Belarus plans its own anti-‘gay propaganda’ law
Russian ally Belarus is making preparations for a restrictive anti-LGBTQ+ law like Russia’s, with an extra provision targeting childless couples. Alexis Boddy of City Law School at the University of London writes in The Jurist: Belarus drafts law punishing the promotion of LGBT+ relationships. The Prosecutor General of Belarus, Andrei Shved, announced [on Feb. 19] that the government has […]
Gay-obsessed Nigerian pastor denounces ‘intriguing’ homosexuality
A tech-savvy Nigerian pastor is spreading an ongoing stream of homophobia online, having developed almost a fixation on the topic of homosexuality. The pastor, Damilola Oluwatoyinbo, has dedicated numerous sermons online and in person to denouncing what he views as a “challenging, intriguing, and captivating” subject. He is the leader of the Lagos-based KINGS church, which stands […]
Nepal’s Supreme Court issues show cause to govt over political rights to third gender
Nepal’s Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a show cause notice to the government in response to a writ petition filed by an advocacy group for the third gender demanding political rights for the community members. The writ filed by Pahichan Nepal said that the existing electoral system has done injustice to the third gender. The […]
Samuel Alito Is Mad You Can’t Be Bigoted Toward Gay People Anymore
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is complaining that people who oppose homosexuality were being unfairly branded as bigots, despite that being a dictionary definition of bigotry. The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a case about whether it is legal to exclude potential jurors based on their religion. The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Jean Finney, […]
Ghana moves closer to passing bill that would crack down on LGBT rights
ACCRA, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday moved a step closer to holding a vote on a bill that seeks to further clamp down on the rights of LGBT people, rejecting a proposal that would have seen jail terms for gay sex replaced with non-custodial sentences such as counselling. A coalition of Christian, Muslim, […]
Oklahoma Republicans Passed a Bathroom Bill. Now, a Trans Kid Is Dead.
One day after a transgender Oklahoman teen hit their head on the floor while getting attacked in their school bathroom, they were dead. Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old from Owasso, Oklahoma, was the victim of transphobic torment from school bullies that started at the beginning of the 2023 school year, just a handful of months after […]
FC Barcelona surprisingly puts pro-LGBTQ social post on Arabic account, to mixed reactions
The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona extends far beyond “El Clasico” matches, which rank among the most intense and politically charged matches in world soccer. The two La Liga clubs are also the most-followed sports franchises on social media, both well clear of third-placed Manchester United. The Los Angeles Lakers have the most followers […]
Belarus prepares law against ‘LGBT propaganda’
In Belarus, a draft law punishing the “promotion of non-traditional relationships” – which refers to LGBTQIA relationships – is being prepared. This development (or backward step, to be more apt) was announced by Belarusian state news agency Belta, which quoted the country’s prosecutor general, Andrei Shved, as saying that a bill was prepared establishing administrative […]
Nigerian Police threaten crackdown over viral LGBT TikTok trend
Nigerian police spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi has vowed to crack down on a group of LGBT individuals featured in a viral video on social media. The threats were issued against participants in the queer edition of the trending TikTok “I am” challenge, where some LGBTIQ+ Nigerians disclosed their sexuality and gender identity on the social […]
China LGBTQ community hangs tough in dissent amid repression
In a scene like many played out in theaters around the world, last month a smiling dance performance director emerged from the wings after a show to thunderous applause, taking a bow with a rainbow flag bearing the slogan “Love is love, love and gender are unrelated.” But this scene was in China, and the […]
Idaho asks Supreme Court to let it enforce ban on transgender care
Idaho officials asked the Supreme Court to let the state enforce a strict ban on gender-affirming treatments for minors in an emergency request made public Monday by one of the groups involved in the case. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little last year, makes it a felony for doctors to provide medical treatment […]
Pride And The City: Creating Queer Third Spaces In Bengaluru
In the last few years, potentially due to the pandemic-caused confinement at home, the topic of third places has gained prominence in popular discourse. They can be described simply as a place of leisure and places for people to exist outside of home and work. According to Ray Oldenburg, who coined the term, they are […]
Landmark Victory for LGBTQ Rights: Hong Kong’s Highest Court Mandates Legal Framework for Same-Sex Unions
In a historic decision that reverberates through the corridors of justice and rights advocacy, Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal has decisively ruled in favor of LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham, marking a significant turning point for the recognition of same-sex unions within the territory. This landmark ruling, delivered on a crisp morning in February 2024, […]
Russian security services drag ‘gay night’ party-goers out into snow and beat them
Russian police raided a party they accused of spreading LGBT propaganda and beat its attendees in the snow, as part of a crackdown sweeping the country. The Typography club in the city of Tula, 100 miles south of Moscow, was holding a night it described as promoting “love, openness and sexuality”. Though not advertised, overtly […]
Cameroon: A merciful principal confronts two lesbian students
Youth Day is a festival held on Feb. 11 each year in Cameroon to celebrate the potential of the nation’s young citizens. But for two LGBT youths, the lead-up to this year’s celebration turned into a time for anxiety and, unexpectedly, a bit of mercy. Traditional activities of Youth Day in Cameroon include parades and […]
Supreme Court Could Kill College Transgender Sports
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA athlete turned political campaigner, has expressed confidence the Supreme Court will end up ruling against transgender women being allowed to compete in women’s sport in school and college, in a “Title 9 case.” In 2022 Gaines, then a student and college swimmer at the University of Kentucky, tied with transgender […]
‘We’re Going to Stand Up’: Queer Literature is Booming in Africa
As a queer teenager growing up in northern Nigeria, Arinze Ifeakandu often found himself searching for books that reflected what he felt. He combed through the books at home and imagined closer bonds between the same-sex characters. He scoured the book stands in Kano, the city where he lived, hoping to find stories that focused […]
Christopher Luxon leaves Big Gay Out after heated protest
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has abruptly left the Big Gay Out festival in Auckland’s Point Chevalier after being confronted by Gaza protesters. The annual Pride event is being held today in Coyle Park as a celebration for Rainbow communities and their allies. At a media standup this morning, Luxon said he was looking forward to […]
Zimbabwe: Government Launches Scathing Anti-LGBTIQ+ Attack
In an extraordinary diatribe, the government of Zimbabwe has launched a scathing attack against a scholarship programme for LGBTIQ+ students, labelling LGBTIQ+ individuals deviants and aberrations who should be denied access to education. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, on behalf of the government, issued a threatening and paranoid press statement on February 15th, condemning what he […]
Deep disappointment as St Vincent High Court fails to overturn discriminatory anti-LGBT laws
The Human Dignity Trust is deeply disappointed by today’s decision from the High Court in St Vincent and the Grenadines, that upholds the criminalisation of consensual, same-sex sexual activity. The High Court failed to overturn discriminatory anti-LGBT laws, inherited from colonial times. These laws target LGBT people by criminalising same-sex sexual activity, with punishment of […]
This map shows you where same-sex marriage is legal around the world
After Greece voted to legalise same-sex marriage this week, you may be wondering which countries across the world also have marriage equality. Luckily, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation have come up with a handy map to show the places that currently allow same-sex marriage. According to the HRC Foundation, which “tracks developments in the […]
Gay Conversion Therapy Roadshow Sparks Outrage in Albany, Western Australia
In the quiet streets of Albany, Western Australia, a storm brews, not of nature but of ideology. A recent event, dubbed the ‘Gay Conversion Therapy Roadshow,’ has ignited a fierce debate across the state and beyond. Organized by a local religious group, the roadshow’s aim to ‘convert’ gay individuals to heterosexuality has drawn the ire […]
Ghana lawmaker says jailing LGBT offenders would encourage sodomy in prison
A Ghanaian legislator has asked parliament to replace jail terms for gay sex with non-custodial sentences including counselling, saying the anti-LGBT bill currently making its way through the legislature would only encourage sodomy in prisons. A coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders have sponsored the legislation, which is favoured by most lawmakers and […]
Teachers Sue Gavin Newsom Over Policy Forcing Them to Lie About Student’s Transgender Status to Parents
Two teachers have added the governor and attorney general of California to a lawsuit. The suit claims that state policies have forced educators to lie to parents by hiding the transgender status of their children from them. Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West, two teachers at Rincon Middle School in Escondido, sued the Escondido Union […]
St. Vincent upholds laws criminalizing gay sex in Caribbean island nation in setback for activists
A top court in St. Vincent and the Grenadines upheld laws on Friday that criminalize gay sex, a blow to activists who have long decried the violence the LGBTQ+ community has faced on the conservative Caribbean archipelago. The ruling by St. Vincent’s High Court stems from a 2019 case filed by two gay men from […]
Zimbabwe Government Rejects LGBT Scholarship Offer as ‘Unlawful and Unchristian’
The Zimbabwean government has issued a stern rejection to what it labels as ‘so-called’ LGBT scholarships, branding them as unlawful and unchristian. In a recent press statement, the government criticized foreign interests for attempting to entice Zimbabwean students into what it described as “alien, anti-life, un-African and unchristian values.”
How Latin Americans Are Learning To Embrace The “Coming Out” Of LGBTQ+ Loved Ones
Jorge Apolaya, a 45-year-old Peruvian, is pained to recall his mother’s disappointment in 2007, when she heard him admit he was gay and liked men. Activists like him often say that they don’t want people to accept them, but to respect them. But the truth is that he did want his mother’s acceptance.
Lesbian couple make history as first to have their marriage recognised in Nepal
A lesbian couple has made history as the first to have their marriage recognised by the Nepalese government. In the capital city of Kathmandu, Anju Devi Shrestha and Suprita Gurung, both 33, became the first lesbian couple to register their marriage with the authorities, the Deccan Herald reported.
Greece legalises same sex marriage in landmark change
Greece’s parliament approved a bill allowing same-sex civil marriage on Thursday, a landmark victory for supporters of LGBT rights that was greeted with cheers by onlookers in parliament and dozens gathered on the streets of Athens. The law gives same-sex couples the right to wed and adopt children and comes after decades of campaigning by […]
India’s queer youth find both hope and despair online
In 2016, when Roshni Singh was in Class 9, Reliance Jio launched an offer wherein it provided customers with free SIM cards, along with 1 gigabyte of free internet per day. Singh’s parents procured a SIM card for the family, which she would use. The easy access to the internet opened up a whole new […]