Turkey’s Alevis to open their houses of worship to LGBTQ funerals
The mood at an ordinary symposium organized by various civic groups in mid-May suddenly took a joyous and emotional turn for Turkey’s LGBTQ individuals after a groundbreaking announcement by a prominent leader of the country’s Alevi community, which represents a distinct and often stigmatized branch in Islam. The surprising announcement came on May 13 at […]
French comedy on Russian homophobia filmed in Ukraine
“The Revenge of the Shiny Shrimps” follows an all-queer water polo team that lands in homophobic Russia. But the scenes had to be shot in Ukraine, before the war. The fictional water LGBTQ polo team portrayed in the hit French comedy, “The Shiny Shrimps,” was inspired by an actual group of people who practice the […]
Nigeria’s LGBTQ Community Fights Restrictive Cross-Dressing Bill
Dressed in rainbow-colored vests, members of the LGBTQ community marched in a risky demonstration in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to protest a bill introduced by lawmakers in Nigeria’s lower house of parliament last month seeking to ban cross-dressing. The new measure calls for a punishment of six months in jail or a fine of about $1,200 […]
Turkey’s Alevis to open their houses of worship to LGBTQ funerals
The mood at an ordinary symposium organized by various civic groups in mid-May suddenly took a joyous and emotional turn for Turkey’s LGBTQ individuals after a groundbreaking announcement by a prominent leader of the country’s Alevi community, which represents a distinct and often stigmatized branch in Islam. The surprising announcement came on May 13 at […]
A crutch to continue to prejudice’: Montreal’s LGBTQ community fears stigma from monkeypox
David Hawkins wasn’t alive during the height of the AIDS crisis in the mid-1980s, but decades later, his organization is still working on dispelling harmful myths associated with the disease. “All these years later, it is still seen as being the gay disease, and it’s stuff like that that people still point to as the […]
2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year testifies to Congress about LGBTQ inclusion
When it comes to his Montgomery County High School classroom, French and English teacher Willie Carver likes to let the students take the lead. “When I see any human being, I see potential,” Carver said. That teaching style earned him the 2022 Kentucky Teacher of the Year award a few months ago. He also engages […]
DR Congo: Dejected LGBTI activist returns, despite dangers
Congolese LGBTI rights activist Jeremie Safari thought he was out of the woods after he fled west in March to the anonymity of the capital city, Kinshasa, leaving behind the homophobic cauldron of Bukavu at the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But soon his money ran out and he decided to return […]
‘I do not wish to be anonymous’: Doctor becomes ‘first’ Qatari to publicly come out as gay
The moment Nas Mohamed knew for certain he was gay, he panicked. “I walked into a gay club and I knew I was 100 percent gay,” he tells The Independent. “I went home and cried – I thought my life is in crisis. I thought I was going to go to hell, my life is damned. “That […]
Our Circle Belize Makes Strides Against LGBTQ Discrimination
The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is being celebrated today, May 17. This year’s theme is “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights.” The theme is geared at bringing to the forefront the concern that these persons cannot fulfil their full potential without exercising bodily autonomy. Our Circle is a national organisation that provides […]
Queer camp counselor was told not to come back. So they opened their own camp.
Shira Berkowitz loved being a counselor at an overnight summer camp in Minnesota. In 2007, Berkowitz, then 22, was primed to become the program director for ninth-graders, but then a message arrived: Please don’t come back to camp. Staff at the camp, which Berkowitz requested not be named, “would say inappropriate things about my sexuality, […]
Chile’s LGBTQ+ street artists see work defaced with homophobic slurs
SANTIAGO, May 17 (Openly) – It was meant to be an open-air museum dedicated to Chile’s LGBTQ+ community, but days after the 40-meter (131-foot) mural was completed, vandals defaced its brightly colored panels with dozens of homophobic slurs. Rights campaigners say such attacks reflect an increasingly hostile pushback against slow but steady progress towards LGBTQ+ equality […]
Chinese company makes ‘coming out’ kits for queer people
In the early 2000s, queer activism had finally started flourishing in China—with more and more NGOs advocating for gay rights. This, however, has gotten harder ever since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012. Today, the President has built a more assertive, self-reliant and traditional country with narrowing queer spaces, both physically and virtually. Given how China has […]
Belgium Aims to Combat Anti-LGBTQ Assaults With New Action Plan
Belgium is adopting a new plan to fight discrimination and ensure more rights for LGBTQ people as it strives to bring down the country’s high rate of assaults based on sexual orientation. The federal government plan brings together 133 measures in collaboration with 10 federal ministries aimed at improving safety and increasing opportunities for lesbian, […]
Mexico seeks to bring those excluded due to LGBT-phobia into labor force.
In a country where discrimination prevails despite legal advances, Contrata LGBTIQ has become one of the first Mexican initiatives to integrate the LGBT community, including migrants, into the labor force. One case is that of Leonardo Martinez, 27 – who left his home because of the social exclusion he suffered due to his sexual orientation […]
Judge strikes down Tennessee’s transgender bathroom sign law.
A federal judge struck down a Tennessee law Tuesday that would have required businesses in the state to post warning notices on their public restrooms if they have policies allowing transgender patrons to use the facilities that match their gender identities. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the law in June on behalf of two […]
DRC queer rights activist forced to go into hiding.
Crammed into a boat with more than 100 people, Cherie* prayed nobody would recognise her. “I wore a hat and a balaclava,” the transgender woman, 33, says of her attempts to remain under the radar. A few hours earlier, shortly before midnight, she had fled her home in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) […]
Jake Daniels becomes first current English footballer to come out as gay.
Jake Daniels is determined to “drive change” after the teenage Blackpool forward came out as gay. The 17-year-old posted a message via the Tangerines’ website on Monday, stating that he has been inspired by the “courage” of fellow footballers Josh Cavallo and Matt Morton, as well as Olympic gold-medal winning diver Tom Daley. Daniels has […]
Rwanda: LGBT rights are protected on paper, but discrimination and homophobia persist.
“From today, I no longer want to be called your mother, if you don’t want to change you can leave my house and come back when you are a transformed person, when you are a man.” Chris (not his real name) a queer transgender person from Rwanda recalls the words of their angry mother. That […]
‘Transkids,’ Israeli documentary about transgender teens, gets virtual screening.
In honor of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, three Bay Area organizations will present a virtual panel discussion Tuesday about transgender identity in Israel, featuring the director of the Israeli documentary “Transkids” and two of the teenagers in the film. “Transkids,” which is in Hebrew with English subtitles, can be streamed for free […]
MEN HAVING SEX WITH WOMEN IS GAY, CLAIMS ‘STRAIGHT’ RIGHT-WING PODCASTER NICK FUENTES
‘America First’ leader, extreme right-wing, white nationalist, and anti-LGBTQI podcaster Nick Fuentes has a reason for being an involuntary celibate heterosexual. Fuentes, who considers himself the “straightest guy” recently said that any kind of sexual activity was “gay”. The Anti-Defamation League, describes Fuentes as a “white supremacist”. According to ADL, “Fuentes and his America First adherents […]
Doctor plans uterus transplant for transgender patient
A doctor in India is planning to transplant a womb into a transgender woman, to enable her to carry children. New Delhi-based surgeon Dr Narendra Kaushik intends to perform the surgery at his clinic using a donated organ from a living or dead donor, according to reports this week. “Every transgender woman wants to be as female […]
FIFA issues Warning to Qatar Hotels Over LGBTQ+ Discrimination
Hotels or other service providers that discriminate against people in the LGBTQ+ community during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will have their contracts revoked, FIFA said on Saturday. FIFA will properly assess allegations of discrimination against gay couples and take appropriate action if deemed necessary, the world football governing body said in a statement. […]
20th Queer Zagreb to Take Place Between 24 May and 5 June
The festival will open with the Croatian premiere of “Yira, Yira”, a performance directed by Bruno Isaković and Nataša Rajković, at the Croatian National Theatre on 24 May. It was created in collaboration with performers, sex workers and queer activists from Argentina. Through their stories, Juan Ejemplo, Leandra, Pichón Reyna and Sofía Tramazaygues portray sex […]
LGBTQ community should be involved in country’s development – EQUAL Guyana
Director of Empowering Queers using Artistic Learning (EQUAL) Anil Persaud has issued a call for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community to play a more meaningful and tangible role in the development of the country. “We cannot be left on the sidelines and disregarded, we must work together as a cohesive […]
LGBTI rights in Ukraine conflict in focus at Cyprus conference
The IDAHOT + Forum 2022 is taking place in Limassol, Cyprus, on 12-13 May, ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Tuesday 17 May. Speaking during the discussion War in Ukraine: Challenges to our Common European Values Through the Experiences of LGBTI+ People, Triantafillos Loukarelis, chair of the Steering Committee on […]
Two Nigerian filmmakers discuss the future of queer cinema in Nollywood
In the 2003 feature film Emotional Crack, one of the first Nigerian films to depict a queer relationship, a woman in an abusive marriage with a man finds comfort and solace in the arms of another woman. When her husband learns of her affair, he throws her out of his home. She eventually returns to […]
Homophobic lies go viral on Twitter in Haiti
Haitian human rights group Héritage pour la Protection des Droits Humains (Heritage for the Protection of Human Rights) has issued a statement condemning a tweet by a high-profile lawyer detailing a false and defamatory story about a group of homosexuals being caught having sex in a national historical site that went viral last month. The […]
Marking International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia 2022 in Albania
To mark IDAHOT 2022 in Albania, the action on “Promotion of Diversity and Equality in Albania” under the joint European Union and Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” programme and the Council of Europe Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) unit are supporting local organisations in Albania in the […]
Brazil: Attacks on Gender and Sexuality Education
(São Paulo) – Lawmakers and other public officials at the federal, state, and municipal levels in Brazil have used pernicious legal and political tactics to undermine and even prohibit gender and sexuality education, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 77-page report, “‘I Became Scared, This Was Their Goal’: Efforts to Ban Gender and […]
Cameroon: Rising Violence Against LGBTI People
(Nairobi) – Security forces in Cameroon are failing to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people from violent attacks and instead are arresting the victims, Human Rights Watch said today. There has been an uptick in violence and abuse against LGBTI people in Cameroon in 2022, according to a leading civil society group. Since March 9, […]