Chechnya Detains Kidnapped Gay Men’s Relatives – Rights Group
Chechen authorities have detained dozens of relatives of two gay men who were forcibly returned to the southern Russian region to face terrorism charges, a rights group told the independent Dozhd broadcaster Wednesday. The Moscow-based LGBT Network rights group said Salekh Magamadov, 20, and Ismail Isayev, 18, fled Chechnya last year but were arrested and […]
LGBTQ+ people in Kenya urgently need mental health support
There’s an urgent need for culturally appropriate mental and physical health services for sexual and gender minorities in Kenya, says a University of Michigan researcher. “There’s still a lot of social stigma, a lot of violence around being gay or lesbian or transgender in Kenya,” said Gary Harper, professor of health behavior and health education […]
Ghanaian MPs form ‘Believers Against LGBT+’ alliance ahead of draconian bill attacking queer rights
Lawmakers in Ghana have formed a “Believers Against LGBTQI+” alliance to push a brutally anti-LGBT+ bill through parliament, activists on the ground have said. The cross-party group of 30 MPs is preparing a proposed bill that cruelly criminalises being LGBT+ even further. It was announced at a prayer rally Sunday (21 March) organised by some […]
KUCHU SHINERS UGANDA MARKS 5 YEARS OF SERVICE
Kuchu Shiners Uganda (KSU) celebrated their 5th year anniversary on Wednesday 17th March 2021 at their office premises in Nansana, Kampala. To celebrate, they hosted several partner organizations, allies, KSU staff and membership to an HTC outreach with support from Kawaala Health Center. They also had a soap making and crafts exhibition by KSU members. […]
Uzbekistan: Gay Men Face Abuse, Prison
(Berlin) – Men in Uzbekistan who engage in consensual same-sex sexual conduct face arbitrary detention, prosecution, and imprisonment as well as homophobia, threats, and extortion, Human Rights Watch said today. Uzbekistan should guarantee rights to personal security, privacy, and nondiscrimination by decriminalizing consensual sexual conduct between men. Uzbekistan, a current member of the United Nations […]
Germany: Theology professors blast Vatican gay union stance
More than 230 professors of Catholic theology in Germany and other countries where German is spoken have signed a statement protesting the Vatican’s recent pronouncement that priests cannot bless same-sex unions, adding to dissent over the document. The statement issued Monday declared that last week’s text “is marked by a paternalistic air of superiority and […]
Kenya: Victims of Kakuma arson attack airlifted to Nairobi hospital
In a rare change of heart, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has airlifted the victims of a March 15 homophobic fire attack at Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp to Nairobi for better medical attention. On March 15 at 2:45am Kenya time, homophobic attackers set LGBTQ+ people on fire while they were […]
Nigerian influencer ends hunger strike for LGBTQ rights after days without eating
After three days, a YouTuber and LGBTQ activist in Nigeria, one of the world’s most anti-LGBTQ countries, has ended a hunger strike he started and swore to keep until the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is repealed. “I’ve decided to suspend my hunger strike and protest at the National Assembly,” Victor Emmanuel tweeted today. “I […]
Turkey quits landmark Istanbul Convention because it ‘normalises homosexuality’
Turkey severed ties from the landmark Istanbul Convention, which intended to tackle violence against women, midnight Saturday (20 March) because it “normalises homosexuality”. The pact was signed in Istanbul a decade ago as part of an international effort to prevent, prosecute and eliminate domestic violence. But in the latest example of Turkey’s right-wing leadership yawning […]
Same-sex parenthood draws unexpected support in Hungary
Firms from Ikea to a Michelin star restaurant have signed up for a campaign in defence of same-sex parenthood in Hungary, bringing unexpected resistance to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s anti-LGBTQ crackdown. The Family Is Family campaign has enlisted 140 companies so far, up from 40 in February, in response to steps by Mr Orban to […]
Attack on kissing men fuels push for Italy hate crime law
A recent attack in a Rome train station on two men who were kissing fueled calls by Italian political leaders Sunday for quick passage of a hate crimes law to protect members of the LGBTQ community, women and people with disabilities. Italian TV on Sunday aired what it said was video footage of the attack, […]
Wave Of Bills To Block Trans Athletes Has No Basis In Science, Researcher Says
Legislation in several states — Including Kansas and Missouri — would limit or prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s athletics. An expert on sex differences in athletes says the bills aren’t rooted in science Throughout the country, roughly 35 bills have been introduced by state legislators that would limit or prohibit transgender women from […]
A transgender Islamic school in Pakistan breaks barriers
A long white shawl on her head, Rani Khan gives daily Koran lessons at Pakistan’s first transgender-only madrasa, or Islamic religious school, which she set up herself using her life savings. The madrasa is an important milestone for the LGBTQ community in the overwhelmingly fundamental Muslim country, where transgender people face ostracism, even though there […]
In Pope’s homeland, ex-priest leaves church over gay unions
A former priest and LGBTQ activist who has blessed same-sex unions in Pope Francis’ home country, Argentina, is leaving the Roman Catholic Church after the Vatican issued a pronouncement this week that priests may not perform such blessings. Andrés Gioeni delivered a letter disavowing his faith to the bishopric in a Buenos Aires suburb on […]
North Korea’s ‘only openly gay defector’ finds love
Jang Yeong-jin’s remarkable story as North Korea’s only openly gay defector was covered by the international media after he published his autobiography. Now, almost a quarter of a century after fleeing the country, he tells the BBC that he plans to marry his American boyfriend. Jang Yeong-jin had never found women attractive. But it wasn’t […]
Pathetic right-wing cranks think the new gay Captain America will ‘contract AIDS’
Right-wing YouTuber Steven Crowder’s controversial podcast is in hot water for suggesting the new gay Captain American will contract AIDS. Dave Landau hosted the Wednesday (17 March) edition of the Louder with Crowder podcast in the absence of Steven Crowder. In the YouTube livestream, Landau and other co-hosts mocked Marvel Comics’ announcement of a new […]
3 transexual women attacked in one week as violence against LGBT+ community increases in Turkey
The LGBT+ community in Turkey witnessed multiple acts of violence against its members last week with at least three transexual women suffering injuries or death, Deutsche Welle Turkish service (DW) reported. A transwoman, Miras Güneş, was found dead in her apartment on March 12 in western İzmir province. Her face was disfigured beyond recognition, and […]
Uzbekistan’s law reforms still criminalize homosexuality
On March 14, Rasul Kusherbayev — a young member of Uzbekistan’s parliament who considers himself an advocate for “positive change in the country” — posted on Telegram that the day same-sex relations are legalized would mark the death of the nation. Kusherbayev’s statement, made to almost 53,000 subscribers, comes days after the LGBTQ rights group […]
Nation mourns Zulu King accused of homophobia
For many in South Africa’s LGBTQ community, the late King Goodwill Zwelithini will be remembered for perpetuating cultural homophobia. On Thursday, the country said its final goodbye to the monarch with a memorial service held at the KwaKhethomthandayo Royal Palace in KwaNongoma. The king of the AmaZulu nation passed away at the age of 72 […]
Amazon no longer sells books framing LGBTQIA identity as mental illness
Amazon is no longer selling books that paint LGBTQIA identities as mental illnesses. This was stated in a letter from the company’s Vice President of Public Policy, Brian Huseman, which was published by The Wall Street Journal. This letter actually responded to an earlier letter by right-wing US republican senators – Marco Rubio of Florida, […]
Entire Pride in London advisory board resigns citing ‘hostile environment’
Every member of Pride in London’s community advisory board has resigned citing an alleged culture of bullying and a “hostile environment” for people of colour volunteers. The resignation of the board on Thursday comes after several directors stepped down, including Pride in London’s most senior black volunteer, deepening a race crisis within the organisation behind […]
Court releases 2 Boğaziçi students from pre-trial detention in case involving Kaaba poster
An İstanbul court has released two Boğaziçi University students from pre-trial detention in the first hearing of a case in which they, along with five other defendants, face jail terms of between one and three years due to the display of a poster depicting the Kaaba with LGBT flags amid ongoing protests at the university […]
After international protest, Tunisian court releases LGBT rights activist
Following an international protest, a Tunisia court ordered the release Wednesday of Rania Amdouni, the women’s rights defender and LGBTI activist who had been jailed for shouting at police. On March 4, Amdouni was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine for “insulting police and abuse of morals”. An appeals court ordered her […]
A Boost to Same-Sex Marriage in Japan
It was quite something to see a district court judge break into tears as she read her verdict declaring the denial of marriage registration to same-sex couples in Japan unconstitutional. It’s a significant and emotional moment in Japan for a court to affirm the dignity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in […]
Poll Shows 70 Percent Of Voters Support LGBT Protections Bill Equality Act
A new poll released Tuesday found overwhelming support for the Equality Act. The legislation cleared the House last month and is currently being considered in the Senate. Passage is a priority for the Biden administration. The Equality Act seeks to add sexual orientation and gender identity to current civil rights laws. According to an online […]
‘Deal with it’, school in China tells gay high school student bullied and sexually assaulted for months
A gay teenager was subjected to months of emotional and physical bullying, including repeated instances of sexual assault, at a school in China. In the most severe incident Xiaohao (not his real name) was stripped naked, pinned to the ground and forced to watch pornography while someone stimulated his genitals while being filmed. During the […]
Bhutan drops its law against sodomy
The tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan became the latest country to decriminalize gay sex as its Penal Code Amendment Act came into force on Feb. 17, 2021. The process to remove the Penal Code’s Section 213 prohibiting “unnatural sex,” which was defined to include “sodomy”, began in 2019. The National Assembly, the lower house of […]
Number of nations with anti-gay laws drops to 71
The world is continuing its slow march toward full recognition of the importance of the human rights of LGBTQ people. With last month’s repeal of the anti-sodomy law in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the number of countries with anti-LGBTQ laws dropped to 71, down from 92 early in this century. Map of the 71 […]
In landmark ruling, Japan court says it is ‘unconstitutional’ to bar same-sex marriage
A Japanese court ruled on Wednesday that not allowing same-sex couples to get married is “unconstitutional,” setting a precedent in the only G7 nation not to fully recognize same-sex partnership. The ruling by a district court, the first in Japan on the legality of same-sex marriages, is a major symbolic victory in a country where […]
Mississippi governor signs bill banning trans athletes from school sports
On Thursday, Gov. Tate Reeves signed “the Mississippi Fairness Act” into law, requiring the state’s schools to designate teams by sex assigned at birth and prohibiting transgender student athletes from participating in school sports in accordance with their gender identity. In a March 4 tweet, Reeves said the law would “protect young girls from being […]