Dominican Republic: Court Reviews Laws Against Gay Sex

The Dominican Republic’s Constitutional Court will hear a challenge on August 30, 2024, to laws that criminalize consensual same-sex conduct by officers in the police and armed forces, Human Rights Watch said today. In an amicus curiae brief, Human Rights Watch said that these discriminatory laws violate the rights under international law of lesbian, gay, […]

Move from rhetoric to action on #PutPeopleFirst

Transformative empowerment is mostly not given by ‘experts from the outside,’ but happens when the most affected people themselves rise to take back power to transform their lives and wellbeing. “When we put people first, then we cannot just address one or two issues they face,” rightly says Amrita Sarkar of India HIV/AIDS Alliance who […]

Uganda LGBTI activist honored by Canadian refugee organization

Steven Kabuye, a Ugandan LGBTQI+ rights activist who survived a deadly homophobic attack in January, has been honored with the Rev. Troy Perry Medal of Pride from Canadian refugee assistance organization Rainbow Railroad. The violent knife attack by two yet-to-be-identified assailants left him with serious body injuries and scars that he says will never leave […]

Among other things, Georgia follows in Moscow’s footsteps on LGBT+ rights

Georgia’s path to European Union membership seems to be going downhill: the country’s aspirations to finally free itself from Russian influence, and anchor itself to the West, had seemed on the verge of being realised in December 2023, when the EU granted the Caucasus republic candidate status. However, a series of measures adopted in recent months by the […]

Gay Paralympic athlete and musician Már Gunnarsson is making waves both in and out of the pool

Már Gunnarsson is one of the LGBTQ+ competitors to keep your eye on at the Paris Paralympic Games, in and out of the pool. The world-record-breaking Icelandic swimmer is one of around 27 out LGBTQ+ Paralympic athletes. At least 175 out queer athletes competed in this year’s Olympic Games, with Team LGBTQ+ winning a total of 43 medals and – unofficially, given that “LGBTQ+” […]

São Sebastião prepares for the 5th LGBT Pride Parade: what to expect from an event?

São Sebastião, in Brazil, is preparing to host the 5th LGBT Pride Parade, an event that promises to be a milestone in celebrating the diversity and rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. The party will take place next Sunday, September 1st, and will feature a series of cultural, artistic and awareness-raising activities. The Parade aims to […]

Gay men prefer cities whereas lesbians prefer the country, census (finally) proves

The 2020 United States census has proven what many in the LGBTQ+ community have long joked about. The data reveals that gay men in couples are drawn towards major cities, typically on the coasts, whereas lesbian couples prefer living in small towns and rural settings. The counties with the largest amount of partnered gay men […]

Ultra-conservative advocacy group pushing right-wing ideologies in Kenya

A Supreme Court of Kenya ruling meant to reaffirm the rights of queer Kenyans as guaranteed in the Constitution was ironically used to unleash unbalanced, politically-motivated homophobia, especially by the political class and right-wing lobby groups. The ruling that was made in February 2023 ended a decade-long court battle and allowed organizations advocating for LGBTQ+ […]

Who are they? Hijra, third gender, transgender?

People once referred to them in softer tones as the third gender. Subsequently, the government recognized them as Hijra, a traditional term prevalent in this subcontinent. In recent years, controversy has repeatedly been created due to the misinterpretation of the terms transgender and transsexual. However, no government has ever tried to settle the issue. Rights […]

Pope welcomed Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist to Rome

A Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist revealed she met with Pope Francis in Rome earlier this month. Clare Byarugaba, the diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for Chapter Four Uganda, an LGBTQ+ support and advocacy group, said she was “honored” to meet the Pontiff and took the opportunity to speak of the difficulties faced in her country where […]

Uganda Police accused of raping male prisoners

Human rights activists have demanded the Uganda Police Force respond to allegations of widespread human rights violations within its cells, including reports of officers raping male inmates. Jim Spire Ssentongo, a renowned human rights advocate, was the first to demand an explanation from the Uganda Police leadership. “Uganda Police, come out and talk about these […]

It’s clear LGBT education is needed after my time in a Scottish school

FIVE years ago, I graduated from the same Scottish state secondary school where my mother still works as a teacher. Despite having since finished an undergraduate degree, in some ways it feels as if I’ve never left. This sensation is never more acute than when I walk into the art department to meet her after […]

Supreme Court leaves LGBTQ+ students without crucial civil rights protections ahead of school year

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold injunctions on the Biden administration’s latest education regulations in 10 states and hundreds of schools and university campuses nationwide leaves transgender, pregnant and harassed students without crucial civil rights protections as the new school year approaches, experts told Salon. This year, more than two dozen Republican attorneys general and a […]

‘A victory’: Canada halts planned deportation of bisexual man to Kenya

A bisexual man in Canada has been granted one-year temporary residency just a day before his scheduled deportation to Kenya — an outcome his supporters call “a victory for migrant and queer justice.” Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, an organization supporting Charles Mwangi, said in a press release Saturday that the 48-year-old man living in Toronto […]

African countries that have passed anti-gay law

These laws vary in severity, ranging from restrictions on LGBTQ+ expression to criminal penalties, including imprisonment or even the death penalty. Here are some examples: 1. Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act: Uganda passed its Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2014, which initially included a death penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality” (though this was later replaced with life imprisonment). The […]

Australian transgender woman wins landmark case against female-only app

An Australian court ruled on Friday that removing a transgender woman from female-only social networking platform Giggle for Girls constituted discrimination, in a landmark decision on gender identity for the country. Roxanne Tickle in 2022 sued the Australian app and founder Sally Grover for unlawful gender identity discrimination in its services, saying Grover revoked Tickle’s […]

‘Gay animals more common than you would think’

A keeper at a safari park which has a gay penguin couple and a “throuple” of Lorikeets has said same sex animals developing relationships are more common than people might think. Vicky McFarlane, a keeper at West Midlands Safari Park, spoke about the park’s gay wildlife residents after news broke of the death of a […]

Afghan Transgender people also face harassment in Pakistan

Alina is an Afghan transgender person who fled Afghanistan to Peshawar, Pakistan, after the Taliban took over the country. Alina says her life would be in danger if she returned to Afghanistan, but she is also facing threats in Peshawar. Muska Safi has the report, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.

LGBTQ Dems celebrate likely election of first openly transgender person to Congress

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, who in November is expected to become the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, told LGBTQ+ delegates to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday that her candidacy marked a milestone for trans representation. McBride, a candidate for Delaware’s at-large U.S. House seat being vacated by U.S. Senate candidate Lisa […]

Removing transgender woman from female-only app was discrimination, Australian court rules

A female-only app discriminated against a transgender woman by removing her from the platform, an Australian court has ruled in a landmark case. The Federal Court of Australia found on Friday that Roxanne Tickle, a transgender woman from New South Wales, was subjected to “indirect gender discrimination” when she was blocked from the social network […]

From gay sex to miracle cure: Fake news epidemic follows mpox outbreak

In a video circulated on X and Facebook, Wolfgang Wodarg, a German doctor known for his anti-vaccine views, claimed that mpox and shingles shared the same symptoms. The physician also accused the pharmaceutical industry of frightening people to make profit. This is false. Mpox is not a shingles epidemic caused by the Covid-19 vaccine. Much is already known about […]