Yass marine! Here come rainbow bullets and brunches for Pride’s annual pinkwashing
Last Thursday, Ihop tweeted out what may be the most half-hearted appeal to queer liberation in the history of corporate America. “S/O to everyone who puts the pan in pancakes. Happy Pride!” it read, with the rainbow-flag emoji dutifully appended. While the blue-roofed chain’s messaging was inoffensive to the core, its limp determination to avoid controversy or […]
Inside Mexico City’s First LGBTQ Soup Kitchen.
Like many parts of Mexico City, the Guerrero neighborhood feels simultaneously bustling and relaxed. Just northwest of the city’s historic center, kids play in the street as mopeds zip past narrow buildings in bright, pastel colors and tree-lined sidewalks. But Guerrero lacks the glitz and glam of wealthier boroughs nearby. It is a working-class area […]
Sheila Lopez’s Children Led Her to a Navajo Tradition of Acceptance.
When Sheila Lopez, 48, realized that her two older children identified as LGBTQ, the information set her on a path to rediscovering her Native American cultural traditions and a new understanding of gender and gender fluidity. Mother to Samantha, 31, Emanuel, 28, and Matthew, 19, Lopez is an electrical engineer living in Phoenix, Arizona, and […]
In Russia’s shadow, LGBTQ people across the Baltics fight for their rights.
Surrounded by thousands of people wearing rainbow flags, glitter and sparkly outfits, Eddie Balčiūnaitė prepared to take part in one of the biggest marches the Baltic countries have ever seen. The 21-year-old nonbinary Lithuanian grew up in a country that since 2009 has banned sharing information that “expresses contempt for family values (or) encourages … […]
Gay Rugby Player Beaten So Badly He May Never Play Again.
A gay rugby player in Ireland says he may never again play the sport he loves after a brutal homophobic beating that left him with a shattered ankle and a dangerous eye injury. Evan Somer, 23, said he was attacked after an evening out in Dublin last April, and he recently told Ireland television program […]
Fight looms over transgender treatments in Medicaid.
National and state legal and LGBTQ-advocacy groups are preparing to fight a move by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to deny Medicaid coverage for treatments such as hormone therapy and puberty-blocking medication for transgender people. Lambda Legal, the National Health Law Program, the Florida Health Justice Project and Southern Legal Counsel issued a statement Friday, a […]
A year after landmark HC ruling, lesbian couples still face discrimination.
Suffering from gender dysphoria since adolescence, R Ramya, 24, is in the process of a sex change to transition to identify as a male. Growing up in rural Tamil Nadu, Ramya battled several hurdles, including no access to information, a conservative environment and trying to make sense of her emotions. But a lot has changed […]
In the Philippines, You Can Be Both Openly LGBT and Proudly Catholic. But It’s Not Easy.
Gabb’z Gabriel is the very definition of a devout Roman Catholic. He even aspired to be a priest. At 12, he became part of his church’s youth ministry in Quezon City, about 10 km from the Philippine capital of Manila. He has attended religious processions of Holy Week flagellants, walking barefoot on sweltering asphalt. Now […]
Lesbian icon receives Order of Merit for staunch advocacy to NZ rainbow community
For a long time, Miriam Saphira thought she was a freak. “I always knew I was homosexual – I didn’t know the word ‘lesbian’ – but I read in an encyclopaedia that homosexuals had arrested development and I thought, ‘I’m a freak’.” That mindset led her to marrying a man after becoming pregnant at 19. Five children […]
Thailand: Bangkok sees first LGBTQ Pride march in years
A celebratory march made its way through the Thai capital of Bangkok on Sunday, the first of its kind in almost 16 years. The “Naruemit Pride 2022” event — using the Thai word for “creation” — was the result of organizational work by NGOs promoting LGBTQ rights with the support of the recently confirmed Governor of Bangkok […]
Sit-in over anti-LGBTQ policy surpasses 300 hours at SPU
SEATTLE – Students at Seattle Pacific University have crossed the 300 hour mark of a sit-in over an anti-LGBTQ policy. The sit-in began as a direct response to the school’s board of trustees vote to re-affirm a policy which bans the university from hiring LGBTQ+ employees. The “Employee Lifestyle Expectations” policy was voted on in late May. However, […]
China’s gay youth wanting to expand rights at home seek a different path to LGBT campaigners in the West
The first time Eugene Wu observed a pride parade in Manchester after arriving in Britain to study architecture in 2017, it was a bit of a culture shock. “I saw many people dressed in eccentric and flamboyant clothes,” the London-based architectural assistant said. “In a Western environment, this would not be an issue, however if […]
GOP passes bill aiming to root out ‘suspected’ transgender female athletes with genital inspection
House Republican lawmakers in Ohio passed a bill at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday night that would ban transgender girls and women from participating in high school and college athletics. It also comes with a “verification process” of checking the genitals of those “accused” of being trans. The ‘Save Women’s Sports Act,’ or House Bill 61, wasn’t […]
85 YEARS ON, A PIONEERING LGBTQ RESEARCHER’S IDEAS ABOUT SEXUALITY TAKE ON NEW MEANING
Historians are rediscovering one of the most important LGBTQ activists of the early 20th Century — an Asian Canadian named Li Shiu Tong. You probably don’t know the name, but he was at the center of the first wave of gay politics. Much has been written about Li’s older boyfriend, Magnus Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld was a […]
Mexican LGBTQ group rallies support for beach ‘paradise’ battered by storm
When Hurricane Agatha battered a Mexican beach hamlet popular with LGBTQ residents and visitors earlier this week, members of the community sprang into action to help the town rebound. Zipolite, located on the enchanting southern Pacific coast of Oaxaca state, found itself directly in the path of the storm on Monday. The storm touched down […]
Russia Says Planning Domestic ‘Alternative’ to European Rights Court
Russia is developing a domestic alternative to Europe’s top human rights court, the head of the Association of Russian Lawyers said Thursday. Russia has been outside the jurisdiction of the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) since March, when Moscow was expelled from the Council of Europe over its invasion of Ukraine. Work is currently underway to […]
Indonesia’s LGBTQ community fears crackdown under legal reforms
Indonesia’s lawmakers are working on reforming the country’s criminal code under a draft bill, known in the country by the acronoym RKUHP. The reforms are an attempt to sweep out a colonial era criminal justice system, but there is concern the reforms will be used to make more types of conduct illegal. That is why LGBTQ rights […]
After years fighting for the ‘little guy’, Hong Kong crackdown forces UK lawyer to flee
Michael Vidler has built his legal career on fighting for the “little guy” in Hong Kong, from high-profile street protesters such as Joshua Wong to little-known LGBT activists. But not any more. After 30 years in the city, the 58-year-old human rights lawyer has been forced to flee back to Britain because of concerns about the Beijing-drafted […]
BBC article claiming cis lesbians ‘pressured into sex by trans women’ found to be misleading
A story by the BBC claiming cis lesbians are being “pressured into sex” by trans women fell below the broadcaster’s editorial standards, the company’s complaints team has found. The story, written by BBC News journalist Caroline Lowbridge, drew stiff criticism among LGBTQ+ campaign groups and even cis women. The publication of the dangerous story on 26 October 2021 led to protests outside BBC offices […]
Meet Charlie Amáyá Scott, a transgender Indigenous scholar and social influencer
Navajo Nation citizen Charlie Amáyá Scott, 27, is a transgender social media influencer, scholar and advocate. Scott, of Aurora, Colorado, who uses she and they pronouns, leverages her platform to highlight issues affecting the queer Indigenous community. She is also focusing on her Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Denver. In one of her most recent Instagram […]
“Fully embraced”? Bostwana’s queer struggles since decriminalisation.
In November 2021, Botswana’s Court of Appeal upheld a landmark 2019 ruling that had decriminalised gay sex. Before the original verdict, same-sex sexual activity had been punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment. In the wake of 2019 decision, the government filed an appeal, reportedly to appease conservative voters. “It was a political card that […]
Gay/Trans ‘Panic’ Defense Leads to Accused Killer’s Acquittal.
A Virginia man has been acquitted of murder after using what amounted to a gay/trans “panic” defense, outlawed in the state just a month after the victim’s death. A jury Friday found former Virginia Tech football player Isimemen Etute, 19, not guilty of second-degree murder in the beating death of Jerry Paul Smith, The Roanoke […]
Kerala Lesbian Couple Reunited by High Court in Big Win After Being Separated by Parents.
The Kerala High Court set a strong precedent on Tuesday by allowing a lesbian couple, Adhila Nasarin and Fathima Noora, to live together after they were forcefully separated by their parents. Adhila had filed a habeas corpus petition following which Fathima, who was allegedly “abducted” by her family, appeared before court. The two judge bench […]
Activist reporter tells why he promotes LGBTI rights in the French Caribbean.
More than 12 million people live in the Francophone Caribbean, from the independent nation of Haiti to the French territories of Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Martin, St. Barthélemy, and French Guiana. LGBTI people across the region have unique struggles that Erasing 76 Crimes reporter Moïse MANOËL-FLORISSE, an Afro-Caribbean native of Guadaloupe, has involved himself in for […]
Youth group’s new zine showcases 2SLGBTQ+ talent in rural Ontario.
When Mabe Kyle was in their teens, they didn’t think that 2SLGBTQ+ people existed in rural Ontario, but years later, the youth group that Kyle co-founded has released a zine showing that queer people can be found in all corners of the province. “I think it’s important because it’s an identity that’s often erased,” said […]
Anti-gay mob of 100 people beat American man bloody & parade him through the streets.
Three men have been arrested in the West African country of Senegal after video emerged of a suspected homophobic attack that left its American victim bloodied, robbed and paraded nearly naked through the streets. Video of the assault, which occurred on May 17 in the capital city of Dakar, shows a crowd of nearly 100 […]
Israeli right-wing magazine decries ‘LGBT-stan’ and ‘LGBT religion’.
The right-wing Channel 14 announced a new magazine on Monday, with the cover featuring a cartoon of worshippers surrounding a rainbow “golden calf” with the title “LGBT-stan: how radical left-wing organizations control the State of Israel with the LGBT religion.” The Aguda – The Association for LGBTQ+ Equality in Israel – called the magazine cover […]
We have the power’: Poles march for LGBTQ+ rights in Gdansk.
Thousands of Poles marched to demand an end to homophobia on Saturday, as the northern port city of Gdansk hosted its seventh annual Equality March under the slogan “We have the power”. Waving the rainbow flags of the LGBTQ+ community and the blue, pink and white transgender flag, the marchers made their way through the […]
Meet the LGBTQI Pacific Islanders overcoming a ‘colonial mindset’ and ‘narrative of shame’ to embrace their true selves
From an early age, Kalisito Biaukula stood out as the “loudest, wildest, craziest, most androgynous” child in what was a very traditional Fijian family. “I know growing up I know I was different. I believe that I was born trapped in the wrong body,” they said. The 25-year-old broadcaster and activist is vakasalewalewa, an iTaukei term that describes […]
At Berkeley’s queer tango class, it takes 2 but it doesn’t matter who
On a recent Sunday afternoon at Finnish Hall, Mira Barakat, a tango instructor, demonstrated a connection exercise designed to help students be more responsive to their partner’s movements. “Leaders, hands in the air,” she said, starting the music on her laptop. It was time for the students to pair off and practice themselves. Though men have traditionally […]