THE GENDER QUEER NIGERIANS ENTERING HETERO MARRIAGES
After years of living openly as a woman, 32-year-old Adamu now faces a pivotal crossroads as he prepares to marry a woman. “I believe it is the right thing to do as a man,” Adamu said, commenting on his forthcoming wedding. Adamu began presenting as a woman during his teenage years. His early life as […]
How a Neighborhood in Kathmandu Became a Haven for LGBTQ+ People
If you take a walk in Lazimpat, here is what you might see: narrow streets buzzing with life, cozy cafes filled with laughter and lively conversations, and beauty parlors where people lean toward each other, perfecting their makeup. This neighborhood in the heart of Kathmandu is known to be vibrant and welcoming. Sunita Lama, a […]
Georgian parliament gives initial approval to sweeping curbs on LGBT rights
Georgia’s parliament on Thursday gave its initial approval to a set of bills containing sweeping curbs on LGBT rights, including bans on the “propaganda” of same-sex relationships and gender reassignment surgery. The package, which was proposed by the ruling Georgian Dream party and which could outlaw Pride events and public displays of the LGBT rainbow […]
Pride Month is a secret celebration in Bangladesh
DHAKA, BANGLADESH — Pride Month, the monthlong celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and rights, is not publicly celebrated in Bangladesh, a Muslim-majority country where same-sex relationships are illegal under a colonial-era law dealing with “unnatural offences,” and conservative religious values are rising, despite the nation’s self-imposed secular label. A teenage high school student from an affluent Dhaka family […]
Russia’s first transgender politician reveals she was forced to announce her detransition
The first openly transgender politician in Russia has described how the Russian authorities threatened to commit her to a psychiatric hospital unless she detransitioned, Novaya Gazeta Baltic reported on Tuesday. Yulia Alyoshina, who headed the opposition Civic Initiative party in Siberia’s Altai region until 2022, announced on her Telegram channel in May that she had returned […]
Census reveals Scotland’s LGBT numbers for first time
Almost 184,000 people in Scotland identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, census data has revealed for the first time. The census, conducted in 2022, found that 80,100 (1.76% of those aged over 16) identified as gay or lesbian while 80,260 (1.76%) identified as bisexual. A further 23,500 (0.51% of over-16s) people chose another sexual orientation such […]
A US officiant marries 10 same-sex couples in Hong Kong via video chat
Ten same-sex couples got married in the United States over the internet from Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous southern Chinese city that does not formally recognize such unions but offers them legal protections. The event Tuesday was timed to mark Pride Month, with a registered officiant from the American state of Utah making their marriages official. […]
LGBT Afghans Subjected To Growing Taliban Threats, Discrimination, Watchdogs Say
Rights groups say LGBT Afghans are in an increasingly desperate situation after the Taliban takeover as they face serious threats to their safety. Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International said in a joint report on January 26 that members of the LGBT community have been forced into hiding while the worsening economic crisis has […]
Peru to stop labeling transgender people as mentally ill
Peru will stop listing individuals who identify as transgender, among others, as suffering from mental disorders, the country’s health ministry announced on Tuesday, following a backlash to the move that critics derided as unnecessary and discriminatory. The decision comes after hundreds of protesters took the streets of the capital Lima last month to demand the […]
Sarah McBride poised to become the first transgender member of Congress
Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride, who is poised to become the first openly transgender member of Congress, thinks she can help garner respect for transgender people by being a strong legislator in Washington. McBride, 33, already the nation’s highest-ranking openly transgender elected official, said diversity in Congress has both a symbolic and substantive effect, but […]
LGBT troops on Ukraine’s front line fight homophobia at home
One corner of Kyiv’s symbolic central square is now carpeted in thousands of tiny blue and yellow flags, in tribute to Ukraine’s fallen soldiers. Earlier this month, a group of activists gathered to add a different type of flag to the ever-growing collection. They had unicorns in their centre, to represent each gay soldier that […]
President Biden to pardon veterans convicted under regulation used to keep LGBT members from serving
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that he will pardon U.S. veterans who were convicted by the military under a regulation that allowed people to be kicked out for being gay. The White House says the move will impact thousands of military veterans, though officials declined to give a specific number. “Today, I am righting an […]
You won’t believe what happened at the first-ever Pride Run at SM Mall of Asia!
The SM by the Bay at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex was transformed into a thrilling, inclusive celebration as SM Supermalls, in collaboration with RunRio, hosted SM Supermalls’ first-ever Pride Run on Saturday, June 22, 2024. The event brought together thousands of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) members and […]
Taiwan’s gay politicians have broken ground – but their battle isn’t over
Even in the exuberant world of Taiwanese politics, Huang Jie stands out – and not just because of the pink highlights in her hair and love for cosplay. Known for her fiery speeches and progressive views, the 31-year-old made history in January when she won a seat in parliament – and became the island’s first […]
US Supreme Court to hear challenge to ban on transgender care for minors
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide the legality of a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, as the justices waded into another contentious issue implicating LGBT rights. They took up an appeal by Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration of a lower court’s decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on […]
What are the legal challenges to Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill?
Courts in Ghana are considering multiple legal challenges to the West African country’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill with its top court due to deliver its first decision on July 27. The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill, passed unanimously by parliament in February, will further criminalise same-sex relations and ban the “promotion” of LGBTQ+ activities. But […]
Camille Villar Stands Against LGBTQIA+ Discrimination: ‘Tayo Po Ay Pare-Pareho, Pantay-Pantay’
House Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar has called for a stop to the continuing discrimination against members of the LGBTQIA+ community. During the Pride Month celebrations in her district, Villar underscored the need to accept and respect the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, queers, intersex, and asexuals. “Tayo po ay pare-pareho, pantay-pantay sa […]
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is using her voice to ensure more Black, queer stories get told
We always knew Oscar-nominated actress, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, was a queen. But it wasn’t until 2022 that we learned Ellis-Taylor was a bisexual queen. Two years ago in an interview with Variety, the King Richard and Origin star came out as bi. And though her closest friends and family had known for years, this was the first time she had shared her […]
US ambassador accuses Hungary’s PM of using anti-LGBTQ ‘machinery of fear’
The US ambassador in Budapest has accused the government of Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán, of using a “machinery of fear” to launch legal and rhetorical attacks on the LGBTQ community. “Fear is something those who seek to undermine democracy trade on, and their currency is too often you and your families,” David Pressman said […]
How Chengdu became China’s unofficial ‘gay capital’ despite uncertain LGBTQ rights
The Chinese city of Chengdu is known by many Chinese millennials as the country’s unofficial “gay capital”, even sometimes dubbed “Gaydu”. Although probably more famous for pandas, Chengdu also has a reputation for its inclusive and laid-back culture. While such prevailing attitudes may have paved the way for a relatively more visible LGBTQ presence, the community […]
Hungary’s Anti-LGBT Crusade Apparently Includes Trolling the U.S. Ambassador
The U.S. Ambassador to Hungary hasn’t exactly been embraced by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government. But now, it seems, things are getting petty. David Pressman, a gay human rights lawyer who acts as Washington, D.C.’s envoy in Budapest, had been hoping to attend an event in Hungary’s parliament building this week. “I was honored to […]
In Brazil’s election, the gay vote counts
When nearly 2.5 million people converged on Sao Paulo this year for the world’s biggest gay pride parade, the celebration emphatically reminded Brazil’s presidential candidates of the growing political clout of the gay community. Though it is the world’s largest Catholic country, Brazil is increasingly tolerant of homosexuality and has long been one of the […]
“Let’s love a little more”. Sofia Pride is taking place for the 17th year
Thousands of people gathered at the 17th Sofia Pride protest march on Saturday night. It is held every summer in defense of the rights of people from the LGBT community in Bulgaria. This year’s event is entitled “Bulgaria is also our home”, and its theme is patriotism and national belonging in the context of the […]
Supreme Court Just Countered Landmark Gay Marriage Ruling, Sotomayor Warns
Liberal-leaning Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor argued that the Court countered a landmark gay marriage ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, in a recent case, Department of State v. Muñoz, warning that it could have negative implications for same-sex couples. In a 6-3 decision on Friday, the Court ruled against Sandra Muñoz, an American citizen who challenged […]
UK’s first Muslim Pride set to take place this weekend
A first-of-its-kind Pride event for LGBTQ+ Muslims is happening this weekend. Organised by charity Imaan LGBTQI+, Muslim Pride 2024 is set to take place at Queen Mary, University of London, on Saturday (22 June) and hundreds of people are expected to attend the full-day “celebration of queer Muslim culture, activism and history”. The event was […]
Continued progress leaves homosexuality illegal in 64 nations
The number of nations with laws against gay sex has fallen to 64, continuing the slow, decades-long progress toward recognition of the human rights of LGBTQ+ people. The latest countries to end the criminalization of same-sex intimacy are Namibia in Africa and Dominica in the Caribbean in 2024, Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and the […]
US military must face lawsuit over discharge of LGBTQ veterans
A federal magistrate judge in San Francisco has refused to dismiss a lawsuit claiming the U.S. military violated the constitutional rights of more than 35,000 LGBTQ veterans by failing to grant them honorable discharges after they were barred from serving because of their sexual orientation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero on Thursday rejected claims by […]
From a stage in a lorry to party of 50,000
It’s 1999 – teaching children about being gay is banned and same sex marriage is 15 years away, but one corner of Cardiff stages a celebration of all things LGBTQ+. Wales’ first Pride was modest, to put it mildly, with about 2,500 people and a stage “essentially the back of an articulated lorry,” said drag […]
Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center set to open honoring historic LGBTQ uprising
Fifty-five years after an uprising gridlocked the streets of downtown Manhattan and catapulted the modern gay rights movement, a visitor center dedicated to the now-historic riots will open its doors next Friday. The Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center will be located in the building next door to the Stonewall Inn, the site of the June 1969 Stonewall […]
Fascinating 1970s Pride footage shows queer activism half a century ago
Pride in the 1970s was an incredibly different landscape – with the wounds of the Stonewall Riots in New York, which gave way to Pride, still fresh in people’s mind, the decade was a significant turning point. Footage from events across London, Los Angeles, Sydney, and many more places show that, while Pride still had […]