Malaysian Islamists warn of LGBT normalisation after ‘Beauty‘ passed despite gay moments
Several Islamist activists were incensed after news broke that Disney’s Beauty and the Beast will be screened in Malaysia with no cuts after all, despite the Film Censorship Board’s (LPF) concern over several “gay moments”. The activists reiterated that the film is part of a process to normalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) while […]
Bishops in Germany are declaring that homosexuality is “normal”
Bishops in Germany have declared that homosexuality is “normal” as the Catholic Church there begins reviewing certain reforms. The Commission for Marriage and Family of the German Bishops’ Conference agreed that homosexuality is a “normal form of sexual predisposition.” They have also pledged to review topics such as the sacrament of ordination and marriage, which […]
Man Convicted of Hate Crime for Punching Transgender Woman
An Oregon man convicted of punching a transgender woman has been sentenced to probation. Dominick Gonzales, 38, changed his plea Friday and was convicted of first-degree bias crime for punching the woman in Northwest Portland in September, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill said in a news release. The victim, who is white and was […]
Construction of Navy ship ‘Harvey Milk’ begins at San Diego shipbuilder
Construction began Friday on a Navy ship named after Harvey Milk, a former San Francisco supervisor and activist who was fatally shot months after becoming the first openly gay man elected in California more than forty years ago. Milk was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1978 and was assassinated 10 months […]
Advertiser Cuts Ties With Hallmark Channel for Pulling Lesbian Ad
Following pressure from anti-LGBTQ groups including One Million Moms, the Hallmark Channel pulled four ads from wedding registry site Zola that feature lesbian nuptials, while keeping two Zola ads that don’t include the same-sex wedding narrative. Now, Zola has pulled the entire campaign from the Hallmark Channel and canceled all of its advertising with the […]
Gabon bans gay sex as global pace of reform falters
Gabon has passed a law against gay sex, becoming the 70th country to ban the practice, an official confirmed, as the global pace of reform falters. The central African country banned “sexual relations between people of the same sex” in a new penal code earlier this year, according to copies of the law online. A […]
Gay Afghans Facing Deportation From UK Told ‘Pretend To Be Straight’
Gay Afghans facing deportation from UK told ‘pretend to be straight’ Gay Afghans being deported to their home country where homosexuality is illegal are being told to pretend to be straight, in new guidelines issued by the UK government. The document, dated January 2017, sets out potential risks homosexual people face in their countries of […]
Australian anti-discrimination board accepts complaint against Israel Folau
An anti-discrimination board in Australia has accepted a complaint against former Wallabies star Israel Folau accusing him of the “vilification of LGBT people”. Gay anti-discrimination activist Garry Burns wrote to New South Wales’ Anti-Discrimination Board’s president in early December complaining about Folau. The former rugby superstar became embroiled in controversy and legal action earlier this […]
Painting of Naked Mexican Revolutionary Hero Unleashes Controversy
A painting depicting Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata naked but for high heels and a pink sombrero, astride an aroused white horse, has sparked controversy in socially conservative Mexico, prompting protests that briefly flared into violence. Zapata is widely considered a national hero and especially revered in rural Mexico. He helped sweep away the hacienda […]
Transgender Latina makes history as Evangelical Lutheran pastor
Before coming out as transgender, Nicole Garcia prayed daily that God would “fix” her. When her prayers weren’t answered and the feeling in her gut didn’t go away, she gave up on religion. Now, nearly four decades later, Garcia stands behind the pulpit at Westview Lutheran Church in Boulder, Colorado, and delivers weekly sermons to […]
Revisions announced to Australia religious freedom bill
Following religious groups’ criticism of an Australian bill intended to protect religious freedom, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Christian Porter have released a second version that appears to address some concerns. “This is a bill for all Australians,” Morrison told reporters Dec. 9, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. “Australia is a country of respect […]
Is Zambia ready for a gay pride march?
The intensity of Zambian homophobia might suggest that the nation could not endure a demonstration of LGBT pride, but some activists think it’s time to shake the country out of its anti-gay status quo. The question was even touched upon in the Lusaka Times, a prominent newspaper in the Zambian capital, in an article about […]
Mexico’s president condemns LGBT+ hate crimes after painting row
Mexico’s president on Wednesday condemned hate crimes against LGBT+ people after a row over a painting of revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata naked but for a pink sombrero, high heels and a ribbon led to an apparent attack on LGBT+ activists. Protestors stormed a national art gallery where the painting was on display on Tuesday to […]
You Wanted Same-Sex Marriage? Now You Have Pete Buttigieg.
To a lot of progressive queer people, Buttigieg’s campaign symbolizes everything the marriage-focused mainstream gay rights movement has failed to deliver. In general, Buttigieg makes the case that gay people like him, and like me, deserve to belong — in our families, in our churches, and in our communities — just as much as straight […]
‘God Has A New Africa’: Undercover in a US-led anti-LGBT ‘hate movement’
This year, I accomplished a feat that I never thought I would: I went undercover to investigate a group that hates me. Not long after I took my seat in the auditorium in downtown Accra, Ghana, a series of African and American speakers took turns denouncing me and the people I love. A representative of […]
First men go on trial under Nigeria’s anti-homosexuality laws
Forty-seven men went on trial in Nigeria on Wednesday for public displays of affection with members of the same sex, an offence that carries a 10-year jail term in the country. The men were among 57 arrested in a police raid on a hotel in the impoverished Egbeda district of the commercial capital, Lagos, in […]
Cambodia to teach LGBT+ issues in schools to tackle discrimination
Children in Cambodia will receive lessons on LGBT+ issues from 2020 in a bid to wipe out bullying and discrimination in the socially conservative country, an official said on Tuesday. From grade seven, around age 13, modules covering sexual orientation and gender identity will be part of sex education in schools, said Yung Kunthearith, deputy […]
Dictionary chooses gender-neutral ‘they’ as word of 2019
The use of “they” to describe someone who does not identify as male or female gained ground on Tuesday, when U.S. dictionary Merriam-Webster picked it as the word of 2019. Merriam-Webster said searches for that use of the word, which was added to its dictionary in September, had increased by more than 300% this year […]
Finland’s new prime minister – the world’s youngest leader – is the daughter of same-sex parents
Sanna Marin, the newly-elected prime minister of Finland, will be the youngest sitting country leader in the world and is the daughter of same-sex parents. The Social Democrat, 34, will replace Antti Rinne who resigned last week, making the country’s five-party coalition entirely led by women. Four out of five are in their thirties. The […]
First-ever Pride held on tiny remote island of South Georgia between South America and Antarctica
Around 20 people – essentially the island’s entire population – attended South Georgia’s first Pride last month. (Katharine Ganly) On a remote sliver thousands of miles away from South America and Antartica proper, the tiny island of St Georgia held its first Pride and quite literally everyone attended. Antartica’s summer resort, the British territory held […]
Nigeria’s first awards for LGBTIQ+ human rights activists are finally here
For the first time in the history of Nigeria, LGBTIQ+ human rights activists and organizations working for the advancement of LGBTIQ+ equality will be honored for their bravery, work, and inclusiveness. Despite harsh laws against homosexuality, over the years, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer [LGBTIQ+] human rights activists have been working relentlessly to […]
Nicola Sturgeon vows to use SNP influence in hung parliament to champion ‘world-leading’ LGBT reforms
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is pledging to lead the world in LGBT+ rights reforms as it releases its LGBTI Equality manifesto. The SNP is the only major party to release a specific LGBT+ manifesto ahead of the election on Thursday, although most other parties have included extensive LGBT+ pledges in their general manifestos. SNP […]
For LGBTQ Youth, Human Rights Day Has Special Meaning
“Youth Standing Up for Human Rights” — this year’s Human Rights Day theme — has particular resonance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth around the world. LGBT children and young adults face social stigma and experience widespread discrimination and abuse; serious human rights violations that can have lifelong consequences, including for their health. This […]
How Russia uses porn charges against LGBT activist and trans woman
Human Rights Watch cites two recent examples — feminist LGBT activist Yulia Tsvetkova, under house arrest for allegedly distributing pornography such a body-positive drawings, and Michelle, a trans woman sentenced to three years in a men’s prison for putting sexual cartoons online. Michelle’s supporters worry that she will not survive the brutality of a male […]
Trans woman puts Chinese law to the test in landmark case
Earlier this year, shortly after completing gender-reassignment surgery, a Chinese transgender woman surnamed Yang was fired from her job, an all-too-common fate for members of the country’s LGBT community. The reason given for her dismissal was chronic tardiness, but Yang smelled a rat and sued her former employer in what LGBT activists are calling a […]
Attack the OAS: Inside the ultra-conservative war on the Inter-American human rights system
“The attack first started when I was president”, Margarette May Macaulay, a lawyer and former judge from Jamaica who was elected to the top post at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in 2018. She told openDemocracy how the US state department “said they could not give money to spend on my rapporteurship because […]
Cambodia: CHRC seeks to end LGBT discrimination
The Cambodian Human Rights Committee president spoke during a pro-LGBT event in Phnom Penh on Saturday and called on the public to end discrimination and prevent violence against the community. The event, organised by Rainbow Community Kampuchea, was held during International Human Rights Day. CHRC president Keo Remy said the government has made efforts in […]
Facebook ads push misinformation about HIV prevention drugs, LGBT activists say, ‘harming public health’
Facebook users have been bombarded with misleading ads about medication meant to prevent the transmission of HIV, according to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates, who say the tech giant’s refusal to remove the content has created a public-health crisis. The ads have been viewed millions of times in recent months, Facebook’s archive reveals, and […]
UK‘s first LGBT retirement community set to open in Manchester
The northern British city of Manchester has announced it is to open the country‘s first retirement community for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. There are more than 7,000 LGBT people over the age of 50 in Manchester and the number is expected to increase, the council said in a statement. The project aims […]
Breaking barriers: Miss Universe’s first openly gay contestant is from Myanmar
Ninety hopefuls from around the world will vie for the crown at tonight’s (Dec 8) Miss Universe pageant. Among them is Miss Myanmar, Swe Zin Htet. The 21-year-old singer-actress is the first openly gay woman in Miss Universe history. Htet came out publicly on the beauty blog Missology on Nov 29. She has been in […]