India SC Rejects Review Plea Seeking Same-Sex Marriage
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea seeking review of its order which had rejected a petition seeking various civil rights such as same-sex marriage, adoption and surrogacy for the LGBTQ community. A three-judge bench headed by Justice N V Ramana, in an in-chamber decision on July 11, dismissed the review plea filed by Tushar […]
Lawsuits in Four Caribbean Countries Challenge Colonial-era Sodomy Laws
LGBTI people in four Caribbean countries over the last year have filed lawsuits against their nations’ colonial-era sodomy laws. Javin Johnson and Sean Macleish on July 26 filed a lawsuit against two laws in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. Daryl Phillip, founder of Minority Rights Dominica, and Maurice Tomlinson, […]
Australia Prime Minister Joins Transgender Policy Backlash
Cricket Australia (CA) have come under fire for a new policy aimed at making the sport inclusive for transgender and gender diverse players, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison describing it as “heavy-handed” and “mystifying” on Friday. CA issued two policies on Thursday, one setting out the rules for “Elite” cricket, which they said was closely […]
Paraguay is set for historic trans murder trial
In a historic first for the conservative South American country, a court in Paraguay on Friday will convene for a murder trial in the death of a trans woman who was stabbed to death two years ago, according to local rights activists. The case, to be heard in the city of Luque on the outskirts […]
Johannesburg holds city’s first black, queer ball
LGBTQ people gathered in Johannesburg recently for the city’s first official black queer ball. Organizers say the event was to create a safe space for people in their community. “How this ball came about essentially was we found that there was really no space in Johannesburg for queer, black, femme, gender non confirming , trans […]
Prague Pride features Romani float again, award given to LGBT and Romani activist David Tišer
Yesterday the carnival of LGBT pride known as the Prague Pride Parade marched through the streets of the Czech capital, the ninth time the “rainbow march” has been held here. Starting at noon, the march began on Wenceslas Square and continued across the river to the Letná plain. Organizers had announced to City Hall that […]
Gay couple in Beijing become first to take advantage of new legal rights
Same-sex couples can now apply for guardianship rights. Photo: ReutersSame-sex couples can now apply for guardianship rights. A same-sex couple in Beijing have become the first in the city to complete the process of being named as each other’s legal guardian in what is being seen as a major step forward in the protection of […]
Meet Mumbai’s LGBTQ heroes without capes
In 2012, when the city got its first Gender Reassignment Clinic at Kolkilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Andheri, Dr Dheeraj Kapoor, consulting endocrinologist, was one of the key people involved in setting it up along with Dr Sanjay Pandey, consulting uro-andrologist. Although he has treated over 400 members from the trans community since, Dr Kapoor has […]
Modesto denies permit for ‘straight pride’ rally
A Northern California city has denied a request to hold a so-called straight pride rally at a local park. Modesto city officials on Friday denied an application by the National Straight Pride Coalition for an Aug. 24 event at Graceada Park. Organizer Don Grundmann had estimated 500 people would attend. The group says it supports […]
LGBTQ asylum seekers persecuted at home and in U.S. custody
With more than 800,000 migrants currently applying for asylum in the U.S., a growing number of immigrants rights groups are calling attention to the plight of LGBTQ people, many of whom are seeking asylum because of persecution back home due to their gender identity and sexuality. Some also say they are facing similar abuse in […]
He survived Chechnya’s LGBTQ purge. Now, he’s ready to tell his story
Amin Dzhabrailov shivered as the cold air hit his sweat-drenched body. It had been two weeks since he began sleeping on the floor of the tiny, windowless room, but he still wasn’t used to the rush of breeze whenever the door opened at four or five in the morning each day. It was the only […]
Poland holds new pride parade after one marred by violence
LGBT activists held a central Polish city’s first pride parade without incident Saturday amid a deep divide in the country over gay and lesbian rights. The parade in Plock, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Warsaw, came three weeks after anti-gay violence marred the first pride march in the eastern city of Bialystok. Far-right […]
LGBT+ murders at ‘alarming’ levels in Latin America – study
Four LGBT+ people are murdered every day in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to “alarming” new research released on Thursday by a regional network of gay rights groups. At least 1,300 LGBT+ people have been murdered in the region in the past five years, with Colombia, Mexico and Honduras accounting for nearly 90 percent […]
Anthropological project Gaysian Faces aims to increase visibility of the LGBT+ South Asian community
A South Asian queer anthropology photography project titled Gaysian Faces has been created in a bid to increase visibility around LGBT+ individuals within Birmingham’s South Asian community. The project, inspired by the book called Part Asian/ 100% Hapa, is aimed at showcasing the beauty and individuality of the Gaysian community. Individuals are asked to take […]
Australia: Pressure building on Qantas to end LGBT+ deportations
A group of influential LGBT-supportive celebrities have signed an open letter calling on Qantas to end its forced deportations of LGBT+ asylum seekers. Quantas, Australia’s largest airline, has refused to review its policy of facilitating in transporting asylum seekers between detention centers as well their involuntary deportations, often to countries where it is dangerous to […]
Swaziland: LGBTI Discrimination in Swaziland Leads to Big Mental Health Issues, Report Finds
LGBTI people in Swaziland/eSwatini suffer mental health issues and many have attempted suicide because of the way they are discriminated against in the kingdom. This has prompted the authors of the first study of its kind to call for same-sex activity to be decriminalised in Swaziland. They also call for legal reform to abolish laws […]
IDF moves to expand integration of transgender troops
Israel’s army is taking into account a slow but steady growth in number of transgender soldiers going through sex change processes before or during their military service, and is making more effort to integrate them into the system. As of today, there are dozens of transgender troops serving in the military – including combat soldiers […]
Coca-Cola faces backlash in Hungary for ad featuring same-sex couples
Coca-Cola is facing intense criticism in Hungary over an ad campaign featuring same-sex couples, the latest instance of a vocal anti-gay backlash across parts of post-communist central Europe. Anger over the company’s “Love is Love” campaign emerged immediately after the ads began showing up on August 1, with right-wing media outlets, online petitions and politicians […]
Religious activist fined for burning library’s LGBTQ books
A religious activist accused of burning four LGBTQ children’s books that he checked out of a library in Iowa has been convicted of criminal mischief and fined. Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle says 63-year-old Paul Robert Dorr, of Ocheyedan, was found guilty of the misdemeanor Tuesday and ordered to pay $125 in fines and court […]
Effort to Roll Back Transgender Rights Fails in Uruguay
A ballot-box effort to roll back transgender rights in Uruguay failed to draw enough voters to the polls to trigger a national referendum, prompting LGBT+ rights supporters to declare victory on Monday over the conservative-backed initiative. Fewer than 10% of eligible voters came out on Sunday in support of the effort, which sought to strike […]
Sonoran marriage equality measure begins legislative journey
For the time being at least, Sonora’s family code defines marriage as the “legitimate union of a man and a woman,” and further states that same-sex marriages are “legally impossible.” But on Monday, a reform measure was presented to the Sonoran Congress that would strike that language, and allow same-sex couples to marry like everyone […]
Murder, ‘gay-hunters’ strike terror in Russia’s LGBT community
When LGBT activist Yelena Grigoryeva found her name on a hit list of a “gay-hunting” group, she did not appear to take the threat seriously. The group called itself “Pila”, meaning “saw”, after the series of Hollywood horror films of the same name, in which a serial killer plays games with his victims. Pila promised […]
Transsexuals more acceptable in Thai society: Nida Poll
Transsexual people have become more acceptable in Thai society, according to an opinion survey released on Sunday by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. The poll was conducted on July 30-31 on 1,259 people aged 15 and over of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country to gauge their attitudes […]
Polish state firms pouring ad cash into media that attack gay rights, research data shows
State companies in Poland have multiplied many times over their spending on advertising via news magazines that attack gay rights since the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in 2015, market research data shows. In the run-up to a parliamentary election expected in October, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people’s rights […]
Ohio GOP chair calls for state lawmaker who blamed mass shootings on gay marriage
Ohio Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Murphy Timken on Monday called for GOP state Rep. Candice Keller to resign after the lawmaker linked mass shootings in the U.S. to things such as gay marriage and “drag queen advocates.” “While our nation was in utter shock over the acts of violence in El Paso and Dayton, Republican […]
Same-Sex Union Vote Failure Dismays Montenegro’s LGBT Community
The Montenegrin parliament on Wednesday failed to adopt a law to legalize same-sex unions after deputies from ruling parties representing ethnic minorities voted against it. MPs from the main governing Democratic Party of Socialists, DPS, the Social Democrats and the Liberal Party backed the reform but those from the Bosniak Party, BS, the Croatian Civil […]
Hamburg Pride Parade paused after fire breaks out
Celebrations at Hamburg’s Pride Parade ground to a halt after one of the floats went up in flames. At least two people suffered smoke inhalation. Large LGBT+ marches were also being held in Belfast and Amsterdam. Plumes of smoke rose over central Hamburg on Saturday after a fire broke out at the German port city’s […]
Hate crimes in schools in region affected by anti-LGBT+ protests surge
The number of hate crimes in schools and colleges in the county affected by protests against LGBT+ lessons has surged by more than 50 per cent in just one year, The Independent can reveal. The rise comes as one of the schools at the centre of a row over equality lessons has reported “homophobic” footage […]
Big corporates can show their support for LGBT+ people by forcing Governments to get tough with online bigots
FOR a few weeks in the height of summer, the corporate and municipal world is draped in a rainbow flag. Events like Leeds Pride – which is Yorkshire’s biggest celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans life – are attracting a growing army of corporate sponsors as more employers become aware of the need to […]
LGBT in Russia: smashing stereotypes and creating a queer future
For Russia’s LGBT community, homophobia and violence are part of day-to-day reality. Some cases, like the murder of activist Yelena Grigoryeva last week or torture in Chechnya, have made international headlines and caused global outrage, while others go tragically unreported. But there is more to LGBT+ life in Russia than just oppression. In fact, a […]