‘Nobody is safe in Chechnya’: Life of torture survivor accused of being gay at risk, activists say
In 2020, a man fled Chechnya to Armenia after he was jailed, beaten and electrocuted by police who accused him of being gay. Now, a global campaign is calling on the country to ensure he isn’t extradited back to Russia on spurious charges. Global LGBTQ+ advocacy group All Out and NC SOS – activists who […]
LGBTQ patients face hurdles to fertility treatment in a system that wasn’t designed for them
After using their dead name, the doctor opened the door to greet Leighton Schreyer, who was waiting in the exam room to discuss fertility preservation. The rest of the appointment passed in a blur with a few gendered phrases sticking out like knives in the consultation. “When women menstruate, we….” their doctor explained. “Since you’re choosing to change… […]
Lebanon’s LGBTQ Community in Fear After Christian Extremists Attack Bar in Beirut
Amnesty International says hate speech and incitement have been rising in Lebanon, once a haven for LGBTQ people, and now that the line has been crossed into violence, the government must step in to protect rights. A group of men reportedly affiliated with an extremist Christian group recently attacked an LGBTQ-friendly bar in Beirut during a […]
In time of war, Russia turns up aggression on transgender citizens
When Russian authorities took away Yan Dvorkin’s 10-year-old adopted son last spring, there was nothing he could do but shout in frustration. His crime? He was a transgender, nonbinary person, married to a man. The official from child services had denounced him to prosecutors because he was open about his gender identity on social media […]
Ryan didn’t have the words to describe his identity. Now he feels more complete
Ryan Tran says he felt like he was living in two worlds. He was an out and proud gay man when speaking English, but among his Vietnamese community, words failed him. “When I wanted to talk to my friends and family, I wanted to talk about my identity, and I wanted to explain those terms […]
Latin and Caribbean Catholic Groups Ask Pope to Include LGBTQ+ People in Synod
Sixty groups forming an Ibero-American Catholic LGBTQ+ network have written to Pope Francis asking for LGBTQ+ people to be directly involved in the Synod assembly next month, rather than merely “objects” of discussion. The August letter was released by the Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Peninsula members of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, which […]
Hundreds Of LGBT Supporters March In Belgrade Event Amid High Police Presence
Hundreds of activists marched through central Belgrade on September 9 amid a high security presence in a march to support LGBT rights, with no disturbances reported. Organizers of the Pride event called it the largest-ever march in conservative Christian Orthodox Serbia. In a similar events last year, at least 21 people were arrested in connection […]
Transgender film looks to win hearts and minds in conservative Poland
The makers of “Woman Of”, which follows a man transitioning to a woman in socially conservative Poland, hope their film will help ease deep-rooted prejudices in the Roman Catholic nation. “Woman Of”, co-directed by Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert, had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Friday, just a month ahead of […]
Elle Hungary’s Latest Issue Features Gay Love Story
ELLE Magazine in Hungary takes the fight for LGBT rights to the forefront and fearlessly showcases equality in a move that could see the popular source face several repercussions. ELLE Hungary is gearing up to release its September issue, one that is about to set history in the country as it will feature a gay […]
Malgorzata Szumowska & Michal Englert Talk Championing Transgender Rights With Venice Title ‘Woman Of’: “This Film Is Needed Right Now In Poland”
Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s transgender drama Woman Of world premieres in Competition at the Venice Film Festival on Friday. As ever the filmmaking team – who have been working together for more than two decades on titles such as Mug, In The Name Of and French-language drama Elles – are pushing boundaries […]
Ugandan activists criticise EU inaction over LGBTQ law
Gay rights activists on Friday criticised a European Union announcement this week that it would not cut funding to Uganda over a harsh anti-LGBTQ law enacted in May. In a written statement to the European parliament issued on Wednesday, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen said suspending financial aid to Uganda over the law, […]
VA started the school year with new anti-trans policies. The state’s largest district won’t comply
Referring to the Virginia Department of Education’s (VDOE) 2023 model policies for the treatment of transgender students, attorney Wyatt Rolla of the ACLU of Virginia said Governor Glenn Youngkin’s (R) administration is “throwing school districts under the bus to advance its own dangerous anti-trans political agenda.” The new model policies, which replace the ones published […]
Miami school board rejects LGBTQ+ history month proposal in 14-hour meeting
MIAMI, Fla. (CITC) — The Miami-Dade County School Board rejected a proposal to recognize October as LGBTQ+ history month at a meeting that lasted until early Thursday morning. The meeting, which lasted more than 14 hours, featured passionate speeches from over 100 parents, students, educators, advocates and non-profit representatives who argued over the proposal. Those in favor said […]
South Korea: Lesbian couple welcomes child in historic first
Couple Kim Kyu-jin and Kim Sae-yeon became proud parents to their daughter Rani on 30 August, with Kyu-jin making history as the first openly gay Korean woman to give birth, the Korea Herald reported. While South Korea has not yet legalised same-sex marriage, and sperm banks in the country are only accessible to heterosexual married couples, the […]
Hong Kong’s top court urges alternative legal framework for same-sex couples
HONG KONG, Sept 5 (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s top court partially approved on Tuesday a landmark appeal by an LGBTQ activist for recognition of same-sex marriages, calling for new regulations for gay couples to protect their basic social needs. The ruling by Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal followed a five-year legal battle fought by […]
Iraq debates law on death penalty for same-sex relationships
The Iraqi politician who introduced the bill into parliament is absolutely certain: Any behavior that deviates from heterosexuality is a danger to his country. This is why, in mid-August, Raad al-Maliki introduced a bill that would amend Iraq’s “Law on Combatting Prostitution” from 1988 to make same-sex relations a crime, alongside any kind of expression […]
Judge describes suspected hate attack on lesbian couple in Dublin as ‘shocking’
A judge has described as “shocking” victim impact statements shown to him after a teenager’s “rage-filled” and suspected hate attack on a lesbian couple. The boy, now 17, attacked after seeing them cuddling at a bus shelter in Dublin. The youth, who cannot be identified because he is a minor, appeared again at the Dublin Children’s Court […]
A Court In Hong Kong Has Ruled That The Government Must Legally Recognize Same-Sex Partnerships
Hong Kong’s Court of Appeals has ruled that the government must provide a legal framework to recognize same-sex partnerships. In Hong Kong, the constitution only recognizes “marriage” as being between between a man and a woman. The move comes after Jimmy Sham, a pro-democracy activist, sued the government for not recognizing same-sex marriage. Sham married […]
Guadeloupe: The challenge of bringing together the LGBT+ community
In the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe, the months of July and August have been a time for reflection about activism within the local LGBT+ community. Leïla, of the association Secret’s Out, agreed to talk to us about her organization. Erasing 76 Crimes: Why set up a new organization to help the LGBT+ residents of Guadeloupe? Leïla: I used […]
Gay rights activists hope to sway popular opinion, political action against colonial era buggery laws
The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) on Wednesday launched a “Guyana Together” campaign to increase public tolerance of gays as well as convince government and opposition politicians to change laws that violate the human rights of members of that community. “I think the next phase- we are assuming that we’ll achieve our goal in two […]
HK top court urges government to create legal framework for same-sex couples
Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA) on Tuesday ruled that the government had breached its rights under the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance by failing to set up a framework to legally recognize the rights. But the court dismissed part of an appeal to recognize same-sex marriages, including overseas unions. This is the […]
CA Assembly Declares Nation’s First Transgender History Month
Assemblymember Matt Haney (D–San Francisco) hosts a press conference to announce that every August hereafter will be known in California as Transgender History Month. California has long been at the forefront of the transgender liberation movement. But transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans are being politicized and dehumanized in recent culture wars and their contributions to the […]
Jordan Henderson defends move to Saudi Arabia after LGBTQ rights criticism
England midfielder Jordan Henderson has responded to criticism by defending his decision to join a Saudi Arabian club and apologising for the hurt caused to the LGBTQ community in an interview published by The Athletic. The 33-year-old moved to Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq from Liverpool on a three-year deal in July. The switch […]
LGBTQ+ volleyball champion hits a nerve in Turkey’s culture war
Turkey’s women volleyballers may have won the European championship on Sunday but the presence of a prominent LGBTQ+ star in the team has reopened the country’s bitterly divisive culture war. The storm over 1.96m-tall Ebrar Karakurt is one of the most high-profile tests of the country’s social direction since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan won re-election […]
Nigerian court remands dozens in prison over alleged gay wedding
More than 60 people arrested last week in Nigeria in connection with an alleged gay wedding, which is illegal in the country, have been remanded in prison, the police and their lawyer said on Monday. The court granted a remand request from the police following a hearing on Monday in the southern city of Warri […]
Transgender Football Team Brings Hope To Children In Manipur
September 3rd marked four months since the state of Manipur has been grappling with ethnic violence. Till August, the death toll had reached close to 190 and approximately 60,000 people had been displaced from their homes. Roughly 40% of the displaced population are minors who have been cooped up in relief camps. Concerns have been […]
The story of a transgender person in an occupied city in Ukraine
Maksym Chernov, 22, describes himself on Instagram as a queer punk and vegan abolitionist who advocates for the abolition of slavery, both formal and informal. For nine months, he lived in the then-Russian-occupied Kherson and survived because he barely went outside. Some other members of the LGBTQ+ community there were less lucky: during their occupation, […]
Police raid, arrests at gay spa provoke fears of new persecution
It was an ordinary Sunday afternoon at the Avalon Man Spa and Bar. The gay club in Valencia, two hours west of the Venezuelan capital, was filled with clients, receptionist Jesús Araujo said: “Sunday is our busiest day.” Then the police arrived. With neither advance warning nor a search warrant, the officers from Venezuela’s National […]
Gay Couple Fled From Russia to Moldova Due to War and Homophobia
For many months now, Valery and Valentin have been living in Valentin’s homeland, Chişinău, the capital of Moldova. After fleeing Russia due to the war and mounting homophobia, the couple is adjusting to being together without worrying that they could be arrested for being gay. In an interview with Moldovan media outlet NewsMaker, they talked about […]
Himachal Pradesh: Tibetan Transgender Model Tenzin Mariko Gets Into Scuffle, Snatches Baton & Attacks Police In Dharamshala; Visuals Surface
In an incident showing brazen attitude on the part of celebrated Tibetan transgender model Tenzin Mariko, the model and friends got into a scuffle with police in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh’s McLeodganj Market. In the video it can be seen that following a heated debate with policewomen, Tenzin Mariko snatched the police baton from a […]