Republicans aim to pass national ‘don’t say gay’ law
Congressional Republicans introduced a measure Tuesday that would prohibit federal money from being used to teach children under 10 about LGBTQ issues. The bill would prohibit the use of federal funds to teach children about “sexually-oriented material” as well as “any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects”. The effects of such […]
Royal Rebels: Amar Singh and Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil
They say it takes a village. But as the world continues to tilt on its current axis of lunacy, with even basic human rights being scoffed at by those who think they know better, a battalion seems more apt. Let us shine a spotlight on just one of the various pockets of delusional law that […]
Gay teacher barred from teaching in Bangladesh
A gay teacher has been barred from teaching classes at a Bangladesh secondary school in response to protests by students. Ramzan Ali, a teacher at Savar Model College near Dhaka, Bangladesh, remains unwelcome in classes there after students protested his presence in late August because he was accused of having a homosexual encounter with a […]
California Becomes First Sanctuary State for Transgender Youth Seeking Medical Care
California is the first state in the nation to create a sanctuary for transgender youth seeking gender-affirming medical care. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law in September that ensures transgender kids from elsewhere can safely access hormones or puberty blockers here. The legislation also shields families from child abuse investigations or from being criminally […]
Inside a Groundbreaking Anthology That Sheds Light on 18 Queer Arab Voices
In a region where at least 15 nations criminalize homosexuality and in those that don’t, there’s a “don’t ask, don’t tell culture,” queer Arab communities may have been forced into the shadows but they undeniably exist. That’s why Tuesday’s U.S. debut of This Arab is Queer, a new anthology edited by Elias Jahshan, an Australian […]
The Queer Brazilian Filmmaker Taking on Jair Bolsonaro
Acclaimed Brazilian filmmaker and activist Fernando Grostein Andrade speaks truth and love to power in his newly released documentary Breaking Myths. Widely known for his acclaimed work on Breaking the Taboo, which centers on the war on drugs, Andrade is telling a deeply vulnerable story of queer existence within the broader context of a toxic […]
Queer Refugees Are Struggling to Live in One of Europe’s LGBTQ Havens
At the beginning of September, I joined a protest in Amsterdam against the refugee housing emergency happening in the Netherlands. At the centre of the crisis is the situation at the Ter Apel refugee centre, the largest in the country, where all people arriving in the Netherlands must register with the authorities. In the summer, […]
Russia Prepares To Toughen Anti-gay Law In Conservative Push
Russian lawmakers Monday called for the toughening of a strict anti-gay law and the Kremlin ordered expensive patriotic education projects as Moscow presses with a conservative drive at home while its troops fight in Ukraine. The lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, held a consultation session on amendments to the 2013 law that […]
The U.S. has never had a lesbian governor. These two women could change that.
Gubernatorial candidates Maura Healey and Tina Kotek are no strangers to political firsts. In 2009, Healey, who is now the Massachusetts attorney general, led the nation’s first successful challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages. And in 2014 she broke barriers again, becoming the nation’s […]
Bisexual OnlyFans creator gets fine and prison sentence in Singapore
A bisexual OnlyFans creator has been sentenced to prison by a Singaporean court after using the app. Back in December, Titus Low was taken into custody on obscenity charges due to his longstanding activity on the popular website. “The Police arrested a 22-year-old man on 29 December 2021 for offences under the Penal Code and […]
Brighton is a ‘safe haven’ thanks to LGBTQ+ charities according to study
A recent study has declared Brighton as a “safe haven” and a “place to escape” thanks to the work of LGBTQ+ charities and nonprofits. LGBTQ+ mental health nonprofit MindOut worked with researchers from the University of Brighton to find the predominant reasons people move to the city in Sussex, as well as the experiences of […]
Female prison guards balk at processing transgender inmate
Female prison guards at Tires women’s prison found themselves in an impossible position: they were expected to body-search a new inmate who, in spite of having male sex organs, identifies as a woman. This was the first case presenting this level of confusion since a circular came into place requiring prisons to recognise inmates on […]
Conservative Muslims join forces with Christian right on Michigan book bans
A recent school board meeting at which about 1,000 people gathered in Dearborn, Michigan, to pressure district officials to censor books with LGBTQ+ themes was in most ways similar to hundreds of other recent book ban hearings across the US. Speakers alleged the books “promote mental health issues” and “self harm”, while the school district […]
In Indonesia, ‘LGBT’ label is linked to criminal guilt amid ‘societal homophobia’
When Indonesian actor Rizky Billar’s spouse reported him to the police last month for alleged domestic abuse, social media users buzzed with chatter about him being a “wife-beater”. But as the scandal grew, the online discussion descended into a different front: his sexuality. “They say men fall into two types: jerks and gays, but Rizky […]
Transgender students fear being ‘deadnamed’ at college
Before the fall semester began, Eshe Ukweli emailed her professors. She wanted to make sure they knew her name. Ukweli, a journalism student at Howard University, has been in the process of changing her legal name for more than a year. But until that happens, the university’s systems identify Ukweli by her birth name on […]
Suspect arrested in gay Palestinian’s brutal killing
Palestinian police arrested a suspect in the brutal killing of a gay Palestinian activist last week, as fear continues to grip LGBTQ Palestinians in Israel. Police spokesman Colonel Loay Irzekat announced October 7 that authorities arrested Palestinian Abu Murkhiyeh, who is suspected of killing gay Palestinian Ahmad Hacham Hamdi Abu Marakhia, 25, reported the BBC. […]
Gay Cuban couple’s long wait to tie the knot
Adiel Gonzalez, a 32-year-old former theology student, was forced to break with his church eight years ago due to his sexuality. He became a fierce LGBTQ+ rights campaigner and on Thursday, was able to tie the knot with his long-time partner and fellow activist Lazaro Gonzalez — among the first gay weddings celebrated in Cuba. […]
‘Habibi, The Revolutions of Love’: Being Queer in the Arab World exposition
Are we really free to be, to love and to show who we are without danger? No matter where you are in the world, it is often difficult to answer yes. And perhaps it is even more difficult when you live in an Arab-Muslim country. Yet change is underway, as evidenced by the exhibition “Habibi, […]
Thousands rally in Bratislava to honor 2 gay men shot dead
Slovakia’s president joined a rally of thousands on Friday to honor two gay men who were shot dead in the capital earlier this week and demonstrate support for the LGBTQ community. People lit candles at the site of the shooting before marching to a central Bratislava square. Police said Friday they are investigating the killings […]
Bosnia Unveils LGBT Rights Strategy
Bosnia and Herzegovina unveiled its first ever strategy to improve the rights and freedoms of LGBT people on Wednesday, a step towards bringing human rights protections in the country into line with European Union standards. Adopted by the government in July and presented by the state Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, the 2021-24 LGBT Action […]
Sydney’s first queer museum, Qtopia, to open ahead of Sydney WorldPride at Darlinghurst’s Green Park
A Darlinghurst park next to a famous gay men’s pick-up spot in the 1960s and down the road from Oxford Street will be the initial home of Sydney’s first queer museum. Green Park’s bandstand will host various displays documenting the persecution LGBTQIA+ people faced, as well as the response to the AIDS epidemic. Qtopia Chair David Polson […]
How Do Lesbians Have Sex?’ Boss Asked Queer Employee, Complaint Says
A gay former employee of a Vodafone store in Scotland was awarded more than $30,000 for being asked sexually inappropriate questions at work. The woman, identified only as Ms. C, sued her former employer, a Vodafone franchise called Thistle Communications, for sex and sexual orientation discrimination and harassment. She said she had been humiliated by […]
Mexico’s most populous state approves same-sex marriage
The congress of Mexico’s most populous state, State of Mexico, on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to legally recognize same-sex marriage, becoming the 29th of Mexico’s 32 states to do so. “Equal marriage is a public institution, whereby two people freely decide to share a life,” the state’s legislative body said in a tweet, after lawmakers passed […]
I wish we were accepted’ – LGBTQ living in Antigua
While it is safe for LGBTQ persons to live in most parts of the Caribbean, it’s not all peaches and cream. Homosexuality is still taboo. Stigma and discrimination are undeniably prevalent, so much so that many are still in the closet.
The Trevor Project Launches 24/7 Crisis Services for LGBTQ Youth in Mexico
Today, on National Coming Out Day in the U.S. and Mexico, The Trevor Project announced the official launch of its free, confidential, 24/7 digital crisis services for LGBTQ young people in Mexico. This milestone is part of The Trevor Project’s expansion of its services to more countries around the world and marks the first time […]
Parents up in arms over transgender policy for US military draft
U.S. policy states that transgender women who were registered as males when they were born must register for the military draft with the Selective Service, while transgender men who were recorded as female when they were born don’t have to sign up for the draft. The unchanged policy garnered attention on Friday when the Selective […]
Gay former monk has dream wedding after being forced to quit Catholic church
Bilgri was ordained in 1980 by Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and served as head of the Roman Catholic Church until February 2013. He served as a Benedictine monk for decades. Bilgri, now 68, left the Catholic Church in 2020 because he was frustrated over the church’s failure to keep with […]
Tokyo Opens Same-Sex Partnership System for Applications
A system to register same-sex partnerships opened for applications in Tokyo on Tuesday, in a symbolic step forward for a country that has fallen behind its peers on embracing diversity. The system does not offer the legal benefits of marriage for same-sex couples, but has been welcomed by LGBTQ rights groups as a small step […]
Propaganda video warns fleeing Russians about LGBTQ & Black people in the US
As thousands of Russians continue to flee the country to avoid being conscripted to fight in Ukraine, a propaganda video warning of interactions with LGBTQ, Black, and vegetarian people in America has gone viral. The video began circulating on pro-Kremlin telegram channels and has found its way onto Twitter. It features three skits in which […]
Vanderbilt Transgender Health Clinic suspends gender-affirming surgery for minors
Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s transgender clinic in Nashville has paused gender affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 18, a top executive at the center told a Tennessee lawmaker Friday. Republican Tennessee state Rep. Jason Zachary – who had asked VUMC to permanently end gender affirming surgeries for minors – posted a letter to Twitter he […]