Anti-gay laws linked to low levels of HIV testing in Africa
Poor uptake of HIV diagnosis and treatment among gay men in Africa may be linked to government crackdowns on homosexuality, a paper has found. The research, published in the Lancet HIV journal, analysed data from 75 studies involving gay and bisexual men across 28 African countries. It found that only 19 per cent of gay […]
Gay Peruvian congressman resigns
Alberto de Belaunde, who was one of two openly gay congressmen in Peru, stepped down late Monday night after Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra dissolved the South American country’s Congress. De Belaunde is one of six nominees for this year’s LGBTQ Victory Institute Tammy Baldwin Breakthrough Award, the organization announced September 26. “Thank you so much […]
Poland’s drift to right divides young male and female voters
Out on the campaign trail before Poland’s parliamentary elections, Jolanta Banach, a leftwing candidate, has noticed a recurring pattern. “There’s a young couple out for a walk with a pushchair, and I approach them to offer our campaign leaflets. The guy says: ‘No, we don’t want it.’ And then the woman says: ‘Actually, I’d like […]
U.S. Supreme Court divided on LGBT employment protection; Gorsuch could be key
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared closely divided over whether a landmark federal law forbidding sex discrimination in the workplace protects gay and transgender employees, with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch emerging as a potential decisive vote. The nine justices heard two hours of high-profile arguments in three cases that could broaden LGBT rights involving […]
Gay Jamaican asylum seekers find new life in US with LGBT task force
Maurice Newman was thriving in Jamaica, fulfilling his dreams. He was teaching the fifth grade and also traveling for the government, training fellow teachers. He was building his life, living in the upper-middle class with an apartment and nice car. Then his life flipped around in an instant when police discovered his sexuality. “All that […]
Gay men seen dying from AIDS due to Africa’s homophobic laws
Thousands of gay men in Africa are likely dying from HIV-related illnesses every year due to homophobic laws that stifle their chances of being tested and treated, said researchers behind a study published on Monday in The Lancet HIV journal. A study of the data of 45,000 gay men in 28 African countries including Kenya, […]
Questions about sexual orientation and gender identity dumped from census
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has ditched preparations to ask about sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2021 census, although a question on whether people are male, female or non-binary is still under consideration. On 15 October, the ABS will test the census on 40,000 households in Wagga Wagga and south of Brisbane, including […]
Uganda: Why government is reintroducing anti-gay law
At the end of August, the Ethics and Integrity minster, Fr Simon Lokodo, said his predecessor, Mr James Nsaba Buturo, would take leave of Parliament to reintroduce a private member’s Bill against homosexuality. This came more than five years since President Museveni, on February 24, 2014, signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law before both local […]
HIV diagnosis for 15 men waiting for drug on NHS
At least 15 people in England have tested HIV positive while waiting to get a place on a trial for a pill which prevents the disease. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily tablet which can stop a person from getting HIV. England is the only place in the UK where places on a trial to […]
Islamist extremists exploited LGBT school teaching tensions to fuel hate – report claims
Islamist extremists exploited tensions over equality teaching in Birmingham schools to amplify hate against LGBT+ people, a hard hitting report claims. Hizb ut-Tahir and other pro-Islamist organisations allegedly tried to use the dispute, centred on two small primary schools in Sparkhill and Alum Rock, to “promote their belief that Western liberalism was a threat to […]
Gay, transgender rights in spotlight as U.S. Supreme Court returns
The U.S. Supreme Court kicks off its new term this week, with a major dispute on tap over whether a landmark decades-old federal anti-discrimination law that bars sex discrimination in the workplace protects gay and transgender employees. The nine-month term opens on Monday with three cases to be argued before the nine justices. On Tuesday, […]
UK Transgender law reforms ‘will happen’ insists government
After reports that a public consultation on the matter had been abandoned, equalities minister Liz Truss is reportedly committed to completing the process in a way that has a ‘positive impact on the trans community in the UK’. Former minister for women and equalities Penny Mordaunt had launched a public consultation into how transgender people […]
Poland’s election features a confident right-wing ruling party despite abortion, LGBT debates
Poles will cast their ballots in the national parliamentary election next Sunday, and the world is watching to see if they will deliver another decisive victory for the populist, right-wing Law and Justice Party. Law and Justice formed Poland’s first outright majority government in 2015 since the fall of communism. In the ensuing years, Poland […]
French conservatives are protesting a bill that would fund IVF for most lesbian and single women
Several thousand conservative activists of all ages marched through Paris on Sunday to protest a French bill that would give lesbian couples and single women access to in vitro fertilization and related procedures.”Where is my dad?” read some signs as traditional Catholic groups, far-right activists and other marchers weaved from the Luxembourg Garden to the […]
Japanese MP makes waves by linking same-sex marriage to revising constitution
A conservative ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for discussion on revising Japan’s constitution to allow same-sex marriage, annoying colleagues in the ruling party who are against it and also opposition parliamentarians who say enacting a simple law would clear the way. Japan has no anti-LGBT laws although many LGBT people still conceal […]
‘Born to Be’ Review: Intimate Portrait of Transgender Surgery Pioneer Gets It Right
“Not every patient wants to have a surgical transition. Transition can take many forms,” says Dr. Jess Ting in an early interview in “Born to Be,” a poignant and finely tuned documentary about his work as head surgeon at Mt. Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery. Ting’s thoughtful, measured, and sensitive approach to the […]
Russian man sues Apple after cryptocurrency “turned him gay”
A Russian man has filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that a cryptocurrency app caused him to turn gay, according to a copy of the complaint seen by news agency AFP and reproduced in the Telegraph. The man tried to buy some Bitcoin, but he received some “GayCoin” instead—which came with a note: “Don’t judge […]
Star Stanford swimmer Abrahm Devine says he was kicked off team because he’s gay
An accomplished former Stanford swimmer claims in an Instagram post that he was kicked off the university’s team because he’s gay, CBS San Francisco reports. Abrahm Devine says in a caption under a picture of himself that he’s the only openly-gay swimmer on his level. During his time at Stanford, Devine became an NCAA champion, […]
For sale: UK jail that held Oscar Wilde for gay sex
Reading Prison – a forbidding Victorian jail turned LGBT landmark – is for sale, Britain said on Thursday, offloading a deserted site best known for housing playwright Oscar Wilde for the “gross indecency” of gay sex. Campaigners had hoped to turn the austere brick prison, which lies just west of London, into an arts center […]
LGBT+ film funding row lands Brazil minister in court
Brazilian prosecutors have filed charges against the citizenship minister for suspending government funding for films, which they said was motivated by discrimination against LGBT+ people. Brazil’s film agency ANCINE halted around R$70 million ($17 million) in grants in August that were set to fund about 80 films, four of which were about the gay community. […]
Russian Court Blocks Major LGBT Online Groups
A Russian court has ruled that two popular LGBT networking sites be blocked for disseminating “anti-family values,” including a major online group with nearly 200,000 members. The court in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday announced the decision against the groups on VK, a Russian platform similar to Facebook. “An inspection showed they contain information available to […]
No, there’s no such thing as ‘rapid onset gender dysphoria’
Australian experts have debunked ‘rapid onset gender dysphoria’ in a strongly-worded position statement. The phrase emerged in 2018 and posits that a “social and peer contagion” is responsible for young people identifying as trans, as opposed to growing acceptance and understanding. ‘Rapid onset gender dysphoria’ is used by some journalists and online activists to suggest […]
Here’s why Ghana’s sex education program is controversial
Ghanaians are still debating a proposed school sex education program after religious groups said it was part of a “satanic” attempt to promote LGBT+ values. The backlash forced government and U.N. officials to defend the Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) program, which was devised by the United Nations and Ghana’s government, saying it had no explicit […]
Toronto rally responds to anti-LGBTQ Christian group march
A rally promoting unity was held Saturday in response to an anti-LGBTQ Christian group’s march through the city’s gay village. A group of evangelicals with the Christ Forgiveness Ministry, including street preacher David Lynn and longtime activist Charles McVety, marched up Church Street calling for the protection of free-speech and civil liberties. The march was […]
One thousand people participate in gay pride march in Paraguay
Around a thousand militants from organizations of sexual diversity participated on Saturday in the annual march of the LGBTI community in Paraguay, one of the most conservative countries in Latin America, where among other things they requested that the government approve the legal changes of name to who present themselves with a gender different from […]
Australia Post releases marriage equality stamps
Australia Post has unveiled two commemorative stamps to mark the passage of marriage equality nearly two years ago. The majority “yes” vote for same-sex was announced on November 15, 2017. The same-sex marriage bill finally passed through the Australian parliament that December. The two stamps, released by Australia Post on October 1, both celebrate the […]
Fans cry foul as France cracks down on football homophobia
From leafleting fans to introducing fines and even jail time, France is cracking down on homophobia in football. But when a referee stopped play over anti-gay chants, fans cried foul. Mehdi Mokhtari’s decision to halt a match between second-league teams AS Nancy and Le Mans last month marked the first time a referee had used […]
Why the struggles of the climate and LGBTQIA+ movements are deeply connected
While states fail to act comprehensively on what is the biggest crisis humanity faces, a diverse group of queer activists came together on the evening of 2 September to found a new initiative. Several people from the frontline of climate breakdown in Mongolia and India shared their experiences of climate breakdown over a vegan, partly […]
Pope meets U.S. priest attacked by conservatives for ministering to gays
Pope Francis on Monday gave a high-profile private audience to a prominent American Jesuit priest who has been attacked repeatedly by conservative Catholics and media outlets for ministering to homosexuals. By meeting Father James Martin during the morning, when the pope’s meetings are part of his published schedule, instead of privately in the afternoon, Francis […]
Transgender boxer becomes new face of Everlast
A transgender man will be the new face of the iconic boxing brand Everlast, in a move lauded for showing that there are “many ways to be a man.” Patricio Manuel is the first professional transgender male boxer in the U.S., and one of the newest faces for Everlast as part of their “Be First” […]