Nigeria’s repressed LGBTQ party people let ‘true self’ out at Lagos ball
Performers strutted their stuff onstage at an LGBTQ community dance party in Nigeria’s Lagos, publicly celebrating their identities in a country where being gay could land you in jail. To the tune of Afrobeats stars like Ayra Starr and pop stalwarts like Beyonce, a parade of sequin-wearing, wig-clad, neo-goth performers danced, spun and posed for […]
Nepal’s LGBTQ+ Landscape: Legal Wins and Social Battles
The fight for LGBTQIAA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and more) rights has been an ongoing struggle for decades. Throughout history, individuals identifying as part of this community have faced discrimination, persecution, and societal exclusion. Many societies viewed non-heterosexual orientations as immoral, criminal, or mentally ill. This discrimination was codified in laws that […]
LGBTQ+ health workers in Brazil kick off Pride with a dance challenge
Brazilian medical professionals are celebrating Pride Month with the hashtag #DesafioMedicasLGBT or #MedicalChallengeLGBT. Doctor Vinícius Borges launched the playful challenge. In it, the health workers pass a uniformed worker a stethoscope. When they receive it, the person taps the camera to transform into an outfit that shows off their personality, identity and some fun LGBTQ+ regalia.
China transgender woman KOL shocks 2.2 million fans with deformed mouth after botched plastic surgery
A transgender woman in China who spent millions of yuan on plastic surgery only to end up with a deformed mouth has warned people of the potential risks of cosmetic procedures. Wang Yafei, 22, from Liaoning province in northeastern China, who uses the name Meina online, has 2.2 million followers on Douyin. She said she […]
US judge strikes down Florida ban on gender-affirming healthcare
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that parts of Florida’s ban of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender children and restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare for adults are unconstitutional and ordered that it not be enforced. Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the restrictions into law in 2023, banning people under the age of 18 […]
Bisexual risks death in Nigeria, seeks asylum in the U.K.
Chukwuebuka, a pseudonym for his safety, is a bisexual Nigerian student residing in the U.K. He finds himself at a critical juncture, torn between fear and hope, and is now seeking refuge far from his homeland. Under Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA), passed in 2014 under former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, LGBTIQ+ individuals […]
Country’s first documented gay rights organization started 100 years ago in Chicago
A century ago, Henry Gerber founded America’s first documented gay rights organization in a boardinghouse at 1710 N. Crilly Court in Chicago. It was once part of a complex of townhouses built for well-heeled newlyweds. Today it sits amid Old Town’s mix of high-rise condos and renovated brownstones. A plaque in the sidewalk outside the […]
Taiwan’s LGBTQ Progress Under Lai Ching-te: From Rhetoric to Action
During her eight years in office, Taiwan’s outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen endorsed marriage equality and aspired to build a Taiwan where individuals can freely express themselves and marry their loved ones, irrespective of their gender identity or sexual orientation. The legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019 highlighted her administration’s support for gender equality and LGBTQ […]
Man is detained for trying to open gay club in Osama Bin Laden’s compound town in Pakistan
A 75-year-old man who tried to open a gay bar in a conservative Pakistani city has been detained in a mental health hospital since last month by local authorities, the Telegraphreported. Earlier this year, Preetum Giani applied to open the Lorenzo Gay Club in Abbottabad in northern Pakistan, local 24 News HDreported last month. The […]
This is why Marine Le Pen’s 2024 EU elections win is terrifying to LGBTQ+ people
The Financial Times reports that Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (National Rally) received 31.5 per cent of the vote in the elections for the European Parliament which took place from 6-9 June 2024 – compared with just 14.5 per cent for the French president’s centrist alliance. The results led Macron to come out strongly against far […]
Non-binary Saudi influencer denied asylum in UK because officials ‘don’t believe they are really LGBT+’
A non-binary social media influencer fleeing persecution in Saudi Arabia has been denied asylum in the UK because officials allegedly don’t believe they are really LGBT+. Ali Saad Muthyib, a 26-year-old Saudi citizen who uses both feminine and gender neutral pronouns, told The Independent that they were forced to leave the repressive Middle Eastern monarchy in January 2023 after […]
UN rights office denounces ‘horrendous’ attack on Tanzania transgender activist
The United Nations Human Rights Office condemned an attack against transgender woman and activist Mauzinde in Tanzania on Friday, calling it “horrendous.” Mauzinde, a resident of Rahaleo, was found abandoned in the forest, beaten and with her ears cut. The UN Human Rights office said that she had been “tortured & sexually assaulted by 12 men” and called for […]
US presidential candidates contrast sharply on LGBTQ rights
The number of adults in the United States identifying as something other than heterosexual is holding steady at about 7.2%, and the two presidential candidates are taking note. VOA senior Washington correspondent Carolyn Presutti tells us how they are trying to attract that population.
Two women in Comoros detained on gay sex charges after marriage bid
Police in Comoros detained two women on charges of engaging in same-sex sexual activity after they asked an Islamic preacher to marry them, a public prosecutor said. Gay sex is illegal in Comoros, a Muslim-majority archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean which has a population of 870,000. Public prosecutor Ali Mohamed Djounaid said the women were […]
Namibia: Call for President to Veto Anti-LGBTQI+ Bill
A campaign has been launched urging the President of Namibia, Nangolo Mbumba, to veto the discriminatory anti-LGBTQI+ bill passed by Parliament last year. Through a petition on All Out, thousands of people have condemned the legislation that seeks to further limit the rights of LGBTQI+ Namibians and has fuelled a spike in deadly queerphobic hate […]
TikTok Activism: How Queer Zimbabweans Use Social Media to Show Love and Fight Hate
In Zimbabwe, there is a long held public view that queerness is “unAfrican” and imported to Africa from the west. Even though numerous studies have proven this not to be true, reiterations of this lie by the state has led many to believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people cannot be […]
LGBTQ+ activists warn against normalizing Europe’s far right
Monika Magashazi is a fighter. The 52-year old trans woman lives in Hungary — a country that has been ruled by Viktor Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party since 2010. For transgender communities, the situation “has been becoming worse and worse and, unfortunately, we are desperate today in Hungary,” she told DW. She said the government was […]
In Georgia, LGBTQ community fears Russia-style crackdown in ‘existential fight’
In Georgia’s oldest gay bar, Tato Londaridze carefully stepped around construction materials as he set out his ambitious plan to put a stage for drag queens on the dance floor. “Success”, in the centre of the Georgian capital Tbilisi, was the first gay club in the Caucasus when it opened in 2000 – but a […]
Trans woman wins Miss Maryland USA, making history with a list of pageant firsts
She’s 31. She’s married to a military officer. She’s Asian-American. And she’s a trans woman. When Bailey Anne Kennedy was crowned on Saturday as Miss Maryland USA, she broke almost every barrier that existed in the state’s pageant history. And she did it with her first pageant. Now she will go on to make additional […]
Kyiv shoots down clever idea for a safe Pride March during Russia’s war
More than two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the LGBTQ+ community there is anxious to march for their rights in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s imperialist aggression. But the march won’t be happening in Ukraine’s subway system. This week, the Kyiv City Council denied a request to hold the city’s first Pride […]
Far-right party leader defends appointment of man convicted of hate crime
The head of the far-right National Rebirth Party has defended the appointment of a branch leader who was convicted of a hate crime last year sending malicious communications to a drag performer. Christopher Mitchell was sentenced to a 12-month community order in April last year after sending malicious communications to drag queen Auntie Titania Trust, […]
Study finds less anti-LGBTI violence in Cameroon. Is it accurate?
Has Cameroon become a much safer place for LGBTI people? It’s a question raised by the publication of the latest report on anti-LGBTI violence and human rights abuses. The report was published on May 21 by the Unity platform, a human rights watchdog whose membership includes dozens of Cameroonians LGBTI rights organizations. The Unity report […]
West won’t accept polygamy so shouldn’t force LGBTQ+ acceptance on us, says Ghana’s vice-president
Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party’s presidential candidate, has said he will not tolerate LGBTQ+ activities if elected, because they conflict with the Ghana’s values. Ghana’s presidential elections on 7 December will bring in a new leader, with Nana Akufo-Addo stepping down at the end of his two terms. On Monday (3 June), while speaking to clergy in […]
Discrimination persists against LGBTQ+ refugees – both at home and in host countries
As countries around the globe mark Pride month, the plight of members of the LGBTQ+ community around the world continues to worsen. Gay, lesbian and trans people are often forced to flee their homes, only to face continued victimization in host countries. In the course of June and the following months, colorful Pride parades will […]
Russian adult content provider forced to entrap gay men online by Dagestan police
A Russian male adult content provider was detained in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan for the second time in two weeks on Wednesday after reportedly being forced to entrap gay men online by the republic’s police. Matvey Volodin, a Moscow resident who performs under the name USSRboy, was detained by plain clothes police officers as […]
Non-binary Saudi influencer denied asylum in UK because officials ‘don’t believe they are really LGBT+’
A non-binary social media influencer fleeing persecution in Saudi Arabia has been denied asylum in the UK because officials allegedly don’t believe they are really LGBT+. Ali Saad Muthyib, a 26-year-old Saudi citizen who uses both feminine and gender neutral pronouns, told The Independent that they were forced to leave the repressive Middle Eastern monarchy in January 2023 after being […]
Every LGBTQ+ flag you might see at Pride and what they all mean
Pride month is a time for protest and celebration, one when the LGBTQ+ community unite under the rainbow banner or their chosen Pride flag. From the bisexual Pride flag to the trans Pride flag, here’s a guide to all the different designs. Each year in June, the queer community comes together to march through city centres […]
Man arrested in Qatar Grindr ‘sting’ sentenced
A British-Mexican man who was arrested in Qatar in what his family called a “honeytrap operation” on gay dating app Grindr has been given a six-month suspended sentence and will be deported. Manuel Guerrero Aviña, 44, was found guilty of being in possession of an illegal substance at a hearing in Doha and fined £2,100. His family […]
Mama Alto: A Storyteller Swathed In Old Hollywood Glam
Mama Alto is a Melbourne cabaret and jazz icon. She is also a storyteller and a transgender activist, who creates spaces allowing LGBTQI+ people the safety to find power in their softer moments. The cabaret extraordinaire tells Star Observer she fulfilled a lifelong dream when she stepped on stage at the iconic Joe’s Pub in […]
Georgia introduces Russian-style crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights
Same-sex couples would be stripped of their rights under terms of a new draft law put forward by Georgia’s ruling party. The move marks yet another major break between the European Union and the candidate country in the South Caucasus. On Tuesday, Shalva Papuashvili — the speaker of Georgia’s parliament and one of the leaders […]