Queer love not ‘non-indigenous’; LGBTQIA+ individuals grappling with stigma despite Navtej judgment: Justice SR Krishna Kumar
Justice SR Krishna Kumar recently shed light on the historical nuances of queer identities in the Indian subcontinent, challenging the narrative that deems queer love as ‘non-indigenous.’ Referring to the precolonial history of India, Justice Krishna Kumar emphasized that queerness was not merely tolerated but was an integral part of ordinary life in various regions and […]
Secret Kenyan Church Opens Its Doors to LGBT Worshipers
For the past ten years, there has been a clandestine church operating in Kenya. The church acknowledges Kenya as a nation deeply committed to its religious beliefs. Within its walls, the church offers a sanctuary for gay worshippers, ensuring their services remain concealed from the eyes of the public. In an interview with BBC, John, […]
Denial of equal rights for Hong Kong’s gay citizens dovetails with China’s human rights playbook
Last month’s Gay Games seemed to go off well, despite getting the cold shoulder from Hong Kong’s government. Unlike in other countries, where local governments have provided financial and logistical support, the authorities refused official assistance. In the run-up to the event, a number of Hong Kong lawmakers demanded that the government ban it on […]
Decline in US LGBTQ+ rights support reflects widening political divide
The United States is witnessing a concerning decline in public support for LGBTQ+ rights, marking a departure from the previous trend of increasing acceptance. The 2023 American Values Survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) has found that the US public remains broadly supportive of antidiscrimination protections and marriage equality, and a majority […]
Why LGBTQ+ Nigerians fear heading home for Christmas
Christmas can be a fraught time for LGBTQ+ people, some of whom might be estranged from their families while others dread festive gatherings with intolerant relatives. But LGBTQ+ Nigerians who celebrate Christmas face a double whammy of social stigma and a legal ban on gay sex in the deeply religious country, where many reject homosexuality […]
LGBTQ Muslims Call for Permanent Ceasefire in Front of Stonewall
One-hundred LGBTQ Muslims gathered for a jummah prayer for Palestine in front of the Stonewall National Monument on Friday to demonstrate that there is “no pride in genocide.” “Queer Muslim New Yorkers are rising up in solidarity with Palestinians, and through a queer Muslim-led interfaith prayer, they will stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people […]
‘A long journey’: blessings for same-sex couples expose Church of England divisions
On Sunday morning, Catherine and Jane will kneel together before the priest at their church to receive a simple prayer of blessing. At the end of the service, the congregation at St John the Baptist in Felixstowe will raise a glass of bubbly instead of the usual cup of tea. Catherine and Jane will be […]
Tasmanian advocates brand proposed conversion ban “useless”
Tasmanian LGBTIQA+ advocates have slammed the state government’s proposed bill to ban conversion practices, saying it will allow the harmful practices to continue. The proposed legislation, which was promised by Jeremy Rockliff’s Liberal government in June, would criminalise an “attempt to change or eradicate the sexual orientation or gender identity” of a person, but Equality […]
Anti-trans raid in Malaysia: ‘a worrying disregard for human rights’
Religious police in Malaysia arrested five trans women in an anti-trans raid on a massage parlor in the city of Ipoh in northwestern Malaysia in early December. They were charged with cross-dressing and acting as women for immoral purposes. In response, the trans advocacy group Justice for Sisters pleaded for an end to anti-trans raids. […]
Gay man set to be deported from Edmonton to Uganda: ‘I’m in a nightmare’
A 25-year-old gay man who has been living and working in Edmonton since 2018 is concerned for his safety because he’s being deported back to Uganda. The man, who Global News is not identifying and calling “Sue” to protect him, is being forced to fly out on Tuesday. He came to Canada as an international student and […]
Ghana parliament might prohibit people from marrying their cars
The parliament of Ghana has begun debate on provisions of the bill formerly known as “the worst anti-LGBTQ bill ever”. The debate has ranged through a variety of absurd fictions, including humans marrying cars and household appliances, which some members of parliament want to outlaw. Among many other provisions, the bill, as originally proposed, would increase to as many […]
Did Nepal Achieve Marriage Equality? Not Quite Yet
At the end of November, Nepal’s government recognized a marriage between Nepalis of the same legal gender for the first time. But while the jubilant celebration undoubtedly deserves attention, various court cases and the country’s inconsistent bureaucracy make it virtually impossible for most queer couples to marry. Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey’s case first made headlines following […]
Polish president pardons nationalist jailed over violent incident at LGBT march
President Andrzej Duda has pardoned a nationalist, Marika Matuszak (pictured above), who was jailed for being part of a group that violently attempted to steal a rainbow-coloured bag from a woman participating in an LGBT march. The president’s decision has been welcomed by figures associated with former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, who earlier this year […]
Russian Riot Police Raid Gay Club Amid Crackdown On ‘LGBT Movement’
Russian riot police raided an LGBT club in Yekaterinburg less than two weeks after Russia’s Supreme Court banned the activities of the “international LGBT movement” — which legally does not exist — in the country. Dozens of visitors were detained while police recorded their personal information. Similar raids were carried out in Moscow clubs in […]
Neale Hanvey criticised for comparing self-ID for trans people to Section 28
House of Commons Alba Party leader Neale Hanvey has been condemned for an opinion piece in which he compared self-ID for trans people to Section 28. In a column published by The National on Tuesday (12 December), MP Hanvey claimed that a recently proposed conversion therapy ban was ignoring a “true scandal” of LGB people […]
Qtalk: Gay Nigerian man seeks help with pain of family rejection
Coping with family rejection is one of the ways LGBTQ+ Nigerians benefit from the support provided by volunteer counselors via the Qtalk app, which is supported by this site and by the St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation. Effiong, a 20-year-old Nigerian man, reached out on the Qtalk app to discuss the profound sense of […]
Discord Now Explicitly Bans Misgendering and Deadnaming Transgender People on the Platform
Discord has expanded its Hateful Conduct Policy to explicitly include prohibitions against misgendering and deadnaming in a policy update. Accompanying this policy update, Discord has also implemented a comprehensive warning system to enforce these guidelines effectively. “For example you may not post, share or engage in: Repeatedly using slurs to degrade and demean individuals or […]
Queer parents in Italy are living a “nightmare” as the government cracks down on custody rights
A lesbian couple say they are fleeing Italy due to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government’s crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ+ parents. Chiara and Christine are the mothers of six-year-old Arturo, and Christine is pregnant with the couple’s second son, due early next year. But as Chiara told Agence France-Presse (AFP), while she is […]
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Members Vote To Cancel Controversial Police Accord
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) members have voted to cancel the Mardi Gras Police Accord and abolish the controversial decency inspections. At the December 9 SGLMG Annual General Meeting (AGM), an amended motion six, which removed the sentence calling for police abolition, but cancelled the Police Accord, was approved. In 2018, Sydney Gay […]
Crowds flock to Hong Kong’s Pink Dot to celebrate the first outdoor LGBTQ carnival since 2018, despite overlapping district council election
Thousands of people dressed in pink on Sunday flocked to Hong Kong’s largest LGBTQ carnival, held outdoors for the first time since 2018, with organisers saying the controversial Gay Games recently hosted by the city have drummed up support for the community. All public speeches at the Pink Dot HK 2023 carnival, however, were cancelled after […]
GOP Defense Bill Stripped of Anti-LGBTQ+ and Anti-Abortion Measures
The National Defense Authorization Act for 2024, encompassing an $886 billion defense policy, has marked a pivotal moment in Congress, particularly regarding LGBTQ-related issues, as most of Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ+ measures were removed from the bill. After months of intense negotiations between the House Republicans and Senate Democrats, the bill’s final form discards several controversial amendments initially championed […]
Queer, teen and coming out on social media? What it takes to survive the trolls
“Rest in pi** brother. You won’t be missed”. This was among the many similar comments on a post by Pranshu, a 16-year-old self-taught Instagram beauty influencer who was found hanging in his home in Ujjain on November 21. While the police are yet to identify the exact reason behind his death, Pranshu’s family and friends are convinced […]
LGBTQ+ Russians are “ordinary people” in new photo book working to combat rising hate in the country
Photographer Ksenia Kuleshova calls the subjects in her new book, Ordinary People, her “heroes.” That’s how she described them even before the Russian Supreme Court declared the “international LGBT social movement” an “extremist organization” at the behest of President Vladimir Putin’s Ministry of Justice last week. Beginning in 2013 with the passage of legislation banning so-called “gay […]
Powerful poem highlights impact of racism on queer people of colour in Ireland
Following the violence and racism witnessed in Dublin City on the night of November 23, activist and artist Pradeep Mahadeshwar was prompted to pen a moving poem about the experience of being a queer person of colour in Ireland. The horrific night of rioting shocked and terrified many of the city’s residents, but none more […]
Dating app abductions raise fears for LGBT+ safety in South Africa
Thabsie Mabezane, a transgender woman and LGBT+ activist in South Africa, was aware of personal safety when she met a man on the dating app Tinder earlier this year. She told him that she preferred to meet up in a public space instead of at his home. But as she waited at their meeting point […]
What ‘transgender education for four-year-olds’ in UK schools actually involves
An education company which offers LGBTQ+ and equality resources to children, parents and teachers in schools is under fire for allegedly teaching “transgender education” to four-year-olds. But, as PinkNews found, that is simply not the case. Pop’n’Olly is at the centre of a media storm after the Daily Mail ran a story focused on parents […]
DeSantis Revives Vicious Attacks on LGBTQ Families as His Campaign Flounders
In a fundraising email to supporters on Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bashed President Joe Biden for saluting the gay Pride flag and falsely accused “radical liberal parents” of child abuse in his latest attempt to revive a floundering presidential campaign by trafficking in anti-LGBTQ stigma and conspiracy theories. A donation to his campaign, DeSantis […]
Former Cree pageant princess stands against controversial LGBT rule change
The first openly two-spirit Miss Eeyou Eenou Iskwaau (MEEI) in northern Quebec says they didn’t feel welcome to attend a regional pageant to crown their replacement and worry how a controversy over an eligibility rule will make lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in Eeyou Istchee feel. Geraldine Shecapio, who goes by they/them pronouns, was […]
Romanian Same-Sex Couples Become Talking Point Ahead Of Key Elections
BUCHAREST — When a mayor of a small Romanian town casually mentioned in an interview that she had voted in favor of a referendum that sought to ultimately ban same-sex marriage, it unleashed a maelstrom that now threatens to become a key issue in elections next year. The problem was that Elena Lasconi was not a far-right populist […]
In the crosshairs
Last week, Russia’s highest court deemed what it called the “international LGBT movement” to be an extremist organisation and banned its activities in the country. This is not the first time Russian courts have issued a blanket ban on a poorly defined group. In 2020, a prison subculture known as AUE was also declared extremist. […]