Trump lists NC native as potential pick for Supreme Court
A Duke University graduate with ties to an anti-LGBT group has been included in President Donald Trump’s list of nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Allison Jones Rushing was born in Henderson, North Carolina, in 1982 and was nominated to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which represents West Virginia, […]
Argentina sets aside 1% of jobs for transgender people
Argentina’s president is now requiring 1% of public sector jobs be set aside for transgender people. In a decree signed by President Alberto Fernández signed a decree on Friday, September 4 that creates a job quota for transgender people in order to better protect against unemployment, according to Página 12. “Every transvestite, transsexual, and transgender […]
TikTok is suppressing LGBT content in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
Try searching for hashtags related to LGBT issues in countries like Russia, Bosnia, and Jordan on TikTok and you might find no results, even if you were able to see it on a friend’s post. That’s because the app is now shadow banning such hashtags, including the word “gay” in languages including Russian (гей), Arabic […]
Tokyo To Set Up Pride House To Highlight LGBTQ Rights Ahead Of Olympic Games
Ahead of the postponed Olympic Games in 2021, Tokyo will open Pride House, Japan’s first permanent such centre, in October to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights before and during the Games. While there have been similar initiatives in previous Games, Pride House Tokyo Legacy is the first to get official International Olympic Committee backing, the […]
A landmark court case on “traditional values” in Ukraine ends strangely – in victory for both sides
In Ukraine, the often tense public battle over “traditional values” rumbles on – but in the courtroom. In 2018, 80 Ukrainian local authorities called on the country’s parliament, cabinet of ministers and president “to defend Ukraine’s traditional family” and ban “LGBT propaganda”. In response, a Ukrainian civic organisation, We Are!, decided to press what it […]
Croatia gets first gay foster parents
A Croatian gay couple fostered two children after a legal battle becoming the first same-sex couple to be granted the right in the largely Catholic country, an activist said Monday. Croatia, a European Union member since 2013, has seen a gradual liberalisation of gay rights in recent years. Gay couples have been able to register […]
Thousands march from Germany to Poland in powerfully symbolic cross-border LGBT+ rights protest
An LGBT+ rights protest at the Poland-Germany border has shone a light on the growing disparity between the two nations on queer issues. While Germany has progressed significantly on LGBT+ rights in the past few years, introducing same-sex marriage and banning conversion therapy, the picture is far bleaker in Poland – where nationalist politicians have […]
Helsinki Pride Week begins, with PM Sanna Marin as patron
Helsinki Pride Week gets underway on Monday, postponed from its usual June date due to the coronavirus situation at that time. Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) is the patron of this year’s events, the first time a PM has taken that role, with activities organised mainly online or outside to allow as many people to […]
Terrifying new law that would legally erase transgender people inches closer to reality in Putin’s Russia
Russia could be set to follow in the footsteps of Hungary with a proposed law that would legally erase transgender people. Proposed amendments to Russia’s Family Code, put forward by anti-LGBT+ lawmaker Yelena Mizulinam, would legally bar transgender people from changing their gender on their birth certificates. The proposal would effectively end recognition of trans […]
Japan’s anti-outing efforts falling short, LGBT advocates say
Advocates are calling for Japan to create national legislation to protect LGBT individuals from being outed, as the current piecemeal approach is failing to tackle the damaging form of discrimination and putting lives at risk, they say. Current central and local government efforts to prevent disclosure of a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity against […]
Blackmailed with nudes, Nigerian lesbians find safety outside the closet
After swapping nude photos with Blessing on WhatsApp, Chioma set out to meet her prospective lover but was accosted on the road by a man in military uniform who accused her of “lesbianism”. The man told Chioma he was going to strip her naked and take her to the Nigerian police, as instructed by Blessing’s […]
Indonesia: Investigate Police Raid on ‘Gay Party’
The Indonesian government should urgently investigate a police raid on a private gathering of 56 men in Jakarta that highlights the threat to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. On September 2, 2020, police forcibly broke up a party at a hotel, arresting […]
AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES INTRODUCING MORE LGBTQI INITIATIVES
LGBTQI students are at high risk of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders and depression. Queer specific initiatives are being introduced at Australian Universities to combat the statistics. Matthew Allen is an LGBTQI ally at Deakin University, a concept introduced to the University in 2017. As an ally, he is trained to provide support to […]
Mexico’s transgender community in fear after second murder
The gruesome killing on Saturday of a second transgender woman in northern Mexico has unnerved the local transgender community and amplified calls for greater protections in the Latin American nation. The murder of Leslie Rocha in the border city of Ciudad Juarez came days after a transgender civil society group staged a protest there to […]
White nationalism upsurge in U.S. echoes historical pattern, say scholars
The first Black woman is on a major party presidential ticket, Americans of all races are showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and at the same time white nationalists are ramping up recruiting efforts and public activism. That nationwide backing for America’s stated goal of equal rights for all has been met […]
Vietnam Has a Thriving Drag Scene, But It Still Has Ways to Go in Advancing LGBTQ Rights
Lil’ Daddee struts onto the stage wearing a fake mustache and a boiler suit covered in grease stains. The performer picks up a large bicycle pump and carries out a suggestive routine for several minutes, pulling the long rubber hose back and forth between their legs as emphatic cheers rise above the music. Lil’ Daddee […]
Two years since Article 377 scrapped, LGBTQ community still battling prejudices
Rishabh Singh vividly remembers September 6, 2018, the day he says his life changed. Two years ago on this day, the Supreme Court had struck down the draconian Article 377 that criminalised gay sex. The same day Singh told his parents about his sexual orientation. “I think having that in the back of my mind […]
New Law Would Make it Illegal for Trans Russians to Change Legal Gender
Russian politicians are weighing a chance to the country’s Family Code that would prevent transgender citizens from changing their legal gender to match their actual gender. The bill is named for Yelena Mizulina, a legislator who took a leadership role with Russia’s “gay propaganda” bill in 2013. That law, which passed with support from Trump […]
Transgender people find refuge in Haitian Center
The Kay Trans Haiti center located in the capital, Port-au-Prince, is funded by a Spanish healthcare company and the United Nations Development Program and provides lodging and care for up to 10 transgender people. Kay Trans Haiti is open to transgender people who have been victims of abuse allowing residents to stay for up to […]
Civil partnerships now legal in the Cayman Islands
Governor Martyn Roper assented to what is now called the Civil Partnership Law on Friday, paving the way for same-sex couples in the Cayman Islands to register their relationships and enter into a legally recognised union. The law, along with eleven supporting amendment bills, will provide access to family and other related rights afford to […]
First openly transgender Tibetan and LGBT icon Tenzin Mariko on respecting yourself and walking with head held high
In her white sleeveless top, strappy silver sandals and long blue skirt, which is destined to be thrown off minutes into her set, dancer Tenzin Mariko stepped onto the stage tingling with nerves. She was convinced audience members would throw tomatoes at her, or worse, eggs and shoes. Mariko was just 17 at the time, […]
Family of transgender woman slain by U.S. Marine in Philippines contests killer’s early release
A U.S. Marine convicted of killing a transgender woman in the Philippines will remain behind bars while a court considers an appeal against a decision to release him early, a senior government official said Thursday. Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton on Tuesday was granted four years off his 10-year homicide sentence for good behavior by […]
App to fill gap on LGBT+ discrimination in Hong Kong
LGBT+ people in Hong Kong can log discrimination through a new mobile app backed by one of the city’s most prominent property heiresses, in a first for gay rights in the Chinese-ruled city. The charity behind “VoiceOut!” said it was a platform for all residents to report any form of discrimination: be it due to […]
Barbarism and disinformation: The authoritarian response to peaceful dissent
The presidential election in Belarus on 9 August was conducted the way many previous elections were conducted: opposition candidates were harassed and hounded out of the country; peaceful protesters, activists, journalists, and independent election monitors were detained; and, of course, the final vote count that handed President Lukashenka victory (once again) was highly dubious. However, […]
LGBT+ activist behind ‘Polish Stonewall’ not afraid to die
The LGBT+ activist whose arrest sparked protests that were dubbed the “Polish Stonewall” says she is not afraid to resume her hunger strike and die if that turns the tide against homophobia in Poland. “Dying from hunger is not the worst option when people are threatening you to be beaten to death,” Margot Szutowicz said, […]
Looking at implementation of an LGBTQ+ curriculum in state public schools
On Aug. 9, 2019, Gov. JB Pritzker signed Illinois House Bill 246 into law, amending the school code to include contributions of LGBTQ+ figures in public schools all over the state, effective as of July 1, 2020. Board members, teachers, students and parents are now learning to adapt to the curriculum changes during the first […]
Cooks Islands rainbow community lobbies for constitutional rights
The Cook Islands LGBT+ association is citing the country’s Constitution as it seeks to stop laws discriminating against gay men. Section 64 of the Constitution protected people against discrimination, and guaranteed freedom of thought and conscience. However, the Crimes Act outlawed sexual acts between men who could be imprisoned for up to seven years. While […]
For Right-wing LGBT Israelis, There Are Two Closets to Come Out Of
A week before Israel’s March election, 40-year-old chef Simon Barel decided it was finally time to come out. Again. Barel, who told his family and friends he was gay at age 12, revealed to a Facebook group for gay Israelis that he planned to vote for a far-right political party. The disclosure proved controversial, eliciting […]
Love keeps on winning in Northern Ireland with same-sex couples finally able to marry in churches
Same-sex couples can apply to have religious weddings in Northern Ireland from today (1 September), with ceremonies set to begin later this month. Gay weddings began in Northern Ireland in February, but so far couples have only been allowed to undergo civil weddings – with a further wait for regulations to be amended to allow […]
Queer swimmer Theresa Goh advocates for Singapore’s LGBTQ community
Theresa Goh became a legend in Singapore by winning gold at the 2006 Paralympic Championships. Now she’s pushing for LGBTQ visibility in her home country. A new profile in Lifestyle Asia spells it out: “As far as sporting legends in Singapore go, few make our hearts swell with pride like Theresa Goh does.” Goh, who […]