 on Wednesday to block the debate on the law, named after the gay centre-left Democratic party (PD) legislator Alessandro Zan and previously […]

Gay Polish politician asks SF supervisors to reinstate Lech Walesa street name

A gay Polish politician is asking the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to reverse a street name change made seven years ago that saw a gay icon replace a former Polish president. On October 12, Robert Biedro?, a Polish member of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, wrote to the city’s supervisors requesting to revert Dr. […]

China LGBT rights group shuts down amid hostile environment

An LGBT advocacy group in China that has spearheaded many of the country’s legal cases pushing for greater rights is halting its work for the foreseeable future. LGBT Rights Advocacy China announced it was ceasing all activities and shutting down its social media accounts in an announcement on social media Thursday. “We are deeply regretful to tell everyone, Queer Advocacy […]

Texas Ruling Opens Route for Religious Carveouts to LGBT Rights

A Texas federal judge recently laid a path allowing for-profit businesses to use religion as a shield against LGBT anti-discrimination claims, but attorneys and academics question whether it’ll survive appellate review or make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s opinion—weighing in on several questions left unanswered by the Supreme Court’s landmark 2020 decision in Bostock v. […]