Gay Pride embraces its roots by teaming up with U.S. black activists
Floats, all-night parties and parades may be out, but the LGBTQ community is returning to its roots by teaming up with black activists for Pride month celebrations in the United States. While the coronavirus epidemic has forced the cancellation of traditional Pride events in June, U.S. gay groups are using virtual gatherings to amplify the […]
The best online LGBT exhibitions for pride month
With the Covid-19 pandemic still ongoing, hundreds of pride events have been cancelled across America. But the celebrations will continue online. There will be digital parties but also a range of online exhibitions that trace the history of pride, beyond the parade and rainbow flags. We’re all familiar with the rainbow flag, but where did […]
LGBT Activist Charged With Pornography for Body-Positive Vagina Drawings
Authorities in Far East Russia charged an LGBT rights activist with distributing pornography for posting drawings of vaginas on social media, the activist told Russian media Tuesday. Yulia Tsvetkova, 27, had been under house arrest from November to March in the remote city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur before authorities lifted her house arrest. Tsvetkova faces up to […]
Sex Work is Real Work, and it’s Time to Treat it That Way
Sex workers aren’t always a part of the conversation about police brutality, but they should be. Police regularly target, harass, and assault sex workers or people they think are sex workers, such as trans women of color. The police usually get away with the abuse because sex workers fear being arrested if they report. If […]
India: They’re putting the B in LGBT
Natasha was in her first year of college when she made a new female friend that she liked — a lot. “Up until that point, I was very much with guys and didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. A bunch of my friends began asking me if I liked her just as […]
Polish leader casts gays as the enemy in bid to revive campaign
Poland’s president stepped up a political attack against the LGBT community, portraying gay people as enemies in a bid to jump-start his stalled campaign for a second term in this month’s election. Returning to a tactic that the nationalist ruling Law & Justice Party has used to woo voters in the staunchly Catholic European Union […]
Hong Kong LGBT charter in planning stages
Plans to introduce a voluntary charter on discrimination against sexual minorities in Hong Kong are under way as officials look into existing policies adopted by neighboring governments. In a document sent to the Legislative Council, the constitutional and mainland affairs bureau said it has been drawing up a charter against sexual orientation and gender identity […]
JAPANESE REGION ANNOUNCES BAN ON OUTING LGBTQ PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR WILL
Japan is beginning to lag noticeably behind when it comes to LGBTQ rights such as adoption and marriage equality, but one region has taken a groundbreaking step forward by banning the outing of LGBTQ people against their will. Last week (3 June), the governor of Mie Prefecture, a region located on the south coast of […]
Saudi authorities beat blogger, demand he ‘confess’ being gay because he supports LGBT+ rights
Human rights campaigners have called on Saudi Arabia to release blogger Mohamad al-Bokari, who was detained after stating his support for LGBT+ rights. According to Human Rights Watch, al-Bokari was arrested on April 8 after an online Q&A in which he said: “Everyone has rights and should be able to practice them freely, including gay […]
With blackmail list, gay men in Ghana fight conmen posing as lovers
As Benson walked across the street towards his date in Ghana’s capital, Accra, he saw something was wrong – it was not the man he had been messaging on the popular gay dating app Grindr. Sensing danger, Benson tried to get away but two other men grabbed him from behind, started beating him and ordered […]
‘Trans women are women’: Daniel Radcliffe speaks out after JK Rowling tweets
The Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has spoken out over JK Rowling’s recent comments about the transgender community and said he hopes they will not “taint” the series for fans. The statement comes in response to a series of controversial tweets from Rowling over the weekend. Rowling took issue with a headline on an online […]
LA Pride steps away from ‘All Black Lives Matter’ march after police inclusion sparks outrage
LA Pride was cancelled almost two months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, but organisers announced last week that they intended to replace it with a Black Lives Matter march. However, the event was slammed by the LGBT+ community after an LA Pride organiser wrote a letter to police seeking permission and approval for the […]
Calls grow for police to be banned from Pride marches
Calls are growing for police to be banned from marching in Pride parades and for the LGBT+ events to return to their roots as rebellions against police brutality amid a rolling, global anti-racism movement. While Prides have mostly been cancelled or moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic, the marches that kick off in June […]
This Pride Month, Shame on You: Exposing Anti-LGBT Government Strategies in MENA
As a researcher and advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, I am often asked: “What is it like to be gay in the Middle East?” It is a question that cannot be answered. It assumes a uniform “gay experience” across the region, that […]
Israel: Municipalities reaching out to LGBT community
Tel Aviv may still be the gay capital of the Middle East, but 29 other municipalities – including those with councils that include representatives of ultra-Orthodox communities – are also reaching out to their LGBT residents, as old social prejudices fall by the wayside. Accompanied by the mayors of Rishon Lezion, Kiryat Bialik, Ramat Gan, […]
Polish government finances LGBT-critical articles
Poland’s justice ministry used taxpayer money for sponsored articles about the global persecution of Christians, and likening the LGBT rights campaign to Soviet-era communism, just as a new documentary about clerical sex abuse went online. Two recent issues of the weekly magazine Do Rzeczy contained sponsored articles headlined “In Defence of Christians” and “Catholics Pilloried”. […]
Gay couple feature in TV commercial in a first for Poland
A gay couple is seen getting intimate in a new advert on Polish TV – believed to be the first time the country has seen a same-sex couple in a commercial. The advert for Durex comes after a year when about a third of the country has set up ‘LGBT-Free Zones’. The advert features well-known […]
We are all George Floyd!
Most of us must have been troubled by the news of what is happening in the US in the aftermath of the horrific death of George Floyd, who was killed by police officers. These must be worrying times for the people there — not just the pandemic and the economy but now, the protests in […]
History-making queer activist Caleb Orozco gives a rousing reminder that ‘giving up is not an option’
In 2016, after a long fight from LGBT+ activists, gay sex was finally made legal in the Central American country of Belize. That change would never have happened without the tireless campaigning of Caleb Orozco. As executive director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM), Orozco filed a case with the country’s Supreme Court in […]
For Pride, NOM’s Brian Brown Touts Trump’s Rolling Back Of LGBT ‘Victories’ Under Obama
In a fundraising email to supporters, Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), touted President Donald Trump’s rolling back of LGBT “victories” under former President Barack Obama. For over a decade, NOM has been at the forefront of denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. After the Supreme Court in […]
20 photos that chronicle America’s iconic history of activism
Tens of thousands of Americans have been marching in the streets daily, demanding an end to police brutality and racism. Following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd let alone the countless others who have been overlooked Americans have come together to fight for the Black Lives Matter movement and combat racial […]
Celebrating Pride Month and rallying for racial equality: LGBTQ groups seek ‘to stand in solidarity with the black community’
Pride Month began Monday. Many in the LGBTQ community, however, were unsure how to celebrate without overshadowing the ongoing nationwide protests over racial injustice spurred by the death of George Floyd. But activist Jay W. Walker told USA TODAY that the struggle against oppression is inseparable from the LGBTQ rights movement. “The truth is that […]
How liberal outrage pushed a homophobic troll video to the top of Russia’s political agenda
As far as storyboards go, the advert was as inept as it was crass. The year is 2035. Two gay men are in the process of adopting a child. A worried boy asks where his mother is. Orphanage workers look on with concern. An effeminate actor in eyeliner, “mum”, gets out of his car. “Is […]
Black transgender community to march against injustice
The LGBTQ community typically marches in June to celebrate pride. This year, some in St. Louis will gather with a different tone. Charles Buchanan with Flower Boi support group, is organizing a march to address injustice for black transgender people. “I’m exhausted. I’m tired of living at those intersections and feeling attacked at various situations,” […]
Iowa police raid gay bar for providing first aid supplies to protestors
An LGBTQ venue was raided by police earlier this week for providing first aid for protestors. The Blazing Saddle, an LGBTQ bar in Des Moines, posted a video to Facebook showing around a dozen armed police officers raiding the bar late Monday night, the first day of Pride Month. Protests erupted all over the country […]
New Trump Appointee to Foreign Aid Agency Has Denounced Liberal Democracy and “Our Homo-Empire”
Merritt Corrigan, USAID’s new deputy White House liaison, has condemned the “tyrannical LGBT agenda” and celebrated Hungary’s right-wing prime minister as “the shining champion of Western civilization.” A new Trump appointee to the United States’ foreign aid agency has a history of online posts denouncing liberal democracy and has said that the country is in […]
Japan court rejects notion same-sex couples are de facto marriages
A Japanese district court on Thursday rejected a request by a man to overturn a prefectural commission’s decision deeming him ineligible for victims’ compensation as a surviving family member after his same-sex partner was murdered. “I cannot recognize same-sex relationships as de facto marriages,” presiding Judge Masatake Kakutani said in the hearing at the Nagoya […]
LGBT+ Pride events turning focus to racial injustice in U.S
Organizers of LGBT+ Pride events in major U.S. cities are shifting their focus to racism and police violence, they said this week, addressing the concerns and demands raised by protesters over the killing of a black man in police custody. Los Angeles Pride will hold a “solidarity protest march in response to racial injustice,” and […]
Edinburgh Pride: Scotland to become first nation in the world to put LGBTQ history on curriculum
Next year Scotland will become the first nation IN THE WORLD to teach LGBTQ history in schools. In November 2018, Scottish Ministers accepted in full the recommendations to deliver LGBT inclusive education across the curriculum to improve the learning environments of all children and young people. This means all public school pupils will receive lessons […]
Ukraine and Albania urged to protect LGBT+ people from hate and discrimination
Ukraine should reform its laws to combat homophobic hate crimes and Albania should give more rights to same-sex couples and trans people, a top European rights body said on Wednesday, amid a backlash against LGBT+ rights in Eastern Europe. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), part of the Council of Europe, renewed a […]