Poland casts its vote as a nation divided. But can the election deliver true change?
It’s been Poland’s strangest presidential election campaign in living memory. Granted, it’s the first that’s taken place during a pandemic, but in the last three months the country hasn’t just experienced one of the strictest lockdown regimes around, it has seen a brutal political battle. The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) has fought for […]
TikTok Pride event shut down in minutes after homophobes and racists target LGBT+ creators with hate
TikTok “MyPride” was intended to virtually “celebrate the diverse and incredible LGBT+ creator community on TikTok” during Pride Month. The event, held via Zoom on Thursday (June 25) was to include panels, workshops and conversations with queer creators and company employees. But within minutes of it starting, the call was overrun by racist and homophobic […]
Sanna Marin – Finland’s female millennial prime minister, from an LGBT family, leading the war on coronavirus
Germany, Taiwan, New Zealand, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Finland. These countries are among those with the lowest numbers of cases, deaths and, so far, the best responses to the coronavirus crisis. They also share a striking similarity: they are run and governed by strong, decisive and empowered female leaders. Among them is Sanna Marin, Finland’s […]
Israelis split on acceptance of homosexuality – Pew report
Israeli society is split on its acceptance of homosexuality, but is still far more accepting than other Middle Eastern countries, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center. The report, titled “The Global Divide on Homosexuality Persists” asked respondents whether “Homosexuality should be accepted by society or homosexuality should not be accepted by […]
From Kenya to Canada, support grows worldwide for homosexuality
Acceptance of homosexuality is rising broadly across the world, according to a survey published on Thursday, even as sharp divisions persist by region and economic development. Support has grown from as far afield as Kenya to the United States, the Pew Research Center survey found, with an average of 52% of people across 34 countries […]
American Pastors Network Says Supreme Court’s LGBTQ Ruling Undermines Biblical Order and Invites God’s Judgment
The American Pastors Network devoted time in recent episodes of its “Stand in the Gap” broadcast to denouncing the Supreme Court’s June 15 ruling that federal civil rights law prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. APN leaders charged that the Supreme Court created legal chaos by redefining “biblical” definitions […]
A Lesbian Archive Sends Its Love Letter: Find History, Find Yourself
I am deeply urban. My shoes, clothes, eyeglasses, are all assembled with an understanding of how they relate to pavement, changeable weather, and the glare bouncing off city buildings. From Boston to New York City to San Francisco and Oakland, I’ve felt perfectly attuned to the cityscape. But with quarantine, everything went askew, as if […]
Trump to meet Polish president known for anti-LGBTQ rhetoric
US President Donald Trump is facing criticism for hosting Poland’s president at the White House days before his visitor faces a tougher than expected fight for re-election. Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda are scheduled to meet on Wednesday. Duda is competing for a second five-year term in Poland’s presidential election this weekend. Duda recently […]
A Hmong and LGBT-owned tailoring business aims to make customers feel ‘uplifted and loved’
It can be difficult to be part of a cultural community while also knowing you may be labeled an outcast. That is one of the challenges of being gay and Hmong American, said TJ Yaaj. But the question the 2011 Menomonee Falls High School graduate is always asking himself is: “How can I love myself […]
LGBT refugees coalition condemns Kenya violence
In a letter issued June 20 to coincide with World Refugee Day, Craig Paris, the executive director of the Refugee Coalition of East Africa (RefCEA) condemned “the violent attacks on queer refugees in the camp in Kakuma. Our LGBTQI siblings there are constantly under assault, being beaten and hurt.” The statement added: “We are seeing […]
Russia Recognises Gay Marriage ‘Accidentally’ Due to Legal Loophole in Family Law
Russia seems to have recognised a gay marriage unknowingly. The claim surfaced after the send a tax return to a prominent LGBT rights activist who had married his husband in the United States. Russian LGBT Network director Igor Kochetkov took to Facebook revealing that he received a tax deduction from Russia’s Federal Tax Service on […]
Statue of IRA leader Sean Russell vandalised as LGBT flag is painted on by Dublin protesters
DUBLIN protesters have vandalised a statue of former IRA leader Sean Russell by painting an LGBT flag on it to mark the final week of pride month. Images of the statue in Fairview Park, Dublin emerged on social media on Tuesday morning with the graffiti of the pride flag marked across its front. The colours […]
China punishes live-stream apps for ‘vulgar’ content
China has punished 10 live-streaming platforms for “chaotic” content including revealing clothing on female stars and “vulgar hot dances”, the cyberspace watchdog said Tuesday. The sites including Nasdaq-listed Bilibili and ByteDance-owned iXigua have been reprimanded and ordered to suspend new user registration and overhaul their feeds, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said. “Some female […]
Welcome to Chechnya: the harrowing film about the regime’s gay purge
Two terrified boys are forced out of a car by members of a gang who taunt them with the question: “Were you kissing?” A paving stone is dropped on to the head of a lesbian by one of her relatives. A man’s screaming is captured as he is raped. These “trophy videos” are the hardest […]
Israel sets record for number of openly gay MKs
On Friday, Israel set the record for the highest amount of openly gay MKs in the 23rd Knesset, with six members of the LGBT community, while the previous record was five. Public Security Minister Amir Ohana set the record for being the first gay minister in Israel in 2019 after he was appointed as the […]
Tel Aviv mayor says city to recognize same-sex marriages
The municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa said on Sunday that it would allow same-sex couples and non-traditional partnerships to register their union with the city hall in order to benefit from matrimonial rights. The city’s mayor, Ron Huldai announced the decision to coincide with Pride Week in Israel. The new policy will allow couples to obtain […]
REBEL BUDDHIST MONK ADVOCATES FOR LGBT RIGHTS
Despite living in a predominantly Buddhist country, and contrary to the majority opinion among believers and the Buddhist hierarchy of his country, the Thai monk Shine Waradhammo has become a defender of the legalization of abortion and the rights of the LGBT community in Thailand. Dressed in the characteristic monk orange robe, the 50-year-old monk […]
After SCOTUS ruling Texas lawmakers want to add more LGTBQ safeguards
LGBTQ Texans marked a major victory Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal civil rights law prevents employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. But in Texas, which did not have such workplace safeguards, LGBTQ lawmakers and advocates say they are far from done fighting for other essential protections. […]
A lonely and dangerous lockdown for LGBTQ Indians
In conservative India, many in the LGBTQ community hide their real selves. But being stuck inside with their families for months in the coronavirus lockdown has made this hard to keep up – with sometimes dire consequences. Kumar, a young gay man living in a town in northern India, was physically assaulted by his family […]
900 LGBT couples have been certified in Japan since 2015, survey finds
A total of 900 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender couples have been recognized by municipal and other governments in Japan since 2015, when the use of certificates to recognize such partnerships began growing, a survey showed Saturday. The number of certified lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples has been rapidly increasing. Certifications in fiscal 2019 […]
British Museum adds five priceless LGBT+ artefacts to its collection to improve diversity
The British Museum has added five new LGBT+ artefacts to its collection, improving the diversity of its collection with priceless pieces of queer history. The pieces, which will be permanently displayed at the museum, include a “nine-bob note” from the 2008 nightclub event Gay Shame Goes Macho. The mock bank note features London gangster Ronnie […]
Poles run for LGBT equality ahead of presidential vote
Around a hundred Poles took part in an “Equality Run” on Saturday, condemning discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community during a presidential election campaign where gay rights have provoked fierce debate. The run took place as a number of anti-government protests from groups including LGBT rights protestors and feminists took place […]
‘Mama Dragons’, protecting LGBT+ Mormon kids in Utah
A fierce group of Mormon mothers who call themselves the “Mama Dragons” are on a mission to protect LGBT+ kids in Utah, where suicide among young church members is becoming a crisis. Mama Dragons was formed in 2012, when Mormon mother Meg Abhau wrote a blog post about her 13-year-old son coming out as gay. […]
New directors at federal media agency have ties to anti-LGBT groups
Michael Pack, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, has appointed to the organization’s board a person with ties to an anti-LGBT group and another who publicly bashed President Barack Obama’s transgender policy. The board of directors for these media organizations that are overseen by the USAGM have a say […]
Death of trans doctor in Mexico sparks new fears over LGBT+ violence
Mexican authorities said on Friday they were investigating the death of a leading transgender health advocate whose body was found dumped by a motorway, reigniting fears over the safety of trans people in the country. Elizabeth Montano, a transgender doctor who worked at the Mexican Social Security Institute, had been reported missing for nearly 10 […]
Gay Indian comic busts biases without judgment
Indian stand-up comic Vasu Primlani does not shy away from her sexuality in her gigs – even though until very recently, being gay put her at odds with the law. One popular joke starts with the question she says many LGBT+ Indians are routinely asked – “how did you turn gay?”. The answer – “when […]
LGBT refugees find a haven in Kenya despite persecution
When he was attacked by a mob for being gay, Martin Okello said the kicks and blows from his assailants came so fast that he couldn’t stop them or flee. He passed out and was left for dead in Nairobi’s low-income neighborhood of Kawangware. Okello had fled to Kenya from his native Uganda to seek […]
Gender Recognition Act: LGBT political group anger at trans law ‘changes’
LGBT groups from the UK political parties have expressed “disappointment and anger” over potential changes to laws affecting trans people. Leaders of the groups representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members directly addressed the minister for women and equalities in a letter. They fear leaked plans show it could be harder for trans people to […]
Gay Rights and Trans Rights Are Indivisible. SCOTUS Just Showed Why.
Since the start of the modern LGBT movement in the 1960s, some members of the community have questioned the degree of common interest between lesbian, gay, and bisexual people on the one hand and transgender people on the other. Notwithstanding similar experiences of discrimination and a shared history of activism, members of both communities have […]
Study links opposition to ‘LGBT rights’ to desire for Christian dominance
A study led by a University of Illinois professor suggests that Americans who oppose same-sex marriage or adding LGBT classifications to discrimination laws want to maintain a sense of “Christian privilege and hegemony.” The study, published in the American Journal of Community Psychology, surveyed over 1,015 heterosexual college undergraduates who self-identified as either Christian (68%) […]