LGBTQ troops and vets go to war with homophobia in Ukraine
The silence inside a makeshift cinema in the heart of Kyiv was shattered with the crash of a windowpane. Fireworks flashed. Homophobic attackers were attempting to besiege the screening of a film about the lives of LGBTQ people. The assailants threw tear gas and pyrotechnics. A member of the audience jumped up onto the windowsill […]
Malawi’s LGBTI Community Marches, Petitions Government for Change
BLANTYRE, MALAWI – In Malawi, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and inter-sex (LGBTI) community Saturday held their first ever pride parade in the capital, Lilongwe, pushing for recognition by the government, legalization of same-sex marriage and equal access to health care. During the parade, marchers carried placards with messages like; “We Are Also […]
Czech President Zeman calls transgender people ‘disgusting’
PRAGUE, June 27 (Reuters) – Czech President Milos Zeman, commenting on a Hungarian law that bans LGBT material from schools, told a television interview on Sunday that he finds transgender people “disgusting”. Zeman, who has often espoused views outside the mainstream, was responding to a question about the law Hungary passed earlier this month, which […]
Guatemala: 3 Killings of LGBT People in a Week
Unidentified assailants killed two transgender women and one gay man in Guatemala in separate attacks within the span of one week, including Andrea González, the leader of a trans rights organization, Human Rights Watch said today. The Attorney General’s Office should conduct prompt, thorough, and independent investigations into these cases to bring those responsible to […]
Liverpool attacks: ‘Things must change or LGBT people won’t feel safe’
“It’s 2021, things are supposed to be better for us now,” says 19-year-old Josh Ormrod. Josh is a music student from Buxton, living in Liverpool, and he’s bisexual. In the early hours of 17 June, he was beaten up outside a bar in the city. The photos he shared of his injuries, posted on Instagram […]
Dutch leader tells Hungary: If you don’t like LGBT rights, you can leave the E.U.
The dispute between a number of European Union leaders and Hungary over LGBT rights grew emotional after a meeting on Thursday, with Hungarian leader Viktor Orban’s peers warning him that there was no place for discrimination in the bloc. “If you don’t like it, there is also an alternative: Leave the Union,” Dutch Prime Minister […]
Turkey police bash LGBT pride parade in Istanbul
Turkey’s far-right ruling party, which is known for its frequent homophobic remarks, sent its police to attack a peaceful LGBT pride parade in Istanbul on Saturday. Turkey’s government has become increasingly authoritarian and hostile to gay rights, bashing activists over the years. Government officials have accused gay-rights activists of being “deviants,” and the ruling AKP […]
Respect LGBT rights or leave EU, Hungary’s Orban told
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had some strong words for his Hungarian counterpart, Victor Orban on Thursday (June 24) – respect LGBT rights, or leave the European Union. The dressing down came after bloc leaders confronted Orban over a law that bans schools from using materials deemed to promote homosexuality. “It is my intention, on […]
Japanese Olympic Committee names first transgender member
A transgender former fencer hailed a “massive change” in Japan’s LGBTQ awareness after being appointed to the Japanese Olympic Committee’s board of directors just weeks before the Tokyo Games. Fumino Sugiyama, who was a member of Japan’s fencing team until retiring at the age of 25 and coming out, became the JOC’s first openly transgender […]
Hong Kong court ruling overturns anti-LGBT housing policy
Married same-sex partners will be allowed to own subsidised housing together in Hong Kong after a landmark High Court ruling on Friday, a major stride for LGBT rights in the financial hub. Hong Kong does not recognise same-sex marriage but individual couples can challenge discriminatory policies in court. Hong Kong’s subsidised housing policies, which do […]
Transgender job quota law seen ‘changing lives’ in Argentina
A law reserving 1% of Argentina’s public sector jobs for transgender people will transform everyday life for the country’s trans community, LGBT+ activists said on Friday after Congress gave final approval for the measure. Senators in the South American country, which already has some of the world’s most progressive trans rights legislation, voted overwhelmingly in […]
Ray Yeung has been telling queer Asian stories for years and people are finally taking notice
In the ongoing conversation about LGBTQ representation, sometimes the need to expand beyond the American zeitgeist gets lost. Last year, writer/director Ray Yeung managed to do just that with his critically-acclaimed film Twilight’s Kiss. In it, Yeung confronted two hereto-little investigated areas of queer life: Aging queer seniors, and the LGBTQ community in China. For […]
School principal ‘tried to censor’ queer graduate’s moving valedictorian speech. It backfired, spectacularly
Bryce Dershem was sharing his turbulent experience of coming out at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, New Jersey, when his microphone was muted. Wearing a Pride flag draped around his graduation robes, Dershem congratulated his classmates for successfully making their way through school before speaking about his own journey. “For so long, I believed […]
Germany’s Merkel criticises Hungary’s anti-LGBT bill
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday criticised Hungary’s planned new law to ban the dissemination of materials in schools on homosexuality and gender change.
PrEP decreases HIV incidence by nearly 80% in west African men, despite suboptimal adherence
HIV incidence among west African men taking PrEP fell by 79%, when compared to an earlier cohort of men who did not have access to PrEP. This is despite adherence not being optimal for most men, especially among those taking event-driven PrEP. This PrEP demonstration study was conducted in four west African cities by Dr. […]
Fans make pro-LGBT protest at Germany-Hungary football game
Uefa blocked the Allianz Arena from lighting up in rainbow colours, due to an anti-gay law passed in Hungary. In protest, a spectator wearing a German shirt ran onto the pitch with a rainbow flag while the Hungarian anthem was played before the game. Other fans also waved multi-coloured flags during the group stage match. […]
Cultural Closet: It’s a challenge for LGBT Asians to come out to relatives in their homelands
Xiukui Ji, a then-22-year old Chinese international student at the University of Arizona, was on the phone with his sister when he told her, “Oh, by the way… I’m gay.” “I knew it! I knew it from the fifth grade!” Ji remembers his sister telling him. His interest in musicals, his lack of interest in […]
How Relationships Can Turn Faith Leaders Into LGBT Allies
A grassroots group in Kenya has found a slow-but-effective formula for converting anti-LGBT faith leaders into LGBT advocates. Penda* did not feel worthy of a seat at the table with the 15 religious leaders she found herself nervously sitting across from, seven of them Christian, eight of them Muslim. “Before I attended that forum, I […]
Ministry takes aim at LGBT with changes to shariah law
PETALING JAYA: The religious affairs ministry is proposing amendments to widen the scope of an existing shariah law used against people who are alleged to have insulted Islam. In a statement, deputy minister in the prime minister’s department (religious affairs) Ahmad Marzuk Shaary said the Syariah Criminal Procedure (Federal Territories) Act 1997, a provision that […]
Polish education minister says LGBT march ‘insult to public morality’
Poland’s education minister said on Wednesday a march held in support of equal rights for LGBT people was an “insult to public morality” and questioned whether participants were normal, prompting angry protests from the opposition. Thousands joined last Saturday’s march through central Warsaw to call for an end to discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and […]
New Zealand PM backs transgender weightlifter’s Olympic selection
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Tuesday defended the selection of transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard for the Tokyo Olympics, a decision that has fuelled a debate over inclusion and fairness in sport. Hubbard will become the first transgender athlete to compete at the Games after she was selected for the New Zealand team in […]
Canadian lawmakers pass bill criminalizing LGBT conversion therapy
OTTAWA, June 22 (Reuters) – Canada’s House of Commons on Tuesday passed a bill criminalizing LGBT conversion therapy 263 to 63, handing a win to the minority ruling Liberal party which promised to ban the practice during an unveiling of its election platform in 2019. Aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, […]
Vatican condemned for ‘unprecedented interference’ in Italian bid to outlaw anti-LGBT+ hate
The Vatican has stated its opposition to an Italian bill that would help protect LGBT+ people from discrimination in an “unprecedented” move. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, claimed that the proposed anti-discrimination law would breach a treaty between Italy and the Vatican that was signed almost a century ago, the Corriere della Sera […]
EU warns Hungary and Poland it will take action if they keep violating democratic standards
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive branch warned Hungary and Poland Tuesday that it will take action if they continue to violate the 27-nation bloc’s democratic standards, amid signs that both countries have little intention of changing their ways. Hungary and Poland have faced criticism in the EU for years over allegations that they are […]
At Shanghai Job Fair, Advocates Call for More LGBT Inclusion
SHANGHAI — Lauren Qiang used to live a double life: She pretended to be straight at home but wasn’t worried about her sexual orientation while at work. But after years of fears about being cut off from her family, the 27-year-old said she finally opened up to her parents after gaining financial independence. And, unlike […]
‘We’re not hiding’: Gay and lesbian Russians say a cultural shift is underway
When Lisa Androshina threw her first lesbian party in Moscow in 2017, she had low expectations. “We wanted to just gather with our friends and just listen to cool music,” Androshina, 34, told NBC News. “We didn’t plan to do anything serious.” She booked a bar that she said was often empty and invited her […]
Trans men ‘let down’ and in ‘extreme distress’ as NHS quietly stops life-changing penis surgery
Finlay Games is a trans man who, as part of his transition, had a series of operations to construct a penis, which is known as phalloplasty. “I am a functioning man precisely because of this surgery,” Finlay says. “I’ve got my own business. I’ve graduated, I’ve written a book, and all of these things are […]
Carl Nassib Is The First Active NFL Player To Come Out As Gay
Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out in a personal Instagram post on Monday, saying he has “agonized over this moment for the last 15 years.” “I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in an Instagram video he posted on his verified Instagram account. “I’ve been meaning […]
Israel’s Foreign Ministry waves LGBTQ Pride flag for first time
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid instructed his ministry to raise an LGBT pride flag outside its Jerusalem headquarters in honor of Pride Month for the first time on Monday. The Foreign Ministry and its workers are leading a message of tolerance, brotherhood and freedom,” he tweeted. Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll (Yesh Atid), who is gay, […]
Nigerian teenager launches an LGBT-inclusive fashion brand
Daniel Kunke, a 19-year old Nigerian college student, speaks about why he decided to start an LGBT-inclusive clothing brand. In an interview with NoStringsNG, the teenager, who is currently studying mass communications at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, says his aim is to ensure that everyone is “equally represented” by making sure that “there’s something […]