Love killer: How the Covid-19 pandemic has left the world a more violent place for the LGBTQ community
The organization (The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) found that while there had been considerable progress providing legal protection for lesbian, gay and bisexual people, there were continuing issues in many countries. The most extreme punishment – the death penalty – stil exists in Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria (the 12 northern states […]
Homophobia Is Not an Asian Value. It’s Time for the East to Reconnect to Its Own Traditions of Tolerance
Tan Seng Kee, a 62-year-old retired doctor and LGBTQ+ activist, recently filed a motion in Singapore’s High Court, asking it to order the city-state’s cabinet to revoke a colonial-era law that could imprison men for up to two years for engaging in consensual sex. Asian critics of homosexuality have long argued that it is a […]
Colombian village offers hope for indigenous gay men
Growing up in an indigenous village in the Colombian Amazon, Junior Sangama long hid his sexuality — before clashing with his family and choosing to leave. But the 27-year-old has since returned home, one of a number of gay residents who have found a place, of sorts, in the deeply conservative community of Nazareth. It’s […]
Romanian top court overturns ban on gender identity studies
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania’s Constitutional Court overturned on Wednesday a blanket ban on gender identity studies voted through by lawmakers and which rights groups and universities said would infringe on human rights and fuel discrimination. Parliament passed the amendment to the education law earlier this year, pushing Romania’s sexual politics closer to the conservative stances […]
LGBT rights: Hungary passes law banning same-sex adoption
The Hungarian parliament has approved a draft law that would effectively ban same-sex adoption. It also tightens the definition of marriage and the family unit. Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law that bans same-sex couples from adopting children. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s conservative government proposed the legislation earlier this year, and his Fidesz party […]
LGBT-owned kilt maker denounces kilt-clad Proud Boys
A Virginia kilt company is “disgusted” that their yellow kilts were worn by the far-right Proud Boys. Members of the group were seen sporting the bright garments at a pro-Trump rally this weekend in Washington DC. The Proud Boys are an all-male group of self-proclaimed “Western chauvinists” with a history of street violence. Verillas – […]
Hong Kong trails other Asian countries in promoting LGBT diversity and inclusion in workplace, study suggests
In a study reviewing the progress of LGBT equality in Asia, Hong Kong’s companies have a less LGBT-friendly environment compared to their counterparts in the region. A recent study published by The Economist Intelligence Unit (The EIU) suggests that, across multiple criteria such as employee’s attitude and company’s initiative, Hong Kong’s progress of LGBT equality […]
Cameroon: With Israeli aid, drop-in center can now fight AIDS better
Diagnostic equipment donated by Israel will allow members of the LGBTI community to rely on Camfaids for HIV-related health services rather than depending on clinics that stigmatize them and discourage them from continuing their treatment. The Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (Camfaids) is a community-based organization fighting STI / HIV-AIDS and promoting human rights. State-of-the-art laboratory […]
Biden picks Buttigieg as 1st gay cabinet secretary
President-elect Joe Biden finally announced a gay cabinet secretary pick Tuesday. Pete Buttigieg is set to become the first LGBTQ cabinet secretary after being nominated as the 19th U.S. secretary of transportation by Biden December 15. Biden’s formal announcement followed earlier reports on CNN and Politico earlier in the day that said Buttigieg would be […]
Interfaith declaration seeks forgiveness for harm caused to LGBT people
More than 370 religious leaders around the world have signed a new declaration which seeks forgiveness for religious teachings that have harmed LGBT people, calls for an end to the criminalisation of people on the grounds of sexual orientation, and urges a ban on so-called “conversion therapy”. The declaration “Declaring the Sanctity of Life and […]
India has launched its first workplace equality index for the LGBTQ+ community
India’s new workplace equality index has become a sign of how far the country is moving forward when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights. India’s groundbreaking equality index is a promising prospect of wider recognition of the LGBTQ+ community in more formal and professional environments. The index is India’s first regulation for employers to measure LGBTQ+ […]
An anti-LGBTQ extremist now heads the prestigious Voice of America
The Voice of America has long been a bastion of serious journalism. As the U.S. government’s official outlet for news, the organization has long modeled the values of democracy through objective reporting. The VOA demonstrates to the world what a free press and honest news look like. Needless to say, that’s anathema to Trump and […]
GAY INDONESIAN POLICE OFFICER SUING FOR WRONGFUL DISMISSAL
A former Indonesian police officer is suing the force following his wrongful dismissal due to his sexuality, with the case a ‘first of its kind’ for the country. The plaintiff, 31-year-old Tri Teguh Pujianto had worked for the Central Jawa Police for a decade, but in 2018 was fired after it was deemed he had […]
Civil Rights News: Judge Rules Companies Don’t Have To Serve Gay Customers, Attorney General Appeals
Michigan’s attorney general is appealing Monday’s ruling by a state judge that businesses can choose to not serve customers based on sexual orientation if on religious grounds. Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a press release that she is starting the appeal process on the basis of discrimination after Judge Christopher M. Murray ruled that […]
New Zealand, Britain ease rules on blood donations by gay men
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – New Zealand and Britain became on Monday the latest countries to ease rules on blood donations by gay and bisexual men, as supply concerns caused by COVID-19 increase scrutiny of AIDS pandemic-era restrictions that LGBT+ rights advocates say are homophobic. New Zealand’s government cut the celibacy period for gay and […]
Hungary: Homophobic adoption bill is part of an ongoing attack on LGBTQ community
Ahead of the vote on Tuesday in the Hungarian parliament on amendments that will strip non-married couples of the right to adoption and further restrict the rights of LGBTQ people, David Vig, Director of Amnesty Hungary, said: “This attempt to rush through these discriminatory, homophobic and transphobic new laws are part of an ongoing attack […]
Egyptian pastor opens conversion therapy school to “treat” LGBTQ youth
An evangelical pastor in Egypt intends to open up school in Heliopolis which will inflict conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth in the area. Pastor Tony George Rizk, creator of community youth service tC Egypt, said that the school — which will open on Dec. 26 and last eight weeks — is aimed at queer youth […]
Banker-turned-priest leads ancient Buddhist sect to 21st century
Located near the defunct Tsukiji Market, once one of the largest fish markets in the world, Tsukiji Hongwanji temple is the icon of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, which dates back eight centuries. The original temple was erected in the 1600s during the early Edo period. Although it was consumed twice by fire, the […]
Firebrand Islamic Cleric Rizieq Shihab Arrested By Police For Holding Mass Gatherings In Violation Of Covid-19 Protocols
Rizieq Shihab, the radical Islamic cleric and leader of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI)in Indonesia, was arrested by Jaon Saturday after undergoing questioning in a case pertaining to the alleged breaching of COVID-19 restrictions by holding a series of sermons with tens of thousands of followers, The Jakarta Post reported. Rizieq Shihab will be detained […]
The hashtag that grew the most on Twitter this year is “#transrightsarehumanrights”
J.K. Rowling recently said that she believes people agree with her transphobic opinions, but they’re just “afraid to speak up” on them. “Many are afraid to speak up because they fear for their jobs and even for their personal safety… this climate of fear serves nobody well, least of all trans people,” she claimed. Well, […]
‘Some people have two daddies’: The campaigners fighting for schoolkids to know it’s OK to grow up gay
In September, it became compulsory for schools across England to teach LGBT-inclusive lessons as part of the curriculum. Pupils in secondary schools will now learn about sexual orientation and gender identity while primary schools will share an awareness of different families, such as those with same-sex parents. While the news has been a long time […]
Canada’s police chiefs apologize for opposition to decriminalize homosexuality
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) has apologized for its historical mistreatment of LGBTQ communities in Canada. In a video message CACP president Bryan Larkin, who is Chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), noted that the association publicly opposed changes to the Criminal Code in the late 1960s that decriminalized homosexuality. […]
Bolivia approves first same-sex union following legal battle
Bolivia’s civil registry authorized for the first time a same sex civil union following a two-year legal battle, a decision activists in the Andean nation hope will pave the way for an overhaul of the country’s marriage laws. David Aruquipa, a 48-year-old businessman, and Guido Montaño, a 45-year-old lawyer, were initially denied the right to […]
Mexico’s senior Catholic leader backs civil unions for gay couples
The Mexican Catholic Church’s highest-ranking bishop agrees with recent comments by Pope Francis in support of legal protections offered by civil unions for gay couples, the prelate told Reuters, stressing that no family member should ever be rejected. Mexico is the second-biggest Catholic country after Brazil with around 80% of its nearly 130 million people […]
Turkish court postpones trial of 19 Pride attendees, infringing their right to fair judicial process
During the hearing, all the defendants gave testimonies explaining how this trial is a cloud over their heads which negatively impacts their everyday lives. The trial has lasted one and a half years so far, and has affected them personally, academically, and professionally. This further postponement to 30 April 2021 means that the defendants will […]
FOCUS: Genderless uniforms spread in Japan as LGBT students gain notice
A growing number of Japanese prefectural high schools are relaxing or scrapping gender codes for uniforms to meet the needs of transgender and other sexual-minority students, with around a third of prefectures taking such steps in response to an Education Ministry request five years ago. To win broad acceptance, meanwhile, many are pitching the changes […]
“Kill Them, They Are Sodomites” – Police Violence Against LGBT People in Tunisia
On October 6, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in Tunisia raised their voices and banners in the street, amid the hundreds of demonstrators who were peacefully protesting a draft law that would drastically limit criminal accountability for the use of force by the security forces. By a cruel irony, police attacked the demonstrators, […]
Still battles to be won, 50 years on from Highbury Fields gay rights demo
THE first gay rights protest in the UK has been celebrated 50 years on at an event in Highbury Fields. The park in Islington was a popular cruising spot in 1970 when Louis Eaks, a Young Liberals member, was arrested by undercover policemen for “importuning for an immoral purpose”. In protest at his treatment by […]
FACTBOX – As Bhutan scraps gay sex ban, what pro-LGBT+ steps have others taken?
NEW DELHI, Dec 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As countries around the world move to dismantle often centuries-old laws banning gay sex, Bhutan has become the latest nation to take steps to ease restrictions on same-sex relationships. The tiny Himalayan kingdom cleared an amendment bill repealing two sections of the penal code that criminalised “unnatural […]
In Indonesia, gay ex-cop takes work battle to court
The first gay Indonesian policeman to sue the conservative country’s police force for wrongful dismissal due to sexual orientation was back in court this week, determined to be reinstated. Tri Teguh Pujianto, a 31-year-old former police brigadier was fired in 2018 after 10 years on the job when police in a different town apprehended him […]