When Your Sexuality Is Against the Law
When Abdul was a teenager and coming to terms with being gay, he was attacked by a group of men. They mocked him with homophobic slurs and assaulted him with broken beer bottles, slicing his thumb open. He reported the incident to the police and was told that an arrest could be made — of […]
A Growing Number of LGBTQ+ Russians Seek Refuge from War, Discrimination in Argentina
Anastasia Domini and wife Anna Domini walked hand in hand on a recent sunny day in Argentina’s capital while their four restless children played nearby. It’s a common sight in a country where same-sex marriage has been legal for more than a decade. But the couple, who got married shortly after arriving in Buenos Aires […]
Campaigners’ fury at ‘delay’ to LGBT veterans report that’s ‘a shame upon the UK’
Campaigners are fuming after the government apparently shelved a long-awaited report into the historic treatment of LBGT+ people in the military. As many as 20,000 were jailed or dismissed for their sexuality before the gay ban in the military was lifted in 2000. And many were outed to their families and friends against their will. […]
Abdellah Taïa: Morocco’s first gay writer reimagines Islam, queer
Abdellah Taïa is Morocco’s first gay writer in history living in Paris who reimagines being muslim, queer and African. Abdellah Taïa was born in 1973 in Rabat, Morocco. He currently lives in Paris. He is the first writer from north Africa – and in fact the Arab world – to openly declare that he is […]
Homophobia Is Part of Putin’s War Plan
As Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Ukraine’s invasion on Feb. 24 last year, he digressed to talk about how the West was trying to destroy “traditional values” and impose LGBTQ attitudes that he derided as degrading and contrary to human nature. More than half a year later he once again interweaved the issue into his […]
Italian government’s anti-LGBT rhetoric blamed for brutal beating of trans woman in Milan
A video of a trans woman in Milan being pepper sprayed, kicked and beaten by three police officers has caused a stir in Italy, with many drawing a link between the incident and growing transphobic rhetoric in the country. The footage shows officers repeatedly hitting the woman, a Brazilian national, as she sits on the […]
Vermont’s GOP Governor Shock: Protects Trans Care, Abortion Rights
Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, is going against his party by protecting access to gender-affirming care and abortion instead of restricting or banning the procedures. Without much fanfare, this month Scott signed two bills into law that safeguard access to this care. House Bill 89 and Senate Bill 37 offer “the most comprehensive protections to […]
Landmark European ruling on LGBT+ rights
During 2019 and 2020, 21 gay and lesbian couples in Romania joined a complaint against the state to the European Court of Human Rights over the lack of official recognition of their relationships. After over a decade of bottom-up activism and unsuccessful reforms, such couples continue to be legally invisible in the country. Gays and lesbians […]
Liberal Senator Alex Antic Asks If ASIO Is Monitoring ‘Violent Trans Activism’
Over the past year, far-right groups and neo-Nazis have targeted the LGBTQI community and queer events, but South Australian Liberal Senator Alex Antic wanted to know about the rise of “radical transgender” activism in Australia. Antic has previously courted controversy for using the “grooming” slur against an ABC show featuring drag performer Courtney Act and for calling Ukraine’’ […]
Namibia: Drag event cancelled amid anti-LGBTQ+ backlash
The organisers of Drag Night Namibia have made the difficult decision to cancel their event due to concerns for the safety of the LGBTQ+ community. “Our hearts are heavy as we share the news that our upcoming show cannot proceed due to safety concerns arising from recent events,” stated the organisers on Twitter. “The violent and negative […]
Malaysia Raids Swatch Stores, Seizes Colorful Watches Linked to Gay Pride
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Swiss watchmaker Swatch said Tuesday that Malaysian authorities raided its stores and confiscated 164 watches from its Pride Collection. It said Ministry of Home Affairs officials raided its outlets in various malls across Malaysia on May 13 and 14 and seized the watches because they “bore LGBT connotations.” The watches come in a choice […]
Inside the Queer Revolution of Saigon’s Nightlife Underground
On a recent weekend in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the city’s music, fashion and cultural vanguard descended upon Arcan, an underground club that’s become a local hub for techno, house, and subcultural dance music genres. Nestled at the end of an alley within a nondescript residential neighborhood, the entrance to the club is marked […]
Hungary Strips ‘Anti-LGBTQ’ Section From Whistleblower Law
Hungary on Tuesday modified a new whistleblower law, following outcry by human rights groups, by removing a section that had allowed citizens to report anonymously against perceived attacks on conservative values. Budapest-based rights groups had said the original measures were aimed at stirring anti-LGBQT sentiment. Hungary’s president Katalin Novak had also said the original law […]
Historic decision’: 21 same-sex couples win biggest LGBTQ rights trial at ECHR
The largest case ever heard on same-sex unions closed at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday, with the court deeming the lack of legal recognition of same-sex unions a violation of rights. The Buhuceanu and Others v. Romania case saw 21 same-sex couples jointly launch a case against the Romanian government which […]
Transgender Activists Protest In Pakistan
Transgender activists in Pakistan hold protest to appeal an Islamic court’s ruling that guts a law aimed at protecting their rights.
Polish embassy “appalled” by German teaching material saying “Polish mother hates gays”
Poland’s embassy in Berlin says it is “appalled” by training material for teachers produced by a German government office that includes a section about a fictional Polish mother whose son is afraid of coming out because, “as a faithful Catholic, she hates gays and will reject him”. This “reproduces anti-Polish stereotypes and harmful generalisations that […]
Jerusalem deputy mayor, council member panned for ‘vile’ rant against LGBTQ people
A special meeting of the Jerusalem City Council to mark the capital’s unification in 1967 devolved into a series of statements questioning the rights of LGBTQ people in the city, with a deputy mayor and council member suggesting that such people are mentally ill. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, who was chairing the meeting, drew criticism […]
Policy Outing LGBTQ Students In Morris Co. Stalled By Superior Court
A state Superior Court has temporarily halted the implementation of a new policy requiring school staff to disclose students’ sexual and gender identities to parents in the Hanover Township School District. The policy was approved by the Hanover Township Board of Education on May 16, with all but two board members voting in favor. The […]
Gay couple’s court victory a watershed moment in Namibia’s history
A South African gay man and his Namibian spouse scored a landmark victory after they forced the Namibian government to recognise same-sex marriages registered outside of the former South African colony. The watershed judgment was handed down this week at the Supreme Court of Namibia following the couple’s seven-year long battle in the courts.
Belgium launches call for projects to increase LGBTQ visibility
Belgium’s State Secretary for Equal Opportunities Marie-Colline Leroy launched on Friday a call for projects – titled “À nous les droits” –aiming to increase the visibility of LGBTQ people and their rights, and to contribute to a safer public space. Each project can receive from €5,000 to €30,000 in financing.
Overturning British colonial-era ‘buggery’ law ‘first step’ to protecting LGBTQ+ people in Guyana
Overturning a British colonial-era law criminalising homosexuality is just the “first step in a series of legal challenges” needed to protect LGBTQ+ people in Guyana. Joel Simpson, managing director of SASOD Guyana, tells PinkNews that anti-LGBTQ+ laws come from a “relatively recent colonial past” because the country gained independence in 1966.
Pakistan Federal Shariat Court rules against landmark transgender rights legislation
The Pakistani Federal Shariat Court struck down major portions of the landmark Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act Friday. The court, which determines whether laws comply with Islamic doctrine, ruled that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was “against the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah of the […]
Thousands celebrate Brussels Pride with slogan ‘Protect the Protest’
Thousands of people celebrated Pride on the streets of Brussels on Saturday, marching in a parade with the slogan “Protect the Protest.” “Pride is a great party where everyone can be themselves,” Radjiny Schiltz, spokeswoman for Brussels Pride said, according to Belga, the Belgian press agency. “But there is still a lot to be done […]
Ugandan LGBT activist fears reprisal over anti-gay law
A Ugandan LGBT activist said on Friday they planned to return to their home country next week despite fears of reprisal after the approval of a new anti-gay law. DeLovie Kwagala, who is non-binary and prefers the pronoun ‘they’, has been living in South Africa since 2021. But next week the activist and photographer also […]
Pakistani transgender activists will appeal Shariah court ruling against law aimed at protecting them
Transgender activists in Pakistan said they plan to appeal to the highest court in the land an Islamic court’s ruling that guts a law aimed at protecting their rights. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed by Parliament in 2018 to secure the fundamental rights of transgender Pakistanis. It ensures their access to […]
Jamaica’s break from British monarchy must bring about queer liberation, activists say
King Charles III’s coronation has accelerated plans for Jamaica to become a republic, and activists say it’s time for the country to take a big step forward on LGBTQ+ equality. The former British colony has been independent since 1962, but – like other Commonwealth nations – has retained the British monarch as its head of […]
Ugandan LGBT activist fears reprisal over anti-gay law
A Ugandan LGBT activist said on Friday they planned to return to their home country next week despite fears of reprisal after the approval of a new anti-gay law. DeLovie Kwagala, who is non-binary and prefers the pronoun ‘they’, has been living in South Africa since 2021. But next week the activist and photographer also […]
Kenya: Kakuma refugee camp complex not yet safe for LGBTI refugees
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) asylum seekers and refugees living in one of Kenya’s biggest refugee camps routinely suffer hate crimes, violence, including rape, and other serious human rights abuses, the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) and Amnesty International said in a joint report. Kakuma camp in northwestern Kenya is […]
In El Salvador, transgender community struggles for rights and survival
Fabricio Chicas knows exactly what will happen. As soon as he hands in his ID, the employee on the other side of the counter will look at him with suspicion, asking why he carries a document that identifies him as female. Whether it is a bank, a hospital or a human resources office, the 49-year-old […]
Parents of transgender kids seek to block DeSantis ban on gender-affirming care for minors
The parents of three transgender children in Florida are trying to get a federal judge to block a new law that bans gender-affirming care for minors, a signature policy of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as he nears his presidential campaign. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle on Friday heard arguments from an attorney representing the three […]