Kathmandu’s queer ‘oasis’
In a world where acceptance and safety often seem difficult to attain, many queer individuals also struggle to find a safe space to express themselves. They have to hide their true self and face relentless judgement when going to public places like cafes and restaurants. This is the reality for countless LGBTQIA+ individuals. The need […]
Biden protections for LGBT students blocked in six more states
A federal judge in Kentucky on Monday blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from implementing new protections for LGBT students from discrimination in schools and colleges based on their gender identities in six Republican-led states that challenged the federal rule as unlawful. The ruling, opens new tab by Lexington-based U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves brought to […]
Thailand on the brink of legalising same-sex marriage in historic vote
Thailand’s senate has passed the final reading of a historic marriage equality bill, paving the way for the country to become the first in south-east Asia to recognise same-sex marriage. The bill gained the support of nearly all upper-house lawmakers and will be sent to the palace for endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The law […]
Congo has no anti-gay law, but justice minister demands crackdown anyway
Barely two weeks after Constant Mutamba took office as Justice Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he ordered public prosecutors to prosecute homosexuals even though the country has no anti-gay law. In April, when Mutamba was nothing more than a member of parliament, he proposed a bill to criminalize same-sex intimacy, including prison sentences […]
Trump ignores Pride Month in favor of broader pitch to LGBTQ voters
The Biden campaign has marked Pride Month with a blitz of advertisements, interviews and engagements with local LGBTQ groups and prominent figures to try and motivate voters ahead of November. Former President Trump’s campaign is taking a decidedly different approach. The Trump campaign has done nothing specific to mark Pride Month, a move reminiscent of the multiple […]
LGBTQ soldiers in Ukraine hope their service is changing attitudes as they rally for legal rights
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Several hundred LGBTQ Ukrainian servicemen and their supporters marched in central Kyiv Sunday to demand more rights and highlight their service to their country in its war with Russia. The servicemembers — many wearing rainbow and unicorn patches on their uniforms — called on the government to grant them official partnership rights. They […]
‘No pride in occupation’: queer Palestinians on ‘pink-washing’ in Gaza conflict
When Daoud, a veteran queer activist, recently walked past rainbow flags hung for Pride month in the old port city of Jaffa, a historic centre of Palestinian culture, he was overcome by a wave of revulsion. The most famous symbol of LGBTQ+ liberation has been so co-opted by the Israeli state that to a gay Palestinian […]
Why is support for LGBT rights on the wane in Canada?
Justin Trudeau may have missed the memo, but Canadians are moving on from trans obsession. A poll published by Ipsos, a day before the start of Pride Month, found that Canadian support for ‘LGBTQ2 visibility’ is on the decline. At first glance, this might seem surprising. The West has been very successful on the acceptance front – gay […]
Rome LGBTQ+ Pride parade celebrates 30th anniversary, makes fun of Pope Francis comments
The Rome LGBTQ+ Pride parade celebrated its 30th anniversary Saturday as tens of thousands of people in brightly colored outfits marched through the Italian capital waving banners, dancing and singing as they marked gay rights and poked fun at Pope Francis. Many of the signs and banners at the parade made fun over a recent […]
Los Angeles removes traffic signs used to ‘target and persecute’ gay community
Officials this week removed the last traffic signs from a Los Angeles neighborhood to cleanse the area of its anti-gay past. The signs that read “No cruising. No U-turns. Midnight to 6 am” were posted around the Silver Lake neighborhood in 1997, with the intent to curb gay men from roaming the streets to hook […]
How far-right parties seduced young voters across Europe
That far-right parties fared well in the European elections came as no surprise – surveys had consistently foretold their triumph. The populist right has been on the rise in Europe – through democratic elections – for the past two decades. Thus, 2024’s vote is a natural culmination of a long trend. The combined vote for […]
Controversial Petition on “LGBT Propaganda” Passes Threshold for Consideration in Kazakhstan
A petition against so-called “LGBT propaganda” has received more than 50,000 signatures, meaning Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Culture and Information must consider it. However, a number of experts believe that restrictions on the gay community would damage Kazakhstan’s image. In addition, the petition’s authors are known for their controversial initiatives. The Kazakhstan Parents’ Union is the […]
Federal judge delivers first blow to Biden’s protections for transgender students
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Education Department’s final Title IX rule, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The ruling: Western District of Louisiana Chief Judge Terry Doughty in an order Thursday declared that Title IX, a federal education law that bars sex-based discrimination, “was written and intended to protect […]
Italy denies removing LGBTQ and abortion references from G7 declaration
Italy’s far-right government has denied that it removed references to abortion and LGBTQ rights in the final declaration of the G7 summit in Puglia. In the declaration, published late on Friday, a reference to the protection of the “gender identity and sexual orientation” of the LGBTQ community did not appear, although reference had been included […]
There are just a handful of out, gay professional footballers in the world: here are their stories
The world of men’s professional football has long been playing catch-up when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation and visibility, with very few openly gay professional footballers. But that may soon change. As it stands, there are no active male professional footballers in Germany who are openly out as gay, however, according to German newspaper Preußische […]
Six-month suspended sentence for man arrested after planning meetup on Grindr
A British-Mexican man who says he was targeted for being gay and arrested on false drug charges in Qatar has been given a suspended six-month jail sentence, a fine amounting to about $2,700, and a deportation order by a court in the Arab nation, which is a vital US ally in the Middle East, according […]
Public consultations open to inform new National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy in Ireland
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is opening public consultations to inform the development of the next National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strategy. The new plan will serve as a follow-up to the one that covered 2019 to 2021, and aims to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of queer people, enabling them […]
Kyiv Pride march planned for June 16 with tightened security measures
The KyivPride march will occur on June 16 in the streets of Kyiv. Around 500 participants, including activists, diplomats, and international community representatives, will participate. The event will implement strict security measures such as pre-registration and a closed format. Only registered participants will know the location details. Law enforcement will also be aware of the route details, and […]
LGBTQ+ Poles push for swift action to combat rise of homophobia
WARSAW – Mateusz Czyczerski always feared he would be attacked for being gay in Poland and after his worst fears were realised six years ago, the 35-year-old decided to relocate to Germany. Two men and a woman cornered him in an underground passageway, shouted slurs and then punched him repeatedly in the stomach, before taking his […]
Happy Pride month to everyone! Except the landlords and asset managers bleeding dry queer culture
I remember the first time I went to Heaven. I had only moved to London a few months before and I made plans to meet up with my friend Anna, the only other person I knew in the city. She brought a friend along, and the three of us went for dinner in Soho. Someone suggested an […]
With New Bills, LGBTQ Georgians Fear Russia-style Crackdown
On 4 June, Georgia’s ruling party outlined a package of draft laws that would ban what it calls “LGBT propaganda”, mirroring similar legislation used to crack down on gay rights in Russia and, more recently, Hungary. Tato Londaridze, owner of the first gay club in the Caucasus and Mariam Kvaratskhelia, co-founder of LGBTQ rights group […]
Nigeria’s repressed LGBTQ party people let ‘true self’ out at Lagos ball
Performers strutted their stuff onstage at an LGBTQ community dance party in Nigeria’s Lagos, publicly celebrating their identities in a country where being gay could land you in jail. To the tune of Afrobeats stars like Ayra Starr and pop stalwarts like Beyonce, a parade of sequin-wearing, wig-clad, neo-goth performers danced, spun and posed for […]
Nepal’s LGBTQ+ Landscape: Legal Wins and Social Battles
The fight for LGBTQIAA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and more) rights has been an ongoing struggle for decades. Throughout history, individuals identifying as part of this community have faced discrimination, persecution, and societal exclusion. Many societies viewed non-heterosexual orientations as immoral, criminal, or mentally ill. This discrimination was codified in laws that […]
LGBTQ+ health workers in Brazil kick off Pride with a dance challenge
Brazilian medical professionals are celebrating Pride Month with the hashtag #DesafioMedicasLGBT or #MedicalChallengeLGBT. Doctor Vinícius Borges launched the playful challenge. In it, the health workers pass a uniformed worker a stethoscope. When they receive it, the person taps the camera to transform into an outfit that shows off their personality, identity and some fun LGBTQ+ regalia.
China transgender woman KOL shocks 2.2 million fans with deformed mouth after botched plastic surgery
A transgender woman in China who spent millions of yuan on plastic surgery only to end up with a deformed mouth has warned people of the potential risks of cosmetic procedures. Wang Yafei, 22, from Liaoning province in northeastern China, who uses the name Meina online, has 2.2 million followers on Douyin. She said she […]
US judge strikes down Florida ban on gender-affirming healthcare
A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that parts of Florida’s ban of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender children and restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare for adults are unconstitutional and ordered that it not be enforced. Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the restrictions into law in 2023, banning people under the age of 18 […]
Bisexual risks death in Nigeria, seeks asylum in the U.K.
Chukwuebuka, a pseudonym for his safety, is a bisexual Nigerian student residing in the U.K. He finds himself at a critical juncture, torn between fear and hope, and is now seeking refuge far from his homeland. Under Nigeria’s Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA), passed in 2014 under former Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, LGBTIQ+ individuals […]
Country’s first documented gay rights organization started 100 years ago in Chicago
A century ago, Henry Gerber founded America’s first documented gay rights organization in a boardinghouse at 1710 N. Crilly Court in Chicago. It was once part of a complex of townhouses built for well-heeled newlyweds. Today it sits amid Old Town’s mix of high-rise condos and renovated brownstones. A plaque in the sidewalk outside the […]
Taiwan’s LGBTQ Progress Under Lai Ching-te: From Rhetoric to Action
During her eight years in office, Taiwan’s outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen endorsed marriage equality and aspired to build a Taiwan where individuals can freely express themselves and marry their loved ones, irrespective of their gender identity or sexual orientation. The legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019 highlighted her administration’s support for gender equality and LGBTQ […]
Man is detained for trying to open gay club in Osama Bin Laden’s compound town in Pakistan
A 75-year-old man who tried to open a gay bar in a conservative Pakistani city has been detained in a mental health hospital since last month by local authorities, the Telegraphreported. Earlier this year, Preetum Giani applied to open the Lorenzo Gay Club in Abbottabad in northern Pakistan, local 24 News HDreported last month. The […]