10 very different countries. 10 very different rules for LGBTQ+ individuals
On May 24, 2019, same-sex couples in Taiwan registered their unions as the country’s historic new law legally recognizing same-sex marriages went into effect. On the same day, Kenya’s high court ruled to keep a law criminalizing same-sex sexual activity; Brazil’s high court ruled that homophobic and transphobic discrimination is a crime; and in the […]
Philippines President Duterte says he was once gay ‘But I cured myself’
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has claimed he was once gay but “cured” himself of homosexuality in controversial remarks made during a trip to Japan. According to Rappler, a Filipino news publication, Duterte mocked his political opponent Senator Antonio Trillanes IV by saying his movements show he is homosexual. Duterte also reportedly “confessed” that he was […]
Vienna’s changing LGBT spaces – a cartoon
As the city prepares to host EuroPride, Lars van Roosendaal paints the places at the heart of its storied queer scene. Gay pick-up behaviour has changed a lot in recent decades. The increasing social recognition of LGBT people and the arrival of new internet dating platforms mean you do not have to go to hidden […]
In Colombia’s remote tribes, LGBT+ people face abuse, shame
Colombia’s LGBT+ people who live in black and indigenous communities must cope with violence, humiliation and efforts to “cure” them of their sexual identities, according to research released on Thursday. Their lives in Colombia’s desert Wayuu tribe or Afro-Colombian communities along the rainforest Pacific Coast are often overlooked by the government, leaving LGBT+ people with […]
Pakistan human rights minister appoints first transgender employee
Pakistan’s Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari has appointed a transgender woman to her department for the first time. Dr Mazari announced the appointment of Ayesha Moghul today (May 30) on Twitter. “Welcomed our first transgender Ayesha Moghul who is going to work in the [Ministry of Human Rights] as a resource person – Thank […]
Lady Phyll, new LGBTQ rights leader, promotes cooperation
As Lady Phyll prepared for her new role as the leader of the Kaleidoscope Trust international LGBTQ rights group, she expressed her support for this blog’s model of working closely with local activists in countries with repressive anti-gay laws. “Those of us with access and influence in the countries responsible for the implementation of anti-LGBTQ […]
I had to leave Lebanon after I came out as gay and HIV positive on TV
I am a 29-year-old filmmaker and refugee from Lebanon living in the UK. My claim to asylum is based on my sexuality and my HIV status. I grew up in Beirut and lived part of my life there but now I live in London, my dream city. At the age of 6-7 I started to […]
Victory for Hong Kong’s LGBT community as High Court abolishes four offences that criminalise sex between men
Hong Kong’s LGBT community has earned a long-awaited legal victory, with a court abolishing or revising seven offences that criminalised sex between men. The High Court on Thursday ruled that four criminal offences were unconstitutional and repealed them with immediate effect. The court also revised its interpretations of three offences, deciding in favour of Yeung […]
China seen by LGBT+ groups as years away from same-sex marriage
China is at least a decade away from allowing same-sex marriages with the current priorities on introducing anti-discrimination laws, letting LGBT+ groups raise awareness without fear, and banning conversion therapy, LGBT+ campaigners said on Thursday. Taiwan’s parliament this month legalised same-sex marriage and more than 360 gay couples married on May 24 after years of […]
Citing inclusion of LGBT clerics, Anglican bishops in Africa to shun Lambeth Conference
As disputes over homosexuality continue to stir within the worldwide Anglican Communion, conservative African bishops say they will boycott a decennial gathering of top clerics next summer unless what the Africans consider Godly order is restored. After delaying the Lambeth Conference, normally held once a decade, for two years, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the […]
Swedish LGBT group drops out of Sweden’s top political festival over Nazi threats
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) has canceled its attendance at this year’s Almedalen political festival in protest over the hatred and threats that it says have from the neo-Nazi group Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR). RFSL spokesperson Sandra Ehne said that opting to stay away from Sweden’s premiere political event […]
In a survey of American Muslims, 0% identified as lesbian or gay. Here’s the story behind that statistic
In the United States, you could count the number of mosques like Masjid al-Rabia on two hands. It’s a small community built on “five pillars of inclusivity,” including pledges to be “women-centered,” anti-racist LGBTQ-affirming and welcoming to a variety of Islamic traditions. Mahdia Lynn, a transgender woman, helped found the mosque in Chicago in 2016. […]
Lebanon blocks Grindr in latest attack on LGBT+ community
The gay dating app Grindr has been blocked for most users in Lebanon, sparking concern over a widening crackdown on the LGBT+ community in the country. The social networking app, which connects users based on their location, went offline for users of the state-owned internet service provider over the weekend and has been unusable since. […]
World Health Organization removes “gender identity disorder” from list of mental illnesses
The World Health Organization (WHO) will remove “gender identity disorder” from its global manual of diagnoses — a major win for transgender rights. The change was announced last summer, but a resolution to amend the health guidelines was officially approved Saturday. The United Nations’ health agency released a revised version of the International Classification of […]
Jerusalem chief rabbi urges mayor not to put up LGBT flags that ‘mar’ the city
Jerusalem’s chief rabbi on Monday sent a formal letter to Mayor Moshe Lion asking him to prevent LGBT flags from being put up ahead of the annual pride parade because they “mar the city.” “Unfortunately, I have to address the painful topic of the ‘parade’ about to be held next week,” Rabbi Aryeh Stern wrote […]
Poland’s ruling right-wing party tops the polls
Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party has emerged as the big winner in the country’s European Parliament election, taking over 45% of the votes, but its leader said Monday more effort is needed before a national election later this year. Full official results announced by the State Electoral Commission suggest that the right-wing ruling party […]
India: How your neighborhood restaurant became LGBT friendly
Earlier this year, when Indrajeet Ghorpade visited a restaurant in Hyderabad for a date, he was denied entry by the staff, who told him that their policy did not allow gay couples, but only a “girl-boy couple”.” When he went to a nearby police station to report the issue, he was told that no action […]
Brazil’s LGBTQ Challenege: Live and Let Live or Discriminate and Hate?
Last week’s vote by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) laid the foundation for landmark legislation which will include protection for sexual minorities in the nation’s anti-discrimination laws. In doing so, the STF threw into stark relief a fundamental tension underlying Brazilian society: a profound ambivalence concerning the rights of its LGBTQ community. Brazil is still […]
LESBIAN TIED TO A TREE AND BEATEN IN INDIA FOR ‘BESMIRCHING’ HER VILLAGE
A woman in eastern India has been tied up to a tree and beaten after neighbors discovered she was in a same-sex relationship. Sarmila Malla, 19, was dragged out of her home by neighbors after she was found in bed with another woman from her village of Chandol, Odisha, The Times of India reported. She […]
Jerusalem Pride organizers reject police proposal to ID participants
The organizers of the Jerusalem Pride parade said Monday that they would not accept a police proposal to ID participants upon their entrance at next week’s demonstration. “The demand for IDs at the parade raises serious concerns about privacy, even if the intentions are good,” the Jerusalem Open House — an LGBT rights group in […]
Far-right Vox challenges Spain’s acceptance of LGBT rights
Attacks by the far-right Vox party on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights are testing years of political consensus on the issue in Spain, which in 2005 became only the third country in the world to allow same-sex marriage. In the campaign for this Sunday’s local, regional and EU elections, Vox has pledged to […]
Ann Widdecombe: Anti-LGBT Brexit Party politician wins seat in European elections
As the European election results roll in, the Brexit Party’s Ann Widdecombe has made a surprise return to the frontline of British politics. The former Big Brother contestant called the result a wake-up call for the Conservative government, which has been thrust into a leadership contest following the resignation of Prime Minister Theresa May. Widdecombe […]
Gillette ad features dad teaching trans son how to shave
The latest advert from Gillette features a trans man being taught how to shave for the first time by his dad. The advert, as part of the grooming company’s #MyBestSelf campaign, has already been viewed by over 400k viewers since it was uploaded on Thursday (May 23). The video sees Samson Bonkeabantu Brown, a young […]
Under-fire SQA strikes deal to provide education in violently anti-gay Brunei
Scotland’s under-fire exam body has agreed a deal to provide education in the violently anti-gay state of Brunei, the Sunday Mail reveals today. The Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) sells computing courses to a college with close links to the internationally reviled Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. The Sultan was the subject of an international protest after it […]
Brazil’s top court rules to make homophobia a crime
A majority of judges in Brazil’s top court has voted to criminalize homophobia in a move welcomed by campaigners concerned about a rollback in gay rights and the murder of hundreds of LGBT+ people every year. Six of 11 of Brazil’s Supreme Court judges late Thursday agreed that acts of homophobia and transphobia should be […]
Protesters demand end to killings of transgender women, Trump rollbacks
Protesters chanting “black trans lives matter” and “we will not be erased” on Friday demanded an end to the killings of black transgender women in the United States and decried the Trump administration’s proposals to reverse transgender rights. Three black transgender women died of gunshot wounds within five days this month in Cleveland, Dallas and […]
Crowds of LGBT Muslims lead their first ever pride march in Birmingham
British Muslims are leading the first ever pride march in Birmingham today, in what is a first in the event’s 22-year-history. Members of Birmingham’s Muslim community will walk alongside Andrew Moffat, the primary school teacher at the centre of a row over LGBT-inclusive relationship education. The show of solidarity comes after anti-LGBT education protestors have […]
Men raid Russian activist’s home, threaten to kill people helping LGBTI Chechens escape
A group of seven unknown men raided a Russian activist’s home in St Petersburg last week (17 May). The activist, who wishes to remain anonymous, works as a volunteer for the Russian LGBT Network’s hotline service. The hotline offers LGBTI people in Russia and Chechnya legal, psychological and organizational consultations. The Russian LGBT Network plays […]
We do: Taiwan’s gay newlyweds urge Asia to follow their lead
As they celebrated tying the knot at an outdoor party, many of the first same-sex couples to marry in Taiwan on Friday (May 24) urged Asian governments to follow their island’s lead. Taiwan’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage was not without controversy and came after three decades of campaigning by activists against staunch conservative opposition. […]
Gay Ugandans regret fleeing to Kenya
Hundreds of people in Uganda’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community have fled the country to escape homophobia and persecution. But many are now stuck in Kenya where the situation is not much better. Tyrone, not his real name, has had a tough time since arriving in Kenya in December 2014. Just days after […]