Anti-trans laws may complicate access to the ballot for trans voters
In Kansas, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union have drafted a letter reminding election workers that a gender marker on a person’s identification does not need to match or correspond to a voter’s gender expression. Staff for the organization have also held clinics elsewhere to prepare trans Americans for the identification requirements they will […]
Parliament of Georgia returns to the discussion of the package of legislative amendments prepared against the so-called LGBT propaganda
Parliament of Georgia returns to the discussion of the package of legislative amendments prepared against the so-called LGBT propaganda. On September 2, the legal issues committee will discuss the project, article by article – in the second reading, after which the issue will be discussed at the plenary session. The legislative package consists of 19 […]
Behind the limbo of Viktor Orbán’s queer censorship
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz government are seen as outliers in the European Union because of their gender-phobic and homophobic ideology. The European Commission even took Budapest to court in 2022 over an anti-LGBT+ law known as the “Child Protection” act. The controversial law, which passed on 15 June 2021 also simultaneously […]
Still No Trial Date for Johannesburg Grindr Gang Case
The seven men accused of kidnapping and severely assaulting a Johannesburg student last year still do not have a trial date, leaving the victim no closer to justice. The men appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, following an earlier postponement on 15 August. The case has been mired in nearly a year of […]
A gay man was the only applicant for a town council seat. He lost anyway — because of his sexuality
After being the only applicant for a vacant seat on his village’s council, an Ohio man was still denied the position — and the council president’s reasoning was pretty blatant. David Nation, 41, moved to Waynesville over 16 years ago to be with his now-husband, and immediately fell in love with the quaint aesthetics of […]
Dominican Republic: Court Reviews Laws Against Gay Sex
The Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court will hear a challenge on August 30, 2024, to laws that criminalize consensual same-sex conduct by officers in the police and armed forces, Human Rights Watch said today. In an amicus curiae brief, Human Rights Watch said that these discriminatory laws violate the rights under international law of lesbian, gay, […]
Move from rhetoric to action on #PutPeopleFirst
Transformative empowerment is mostly not given by ‘experts from the outside,’ but happens when the most affected people themselves rise to take back power to transform their lives and wellbeing. “When we put people first, then we cannot just address one or two issues they face,” rightly says Amrita Sarkar of India HIV/AIDS Alliance who […]
Albanese backs down on decision to exclude LGBT question from next census after Labor MPs revolt
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says a new question on sexuality will be tested for the next census, overturning a decision earlier this week not to add a question to include LGBT Australians in the national survey. Mr Albanese told ABC Radio Melbourne it was a “commonsense position” to put a question. “We’ve been talking with the Australian […]
Uganda LGBTI activist honored by Canadian refugee organization
Steven Kabuye, a Ugandan LGBTQI+ rights activist who survived a deadly homophobic attack in January, has been honored with the Rev. Troy Perry Medal of Pride from Canadian refugee assistance organization Rainbow Railroad. The violent knife attack by two yet-to-be-identified assailants left him with serious body injuries and scars that he says will never leave […]
Among other things, Georgia follows in Moscow’s footsteps on LGBT+ rights
Georgia’s path to European Union membership seems to be going downhill: the country’s aspirations to finally free itself from Russian influence, and anchor itself to the West, had seemed on the verge of being realised in December 2023, when the EU granted the Caucasus republic candidate status. However, a series of measures adopted in recent months by the […]
Gay Paralympic athlete and musician Már Gunnarsson is making waves both in and out of the pool
Már Gunnarsson is one of the LGBTQ+ competitors to keep your eye on at the Paris Paralympic Games, in and out of the pool. The world-record-breaking Icelandic swimmer is one of around 27 out LGBTQ+ Paralympic athletes. At least 175 out queer athletes competed in this year’s Olympic Games, with Team LGBTQ+ winning a total of 43 medals and – unofficially, given that “LGBTQ+” […]
São Sebastião prepares for the 5th LGBT Pride Parade: what to expect from an event?
São Sebastião, in Brazil, is preparing to host the 5th LGBT Pride Parade, an event that promises to be a milestone in celebrating the diversity and rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. The party will take place next Sunday, September 1st, and will feature a series of cultural, artistic and awareness-raising activities. The Parade aims to […]
Gay men prefer cities whereas lesbians prefer the country, census (finally) proves
The 2020 United States census has proven what many in the LGBTQ+ community have long joked about. The data reveals that gay men in couples are drawn towards major cities, typically on the coasts, whereas lesbian couples prefer living in small towns and rural settings. The counties with the largest amount of partnered gay men […]
Questions on sexuality and gender have been cut from the 2026 census. Why are LGBTQIA+ people saying it’s an omission?
It comes around every five years and gives the nation an idea of who we are — but next year, the census won’t ask about who we love or how we identify. The federal government’s decision to axe proposed questions that would — for the first time — give a number on how many LGBTQIA+ […]
Ultra-conservative advocacy group pushing right-wing ideologies in Kenya
A Supreme Court of Kenya ruling meant to reaffirm the rights of queer Kenyans as guaranteed in the Constitution was ironically used to unleash unbalanced, politically-motivated homophobia, especially by the political class and right-wing lobby groups. The ruling that was made in February 2023 ended a decade-long court battle and allowed organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ […]
Who are they? Hijra, third gender, transgender?
People once referred to them in softer tones as the third gender. Subsequently, the government recognized them as Hijra, a traditional term prevalent in this subcontinent. In recent years, controversy has repeatedly been created due to the misinterpretation of the terms transgender and transsexual. However, no government has ever tried to settle the issue. Rights […]
Ryan and Righ want to get married in Taiwan – they can’t because of China’s same-sex marriage ban
Ryan and Righ like to compare their relationship to a Shakespearean drama. The two met when Righ, originally from China, visited Ryan’s Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung in 2016. A brief conversation next to the city’s “Love River” soon developed into a romance that defied the long-running cross-strait tensions between their homes. Although Righ returned to […]
Providers halt services after court allows Florida to enforce ban on transgender care for minors
Advocates say transgender patients are facing barriers to “potentially life-saving health care” after a federal appeals court ruled that a Florida law banning gender-affirming care can be enforced while a legal challenge plays out. The decision handed down by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Monday cleared the way for Florida […]
How Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community is fighting the country’s deadly “Family Values” bill
Like every other queer community on the continent already living in fear after being targeted with draconian anti-gay laws, the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana was the latest to be hit with its own extreme bill. The Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2024 imposes prison sentences for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ and […]
Pope welcomed Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist to Rome
A Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist revealed she met with Pope Francis in Rome earlier this month. Clare Byarugaba, the diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for Chapter Four Uganda, an LGBTQ+ support and advocacy group, said she was “honored” to meet the Pontiff and took the opportunity to speak of the difficulties faced in her country where […]
Colorado Republicans remove party chair after his email attacking LGBTQ people, call for Pride flag to be burned
Colorado Republicans overwhelmingly voted to remove state party chairman Dave Williams by a vote of 161.66 to 12 on Saturday. Some people’s votes only counted for a fraction of a full vote. The move comes after Williams sent an email attacking Pride Month and referring to the LGBTQ+ community as “godless groomers.” He also called […]
Uganda Police accused of raping male prisoners
Human rights activists have demanded the Uganda Police Force respond to allegations of widespread human rights violations within its cells, including reports of officers raping male inmates. Jim Spire Ssentongo, a renowned human rights advocate, was the first to demand an explanation from the Uganda Police leadership. “Uganda Police, come out and talk about these […]
One woman’s custody battle highlights the challenges facing same-sex couples in China
BANGKOK (AP) — It’s been more than four years since Zhang Peiyi last saw her son, one of two children from her former marriage. Denied custody of both kids, Zhang finally settled in June for visitations with her daughter. But after seeing her only once, Zhang’s ex-wife called the meetings off indefinitely. What Zhang thought was […]
It’s clear LGBT education is needed after my time in a Scottish school
FIVE years ago, I graduated from the same Scottish state secondary school where my mother still works as a teacher. Despite having since finished an undergraduate degree, in some ways it feels as if I’ve never left. This sensation is never more acute than when I walk into the art department to meet her after […]
Supreme Court leaves LGBTQ+ students without crucial civil rights protections ahead of school year
The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold injunctions on the Biden administration’s latest education regulations in 10 states and hundreds of schools and university campuses nationwide leaves transgender, pregnant and harassed students without crucial civil rights protections as the new school year approaches, experts told Salon. This year, more than two dozen Republican attorneys general and a […]
‘A victory’: Canada halts planned deportation of bisexual man to Kenya
A bisexual man in Canada has been granted one-year temporary residency just a day before his scheduled deportation to Kenya — an outcome his supporters call “a victory for migrant and queer justice.” Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, an organization supporting Charles Mwangi, said in a press release Saturday that the 48-year-old man living in Toronto […]
African countries that have passed anti-gay law
These laws vary in severity, ranging from restrictions on LGBTQ+ expression to criminal penalties, including imprisonment or even the death penalty. Here are some examples: 1. Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act: Uganda passed its Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2014, which initially included a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality” (though this was later replaced with life imprisonment). The […]
Australian transgender woman wins landmark case against female-only app
An Australian court ruled on Friday that removing a transgender woman from female-only social networking platform Giggle for Girls constituted discrimination, in a landmark decision on gender identity for the country. Roxanne Tickle in 2022 sued the Australian app and founder Sally Grover for unlawful gender identity discrimination in its services, saying Grover revoked Tickle’s […]
Bulgarian Teachers Say They Face Threats For Opposing Anti-LGBT ‘Propaganda In School’ Law
Teachers in Bulgaria say they are facing threats for signing a petition opposing recently passed legislation banning “LGBT propaganda” in schools and point the finger of blame at the far-right Revival party, initiator of the widely criticized controversial law. The leader of Revival, Kostadin Kostadinov, said on August 22 that he would file a report […]
‘Gay animals more common than you would think’
A keeper at a safari park which has a gay penguin couple and a “throuple” of Lorikeets has said same sex animals developing relationships are more common than people might think. Vicky McFarlane, a keeper at West Midlands Safari Park, spoke about the park’s gay wildlife residents after news broke of the death of a […]