Good news: conversion therapies CAN cure gay people … of religion!
Teddy Prout, above, Director of Community Services for Humanists UK, claims that faith-based therapies aimed ‘curing’ homosexuality can result in people turning their back on religion. Speaking here about research currently being conducted into what Christian Concern calls “sexual orientation change efforts”, Prout said: We have a significant group of ‘apostate’ LGBT members within Humanists UK, many of […]
Why legalising gay sex in India is not a Western idea
The decriminalisation of gay sex was arguably the biggest news story of 2018 in India. So, it wasn’t surprising when it became a hotly debated topic at one of the year-end parties I recently attended in Delhi. The common consensus was that the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a colonial-era law has pushed the […]
J-FLAG’s Headquarters Destroyed By Fire
The fire department is now probing the cause of a blaze that destroyed the headquarters of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lobby group, J-FLAG. The department said it received a call about 9:45 last night about a fire at the Stanton Terrace, St Andrew property and a unit from the Half Way Tree fire […]
Trans woman shot 11 times on way to the gym in Brazil
A transgender woman was shot 11 times and killed on her way to the gym in Brazil. Nicolly Banks, 26, walked down Liopino Lourenço de Araújo street in Uberlândia, Triângulo Mineiro, when she was shot. A resident on the street told Otempo that they heard several shots and Banks running and screaming for help. She repeatedly shouted ‘no, no, no’. They […]
Trans people held the first ever trans pride march in Pakistan
Transgender people gathered in Lahore for the first ever trans pride march in Pakistan this weekend. Taking place on Saturday (29th December), transgender people and their allies took to the streets in support of trans rights. The event kicked off with a press conference by the activists leading the march. The march itself attracted a big […]
Mainstreaming Trans Employees: Guidelines for Corporate India
On Monday, December 18, the Lok Sabha passed the problematic Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, ignoring 27 recommended amendments from activists, trans community members and allies. One of the more troubling aspects of the Bill is that it attacks the trans communities right to livelihood by criminalising begging – a common way of earning […]
Stanford scholar explores the history of gay rights in Germany
Less than 80 years after roughly 6,000 gay men perished in Nazi concentration camps, Germany has become one of the countries mostly widely accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. Its capital of Berlin is known globally for its vibrant, diverse gay culture. Several of East Germany’s gay activists, including well-known transgender woman […]
Ten same-sex couples to sue Japanese government over marriage equality
Ten same-sex couples will file a lawsuit against the Japanese government in a bid for recognition towards marriage equality. The couples, who will file a joint lawsuit in February, reportedly argue that Japanese law doesn’t put into consideration the equal rights of same-sex couples and should be amended accordingly. Article 24 of Japan’s Constitution states that “marriage […]
Tanzania dismisses travel advisory by US
Tanzania has reacted angrily to an advisory issued by the US to its citizens, against travelling to the East African country, terming the action malicious. Government spokesman Dr Hassan Abbas dismissed the advisory calling it “cheap propaganda,” that is not reflective of the real situation in Tanzania. “Nobody should waste time on this. Tanzania received […]
Canadian gay bishop marries in Toronto cathedral
An Anglican gay bishop has married his partner surrounded by friends and family at a cathedral in Toronto. Bishop Kevin Robertson has married his partner Mohan Sharma at St James Cathedral in the Canadian city. Bishop Susan Bell of the Diocese of Niagara carried out the ceremony, which took place on 28 December. The Diocese of Toronto posted a […]
Fun and interesting things LGBT+ science taught us in 2018
Among various topics worth intellectual consideration, LGBT+ science and research in 2018 gave us a better understanding of gender identity, sexual desire and same-sex reproduction. In the field of medicine, there have been continuing signs of effective HIV treatmentvia daily antiretroviral therapy (ART), while an experimental vaccine for the virus, so far only trialled on small […]
A LGBTI activist in Malaysia speaks out
A 96-second video of an apparent homophobic attack has been circulating in Malaysia this week. A group of individuals verbally abuse, then violently attack, two men. The group accused the two of having a sexual encounter in a car. A Malaysia-based LGBTI rights group, The Pelangi Campaign, has called for a thorough investigation. Numan Afifi, the group’s […]
Japan’s tourism industry looks to LGBT market
Japan’s tourism industry is looking for ways to attract LGBT visitors from overseas and take advantage of their tendency to spend more than average tourists. Tourism-related businesses all over the world are “scrambling” to attract LGBT travelers, who have “considerable purchasing and spending power,” said Shintaro Koizumi, chief executive of Out Japan Co., a Tokyo-based […]
Watch – Marielle and Monica: the LGBT activists resisting Bolsonaro’s Brazil
Marielle Franco, Brazilian LGBT and human rights activist, was killed in March 2018. Her widow, Monica Benicio, continued her fight for better treatment of the poor, the LGBT community and black Brazilians. Marielle’s murder has still not been solved and as the police investigation drifts, Monica is plunged into a new crisis – the probable […]
This Egyptian LGBT couple received threats post-engagement in Canada
For two Egyptian women, being in a relationship without risking their lives meant traveling all the way to Canada. Soon after they arrived there, Miral Mokhtar and Nouran El Gendy decided to share their story on Facebook and announced their plans to get married. While their post did not grab negative attention when it was first shared […]
Donors cut aid to Tanzania after rights crackdown
Tanzania’s tough-talking president John Magufuli has earned respect by fighting corruption, but international donors are now concerned by crackdowns on human rights. The European Union, Tanzania’s biggest development partner, and the World Bank have recently taken measures to sanction repressive policies. Magufuli’s reputation was boosted when he battled corruption after winning election in 2015. But accusations […]
Life is hard as a gay refugee
I am a Ugandan man living in Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya, where I am seeking asylum. I am 23 years old, the second child to parents who did not accept or acknowledge my sexual orientation. I ended up being homeless until I was helped by a Catholic priest along with my transgender friend […]
Students hijack Ofsted signs in bid for LGBT inclusive sex ed in 2019
A group of student activists have created banners in the style of those made by Ofsted, the UK schools regulator, in a bid to highlight the lack of LGBT+ inclusive sex and relationship education (SRE) in English schools. The student activists, part of youth campaign group StraightJacket, hung up banners—with the slogan “Outed!”—at every school in the […]
Guyana bisexual seeks to become Anglican priest
Family and God are priorities of Marvin Junior Livan, an openly bisexual citizen of Guyana who aspires to become an Anglican priest. “I knew I was bisexual at the age of nine. In my high school years, I had a lot of girlfriends. I was age 23 when I came out as bisexual. Family means […]
Activists Agree With Canada Warning To Lgbtqi Community
TWO LGBTQI activists yesterday agreed with Canadian government’s crime advisory warning Canadians to consider the risks of traveling to The Bahamas because homosexuality is not widely accepted. Alexus D’Marco, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex advocate, told The Tribune that for many in the community The Bahamas does not offer the needed resources […]
Trans soldier Hannah Graf among those celebrated in New Year’s honors list
Trans soldier Hannah Graf has been celebrated in the New Year’s honors list among a whole host of exceptional people in the United Kingdom. The honors and bravery list gives out titles to people who have displayed exceptional behavior, with honors this year including the team of British divers who saved the 12 young footballers trapped in […]
Meet the lesbian prisoner who won apology from Colombian government
Marta Álvarez was subjected to almost a decade of abuse and humiliation because of her sexuality. The lesbian activist spent nine years in a Colombian prison and experienced a series of relentless homophobic attacks at the hands of the guards and officials. Álvarez spent years of her sentence trying to speak out about the inequality and eventually […]
Malaysian Activists condemn assault of two men accused of homosexuality
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists today condemned the violent assault of two young men after they were beaten up by several unknown assailants for allegedly having sex in a car. LGBT activist Numan Afifi Saadan, who shared the video, which has since gone viral, chastised the act of violence against the LGBT community […]
Interview: Indonesians are gay-friendly if not brainwashed
Dede Oetomo is the founder and trustee of the Indonesian LGBT advocacy group GAYa Nusantara Foundation, based in Surabaya. “Indonesia has always been conservative and it has gotten better in some ways. Before 1998 the conservative Muslim clerics that are against LGBTI people would be in jail or seeking asylum. Now there is no limit […]
Trans prisoner moved to female prison after year-long court battle
A trans woman prisoner has been transferred to a female prison in Illinois after a year-long court battle. Deon ‘Strawberry’ Hampton described being treated like a ‘sex slave’ while housed in multiple in male penitentiaries over several years. Hampton, 27, has now been moved to the Logan Correctional Center, a female penitentiary located around 160 miles southwest of Chicago. ‘We are thrilled,’ said […]
Trans protestors in India demand repeal of controversial bill
Members of the trans community in Mumbai, India have protested a bill which was designed to protect their rights. The bill has been highly controversial among the trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming communities. The protestors said that lawmakers did not adequately consult members of the trans community when drafting the bill, and includes provisions which could negatively impact […]
Notes From My Time Surveying China’s Gay Community in 1993
In 1993, I was appointed by China’s Ministry of Health to carry out a multi-city survey on the country’s population of men who have sex with men, usually abbreviated MSM. Although I had been researching gender studies and sexuality for eight years by that point, I remember worrying about my fitness for the job. The […]
Russian City Cancels K-Pop Film Amid Fear of ‘Korean Homosexuals’
A theater in the Russian city of Makhachkala canceled the premiere of the music documentary BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul after a social media campaign accused BTS, a K-Pop group whose members have spoken out favorably about LGBTQ rights, of “over-the-top immoral behavior.” The film got nixed after a social media campaign alleged the boy […]
I survived conversion therapy as a child. Now, I’m part of the movement to ban it for good.
As a child undergoing conversion therapy in Florida in the early 2000s, I could never have imagined how different this nation would be nearly 20 years later. I could not have fathomed the power and hope inspired by the national debate and coast-to-coast enactment of laws designed to save thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and […]
Solongo Batsukh, Mongolia’s transgender beauty queen who refuses to stay hidden despite backlash on social media
Make-up artist Solongo Batsukh braves Mongolia’s below-freezing temperatures in just a skimpy black dress and light pastel pink coat – the country’s trailblazing transgender beauty queen wants to look good in any weather. “I don’t like to look puffy,” the 25-year-old says as she drives to a beauty salon that hired her to promote its products […]