Tunisia: Police Arrest, Use Violence Against LGBTI Activists
(Beirut) – Tunisian security forces have repeatedly targeted protesters, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) activists at protests, Human Rights Watch said today. The targeting involved arbitrary arrests, physical assaults, threats to rape and kill, and refusing access to legal counsel. Human Rights Watch documented cases in which the police have singled out […]
LGBT people face ‘tsunami of hate’ in Turkey, once a haven of tolerance in the Middle East
Murat has watched for years as LGBT people who face persecution in the Middle East have found refuge in his cosmopolitan neighbourhood of Istanbul. Today, in the face of growing government hostility and vitriol from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, the young gay man says he has just […]
Netanyahu, long a supporter of LGBTQ rights, courts homophobes and racists in bid to cling to power
Tel Aviv, Israel (CNN)On the smorgasbord of Israeli politics there’s a democratic advantage in offering something for everyone. But when elections here are finely balanced, voters are finding they may have to swallow some of the weird yucky dishes at the end of the table. For the traditional Israeli supporter of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, […]
New LGBTQ society gets off the ground in Iqaluit
Branching off from a high school club, Positive Space Nunavut aims to create inclusive spaces, culturally relevant resources and eventually jobs for sexually and gender-diverse Nunavummiut. The society has $100,000 in new funding from the federal government to develop Inuit-specific educational resources, gather community knowledge and hold events, said Positive Space president Bibi Bilodeau. “Nothing […]
What Seoul mayor candidates have to say on LGBTQ festival
The issue of LGBTQ rights has come to the fore again in South Korea’s political circles, sparked by the recent remarks from one of the leading candidates to be Seoul mayor. The controversial remarks from minor opposition People’s Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo was made during a televised debate between him and rival candidate Keum Tae-sup […]
Empowering the transgender community to facilitate their access to justice in Armenia
The RighT Side Human Rights Defender NGO in Armenia is implementing until July 2021 a national project aims at empowering the transgender community to facilitate their access to justice in Armenia, with the support of the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme Partnership for Good Governance, and its regional project “Strengthening access to justice for […]
New LGBT+ center triggers holy war of words in Ghana
Representatives of the European Union expressed their support for the new LGBTQ+ facilities, officially opened Jan. 31, which serve as the new headquarters for the advocacy group LGBT+ Rights Ghana. Anti-gay campaigner Moses Foh-Amoaning on Feb. 11 called for the site to be shut down and the group’s leaders to be arrested. On Feb. 19, […]
Indonesia’s Controversial Conversion Therapy
Just last month, Kristen Antoinette Gray, an American tourist, and her girlfriend were deported from the Indonesian resort island of Bali after her tweet that celebrated the island as a low-cost and queer-friendly destination went viral. The couple had arrived in Bali in January 2020 and ended up staying through the COVID-19 pandemic. Gray shared […]
Housing for transgender, two-spirit people opens in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
New housing for transgender, two-spirit and gender-diverse people is set to start accepting residents in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Ross-Aoki House, a century-old 24-room hotel, was purchased by the City of Vancouver in 2019 for $3.8 million, using revenue from the Empty Homes Tax. The city has appointed Atira, a non-profit society that runs several other […]
Annual LGBTI report: Estonia’s legislation stagnated, hate speech on a rise
In its annual review of the human rights situation of LGBTI people in Europe and Central Asia, ILGA-Europe, an advocacy group, listed Estonia with the countries that have seen a rise in hate speech and where same-sex partnership registration or marriage rights legislation has stagnated. The tenth edition of ILGA-Europe’s annual review of the human […]
Guam LGBTQ leaders target ‘systemic discrimination’
More LGBTQ candidates for public office and more local policy reforms will be sought through Equality Guam, a new LGBTQ advocacy group supported by the island’s lieutenant governor and public auditor, as well as by the Human Rights Campaign. The group held its first general membership meeting Saturday to elect part of its governing board […]
Abuse and hate speech against LGBTI people rises across Europe and Central Asia
There has been a “stark rise” in abuse and hate speech against LGBTI people in the Europe and Central Asia region, including from politicians, says a new report from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association in Europe (ILGA-Europe). The Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People in Europe and […]
I escaped LGBT conversion therapy, but not everyone is so lucky – ban it now to stop more damage to lives
Whenever I mention conversion therapy, most people are surprised that such things still happen in the UK. There is a sense of bafflement about how and why someone could get into that situation. Although it is shocking, LGBT conversion therapy can and does still happen today. Two per cent of LGBT+ people have been through […]
Conversion therapy survivors sent horrifying messages offering to ‘help make them normal’
LGBT+ activists in Indonesia have reportedly been harassed by an Instagram account offering conversion therapy for “individuals who are confused about their sexual identity”. The account, which which was set to private and since appears to have been deleted, was sending DMs to activists containing a link to a conversion therapy website. The message read: […]
Yokkao Founder Philip Villa Supports Transgender Fighter Nong Rose in Fight for Inclusivity
Thai trans woman Muay Thai fighter, Nong Rose Baan Charoensuk is on a mission to strive for transgender rights in Thailand and around the world. She now has the popular Muay Thai brand, Yokkao behind her campaign as the brand’s founder, Philip Villa is supporting her with a 3-year sponsorship contract. Nong Rose made the […]
Why Jammu’s transgender community hit the streets in protest
Several groups of the community came together at Bikram Chowk on January 21, 2021 to take out a nude protest. Four transgender persons were allegedly abudcted and forcefuly castrated by rival groups the day before. The community was protesting the police inaction against the case. Unclothed protestors blocked the Jammu-Pathankot highway and were later charged […]
UK’s MI6 apologises for past treatment of LGBT spies based on ‘misguided’ views
The head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service apologized Friday to gay spies and aspiring agents who were fired or denied jobs because of their sexuality. Richard Moore said in a video statement on Twitter that a ban on LGBT spies that lasted until 1991 was “wrong, unjust and discriminatory.” Moore was appointed last year as […]
Myanmar LGBTQ protesters take to streets against military coup
A group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) protesters rallied on Yangon’s streets against the military coup and ousting of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday (February 19).
Honduran LGBT+ advocates in legal bid to stop same-sex marriage ‘lock’
Honduran LGBT+ advocates on Thursday mounted a legal challenge to changes made to the constitution by lawmakers that make it harder to reverse the existing ban on same-sex marriage. Last month, members of the Honduran Congress voted to amend the constitution making it much harder to reverse existing hard-line bans on abortion and same-sex marriage, […]
Inter-American rights body finds Jamaica violated LGBT rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) found in a landmark decision released Wednesday that the Jamaican government is responsible for violating the human rights of two of its nationals within the LGBT community. The Human Dignity Trust (HDT), a charity composed of international lawyers championing LGBT rights, brought the case in 2011 on behalf […]
As a gay footballer I want to help LGBT people realise they’re not alone
As a gay footballer, I am very aware of the status I have as a role model – even more so being a gay footballer with an equally high-profile partner in Pernille Harder, my Chelsea teammate. We are keen to do something positive with this status and for this reason on Valentine’s Day we opened […]
State anti-transgender bills represent coordinated attack, advocates say
Bills in at least 20 states are targeting the transgender community in what LGBTQ advocates say is an organized assault by conservative groups. On Thursday, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban transgender student athletes from joining teams that match their gender identity. The measure, which passed 65 to 26, […]
‘You can count on us’: German footballers join campaign to support gay colleagues
Over 800 footballers have signed up to a campaign by a German football magazine aimed at offering support to LGBTQ players. But World Cup winner Philipp Lahm still has doubts about the level of acceptance in the game. Hundreds of footballers in Germany have signed up to a campaign by football culture magazine “11Freunde” (“11 […]
LGBT+ History Month event for teens hijacked by ‘homophobic, transphobic and racist slurs’ and pornography
An LGBT+ History Month seminar for under-18s was interrupted by a cyber attacker who shouted homophobic, transphobic and racist slurs. Education non-profit Academus Education was hosting a digital think tank event in celebration of LGBT+ History Month when it was “attacked by a group of 15 cyber terrorists”, managing director Emily Shead told PinkNews. Academus, […]
Transgender Woman Is Killed in ‘Vicious and Violent Attack’ in Her Miami Apartment
An attack that a police detective describes as “very vicious and violent” has authorities searching for the killer of a 45-year-old transgender woman found dead two weeks ago in her Miami apartment. Family identified the victim as Alexus Braxton. “Whoever did this, you need to come forward,” Braxton’s sister, who gave her name as Neki, […]
British L.G.B.T. Veterans Stripped of Medals Can Get Them Back
LONDON — For decades, L.G.B.T. members of Britain’s military were systematically dismissed from the ranks and stripped of their medals. Now, after years of campaigning by those targeted by the policy, the government has outlined a pathway for them to get their medals back. The defense ministry, which has acknowledged that the practice was “wrong, […]
LGBTQ people now protected under the Fair Housing Act
For the first time, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are now protected from housing discrimination under federal law. The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced this month that the Fair Housing Act covers people who experience discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. HUD is the first federal agency to act […]
A Support Group for Trans Newcomers that Goes ‘Beyond Borders and Binaries’
Trans, non-binary and gender divergent immigrants and refugees living in British Columbia now have a support group to call their very own. Beyond Borders and Binaries, a peer-support group run by MOSAIC settlement and employment services agency and the Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture, began meeting online in September after MOSAIC heard from the […]
British children in limbo over gender therapy after court ruling
LONDON, Feb 15 (Openly) – Almost as soon as she could speak, Nina told her parents she was not a boy and she has lived as a girl since she was seven. Until recently, she was happy. But now aged 12 and wanting to stop the onset of male puberty, a ruling by Britain’s High […]
A wave of killings against transgender people in Puerto Rico
Forty-four transgender or gender non-conforming people were killed in the United States in 2020. Six of those people were killed in Puerto Rico alone. This January, the island’s governor, Pedro Pierluisi, declared a state of emergency and signed an executive order to address the killings. Today we are talking to activists in Puerto Rico, and […]