What Took LGBTQ-Friendly Nepal So Long To Say “I Do” To Same-Sex Marriage?
They met in the aftermath of a national tragedy. Love blossomed soon after. It was 2015 and an earthquake had devastated central Nepal. Social worker Tobias Volz had flown to Kathmandu from Germany to assist with relief efforts. Adheep Pokhrel grew up in Nepal and was working for an international nongovernmental organization. Each swiped right […]
Nex Benedict: outrage as no criminal charges filed over school bathroom fight
Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights expressed outrage following an announcement that no criminal charges will be filed against the Oklahoma teens involved in a high school bathroom fight with Nex Benedict, the non-binary 16-year-old who was ruled by the authorities to have subsequently taken their own life, the county district attorney said. The president and CEO […]
Senate approves bill establishing a right to foster, adopt by anti-LGBTQ parents in Tennessee
A bill that could lead to LGBTQ youth being placed in families with moral or religious objections to their sexual orientation or gender identity was approved by the Tennessee Senate on Tuesday. The Tennessee Foster and Adoptive Parent Protection Act would prohibit the Department of Children’s Services from excluding parents who have moral or religious […]
Meet Fríði Djurhuus, frontman of the Faroe Islands’ first queer vegan punk band
Ahead of their third album launch, Euronews Culture spoke to Fríði Djurhuus, frontman of the barnstorming Faroese band Joe & the Shitboys. In the north Atlantic, halfway between Norway and Iceland, there is an archipelago of stark cliff faces, gulf stream-blasted land, and sheer volcanic peaks. Howling wind and lashing waves are the main soundtrack […]
Another US homophobe appears in Uganda to support anti-LGBTQ agenda
American homophobe and extremist Ayo Kimathi is in Uganda to promote hate against the LGBTQI+ community in support of the Anti- Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023. Kimathi touched down at Entebbe International Airport on March 14 and went to Fair Way Hotel where he was appearing on The Pan-African Pyramid, a discussion forum and television show […]
Mother and son launch app to keep LGBT people safe
A mother and son from Brighton have launched an app to help keep members of the LGBTQ+ community safe on nights out. Luciana and Nicholas Cousin set up the Back Off. Back Up. (BOBU) app and it is currently operating in Brighton. The technology aims to provide safe spaces, such as bars and restaurants, where […]
Lawmakers fume over ban on pride flags included in spending bill to avert shutdown
A niche policy rider that House Republicans tucked into text for the final appropriations legislation has fanned culture war flames heading into a critical vote on Friday. Among the provisions included in the $1 trillion minibus legislation is one that seeks to restrict the type of flags flown over State Department facilities, such as American embassies, a flashpoint for socially conservative House […]
Ugandan Appeals Court Shutters LGBT Rights Group
Last week, in another blow to freedoms of association and expression in Uganda, a Ugandan court rejected a petition brought by Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a leading group advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, to compel the government to register the group’s name. The petition was rejected on the grounds that the organization’s name is […]
Two bar workers in Russia become first people charged under anti-LGBTQ+ law
A Russian court has ordered two bar workers to be placed in custody, accusing them of roles in an “extremist organisation”, under new legislation criminalising the LGBTQ+ community. It is the first criminal case of its kind since Russia banned the so-called “international LGBT movement” in November. “The court chose a preventive measure for the art director and […]
Landmark report calls for removal of LGBTQ+ discrimination exemptions for Australia’s religious schools
Blanket exemptions allowing religious schools to discriminate against staff and students on the basis of sexuality and gender identity should be repealed, a key report to the federal government has recommended. The long-awaited report from the Australian Law Reform Commission, released on Thursday, says the institutions should be allowed to preference staff in line with their […]
Gay Man Jailed in Qatar Provisionally Freed Pending Investigation
A gay British-Mexican, who was entrapped by police in Qatar on Grindr, has been provisionally released from prison after a global campaign for his freedom. Manuel Guerrero Aviña was arrested and jailed in the capital Doha by local police after being lured to a meeting on 4 February. A former British Airways manager, the 44-year-old was allegedly […]
Trailblazing gay Irish leader Leo Varadkar steps down in shock move
Varadkar, who is the youngest and first out gay leader of the country, announced the decision at a press conference in Dublin on Wednesday (20 March) in which he said leading the country was “the most fulfilling time of my life”. He cited “personal and political” reasons for stepping back from his role and said in […]
Republicans’ anti-LGBTQ vitriol is working – don’t take our rights for granted
There’s a reason the American Right pursues a politics of moral panic. While the irrational and conspiratorial beliefs that accompany this fear-mongering are false, that’s a feature rather than a bug of an authoritarian movement with a primary goal of dominance, power, and control. As it turns out, moral panic – making vulnerable groups the target […]
“I’ve gotten used to being hated,” says defender of LGBT Catholics James Martin
Inside one of the many skyscrapers in the center of Manhattan, James Martin heads to his office at America, the Jesuit magazine where he is an editor. Martin’s workspace is filled with objects that evoke his personal journey as a Jesuit priest who has worked with gang members in Boston as well as refugees in Kenya. Next […]
Pastor says Pasadena seminary fired her in dispute over gay marriage, LGBTQ+ issues
Ruth Schmidt said it’s been a couple of months since she was fired from her position as a senior director at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. The institution’s community standards she would have had to sign are in contrast with her open and affirming position on LGBTQIA+ rights. “That’s when the rubber met the road […]
UK Government urges to cricket, football to ban trans players from women’s competitions
The UK government has reignited the debate on transgender participation in women’s sports, urging the Football Association (FA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to consider banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s competitions. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer is advocating for a stricter approach, similar to the policies already implemented in athletics, cycling, […]
Australia’s first out lesbian senator marries partner of 20 years
Penny Wong, Australia’s first out lesbian senator, has married her long-term partner Sophie Allouache after a nearly 20-year relationship. Their daughters — 11-year-old Alexandra 8-year-old Hannah — served as flower girls at the wedding. The two married last Saturday at the Bird in Hand winery in the South Australian city of Adelaide. Wong represents South […]
Ghana president won’t act on anti-LGBTQ bill before legal challenge resolved
Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill passed by parliament in February should not be transmitted to President Akufo-Addo for assent until two legal challenges against it are settled, a senior presidency official said in a letter seen by Reuters. Lawmakers unanimously passed legislation that would intensify a crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ people and those accused of […]
Court rejects Italian government’s attempt to remove lesbian moms from birth certificates
In the face of far-right prime minister Georgia Meloni’s ongoing assault on LGBTQ+ rights in Italy, lesbian moms in the country have won a small victory as a court in the Veneto region rejected the government’s attempt to erase the names of non-biological mothers from their children’s birth certificates. Last June, a state prosecutor in […]
Russia Opens First Criminal Case Into ‘LGBT Extremism,’ Says Mizulina
Russian authorities have launched the country’s first-ever criminal case into “LGBT extremism,” the head of the Kremlin-aligned Safe Internet League Yekaterina Mizulina said Monday, just months after a top court banned the so-called “international LGBT movement.” Pro-war activists said earlier this month that they helped law enforcement agencies target a gay club in the city […]
‘What crime have we committed?’ Ghana’s LGBTQ community braces as anti-LGBTQ bill may turn into law
As a queer, non-binary person living on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana, Edem Brew said they have endured years of discrimination, physical assaults and verbal attacks. “LGBTQ people have to look over their shoulders all the time,” Brew said. “And personally, in my life right now, I am still navigating it. Almost everyone in this […]
Rotorua Officials Disagree on Library’s LGBTQ Story Event
The Rotorua councillors clash over library Rainbow Storytime event has sparked a significant debate within the community. The event, designed to be a family-friendly session promoting values such as acceptance and kindness, has been met with both support and opposition. Drag queen entertainers Sunita Torrance and Daniel Lockett are set to host the event, which […]
Instagram Faces Backlash For Censoring Gay Family Photo As ‘Graphic Content’
Instagram has faced backlash for censoring a photograph of two gay dads holding their newborn baby, labelling the image as ‘graphic’ and sensitive’ content. Men Having Babies, an international non-profit organisation aiding gay men in their journey to parenthood, shared a photo featuring Liverpool-based couple Sam and David (known as @scousedads on Instagram) alongside their newborn Jude […]
Award-winning transgender health care trailblazer shares journey
MADISON, Wis. — During Women’s History Month, Violet LaClair, a nursing assistant at UW Health, reflected on her journey towards acceptance and fulfillment in her career. LaClair’s role involved providing exceptional care to patients, especially those undergoing gender transition surgeries. “As the first person they see when they enter the room, I made sure they were comfortable,” […]
In rural China, elderly transgender Sister Liu longs for family life
GUANZHONG, China (Reuters) – Morning market shoppers look a little too long in Liu Peilin’s direction as she passes by in a red jacket and gray wig covered in red and pink clips, her cheeks rouged in bright pink and eyeshadow in a matching shade. The 63-year-old has become well-known not only in the little southern […]
I’ve had my time. Now it’s yours’: How Canada’s pioneering queer theatre artists are passing the torch to a new generation
There’s a moment in Matthew López’s epic, two-part, nearly seven-hour play “The Inheritance” in which the novelist E.M. Forster tells a group of young gay New Yorkers living in the 2010s, “I’ve had my time. Now it’s yours.” The fact that it’s writer, director and actor Daniel MacIvor speaking this line in Canadian Stage’s new production […]
The Supreme Court’s puzzling decision to allow the government to ban drag shows, explained
The Supreme Court will allow a public Texas university’s unconstitutional ban on drag shows to remain in effect, in a decision announced Friday. The Court’s decision in Spectrum WT v. Wendler is just one line long and offers no explanation. The decision is also only temporary, but it effectively means that LGBTQ college students in […]
In landmark ruling, Japan High Court terms ban on same-sex marriage ‘unconstitutional’
In a landmark ruling, the Japanese High Court said that the country’s lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is “unconstitutional,” the Japan Times reported. The move is likely to further mount pressure on the Japanese government to do more to protect sexual minorities. The Sapporo High Court upheld the lower court’s landmark verdict in […]
She should have left Ghana over anti-LGBT+ Bill threats
Former Ghanaian Ambassador to Serbia and Montenegro, Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has accused the Ambassador of the United States of America to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, of interfering in the country’s internal affairs. According to Nyaho-Tamakloe, the recent comment, including threats, issued by the Ambassador in relation to the approval of a bill against same-sex activities in […]
Italy’s Meloni Becoming Force to Be Reckoned With in European Politics
Giorgia Meloni, the right-wing prime minister of Italy, could be set to shake up European politics in a big way. When Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party took power in October 2022, Europe’s political establishment went on high alert at the prospect of a major country being led by a party that openly opposes […]