GOP lawmakers push to ban LGBT conversion therapy in Utah
Two Republican lawmakers proposed a ban on gay conversion therapy for minors in conservative Utah on Thursday, a plan that’s been hailed as a milestone by advocates and won’t be opposed by the influential Mormon church. Republican Rep. Dan McCay acknowledged he isn’t a typical sponsor for such a measure, but he said it’s an […]
Colombia’s ‘Madonna’ helps LGBTQ people fleeing Venezuela
Gusts of hot desert wind drift through the broken window, shattered by a stone, in the house that Madonna Badillo shares with seven Venezuelan sex workers. Badillo fixed the window many times before but eventually gave up. Harassers have repeatedly hurled rocks at the home as an act of aggression against her and the transgender […]
Cabinet Unveils Draft Bill and Picks a Side in Taiwan’s Gay Marriage Fight
The administration of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has approved a draft bill which, if passed, will make Taiwan the first country in Asia to legally enact marriage equality for same-sex couples. The draft legislation comes almost two years after Taiwan’s highest court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. However, voters […]
Homosexual man faces being DEPORTED from Britain for ‘not being gay enough’
Immigration chiefs believe Yew Fook Sam is lying about his sexuality because he does not have a boyfriend. He is a member of numerous gay associations, part of an LGBT church group and has worked as steward at Pride festivals. Sam says he would face jail, attack or even murder if sent back to his […]
Hazon’s aggressive anti-Left, anti-LGBT campaign draws backlash, support
“A father and a mother = a family. The courage to be normal.” Thus read a large banner displayed on a hotel near the entrance to Jerusalem. The banner quickly sparked outrage from the Israeli LGBT community. The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel (known as the Agudah) contacted the hotel quickly and the banner […]
Holyrood politicians unite in show of support LGBTI Scots
MSPS from across Holyrood’s political spectrum have joined together to give their backing to Scotland’s LGBTI youngsters. The representatives helped to mark the last Friday of LGBT History Month, also known as Purple Friday, by showing support for LGBT Youth Scotland’s campaign of the same name. Purple Friday aims to inspire people to be catalysts […]
Tunisian government moves to shutter LGBTQ group, advocate says
The Tunisian government is attempting to disband one of the country’s few, and arguably its most prominent, LGBTQ rights groups, according to the group’s leader. Mounir Baatour, president of Association Shams, said the government filed this week an appeal seeking to overturn a 2016 court decision that permitted the association to continue operating in the […]
Poland moves step closer to banning gay conversion therapy
Politicians in Poland have submitted a draft bill to the Parliament which bans the use of gay conversion therapy. Lawmakers from the liberal Nowoczesna party drafted the bill with the Campaign Against Homophobia. Conversion therapy, which can include hypnosis and electric shocks, is based on the belief that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is […]
Donald Trump doesn’t appear to know about his own administration’s efforts to decriminalize homosexuality around the world
The Trump administration is reportedly set to launch a worldwide campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of countries where its still against the law, but when asked about it today, the president appeared to be unaware of the push. On Tuesday, NBC News reported that U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, an […]
Iran: activist charged with normalising same sex relations
Rezvaneh Mohammadi, gender equality activist’s first court session was held in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court Branch 28 on February 18, 2019, presided by the notorious Judge Moghiseh, according to the reports received by 6Rang. Reports indicate not only that Ms. Mohammadi’s lawyer was not given the right to defend his client, he was also refused access […]
Can the United Methodist Church stay united? LGBT issues may lead to a split
At a high-stakes gathering starting Saturday in St. Louis, the United Methodist Church’s legislative assembly will debate the place of LGBT people in the church knowing that the outcome could lead to a split in the 12 million-member denomination. The UMC Book of Discipline, the denomination’s rulebook, says homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. It […]
Serbian PM’s same sex partner gives birth to baby boy
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic’s partner gave birth to a baby boy Wednesday, her office said, heralding it as a historic event although the conservative country does not legally recognise same-sex marriages or partnerships. “Ana Brnabic is one of the first Prime Ministers whose partner has given birth while in office and the first in […]
Politicians’ anti-gay posturing mars Senegal election
Senegal’s gay community is on edge as the country heads into presidential elections this weekend, with a tradition of candidates flaunting anti-gay views to gain support. Local media reported this week that a gay man was beaten to death in a suburb of the capital, Dakar, which one activist said was linked to the political […]
Richard Grenell says he has support at home to decriminalize homosexuality abroad
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell says the Trump administration has strong backing at home from Republicans and even religious conservatives for its push to end laws that criminalize homosexuality in foreign countries, telling NBC News that he’s “wildly supported by both parties.” In an exclusive interview in Berlin, Grenell says he has no concerns […]
Gay parenting ‘boot camp’ moves to Asia to meet growing demand from China
The world’s largest “boot camp” to help gay men become parents will stage its first Asia event next month to address growing demand for surrogates from China and the region, organizers said on Thursday. New York-based non-profit Men Having Babies (MHB) stages events across the world to provide advice and support to all LGBT+ people […]
Gay teacher threatened over LGBT lessons named as finalist for world’s top teaching award
A gay teacher who has been threatened over lessons on homosexuality has been named as a top 10 finalist for one of the world’s top teaching awards. Andrew Moffat, assistant head and a personal social health education teacher at Parkfield Community School in Birmingham, has faced protests from parents in recent weeks for teaching primary […]
Ex-child soldier fights for trans rights in Colombia
When Colombia’s FARC guerrillas turned up at the home of Cristian Camilo Gonzalez nearly two decades ago and shoved him into a truck when he was just aged 14, his happy childhood ended abruptly. For Gonzalez, having escaped from the FARC was a chance to come out of the closet without fear of being killed. […]
One in four pre-teen suicides may be LGBT youth
Youth 12 to 14 years old LGBT are much more likely to die by suicide than their heterosexual peers, a disparity that persists but becomes less pronounced by early adulthood, a U.S. study suggests. While 24 percent of the suicide deaths in the 12 to 14 age group were among LGBT youth in 2013-2015, this […]
Georgian far right vows to shut down upcoming LGBT parade
LGBT Pride Week will be held in Tbilisi from 18-23 June and is organized by Tbilisi Pride. Preparations for the event have already begun, and a preliminary programme of events has been released. However, many have reacted to the news with indignation – the ultra-right has promised it will not allow a gay parade to […]
Taiwan unveils Asia’s first draft law on same-sex marriage
Taiwan on Thursday proposed a draft law to allow same-sex marriage in Asia’s first such bill, but the legislation was criticized by rights activists and conservative groups amid a heated debate over marriage equality. Voters opposed marriage equality in a series of referendums late last year, defining marriage as between a man and a woman and […]
Kenya High Court delays ruling on law banning gay sex to May 24
Supporters and opponents of gay rights said on Friday they accepted a decision by Kenya’s High Court to delay for another three months a ruling on whether to strike down a colonial-era law banning gay sex. The ruling, potentially a landmark decision for gay rights in Africa, was due to be issued on Friday, but […]
Kenyan court to rule on decriminalising gay sex
Kenya’s High Court is to rule on Friday whether to decriminalise gay sex. The court’s verdict could make history if it decides to scrap the law that makes homosexuality illegal and dates back to British colonialism. As the countdown draws closer, the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC), which is one of the […]
Singaporeans Remain Deeply Divided on the Issues of Recognizing Gay Civil Partnerships Here
Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam was right — Singapore remains “deeply split” on the matter of gay rights in the country. According to a new study by market research company YouGov, only 34 percent of Singaporeans are supportive of same-sex civil partnerships. It’s a lower figure than the 43 percent of Singaporeans who oppose its […]
LGBTI People With Disability to Launch Fearless Express at Sydney Mardi Gras
LGBTI people with disability will raise awareness for accessible public transport at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras pride parade on 2 March. Five Australian disability organizations have organized the Fearless Express float. It will highlight the barriers LGBTI people with disability face in day to day life, according to the Star Observer. Led by poet and artist […]
LGBTQIA Members Walk for Pulwama Martyrs
I’m gay, that’s okay. I’m trans, that’s okay, I’m straight, that’s okay’…these slogans were chanted at the fourth edition of Nagpur Pride organised at Samvidhan Chowk on Saturday by hundreds of LGBTQIA members and their heterosexual supporters in the city. But this year’s Pride was organised without music, dhol or dance as a mark of respect to […]
Gujarat Govt Establishes Transgender Welfare Board; Housing, Education & Other Issues To Be Taken Care Of
A Transgender Welfare Board has been established by the Gujarat government, which has been constituted by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment. The community’s housing, education, employment and livelihood will be taken care of by the 16-member board. Gay prince Manvendra Singh, who has been fighting for LGBT rights through Lakshya Trust for the […]
Kenyan United Methodists oppose allowing LGBT clergy, pray for church unity worldwide
During a recent prayer service here at the Kayole St. John’s United Methodist Church, more than a hundred worshippers followed Rev. Wilton Odongo, one of the church’s head pastors, as he led congregants in prayer. This prayer was addressing the unity of the church — specifically, the worldwide United Methodist Church. Later this month, a […]
Inside Monica Roberts’ Mission to Identify Transgender Murder Victims
Monica Roberts does in 30 minutes what reporters have been failing to do for years. She identifies murder victims who are transgender. Whenever she discovers through Facebook that there’s been a death in the community, she begins investigating, combing through local news reports of recent killings in the area. Often, within half an hour, Roberts […]
No human rights violation in West Sumatra’s LGBT ban: Human rights commission
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), says it doesn’t see West Sumatra’s plan to ban LGBT behavior in the province as an infringement on the human rights of the persecuted minority group. Speaking in the West Sumatra capital of Padang yesterday, Komnas HAM officials said human rights violations depends heavily on cultural context […]
Gay Pastoral Ministers in the Netherlands Publish Open Letter to Pope Francis
Gay pastoral ministers in the Netherlands have published an open letter to Pope Francis protesting the Vatican’s ban on gay priests and claiming the Gospel’s credibility is imperiled by the Church’s attitude on homosexuality. The Working Group of Catholic Gay Pastors (WKHP), which represents more than forty gay priests, deacons, and lay ministers in the […]