“Together Always: United in Diversity” with Kyrgyz queer activists
The EU Delegation in Kyrgyzstan hold a meeting with the Kyrgyz queer activists yesterday May 17. EU demonstrated that is a strong supporter of the rights of LGBTI persons all over the world. This year’s theme for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) – “Together Always: United in Diversity” – is a timely […]
Brutal assault caught on video exposes ‘increasingly unsafe’ Ireland for LGBTQ+ youth
Video of a brutal attack on a schoolboy in Ireland, which went viral on social media, has exposed the “increasingly unsafe” situation for LGBTQ+ young people in the country. The video, which police have asked Euronews not to share, shows a teenage boy walking on a grass area in a housing estate near the school, pursued […]
LGBTQI+ repression in East Africa: ‘They say that Westerners are turning us gay’
Koei lives in a permanent state of tension. A baby-faced young man in his early-20s, he works in an insurance agency on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. But he carries a secret, a part of his identity. Koei is actually a trans man. But, except for a couple of close friends, the people […]
LGBT campaigns through pop culture and the Indonesian LGBT Movement
Support for equal rights for the LGBT community through mainstream media and pop culture has become increasingly widespread in the last few decades. Starting from films, music videos, TV series, and social media campaigns are also used as a means of voicing the importance of capturing LGBT issues as part of social inclusivity. The use of […]
Slovakia on brink of blocking legal recognition for trans people
Slovakian MPs are under mounting international pressure to reject a bill that would see the country follow Hungary in effectively putting a stop to decades of legal gender recognition for transgender people. A vote is expected in parliament within days on a law proposed by conservative and far-right parties that would require someone to have the “correct” […]
Mexico No. 2 in LatAm in hate crimes vs. LGBT community despite legal progress
Mexico City, May 17 (EFE).- Mexico is commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia as Latin America’s No. 2 country in terms of hate crimes despite legal advances recognizing same-sex marriage, gender identity and the criminalization of discrimination. Sexual minorities suffered 305 reported violent acts motivated by hate between 2019 and 2022, including murders, […]
Books celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia
International Day Against Homophobia. It is celebrated on Wednesday, May 17th, in remembrance of the date on which the term with the suffix ‘ism’ was disregarded, assuming the correct one: homosexuality. On the same date, the word was excluded from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) of the World Health Organization (WHO), […]
Uzbekistan needs a new economic approach that includes the LGBTQ+ community
Countries that have decriminalised homosexuality have 4.5 times higher rates of foreign direct investment (FDI) than countries that criminalise consensual same-sex relationships, M V Lee Badgett writes. Spring in Samarkand returns flowering trees and vivid colour to the ancient Silk Road trading post, along with some less traditional arrivals this year – officials from the […]
Homophobic attacks in France rose almost 30 percent last year, LGBTQ group says
Last year saw an increase in gay and trans people reporting physical attacks in France, an activist group said on Tuesday, warning that anti-LGBTQ sentiment remains “anchored” in society. SOS Homophobie (SOS Homophobia) said in a report that it received just over 1,500 reports of homophobic or other discriminatory behaviour in 2022 via its website […]
How do LGBTQ Zambians deal with bigotry?
Mary identifies as a transgender woman, but presents to society as a gay man. “I am forced to be gay in Zambia because it isn’t as dangerous as being trans,” Mary told DW when we met at a Lusaka restaurant. “Gay people are at least tolerated in Zambia, even if they are not accepted,” Mary […]
Japan’s main ruling party approves watered-down LGBTQ bill before G7 summit in Hiroshima
Japan’s main ruling party approved a watered-down version of a bill on “promoting understanding” of the LGBTQ community, in apparent haste to show progress on the issue days before the country hosts the Group of Seven summit. The Liberal Democratic Party approved the measure Tuesday, general affairs chair Toshiaki Endo told reporters. The revised bill […]
Taiwan grants right of adoption to same-sex couples in latest move toward full equality
Taiwan’s legislature passed a bill Tuesday that granted same-sex couples the right to jointly adopt a child neither of them are related to, clearing one of the final hurdles in achieving full marriage equality. Taiwan in 2019 became the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage but it stopped short of granting fully equal […]
Albanian lesbian couple vow ‘fight to the end’ for parental rights
A lesbian couple from Albania who are fighting to be recognised as joint parents of their twin daughters say they will take their case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if the country’s top courts rule against them. Alba Ahmetaj and Edlira Mara cannot both be registered as parents of the two-year-old girls […]
Democrats Help Republicans Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Kids
Three Texas Democrats helped their Republican colleagues pass a controversial state bill that would ban transgender youth from getting hormone therapies, puberty blockers and transition-related surgeries. This past Friday, in an initial vote in the House, 12 Democratic state representatives favored passage of Senate Bill 14 after the party successfully delayed the bill on a […]
One of China’s last LGBTQ+ resources centers has closed
Beijing LGBT Center — one of the country’s most prominent queer advocacy groups — is permanently closing its doors effective immediately, the group announced on Monday. “Due to ‘force majeure,’ we are very sorry to inform you that Beijing LGBT Center has ceased operations today,” the group posted on the WeChat messaging app, suggesting it […]
Over 40% of Italy’s LGBTQ workers say careers have been hit by discrimination
Four out of 10 LGBTQ people in Italy believe discrimination has damaged them at work, a survey by national statistics bureau ISTAT and state anti-discrimination office UNAR showed on Monday. Among those surveyed, 41.4% said that being gay or bisexual had been a disadvantage for their career, professional recognition or salary, especially among payroll workers […]
The transgender Indonesian Muslims trying to secure their future
The future of Indonesia’s only Islamic community centre for transgender women is in jeopardy after its leader, Shinta Ratri, died in February – and the government says it cannot support it. There are 63 trans women who regularly attend the Al-Fatah community centre, which provides a space for them to pray, learn the Quran, learn […]
The American Medical Association’s first out gay president pledges to fight trans healthcare bans
Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld is a U.S. Navy combat veteran who will be inaugurated as the American Medical Association’s (AMA) first out gay president on June 13 – and he says the organization “simply will not stand” for legislation targeting abortion and gender-affirming care. He has pledged to use “every avenue available” to oppose such laws. “We […]
Pride and Prejudice: Gay Myanmar doctor takes to the jungle to help war victims
Myanmar doctor Pyae Phyo Kyaw has had to treat Karenni villagers who have lost limbs to landmines that he saw soldiers plant, and he has seen others die from treatable diseases because they simply couldn’t get the proper medicine. Combined with what that Karenni population has had to so long endure, it all strengthens his […]
Halifax artist aims to make markets more accessible, inclusive Social Sharing
A Halifax artist who is queer and disabled is working to make markets and pop-up stores more inclusive and accessible for people like her. Kayti Baur is the founder of Different Folks, a new organization that aims to put on artisan markets that are accessible to vendors and customers who are disabled, and are also welcoming […]
Cuba’s LGBTQ community celebrates same-sex marriage with pride conga
Around 200 Cubans marched in Havana on Saturday to the rhythm of conga, a popular dance, protesting against homophobia and transphobia, and celebrating the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Chanting “socialism yes, homophobia no”, demonstrators swayed their hips and beat rhythmically on drums as they cheered the ‘Family Code’, passed last September. The code permits surrogate […]
Moldova leaps in LGBT+ rights ranking, but Montenegro continues to lead emerging Europe
In a very hostile global climate, different actors are coming together and weighing in more actively for LGBT+ rights across Europe. Moldova’s inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity in legislation covering employment, education, provision of goods and services, health, hate crime and hate speech has seen it jump 14 places in the latest edition […]
UN expert concerned about increasing violence against LGBT people in UK
Abusive rhetoric by politicians, the media, and social commentators has trickled down to produce increasingly abusive and hateful speech against LGBT persons in the United Kingdom (UK), the UN independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity warned today. “I am deeply concerned about increased bias-motivated incidents of harassment, threats, and violence against LGBT people, […]
‘We’re against LGBT’: Erdoğan targets gay and trans people ahead of critical Turkish election
At campaign rallies across Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has missed no opportunity to attack gay and trans people. “We are against the LGBT,” he told one rally near the Black Sea. “Family is sacred to us – a strong family means a strong nation.” At another rally earlier this month, Erdoğan accused every party […]
Spain: New employer obligations to ensure equality for LGBTI and trans employees
Companies with more than 50 employees have one year in which to comply with the Transgender Law by putting in place an action plan and measures to…
Kentucky Republican governor candidate makes chilling vow to purge transgender kids from schools
A candidate to become governor of Kentucky has vowed to purge transgender kids from the state’s schools, in her bid for Republican nomination. On Monday (8 May), Kelly Craft – a former ambassador to the United Nations responded to phone callers’ questions ahead of the primary election on 16 May, where she made the cruel […]
Handful of LGBTQ candidates square off with President Erdogan ahead of Turkey’s election
Esmeray Zeynep Ozadikti says she may land in jail for running as an openly trans woman in Turkey’s election. Still, she believes it’s worth it. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have targeted the LGBTQ community as they appeal to their Islamist, conservative base ahead of Sunday’s elections for […]
Russia fines Google for refusing to remove LGBTQ+ content
Google has been fined three million rubles (£31,000) by Russia after it refused to remove content which the country said promoted same-sex relationships. The penalty was also imposed for Google showing “false information” about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Russia’s strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws prohibit what it calls the “promotion of LGBT propaganda”. Attempts to […]
Marriage equality on the ballot as Thai political parties compete for gay votes
BANGKOK – The six parties with policies designed to attract votes from the gay community are Move Forward, Pheu Thai, Democrat, Chart Thai Pattana, Thai Sang Thai, and Chart Pattana Kla. Move Forward – Move Forward has pledged to amend laws to promote gender equality and ensure that all genders have the rights and protections. Its marriage […]
New US blood donation rules allow more gay and bisexual men to give
Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can give blood in the US without abstaining from sex under updated federal health guidelines that focus on donors’ behavior, not their sexual orientation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines finalized on Thursday ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. The agency announced plans […]