LGBTQ asylum-seekers in Europe subjected to stereotyping and humiliation, rights group says
Navid Jafartash fled Iran in 2014 because he feared for his life: He is gay, and homosexuality is illegal in Iran and in some cases punishable by death. He went to Vienna, where he spent several years and had established a life for himself until his asylum-seeking journey hit a roadblock this year. Jafartash had his asylum […]
Russia risks HIV epidemic as cases rise – experts
Russia and some former Soviet Union countries risk developing out-of-control HIV epidemics, experts said on Wednesday, after data showed a record number of new cases last year. Most new cases in the former Soviet Union in 2017 were from heterosexual sex as the disease spreads beyond high-risk groups, according to research by the World Health […]
Transgender People In Chile Can Now Legally Change Their Gender On Official Documents
Transgender people 14-years-old and older in Chile will now be legally allowed to change their gender marker on official documents thanks to a bill signed into law by President Sebastian Pinera today. Chilean activists have been fighting for nearly five years to pass such a law, which human rights groups are praising as “historic,” according […]
After Marriage Equality Defeat in Taiwan, LGBT Support Hotline Sees Spike
This weekend, voters turned out against marriage equality in a series of referendums that were meant to decide how Taiwan would implement a 2017 court ruling. Now, according to reports, calls to an LGBTQ helpline have risen 40% in the wake of the vote. According to Gay Star News, The Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, which is the oldest […]
How the Supreme Court Could Change LGBTI People’s Lives for Good — or Bad
Over the past 20 years, the Supreme Court has established basic rights for gays and lesbians — the right to marry the person you love regardless of sex or gender, the right to private sexual relations, and the right to be able to petition local governments for anti-discrimination protection. It’s impossible to downplay the significance of these decisions […]
These Hot Philippine Social Media Stars are Urging People to Test for HIV
Ahead of World AIDS Day this week, some of the Philippines’ hottest online personalities are encouraging the LGBT community to test for HIV. Influencers in the capital, Manila, have launched the ‘Taking It’ challenge. They’ve pledged to test for HIV and nominated three friends to do so too. The Philippines’ HIV crisis is one of the worst […]
Russian Police Reportedly Confiscated a Schoolkid’s Painting of Same-sex Couples Made for a UN International Day of Tolerance
Police in Russia reportedly confiscated 17 pictures painted by school kids for a UN “International Day of Tolerance,” one of which showed people of the same sex together. Police went to School 155 in the city of Yekaterinburg and seized 17 drawings to investigate, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Thursday, Russian state news agency RIA […]
In the dark about safe sex: HIV/Aids spreads among China’s elderly
HIV and Aids infection rates are rising among elderly Chinese, due to a lack of understanding about safe sex and a reluctance to discuss it with doctors, a Shanghai-based online news outlet reported on Tuesday. “More and more elderly people are being infected,” Thepaper.cn quoted a Hangzhou Disease Control and Prevention Centre official as saying. […]
Gay Chinese teacher gets compensation, but no recognition of equal rights
A Chinese labor arbitration committee has denied a gay teacher’s request to be rehired, after he sued his former kindergarten for unfair dismissal in a widely-watched case concerning LGBT discrimination in China. In a ruling released last week, the committee refrained from acknowledging the teacher’s claim that he was sacked for being gay, the teacher, identified […]
UK: Asylum-seeking Zimbabwean referee publicly outed as gay retells blackmail story
Zimbabwean referee Raymond Mashamba, 30, knew from the time he was 14-years-old that he was gay but managed to keep his sexuality a secret because of societal attitudes about homosexuality. To conform with expectations and ensure there would be no suspicion, Mashamba even had a girlfriend introduced to him by his uncle who eventually fell […]
LGBTQ Movements Gain Energy Across SE Asia
Growing up as a transgender woman in Singapore, Sheila says she lived in fear of her parents “finding out who she is. As a result of me trying to express my liking of feminine toys, my father finally paid attention and grew suspicious of me,” says Sheila, who spoke on condition of not providing her real name. […]
Meet The World’s First LGBTQ Synagogue
Since opening its doors in 1972 in Los Angeles, Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC), which means “house of new life,” has offered a Reform, progressive space for LGBT Jewish individuals who had previously been excluded from religious environments. Considered the first of its kind, the BCC came to fruition only a few years after the Stonewall […]
Theresa May faces equal marriage protesters on Northern Ireland trip
The Prime Minister visited Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday as part of a UK-wide charm offensive in order to win support for her Brexit deal. However, her speech at Queen’s University Belfast faced protests from LGBT+ activists challenging her government’s role in preventing marriage equality in Northern Ireland. May’s government has stood in the way of a direct settlement […]
Gay man refused justice after torture in Chechnya concentration camp
A gay man is speaking out after suffering torture in a Chechnya concentration camp. Maxim Lapunov was one of the first victims of the ‘gay purge‘ in March 2017. Unknown thugs grabbed and dragged him into a car one night. He was then allegedly held for 12 days in a blood-soaked cell. He says he […]
Why Taiwan LGBT vote must not make Hong Kong lose heart on gay rights
Yes. It is discouraging to see the LGBT community in Taiwan lose its reference battle on the passing of same-sex marriage laws (“Taiwan’s image as LGBT beacon hit by same-sex marriage rebuff”, November 25) But if I may extend a word of encouragement, I genuinely think our identity, or our pursuit of the right to […]
European court: Russia’s ban on LGBT rallies violates rights
The European Court of Human Rights issued a fresh rebuke to the Kremlin on Tuesday, ruling that Russia’s continued ban on LGBT rallies is discriminatory and represents a violation of human rights. Judges at the court based in the eastern French city of Strasbourg called on Moscow to introduce “systemic measures” to remedy the breaches […]
Australia: Liberal senators dig in as divisions over LGBT students widen
Liberal senators have refused to agree to the protection of LGBT students from discrimination unless the current legal exemptions are replaced by other protections for religious freedom. Labor has claimed the move contradicts Scott Morrison’s promise to protect LGBT students. The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has announced Labor will now introduce its own private member’s […]
Meet Russia’s gay priest: “The church should reach out”
It’s a warm afternoon in St. Petersburg, a crowd of shoppers fills the streets of Nevskiy Prospekt, the city’s main shopping street. None of the passersby seem to have ever heard of a ‘liberal’ church in the neighbourhood. I’m about to meet Russia’s openly gay priest. After ten minutes of waiting outside the building, Aleksandr […]
Thailand’s move to recognise same-sex unions leaves LGBTI activists unimpressed
Thailand’s move to be the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex unions has come under fire from LGBTI rights groups. Advocacy campaigners say that the move to recognize same-sex unions falls short of allowing same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. The law that allows the civil unions is expected to be approved by the end of […]
We’re Here, and We’re Queer’: Delhi’s LGBT Community Walks to Celebrate Freedom
With happy faces and bodies swaying to drum beats, rainbow revellers took over the heart of Delhi and celebrated ‘pride’ and their newfound independence, two months after the Supreme Court quashed a colonial-era law that criminalised homosexuality. At the 11th edition of Delhi Queer Pride Parade, thousands walked from Barakhamba Road to Tolstoy Marg on […]
Pro-LGBT Group Demands Investigation amid Allegations of Election Misconduct
A pro-LGBT rights group is demanding that the Central Election Commission investigate allegations of irregularities in the voting process surrounding last Saturday’s referendums. According to a statement published by the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) on its Facebook page on Saturday evening, by 6 p.m, on the day of the referendum the organization had received over […]
The Third Gender of Southern Mexico
“Which form should I use when I talk to you: feminine or masculine?” I asked Lukas Avendaño, who I had seen in trousers earlier in the day but now was wearing a traditional black skirt with colourful embroidered flowers called an enagua. We were speaking in Spanish, with its gendered nouns and pronouns. “I prefer you’d […]
Trump trans troops move pulls supreme court further into political mire
After the Trump administration asked the supreme court to issue an unusually quick ruling on the Pentagon’s policy of restricting military service by transgender people, critics said the request was likely only to complicate a deteriorating relationship between the president and the federal judiciary. Joshua Matz, the publisher of the liberal Take Care blog, said the timing of the […]
Married gay man sues Hong Kong government over rejected public housing application
A gay man is suing the Hong Kong government for denying him a public housing flat – because he is married to another man. In a judicial review application filed to the High Court on Thursday, Nick Infinger argued the Housing Authority’s decision was unconstitutional under the Hong Kong Bill of Rights and the Basic […]
Staff arrested in Kenya LGBT centre for ‘recruiting’ gay youth
Two members of staff at an LGBT+ organisation in Mombasa, Kenya, were arrested after police received a “tip off” about gay-related activities in the area. Police raided the non-governmental organisation today and arrested two members of staff after receiving the tip off, according to Nairobi News. According to the local news outlet, the police accused the group of […]
Rugby stars support Gareth Thomas with rainbow laces
Rugby players from across the globe rallied behind hate-crime victim Gareth Thomas as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign. World champions New Zealand and USA followed the likes of Wales and France in showing support for the 44-year-old former Wales international. Thomas was the victim of a homophobic attack in Cardiff earlier this month. He said on Twitter: […]
Barbados: A brush with death, a vigil for trans murder victims
On the evening of Tuesday, November 20, 2018, I held the first candlelight vigil in Barbados for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming lives lost to transphobic and gender-based violence globally during the period October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018. This was the second demonstration for Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) in the country, the first being a […]
Why LGBT Catholics want to change attitudes in Italy
Coming out can be challenging for young people across the globe – but in Italy many young Catholics are struggling with negative attitudes from both their communities and their churches. While some churches offer support for the LGBT community, others are still asking young people to see a psychologist or stop attending Church events. Sometimes […]
Taiwan votes down same-sex marriage as China welcomes midterm results
Voters in Taiwan have rejected same-sex marriage in a referendum, a setback to LGBT couples hoping their island will be the first country in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. The vote on Saturday, organised by Christian groups that make up about 5% of Taiwan’s population and advocates of the traditional Chinese […]
Taiwan referendum threatens both LGBT rights and Olympic athletes
A key referendum in Taiwan has the potential to roll back same sex-marriage and jeopardize international athletic competition. Conservatives and pro-independence groups are using referendums to push their agenda. As Taiwanese voters head to the polls to elect city mayors and city and village leaders on Saturday, they will also be voting on 10 referendums […]