Qatar Deports Gay Flight Attendant for Wearing Tinted Moisturizer
Qatari security services reportedly detained and interrogated a former Qatar Airways flight attendant for wearing “tinted moisturizer,” which is perceived by authorities as a sign of possible homosexual behavior and illegal in the country. That flight attendant was subsequently fired and deported. Gilbert Ignatius was arrested while celebrating his 32nd birthday with friends at the […]
Madagascar’s LGBT people struggle to build community amid apathy and hostility
Although homosexuality and trans identity have never been criminalized in Madagascar, a large island home to 29 million people off the east coast of Africa, the queer community struggles to achieve visibility and push back against simmering anti-LGBT sentiments among powerful politicians and institutions. Recently, a group of activists came together to form Queer Place […]
Exiled Iranian crown prince awarded US LGBTQ+ award for speaking up for Iran’s queer community
The Iranian LGBTQ+ community has long been kept invisible by mainstream overseas Iranian opposition, but a US LGBTQ+ award to exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi seems to signify changes in attitudes and is bringing hope to Iran’s queer community. Crown Prince Pahlavi was born in Iran and remained in the US, where he was trained […]
Republicans Introduce Bill Mandating Misgendering of Trans Federal Employees
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn) have introduced bicameral legislation that would ban all federal government employees and federally funded entities from using anything other than a person’s legal name and the pronouns that correspond with the sex they were assigned at birth. The bill, misleadingly named the Safeguarding Free Speech Act, […]
Ghana Cardinal Peter Turkson: It’s time to understand homosexuality
Homosexuality should not be a criminal offence and people should be helped to understand the issue better, a top cardinal from Ghana has told the BBC. Cardinal Peter Turkson’s comments come as parliament discusses a bill imposing harsh penalties on LGBT people. His views are at odds with Roman Catholic bishops in Ghana, who say […]
‘Stand up, fight back’: Trans Day of Resistance Rally and March
Despite the looming threat of rain, a large crowd gathered in Newtown’s Pride Square for the Trans Day of Resistance rally and march. The event was organised by Pride in Protest, the National Union of Students, and the USyd Queer Action Collective (QuAC). QuAC Convenor Jamie Bridge chaired the rally, reading Queering the Map entries from […]
Man paints apartment building rainbow colors to get back at anti-gay neighbor
The owner of an Omaha, Nebraska apartment complex has painted the building rainbow at the request of his three daughters, ages five, seven, and nine. While his daughters were motivated by a love for the colors, Ryan Basye was intrigued by the idea due to a 2022 conversation he’d had with a fellow property owner on […]
Madras high court order offers LGBTs a ray of hope on gay marriage
NEW DLEHI: The Madras high court order aimed at providing minimum protection from harassment and discrimination to LGBTQIA+ couples by suggesting to the Tamil Nadu government to consider adopting a “deed of familial association” for recognising such relationships, has come like a ray of hope for the community. An emerging concept, the ‘deed of familal association’ as proposed by the petitioner […]
Bangladesh beauty queen brings ‘dawn of hope’ for trans women
DHAKA (TIP): Bangladeshi trans woman Yasin Ahmed Sokal always wanted the freedom to dress like her sisters, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine being showered with applause at a beauty pageant in her conservative homeland. For 24-year-old Sokal, her triumph in one of the South Asian nation’s most prestigious beauty contests was […]
Could Namibia decriminalise same-sex relations?
Namibia’s High Court is set to deliver a judgment in May in a case that could see the decriminalisation of gay sex in the southern African country. LGBTQ+ advocate Friedel Dausab brought the case against the government, arguing that the criminalisation of sodomy and related offences was unconstitutional. Arguments were heard by the court in […]
Trans Vikings and lesbian pirates: What is ‘queering the past’?
A museum in Britain identified Roman emperor Elagabalus this week as a transgender woman, saying it would start using she/her pronouns in written materials about the third-century emperor following a closer reading of classical texts. North Hertfordshire Museum said historical texts provided ample evidence of the emperor’s trans identity, for example recounting how Elagabalus asked […]
India’s LGBTQ Community Holds Pride March, Raises Concerns Over Country’s Restrictive Laws
More than 2,000 people took part in a gay pride event in New Delhi, waving rainbow flags and multicolored balloons as they celebrated sexual diversity in India but also raised concerns over the country’s restrictive laws. Dancing to drums and music, the participants walked for more than two hours to the Jantar Mantar area near […]
Most Americans Don’t Want States Able to Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Kids
A progressive poll found most voters don’t believe state legislatures have the right to ban abortion or gender-affirming care. The Data For Progress think tank surveyed more than 1,200 voters nationwide and found most people believe decisions on those personal health decisions should be guided by medical professionals, not elected lawmakers. But the key finding […]
A drag horror show in the quiet Goan village of Aldona gave me ultimate queer joy
I’ll never forget my first drag show. After years of tuning into RuPaul’s Drag Race and reblogging gifs of Sasha Velour on Tumblr, I found myself surrounded by a crowd of 20-somethings in a bar in London. Mid-August brought unprecedented heat while we were awaiting Rugirl Jaida Essence Hall. The performance was electric; the air […]
Lack of ‘Affirmation’ is Child Abuse: New Biden Rule Applies Transgender Standard to Foster Care
Transgender orthodoxy may soon become a litmus test for parenthood, according to the logic of a new policy working its way through the Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. A new rule in HHS’ Administration for Children and Families would apply the idea that any lack of “affirmation” constitutes a form […]
NSW Government To Delay Gay Conversion Ban Until 2024
The NSW Government will delay the ban on gay conversion practices till next year, to allow more time for additional consultations with conversion survivors. First reported by Sydney Morning Herald on Friday, November 24, lobbyists and members of Parliament made requests to Premier Chris Minns to take further precautions towards the ban. This announcement comes […]
Tampon for Transgender Men Sparks Conservative Backlash
A campaign to raise awareness of trans men’s issues in Finland has gone viral on social media, where it sparked a backlash from conservative users who questioned the inclusivity apparently embraced by the health industry. Earlier this month, Finnish brand Vuokkoset launched the world’s first tampon for men. It is an attempt to meet the […]
Equality Court refuses to rule on LGBTIQ+ asylum discrimination
Activists have expressed their disappointment over the Equality Court’s failure to address blatant discrimination against an LGBTIQ+ asylum seeker by the Department of Home Affairs. The case revolves around Anold Mulaisho, a Zambian who sought asylum in South Africa due to discrimination based on his sexual orientation as a gay man. Mulaisho fled to South Africa in […]
Mike Johnson Said He Wanted to Revisit Supreme Court Decision That Legalized Gay Sex
(CNN) — Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House, voiced support for revisiting Supreme Court decisions that struck down restrictions on the use of contraception, barred bans on gay sex and legalized same sex marriages, according to a CNN review of his prior public statements. On a conservative talk radio show the day the Supreme Court […]
Government to permit children to change names and pronouns in schools, leaks suggest
The UK government’s long-promised, and extremely controversial, trans guidance for schools could formally allow pupils to change their names and pronouns. New leaks suggest that the guidance will take a “a presumption against” trans youth changing genders at school, but would allow them to use new names or pronouns, and to change the uniform they […]
BRAZILIAN ADVENTISTS PROTEST EX-GAY MINISTRY
On November 10-12, True Friendships Ministry (Portuguese: Ministério Amizades Verdadeiras) held its fifth national meeting, “Sexuality and the Church in the 21st Century,” at the Brooklin Seventh-day Adventist Church in São Paulo, Brazil. Ministério Amizades Verdadeiras (MAV) is an Adventist lay effort aimed at welcoming the LGBTQ community and, in their words, offering “a Christian alternative to homosexual […]
French Senate to debate anti-gay law apology
“It was catastrophic for me. It was shameful.” Bernard Bousset recounts the events which changed his life in a clear voice, but he is visibly still deeply troubled, all these years later. In 1964, a man he had spent the night with stole his watch and some money. After reporting the theft, the police charged […]
Russia Moves to Ban Adoptions to Countries Allowing “Gender Reassignment”
While the left-wing establishment has already decided that transgenderism is a sacred social pillar that civilized nations cannot touch, the reality is that the tide increasingly appears to be turning against it. In Russia, lawmakers are now advancing landmark legislation that would prohibit the adoption of the country’s children by citizens of counties that allow sex […]
Thai Cabinet Approves Draft Law on Marriage Equality
Thailand’s Cabinet has approved a draft law on marriage equality and that will be brought to parliament during a session starting next month, Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said yesterday. Srettha told reporters that the draft law is expected to be proposed to Parliament on December 12. Karom Polpornklang, a deputy government spokesperson, elaborated on the […]
Kurdistan Region’s transgender sex workers: From hell at home to damnation on the streets
As night falls, Bewar*, a transgender sex worker, puts on her makeup and hairpiece and starts roaming the streets of Sarchinar in Sulaimani, trying to escape the eyes of the police while she offers sexual favors to potentially dangerous strangers in their cars in exchange for chump change, seeking to survive another day in a […]
Bhutan took a step towards queer rights, but its LGBTIQ+ people want a giant leap
In June 2022, in the middle of Pride Month celebrations across the world, Tashi Choden Chombal was crowned the third Miss Bhutan. Chombal was 23 years old at the time and had been openly gay for nine years. She came out on social media as bisexual when she turned 15 and was pleasantly surprised by […]
New Florida Bill Aims to Bring ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Into Workplaces
A Florida Republican wants to expand the some of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” gender identity restrictions into the Sunshine State’s workplaces. On Tuesday, Florida state Rep. Ryan Chamberlin introduced HB 599, a bill that would ban government employees from being required to use the preferred pronouns of their colleagues, prohibits the penalization of employees […]
UK museum reclassifies Roman emperor as transgender
A UK museum says that it will be heeding research that reveals the ancient Roman emperor Elagabalus was transgender and will subsequently be referring to the ruler as “she” in its displays. According to the Telegraph the North Hertfordshire Museum will use the new set of pronouns to refer to Elagabalus based on classical texts […]
French Senate to weigh compensation for victims of anti-gay laws
Thousands of people were sentenced under two French laws in force between 1942 and 1982, one determining the age of consent for same-sex relations and the other defining such relations as an aggravating factor in acts of “public outrage”. The sponsor of the bill to be debated on Wednesday, Senator Hussein Bourgi of the Socialist […]
Indian Military Mulls Enlisting Transgender Personnel
The Indian military is considering hiring transgender individuals to fill a variety of defense roles, according to a recent report by Indian Express. Sources said a joint study group has been established to evaluate the 2019 Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act and its potential implications in the Indian Armed Forces. Current rules state that […]