Anglicans face deeper rift after General Synod steps closer to backing standalone blessing services for same-sex couples
A widening split could affect the Church of England (C of E) following opposition by evangelicals to the General Synod approving the prospect of trialing a standalone blessing service for homosexual couples. On Monday, the General Synod, the governing body for Anglican churches, met in the city of York, England, to debate progress made since […]
Queer rights are in danger in Canada. Pierre Poilievre owns some of the blame
For years, Ipsos has been asking individuals around the world for their opinions on Queer people. And for years, the pollster has found, those opinions have steadily improved. People had been growing more and more supportive of the LGBTQ community with each passing year, especially in Canada. In 2011, more than six-in-ten Canadians said people […]
Isolated by their ‘allies,’ LGBTQ Jews gather to parse Pride’s anti-Israel leanings
Leah Forester knows what rejection feels like. When the Orthodox Jewish comedian came out as a lesbian several years ago, her Haredi family stopped speaking to her. But that “was nothing compared to the hate and vitriol I felt from my own Queer community during Pride month,” Forester told a packed room at The Glasshouse […]
House Urges FG to Suspend Samoa Agreement, Seeks Probe of Contentious Clauses
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to suspend the implementation of the Samoa Agreement. A national daily had reported that there were clauses that mandate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the $150 billion Samoa Agreement signed by the Nigerian government on 28 June. Based on the story, the […]
Biden threatens to veto House disapproval of Title IX transgender rule
President Joe Biden has issued yet another veto threat against the GOP-controlled House, this time over his controversial Title IX rewrite. The House could vote as soon as Tuesday on H.J. Res. 165, a congressional disapproval of a new Department of Education rule prohibiting discrimination of sex in education programs or activities that receive federal […]
Frustrated by Japan’s Same-Sex Marriage Ban, LGBTQ Couples Opt for ‘Photo Weddings’
Unable to get married legally in Japan, LGBTQ couples are celebrating their special bond by donning traditional kimonos and fashionable formal wear for elaborate “photo weddings”. But these carefully choreographed images are often kept hidden in this conservative society where many LGBTQ people say they face prejudice and stigma, even from their own families. Reuters […]
What the heck is happening in France? Out gay PM Gabriel Attal tries to resign after far-right blowout
France’s legislative elections have concluded with a resounding loss for the country’s far-right party, but the left and centrist parties weren’t entirely victorious. Politicians in France are grappling with how to run the National Assembly after the leftist coalition New Popular Front won the most seats (182) in last week’s sudden elections. President Emmanuel Macron’s […]
Bridget Phillipson and Anneliese Dodds named as ministers for women and equalities
Bridget Phillipson is the new minister for women and equalities, while Anneliese Dodds has been named a minister for women and equalities in the Department for Education. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson was named as minister for women and equalities on Monday (8 July), even though Dodds was the shadow secretary when the party was in […]
Does The New Criminal Code (BNS) Protect Men And Trans Persons From Sexual Violence?
Institutional understanding of sexual violence is often informed by patriarchy and misogyny. Courts, police and lawmakers are all prone to this bias. The institutionalisation of such patriarchal notions about sexual violence and victimhood not only greatly harms women who face sexual violence, but renders invisible other victims. Sexual violence, undoubtedly, disproportionately affects women. An overwhelming […]
New York Pledges $5.4 Million Investment in LGBTQ+ Community Initiatives
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced a significant $5.4 million investment aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community in New York. This includes a $4.4 million allocation to the Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center for developing safe and culturally affirming programs, particularly for LGBTQ+ people of color. An additional $1 million will be directed towards workforce development programs for […]
Website tracks legal rights for trans people in Middle East and North Africa
The Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute has unveiled the MENA Trans Archive, a new, free online archive focused on legal and sharia-law information for trans people living in the Middle East and North Africa. The MENA Trans Archive is designed to empower and inform not only activists and researchers but also policymakers and the general public. It […]
Trans teen who protested at NHS England HQ sends powerful message to new PM Keir Starmer
A group of transgender teenagers begun occupying a ledge at Wellington House in central London on 28 June, urging political pundits to stop discriminating against trans youth. Several banners, including ones that read, “We are not pawns for your politics” and “trans kids deserve better” remain stuck to the entrance of the building. Ahead of […]
Argentina once led on LGBTQ rights. After 4 lesbians are set on fire, critics blame rising intolerance on Milei’s government
It was an attack that sent shockwaves through a country long considered a pioneer in LGBTQ rights. In the early hours of May 6, four lesbian women were set on fire in Argentina. Only one of them survived. It happened at a boarding house in the Barracas neighborhood of Buenos Aires, where Pamela Fabiana Cobas, […]
LGBTQ storm in $150bn Samoa deal teacup
In the last two days, my social media feed has been suffused with impassioned expressions of grief and outrage from Nigerians over a putative June 28 agreement that the Nigerian government has signed with the European Union to legalize LGBTQ+ rights in the country in exchange for a $150 economic package. It turned out that […]
Tens of thousands fill Madrid with colour for gay pride parade
Tens of thousand of people marched and danced on Saturday along the main streets of Madrid, filling the Spanish capital city with coloured flags for the main LGBTI pride parade in the country. “This is wonderful, I think this is the only place where people are truly free,” Maria Alvarez, 43, told Reuters. Through the […]
Who are the LGBTQ+ allies in Keir Starmer’s new cabinet?
Keir Starmer appointed his cabinet following a landslide Labour victory in Thursday’s (4 July) general election that saw the party sweep back into power of the first time in 14 years. Shortly after speaking to the nation outside Number 10 Downing street in his first address as prime minister Friday (5 July), the Labour leader […]
Tallahassee students keep the spirit of Stonewall alive
On June 30, two days after the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, students and community members gathered at Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society’s annual pride talent show, one of the longest-running non-corporate pride events in the city. SDS organized the talent show to celebrate the historic victories that queer people have won through […]
Push toward anti-‘gay propaganda’ laws in two former Soviet republics
Two former Soviet republics are considering Russian-style anti-LGBTQ laws. Neither the nation of Georgia nor that of Kazakhstan is considering criminalizing same-sex intimacy, but both are dealing with proposals for laws against so-called “gay propaganda”, which is a homophobic label for any public comment endorsing or tolerating homosexuality. In Kazakhstan, a petition against “LGBT propaganda” […]
Here’s What the Election of the U.K.’s New PM Means for LGBTQ+ Rights
The United Kingdom’s Labour Party won a landslide victory in Thursday’s general election, propelling party leader Keir Starmer to the office of Prime Minister and establishing a majority Labour government for the first time in 19 years. But despite general support for LGBTQ+ rights, Starmer’s recent comments about transgender issues raise serious questions about what […]
LGBT Rights Under Pressure in Bukele’s El Salvador
Hand in hand, Andrea and Fiorella attend an improvised mass in the garage of a house in San Salvador. There they say they don’t fear being discriminated against by a society that increasingly closes spaces for sexual diversity. Before a crucifix hanging on a column under a row of multicolored flags, about 15 members of […]
Controversy greets Nigeria’s $150 billion Samoa deal with alleged clause to promote LGBTQ
The federal government’s decision to sign a $150 billion Samoa Deal has been met with controversies over claim of LGBTQ clause. According to reports, the agreement reportedly includes clauses that require underdeveloped and developing nations to support LGBTQ rights as a condition for receiving financial and other forms of support from advanced countries. Named after the […]
US judge blocks Biden rule adding gender identity protections to healthcare
A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked the Biden administration from enforcing a new rule against discrimination on the basis of gender identity in healthcare while he hears a lawsuit challenging it by 15 Republican-led states. The rule was finalized in May, opens new tab by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was […]
How Ghana’s anti-gay bill impacts the LGBTQ+ community
Mohammed is 27 years old and gay. However, he has yet to come out about his sexuality. Like many other LGBTQ+ Ghanaians, he fears going public. That’s because Ghana’s lawmakers passed a bill in February that gives a jail term of up to 3 years to anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+, among other things. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo is […]
Bosnian Serb Entity Strikes ‘Gender Identity’ From Draft Criminal Code
The government of the majority-Serb entity that makes up half of Bosnia-Herzegovina has deleted the term “gender identity” in draft amendments to the region’s Criminal Code, indicating a hardening stance on LGBT causes and a further digression from central government authority in the post-Yugoslav state. Officials announced the change following a government session in Banja […]
In just a few years, half of all states passed bans on trans health care for kids
Transgender people under 18 face laws that bar them from accessing gender-affirming health care in 25 states — just a few years ago, not a single state had such a law. The Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case from Tennessee in its next term that challenges that state’s gender-affirming care ban for young people. “Pressure had […]
Latvia recognizes same-sex partnerships
RIGA — Latvia will allow heterosexual and same-sex couples to register their partnerships under a law that took effect Monday, a move welcomed by LGBTQ campaigners. The law grants registered partners equal rights in managing their households, offers tax and social security benefits, and allows for emergency hospital visits. It is the first time same-sex couples […]
Cameroon president’s daughter comes out, reveals relationship with Brazilian model
In the face of Cameroon‘s criminalization of LGBTQ+ relationships, the daughter of the nation’s president has come out. Brenda Biya, daughter of President Paul Biya, revealed in a recent post to her Instagram that she is in a relationship with Brazilian model Layyons Valença. Biya posted a photo of the two kissing, writing in the caption: “PS: I’m crazy […]
Courage amid crisis: Gendered impacts of the coup and the pursuit of gender equality in Myanmar
GENEVA (2 July 2024) – The military coup was a devastating setback for gender equality in Myanmar and has left women, girls, and LGBT people acutely vulnerable to discrimination, violence, and exploitation, according to a new report published today by Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. “Courage amid […]
Thousands March for LGBT Rights at Pride 2024 in Costa Rica
Thousands of Costa Ricans marched through the streets of San José for Pride 2024. Participants walked along Paseo Colón in defense of the rights of the LGBT population, through Paseo Colón and Avenida Segunda and arrived at the Plaza de la Democracia, where a concert was held to close the activity. Participants carried gay pride […]
Gay man arrested in Dagestan says police offered him money to entrap other men
A gay man who was briefly arrested in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Dagestan in June has described how he was offered money to help the police to entrap other gay men in the region, SOS Crisis Group, a local LGBTQ+ non-profit, said on Monday. The man, who asked to be referred to by […]