• Culture Religion and Politics

    Laws and governments are not the only forces impacting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people around the world. Society, culture, and religion can also strongly impact the well-​being of LGBTI people. Religion is often given as a justification for discrimination and mistreatment of LGBTI people. Those who persecute LGBTI people also accuse them of violating long-​held cultural traditions. Social change is often more difficult to achieve than legal change. There are religious leaders in many faiths who consider LGBTI identity sinful and exclude and stigmatize LGBTI people from their faith communities. Many of these leaders encourage psychologically​—​and sometimes physically​—​harmful “reparative therapy” practices, support relatives who reject their LGBTI family members, and even call for torture and execution of LGBTI people.

ADDED ON: 06/03/2023

The Pentagon Just Caved to the Right’s Anti-LGBTQ Pressure Campaign

The US military became the latest organization to fold under right-wing backlash to Pride Month on Wednesday, when Pentagon brass forced the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to cancel a drag…

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ADDED ON: 06/03/2023

LGBT festival seeks alternate venues after Seoul squashes initial request

Organizers of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival said late Thursday that they are still looking for places in Seoul to hold this year’s event, after the Seoul city government refused its initial…

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ADDED ON: 06/03/2023

There’s a new gay president on the world stage

Latvia, a former Soviet republic, has selected an out gay man as president. Edgars Rinkēvičs will be the first LGBTQ+ leader of a Baltic nation. The Latvian Parliament selected Rinkēvičs to serve…

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ADDED ON: 06/03/2023

Jerusalem Pride Parade, a Roller Coaster of Emotions

“Were you at the parade?” asks the man seated across from me on the train back to Tel Aviv late Thursday night. He's wearing the bright pink shirt of the anti-Netanyahu protest…

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ADDED ON: 06/02/2023

European rights court rules against Ukraine in same-sex union case

PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) - A same-sex couple who tried unsuccessfully to get married at seven different register offices in Ukraine suffered discrimination, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on…

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ADDED ON: 06/02/2023

Being LGBTQ+ in Latin America: Four stories of bravery and resilience

June is Pride Month, a celebration of LGBTQ+ rights in the United States and around the world. The month commemorates the Stonewall Riots of 1969, when LGBTQ+ people protested police raids of gay…

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ADDED ON: 06/02/2023

Estonia considers moving towards same-sex marriage

Estonia might become the first post-Soviet Union country that has same-sex marriage. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has tabled a bill to legislate marriage for gay couples. The parliament will debate the content…

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ADDED ON: 06/01/2023

Every LGBTQ+ flag you might see at Pride and what they all mean

Pride month is a time for protest and celebration, one when the LGBTQ+ community unite under the rainbow banner or their chosen Pride flag. From the bisexual Pride flag to the trans Pride…

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ADDED ON: 06/01/2023

Latvian Parliament elects first openly gay president of a Baltic nation

HELSINKI — Latvian lawmakers on Wednesday picked the country’s long-serving popular foreign minister, a strong backer of Ukraine, as its new head of state in a tight vote. The 100-seat Saeima legislature elected…

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ADDED ON: 06/01/2023

Uproar after Uganda enacts anti-gay law

Uganda's latest anti-Homosexuality law is one of the world's most brutal legislations that seeks to restrict homosexual rights in Uganda and punish offenders. When lawmakers initially passed the bill in March, President Museveni had it…

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ADDED ON: 06/01/2023

Anti-LGBTQ disinformation surges online in East Africa

Anti-LGBTQ bills in Kenya and Uganda have unleashed an unprecedented wave of online disinformation targeting the community, with experts accusing political leaders of spreading falsehoods that put lives at risk. Social media…

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Ash Beckham — No Activism Is an Accident

They call it the “best coming out speech ever”. And it was written by an ordinary, “accidental activist.” Ash Beckham is a world-renowned author, motivational speaker, and inclusion activist who ignited a…