Six groups working to support and empower LGBTQ+ Muslims this Ramadan
Ramadan can be a lonely time for LGBT Muslims. With family and community right at the heart of Ramadan , it can be a difficult month for LGBTQ+ Muslims cut off by those around them because of their identity. The belief that one must choose between faith and sexuality has led many LGBT Muslims to […]
Here’s what American Christian fundamentalists are exporting to Africa | Column
Uganda’s parliament recently week approved a law making it a crime for individuals to identify as LGBTQ+. The bill also provides the government with extensive powers to target gay Ugandans. While more than 30 African countries ban same-sex relations, according to Human Rights Watch, this new law is the first to outlaw merely identifying as […]
Italy celebrates its second ever LGBT History Month – Here’s why it matters
This month, Italy celebrates its second LGBT History Month, with a variety of events and seminars being held in its honour throughout the coming weeks. In a country where queer people have often struggled to find acceptance, activists are hailing this initiative as a crucial opportunity to shed further light on the community’s past and […]
Court backs teacher firing over transgender students’ names
An Indiana school district did not violate a former music teacher’s rights by pushing him to resign after the man refused to use transgender students’ names and gender pronouns, a federal appeals court said in an order released Friday. The decision from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a prior ruling in the […]
‘A backwards betrayal’: Biden Title IX proposal draws criticism from LGBTQ community
Some LGBTQ advocates this week slammed the Biden administration’s proposed revision to Title IX, accusing the president of backtracking on his commitment to protecting transgender young people. The proposal, released Thursday by the Education Department, would prohibit the adoption of policies that “categorically” ban transgender athletes from school sports teams consistent with their gender identity, […]
Germany and France join EU proceedings against Hungary over anti-LGBTQ law
Germany and France are joining the EU Commission’s infringement proceedings against Hungary over its anti-LGBTQ law, a German government spokesperson said Thursday. The European Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the EU in mid-2022 over the law banning the use of materials seen as promoting homosexuality and transgender identities in schools. The […]
Russia arrests Chinese LGBTQ blogger for violating so-called same-sex ‘propaganda’ law
Russian authorities arrested a Chinese LGBTQ blogger Wednesday for allegedly violating a law that bans so-called same-sex “propaganda,” according to Adel Khaydarshin, a lawyer representing the blogger and his partner. Chinese national Haoyang Xu was found guilty during a hearing Thursday, Khaydarshin said. He’s being held in a temporary detention center for foreigners and faces […]
INDIAN TRANSGENDER MODEL HUMILIATED AND DENIED ENTRY IN THE COUNTRY BY MUSCAT AIRPORT AUTHORITY
It was the night of February 24th when an Indian model and designer Nin Kala landed at the Muscat International airport to explore the city on a tourist visa. She was with a few friends. All of them cleared the emigration, except Kala as she belongs to the LGBTQ community. The two immigration authorities took […]
Couple arrested for violating Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ law
Police in the Russian city of Kazan Wednesday arrested a publicly out gay couple, Haoyang Xu and Gela Gogishvili, for their alleged breach of the country’s “gay propaganda” law. According to a statement from their lawyer, the two men are accused of violating the propaganda law because of videos uploaded to the couple’s YouTube and TikTok accounts. The two men are particularly […]
15 governments join EU lawsuit against Orbán’s anti-LGBT law
Fifteen EU governments have joined the European Commission’s lawsuit against Hungary over a controversial anti-LGBTQ law making what civil society groups have described as the largest human rights case in EU legal history. Officials from the French and German governments and Slovenia confirmed on Thursday (6 April) that they had joined the suit ahead of a […]
This community in southern Mexico has defied the gender binary for generations
In the town of Juchitán de Zaragoza, located on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, one variation of a local legend goes something like this. San Vicente Ferrer, the patron saint of Juchitán, was carrying three bags of seeds meant to be distributed around the world. The first contained male seeds, the […]
US Supreme Court rules in favour of transgender track runner
The United States Supreme Court on Thursday has allowed a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia to continue competing on the girls’ sports teams at her middle school while a lawsuit over a state ban continues. A majority of the justices refused to disturb an appeals court order that made it possible for the girl, Becky […]
Wherever I go in Africa, I will advocate for respect for LGBTQ community – French Minister
The French Minister of State for Development, Francophonie, and International Partnerships, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, has renewed her call for the protection of the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, April 3, she pledged to continue advocating for the rights of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, and Queer people, regardless […]
Jayapal reintroduces Transgender Bill of Rights
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Seattle) is once again trying to codify federal protections for transgender and gender non-conforming people across the country. This is her second effort to get a Transgender Bill of Rights adopted. Even though Jayapal has the support of dozens of lawmakers, her bill still faces an uncertain path forward in the […]
Juju the ally: Malema and EFF come to defence of Uganda’s LGBTQI+ community
Scores of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members marched to the Ugandan high commission in Pretoria on Tuesday to protest against the East African country’s bill which criminalises those that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQI+). The Ugandan parliament has already passed the anti-homosexuality bill, which makes homosexual acts punishable by up to […]
UK Equality Act could be amended to make ‘sex’ mean ‘biological sex’
Trans advocates are incensed after the Equality Human Rights Commission (EHRC) laid out how amending the Equality Act to make sex mean biological sex could impact trans rights. Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch wrote to the EHRC, the UK’s human rights watchdog, in February asking for its advice on what she described as a “technical and […]
Ghanaian president doubles down on anti-LGBT bill
AN ANTI-LGBT bill which was expected to impose some of the harshest laws against gay people has had “substantial elements” modified, the President of Ghana has said. Nana Akufo-Addo spoke about the controversial legislation during a joint press conference with the US Vice-President Kamala Harris. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family […]
Chinese students battle LGBTQ suppression
Two female Chinese students who promote LGBTQ rights have continued a legal battle seeking a review of punishment and harassment for placing rainbow flags on a university campus, says a report. The pair, identified only as Huang and Li, are students of Tsinghua University in the Chinese capital Beijing. They reportedly placed 10 small pride […]
How amateur football in Germany is approaching transgender inclusion
As sports such as swimming and athletics bring in rules restricting, or even banning, participation for transgender women at the elite level of female sport, world football’s governing body Fifa is now considering its options. The German football association (DFB) has made a first step by introducing a policy this season across the amateur and […]
Veto stands: Transgender pronouns OK in North Dakota schools
Teachers in North Dakota can still refer to transgender students by the personal pronouns they use, after lawmakers on Monday failed to override the governor’s veto of a controversial bill to place restrictions on educators. House lawmakers fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to block the veto, days after Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s office […]
Vancouver police seek witnesses to violent confrontations at transgender rally
Vancouver police say they are investigating two violent confrontations at a rally in the city marking International Transgender Day of Visibility. Investigators have released images of two people, as well as video from Grandview Park that shows the two people involved in incidents where others were shouted at, grabbed, and thrown to the ground. VPD says the video […]
In Morocco, YouTube is one tool to attack LGBTQ, vulnerable communities
RABAT — YouTube can be a space to start a business, educate and build a community. Unfortunately, it is also sometimes used to perpetuate hate among already vulnerable communities as in the case of Morocco’s transgender activist Eden Ghali, a victim of such attacks. Ghali, 28, has always been open about his journey as a transgender […]
Defiant transgender children marched on Kansas Statehouse
TOPEKA — A throng of angry queer and transgender children marched Friday evening on the Kansas Statehouse grounds in joyful defiance of legislators who promote state-sponsored discrimination. As the crowd of 200 children and adults gathered on the south side of the Capitol, individuals stepped forward, one by one, to deliver speeches bubbling with love or […]
Community survey calls for improved care for transgender Tasmanians
To mark International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st), Equality Tasmania released a landmark report on transgender people’s experiences in Tasmania. The report details the results of a community survey of over 80 trans and gender diverse adults about their experiences of medically affirming their gender in Tasmania (some people call this ‘transitioning’). Lead researcher and Equality […]
Hong Kong transgender protesters say government is not abiding by landmark ruling
A group of Hong Kong transgender people staged a small protest on Friday against a delay by authorities in changing the gender indicated on their identity documents, saying they have yet to be fully recognised despite a landmark court ruling in February. The protesters held up placards outside the immigration department in the rain, demanding […]
Neo-Nazis and LGBTQ+ Activists Face Off at Two Ohio Drag Events
Neo-Nazis and LGBTQ+ activists faced off at two separate Ohio drag events in adjoining towns, reports The U.S. Sun. One was a drag brunch at Element 41 restaurant in Chardon, the second, a drag story hour hosted by the Community Church of Chesterland. They took place separately on Saturday afternoon. “The brunch was organized to […]
The marginalisation of trans people by the gay community is beyond unhelpful – here’s why
It’s rarely a good idea to reread diaries from your teenage years. Recently though, I found a passage from my own that made me laugh. At 15, on the verge of coming out as a lesbian for the first time, I wrote that I hoped telling people about my gay identity would help me to […]
USAID, Ugandan Activists Striving to Support HIV Patients Amid Anti-Gay Bill
Uganda’s former prime minister, Ruhakana Rugunda, has applauded the U.S. Agency for International Development for its support in fighting AIDS, saying the country cannot afford to treat patients on its own. An estimated 1.2 million Ugandans aged 15 to 64 are living with HIV/AIDS and surviving on anti-retroviral drugs. Almost all HIV/AIDS patients receive the […]
UK Athletics bans transgender athletes from female competition
UK Athletics has performed a U-turn by announcing an immediate ban on transgender women from competing in the female category across all its events. The decision comes two months after UKA claimed that it wanted to implement a ban, in order to protect the female category, but feared it would be too “risky” to do […]
Biden marks International Transgender Day of Visibility by blasting Republicans targeting trans youth
President Joe Biden is using International Transgender Day of Visibility on Friday to sharply criticize acts of violence and discrimination against Americans who identify as trans and nonbinary, zeroing in on the growing number of Republican-led bills targeting trans youth. In a presidential proclamation on Thursday and a subsequent statement on Friday, Biden acknowledged “a […]