Giving a voice to the LGBT+ community in China
With the Amsterdam Pride in full swing, it’s the perfect moment to take a look at some developments in the LGBT+ community in China. We talk with Luke, one of the initiators of LGBT+ platform Gayspot. It’s like it was just yesterday, as Luke reminisces about his motivation to start Gayspot. Already during university he […]
The struggle for LGBT equality: Pride meets prejudice in Poland
We set off from the Arsenal gallery in a small group of about 20 people, first through Białystok’s Branicki Palace gardens, where a “family picnic” is in full swing, organised by the Law and Justice party local authorities as a contrast to the Pride march. There are bouncy castles, but what there’s most of is […]
Gay Chinese find a place to be themselves on ‘Rainbow Cruise’ to Vietnam
On the deck of a cruise ship in southern China, two grey-haired men stood in silence, shoulders touching, looking out to sea, as other passengers bustled on board and settled in for the journey to Vietnam. Among them was Yang Yong, a 35-year-old banker who boarded the Costa Atlantica with his elderly parents. He told […]
President Joko Widodo says Islam in Indonesia is ‘tolerant’ as rights groups warn of rising fundamentalism
In his first international television interview since being re-elected in May, Indonesian President Joko Widodo denied being concerned about the rise of fundamentalism in his country, saying that the Islam practiced there is tolerant and progressive. “I still believe that Islam in Indonesia is a tolerant and moderate Islam. Islam in Indonesia is modern, it […]
A city’s first pride march was meant to be a day of joy. The far right turned it into chaos
Drag queens strut, rainbow flags flutter in the breeze, and smiling marchers form heart symbols with their hands. From certain angles, the pride parade looks just like other such events held around the world, from San Francisco to Berlin, London to Taipei. But behind the glitter and glamor, there is a darker side to this […]
Do LGBT asylum seekers need to look and act queer?
LGBTQI+ Muslims seeking asylum are more successful if they speak, dress and act in accordance with Western notions of homosexuality, according to a new study. The study, published in the journal Ethnic and Racial Studies, found that LGBTQI+ asylum applicants reported they were often expected to be “flamboyant” and “outspoken” in their asylum interview, and […]
Man who raped lesbian to ‘fix her’ must serve out life sentence
A convicted rapist from Petrusville, who believed in “corrective rape” for lesbians, has lost his appeal against the life sentence he is currently serving Zabathini Jonas, 34, was convicted of two counts of rape and sentenced to life imprisonment for each count in 2015, following the brutal rape of a 24-year-old homosexual woman from Petrusville […]
Halifax LGBTQ community turns hate crime into ‘act of love’
Devin Moore, Tim Gottschall and Rouge Fatale took the homophobic words spray-painted in red on a Dartmouth apartment and raised it a rainbow. Rouge Fatale and Moore, wearing the pride flag as a cape, led hundreds of people carrying pride flags and dressed in rainbow attire through the streets of the Ocean Breeze neighbourhood Saturday […]
Dallas police offer free self-defense class after attacks targeting LGBTQ community
It can take years to master a martial art form, but learning a few simple moves can keep people safe on the streets, a self-defense instructor told an especially vulnerable group Saturday. “The techniques you learn have to be simple, quick and effective,” Nick Chamberlain told about 100 members of the city’s LGBTQ community Saturday […]
Philippines congress to re-discuss same-sex civil partnerships
The Philippines is set to re-discuss allowing same-sex civil partnerships following a renewed push from Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez. Initial attempts stalled last year. The bill aims to allow people into an official union “whether they are of the opposite or of the same sex.” Another aspect of the bill will make civil partnerships a bit […]
Russia arrests man over murder of LGBTQ activist
Russian police said on Thursday they had detained a man over the fatal stabbing of an LGBTQ activist near her home in St Petersburg and were not treating the murder as a hate crime. Elena Grigoryeva, 41, was stabbed eight times in the face and back on Saturday night by an assailant whom she knew […]
Polish campaigners fear renewed homophobic violence
Polish LGBT groups are holding solidarity marches and events in 30 cities on Saturday to protest growing hate speech and violence against their community. Meanwhile a leading Polish magazine could face a fine for ignoring an injunction to halt distribution of an “LGBT-free zone” sticker with its latest edition. The injunction against Gazeta Polska’s weekly […]
Caribbean lawsuit challenges St. Vincent’s anti-gay law
Today, two gay men filed court proceedings to challenge St Vincent and the Grenadines’ “buggery” and “gross indecency” laws, which criminalise homosexuality. Both men, who have been advised by Jeremy Johnson QC and Peter Laverack of 5 Essex Court, assert that their dignity and autonomy are stripped by these laws. They have filed claims with […]
In Nepal, 1,500 citizens have changed official gender
At least 1,500 members of the LGBT community in Nepal have changed their gender on official documents. Following a historic court ruling in 2007, Nepal implemented one of the world’s most progressive gender identity policies in the world. Nepal prohibited discrimination and allowed self-identification of gender. It also recognized a third ‘other’ gender’. Pahichan reports […]
Election of gay lawmaker in Japan spurs hopes for same-sex marriage
Japan’s first openly gay male lawmaker said on Tuesday he believed the country would legalize same-sex marriage, months after Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow gay unions. Taiga Ishikawa, 45, was elected to parliament’s upper house on Sunday, on a platform calling for marriage equality, with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, […]
Trans Men And Queer Women Have Been Swept Up In Chechnya’s Anti-LGBTQ Crackdown
The phone call that would change M.’s life came one spring evening in 2018. “You’re on the list,” the baritone voice on the other end of the line said. The caller identified himself as a member of the military and accused M. of indecent behavior. “We need to cleanse our republic of these people,” the […]
Georgia’s Culture War: The Push for LGBT Rights
LGBT activists in the Republic of Georgia this summer have been looking for ways to hold a parade on the streets of the capital, Tbilisi. While pride parades are common across the West, activists in Georgia face strong opposition from the government and a deeply traditional society. In a report narrated by Steve Redisch, Ricardo […]
Are You Proud? shows how far LGBT equality has come – and how far there is left to go
“Why do you want to make a film about Pride? Everything’s fine!” This, Ashley Joiner tells PinkNews, was usually the response he got while looking for funding for Are You Proud? — his first feature film. “No one really wanted to talk about this,” he says. “And then the Orlando attack happened. And somebody that […]
Czechia’s trans community pushes to be visible
Emerging from the few sensationalized tabloid headlines and TV shows that have been Czechia’s only exposure to the country’s transgender community, trans Czechs are stepping out and speaking up about their experiences. The country’s transgender community has become more visible in the last five years as they challenge the country’s gender recognition laws and claim […]
Taiwan school adopts gender-neutral uniform policy
Male and female students will be allowed to wear skirts at a school in Taiwan after it announced plans to drop gender-specific uniforms yesterday, a move LGBTQ campaigners said was a boost for gender equality. The change, a rare move in Asia where traditional values often prevail, came after male students and teachers at Banqiao […]
Demonstrators Rally In St. Petersburg To Mourn Slain Russian LGBT Activist
Several dozen demonstrators rallied in St. Petersburg to mourn Yelena Grigoryeva, an LGBT rights campaigner who was slain near her home in Russia’s second-largest city. The rally on July 23 came three days after Grigoryeva was found dead, apparently strangled and with multiple stab wounds, according to online newspaper Fontanka and a Facebook post by […]
Germany condemns killing of Russian LGBT activist
Germany is condemning the killing of a political activist in Russia and urging authorities to find out whether the crime was related to her advocacy of LGBT rights. Yelena Grigorieva’s body was found Saturday near her home with eight stab wounds and signs of strangling. Homosexuality is not criminalized in Russia, but animosity towards the […]
LGBT Tunisia: Rift over Israel, tactics, morals of gay candidate
Eleven Tunisian LGBT rights groups have attacked gay presidential candidate Mounir Baatour and his LGBT association, Shams, criticizing them for lack of hostility to Israel, for alleged sexual abuse, and for their tactic of “outing” politicians and others. Baatour’s opponents are seeking signatures for an online petition on Change.org titled “Denounce of the candidacy of […]
Indonesian city pushing for anti-LGBT law
An Indonesian city of nearly two million people is planning an anti-LGBT law. The city council of Depok, not far from the capital Jakarta, is following other regions legislating against LGBT people amid nationwide anti-LGBT hysteria. Homosexuality is not currently illegal in most of the country. But in some areas, it is illegal under Sharia […]
Japan elects first openly-gay politician to national parliament
Japan on Monday (22 July) elected its first openly-gay politician to the country’s national parliament. LGBTI rights activist turned lawmaker Taiga Ishikawa won a seat for the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) in the Upper House. ‘I was calling for the acknowledgment of LGBT people in the election’ said after his win […]
In Bolsonaro’s Brazil, LGBT people take personal defense into their own hands
Miguel Doldan couldn’t get the thought out of his head: People wanted him dead. The passersby on the streets, the riders on the bus – they looked friendly, but many of them, he often reminded himself, had voted for President Jair Bolsonaro, the right-wing politician who said he’d rather have a dead son than a […]
St Petersburg murder victim was ‘well-known LGBT rights activist’
Russian campaigners have said that a woman found murdered with multiple stab wounds in the city of Saint Petersburg was a well-known activist who had received threats over her protests for LGBT rights and opposition causes. Authorities said they had found the body of a 41-year-old woman with multiple knife wounds in St Petersburg on […]
Two women who fought against LGBT laws in India just came out as a couple
Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju successfully challenged Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which punishes LGBTQ+ relations. The Supreme Court lawyers opposed the draconian laws which were introduced during the British rule of India. The law criminalised homosexual acts as an ‘unnatural offence’ and has been heavily contested in the last few decades. They […]
CONVERSION THERAPY BECOMES KEY TO ELECTIONS
When Bayit Yehudi leader Rafi Peretz apologized for speaking in favor of conversion therapy for the LGBT community, he might have thought he had put the issue to rest. But it is looking more and more that this election is exactly about that: attempts to convert people from their natural tendencies. The election began with […]
Head of Islamic school for transwomen wins rights award
The leader of the al-Fatah pesantren (Islamic boarding school) for transwomen, 57-year-old Shinta Ratri, has received the Front Line Defenders Award in honor of her work as a human rights activist. Front Line Defenders, also known as the International Foundation for the Protection of the Human Rights Defenders, is an Irish-based human rights organization founded […]