Uruguay’s LGBTQ+ community pushes for greater political representation ahead of October elections
Uruguay’s LGBTQ+ community finds itself in a moment of strategic reflection and coordinated action in this crucial election year. With presidential elections on the horizon, diverse voices inside and outside the Uruguayan political arena are advocating for representation. They are also working to confront the challenges facing the country’s queer population in obtaining positions in […]
Nation’s first financial redress scheme passed for people convicted under Tasmanian laws against homosexuality
Tasmania may become the first state or territory in Australia to introduce a financial compensation scheme for people convicted of the past criminal offences of homosexuality and “cross-dressing”. A bill passed Tasmania’s lower house this week to amend laws that expunge, or remove from the record, these criminal convictions. It also included the introduction of […]
Meet the straight ally who is protesting Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill
Texas Kadiri Moro stood in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Accra on Thursday, dressed in short pink Speedos and a pink polo shirt. Accompanied by trumpet players, carrying a banner with slogans including, “Why should a society of evildoers judge others?” and “Justice begins where inequality ends!” he marched across the Ghanaian […]
LGBTQ Group Endorses Straight Democrat Over Gay Republican
Garden State Equality Action Fund, the political arm of the LGBTQ advocacy group Garden State Equality, has endorsed a straight Democrat for New Jersey’s U.S. Senate race over an openly gay Republican. The organization is endorsing Democrats for every federal office this year, including the presidential race, the U.S. Senate race, and all 12 congressional […]
Same-sex marriage was on a roll in Asia. Not anymore
Rainbow flags rippled in the wind as gay and lesbian couples walked hand in hand down a makeshift aisle in Bangkok’s busy Siam shopping district. Thailand’s Senate had just passed a marriage equality bill, and the local LGBTQ+ community was in the mood to celebrate. While the ceremonies were symbolic enactments of same-sex weddings, the […]
Telangana announces transgender traffic troops under new recruitment program
The Telangana government has announced India’s first-ever transgender-specific government recruitment and social welfare program, under which transgender persons will be trained and recruited for traffic management. As per the program, announced by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, once transgender individuals are identified and recruited, they will undergo specialised training to assist the Hyderabad traffic police. […]
Zimbabwe: Two Men Face Jail on Sodomy Charges After Approaching Police
Two men in Zimbabwe have been arrested on sodomy charges after seeking police assistance to resolve a domestic dispute. According to the country’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Tavimbanashe Chawatama, 28, and Leonard Nyakudya, 25, had been in a relationship for about a year. In late August, the alleged couple had an argument over infidelity, prompting Nyakudya to […]
Russian Streaming Website Kinopoisk Fined $110K for ‘LGBT Propaganda’
A Moscow court fined the popular Russian movie streaming website Kinopoisk 10 million rubles ($110,000) on Tuesday for charges related to “propaganda” of LGBTQ+ lifestyles and pedophilia. The Tagansky District Court imposed a 3 million ruble ($33,000) fine on Kinopoisk for “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations and preferences, as well as sex changes.” The same court imposed a separate […]
Kenyan and queer: how going public as gay and non-binary has led to a life of activism and optimism
When Chris Muriithi (they/them) woke up to a stream of messages and missed calls one morning six years ago, their blood ran cold. Their foreboding grew into trepidation when they realised why everyone was reaching out: they had been outed as gay and the news was trending online. In the years that followed, Muriithi shuttled between […]
What Donald Trump was referring to with his ‘transgender operations on illegal immigrants’ claim
It was only one of many bromides from former President Donald Trump in Tuesday night’s debate — that Vice President Kamala Harris “wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison. This is a radical left liberal that would do this.” But aside from his repeated attacks on Harris’ policies on immigration […]
Kiwi athletes voice concerns about transgender guidelines for sports in open letter
Over 50 high-profile sporting identities and former Olympians have signed an open letter urging the Government to rethink the guiding principles for transgender athletes participating in sports. The letter claims Sport New Zealand’s guidelines disregard the rights of female athletes and go against scientific evidence. Former Olympian Dave Gerrard says allowing athletes to compete under […]
Delaware Democrats back Sarah McBride’s bid to become first openly transgender person in US Congress
Delaware in November could elect the first openly transgender member of Congress and the state’s first Black U.S. senator. On Tuesday, voters in the Blue Hen State were deciding their fall nominees in several political contests, including picking Matt Meyer, the chief executive of Delaware’s most populous county, in the Democratic primary for governor. State […]
In Thailand, Locals Are Expanding on the Country’s Queer Legacy
Daytime Bangkok is an industrial opera—flashing tuks-tuks, hectic motorbikes, and dogged taxis whizz by the end of a side street, creating a soundtrack of car horns and engines, which then layer onto an Adele playlist blasting out of one of the many gay bars along Silom Soi 4 road. But hidden at the very end, […]
Kenyan and queer: how going public as gay and non-binary has led to a life of activism and optimism
When Chris Muriithi (they/them) woke up to a stream of messages and missed calls one morning six years ago, their blood ran cold. Their foreboding grew into trepidation when they realised why everyone was reaching out: they had been outed as gay and the news was trending online. In the years that followed, Muriithi shuttled […]
France’s new prime minister twice voted against gay rights and critics won’t let him forget it
As soon as Michel Barnier was named France’s new prime minister, critics found a skeleton in his closet. Back in 1981, the 30-year-old lawmaker joined more than 150 conservatives in the National Assembly to vote against a law decriminalizing young homosexuals. That history loomed in the background as President Emmanuel Macron appointed the 73-year-old Barnier […]
More than 160 Democrats urge Supreme Court to support transgender people’s rights to health care
More than 160 members of Congress have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of defending transgender rights in America. The case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, set to be heard this fall, will determine the legality of Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming healthcare fortransgender minors. This marks the first time the high court will […]
‘We have listened’: gender identity question added to Australia’s 2026 census after federal government backflip
The government is adding a second new question to the 2026 census, restoring a proposed question on gender identity along with one on sexuality after a backlash over its initial decision to dump both. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, revealed on Sunday that the government had advised the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) that a new […]
Yan Daudu: Traditional femme man confronts Nigeria’s modern homophobia
After years of openly presenting as a woman, 32-year-old Adamu finds himself at a pivotal moment as he prepares to marry a woman. “I believe it is the right thing to do as a man,” he says about his forthcoming wedding. Adamu first started presenting as a woman during his teenage years. His early life […]
Tonga Law Society members launch petition to remove Kingdom’s first openly gay chief justice
A petition circulating in Tonga is calling for the newly appointed chief justice, Malcolm Bishop from Wales, to have his position revoked because he is openly gay. The petition was launched by members of Tonga’s law society and a protest is also planned. Tonga Law Society president Lopeti Senituli has distanced himself from the petition. Senituli said the […]
Transgender Student Proudly Wears Male Uniform in Havana School
Yumisleidi Rodríguez, a transgender student in Cuba, proudly shared on social media their ability to choose and wear the male school uniform at their educational center in Havana, feeling more comfortable and identified with it. Rodríguez originally shared their joy in the Facebook group “Madres cubanas por un mundo mejor,” but the post was removed due […]
Two men in Zimbabwe face 14 years in prison after accidentally telling cops they’re a gay couple
A young gay couple in Zimbabwe inadvertently got themselves arrested when one called the police on the other over a money dispute. The two men – one aged 28 and the other 25 – appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court on charges of sodomy after the dispute led to an unexpected disclosure of their relationship. Homosexual […]
Hear the story of how a Navy veteran created the transgender pride flag
Wright State University hosted TransOhio’s 15th Trans and Ally Symposium over the weekend. WYSO Intern and Community Voices Producer Lee Wade spoke with Monica Helms, the visionary behind the transgender flag, who presented the keynote address at the symposium. The following transcript is lightly edited for length and clarity. Monica Helms: I was having dinner with Michael Page, who […]
Critics blast new French PM Barnier for having twice voted against gay rights
As soon as Michel Barnier was named France’s new prime minister, critics found a skeleton in his closet. Back in 1981, the 30-year-old lawmaker joined more than 150 conservatives in the National Assembly to vote against a law decriminalizing young homosexuals. That history loomed in the background as President Emmanuel Macron appointed the 73-year-old Barnier […]
‘I’m a new racist’: Michigan judge suspended after insulting gay and Black people on recordings
A suburban Detroit judge is no longer handling cases after a court official turned over recordings of her making anti-gay insults and referring to Black people as lazy. Oakland county probate judge Kathleen Ryan was removed from her docket on 27 August for unspecified misconduct. Now the court’s administrator has stepped forward to say he […]
Condoms can’t be trusted and boys don’t cry in Catholic Paraguay’s first sex ed program
Ahead of her 15th birthday, Diana Zalazar’s body had gotten so big she could no longer squeeze into the dress she bought for her quinceañera to celebrate her passage into womanhood in Paraguay. Her mother sought help from a doctor, who suspected that growing inside of the 14-year-old Catholic choir girl could be a giant […]
Georgian lawmakers inch closer to final approval of anti-LGBTQ+ law
On September 4, a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill passed its second reading in the Georgian Parliament. The bill “On family values and protection of minors” starkly resembles the Russian anti-queer law adopted in 2013, making it Georgia’s second piece of major legislation modeled after draconian Russian laws, with the first being the foreign agent bill, which […]
Russia bans piracy websites from streaming Brokeback Mountain over ‘gay propaganda’
Russia has blocked the streaming of Brokeback Mountain, a 2005 American film exploring a love affair between two men, from three piracy websites, Roskomsvoboda, a Russian nonprofit dedicated to fighting digital censorship, reported on Thursday. Russia’s media regulator Roskomnadzor ordered the blocking of pages from which the film can be streamed on 29 August, a […]
Congressional Leaders Urge Supreme Court to Strike Down Law Restricting Transgender Healthcare
A coalition of U.S. Congressional leaders, filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Skrmetti. The case challenges Tennessee Senate Bill 1 (SB1), a law that prohibits transgender minors from accessing medically necessary treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The brief, supported by 11 Senators and 153 Representatives—including House Democratic […]
France’s new prime minister twice voted against gay rights and critics won’t let him forget it
As soon as Michel Barnier was named France’s new prime minister, critics found a skeleton in his closet. Back in 1981, the 30-year-old lawmaker joined more than 150 conservatives in the National Assembly to vote against a law decriminalizing young homosexuals. That history loomed in the background as President Emmanuel Macron appointed the 73-year-old Barnier […]
Aurum POP INN’s Gender-Affirming Healthcare: Supporting Trans Women in South Africa
Gender-affirming healthcare plays a crucial role in the lives of transgender individuals, helping them align their gender identity with their legal documents. The Aurum POP INN clinics in South Africa are making significant strides in this area by offering comprehensive support to transgender women (TGW) through their Gender-Affirming Healthcare (GAHC) model. Understanding Gender Marker Changes […]