• 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: 05/31/2023

The paradoxical queer history of Iran

This past February, something special happened. For the first time in the 44-year history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the majority of trade unions and notable social activists inside the country…

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ADDED ON: 05/31/2023

Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ law spurs bipartisan uproar in US

Leaders in Congress are forcefully condemning a sweeping new anti-gay law in Uganda, calling on the Biden administration to reconsider assistance to the East African nation. “Uganda’s appalling Anti-Homosexuality Act is the…

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ADDED ON: 05/31/2023

Russian legislators are targeting transgender people. It’s the latest move that copies GOP talking points from the US

A new Russian bill could ban transgender healthcare in the country, a move that mirrors legislation being proposed and enacted by Republican lawmakers across the United States. The bill, put forward on…

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ADDED ON: 05/31/2023

Japanese court rules against same-sex marriage ban in major win for LGBTQ+ equality

On Tuesday (30 May), Nagoya District Court became the second to rule against Japan’s banning of same-sex marriage, despite the country’s prime minister Fumio Kishida claiming the ban wasn’t discriminatory to the…

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ADDED ON: 05/30/2023

LGBTQ Russians flee to Argentina seeking refuge from discrimination, Ukraine war

Anastasia Domini and her wife Anna Domini walked hand in hand on a recent sunny day in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires while their four restless children played nearby. Same-sex couples are a…

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ADDED ON: 05/30/2023

Bill: Intersex suspects, inmates to have special cells

A police officer has told the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) of how he influenced a complaint to withdraw a case from court when a suspect could not be locked…

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ADDED ON: 05/30/2023

‘I feel deeply afraid’: Turkey’s LGBTQ community dreads future under Erdogan

Turkey’s LGBTQ community fear being exposed to more homophobic hate after conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made them into his favorite target for his bitterly divisive re-election campaign. The Islamic-rooted leader constantly…

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ADDED ON: 05/30/2023

Uganda enacts harsh anti-LGBTQ law including death penalty

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws, including the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality", drawing Western condemnation and risking sanctions from aid donors. Same-sex relations were already…

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ADDED ON: 05/29/2023

How anti-LGBTQ sentiment is affecting Pride

Repressive social backlash and extreme anti-LGBTQ sentiment are complicating Pride celebrations in the US this year, even potentially inciting violence against queer people and gatherings meant to celebrate the LGBTQ community. Though LGBTQ people and by…

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ADDED ON: 05/29/2023

Being queer in Africa: the state of LGBTIQ+ rights across the continent

In recent years several African countries have decriminalised same-sex relationships. But they’re not representative of the continent. In fact, queer rights at times appear to be eroding in much of the continent, with Kenya and Uganda most…

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ADDED ON: 05/29/2023

KNHRC Champions Intersex Bill To Protect Rights

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) is working towards ensuring the establishment of a legal framework that will fill the gap in the law for the protection of the rights…

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ADDED ON: 05/29/2023

Pitiful turnout of anti-drag protesters countered with ‘joyful’ LGBTQ+ street party

On Saturday (27 May), around 100 LGBTQ+ folks and allies stood against 40 Turning Point UK campaigners, holding signs that read “South London loves trans people”. Turning Point UK – an offshoot of…

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