Nepal Supreme Court delivers historic ruling in favour of same-sex marriage
The Supreme Court of Nepal has issued a landmark ruling ordering authorities to recognise a gay foreign spouse of a Nepali citizen and instructing the government to move towards the legalisation of same-sex marriage. The case in question was brought by Nepali national Adheep Pokhrel and his German husband Tobias Volz after the latter was […]
Greece Bans Convicted Neo-Nazi and His Party From May 21 Election
Greece’s Supreme Court has barred a convicted neo-Nazi from competing in upcoming national elections. But despite that decision, the court has allowed another extreme-right, nationalist party to run, raising fears that it can soak up reactionary votes, and enter parliament. In its 400-page ruling, the Supreme Court called Kasidiaris “undemocratic,” citing his conviction and imprisonment […]
With staunch religious and political opposition, will same-sex marriage be accepted in conservative India?
Since at least 1980, there have been hundreds of stories of same-sex couples in India getting married unofficially by religious rites, according to gender studies expert and author Ruth Vanita. Some couples have even taken their own lives together as a form of union. Ms Vanita traced the history of LGBT relationships in the country […]
Kansas will legally define gender as sex at birth. What that means for transgender rights
Republican lawmakers in Kansas passed a sweeping law last week that will restrict the kinds of public spaces and services transgender and nonbinary Kansans will have access to, overriding a veto from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Referred to by supporters as the “women’s bill of rights,” the law is the first of its kind passed […]
Uganda parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ bill mostly unchanged
Uganda’s parliament on Tuesday passed one of the world’s strictest anti-LGBTQ bills mostly unchanged, including provision for long jail terms and the death penalty, after the president requested some parts of the original legislation be toned down. The new bill retains most of the harshest measures of the legislation adopted in March, which drew condemnation […]
Queerphobia in Kenya: a supreme court ruling on gay rights triggers a new wave of anger against the LGBTIQ+ community
The Kenyan supreme court recently struck down a government decision to ban the registration of an LGBTIQ+ community rights organisation, sparking new homophobic rhetoric in the country. Kenya is one of 32 African countries that criminalises homosexuality. Those who identify as part of the LGBTIQ+ community are often discriminated against, harassed and assaulted. Lise Woensdregt […]
Trans people in Kashmir have long gained acceptance as matchmakers. Now their jobs are in danger.
Shabnum Subhan’s house is tucked in the bylanes of Srinagar’s downtown, the most densely populated area of Kashmir’s capital city. In the three-story house, 44-year-old Subhan, who is transgender, is getting ready to visit the house of a prospective groom. While applying kohl in her eyes, she relays how she has been struggling to find […]
Turkey’s president Erdoğan claims ‘LGBT will not emerge in this country’ at re-election rally
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has continued his re-election campaign by giving an anti-LGBTQ+ speech. Erdoğan returned to campaigning on Saturday (29 April) after stepping back for three days while recovering from a stomach infection, ahead of Turkish citizens going to the polls on 14 May. According to a Times report, in an hour-long speech […]
Copenhagen mayor to California’s ‘Danish Capital’: Stop acting homophobic
This little tourist town in the Santa Ynez Valley is best known for its Danish windmills, aebleskivers and Viking-themed tchotchkes. In the self-described Danish Capital of America, friendliness is part of the brand, with Solvang so outwardly idyllic it was the setting for the saccharine Lifetime TV movie “A Very Charming Christmas Town.” As one […]
How Project Almirah offers a safe space for queer people to share their stories
During the initial part of the pandemic, when the world went into sudden lockdown, Angel, who identifies as a non-binary bisexual person, found themselves all alone in Bengaluru, separated from their family and partner. They found themselves watching The Bold Type, a series, released in 2017, that follows the lives, loves and careers of three […]
In a shift, Saudi Arabia to ‘welcome’ LGBTQ tourists
LGBTQ tourists can now visit Saudi Arabia, according to the kingdom’s official tourism site. The shift follows a series of social and economic changes that the kingdom has made in recent years. Homosexuality, however, remains illegal in the country, though these laws are not always enforced. The Saudi Tourism Authority’s website visitsaudi.com has an updated […]
Trans and nonbinary students have long had a place at women’s colleges. Here’s what they want you to know
Just weeks before stepping foot on Smith College’s campus, Avery finally came to understand something that cast doubt on whether the small women’s college in Northampton, Massachusetts, would be the perfect fit for the incoming first-year student after all. Avery realized he is a transgender man. And Smith – while it opens its doors to trans women […]
‘LGBTQ+ people would have originated from Africa’, says Davis Mac-Iyalla: ‘We are everywhere’
In January 2023, LGBTQ+ activist Davis Mac-Iyalla was installed as a chief of the Yamonransa Nkusukum area in central Ghana. With the title of Amankorehen, the Nigerian-born activist’s role is “like a foreign minister for the traditional area” and a huge honour for him. But during the ceremony he was nearly thrown from his platform in […]
Anti-LGBT Bill: Withdrawal of investment threats will not deter Africa – Speaker Bagbin
Africa is not deterred by the veiled threats of withdrawal of investments and international aid, Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has said. He noted that those threats and other stringent economic measures had not affected the continent’s effort at protecting its culture, values, and societal norms and to safeguard the future of its youth. A statement issued […]
Garima Grehs in Dire Straits: Transgender Communities Struggle to Survive Without Government Funding
For many transgender individuals, the very spaces that are meant to provide safety and refuge – their own homes and private spaces – can be hotbeds of violence, assault, neglect, and discrimination. In such dire circumstances, transgender shelter homes become nothing short of a lifeline, as essential as schools, hospitals, and courts. The Transgender Act of […]
LGBTQ+ rights lag in Pacific despite Cook Islands’ gay sex move
A move to decriminalise gay sex in the Cook Islands is a welcome step but LGBTQ+ people in the Pacific Islands region still lack basic rights and risk discrimination – or worse – at every turn, activists say. Lawmakers in the tiny island nation of 15,000 people passed a bill on April 14 to decriminalise […]
Inside the Ugandan church offering sanctuary to the LGBTQ+ community
In a quiet pocket of Kampala, Uganda, the sound of singing cuts through the Sunday morning silence. The harmonising voices are part of the Adonai Inclusive Christian Ministries – but this is no ordinary Sunday service. The Church is place for members of Uganda’s LGBTQ+ community to come and worship without judgement, prejudice or fear. […]
Third Attack On A Shop Has Manchester’s LGBT Community Fearing For Safety
A shop in Manchester’s gay village has had its windows smashed for a third time in just over a month, which now has sparked safety fears within the LGBTQ+ community. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are working to identify the two masked people on motorbikes behind the attack on the adult shop in Sackville Street, CloneZone. […]
Behind the Backlash Against Bud Light’s Transgender Influencer
Some conservative commentators and celebrities began calling for a boycott of Bud Light after the beer was featured in a social media promotion by a transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, on April 1. After Bud Light’s sales slumped and the brand found itself thrust into the nation’s culture wars, Anheuser-Busch, the beer’s brewer, announced on Tuesday […]
Hate speech spikes in Kenya after LGBT rights group given green light
Kenyan LGBT campaigners have been fielding a surge in hate speech since a rights group supporting their cause was given the green light to register as an NGO. Also a deal between Uganda and Saudi Arabia to make it easier for African workers to head out to the Middle East has resumed, despite longstanding concerns […]
Japan’s LDP Promises to Push Forward LBGTQ Bill
On Thursday in Tokyo, Endo Toshiaki – head of the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s council on general affairs – told reporters that the ruling coalition would submit a bill covering LGBTQ understanding in Japan before the upcoming Group of Seven (G-7) summit in May. Japan is unique among the G-7 as it is the […]
Peoria school board votes to allow transgender students to use preferred bathroom
Issues surrounding the rights of transgender students continue to make national headlines, and they’re hitting home in the Valley. One West Valley school district was considering changes regarding which bathrooms transgender students can use. The Peoria Unified School District board had the issue on their agenda for discussion because there was no district bathroom rule […]
Supreme Court: India same-sex marriage case tests judges
As the Indian Supreme Court continues to hear petitions seeking to legalise same-sex marriage, it’s becoming evident just how complex the issue is. Earlier, lawyers for the petitioners had argued in court that marriage was a union of two people, not just a man and woman, that concepts of marriage had changed over time, and […]
Uganda’s president asks for changes to LGBT bill so identity is not criminalised
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has asked lawmakers to make clear in a proposed anti-homosexuality law that it is not criminal to merely identify as gay, as part of an attempt to tone down a bill that has drawn international condemnation. Last month, lawmakers in the east African country overwhelmingly passed the proposed legislation, potentially one […]
Sri Lankans campaign to decriminalize same-sex relationships
When Jude Rameshkanth, 28, a hospitality employee working overseas, returned home to his family in eastern Sri Lanka this January, his father organized an arranged marriagefor him with a woman. But Rameshkanth repeatedly explained to his family that he identifies himself as gay, and so has no interest in marrying a woman. His family continued […]
UK government funded anti-LGBTQ+ organisation in Uganda, says report
The UK government has been helping to fund the work of a virulently homophobic religious organisation in Uganda, whose leaders have backed a proposed law that would make identifying as gay a criminal offence, a report has found. Analysing official data given to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), the report by the Institute for […]
LGBT charter adopted in 60% of Scotland secondary schools. Why is it important?
In Scotland, about 60 per cent of the secondary schools have adopted the ‘LGBT charter’ which aims to promote acceptance among teachers and students The Herald reported. The initiative has been introduced by the non profit organisation ‘LGBT Youth Scotland’, which claims to be the Scotland’s national charity and is aimed to foster acceptance among […]
‘Traumatizing’: The Transgender Chinese Struggling to Access Health Care
Threatening notes. Physical assaults. False accusations. In his years dealing with the families of young transgender people in Beijing, Doctor Poon has seen it all. Since 2016, Poon has been running one of China’s first specialist medical units for transgender individuals. Based inside a public hospital, it supports patients through every stage of their transition: […]
The LGBTQ rights debate is testing Ukraine’s commitment to Europe
When Russian troops swarmed Kyiv in early 2022, Andrii Kravchuk was summoned to serve. As he approached the military office to enlist, his heart raced. He wasn’t afraid to defend his country. But as a gay man, he knew that he would have fewer rights than most Ukrainians should he be sent to the front […]
Montana transgender lawmaker silenced again, backers protest
Montana Republicans persisted in forbidding Democratic transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from participating in debate for a second week and her supporters brought the House session to a halt Monday — chanting “Let her speak!” from the gallery before they were escorted out. Zephyr defiantly hoisted her microphone into the air as her supporters interrupted proceedings […]