Pronoun button party brings together members of Lawrence’s Indigenous, queer communities
Dozens of community members gathered at Art Love Collective Friday evening for a pronoun button party. The event, originally planned to be held at the Lawrence Public Library, was moved to Art Love Collective after a flyer for the event was defaced with a note that conveyed “a message of hate,” according to the Facebook […]
‘Love wins’ say Greek lesbian couple as they wed at last
A calendar reminder shone up on Danai Deligeorges’ phone on Thursday evening: “Wedding”, the message said. She turned, smiling, to her partner Alexia Beziki. “Are you ready?” Beziki asked, before the couple kissed and started to prepare. That night, Deligeorges and Beziki became one of the first lesbian couples in Greece to get married after […]
Angola: Carlos Fernandes, LGBTQI+ Pioneer, Believed Murdered
The queer community in Angola is reeling from the loss of Carlos Fernandes, founder and director of Associação Íris Angola (Íris), the country’s first registered LGBTQI+ group, amid suspicions of murder. Local media reported that Fernandes’ lifeless body was discovered in his Luanda home on 26th February. Novo Jornal revealed that the Criminal Investigative Service […]
Ghana’s President Vows No Action on Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill Until Supreme Court Rules on a Challenge to it
Ghana’s president said Tuesday his government will wait for a Supreme Court ruling before taking action on a bill that would further criminalize members of the LGBTQ+ community in the West African nation. President Nana Akufo-Addo said he sought to reassure the diplomatic community that Ghana would not be turning its back on its longstanding human […]
California beach town votes for Pride flag ban
Elections were held in California on Tuesday (5 March), with results from the Orange County Registrar of Voters showing more than 58 per cent of voters had said “yes” on Measure B, which enshrines an ordinance into the city charter to prohibit all commemorative flags, such as the Pride flag, being flown or displayed on city properties. However, […]
Serbian LGBT Activists, Supporters Protest Alleged Police Brutality In Belgrade
BELGRADE — Several hundred Serbian LGBT activists and their supporters protested in central Belgrade against alleged police brutality on March 6 following reports of abuse against two LGBT persons and what demonstrators say was official inaction in the incident. Participants in the protest — dubbed We Will Not Be Silent! — called for the criminal prosecution of police officers […]
US denies visa to Ugandan MP who called for homosexual castration
The Ugandan MP Sarah Achieng Opendi, who called for homosexuals to be castrated during a parliamentary debate on the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws has been denied a visa to attend a UN meeting in New York next week. Opendi expressed “shock” after the US embassy in Kampala rejected her application to travel to the 68th session of the Commission […]
Queer in Gaza’ campaign aims to raise awareness about Hamas LGBTQ+ persecution
A new campaign launched a website to raise awareness about the Hamas terrorist movement’s lethal actions targeting the persecuted LGBTQ+ community in the Gaza Strip. The Equality Campaign Inc. created a website called “Queer in Gaza” that states “Learn the Facts about Hamas’ treatment of LGBT Palestinians.” The website declares, “Living as a Queer person in Gaza is punishable […]
Ghana’s LGBT terror: ‘We live in fear of snitches’
Homophobia is not uncommon in Ghana, where gay sex is already against the law and carries a three-year prison sentence, but now the LGBTQ+ community is feeling terrorised. A new bill, passed by MPs last week, will impose a jail term of up to three years for simply identifying as LGBTQ+ and five years for […]
After years of legal discrimination, Poland’s same-sex couples await civil union law
WARSAW, Poland — In an apartment on the outskirts of Warsaw, 5-year-old Olek fills his home with the twangs of a ukulele while his 2-year-old sister, Jagienka, sings along in a strong, off-key yowl. Their mothers, Ola and Karolina, smile at the cacophony: the sounds of a happy family. But here in Poland, this family is […]
Doritos Cuts Ties With Transgender Ambassador After Backlash
Doritos on Tuesday confirmed that it had parted ways with a transgender influencer, but said that the decision was not the result of the transphobic backlash the partnership generated online. For a recent social media advertising campaign dubbed “Crunch Talks,” Doritos Spain, which falls under PepsiCo Spain’s branch of products, recently featured 24-year-old transgender singer […]
‘This is still taboo’: queer teens and their families embrace gay comedy in Serbia
The hurling of a salad bowl to the floor might not sound like the most dramatic of moments, but it sent a ripple of recognition through the audience at the National theatre in Pirot, south-eastern Serbia, on a mid-February evening. The salad bowl incident took place midway through Our Son, a moving and funny play […]
Russian LGBTQ+ ‘Conversion Therapy’ Isolates Patients for Months – Report
At least a dozen clinics in Russia “secretly” conduct so-called conversion therapy, an abusive practice used to forcibly “cure” LGBTQ+ people, the U.S.-funded broadcaster Current Time reported on Monday. According to Current Time journalists, “patients” are often sent to these conversion therapy clinics against their will. Their treatment involves being isolated from the outside world […]
Ghana’s President to Await Court Decision Before Signing Anti-LGBTQ Bill
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said on Tuesday he will wait to act on an anti-LGBTQ bill that parliament passed last week, saying in a statement that the measure is being challenged in the Supreme Court. He was quoted as saying, “It would be as well for all of us to hold our hands and await […]
Trouble in Bangkok as Filipino transgender group clashes with Thai peers
Police officers from Lumphini station were called out on Monday to break up the fight that broke out at a restaurant in Soi Sukhumvit 11near Nana BTS station between about 20 Filipino transgender women and four Thai counterparts. One of the Thais was injured in the fight, according to a friend of a victim, who […]
Republican Bill Would Imprison Teachers Who Support Trans Students
A Missouri Republican proposed legislation that, if passed, could imprison teachers who support transgender students, the latest in a string of bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community nationwide. Representative Jamie Ray Gragg last week introduced House Bill 2885, which would charge teachers who provide support to a transgender student’s social transition with a class E felony. […]
S. Korea Methodists excommunicate pastor over gay rights
South Korea’s Methodist Church has excommunicated a pastor for advocating gay rights, according to a church verdict obtained Tuesday by AFP. Nearly a quarter of South Korea’s population of 51 million are Christian and the religious community holds significant political sway, with many evangelicals staunchly opposing gay rights. Gay marriage is not recognised in South […]
Ghana May Lose $3.8Bn World Bank Funding Over Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
The government of Ghana may lose a total of $3.8 billion in World Bank funding over its recent Anti-LGBTQ bill passed by the country’s parliament last week. The Finance Ministry of Ghana has appealed to the president to withhold his signature from the contentious bill against LGBT rights, which was approved by parliament.According to the […]
Landmark Court Ruling Opens Door for Backdated State Pensions for Transgender Individuals
In a groundbreaking legal decision, transgender individuals who have undergone gender reassignment surgery may now be eligible for backdated State Pension payments. This comes after a court ruling acknowledged the rights of transgender persons to be recognized in their acquired gender for State Pension purposes. The decision marks a significant milestone in the fight for […]
A new nightclub continues a long legacy for Washington D.C.’s Black gay community
In December, Thurst opened its doors with co-owners Shaun Mykals and Brandon Burke at the helm. The duo built their reputation on “Thursday Bliss,” an open-mic night originally hosted at the legendary jazz establishment Bohemian Caverns. They quickly outgrew the space. Of their newest venture, Burke said the name pays homage to the unique Black […]
Nigerian director on his queer film and the lynching of a gay friend
Babatunde Apalowo, director of the gay-themed Nigerian film All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, was shocked to learn that one of his college roommates was lynched for being gay. “Our residence was small rooms with bunk beds,” Apalowo recently told Variety. “It’s difficult to move around in that small physical space and not get […]
LGBTQI community marches on at Mardi Gras despite grief
The bright glitter, sequins and rainbows of Sydney’s Mardi Gras will be tinged with sadness as the LGBTQI community mourns and celebrates the lives of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Hundreds of thousands will gather in Oxford Street for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras annual parade festivities on Saturday. Float organiser Jane O’Keefe, […]
Cape Town Gay Pride Shows Solidarity With Africa’s Persecuted
Led by motorcycle riders draped in rainbow colours and dressed in multicolour costumes, more than 3,000 people on Saturday took part in Cape Town’s annual Gay Pride parade. The parade was an opportunity for South Africa to reaffirm its place as one of the rare African countries to recognise LGBT+ rights. “I am here because […]
Judge blocks Texas attorney general’s demands for LGBT group’s records
PFLAG, a leading U.S. LGBTQ advocacy group, on Friday won a temporary restraining order blocking demands from Texas’ Republican attorney general for information about the group’s work with families of transgender minors seeking gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormones. The order, which will remain in effect for at least two weeks, from Travis […]
Oklahoma school faces US federal probe in the wake of Nex Benedict’s death
US federal officials have confirmed that they are opening an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where high school pupil Nex Benedict died following a fight last month. Nex Benedict, who was Two Spirit/gender non-conforming and used he/they pronouns according to his friends (as confirmed in this NBC interview), died on 8 February, one day […]
1st transgender lit & cultural festival churns out new ideas
Lucknow: The state capital hosted India’s first-ever transgender literary and cultural programme on Friday. The event served as a platform for members of the transgender community to discuss the role of literature, art, and music in bringing them into the mainstream of society. Social welfare minister Asim Arun, who graced the event, reiterated the state […]
Hong Kong: Transgender activist must not be deported to mainland China
A Chinese transgender activist due to be released tomorrow after serving a prison sentence in Hong Kong will be at grave risk of persecution if she is deported to mainland China. She must instead be allowed to remain in Hong Kong or travel to another destination, Amnesty International urged today. Lai Ke (also known as […]
Breaking Down Barriers: Mo Jenkins Makes Transgender History in the Texas Legislature
Mo Jenkins is shaking things up as the first trans woman to be a committee director and committee clerk in the Texas Legislature. Currently working for Abel Herrero, the state representative for Texas House District 34, Jenkins is herself now running for state representative. If she wins her primaries, Jenkins will be the first openly […]
Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill draws international condemnation after it is passed by parliament
A bill which criminalizes LGBTQ people in Ghana and their supporters drew international condemnation Thursday after it was passed by parliament, with the United Nations calling it “profoundly disturbing” and urging for it not to become law. In a statement, Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner, said the bill broadens […]
LGBTQ+ advocacy group sues Texas AG, says it won’t identify transgender families
A national LGBTQ+ advocacy group is suing the Texas Attorney General’s office rather than hand over information about its support of transgender children receiving gender-confirming medical care. According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Texas court, PFLAG National says Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is demanding “documents and communications” related to a sworn statement […]