Taiwan furious after China attempts to take credit for LGBT marriage win
Taiwan has lashed out at China’s state media for attempting to take credit for the island’s historic decision to legalize same-sex marriage. On Friday, Taiwan’s legislators passed a bill making same-sex marriage a reality, the first place in Asia to give LGBT couples many of the same rights as their heterosexual peers. LGBT activists were […]
LGBT in Lebanon: 15 years of activism, oppression
The sun was shining above the groups demonstrating against the US-British military campaign against Iraq in 2003 in Beirut. We were a group of eager youths, university student activists meeting in front of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia building in the city center. We stood at a corner, trying to […]
NIO spends just £318 advancing LGBT rights in Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland Office has spent just £318 in recent years on advancing LGBT rights in Northern Ireland. The money was spent on rainbow lanyards, according to a Freedom of Information response to Channel 4 News. Friends of murdered writer Lyra McKee, an LGBT-rights advocate, expressed shock at the spending and said it made them […]
Center for Civic Education (CGO): Homophobia and Transphobia in Montenegro Must be Stopped
The Montenegrin society has to make efforts in the struggle for human rights that every citizen would be accepted as equal before law and society, regardless of sexual and gender differences, said the Center for Civic Education (CGO).On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, they said that institutions also have […]
‘Found my soulmate’: Sprinter becomes India’s first openly gay athlete
Indian sprinter Dutee Chand has revealed she is in a same-sex relationship, becoming the first openly gay athlete in the socially conservative country, according to an interview published on Sunday. Chand, 23, told The Sunday Express she was in a relationship with a woman from her village in eastern Odisha state, saying she got the […]
Thailand still lags in LGBT issues
In what appears to be a historic move on LBGT rights, Taiwan has legalised same-sex marriage, with the law sailing through parliament by 66 to 27 votes. Thailand has earned recognition for its tolerance towards LBGT people which to a large extent allows gay people to be open about their sexual identity. But the country […]
‘I am with you’ – the trans women helping trafficking victims in Brazil
When Valeria Rodrigues accompanies Brazilian police on dawn raids to rescue transgender women trafficked into prostitution, she goes armed with snacks – chocolate, bread, pieces of fruit. As a former sex worker herself, the 39-year-old transgender woman knows that the victims they find will be tired and hungry after a night on the streets. She […]
Undocumented and unafraid, as Philly’s Latino LGBT immigrants and organizers push back on immigration crackdown
Artist Nicolas Gonzalez-Medina spoke out from the stage on Saturday, in front of about 200 people: He’s an undocumented immigrant, living in the United States without government permission. And he doesn’t care who knows it. The roar of applause that greeted his proclamation couldn’t drown out the danger of arrest and deportation, especially in Philadelphia, […]
Amid fear, Brazil’s LGBT+ politicians vow to fight back against attacks
Brazilian openly gay politician Fabio Felix used to feel comfortable holding his boyfriend’s hand and kissing him in public, but after the swearing in of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro nearly six months ago, he now sometimes thinks twice. Brazil’s LGBT+ politicians have said they face a backlash and setbacks in their rights under the conservative […]
Thousands rally in Belfast in support of same-sex marriage
Thousands of people marched through Belfast on Saturday to demand the recognition of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, the only region of the United Kingdom where it does not have legal status. Attempts to legislate for same-sex marriage have been blocked by the Democratic Unionist Party, a key ally of British Prime Minister Theresa May, […]
Peru gay marriage bill ‘doomed’ this year: congressman
Peruvian lawmaker Alberto de Belaunde, one of only two openly gay members of the country’s Congress, has little hope that he will be able to marry his longtime partner any time soon. “I’ve lived with my boyfriend for seven years and for the government it’s like he is my roommate,” de Belaunde said. “We have […]
How LGBT friendly is Ghana?
Ghana, like many other countries in Africa, has not yet entirely accepted the LGBT community into our society. While many groups are defending them, they still face discrimination and even violence from the people who are against them. For instance, here in Ghana, the LGBTQ persons continue to experience discrimination and violence, which is against […]
Violent mob attacks Indian priest because they think he is gay
Disturbing footage has emerged of an Indian holy man being attacked and beaten in the street by an angry mob because they believed he was gay. In an upsetting clip carried by local broadcaster Mirror Now, Lokesh Pujari is seen being manhandled by a crowd in the eastern city of Mangaluru, Karnataka. His attackers tore […]
Indonesian cop allegedly discharged for being gay challenging dismissal in court
An Indonesian police officer was allegedly fired from the force over his sexual orientation in what is shaping up to be the latest high profile case of state-sanctioned discrimination against the protected minority. As reported by Suara, the 30-year-old officer, identified as Brigadier TT, formerly of the Central Java Police, was dishonorably discharged for being […]
Pride and gay sex illegal: Beirut, Lebanon fights back with LGBTI flags
A Pride parade in Beirut, Lebanon, has never happened. Police, for the past two years, has banned the event for fear of offending ‘public morality’. But for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia today (17 May), activists were prepared. Around a dozen embassies have agreed to fly the Pride flag today to mark IDAHOBIT […]
South Korea court suspends anti-LGBT penalties against ‘gay pride’ students
A South Korean court has suspended taking “disciplinary action” against a group of local graduate students who were targeted for wearing gay pride-themed attire during a church service in May 2018. Seoul Eastern District Court said Friday five students of the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary will be allowed to apply for an injunction against […]
U.N. urges calm after protests by LGBT+ refugees in Kenya turn violent
The United Nations has urged LGBT+ refugees in Kenya to show “calm and restraint” after protests demanding better treatment turned violent, with police firing tear gas and arresting more than 20 demonstrators. Scores of LGBT+ and other refugees have been protesting outside the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) offices in Nairobi for several days demanding support […]
Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia
Lawmakers in Taiwan have approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, a landmark decision that makes the self-ruled island the first place in Asia to pass gay marriage legislation. The vote came almost two years after the island’s Constitutional Court ruled that the existing law — which said marriage was between a man and a woman […]
Gay pop star from Singapore, where gay sex is illegal, shares coming out story
I remember when I was a kid, I’d hear people calling gays ‘ah gua’ in Singapore. It’s an equivalence of the word faggot or broken wrist. There was a lot of stigma against gays. It was really painful to witness people getting called names. I think the hardest part for many LGBTQIA people in Asia […]
Advocates boycott African human rights conference in Egypt
The 64th session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, was a sad time for the African continent’s human rights body. Human rights defenders boycotted the session to express their dissatisfaction with the commission’s decision to cancel the observer status it had previously granted to the […]
What Taiwan’s slow march towards legalising gay marriage means for LGBT rights in Asia
To many outside the LGBT community, the May 2017 ruling of the Taiwan Constitutional Court legalising same-sex marriage settled the question. However, outside the public consciousness, there has been a continuous struggle for same-sex couples to attain equal rights, despite being promised them by the highest court on the island. The vote against amending the […]
Mexican icon Vicente Fernandez refused liver transplant, fearing gay donor
Mexican singer and actor Vicente Fernandez said in a recent interview he refused a liver transplant fearing the donor was gay, or a drug addict, causing controversy. The 79-year-old, who has sold more than 70 million records in his long career, made the statements while discussing his health on the Mexican TV show De Primera […]
Diversity day: Advancing LGBT equality in Myanmar workplace
The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOT), on May 17, has been marked worldwide to celebrate sexual and gender diversity. The Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) and Yangon-based NGO Colours Rainbow have jointly written an open letter urging companies to stand up for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality by displaying […]
Fewer rainbows, less social media for China’s LGBT community
China’s LGBT community has had a tough year: Censors have shut down social media forums, news media have curbed coverage of gay issues, and online shops have removed rainbow-themed products. The tighter restrictions have led the LGBT community in China – fearing a crackdown – to prepare for muted celebrations of the International Day Against […]
Thailand’s LGBT lawmakers bust gender dress code on first day in parliament
Thailand’s new LGBTI politicians busted parliament’s gender-based dress code on their first day in office. Parliamentarians representing the New Power Party dressed in T-shirts and colorful clothing on Wednesday (15 May), contravening the parliament’s formal, gender-specific dress code. But, according to Reuters, secretary-general of the lower house of parliament Sorasak Pienvej said: ‘LGBT politicians can […]
Māori, Pasifika, LGBT and disabled over-represented in Auckland homeless count
More than 3600 people were living without shelter or in temporary accommodation on one night in Auckland last year, and nearly 40 per cent of those were Māori. Figures released today from Ira Mata Ira Tangata: Auckland’s Homeless Count show a disproportionate amount of Māori, Pasifika, LGBT and disabled people make up Auckland’s rough sleepers. […]
If London needs a separate Trans Pride, what does that say about LGBT solidarity?
Pride in London is the one day of the year that the city feels like it belongs to LGBTQ+ people – which was why I was so confused, embarrassed and alarmed when a small group of lesbians disrupted last year’s event with a protest against the inclusion of trans people. Their banners read “transactivism erases […]
How This Black Gay Politician Is Standing Up to the Far-Right Government in Brazil
For his first two weeks in Brazil’s Congress in February, David Miranda was too scared to take the microphone. Far-right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro, known for homophobic and racist outbursts and policy pledges had just assumed the presidency. Miranda, a gay black man, was feeling the pressure. “I was shaking,” he tells TIME. “That place is […]
Trump administration opposes Equality Act ‘filled with poison pills’
The Trump administration does not support the Equality Act, which the House is expected to take a vote on Friday. “The Trump administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, this bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience […]
M’sia must not bow to international pressure on LGBT issues, says Anwar
Malaysia must not bow down to international pressure over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues, says PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said although the country had to take into consideration the concerns of the international community, foreigners did not have any right to dictate terms on the issue. “We must be fiercely […]