Trans Indians ramp up protests against ‘discriminatory’ bill
Transgender Indians and their allies have been urgently rallying against a transgender bill. They want the bill to be overhauled before it is considered by the upper house of parliament on Tuesday (8 January). Over the weekend, the trans community gathered in cities across India to encourage the upper house to reject the bill. They want a parliamentary […]
Judge rules that UK magistrates’ “intolerant views” must be respected
The ruling came after a magistrate lost his job following him expressing anti-LGBTQ views on adoption. A UK judge, Her Honour Judge Katherine Tucker, has ruled that not only are magistrates allowed to hold “intolerant views”, but that they must be respected at the same time. The ruling was made after Richard Page, a Christian […]
LGBTQ Protections Now in Place for Congressional Staffers
On the Democrats’ first day in power, they passed a rules package that says that bars representatives and House employees from discriminating against LGBTQ people, according to LGBTQ Nation. The LGBT Congressional Staff Association, or LGBT CSA, commended this decision, saying that it sends an impactful message about diversity within the House of Representatives, that LGBTQ people are welcome […]
HUNDREDS OF DUTCH PROTESTANT PASTORS SIGN ANTI-LGBTQ MANIFESTO
Hundreds of Dutch Protestant pastors, prominent people in the church, as well as the party leader and a senator of Christian party SGP, signed a manifesto against LGBTQ people. The manifesto argues that marriage is meant to only be a covenant between one man and one woman, and that good Christians should always reject homosexuality. […]
Iceland urged to partially end its ban on gay men donating blood
Despite being one of the more socially liberal countries, Iceland still has a ban on gay men donating blood. One of the chief epidemiologists in Iceland has urged the government to lift the ban on gay and bisexual men from donating blood. There is currently a total ban on men who have sex with men (MSM) […]
New Jersey to introduce gender-neutral birth certificates in February
New Jersey birth certificates will have the option of a third, non-binary gender starting on 1 February. Governor Phil Murphy signed this legislation, the Babs Siperstein Bill, into law last July. The bill is named after Babs Siperstein, an Edison, New Jersey resident who became the first transgender person elected to the Democratic National Committee […]
Rebuild Taiwan’s LGBT Movement – Fight Back Against Patriarchal Capitalism
The victory of the anti-LGBT referendum in November, by a large margin, was a blow to the struggle for marriage equality in Taiwan. Taiwan’s LGBT movement, seen as a pioneering force across the Asian continent, now faces a serious test. The far-right anti-LGBT forces who were behind this referendum blame social problems, like low birth […]
Ombudsman rejects reports about attacked LGBT person in Artsakh
The Human Rights Defender of the Artsakh Republic Artak Beglaryan has rejected the reports about gay person attacked in Artsakh. “Moments ago, an explicit fake page on Facebook published a post claiming that a gay person was severely beaten in Artsakh. The person in question was identified as a Diaspora Armenian named James Markosyan who […]
Trans community confront police for taking their sound systems
Trans women in a small Pakistani city have accused police of illegally confiscating their sound system. Dancing at weddings and other special occasions is often the only way trans women can earn an income in Pakistan. The community often face discrimination by employers. The women in Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan) argued taking away their […]
New US ambassador Kyle McCarter speaks Kiswahili, opposes gay unions
On Wednesday, the United States Senate approved the appointment of former Senator Kyle McCarter as the new Ambassador to Kenya. McCarter comes to a familiar territory with a promise to support the handshake and engage the LGBT community despite his strong views against gay marriages. The fluent Swahili-speaking McCarter and his wife Victoria, lived and worked in Kenya […]
Chinese gay dating app halts registration after underage HIV report
Chinese gay dating app Blued is halting new user registration for a week, it said on Sunday, following media reports that underage users caught HIV after going on dates set up via the world’s largest networking app for the LGBT community. China has a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender scene (LGBT) scene, though activists […]
In this UK city, new sex education lessons are a victory for trans rights
The city of Brighton and Hove in the United Kingdom will be teaching a more inclusive sex education curriculum. School children in the city’s schools will now learn that people of any gender can get their periods. These new lessons were approved by the Brighton & Hove City Council as part of their efforts to tackle menstruation […]
Raising awareness of LGBT issues in Asian community
Syeda Sarwat came to Britain as a student in 2010 in a bid to escape the violence, abuse and social isolation that she says she suffered as a Muslim lesbian in Pakistan, where same-sex relationships and acts of homosexuality are not only a social taboo but are punishable under criminal law. Syeda said: “Society in Pakistan […]
Japanese legislator condemned for making anti-LGBTI comments
A Japanese lawmaker has come under fire for making anti-LGBTI comments. The comments come from Katsuei Hirasawa, a veteran legislator from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Speaking to a crowd at Yamanashi Prefecture in central Japan on Thursday (3 January), Hirasawa said: ‘Criticizing LGBT would create problems, but if everyone became like them then a […]
Gay men tortured and beaten in seperate homophobic attacks in Chile
Two men in Chile have been violently attacked and tortured in two seperate homophobic attacks already this year. One man had his head held under hot water in a hot tub. Attackers allegedly stomped on the other man’s genitals, burnt cigarettes on his hand and hit him on the head with a large stone. Attackers […]
Life of a gay migrant: Racism exists in the LGBT community too
Ireland may be known as the land of céad míle fáilte, but a report in the last months of 2018 suggests more needs to be done to make it a welcoming place for LGBT migrants. Far From Home: Life as an LGBT Migrant in Ireland, published in November by non-profit organisation the National LGBT Federation, surveyed […]
After a fire destroys Jamaica’s LGBT headquarters, 2019 deemed ‘year of rebuilding’
On the night of December 30, 2018, a fire “of yet unknown origin” leveled the Kingston offices of the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays, which goes by its acronym, J-FLAG. The organisation, which began its work in 2012, defines itself as “the foremost human rights and social justice organisation which works for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people […]
Second death of a trans woman in a month shakes Malaysian community
The death of a trans woman in the Malaysian town of Klang, the second in less than a month, has prompted calls for the government to better protect the LGBT+ community. The body of the 37 year old was recovered by the side of a road on January 1 and brought to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah […]
Indian lesbian ‘held captive’ by husband wins right to live with partner
A lesbian from India who was allegedly held against her will by her husband and parents has won the right to live with her girlfriend. The High Court of Delhi‘s Justices Siddharth Mridul and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said the woman, who has not been named, had an “inalienable human and fundamental right” to live with her […]
Rights of 286 LGBT Nigerians violated in 2018, report says
The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERs), a Nigeria-based human rights organization, has published a report, showing that the human rights of approximately 286 LGBTI persons were violated last year by state and non-state actors with a total number of 213 violations recorded. The report was put together in collaboration with other seven human rights organizations […]
Two gay men mount first legal challenges to Hong Kong laws banning same-sex marriage
The two separate legal challenges were mounted by a 21-year-old University Hong Kong student, known as TF, and a 31-year-old activist, known as STK, who argued in the High Court that the lack of options for same-sex couples to get married violated their right to equality under the city’s Bill of Rights and mini-constitution, the Basic […]
The Cape Town Schools Learning from Trangsgender Students
As an increasing number of young South Africans reveal that their gender identities differ from their sex at birth, schools are learning about the challenges these students face, writes the BBC’s Mohammed Allie from Cape Town. Three years ago, Alex* transitioned from a boy to a girl. Now eight years old, she wears her blonde […]
Government ‘mishandling’ Trans Rights Reform by Failing to Tackles Health Inequalities, Former Tory Minister Says
A former Conservative cabinet minister has accused the government of “mishandling” reforms needed to improve the health and quality of life of transpeople. Maria Miller, the chair of the commons women and equalities committee – and equalities minister under David Cameron, said basic healthcare “taken for granted” by the public is out of reach to trans people. This is down to the government’s failure […]
Brazil’s New President Removes LGBTI Concerns from Human Rights Ministry
Brazil’s new right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro removed concerns regarding the LGBTI community from being considered by a new human rights ministry hours after his inauguration, part of a sweeping set of executive orders targeting some minority groups. Bolsonaro stripped LGBTI concerns from the ministry and named no other federal agency to consider such issues, The Associated […]
Cambodian President Makes Pioneering Pledge to LGBTI Community and HIV Treatment & Prevention
Cambodia is considered one of the more progressive countries when it comes to LGBT rights. The Office of the High Commissioner of United Nations Human Rights said in a statement that “the Royal Government of Cambodia has shown commitment and initiative to include LGBT persons in various plans and programs. Former Majesty King Father Norodom Sihanouk, some politicians […]
Lesbian Couple to Wed 26 Times Abroad to Seek Change in Japan
Two female university students plan to wed 26 times overseas to raise awareness of the fact that they cannot do the same thing in their home country. Misato Kawasaki, 21, and Mayu Otaki, 22, juniors at the Department of International Cultural Studies of Utsunomiya University’s Faculty of International Studies, will hold wedding ceremonies in 26 […]
Camden Names Law School’s First Woman, African-American, LGBTI Co-Dean
The new co-dean of Rutgers Law School in Camden is the first woman, the first African American and the first LGBT law dean at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Rutgers University–Camden Chancellor Phoebe A. Haddon announced Wednesday the appointment of Kimberly Mutcherson, a bioethics and health law scholar, as co-dean of Rutgers Law School […]
LGBTI group lodges criminal complaint against newspaper for inciting hate
Dozens of LGBTI activists in Turkey held a protest in central Istanbul calling for justice after the brutal and gruesome murder of trans woman Hande Kader. The 23-year-old trans woman was found covered in burns in a forest after she went missing last month. Numerous activists and allies gathered together to pay tribute to Kader […]
Women marry at midnight to become first same-sex couple to marry in Austria
Two women tied the note just minutes after midnight in Austria making them the first same-sex couple to get married on the day it became legal. Nicole Kopaunik and Daniela Paier, both 37, got married in the southern town of Velden at five minutes past midnight on 1 January. In December 2017, the Constitutional Court […]
Trump official plans to welcome anti-LGBT Russian politician Dmitry Rogozin
A senior Trump administration official has sparked concerns over a plan to waive sanctions against extremist Russian politician Dmitry Rogozin to allow him to visit the US. Politico reports that Jim Bridenstine, a former Republican lawmaker appointed by Trump to head NASA, has extended an invite to Vladimir Putin’s former Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin to visit […]