‘I want to see the rainbow flag raised in Iran’
For the first time, two women known to have been lesbian have been sentenced to death in Iran. It marks a new stage in the Islamic republic’s persecution of LGBT people. “My biggest hope in life is to raise the rainbow flag in Iran and shout this fact that we exist.” So said Zahra Sadiqi […]
Montana permanently blocks transgender birth certificate changes
Montana health officials on Friday made permanent a rule that blocks transgender people from changing their birth certificates even if they undergo gender-confirmation surgery. The move by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration comes just days before a court will hear arguments over the legality of a similar rule that’s been in effect on an emergency […]
LGBT solidarity march in Norway for canceled Pride parade
Hundreds of people marched through the Norwegian capital on Saturday in an LBGT solidarity event to honor the Pride parade that was canceled in June after a deadly shooting outside a popular gay bar. Marchers in “The Rainbow Train” passed the central Oslo nightlife district where a man identified as Zaniar Matapour shot and killed […]
Iran: Rights groups slam death sentences for LGBTQ activists
Iran said this week that a court had sentenced to death two female gay rights activists for “spreading corruption on earth” — a charge frequently imposed on people deemed to have broken the country’s Shariah laws. The country’s official IRNA news agency reported that the two women, Zahra Sedighi Hamedani, 31, and Elham Chobdar, 24, […]
Cyprus’ LGBTI Pride Parade Back With Equal Marriage Message
After a two-year break during the COVID-19 pandemic that brought lockdowns and slowdowns, the annual LGBTI parade is returning with a call to allow marriage for all. The Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Intersex community on the island said the event will take place Sept. 25 to also be a show for legislation to enable full marriage equality, said The […]
Teen suicides are a clarion call to protect queer children
The queer community is still reeling from the tragic death of Tiro Moalusi. The Soweto teenager took his own life on 16 August after he was allegedly humiliated by a student teacher because of his sexuality. The Gauteng department of education has suspended the accused student teacher amidst an investigation by a South African Council for Educators […]
Ruto on CNN: Kenyans Wonder Why Arab Leaders are Not Asked About LGBTQ Rights
President-elect William Ruto on Wednesday night appeared on CNN in a pre-recorded interview. The current Deputy President sat down with Christiane Amanpour to discuss among other things his election to the top seat in the country. Asked whether President Uhuru Kenyatta has congratulated him, Ruto said that had not happened, but reiterated that his support for […]
Brazil on Edge for a Bicentennial Bolsonaro has Made his Own
President Jair Bolsonaro calls Brazil’s bicentennial Wednesday a chance to celebrate the nation’s proud history, but critics say he has transformed what should be a day of unity into a campaign event that they fear he will use to undermine next month’s election in Latin America’s fourth biggest democracy. Bolsonaro, who trails in polls before the […]
‘No rings, no guests’: supreme court fears spur LGBTQ ‘shotgun’ weddings
On a late June day in 2015, recent high school graduate Kaliyah Halsey and their mother were shopping for dormitory supplies when Kaliyah’s mother looked at her phone. “She was like, ‘Oh my God. Gay marriage is now legal in all 50 states. I’m so happy for you!’” recalls Kaliyah, now 25. “We were, like, […]
How Targeting LGBTQ+ Rights Are Part of the Authoritarian Playbook
In the last three decades, protections for LGBT people’s rights have advanced rapidly in many countries and regions. However, rising populist authoritarianism poses a significant threat to this progress because abolishing sexual freedom is often at the heart of repressive political projects. The progress and backsliding in my home country, Colombia, illustrates the process of […]
Texas Judge: Letting Gay Men Die Is Religious Freedom
A district judge in Texas with a long record of extreme rulings against the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and against LGBTQ equality today managed to attack both of them at once, striking down an ACA requirement that insurance policies cover pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, which prevents the transmission of the HIV virus. Judge Reed O’Connor’s asinine and sure-to-be-overturned opinion is peak 2022 […]
Belgrade Pride vows EuroPride will happen despite threats of violence
EuroPride, a pan-European Pride festival that takes place in a different city every year, is scheduled to take place in Belgrade, Serbia, from September 12 – 18. But plenty of locals, including the country’s president, want to keep it from happening. On August 14, thousands of religious and nationalist protestors marched through the streets of […]
Future Generali to offer health insurance for live-in partners, LGBT community
Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited (FGII) has launched a health insurance product that brings LGBTQIA+ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) and members in a live-in relationship within the scope of the definition of ‘family’ to offer insurance coverage. The comprehensive health insurance product called FG Health Absolute allows customers to access value added […]
Ukraine’s LGBT activists face down war and homophobic attacks to support the vulnerable
“Please remember to not take any photos that could identify the location of the shelter,” says Maxim Potapovych, of Ukraine LGBT rights organisation, Kyiv Pride, as he navigates deserted back alleys in an unremarkable area the capital. After a few minutes, Maxim reaches the entrance at one of several LGBT shelters that his organisation operates […]
A new PAC has launched to campaign against anti-LGBTQ candidates
As Republicans continue to threaten LGBTQ rights, a group of politicians and strategists have launched a new super PAC focused on keeping right-wing candidates out of office. Rather than electing pro-LGBTQ candidates, Agenda PAC is devoted to campaigning against politicians who threaten the LGBTQ community. The group was founded by political communications strategist Ted Bordelon, […]
‘Legislation regarding transgender community against Quran and Sunnah’
Senator Mushtaq Ahmad on Monday presented the bill for amendments in the Transgender Protection Act, 2018 to the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Human Rights, Senator Waleed Iqbal, while representatives of the transgender community and human rights were present […]
Louisiana tells schools to keep discriminating against trans students
The Louisiana State Superintendent of Education is telling schools they can continue to discriminate against transgender students if they want to. In June, the Biden administration released a series of proposed changes to Title IX Regulations that would include explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ students. The proposal is currently undergoing public comment. Brumley recently sent […]
‘Brisbane has come of age’: the queer and migrant artists helping shed the city’s ‘cringe’
It seemed every single person in Brisbane was on the banks of the Maiwar river on Saturday afternoon, settling in with beach chairs and eskies to get the best vantage point. It was Riverfire: a much-loved explosive display involving fireworks, fighter jets and helicopter acrobatics that several locals separately described to me as “the most […]
On this day: Gay Liberation Australia, angry and proud
“Had I known at the age of 15 that my lesbianism could have been ‘cured’, I would have rushed to Dr McConaghy as my saviour,” wrote Lindy N. of Gay Lib in Tharunka on September 5, 1972. Lindy N. wrote to the University of NSW (UNSW) student magazine to dispute a previous letter from A.B. […]
Acceptance and a job she loves makes this teacher’s world a lot brighter
K. Sahana remembers how schools that had vacancies would reach out to her once they saw her qualifications listed in her resume. “When I would introduce myself over the phone and tell them I’m a transwoman, they would immediately come with an excuse and promise to contact me later. Those calls never came again,” she […]
Thousands join LGBT parades in Polish cities
Thousands of people have taken part in the annual LGBT equality marches in the cities of Katowice and Lublin. The former event was held jointly with the Ukrainian city of Odesa as a show of solidarity with those unable to celebrate pride in their wartorn homeland. In Lublin, the march took place without the violent […]
Tijuana’s Gay Men’s Chorus harnessing the power of music to make LGBT community more visible
The chords and notes from the Tijuana Gay Men’s Chorus spilled out from the basement of the red brick Casa de la Cultura and into the still night. The immense border city was quieter than usual at this hour, following a recent wave of arson and cartel threats that had forced residents into hiding on […]
Iran sentences two gay rights activists to death
The Islamic Republic of Iran imposed the death penalty on two LGBTQ activists for allegedly promoting homosexuality, human rights organization Hengaw reported on Sunday. According to Hengaw, an organization that documents human rights violations in Kurdistan, “Zahra Sediqi Hamedani, known as ‘Sareh,’ 31, from Naqadeh, and Elham Chubdar, 24, from Urmia, both activists of the […]
Doctors already in short supply in Alberta. Now, imagine trying to find one who’s gay
Finding a family doctor is a challenge for most Albertans. The number of physicians in the province taking new patients has dropped by half since 2020. For those who have unique medical needs, it can be an even greater challenge to find a doctor who understands the particular best practices for working with a given […]
Thai transgender cabaret returns after pandemic closure
Transgender performers at one of Thailand’s most famous cabaret shows have returned to the spotlight for the first time in about three years after being forced to find other ways to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic. One performer, Peerapong “Bee” Butakul, said she had turned to selling chicken rice during this time and […]
Gay man helps queer families fleeing red states with ‘above ground railroad’
A Texas estate agent has developed a programme to help LGBTQ+ homeowners across the US “flee red [Republican] states”. When broker Bob McCranie and his partner bought their first house together in 1998, the process was a painful series of micro-aggressions. “The realtor who worked with us kept introducing us as brothers,” he told PinkNews. […]
EXPLAINER-What is Drag Queen Story Hour and why are the events under attack?
Children’s storytime sessions led by drag queens are growing in popularity in countries from the United States to Japan – while fierce opposition campaigns are also gathering pace. Drag Queen Story Hour events aim to introduce children to diverse role models and LGBTQ+ people. Critics say they sexualise and confuse young audiences, claims which have […]
National Trust members to vote on banning ‘divisive’ and ‘woke’ Pride celebrations
Anti-LGBTQ+ National Trust members are asking members to vote for the charity to ban “divisive” Pride events. The National Trust is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which owns a huge variety of land and historic buildings. Despite the organisation having almost six million members, resolutions for […]
Compromise Lies Behind Singapore’s New Approach to LGBT Rights
Growing up in a conservative Christian neighborhood in Singapore, Brenda Eng and Pearlyn Tam never imagined they would lead the life they do today. The lesbian couple share a home, run a business and raise a daughter, and are an accepted fixture of their community. An announcement last week showed how much the city-state has […]
Armed left- and right-wing protesters face off at ‘drag brunch’ in Texas
Right- and leftwing protesters, some heavily armed with semi-automatic rifles, faced off outside a “drag brunch” at a restaurant in Roanoke, Texas, video showed. The standoff on Sunday was filmed by a Dallas-based investigative reporter, whose footage spread online, and came amid rising tensions in US society, polls showing majorities of Americans believe political violence […]