Interfaith declaration seeks forgiveness for harm caused to LGBT people

More than 370 religious leaders around the world have signed a new declaration which seeks forgiveness for religious teachings that have harmed LGBT people, calls for an end to the criminalisation of people on the grounds of sexual orientation, and urges a ban on so-called “conversion therapy”. The declaration “Declaring the Sanctity of Life and […]

India has launched its first workplace equality index for the LGBTQ+ community

India’s new workplace equality index has become a sign of how far the country is moving forward when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights. India’s groundbreaking equality index is a promising prospect of wider recognition of the LGBTQ+ community in more formal and professional environments. The index is India’s first regulation for employers to measure LGBTQ+ […]

An anti-LGBTQ extremist now heads the prestigious Voice of America

The Voice of America has long been a bastion of serious journalism. As the U.S. government’s official outlet for news, the organization has long modeled the values of democracy through objective reporting. The VOA demonstrates to the world what a free press and honest news look like. Needless to say, that’s anathema to Trump and […]

GAY INDONESIAN POLICE OFFICER SUING FOR WRONGFUL DISMISSAL

A former Indonesian police officer is suing the force following his wrongful dismissal due to his sexuality, with the case a ‘first of its kind’ for the country. The plaintiff, 31-year-old Tri Teguh Pujianto had worked for the Central Jawa Police for a decade, but in 2018 was fired after it was deemed he had […]

New Zealand, Britain ease rules on blood donations by gay men

LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – New Zealand and Britain became on Monday the latest countries to ease rules on blood donations by gay and bisexual men, as supply concerns caused by COVID-19 increase scrutiny of AIDS pandemic-era restrictions that LGBT+ rights advocates say are homophobic. New Zealand’s government cut the celibacy period for gay and […]

Hungary: Homophobic adoption bill is part of an ongoing attack on LGBTQ community

Ahead of the vote on Tuesday in the Hungarian parliament on amendments that will strip non-married couples of the right to adoption and further restrict the rights of LGBTQ people, David Vig, Director of Amnesty Hungary, said: “This attempt to rush through these discriminatory, homophobic and transphobic new laws are part of an ongoing attack […]

Egyptian pastor opens conversion therapy school to “treat” LGBTQ youth

An evangelical pastor in Egypt intends to open up school in Heliopolis which will inflict conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth in the area. Pastor Tony George Rizk, creator of community youth service tC Egypt, said that the school — which will open on Dec. 26 and last eight weeks — is aimed at queer youth […]

Banker-turned-priest leads ancient Buddhist sect to 21st century

Located near the defunct Tsukiji Market, once one of the largest fish markets in the world, Tsukiji Hongwanji temple is the icon of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, which dates back eight centuries. The original temple was erected in the 1600s during the early Edo period. Although it was consumed twice by fire, the […]

Canada’s police chiefs apologize for opposition to decriminalize homosexuality

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) has apologized for its historical mistreatment of LGBTQ communities in Canada. In a video message CACP president Bryan Larkin, who is Chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), noted that the association publicly opposed changes to the Criminal Code in the late 1960s that decriminalized homosexuality. […]

Bolivia approves first same-sex union following legal battle

Bolivia’s civil registry authorized for the first time a same sex civil union following a two-year legal battle, a decision activists in the Andean nation hope will pave the way for an overhaul of the country’s marriage laws. David Aruquipa, a 48-year-old businessman, and Guido Montaño, a 45-year-old lawyer, were initially denied the right to […]

Mexico’s senior Catholic leader backs civil unions for gay couples

The Mexican Catholic Church’s highest-ranking bishop agrees with recent comments by Pope Francis in support of legal protections offered by civil unions for gay couples, the prelate told Reuters, stressing that no family member should ever be rejected. Mexico is the second-biggest Catholic country after Brazil with around 80% of its nearly 130 million people […]

FOCUS: Genderless uniforms spread in Japan as LGBT students gain notice

A growing number of Japanese prefectural high schools are relaxing or scrapping gender codes for uniforms to meet the needs of transgender and other sexual-minority students, with around a third of prefectures taking such steps in response to an Education Ministry request five years ago. To win broad acceptance, meanwhile, many are pitching the changes […]

“Kill Them, They Are Sodomites” – Police Violence Against LGBT People in Tunisia

On October 6, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in Tunisia raised their voices and banners in the street, amid the hundreds of demonstrators who were peacefully protesting a draft law that would drastically limit criminal accountability for the use of force by the security forces. By a cruel irony, police attacked the demonstrators, […]

Still battles to be won, 50 years on from Highbury Fields gay rights demo

THE first gay rights protest in the UK has been celebrated 50 years on at an event in Highbury Fields. The park in Islington was a popular cruising spot in 1970 when Louis Eaks, a Young Liberals member, was arrested by undercover policemen for “importuning for an immoral purpose”. In protest at his treatment by […]

FACTBOX – As Bhutan scraps gay sex ban, what pro-LGBT+ steps have others taken?

NEW DELHI, Dec 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As countries around the world move to dismantle often centuries-old laws banning gay sex, Bhutan has become the latest nation to take steps to ease restrictions on same-sex relationships. The tiny Himalayan kingdom cleared an amendment bill repealing two sections of the penal code that criminalised “unnatural […]

In Indonesia, gay ex-cop takes work battle to court

The first gay Indonesian policeman to sue the conservative country’s police force for wrongful dismissal due to sexual orientation was back in court this week, determined to be reinstated. Tri Teguh Pujianto, a 31-year-old former police brigadier was fired in 2018 after 10 years on the job when police in a different town apprehended him […]

Power Up: LGBTQ+ Caucus wants to see more representation in a Biden administration

President-elect Joe Biden has pledged the “most diverse” Cabinet in U.S. history. But the congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus released a letter last night expressing concern that LGBTQ+ representation is insufficient at the highest levels of American government. “While your administration is on track to be the most diverse in American history, we ask that you […]

North American companies pledge to mentor LGBT+ refugees

Nearly two dozen North American companies have signed up to mentor LGBT+ refugees, preparing them to find jobs while overcoming obstacles like discrimination in their new homelands, organizers said on Tuesday. The companies will help with resume writing, cover letter reviews and interview skills, said the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a non-profit that mobilises global […]

Surprise ‘Gold’ Rush Hurtles Right-Wing Party Into Thick Of Romanian Politics

The support that propelled Romania’s little-known, right-wing AUR party into parliament in its inaugural national race may have shocked many, including the more established parties of an ex-president and former prime minister that fell short. But close followers of Romanian society say the warnings were evident ahead of the December 6 elections — from unprecedented […]

Gay French minister to visit ‘LGBT-free zone’ in Poland

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told a magazine to be published Wednesday that he is gay and plans to visit a so-called LGBT-free zone in Poland to support local activists. Beaune told French magazine Tetu in an interview that he would travel to Poland at the start of next year to “support one of […]

Civil partnership conversion for landmark gay couple

Chris and Henry Flanagan-Kane were the first gay men in the UK to get a civil partnership back in 2005. But they were left in a legal limbo when the laws were changed to allow same-sex couples to get married in NI. Those already in civil partnerships were denied the retrospective right to marriage, sparking […]

U.S. Supreme Court rejects challenge to transgender student accommodations

(Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday preserved an Oregon public school district’s policy of accommodating transgender students, rejecting an appeal challenging a policy that let students use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity. The justices left in place a lower court ruling that threw out a lawsuit against Dallas […]