Life as an LGBTQ refugee in Turkey.
Same-sex relationships may have never been criminalized in Turkey as in many other predominantly Muslim nations, but LGBTQ individuals continue to be seen as depraved or deviant by various social layers and sometimes by those responsible for enforcing the law. And with the alarming rise in anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey, LGBTQ refugees face multifold hardships […]
LGBTQ activists angered by Baja California governor’s stance on conversion therapy.
The memories remain raw for 27-year-old Benjamin Sanchez. As the teenage son of a pastor in an ultra-Christian community of Tijuana, his identity was considered a sin. To absolve himself, Sanchez was forced to stand in front of a mirror and repeatedly yell: “I am not gay, I do not like men, being feminine is […]
Texas suing USDA over requirement to add LGBTQ protections to nutrition programs’ nondiscrimination policies Texas suing USDA over requirement to add LGBTQ protections to nutrition programs’ nondiscrimination policies.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Service announced in May that it would expand its definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation. Paxton and other attorneys general are suing in response. Attorney General Ken Paxton and more than 20 other attorneys general are challenging the federal Food and Nutrition Service’s new policy […]
GOP congressman attends gay son’s wedding after opposing protections for same-sex marriage.
GOP Rep. Glenn Thompson attended his gay son’s wedding last week, three days after opposing a bill in the US House that would enshrine protections for same-sex marriage into federal law, CNN has confirmed. Thompson’s office said in a statement that the Pennsylvania congressman and his wife were “thrilled” to attend the nuptials and are […]
Buenos Aires officials sued over unjust ban on gender-neutral language in schools.
Authorities in Buenos Aires are being sued after banning gender-neutral language from being taught in schools. Local officials were collectively taken to court by political groups after they banned teachers from describing students as “chic@s, “chiqxs” or “chiques”. Groups including the Argentinian LGBT Federation called the decision a “violation of human rights”, saying that the […]
Motion to oppose same-sex marriage forces rethink of Anglican summit.
The archbishop of Canterbury has been forced into a last-minute rethink of plans to ask Anglican bishops to oppose same-sex marriage when they meet this week for the first Lambeth conference – held in Canterbury – in 14 years. Liberal Anglicans and gay rights campaigners in the Church of England voiced outrage after the conference […]
WQMD – Experiences, Stories and Evolution of SA Drag Culture.
The art of drag has taken the world by storm, with the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise making it a truly global phenomenon. In this episode, Shenay sits down with three proudly South African drag superstars – Kitana Klitoris, Nicki Supreme, and Karla Beauty Marx – to explore all things drag. They talk about their drag […]
Same-Sex Marriage Bill Advances in US Congress
The U.S. Congress may be on the cusp of passing legislation that would codify recognition of same-sex marriages under federal law, solidifying the right of LGBTQ couples to wed seven years after the Supreme Court ruled that such unions must be given legal recognition across the United States. The House of Representatives, on July 19, passed […]
Double the risk for Russian tennis star speaking out on LGBTQ rights and war in Ukraine
Russia’s top female tennis player, Daria “Dasha” Kasatkina, has done something no Russian athlete of her rank has done before — she came out. While seeing a professional athlete from Canada or the U.S. speaking openly about their sexual orientation or gender identity has become more common, for Russian athletes, it’s virtually unheard of. But in an interview posted online this week, the 25-year-old […]
Glasgow bagel business owner on mission to help young LGBT Scots
IAN Brooke still looks over his shoulder when walking along a street when his husband takes his hand. The 42-year-old does it instinctively to see who might be there, partly for their own safety, but he longs for the day when a same-sex couple can hold hands and it be accepted as the norm. It’s […]
Gender-affirming Care: Thailand’s Transgender People Lead By Example
According to the article published in The Lancet last year, “transgender-specific data could benefit efforts in Asia to identify gaps in HIV response for transgender people.” Despite alarming evidence of high HIV incidence among key affected populations, such as transgender people, transgender-specific data related to HIV care cascade are scarce (and often merged with data […]
At Least 25 States Are One Supreme Court Decision Away From Banning Same-Sex Marriage
In his decision to help gut Roe v. Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the Supreme Court “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell”—cases that enshrined Americans’ right to contraception, to intimate same-sex relationships, and to marriage equality. In the past week, Democrats have raced to codify […]
Thousands join Budapest Pride march in sweltering heat
In sweltering temperatures, thousands of Hungarians took part in the annual Budapest Pride march on Saturday, vowing to keep up their fight against government policies on LGBTQ rights that have drawn EU condemnation. The European Commission sued Hungary earlier this month over a law passed last year to limit teaching about homosexuality and transgender issues […]
UN Health Agency Chief Declares Monkeypox a Global Emergency
The chief of the World Health Organization said the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a global emergency, a declaration Saturday that could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the […]
Delhi: Dispute between transgender individuals and police escalates at Dwarka
A dispute early Friday morning at a police station in Dwarka between transgender individuals from the Garima Greh shelter and police escalated, with the transgender individuals alleging that they were beaten up and abused while police claimed the former had acted aggressively and obstructed them. The transgender individuals claimed they had come to speak to […]
President Ramkalawan Meets Members of LGBTI Seychelles
President Wavel Ramkalawan received the Chairperson of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) Seychelles Association, Mr. Naddy Vidot, at State House yesterday morning. LGBTI Seychelles is a non-government organisation that advocates for sexual orientation and gender identity rights. Mr. Vidot was accompanied by members of LGBTI Seychelles Board which included the Vice Chairperson, […]
Police arrest leading gay activist in crackdown on Tunisia rally
Police have arrested a leading gay rights campaigner in a violent pushback against young people during a rally against the upcoming referendum on the Tunisian president’s newly proposed constitution. Police violently shoved protesters marching on Friday in a vocal but peaceful demonstration as they headed towards the Ministry of Interior in the centre of Tunis […]
Lebanon presses on with its crackdown on LGBTQ community
Nour never felt entirely safe as a queer person in Lebanon. But in the past few years, the 25-year-old pharmacist had begun letting his guard down, meeting with friends in LGBTQ-friendly spaces in Beirut and even performing in drag shows. He now opts to stay at home, fearing for his safety more than ever after […]
Six Texas lawsuits targeting gay marriage, LGBT rights after the fall of Roe vs. Wade
In the wake of the toppling of Roe v. Wade and with Justice Clarence Thomas urging the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit rulings on gay sex and marriage, Texas is the stage for several lawsuits dealing with LGBT rights. Right now, a half dozen cases on everything from insurance coverage for HIV prevention to employment […]
South Africa Islamic group issues edict that condemns homosexuality
A group of queer Muslims in South Africa have rejected the South African Muslim Judicial Council’s new edict that condemns homosexuality as sinful and unIslamic. The fatwa the the South African Muslim Judicial Council issued earlier this month says any Muslims who are in same-sex relationships or engage in same-sex sexual relations will have taken […]
Costa Rica family court validated adoption for a same-sex couple
Same-sex couples will be able to adopt from now on without any prejudice since a family court and the Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI) – which is in charge of the care of abandoned minors – supported the adoption of a 16-year-old adolescent by an equality marriage. The historic decision of June 15 by […]
Oklahoma town’s first openly gay mayor resigns over harassment, threats ‘bordering on violence’
Adam Graham, the first openly gay mayor of The Village, a town just outside Oklahoma City, has resigned, writing in a resignation letter that he no longer feels safe enough to serve. “In the last month, I’ve been followed home from meetings, threatened while walking my dog, harassed at Starbucks and have had my tires slashed,” […]
Three strategies to survive being LGBTIQ+ in Nigeria
Nigeria’s discriminatory laws against LGBTQI+ people continue to have a huge negative impact on the lives of LGBTIQ+ folks living in the country. LGBTQI+ people are subjected to various human rights violations solely based on their gender identity and sexual orientation. Given this reality, many have been forced to go “underground” and seek ways to survive. […]
U.S. House passes bill protecting marriage equality
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill protecting gay marriage rights, after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade imperiled similar precedents that protected rights to same-sex relations and contraception. The bill, which passed the Democratic-controlled chamber by a vote of 267-157 with support from 47 Republicans, establishes federal protections […]
China’s Tsinghua University Punishes Students for LGBTQ Flags
Two students at one of China’s most prestigious universities were issued warnings for distributing LGBTQ rainbow flags, highlighting how the nation’s increasing intolerance for sexual diversity is extending further into campuses. The pair were reprimanded for placing 10 handheld flags on a table at an on-campus supermarket in Beijing on May 14 alongside handwritten notes […]
Iranian LGBT Rights Defender Detained Again, Accused Of Trafficking Woman To Iraq
The Intelligence Organization of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has arrested Zahra Hamadani, a defender of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, on a charge of “trafficking” Iranian women to Iraq. An IRGC statement accused Hamadani of “promoting homosexuality, gambling, fraud, and promoting illicit sexual relations and publishing them on the Internet.” It […]
Top Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina comes out as gay
Russia’s highest ranked female tennis player came out as gay in an interview, while addressing rising homophobic attitudes in the country. Daria Kasatkina, currently ranked No. 12 in the world, told a Russian blogger that she is in a relationship with a woman, figure skater Natalia Zabiiako. Kasatkina posted photos of the two together on […]
‘We’re here:’ Queer communities in Africa are struggling to be seen
Parades, flags and celebrations are all important to queer communities in Africa as they seek greater visibility and acceptance, despite the threats faced by many throughout the continent. Many people have now decided to stop hiding, even though how far lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people can live openly and safely differs significantly from […]
A majority of Canadians support the repeal of queer blood ban, according to poll
A new poll finds that a majority of Canadians support the recent repeal of a lifetime deferral on gay and bisexual men donating blood. Nearly six in 10 respondents (59 percent), according to a survey from Narrative Research and the Logit Group, said they supported recent policy changes that eliminate some restrictions on queer male […]
Meet the first transgender military training instructor in United States Air Force
A military training instructor at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland not only serves our country by training the best in the United States Air Force, but also by serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration to many. Brandon Rodriguez is a military training instructor for the 321st Training Squadron and has been serving for […]