1,000+ Groups Call to Renew United Nations’ LGBTQ Rights Advocate
A coalition of human rights organizations has issued a joint statement urging the United Nations to renew its human rights expert mandate on sexual orientation and gender identity. The UN’s Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity was established in 2016 with by a narrow vote of member states, and was renewed narrowly in 2019. It is […]
Doctor/drag queen looks to spark change in Venezuela through LGBT+ activism
Caracas, Jun 23 (EFE).- Francisco Machado brings a great deal of passion to his role as a doctor, but he is equally dedicated and enthusiastic when putting on a wig, makeup and a dress and transforming himself into his feminine alter ego Vitiliga. “I’m 27 years old and I’m a medical surgeon and I’m also […]
Is the LGBT Community Doing Enough to Fight Monkeypox?
“Monkeypox is not a gay disease.” “Anyone can get monkeypox.” We’ve heard this ad infinitum—and it’s accurate—but as we attempt to avoid stoking stigma and homophobia, I fear the LGBT community and the government aren’t doing enough to raise awareness and curb transmission. The monkeypox outbreak outside endemic countries was first reported in the United Kingdom in early May. […]
Should queer Nigerians celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month?
Each year, the month of June is marked as “Pride Month”, a time when LGBTQ people all over the world partake in Pride marches and attend events — all aimed at bolstering support and self-acceptance for LGBTQ people. It is also a time when international brands and companies lend their support to queer people by […]
Donors free 11 LGBT prisoners in Cameroon. Next, maybe 9 more
Only 13 months ago, a visitor to the Central Prison in Yaoundé, Cameroon, counted 11 inmates serving time for nothing other than whom they loved. None of them had been convicted of anything but violations of the nation’s cruel anti-homosexuality law, Article 347-1 of the penal code, which provides for up to five years in […]
Japan’s LGBT Activists Undeterred By Marriage Ruling
LGBTQ rights in Japan suffered a blow on June 20, when a court in the country’s third-most populous city ruled that freedom of marriage in the constitution referred only to male-female unions, and that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage was therefore constitutional. The Osaka District Court also rejected demands for compensation for one million yen […]
Get up, walk the dog – my life is mundane, but because I’m gay Texas Republicans think I’m abnormal
This morning, I woke up earlier than I wanted to, fed the baby, walked the dog, chatted with my wife and procrastinated over some work. Yawningly mundane, right? Wrong. According to the Texas Republican party, my same-sex marriage is an “abnormal lifestyle choice”. What’s more, “abnormal” people like me should not have any “special legal entitlements” related […]
Leading Colorado LGBTQ lawmakers find Pride — and insight — in Israel
State Rep. Brianna Titone was a grand marshal of the Denver Pride Parade in 2019 and has walked in Pride parades in New York and Copenhagen, but she said it was her honor as chair of the Colorado Legislative LGBTQ Caucus to be one of the 170,000 people marching in the Tel Aviv Pride Parade […]
How Asexual People Feel Excluded From Queer Spaces, Complicating Their Identity.
Asexuality is both straightforward and complicated to define. At the outset, it describes the orientation of somebody who doesn’t experience sexual attraction. But this is followed by many caveats: when? In what context? How do you know what attraction isn’t if you don’t know what it is? It’s why asexuality is often considered to exist […]
War crimes against LGBTQ people in Ukraine are “worse than people can imagine”.
War crimes are a barbaric byproduct of conflict and combat. In an era of near incessant news coverage, the phrase has become a catch-all for heinous acts committed by soldiers and contractors in military theatres across the globe. Officially defined by the United Nations as “violations of international humanitarian law (treaty or customary law) that […]
Hong Kong’s Gay Rights Advocates Fear Civil Crackdown May Undo Progress.
Hong Kong’s crackdown on social activism is threatening to undo progress for gay rights, once considered validation of the city’s reputation as Asia’s liberal, financial haven. Well-known LGBTQ figures, including former lawmakers and singers, have been arrested or jailed for their political activism. The national security law imposed following the violent protests of 2019 has […]
LGBTI event at İstanbul University canceled over threats, 26 students briefly detained.
A picnic scheduled to take place on the Beyazıt campus of İstanbul University as part of LGBTI Pride Week activities was canceled after it was targeted by radical Islamist groups who threatened to lynch attendees, Turkish Minute reported. While police didn’t disperse the group that had gathered in front of the campus gate and chanted […]
Japan court upholds ban on same-sex marriage.
A court in Osaka has dismissed a lawsuit that argued Japan’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. The ruling on Monday dealt a setback to LGBTQ rights activists in the only Group of Seven nation that does not allow people of the same gender to marry. Three same-sex couples – two male and one female […]
Gay pro rugby player Nick McCarthy comes out in Ireland to widespread acceptance.
Nick McCarthy, a professional rugby player for Leinster in Ireland, has come out publicly as gay. In an interview with his team’s website, McCarthy said he considered leaving the sport as he didn’t think he could come out publicly and play professional rugby. When he talked with a couple of coaches last year, the support […]
LGBTQ rap collectives are here to stay – and we couldn’t be more proud.
Something close to alchemy happens when rap collectives make music together. Differing voices, perspectives, and styles collide over the beat, materializing in fresh, exciting musical ideas. Often, the work done in rap collectives invents new horizons for the genre. Many forward-thinking artists of our current time have emerged from the collective melting pot: Kendrick had […]
Born in Nagaland, Miss Bhutan 2022, a proud lesbian, to represent country at Miss Universe pageant
In a major shift in paradigm for Bhutan, which is generally considered as a traditional and conservative country, will send a lesbian to the Miss Universe 2022 pageant. 23-year-old Tashi Choden Chombal was crowned Miss Bhutan 2022 and is now all set to represent the country at Miss Universe 2022. Choden is confident and proud […]
Palestinian Activists Ban Concert for LGBTQ Community in Ramallah
Palestinian activists shut down a concert for the LGBTQ community that was scheduled to take place in Ramallah over the weekend. East Jerusalem singer-songwriter and video artist Bashar Murad was supposed to perform at the concert, which was scheduled to be held on Friday night. The homophobic activists, led by Yaman Jarrar, the son of prominent […]
How Henna Is Helping Proudly Brown And Queer Individuals Reconnect With Their Heritage
In a rebellious move against the gender binary, as well as notions of toxic masculinity imposed by their South Asian heritage, brown gay men and non-binary individuals are adorning their hands with traditional henna with pride. The word “forbidden” comes up quickly when asking a South Asian gay man about their first memory of henna. Shazad […]
FINA to Restrict Participation of Transgender Athletes in Elite Swimming Events
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — World swimming’s governing body has effectively banned transgender women from competing in women’s events, starting Monday. FINA members widely adopted a new “gender inclusion policy” on Sunday that only permits swimmers who transitioned before age 12 to compete in women’s events. The organization also proposed an “open competition category.” “This is not saying […]
Lithuanian bishops call for scrapping of same-sex partnership bill
Lithuanian bishops have called on politicians to vote down proposed same-sex partnership legislation, quoting words used by Pope Francis to argue that civil unions distort the concept of marriage and family. Lithuania’s parliament last month voted to accept for further debate a draft bill legalizing same-sex civil partnerships, after voting down a similar bill in […]
Singapore’s Pink Dot gay pride rally returns, as MP from ruling party attends for first time – and in a pink T-shirt
Singapore’s annual Pink Dot gay pride rally returned to the nation’s sole government-designated free speech zone on Saturday with palpable excitement after a two-year interruption and amid indications a controversial law criminalising sex between men could soon be struck off. Thousands of Singaporeans and permanent residents turned up in Hong Lim park in the downtown […]
Anti-LGBTQ+ attacks by US extremist groups surge as right spews vitriol
In Idaho, police recently found 31 members of a white supremacist group packed into the back of a U-Haul truck, apparently on their way to an LGBTQ+ pride event in the town of Coeur d’Alene. Further west, a crew of Proud Boys interrupted a drag queen event in California, intimidating parents and children and screaming […]
Bermuda moves to recognise its last same-sex marriages
Legislation was tabled in Bermuda’s House of Assembly today to recognise same-sex marriages that were carried until March 14, 2022, to be recognised. Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, Walter Roban, in presenting the Domestic Partnership Amendment Act 2022 in Parliament, noted there was a lot of confusion regarding the status of same-sex unions […]
LGBTQ Tolerance Billboards Destroyed in Ghana
Rights activists in Ghana are protesting after a crowd, urged on by a member of parliament, tore down a billboard that promoted tolerance toward the LGBTQ community. Last year, Ghanaian security shut down a European Union-supported LGBTQ community center, and some lawmakers are seeking to make gay rights advocacy illegal. To mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ […]
Romania threatened with legal action over ‘shameful’ LGBTQ+ ‘propaganda’ bill
A cross-party group of MEPs have called on Romania to drop a proposed law comparable to Russia’s so-called “gay propaganda” ban. Romania is considering a bill that would ban the use of materials in schools that “promote” being LGBTQ+. It has already passed through the country’s Senate despite warnings from human rights groups that it […]
Cycling’s governing body sets stricter rules for transgender athletes
Transgender cyclists face tougher eligibility rules after the sport’s governing body doubled the period of time before a rider transitioning from male to female can compete. Riders were previously required to have testosterone levels below five nanomoles per litre (nmol/L) for a 12-month period prior to competition. Under new regulations, which will be introduced by […]
Bulgaria’s Embattled LGBT Community Eyes Calmer Celebration This Year
Sofia Pride marks its 15th edition this week with various activities, including exhibitions, film screenings and, on Saturday June 18, an open-air concert featuring some of the best-known local performers followed by a march for equal rights. That wasn’t always the case: at the first Sofia Pride, in 2007, the tiny crowd was physically attacked, and […]
Right-Wing Groups Target Pride Events Amid Rising Anti-LGBTQ Rhetoric
Panda Dulce was just about to begin her Drag Queen Story Hour on Saturday in San Lorenzo, Calif., when a group of eight to 10 men marched into the library yelling homophobic and transphobic slurs. When the men arrived—including one wearing a shirt with an image of an AK-47 that said “kill yr local pedophile”—everyone […]
Feminist and LGBT Rights Activist on Trial in Russia
A prosecutor has called for Russian activist Yulia Tsvetkova to serve three years and two months in prison during a closed trial over absurd “pornography” charges. The activist from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in Russia’s Far East, promotes women’s rights, and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Russia. The charges against Yulia are […]
European LGBT Cops Won’t Wear Uniforms in Athens Pride Parade
ATHENS – They won’t be wearing their uniforms but members of the European LGBT Police Association, after meeting in the Greek capital, said they will take part in the Athens Pride parade but out of uniform. That, it was said, was out of respect for the decision by organizers with the event coming during a time […]