Venezuela’s Secret: Crimes Against LGBTQ+ Migrants And Sex Workers
“Hello, Papi, I am in Brazil.” A text message I received sitting in my home office after nearly a month of silence signified Victor Arellano’s nine-month battle had just been won. Arellano escaped Venezuela with a bullet in his spine, fleeing across violent and treacherous terrains, to have a chance of survival in a place […]
Civil groups chide minister Zulkifli’s insistence on harsher laws against LGBT
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — A coalition of local civil societies has today slammed religious affairs minister Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad’s insistence to table a law amendment that would provide for harsher punishments against Shariah offences to target the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) also criticised […]
How a Black, Gay Refugee Created a Community For Queer Asylum Seekers
In 2014, Nigeria passed a law providing penalties of up to 14 years in prison for couples that enter into a same-sex union, and up to 10 years for those who support LGBTQ+ clubs and organizations. In seven northern states, queer people can be stoned to death simply because of their identity. Despite these challenges, […]
Discrimination part of everyday life for Peru’s trans people
The attack on Gahela Cari came following a televised political debate in the form of a searing tweet from her opponent. Attached to it was an image of her Peruvian elections registration with her names and gender given at birth, all of which she no longer identifies with, highlighted in red. Many defended Cari, who […]
Uzbek Interior Ministry statement threatens journalist Agnieszka Pikulicka with prosecution over LGBTQ reporting
On March 28, Pikulicka, a freelance correspondent for Al-Jazeera and The Guardian based in Tashkent, the capital, visited LGBTQ activist Miraziz Bazarov, who was hospitalized after being beaten earlier that day, the journalist told CPJ in a video call. Police investigators who were present at the hospital shouted at her and told her not to […]
Israel activists protest rising influence of anti-gay lawmakers
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Jerusalem on Tuesday against a group of newly elected Israeli lawmakers who oppose gay rights, in a Middle Eastern country seen as progressive in promoting LGBT equality. A coalition of groups marched and held signs outside Israel’s parliament, where 120 lawmakers were being sworn in following elections last month. The […]
Russia’s Top Documentary Fest Pulls Gay Chechen Film After Threats
Russia’s premier documentary film festival has pulled a movie about a gay MMA fighter from Chechnya from its lineup after receiving threats over it. “Silent Voice” tells the story of Khawaj, a promising young MMA fighter who is forced to flee his home region to Belgium after his brother finds out he’s gay and promises […]
Sexual minorities are often invisible’: meet Seoul’s only LGBT mayoral candidate
Oh Tae-yang was spurred to run for mayor by the deaths of high-profile LGBT figures, and has upset some in conservative South Korea Steven Borowiec in Seoul Mon 5 Apr 2021 19.52 EDT 72 One morning in late March, Oh Tae-yang awoke to news that his campaign banners, which feature rainbow flags and pledges to […]
Jail time for transgender women in Cameroon extended after trial delay
April 5 (Reuters) – Two transgender women facing charges of “attempted homosexuality” in a high profile case in Cameroon will spend more than two months behind bars without trial after a judge postponed their hearing again on Monday. Shakiro, a local media celebrity and cosmetician with 100,000 followers on Facebook, was arrested along with Patricia […]
California Stalls Bill Banning Intersex Surgery For Children
First-of-its-kind California legislation to ban some medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children stalled Monday for the third straight year in the same committee, with the author saying that proposed amendments would have stripped much of its purpose. State Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, wants to bar certain types of surgeries on children […]
Nearly 60% of Japan municipalities say current LGBT system inadequate
Fifty-nine percent of 87 local governments that have introduced, or plan to introduce, a same-sex partnership system feel that Japan’s current system for sexual minorities is inadequate, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. The survey, which collected responses from three prefectural governments and 84 municipalities in 29 prefectures from February to March, also found that […]
Austrian Catholics fly rainbow flag after same-sex blessing ban
The Catholic church of the parish of Hard is one of many in Austria which decided to fly the rainbow flag in solidarity with the LGBT community after the Vatican ruled last month that the Church couldn’t bless same-sex partnerships. The powerful Vatican office responsible for defending church doctrine, the Congregation for the Doctrine of […]
Far right puts brakes on a new law that aims to stamp out homophobia in Italy
Daniela Lourdes Falanga has had her fair share of battles. The first was to survive a brutal upbringing as the firstborn son of a mafia boss in Naples. Falanga, 43, had been expected to follow in the footsteps of her father, currently serving a life sentence, into the powerful Camorra organised crime syndicate. Instead, she […]
Transgender immigrants find a safe place in Portugal
Lisbon’s immigrant community already face discrimination in all areas of life – from work to housing: amid the pandemic some now face eviction after falling behind on their rent. But the residents of Casa T in Lisbon, all from former Portuguese colonies have founded the country’s first shelter for trans immigrants – and it’s become […]
Support group shows Hong Kong parents struggling to accept that their children are LGBTQ, they are not alone
Eric* recalls the day in 2009 when he received the long-distance phone call from his son as if it were yesterday. James*, in his early 20s and working overseas for more than a year, told his father he was gay and in love with another man. The news proved hard to bear for Eric, in […]
Defiant Russian LGBT+ alliance silenced by authorities vows to ‘change this shameful reality’
An LGBT+ social media page followed by tens of thousands of queer Russians and allies blocked by authorities has vowed to continue fighting for equality. The Alliance of Straights and LGBT for Equality page on VKontakte, Russia’s most popular social network, was removed on 19 March at the behest of the country’s communications regulator for […]
Albanian Police Receive Guidance on How to Investigate LGBTI Hate Crimes
Albanian police are being trained on how to identify and investigate hate crimes against LGBTI people, through a joint EU and Council of European action called “Promotion of Diversity and Equality in Albania” which is a part of the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey. Part of the training involves the distribution of […]
Dr. Rachel Levine defends trans youth who are losing healthcare in GOP-led states
Dr. Rachel Levine, the first openly transgender person to be confirmed to a federal position by the United States Senate, is speaking out on the effort by state lawmakers to take away healthcare and the ability to participate in sports for trans youth. In her first interview since being confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of […]
‘Lesbian wedding’ arrestees freed; Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ furor continues
Ghana police have freed the people they arrested last weekend at a party that police believed was a “lesbian wedding”. Meanwhile, homophobic campaigns against Ghana’s LGBTQ citizens continue. The Ghana-based African Equality Centre (AEC) said that the latest report from Kwahu Obomeng and nearby Mpraeso is that 14 people were arrested in Kwahu Obomeng over […]
Study could end blood donor restrictions on gay and bisexual men
A new study funded by the Food and Drug Administration is seeking to develop donor screening questions to determine risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases, in the hope of eventually eliminating the three-month deferral period for men who have sex with men. The ADVANCE Study, as it is known, involves three of the nation’s largest […]
Anti-LGBTQ laws in Uzbekistan fuel hostility and violence
Uzbekistan’s LGBTQ+ community says it is facing increasing threats and repression after anti-LGBTQ+ protests turned violent and new laws were passed this week banning the publication of content deemed to show disrespect for society and the state. Human rights groups say that the legislation, passed on Tuesday, will prevent media or online commentators arguing for […]
Gender fluidity and children’s books
We recently watched The Queen’s Gambit with the kids. (This was after my sister breezily replied ‘Sure!’, when I asked if it was appropriate for children. I guess she forgot about the volley of expletives 20 minutes into episode one.) Later in the show, there’s a moment of attraction between the characters Beth Harmon and […]
20,000 couples have tied the knot in 20 years of gay marriage in NL
Twenty years after gay marriage became legal in the Netherlands, 19,000 men and 21,000 women have tied the knot with someone of the same sex, national statistics agency CBS said on Tuesday. In 2001, 42% of the couples had already formalized their relationship in a registered partnership, but that figure has shrunk to just 3% […]
Japan granted 93 foreigners permission to bring their same-sex spouse
At least 93 foreigners residing in Japan were granted permission to bring their same-sex spouses to the country under a special visa between 2013 and 2020, the first such government survey showed Friday. The spouse of the foreigner with residential status, both from countries where same-sex marriage is recognized, was permitted to stay in Japan […]
Turkey detains students and supporters over LGBT flags
Police in Turkey detained dozens of people who assembled outside a courthouse Friday in a show of solidarity with 12 students who were taken into custody for unfurling rainbow flags, according to Turkish news reports. The detentions came amid growing government intolerance toward the LGBT community. Students and faculty at Istanbul’s prestigious Bogazici University have […]
Chechnya’s Horrific ‘Gay Purge’: A 4-Year Timeline of Abduction, Torture and Murder
April 1, 2021, marks four years since the world at large was first made aware of Chechnya’s gay purge — atrocities committed against LGBTQ people within the Russian republic’s borders, a horrific, ongoing stratagem of abduction, detainment, torture and murder. Gradually rebuked by Western governments over the years as first-hand accounts began to emerge, Chechnya’s […]
From Rights To Jobs—LBGTQ+ Liberation In The Arab World
Before the Beirut Port blast last August that killed hundreds and destroyed entire neighborhoods, Lebanon’s economy was already under enormous pressure due to long-standing political challenges and the Covid pandemic. Amid all of this, Lebanon’s LGBTQ+ community has been particularly hard hit. Social entrepreneurs like Tarek Zeidan are building a better economic future for Lebanon […]
‘Beautiful and fierce’: Voguing balls let LGBT Chinese shine
Leather, glitter, stilettos and a strut — voguing, the underground dance phenomenon, has seized Beijing and given China’s LGBT community a “playground” to celebrate their identities. Sashaying down the runway clad in fake-fur, mile-high wigs and dramatic makeup, performers flaunted poses for an ecstatic audience, powered by a pounding house music soundtrack. Hundreds of young […]
Lil Nas X’s satanic music video ‘liberating’ for Black gay men
Lil Nas X may have angered Nike by selling “Satan Shoes” to promote his latest song, but many gay Black people see the video where the rapper gives the devil a lap dance as empowering. Conservatives have condemned the video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – where Lil Nas X puts on devil […]
Defiant MP skewers LGB Alliance for spewing ‘nonsense, fake news and misinformation’ around conversion therapy
Jamie Stone, a Scottish Liberal Democrat MP, lambasted the high-decibel anti-trans lobbying group for “masquerading as LGBT+ allies”, a sentiment similarly expressed by top Pride organisers and trade unions. He told PinkNews how the group sent him a “horrific” email that said that banning trans conversion therapy for youth would “would criminalise therapists who want […]