Zackie Achmat and His Queer Revolution
For many South Africans, Zackie Achmat is best remembered as the co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which waged a valiant battle to compel Thabo Mbeki’s AIDS denialist government to provide antiretroviral (ARV) medication to people living with HIV. After coming out as HIV-positive in 1998, Achmat famously vowed not to take ARVs until […]
INDONESIA CONSIDERS BAN ON LGBTQ+ CONTENT AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
The Government of Indonesia is proposing a media bill that raises serious concerns about freedom of expression. The bill, if passed, would ban “LGBT content” and heavily restrict investigative journalism across all broadcast and streaming platforms. This move has sparked outrage from civil society organizations, journalists, and filmmakers who see it as a blatant attack on […]
Afghan transgender people petition Peshawar Court for protection
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Transgender individuals from Afghanistan have filed a petition with the Peshawar High Court, seeking protection from forced deportation by Pakistan. The petitioners argue that they face significant challenges in Pakistan due to the lack of residency cards. The Peshawar High Court has referred the petition to a judge, aiming to ensure a safe life […]
Queer Namibians pin hopes on progressive court ruling as Parliament moves to curtail rights
Namibian LGBTQ+ advocates hope a High Court ruling next month will decriminalise gay sex by overturning the colonial-era sodomy law, offering a ray of hope even as parliament tries to crack down on same-sex relationships. “The courts (are) our last hope and our beacon of liberation,” Omar van Reenen, who is co-founder of the rights group […]
California evangelical seminary ponders changes that would make it more welcoming to LGBTQ students
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fuller Theological Seminary, an evangelical school in Pasadena, California, is deliberating whether to become more open to LGBTQ+ students who previously faced possible expulsion if found to be in a same-sex union. That’s according to a draft of proposed revisions to the seminary’s sexual standards that was obtained by The Associated […]
How a vicious gay-bashing ring unfolded in Christchurch
A spate of gay-bashings in Christchurch has resurfaced old fears that the city isn’t safe for rainbow people, and the mayor admits urgent action is needed. Sinead Gill reports. It’s midnight. A man is being chased by a group of teenagers through a park in Fendalton, one of Christchurch’s safest neighbourhoods. He was targeted through […]
Users Report Google’s AI Overview Thinks Tons of Fictional Characters Are Gay
Listen, we’re big fans of underrated and lesser-known LGBTQ+ fictional characters here at Them, but we have to be the bearer of bad news: despite what Google’s new “artificial intelligence” bot might have told you, queer Star Wars icon Slurpy Faggi does not actually exist. Google has spent the last few weeks rolling out a […]
LGBTQ+ Poles call for action to boost rights at Pride march
Thousands of Poles gathered in Gdansk on Saturday for the northern port city’s annual Pride event, with many calling on the government to do more to boost LGBTQ+ rights, including delivering on a promise to pass a same-sex civil unions law. A pro-European government led by former European Council President Donald Tusk took power in […]
Ex-KKK leader’s child comes out as transgender in new memoir
R. Derek Black’s coming out story is complicated. As a child, Black came out to the world as a white nationalist on the syndicated daytime talk program “The Jenny Jones Show” in 1999. Then, while trying to hide their white nationalist credentials as a college student roughly a decade later, Black was outed in a […]
It’s now illegal for Minnesota libraries to ban LGBTQ+ books under this new law
Minnesota has banned book bans, making it illegal for libraries to remove titles based on ideology. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed HF3782 into law last week, which prevents libraries from removing books “based solely on the viewpoint, content, message, idea, or opinion conveyed.” Instead, content curation will be managed by “a licensed library media specialist, […]
Top academic accuses the British Medical Journal of ‘abandoning science’ after rejecting research ‘because of their views on the trans debate’
The British Medical Journal has been accused of ‘abandoning science’ after it rejected research from top academics over their views on the trans debate. One researcher had his paper rejected because he was ‘opinionated’ and had tweeted in support of author JK Rowling’s gender-critical views. The other’s research was taken offline by BMJ staff who […]
Out in the World: LGBTQ protectors most targeted, human rights report says
LGBTQ human rights protectors were the most targeted groups of those fighting for equality, according to a new report from Front Line Defenders. Advocates for LGBTQ rights (10.2%) topped the list of most targeted human rights defenders reported to FLD in 2023. Rounding out the top five on the list were those working on behalf […]
Dominica LGBT activist says queer people still aren’t free
Dominica’s High Court has struck down the nation’s anti-sodomy law, but homophobia remains pervasive. “The law has changed in Dominica, but it will still take time to change people’s attitudes,” says Daryl Phillip, head of Minority Rights Dominica (MiRiDom). “Before and even now, people allow themselves to treat LGBT people as second-class citizens.” On April […]
Republican candidate’s ‘weak and gay’ campaign ad sparks comedic pushback
Her message? “Don’t be weak and gay.” In turn, the response on social media was strong and decidedly gay. Valentina Gomez, one of eight Republican candidates in the race to be Missouri’s next secretary of state, on Sunday posted a provocative campaign video on X in which she jogs along a quiet road in a weighted […]
Muslim majority Kosovo considers same-sex unions amid fierce opposition
PRISTINA, May 23 (Reuters) – In a Pristina apartment, gay actors laugh and cry their way through rehearsals for a play lampooning homophobic politicians and advocating equal rights for the LGBT community in Kosovo, which may soon become the first Muslim-majority country to allow same-sex unions. The play is scheduled to run during Pride Week in […]
Indonesia mulls ban on investigative journalism, LGBT content
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia’s parliament is proposing changes to its broadcast law that would ban investigative journalism and LGBT content, sparking criticism from civil society groups and filmmakers over restrictions to press freedom and creative expression. Changes to the 2002 broadcast law were first discussed in 2020 but the details in the latest revisions have spurred […]
The neoliberal populism of Milei and Meloni
When far-right “outsider” Javier Milei was elected Argentina’s president in November, hard-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was the first European leader to congratulate him. In February, Milei returned the favour by making Italy the first country in Europe he visited as president. Since then, the two leaders had nothing but praise for each other. […]
Weeks ahead of its famous LGBT Pride parade, Brazil struggles with one LGBTI killing every 38 hours
São Paulo, Brazil – In 2023, 230 LGBTI+ individuals were violently killed in Brazil, according to data released this month by the Observatory of LGBTI+ Deaths and Violence. This alarming statistic translates to one death every 38 hours. In 2022, the organization recorded 273 violent deaths, 15.75% more than last year. However, the actual number of victims could be higher […]
Senegal arrests Islamic agitators for claiming prime minister is gay
A left-wing French politician’s visit to the West African nation of Senegal has led to anti-gay Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko being accused of homosexuality and two Islamist figures being arrested for making that accusation. No one had expected that a May 16 meeting in Dakar between Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and former French presidential […]
UCP legislature members banned from Alberta Pride events in push for policy changes
An Alberta queer community organizer says a Pride ban on United Conservative Party legislature members challenges Premier Danielle Smith to start matching words with actions. “There’s absolutely no reason to invite the UCP to engage in our cultural celebrations while they are legislating against us,” James Demers of Queer Citizens United said in an interview […]
Trump-appointed Alabama judge threatens to jail LGBTQ+ rights lawyers; attorneys fight back
A Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Alabama has threatened to jail several prominent LGBTQ+ civil rights lawyers involved in a long-running forum-shopping dispute. U.S. District Judge Liles Burke, who oversees Boe v. Marshall, a case challenging Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors, issued an unexpected order Friday, Chris Geidner of Law Dorkreports. Burke demanded […]
Japanese lesbian couple granted refugee status in Canada
A Japanese lesbian couple has been granted refugee status in Canada after enduring discrimination in Japan. Eri, aged in her 30s, and Hana, in her 50s, got married in Canada in 2019 but faced discrimination upon their return to Japan. Canada said it recognized the lack of legal marriage protections for same-sex couples and the […]
Sint Maarten’s first openly trans woman says attitudes are changing
Being trans in the Caribbean today is easier than in the past, helped by the visibility and recognition of transgender people in Northern countries, as well as advances in local legislation in the Caribbean. On Saint Martin, an island split between a Dutch side and a French side, it is mainly European law that applies […]
U.K. forces Google to remove websites selling gender-affirming medications
The United Kingdom is continuing its attempt to make gender-affirming healthcare less accessible for transgender people by forcing Google’s search engine to remove any regional search results for two pharmaceutical websites that sell hormones without requiring a prescription. An operator of one of the sites said that Google was “not obligated” to remove it from […]
HRW urges Iraq government to repeal law criminalizing LGBTQ+ conduct
HRW urged the Iraqi government on Monday to repeal a new law that prohibits same-sex conduct and transgender expression as it violates basic human rights such as freedom of expression, equality and non-discrimination. The anti-LGBT law, as an amendment to existing the Iraqi “Law on Combatting Prostitution,” was passed on April 27, 2024. It criminalizes […]
Mexican authorities abruptly shutter LGBTQ hotel in Puerto Vallarta
Mexican authorities abruptly and without warning shut down a longtime LGBTQ hotel in Puerto Vallarta Friday night, leaving some guests with their belongings tossed in the street. Hotel Mercurio had been in operation for 22 years in the heart of the resort city’s gay-popular Zona Romantica neighborhood, south of downtown. The hotel’s American owner, Paul […]
Supreme Court Turns Down Case Challenging School District’s Transgender Policies
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a case about a Maryland school district’s policies to support transgender students and when parents may challenge them. The court’s action in Parents 1 v. Montgomery County Board of Education was not a decision on the merits, but the case is emblematic of a widespread […]
Myanmar LGBTQ people plea for help
While Pride Month is around the corner in Thailand, Burmese LGBTQ people live under the Tatmadaw’s shadow, waiting for help from their Thai counterparts. “Even if Thailand and Myanmar are close neighbours, LGBTQ lives are totally different,” said Saw Zin Maung Soe, founder of the Civil Authorize Negotiate Organisation (Can-Myanmar) and chair of the Consultants […]
Italy’s family minister explains decision not to sign EU LGBT declaration
Italy was among nine EU countries that did not sign a declaration promoting European policies in favor of LGBT+ communities, sparking widespread protests within the country while the government described it as “unbalanced”. Italy’s refusal to sign an EU declaration on the World Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia sparked a lot of controversy, both […]
Georgia’s other Russian-style law is fueling a bitter culture war
TBILISI — “No racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia,” reads a sign in a small vegan café in the center of the Georgian capital, an EU flag pinned across the counter. “The other day, I was looking at a picture I took in 2013 with my friends who are queer activists, and I realized 90 percent of […]