New school transgender rules fire debate in Portugal
New rules on gender identity at schools are causing a stir in Portugal, where some parents are expressing alarm that transgender children will be able to choose which bathroom they use. Right-of-center opposition politicians chided the center-left Socialist government for the rules on Thursday, with some disproving lawmakers asking the Constitutional Court to intervene. An […]
US fundamentalists deliver homophobic leaflets across Birmingham
A US Christian fundamentalist group have been dropping ‘homophobic and transphobic’ leaflets into homes across Birmingham. Singer Janique James, 23, was shocked to receive the Tradition, Family, Property Association pamphlet entitled ‘Gender Theory or 2st Century Totalitarianism?’. Inside it advertises a book to be used as a ‘tool against gender theory’ and says activists are […]
‘Hunted for my sexuality’: How social media is fuelling homophobic attacks in Mali
The film is grainy but the viewer can make out shadows looming over a woman cowering in fear. Men are shouting, hitting and demanding that their victim admits she is gay. A few neighbours walk past. They carry on as if nothing is happening. The woman struggles to regain her balance, arms protecting her head […]
Duterte expressed full support for LGBTQ community in Palace meet Monday
President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed his full support to the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning) community, neophyte Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘’Bong’’ T. Go said on Tuesday. Go, a former Special Assistant to the President (SAP), said President Duterte expressed this support when he met LGBTQ advocates in a meeting at Malacanang that he […]
Palestinian Authority Bans Activities by Gay Rights Group
A Palestinian gay and transgender rights group vowed on Monday to continue its activities after the Palestinian Authority police barred the group from holding events in the West Bank and threatened to arrest participants. The Palestinian Authority police, who exercise control in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, announced the ban over the weekend. A […]
American-Georgian lawyer seeks prosecution of anti-gay hate leader
The bullying of Georgia’s gay community has at times taken on a medieval air: A local “knight” and his loyal legion of thugs have for years sought to smite any attempt by LGBTQ Georgians to gather publicly in Tbilisi. Now, a U.S. lawyer-turned-Georgian citizen is bringing the struggle into the realm of contemporary law. Theodore […]
How American Evangelicals Helped Stop Same-Sex Marriage in Cuba
Earlier this year, Cuban psychologist Dachelys Valdés Moreno and her American-born wife, Hope, welcomed their baby boy into the world. Although they live in Havana, they opted to give birth—as well as, nine months earlier, undergo the process of IVF—in the U.S. They couldn’t do it at home: The Cuban government still doesn’t recognize same-sex […]
Four teenagers deny harassing two women in a homophobic attack on London bus
Four teenagers have denied harassing two women in a homophobic attack on a night bus in London. Melania Geymonat, 28, and her partner Chris Hannigan were on the bus in Camden, North London on 30 May when they were allegedly targeted by a group of four teenagers, Two 17-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old allegedly. Once the […]
Trump administration says transgender workers aren’t protected by civil rights
President Trump’s administration has told the Supreme Court that transgender workers are not protected by federal civil rights law and can be fired because of their gender. The US government is arguing workers should only be protected from discrimination based on their “biological sex”. A Supreme Court ruling in favour of the administration’s position would set a legal […]
Homophobia seen rising in European countries without gay marriage
Homophobia has risen in European countries that do not legally recognize same-sex relationships, while acceptance of gay and lesbian people has jumped in states where they can marry, research released on Wednesday showed. Most European countries saw a rise in acceptance of same-sex relationships between 2002 and 2016, according to Hungarian researchers who analyzed results […]
In a first for Africa, Kenya census to count intersex people
Kenya will become the first African country to recognize its intersex population in a census on Saturday that counts people born with a sexual anatomy that does not fit typical definitions for male or female bodies, according to a top official. The census will help end stigma and recognize the rights of intersex people who […]
From Lil Nas X to Frank Ocean, the gay rappers changing hip hop’s homophobic culture
On June 30, the final day of Pride Month, the young country-rap sensation Lil Nas X came out to his 2.2. million Twitter followers “Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to C7osure,” […]
China’s parliament rules out allowing same-sex marriage
Limiting marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman will remain China’s legal position, a parliament spokesman said on Wednesday, ruling out following neighboring Taiwan in allowing same-sex marriage, despite pressure from activists. Taiwan’s parliament passed a bill in May that endorsed same-sex marriage, after years of heated debate over marriage equality that […]
LGBTQ church vandalized six times in two weeks
An LGBTQ church has been vandalized six times in the past two weeks and churchgoers are worried their community is the target. “Really the first time, I thought, oh, maybe it was just a mistake or, you know, some kids playing around,” said churchgoer Andy Najar. Najar has been attending the Metropolitan Community Church of […]
Poland’s Kaczynski condemns gay pride marches as election nears
Poland must resist the “travelling theatre” of gay pride marches, the leader of its conservative ruling party said on Sunday, as the staunchly Roman Catholic country gears up for a parliamentary election on Oct. 13. Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has used LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) rights as a key campaign […]
PA BANS LGBTQ ACTIVITIES IN WEST BANK
The Palestinian Authority banned members of the Palestinian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community from carrying out any activities in the West Bank. The ban came after the grassroots group Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society (Arabic for “the bow”), which engages and supports Palestinians who identify as LGBTQ, was […]
After legal win for LGBT residents, Hong Kong Marriage Equality hopes city can follow in Taiwan’s footsteps
Hong Kong’s LGBT rights activists have renewed their push for marriage equality by launching the city’s first pressure group dedicated to putting same-sex unions on the statute books. The group hopes Hong Kong can follow in the footsteps of Taiwan, which recently legalised the marriages after a landmark court case. Hong Kong Marriage Equality, a […]
Butuan students reminded on anti-discrimination ordinance
With the implementation of the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance here, the students of various schools were reminded on the provisions of said ordinance during a symposium conducted by the Ladlad Caraga, Incorporated, a non-government organization that promotes the rights and welfare of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community. According to Isagani Bacasmas, Jr., […]
Greek bishop convicted of hate speech steps down
A controversial Greek Orthodox bishop who was convicted of inciting violence against homosexuals has announced his resignation after four decades at the post. “Today is my last service as your bishop,” 81-year-old Bishop Amvrosios told his congregation on Sunday.”Tomorrow I will submit my resignation, I’ve been with you for 41 years. I need to look […]
Law needed to stop abuses vs LGBTQ
A law is needed to discourage and prevent abuses against members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community, Laguna Third District Rep. Sol Aragones said over the weekend. In a statement on Saturday, Aragones cited a study conducted by New York-based Human Rights Watch in 2015 that found 15 percent of Filipinos […]
Two conversion therapy survivors want protections for LGBTQ youth
For Thomas Argue, growing up in Victoria County in the 1990s was idyllic in some ways, humiliating and painful in others. Argue, who is gay, was raised in Plaster Rock, where his family belonged to the Family Worship Centre, a strict Pentecostal organization. Argue thinks his mother was the first to suspect he was gay. […]
New survey finds a decrease in homophobic attitudes in Nigeria
A survey from The Initiative for Equality Rights has found that homophobic attitudes in Nigeria are decreasing. The survey was last conducted in 2017, and this time it talked to 2,400 residents of the country. Although numbers were still fairly low, they did show that more Nigerians were becoming accepting of the LGBTQ identity. In […]
A gay couple in Russia was forced to flee the country simply because they told their adopted children they are married
A Russian couple was forced to flee the country because they told their two adopted sons that they are married. As far-fetched as that may sound, the story is true – simply because they are gay. Andrei Vaganov and Evgeny Erofeyev, who were married in Denmark, had been raising their two teenage boys for nearly […]
America Moved On From Its Gay-Rights Moment—And Left a Legal Mess Behind
Roughly half of americans think federal law bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Despite four years of nationwide same-sex marriage, despite rapidly growing cultural acceptance for LGBTQ people, despite extensive annual Pride celebrations—these Americans are wrong. Now that all of this summer’s glitter floats have been dismantled and the rainbow confetti has been […]
Watch: Nepal pride rally calls for better LGBT rights
Hundreds of people gathered in Nepal’s capital on Friday for the annual gay pride parade. The participants used the event in Kathmandu to call for better rights. The parade has been held annually for the past few years on Gai Jatra, a Hindu festival to remember the dead when people are traditionally allowed to crossdress. […]
Union quits Pride Glasgow event over ‘commercialisation’
A major trade union has pulled out of the Glasgow Pride march after criticising the “commercialisation” of the event. Unite will not be taking part in Saturday’s event after its Scottish LGBT+ committee said it did not agree with imposing charges on organisations to join in the demonstration. It also criticised companies using Pride to […]
The Trump Administration Asked The Supreme Court To Legalize Firing Workers Just For Being Transgender
The Trump administration on Friday took one of its most aggressive steps yet to legalize anti-transgender discrimination by telling the Supreme Court that federal law allows firing workers solely for being transgender, arguing a Michigan funeral home could fire a transgender woman because she wanted to wear women’s clothing on the job. Although the administration […]
Native American Tribes Are Wrestling With Decision To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
While across the U.S. same-sex marriage has been legal for four years, some Native American tribes still fail to recognize it. Tribes are empowered to make their own laws, and some are just now wrestling with new rights. Chynna Lockett of South Dakota Public Broadcasting says the Oglala Lakota tribe is the latest to legalize […]
Gay marriage cake: customer takes case to European court
Lawyers representing a man from Northern Ireland who sued a bakery for refusing to make a cake with pro-gay marriage message are going to Europe to challenge a supreme court ruling that its evangelical Christian owners had a right to refuse to bake it. Belfast human rights law firm Phoenix Law confirmed on Thursday it […]
Prague Pride March attracts 30,000 supporters, but faces minor protests
The annual Prague Pride March on August 10 attracted approximately 30,000 participants, despite some rain. The march, and a week of Prague Pride events ahead of it celebrate the LGBT+ community. The number was a bit below the 40,000 in last year’s parade but above the 8,000 who participated in 2011. While support came from […]