Bulgaria’s parliament bans LGBT “propaganda” in schools
The Bulgarian parliament banned on August 7 what it called propaganda of “untraditional sexual orientation” at schools by adopting amendments to the law on pre-school and school education. The move was initiated by the far-right, pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party and was reminiscent of the Kremlin’s attitude to regarding LGBT rights. The amendments were approved by all political parties […]
Liberia: New Bill Aims to Punish Homosexuality with Life in Prison
An extreme anti-LGBTIQ+ bill has been introduced in the Parliament of Liberia, following in the footsteps of similarly draconian legislation passed in other African nations. The copycat bill, titled the Anti-Homosexuality Law of Liberia 2024, was submitted to the House of Representatives by Representative Johnson Williams last month. According to Williams, passing the bill would ensure the protection […]
Transgender peoples’ legal hurdles with EU freedom of movement
For transgender individuals, the dream of seamless travel and residence across EU member states is often undermined by a patchwork of legal and bureaucratic barriers surrounding recognition standards of gender identities that vary widely across EU states. These inconsistent regulations of gender recognition create significant obstacles for transgender individuals. While some member states have progressive laws allowing […]
Russian influence in eastern Europe is aggravating HIV epidemic, say experts
Growing Russian influence in eastern Europe is driving a worsening HIV epidemic, health leaders have warned. In eastern Europe and central Asia, new diagnoses of HIV have risen 20% since 2010, while Aids-related deaths have gone up 34% – the fastest rates of growth globally. Most new infections in the region are among “key populations”, including people […]
LGBTQ rights groups celebrate Walz as Harris VP pick
LGBTQ rights groups on Tuesday celebrated Vice President Harris’s selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, highlighting his longtime support for LGBTQ equality. Walz, who has served as Minnesota’s governor since 2019, helped make Minnesota a refuge for LGBTQ Americans, and transgender Americans in particular. In 2023, an executive order signed by […]
Russia’s New Queer Purge
In March, a little-known volunteer organization dedicated to “reviving the religious and secular unity of the Russian people” escorted agents from the Internal Affairs Ministry and the Russian National Guard on a raid in the remote city of Orenburg, a city of 500,000 near the Kazakh border. Their target was a bar called Pose, which […]
In Buenos Aires, Queer Tango Gatherings Are More Important Than Ever
In the bohemian district of Almagro in Buenos Aires, the wistful notes of the tango classic “Vida Mía” drift out a window of a small cultural center. Inside, on a makeshift dance floor, couples move carefully, studying their steps as they dance in the arms of another. All the pairs are same-sex or nongender-identifying: from […]
The First British Movie With Sympathetic Gay Representation Still Has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
In 1961, Basil Dearden’s neo-noir film, Victim, was released in the United Kingdom. Although Victim initially faced some controversy from the British Board of Film Censors, it eventually received critical acclaim. Since then, Victim has consolidated itself as a classic within British cinema. Moreover, it has since been credited for helping to liberalize attitudes towards […]
Thailand takes a leap towards marriage equality, but more work needed for trans rights
This summer, the Thai government passed the Marriage Equality Bill, marking a historic moment as Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. At a recent workshop for the transmasculine community in Chiang Mai conducted by TransEqual, queer joy rippled through the room. A participant who self-identifies as a “Tom,” a […]
As LGBTQ library material comes under fire, California may ban book bans
The presentation was unassuming, just a handful of picture books arrayed on the side of a bookcase — the ABCs of a Pride parade, biographies of the gay World War II codebreaker Alan Turing and 50 LGBTQ+ people who made history, the sex education manual “It’s Perfectly Normal,” a retelling of the Stonewall riot and […]
‘We were in shock, we were numb’: the violent police raid that changed Melbourne’s gay scene forever
When researching the infamous 1994 police raid of the Melbourne club Tasty, one of the first things you’ll notice is the lack of photographs. These days, if about 50 cops burst into a gay club and strip-searched and detained 463 law-abiding citizens, it would probably be live-streamed. But 30 years later only one grainy photo […]
Nigeria: From holy celibacy to secret lesbian marriage
When asked, “What kind of childhood did you have?”Awele responds cheerfully. “I had a very happy childhood. I had a very protected childhood. I had a very soft childhood. I think you might say anything you want to say about my parents, but one thing I will always give them the accolades for is the […]
Rebel groups in Colombia are killing trans women in a “social cleansing” campaign
In Colombia, armed groups are targeting transgender women along with other so-called undesirables in a violent campaign of “social cleansing” across the country. Paramilitaries in Colombia—still operating despite a peace agreement with the country’s largest rebel group, the Farc, in 2016—killed more than 40 transgender women last year, according to reporting in The Guardian. Eight more died between February […]
Finding empowerment through drag after cancer
After enduring years of gruelling treatment for cancer as a child, Teifi Rowley was left self-conscious about their appearance and uncomfortable in their own skin. But performing as drag alter ego Anniben has been a way of processing trauma and finding empowerment. “It’s really been a saviour for me,” said Teifi. Teifi was diagnosed with a tumour behind […]
Uganda: Man Charged with Aggravated Homosexuality Released on Bail After a Year
Michael Opolot, one of the first men to face the death penalty under Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), has been released on bail after a year awaiting trial. Opolot, 21, was arrested in August 2023 for reportedly having sex with a 41-year-old man in the eastern city of Soroti. He was charged with “aggravated homosexuality” because the other […]
Thousands join Budapest Pride in protest at state’s anti-LGBT moves
Thousands of Hungarians braved scorching heat for the annual Pride march in Budapest on Saturday, protesting against government controls over public displays by the LGBT community. Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government promotes a Christian-conservative agenda and in 2021 banned “display and promotion of homosexuality” in books and films accessible by under-18s despite strong criticism from […]
Thailand’s historic marriage equality laws may spark a ‘pink baht’ boom
Niar Ibrahim Rose came to Thailand in search of knowledge; instead, she found her identity. While living in Thailand, the Indonesian scientist came out as trans and finally “accepted” herself as Niar. “And I’ve also met some Indonesians and they can be themselves here,” she said. “They don’t need to hide. They can express their […]
Malawi LGBTQ communities struggle to access health care
More than 700,000 people — the estimated 3.5% of Malawi’s nearly 21 million people who identify as LGBTQ — face discrimination when seeking health care, even though the country’s constitution guarantees the right to health for all citizens. Malawi’s High Court recently upheld the country’s colonial-era sodomy law, which criminalizes gay sex. The website of […]
Pope Francis acknowledges conference for ‘LGBT Catholics’
Pope Francis this week said he is “united in prayer” with those participating in a conference for Catholics who identify as LGBT taking place this weekend in Washington, D.C. Father James Martin, a controversial Jesuit priest who founded the pro-LGBT group Outreach in 2022, reportedly asked Pope Francis if he would like to send a […]
Ageing in the shadows: Nepal’s LGBTQIA+ seniors face a silent crisis
In mainstream media, movies, and celebratory events like pride parades, the focus is often on young LGBTQIA+ individuals, leaving the elderly community in the shadows. This invisibility fuels misconceptions, with some dismissing the community’s issues as a “new foreign concept” seen only in younger generations. Although they have been largely invisible until recently, LGBTQIA+ older […]
Supreme Court notice on plea to allow blood donation by gay
Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the central government and others on a plea challenging rules that prevent blood donation by gay men, transgender persons and sex workers. On October 11, 2017, the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) of the Union Ministry of Health and Family […]
A right-wing influencer accused a gay dad of raping his own kids. Now he’ll face the music
Gay dad José Rolón, a widower raising three kids on his own, faced a choice. The social media influencer, who covers gay family life and is known as @nycgaydad, was under attack by conservative online provocateur Stew Peters. Peters is an antisemitic conspiracy theorist who “regularly promotes anti-LGBTQ+ and white supremacist beliefs,” according to the […]
Mozambique’s transgender history is on display in a powerful photo exhibition
A pioneering queer photo exhibition that was staged 20 years ago in Mozambique and South Africa has found new life and a new audience. Manas 2000-2024, by the Danish photographer Ditte Haarløv Johnsen, opened at the French-Mozambican Cultural Centre, in the capital Maputo, on 8 July. The show kicked off Ulayo Fest, Mozambique’s annual LGBTIQ+ […]
Thailand’s tolerance questioned as LGBT+ people fight for recognition in workplace
Natthineethiti “Nikki” Phinyapincha dreamed of landing a job with an international hotel chain in Thailand, when she returned from Switzerland with a master’s degree in tourism about a decade ago. She sent out close to 100 resumes along with her photo, but was still out of work six months later. Hoping for a break, she applied for […]
Ghana’s traditional leaders urge President to act on Anti-LGBTQI bill or face God’s wrath
The bill, officially known as “The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021,” has been a subject of intense debate and controversy in the West African nation. The traditional leaders cited concerns over divine retribution if the bill is not enacted, following the delays in transmitting the bill to the […]
Both Russia and homophobia are in the crosshairs of Ukraine’s gay soldiers
One corner of Kyiv’s symbolic central square is now carpeted in thousands of tiny blue and yellow flags, in tribute to Ukraine’s fallen soldiers. Earlier this month, a group of activists gathered to add a different type of flag to the ever-growing collection. They had unicorns in their centre, to represent each gay soldier that […]
Nepal Supreme Court Rules Trans Woman Is a Woman
The Supreme Court of Nepal has ruled that Rukshana Kapali, a transgender woman, should be legally recognized on all documents as a woman without having to submit to medical verification. The judgment is the latest in the court’s history of progressive rulings on sexual orientation and gender identity, which has earned Nepal a positive global reputation on LGBT […]
Kazakhstan: Reject rights-violating petition, say UN experts
GENEVA – The Government of Kazakhstan should reject a petition it is considering that calls for legislation that would violate freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association based on sexual orientation and gender identity, five United Nations experts* said today. “This petition should not have been entertained by the government in the first place and should […]
German colonialism in Africa has a chilling history – new book explores how it lives on
Germany was a significant – and often brutal – colonial power in Africa. But this colonial history is not told as often as that of other imperialist nations. A new book called The Long Shadow of German Colonialism: Amnesia, Denialism and Revisionism aims to bring the past into the light. It explores not just the […]
For trans youth, working in corporate India is a losing battle
It was a smoggy November morning in 2023. At the Gurugram shelter run by the Transgender Welfare Equity and Empowerment Trust, Ajay*, a trans man in his mid-20s, hurriedly dressed and gobbled up a protein-heavy breakfast. Despite his haste, Ajay looked sharp. His trousers weren’t creased. His brogues were polished. Ajay had just started work […]