Kathmandu court rejects marriage registration application of gay couple
The Kathmandu District Court on Thursday rejected a marriage registration application filed by a gay couple despite the Supreme Court legalising same-sex marriages in Nepal. Maya Gurung, 38, and Surendra Pandey, 27, — both born male — had sought the court's approval to register their marriage. However, the single bench of the district court judge […]
LGBT event in Indonesia scrapped after security threats
The organisers did not disclose the new venue due to security concerns. The event has also drawn attention as Indonesia hosts a regional meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers this week, raising questions from some anti-LGBT groups on whether the event was linked to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathering.
In Uganda, Iranian President Attacks West On LGBT Rights
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on July 12 launched into a condemnation of Western attitudes on homosexuality during a visit to Uganda, which has just introduced some of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world. “The West today is trying to promote the idea of homosexuality and by promoting homosexuality they are trying to end the […]
Nepal becomes the first South Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage
It’s a historic step for equality as Nepal’s supreme court has ruled for all same-sex marriages to be legally binding from 28 June 2023 forward. Nepal’s Supreme Court judge Til Prasad Shrestha ordered the government to recognise, and immediately register same-sex marriages and other non-traditional heterosexual relationship. While the decision only applies as interim, it’s […]
Video Shows How Contestants Reacted to Transgender Miss Netherlands Winner
While there was quite a furor online after a transgender woman won Miss Netherlands for the first time, her fellow competitors seemed to be very happy for her. Rikkie Valerie Kollé on Saturday became the first transgender woman to win the beauty pageant in the European country. Kollé’s win secured her a spot in the […]
Toilet limits for transgender woman ‘unacceptable,’ Japan’s top court
Japan’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that restricting a transgender woman’s use of toilets at her workplace was “unacceptable”, a decision that may help promote LGBT rights in the only G7 nation without legal protection for same-sex unions. The ruling, the first by Japan’s highest court on the work environment for LGBT individuals, comes in […]
Montana leaves American Library Association over ‘Marxist lesbian’ president
The Montana State Library Commission voted to cut all ties with the American Library Association on Tuesday, citing an inability to continue associating with an organization led by a self-described “Marxist”. At a meeting last month, the Montana State Library Commission reviewed a tweet from Emily Drabinski, the president-elect of the American Library Association, in […]
LGBTQ activism: Seeking queer love in Middle Eastern history
“When I’m trying to impress someone I’m into, I like to send them classical poems that celebrate male beauty,” Fouad, a 26-year-old gay man, explained during a call with DW. “It’s proven to be very effective,” he said, laughing. Fouad is from Lebanon, one of the few Arab countries where homosexuality is not explicitly illegal. […]
Online Incitement Against LGBT People in Cameroon
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Cameroon are all too aware of homophobic rhetoric and violent attacks against them. This has been highlighted once again in the outpouring of vitriol before a scheduled visit by Jean-Marc Berthon, the French ambassador for the Rights of LGBT+ Persons. Berthon was due to visit Cameroon […]
Sydney gender clinic not working for people: minister
The provision of gender-affirming care in NSW is not working and has to improve, the state’s health minister says. The main gender-affirming clinic for adolescents in Sydney has come under scrutiny, with the ABC revealing it has only taken on three new patients this year. That statistic is a concern for Health Minister Ryan Park, […]
Officials to crack down on homophobic slurs in Dutch league
League matches in the Netherlands will be stopped next season if fans repeatedly engage in homophobic chants, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) said on Monday. From the start of the 2023/24 domestic campaign, stadium announcers will warn offending fans on two occasions to refrain from the offensive chants, after which the match will be […]
The Trevor Project Slashed Its Crisis Line Staff During Pride Month
A lot of Raelle Kaplan’s childhood consisted of acting. The plaid blouses and the white leather sandals at school, when all they wanted to wear were oversize crops and cargo shorts. The practice makeouts at sleepovers when they had no desire to date men. The smiles and nods at home when things were anything but […]
Greece Prime Minister promises to legalize same-sex marriage
The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, recently vowed to legalize same-sex marriage during an interview with Bloomberg. “Same-sex marriage will happen at some point and it’s part of our strategy,” he said. “Greek society is much more ready and mature.” Greece currently allows civil unions but has not yet achieved full marriage equality. Nevertheless, […]
Russia’s first transgender politician drops her run for governor due to anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Russia’s first openly transgender politician has abandoned plans to run in a gubernatorial election, saying that the country’s latest anti-LGBTQ+ bill has eroded the support needed to register her candidacy. Yulia Alyoshina had planned to represent the opposition Civil Initiative party at the polls in southern Siberia’s Altai region in September, when it will elect […]
US religious right at center of anti-LGBTQ+ message pushed around the world
When the US evangelical preacher and anti-LGBTQ+ crusader Scott Lively landed in Uganda in 2009 to warn of the “gay agenda”, he was arriving after a series of culture-war defeats at home. Five years later, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni signed a law that made same-sex relationships punishable by death, asserting that western groups and gay […]
Swapo backs Ekandjo’s anti-same sex bill
Ekandjo’s bill seeks to explicitly define the term spouse invoking articles 81 and 4 of the Namibian Constitution to contradict a decision of the Supreme Court of Namibia on same-sex marriage. He also seeks to amend the Marriage Act to define the terms marriage, same-sex marriage and spouse, to prohibit same-sex marriage, the solemnisation of […]
State laws targeting LGBTQ rights have a new foe: federal judges
A record number of bills aimed at restricting the rights of LGBTQ people have become law in the past three years, but the majority of those that have faced legal challenges haven’t held up in court, according to an NBC News analysis, legal experts and the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed legal challenges […]
Pride Association addresses homophobia in Tobago
PRESIDENT of the Tobago Pride Association (TPA) Todd MJ Denoon believes homophobia is perhaps the biggest challenge confronting the island’s LGBTQI community. While combatting homophobia still remains an uphill battle in some jurisdictions, he observed small islands like Tobago present an even greater challenge. “The main concern of the community is dealing with being able […]
Gay marriage case could bring gold rush to Indian wedding industry
When the Indian Supreme Court earlier this year started hearing a case to legalize same-sex marriage, matchmaker Kamakshi Madan suddenly received an increase in enquiries from parents seeking spouses for their LGBTQ+ children. “I had mothers calling me looking for husbands for their sons,” Madan, a specialist matchmaker for the LGBTQ+ community, said by telephone […]
Latvia swears in Edgars Rinkevics as EU’s first openly gay president
Latvia’s long-serving foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics has become the first openly gay head of state of a European Union nation. Mr Rinkevics, who had served as foreign minister since 2011, was sworn in as Latvia’s president on Saturday in Riga. Although generally a ceremonial position, Latvia’s president can veto legislation and call referendums. The EU […]
Nepal Paves Way to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage
Nepal’s Supreme Court has issued a temporary order greenlighting the registration of same-sex marriages for the first time. LGBTQIA activists and couples across Nepal celebrated the decision. Surendra Pandey: “So far, we are very happy. If it becomes permanent, we will be even happier.” Maya Gurung: “We hope the permanent marriage regulation order will come […]
Georgia Pride festival in Tbilisi stormed by right-wing protesters
Up to 2,000 anti-LGBT protesters stormed a gay pride festival in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on Saturday, forcing its cancellation. The right-wing protesters, who included Orthodox Christian clergy, scuffled with police, rushed the stage and burned rainbow flags. The organisers and Georgia’s president blamed anti-LGBT hate speech that preceded the event, and said the police had […]
Pleas for help as Montreal’s LGBTQ Village falls victim to addiction, homelessness
The Village, Montreal’s historical LGBTQ neighbourhood, has become the scene of homelessness, addiction and crime, with locals suggesting that its social problems are being imported because of the district’s history of being an inclusive space for marginalized people. Richard Fitzgerald, who has lived in the Village for 46 years, says he has witnessed a slow […]
One-Fifth of United Methodist U.S. Congregations Leaving Over LGBTQ+ Issues
The United Methodist Church stands to lose one-fifth of its U.S. congregations due to differences over LGBTQ+ issues and amid expectations that the church will become more supportive. The denomination currently considers “the practice of homosexuality” to be “incompatible with Christian teaching,” and its official policy does not allow out LGBTQ+ clergy or perform same-sex […]
Polish court acquits driver of anti-LGBT van, finding homophobic slogans “true”
A driver previously found guilty of defamation for driving a van with slogans linking homosexuality to paedophilia during a Polish city’s pride parade has had his sentence overturned on appeal. The judge in the case ruled that the messages displayed on his van are true. The incident in question took place in 2019, on the […]
African activists target Intel executive for allegedly pushing for the “Kill the Gays” law
African activists from more than a dozen human rights organizations are fighting back against one of the primary sources of new anti-LGBTQ+ legislation sweeping the continent. The groups from countries including Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni signed the East African nation’s notorious “Kill the Gays” law in May, are calling on multinational computer chip corporation […]
Ghana parliament pushes for passing of anti-gay bill
The Ghana parliament has backed a proposed amendment to an anti-gay bill that would make identifying as LGBT punishable by a three-year prison sentence. The amendments were backed by a cross-party group of MPs, but will be scrutinised again before becoming law. People who campaign for LGBT rights could also face up to 10 years […]
More Than 100,000 Take Part In Colombia’s Largest-Ever Pride Parade
More than 100,000 people were on the streets in Colombia’s capital Bogota on Sunday to take part in the largest-ever LGBTQ Pride parade in the country’s history, the city’s mayor said. Claudia Lopez, Bogota’s first lesbian mayor, addressed crowds waving rainbow flags and performing dances in the central Simon Bolivar Park. “Here we will continue, […]
20% of Brazilians still consider homosexuality a disease: study
Lucas, a 34 year-old businessman from São Pauki, has felt out of place since childhood. A Catholic school pupil in his early years, he grew up in a strict religious family in Paraguaçu Paulista, a city of 45,000 people in the state of São Paulo. His father was in the army, and going to church […]
Kurdistan Region of Iraq: LGBT Rights Group Shuttered
A court in the Kurdistan region of Iraq dealt independent civil society a blow on May 31, 2023, by ordering the closure of Rasan Organization over “its activities in the field of homosexuality,” Human Rights Watch said today. Rasan is the only human rights organization willing to vocally support lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) […]