Netflix pulls show as Turkey objects to gay character
Netflix axed a Turkish drama series after the government denied it a filming licence over a gay character, a spokesman for the streaming service confirmed on Tuesday. The move comes amid concerns over a rise in anti-LGBT+ rhetoric from Turkey’s political and religious leaders. Filming of the show, which was called “If Only” and told […]
Rwandan church embraces LGBT+ community
A new church in Rwanda has opened its doors to the country’s LGBT+ community, providing them with a safe space to worship on their own terms. The church, called the Church of God in Africa in Rwanda, is based in the capital, Kigali. It comes at a time when the LGBT+ community in Rwanda is […]
First-ever pan-African Pride will celebrate the ‘bustling, multi-layered reservoir’ of queer Africans
A first-of-its-kind pan-African LGBT+ Pride event, Pride Afrique, is set to take place virtually, celebrating the “bustling, multi-layered, chaotically explosive reservoir” of queer Africans. According to Star Observer, Pride Afrique will be the first pan-African virtual Pride, and has been organised entirely by volunteers across countries and time zones via Zoom. Pride Afrique will be […]
Israel: Bill banning gay conversion therapy up for vote, could spark coalition crisis
A bill outlawing controversial “gay conversion therapy” threatened to generate yet another coalition crisis, as Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party was expected to support the proposal despite the objections of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and its religious allies. Gay conversion therapies, also called reparative therapies, have been strongly discouraged in Israel, the US […]
The first drag queen and LGBT rights pioneer was a former slave
While some still argue that homosexuality is a western import brought to African shores through movies, books, and other means, history shows that one of our most fabulous “exports” was the first drag queen and LGBT rights pioneer in America who was known as William Dorsey Swann to many but known as the queen to […]
Madonna says Russia fined her $1M for gay rights speech but she didn’t pay
Madonna said Sunday that the Russian government fined her for a speech she made supporting LGBTQ rights at a concert in St. Petersburg eight years ago. The singer posted a clip of her speech on Instagram and Twitter, alleging that she never paid the $1 million penalty for her words. Madonna told the audience that […]
First Romanian trans woman to run for office vows to support women, sex workers and Roma
Antonella Lerca, a Roma woman and sex worker, is campaigning to run as an independent candidate for District 2 in the Romanian capital of Bucharest. Launching her campaign today, she told PinkNews that she’d grown tired of seeing no representation of LGBT+ people in politics and this had made her decide to run herself. “I’d […]
Singapore broadcaster slammed for gay character’s portrayal in drama series
Singapore’s national free-to-air broadcaster, MediaCorp, has come under fire after portraying a gay character in a manner that some have called “extremely harmful” to the LGBT community. In April, MediaCorp’s Channel 8 screened a Mandarin-language TV drama called My Guardian Angels. The show included a gay character who was portrayed not only as a predatory […]
Iranian aide who shared cartoon of same-sex parents faces prison for ‘homosexual propaganda’
The former aide for women’s and family affairs in Iran has been charged with “spreading moral corruption” in the form of a cartoon depicting loving LGBT+ families. The Iranian news outlet Rah-e Dana reported on Monday (July 13) that an indictment had been issued for Shahindokht Molaverdi. She was charged with “propaganda against the regime”, […]
With Brazil’s Bolsonaro attacking the Supreme Court, are gay rights at risk?
As a gay man growing up in Brazil, Afif Sarhan was banned from donating blood for most of his life. “I thought, ‘Why is my blood inferior to others?’” Sarhan, a 41-year-old public servant from the centre-west state of Goias, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “It’s my right as a human being to help people […]
Tamil LGBTQ voices face even greater risk in Sri Lanka
As the Sri Lankan state continues to ramp up its militarisation of the North-East, an already marginalised community has now found itself under greater threat. The Tamil LGBTQ community, which has long faced its own intra-community discrimination and struggles for recognition has in recent months come under mounting pressure. A military enforced lockdown in the […]
Hong Kong’s transgender community faces workplace discrimination, leading LGBT campaigner to launch company guidance scheme
When Liam Mak Wai-hon began a part-time bartending job at a steakhouse in Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan earlier this year, he did not sense anything amiss at work. Mak, born a female, started his hormone treatment in around August last year to embark on his transition to becoming a man. Boasting a stylish comb-over, and […]
Recovering Queer Identities
In the Castro District, the well-known hub of San Francisco’s gay community, bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalks honor famous LGBTQ individuals from around the world. Recognizing ancestors has a long pedigree in LGBTQ activism, dating back to 19th-century efforts to repeal sodomy laws in Germany. For generations, doing so allowed queer people to feel […]
U.S. ambassador says EU criticism of Poland ‘overblown’
The U.S. ambassador to Poland said the European Union’s criticism of Poland’s adherence to democracy is “overblown”, as Warsaw faces cuts to EU budget funds over its judiciary reforms. Since coming to power in 2015, Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has faced criticism from the EU over the overhaul of its judiciary system, […]
Pakistan court orders ‘gender test’ of trans man accused of illegal ‘same-sex’ marriage to woman
A court in Pakistan has ordered the formation of a medical board to do a ‘gender test’ on a trans man who is accused of changing his gender to marry a woman. The couple have now been charged with having a same-sex marriage, a serious allegation in Pakistan where homosexuality is criminalised. The case was […]
Duda’s victory in Poland helps draw a ‘pink line’ through Europe
Last Sunday, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, was re-elected by a narrow margin with the help of an assault on what he styled “LGBT ideology”: he campaigned on a “family charter” to protect Poles from this new threat, worse than communism. Two of Poland’s near neighbours have recently activated anti-LGBT politics in similar ways. In […]
Washington state sues Trump administration to block rollback of transgender health care protections
The state of Washington is suing the Trump administration to block the rollback of an Affordable Care Act regulation that has prohibited discrimination in health care against patients who are transgender. In a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal district court, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson argued that the Department of Health and Human Services’ final […]
How Grandkids Are Changing China’s LGBT Family Dynamics
Clutching a photograph of his son, Michael boarded a flight from Shanghai to Beijing for a tough conversation. After dinner with his parents, he solemnly called a meeting and admitted to a secret he had been keeping for years: He was gay. Then out spilled another: They had a grandchild. Despite having lived with his […]
Tahini: The food at the center of an Arab gay rights battle
When Julia Zaher, the owner of a company that makes some of the most popular tahini in Israel, made a donation to an Israeli gay rights group recently, she saw it as an unremarkable act. “When I see people in a tough place, I always like to help them,” Zaher, 65, an Arab citizen of […]
Fight over equal rights for LGBT people divides Italy
Three weeks on from the brutal attack in the Italian city of Pescara that left a young gay man needing reconstructive facial surgery, Lorenzo has joined a small gathering on the busy waterfront to demand justice. “After what happened, no one in the LGBT community feels able to walk freely,” said Lorenzo, holding the rainbow […]
‘Great first step’ as Sudan lifts death penalty and flogging for gay sex
Sudan’s decision to lift the death penalty and flogging as punishment for gay sex was hailed by LGBT+ activists on Thursday as a promising sign after almost four decades of Islamist rule, with calls for prison sentences to be abolished as well. Others criticised the relaxation of the law in conservative Sudan, where a transitional […]
Baja California state congress says no to gay marriage
After much debate, Baja California’s State Congress turned down an initiative to establish equal marriage protections for gay couples. Baja California is just south of California. Technically, same-sex marriage in the state is legal, but the new measure would have eliminated many legal obstacles encountered by gay couples. It would have removed wording from the […]
Polish Court quashes ‘anti-LGBT’ resolution
An administrative court in Gliwice, southern Poland, has annulled the resolution of the Istebna Commune Council contested by a Polish ombudsman on September 2 on the suppression of “LGBT ideology” by the local government. Pursuant to the resolution, an “LGBT-free zone” was established in the commune. The court found that by adopting such a resolution, […]
Can Douyin, China’s Version of TikTok, Help China’s LGBT Community?
The Beijing LGBT Center recently opened an account on Douyin, the domestic version of TikTok, attracting over 2,400 followers and featuring short videos that address misconceptions about the LGBTQ+ community. Center staff members are optimistic that they can inform more people about the true stories of China’s LGBTQ+ community by using creative videos. In an […]
Internet provides vital connection for Africa’s LGBT communities
As lockdowns and restrictions limit physical movement across Africa, persecuted and marginalised LGBT communities have been finding new support online. This has ranged from fundraising opportunities to more chances to connect internationally. In one example of transcontinental support, US-based charity and activist group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence began holding online drag shows to raise […]
From victim to protector: Pakistan’s first trans cop fights for justice
After enduring death threats, transphobic slurs and sexual harassment at college, Pakistan’s first trans police officer Reem Sharif now shields other trans people from abuse. In her first two months as a trans victim support officer, Sharif helped 16 trans people in Rawalpindi in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, as well as receiving about 40 […]
Taiwan parade celebrates LGBT Pride, island’s virus…
The Taiwanese capital held its annual LGBT Pride parade on Sunday, making it one of the few places in the world to proceed with such an event in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The parade in Taipei has drawn tens of thousands of people in the past, but participant numbers Sunday were reduced by […]
Russian parliament begins legalising ban on same-sex marriage
Russian lawmakers late on Tuesday submitted draft legislation that would ban same-sex marriage after voters backed changes to the constitution which define marriage as a union of a man and a woman only. The changes, championed by President Vladimir Putin, were overwhelmingly approved by voters this month in an exercise that opened the door to […]
Poland’s LGBT community feels fear and anger after election
Members of Poland’s LGBT community say they are angry and afraid after President Andrzej Duda won re-election in a divisive campaign that cast their movement for equal rights as a dangerous “ideology” that threatens families in the deeply Roman Catholic country. Some activists say the homophobic rhetoric that emerged echoes policies in Russia under President […]
Thailand Is Taking Steps to Recognize Same-Sex Couples. But What About the Rest of Southeast Asia?
A year ago, Taiwan made history by becoming the first Asian country to permit same-sex marriage in a region where any form of legal recognition for same-sex partnerships—let alone marriage—remains stubbornly elusive. Last week, however, Thailand took tentative steps towards joining Taiwan when its government approved a bill that would allow for registration of same-sex […]