Trans activist endures gang hell in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Trans activist Dominique Rebel Saint-Vil of OTRAH (Organisation Trans d’Haïti) is surviving — barely — in her beleaguered, impoverished gang-controlled nation. In the following interview, she describes her exile in her own country, prey to armed gang violence that reigns supreme over a nation that hasn’t had a president for over two and a half […]
Scottish Government funds mental health project for LGBTQ youth Scottish Government funds mental health project for LGBTQ youth
The Scottish Government has announced funding for a project to support the mental health of LGBTQ youth. £50,000 will be given to LGBT Youth Scotland to establish a new Mental Health LGBT Youth Commission. The commission will explore the challenges faced by LGBTQ youth when it comes to mental health services. Involving young people from the […]
Vatican moves to calm bishops over same-sex blessings approval
VATICAN CITY, Jan 4 (Reuters) – The Vatican on Thursday moved to calm Catholic bishops in some countries who have balked over last month’s approval of blessings for same-sex couples, telling them that the measure is not “heretical” or “blasphemous”. In a five-page statement, the Vatican’s doctrinal office also acknowledged that such blessings could be […]
Celebration for gay community if Estonia brings same-sex marriage to Eastern Europe
The Estonian parliament decided on a “gender-neutral” marriage legislation in June. The law no longer mentions “a man and a woman” but “two natural persons” who can marry. Gays with a registered partnership (introduced in 2016) can now change this to marriage through a simplified procedure. Baltic News Network has reported about this. The move is the […]
Out in the World: Democracy, LGBTQ rights were threatened around the world in 2023
The year 2023 was marked by a severe global assault on LGBTQ rights and unexpected challenges and progress. Despite the hard shove backward, LGBTQ communities stood up and fought back against hate for themselves and communities across the globe. Some anti-LGBTQ political leaders and conservative forces in Russia, Uganda, and Italy led the way to queer […]
What will the world do on LGBTQ+ rights in 2024?
LONDON, Dec 21 (Openly) – There were huge milestones and setbacks for LGBTQ+ rights around the world during 2023. Same-sex marriage was legalised in nations including Slovenia and Andorra, gay sex was decriminalised in Mauritius and the Cook Islands and self-identification laws for transgender people were passed in Spain, Finland and New Zealand. However, trans rights lost ground in Russia and parts of […]
Record number of anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in 2023
At least 510 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in state legislatures across the United States last year — a new record, according to American Civil Liberties Union data as of December 21. That’s nearly three-times the number of such bills introduced in 2022. Education and health care-related bills, in particular, flooded in at unprecedented levels. Along with a […]
Ugandan LGBT activist in critical condition after stabbing
KAMPALA, Jan 3 (Reuters) – A prominent LGBT rights activist in Uganda, where sexual minorities say they have faced a wave of abuse since a harsh anti-gay law was enacted last year, was stabbed on Wednesday and is in critical condition, his organisation said. Steven Kabuye was “stabbed to near death by unknown assailants a […]
2023 World Same-Sex Marriage and LGBT Rights Progress – Part 4: Africa and Oceania
It was an unusually busy year for LGBT news in Africa in 2023, with one country decriminalizing sodomy, one slowly opening the door to equal marriage, several non-discrimination rulings, and a bunch of countries continuing or extending harsh anti-LGBT crackdowns. It was quite a bit quieter in Oceania, but we did also see one more country […]
Israeli Supreme Court rules LGBTQ+ couples can adopt children
Six years since the state pledged to change adoption law so that discrimination against same-sex couples would be eliminated, the Israeli Supreme Court on Dec. 29 unanimously ruled that existing law allows LGBTQ couples to adopt. The judges issued their decision as part of a discussion of the petition that two LGBTQ couples submitted in […]
Uganda kicked out of Agoa following controversial anti-gay law
United States President Joe Biden has officially removed Uganda and three other African countries from the beneficiaries of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), effectively ending Kampala’s ability to export certain commodities to the US duty-free. In a decree dated December 29, President Biden said he has “determined” that the four countries “do not […]
Russia’s War on Woke Putin Is Trying to Unite the Far Right and Undermine the West
In March of this year, Russia will hold presidential elections. The contest, like ones past, will be highly choreographed, and its outcome is preordained. President Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia for more than 23 years, will dominate the race from the beginning. Every media outlet in Russia will promote his candidacy and praise his […]
Kentucky homophobe Kim Davis, who denied gay couples marriage licenses, must pay over $360,000
Former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to LGBTQ+ couples in 2015. Nearly a decade later, she’s facing $360,000 in damages and attorney fees. Davis was ordered in September to pay $100,000 in damages to one of the couples she denied a license. She was ordered on Tuesday to pay an additional […]
Gender-affirming care has a long history in the US – and not just for transgender people
Enforcement of binary gender norms has led to unwanted medical interventions on intersex and cisgender children. In 1976, a woman from Roanoke, Virginia, named Rhoda received a prescription for two drugs: estrogen and progestin. Twelve months later, a local reporter noted Rhoda’s surprisingly soft skin and visible breasts. He wrote that the drugs had made […]
Same-sex couples able to marry in Estonia from New Year’s Day
Same-sex couples in Estonia are able to marry from New Year’s Day, in a milestone move people say brings the Baltic nation closer to its Nordic neighbours. Estonia became the first former Soviet-ruled country to legalise gay marriage when the Riigikogu, Estonia’s parliament, voted in favour of marriage equality in June. A majority of 55 […]
Stigma against gay men could worsen Congo’s biggest mpox outbreak, scientists warn
As Congo copes with its biggest outbreak of mpox, scientists warn discrimination against gay and bisexual men on the continent could make it worse. In November, the World Health Organization reported that mpox, also known as monkeypox, was being spread via sex in Congo for the first time. That is a significant departure from previous […]
US Lawmakers Divided over Uganda’s Anti-Gay Legislation
US lawmakers are embroiled in a contentious debate over Uganda’s anti-gay legislation, highlighting the intricate dance between human rights advocacy, international relations, and the respect for national sovereignty. Uganda’s refusal to bow to international pressure to repeal laws criminalizing same-sex relationships has further fueled this divergence of opinions. On one side are advocates pushing for […]
2023 World Same-Sex Marriage and LGBT Rights Progress – Part 2: Latin America and Caribbean
Latin American and the Caribbean didn’t see quite the dynamic changes that came in 2022, when three countries decriminalized gay sex and one legalized same-sex marriage. But there were many important smaller developments, and the region is poised to make some big gains for LGBT equality in 2024. Jamaica: A case seeking to overturn the […]
Drag performer slur perpetuates myths, Ont. judge rules, defamation suit advances
A recent Ontario court ruling signals people using dangerous anti-LGBTQ slurs can’t hide behind certain free speech protections to shield themselves from legal accountability, a lawyer for a drag performer said. The Ontario Superior Court ruling out of Thunder Bay clears the way for lawyer Douglas Judson’s client to advance a defamation suit against a […]
LGBTQ+ activists saved a beloved queer beach after city tried to build a playground nearby
Seattle has canceled a proposed plan to build a playground at a nude beach following backlash from the city’s LGBTQ+ community. As The Seattle Times reported, funding for the proposed $550,000 project to build a children’s playground at Denny Blaine Park, a grassy lawn overlooking a secluded beach on Lake Washington, came from an anonymous […]
Same-sex couples fight for civil unions to be legalised in Ukraine
A Ukrainian couple campaigning for marital equality has called on the Kyiv government to act on a draft civil union law that would give same-sex partnerships legal status. “I don’t understand why, if there are people that are ready to sacrifice their lives for the country, for the state, the state cannot ensure their families […]
Transgender ex-RAF navigator honoured by King for contribution to LGBT+ inclusion
Caroline Paige, who was the first transgender Officer to serve openly in the UK Armed Forces, has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her lifetime contribution to LGBT+ inclusion. As the Chief Executive of Fighting With Pride, she has worked to support the health and wellbeing of LGBT+Veterans, service […]
Nine Moments in 2023 That Made LGBTQ+ History
It’s been a big year for history-making events in the LGBTQ+ community. There were notable firsts in the U.S. Senate, at the Grammy and Tony awards, in reality TV, and more. Plus a lying gay Republican congressman faced his comeuppance. Read on for a look at the LGBTQ+ milestones of 2023. Laphonza Butler became the […]
Burundi’s president says gay people should be stoned
Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye has called on citizens to stone gay people, escalating a crackdown on sexual minorities in a country where LGBT people already face social ostracism and jail terms of up to two years if convicted of same-sex offences. “If you want to attract a curse to the country, accept homosexuality,” Ndayishimiye said […]
San Francisco’s Stonewall: the new year’s ball that sparked a queer power movement
As 2024 draws near, LGBTQ+ activists are taking stock of a traumatic year for the queer community. Lawmakers across the country introduced hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ laws, with particular emphasis on trans people. Now, as queer folks are looking toward hope and change in the New Year, they are reflecting on the past resilience of their […]
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes bill banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors
Ohio’s Republican governor has vetoed legislation that would have barred transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming care, he said Friday. Signing the bill would “be saying that the state, the government” knows what’s better for youth than their parents, Gov. Mike DeWine said. State lawmakers passed House Bill 68 just before the holiday break. The legislation […]
Greece will legalise same-sex marriage, despite church opposition
The Greek government is pushing ahead with its same-sex marriage legislation, despite opposition from the church. In July, the prime minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, promised to legalise same-sex marriage, saying that “Greek society is much more ready and mature.” As of 2015, Greece recognises cohabitation agreements for same-sex couples, offering some of the rights […]
LGBT Advocates Call On NSW Police, Government To Implement Gay Hate Inquiry’s Recommendations
LGBTQI advocates have called on the NSW government and NSW Police force to fully implement the recommendations by a special commission of inquiry into LGBTQI hate crime deaths. Out gay Sydney MP Alex Greenwich called the commission’s report “sobering” for police and other government agencies. “I urge them to embrace the opportunity for positive reforms […]
GOP Congressman tells Uganda leaders to “stand firm” in support of LGBTQ death penalty
Every once in a while, the right in the U.S. can’t help but look longingly at countries where repression of LGBTQ is a matter of law. But Rep. Tim Walberg, a Michigan Republican, went one step further. He actually took a trip to Uganda to meet with leaders there and urge them to “stand firm” […]
LGBTQ Population in the US Grows by Over 2 Million
A new study from the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law finds the LGBTQ+ population in the U.S. is now the largest ever recorded and growing exponentially every few years. This new research — a 17-page study — estimates the percentage and number of LGBT adults […]