Out in the World: Anti-LGBTQ bills, laws are spreading around the world
Anti-LGBTQ bills and new laws are spreading around the world, including in several African nations and the former Soviet republic of Belarus. The proposed or approved legislation in these various countries seek to criminalize same-sex relationships and gender identity, ban promoting LGBTQ rights, and censor media outlets. Prominent Ugandan LGBTQ activists Frank Mugisha, executive director of […]
Russia-style NGO crackdowns spread as Europe dithers
Georgia’s ruling party plans to reintroduce highly controversial Russia-style “foreign agent” legislation aimed at incapacitating civil society and independent media. If adopted, the laws, which were withdrawn last year in the face of massive protests, would require foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations and media to register as “agents of foreign influence”. That would make them subject to additional scrutiny and […]
Federal appeals court overturns West Virginia’s transgender sports ban
A federal appeals court struck down a West Virginia law that barred transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams in public schools and colleges. In a 2-1 ruling Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Becky Pepper-Jackson, 13, a transgender girl who argued that the law prevented her from […]
Uganda: Activists Appeal Shock Anti-Homosexuality Law Ruling
Twenty-two individuals have filed an appeal with Uganda’s Supreme Court against the Constitutional Court’s recent refusal to strike down the country’s vile Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA). The Supreme Court is the highest appeal court in Uganda. The petitioners include academics, activists such as Sexual Minorities Uganda Executive Director Frank Mugisha and Jacqueline Kasha Nabagesara, as well […]
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf confirms trans women will be protected under new misogyny laws
Humza Yousaf has confirmed that trans women will be protected under new misogyny laws in Scotland. The Scottish government are set to introduce a bill to address prejudice and violence against women and girls – which rightly includes trans women and girls – before the current parliamentary term ends in 2026. Speaking to BBC’s Good […]
Iraq postpones vote on bill to impose death penalty for same-sex acts
The Iraqi parliament is threatening to pass a long-delayed anti-LGBTQ bill that would impose the death penalty for same-sex intimacy. Although Iraq does not currently have an explicitly anti-gay law, Erasing 76 Crimes has long included the country in its list of nations with anti-gay laws, because it arrests LGBTQ Iraqis on vague “anti-morality” charges. […]
US Supreme Court lets Idaho enforce ban on transgender care for minors
The conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let a Republican-backed law in Idaho that criminalizes gender-affirming care for transgender minors broadly take effect after a federal judge blocked it as unconstitutional. The court granted Republican Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s request to narrow a preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill, who ruled […]
Trans youth dying in suicide “epidemic” as UK increasingly restricts gender-affirming care
Transgender 15-year-old Jason Pulman died by suicide after his country’s medical system told him he’d have to wait 26 months for his first gender-affirming care appointment. His death is at least the third to occur among trans teens in the U.K. who were recently denied similar care — advocates worry such deaths will only increase […]
First China transgender clinic deals with ‘visitors’ as it embraces country’s 4 million people with body dissatisfaction
For China’s transgender population of four million – and those with empathy for them – they are people whose souls are trapped in the wrong body. At the country’s first transgender clinic in Beijing, they are not seen as patients. The term transgender describes people whose internal sense of being male, female, neither, or both, […]
What Canadian doctors say about new U.K. review questioning puberty blockers for transgender youth
A long-anticipated — and contentious — national review of gender-affirming care for youth in England was released last week, resulting in headlines across the U.K. saying that gender medicine is “built on shaky foundations.” The Cass Review, chaired by pediatrician Hilary Cass, was commissioned by England’s National Health Service (NHS) in 2020. Even before the […]
Experience the colorful celebration of diversity at the Texas Gay Rodeo
Over the weekend in Denton, the North Texas Fair and Rodeo hosted a groundbreaking event—a gay rodeo show that drew crowds from all over the state. The Texas Gay Rodeo Association (TGRA) held its 41st Texas Tradition Rodeo. For many spectators, the show was not only a thrilling display of horsemanship and rodeo skills but also an important […]
Government set to discuss transgender inclusion policies in football and cricket
Football and cricket’s transgender inclusion policies are set to come under Government scrutiny at a meeting on Monday afternoon. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has convened a gathering of national sports governing bodies to discuss developments related to this hugely controversial topic. The Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board’s policies are under review, but do currently permit transgender […]
Muslim parents seek a path forward after protests over LGBTQ rights in school
When Iftekhar Ahmed’s child came out as transgender four years ago, the situation was difficult for him to comprehend. Raised in Pakistan in a Muslim household, Ahmed had little experience with the concept. But after about a year of conversations with his son, Mani, and of lot of learning about his identity, Ahmed was able to […]
Benedict backed me up on rights for LGBT couples, Pope Francis says
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis found an ally in his predecessor Benedict XVI when he spoke in favour of civil partnerships for same-sex couples, the pontiff said in a new book due out in Spain. The work is set for publication on Wednesday, but its contents were shared in advance on Tuesday with several media, including […]
Beaten, Strangled and Robbed: New Grindr Gang Syndicate Cases in Durban
The LGBTQ+ community in KwaZulu-Natal is urged to be vigilant following new reports of several individuals being targeted by criminals on the Grindr dating app in the Durban area. Last week, an LGBTQ+ individual in Inanda became a victim of the suspected syndicate after arranging to meet a man he connected with on Grindr. Same Love Toti’s […]
Belarus Calls LGBT Lives ‘Pornography’
Belarus has hit a new low in its targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. As of today, the definition of pornography under Belarusian law will include depictions of same-sex relationships as well as transgender people. The Culture Ministry recently amended its decree on “erotic materials” to classify “homosexualism, lesbian love” and the “desire to live […]
Germany makes changing legal gender easier
German lawmakers voted Friday in favor of the Self-Determination Act, making it easier for transgender, intersex and non-binary people to change their gender entry at the country’s registry office. In a roll-call vote on the controversial law, 374 MPs voted in favor, 251 against and 11 abstained. Under the Self-Determination Act, people aged 14 and older will be […]
Benedict backed me up on rights for LGBT couples, Pope Francis says
Pope Francis found an ally in his predecessor Benedict XVI when he spoke in favour of civil partnerships for same-sex couples, the pontiff said in a new book due out in Spain. The work is set for publication on Wednesday, but its contents were shared in advance on Tuesday with several media, including Reuters. Francis […]
Beaten, Strangled and Robbed: New Grindr Gang Syndicate Cases in Durban
The LGBTQ+ community in KwaZulu-Natal is urged to be vigilant following new reports of several individuals being targeted by criminals on the Grindr dating app in the Durban area. Last week, an LGBTQ+ individual in Inanda became a victim of the suspected syndicate after arranging to meet a man he connected with on Grindr. Same […]
Belarus Calls LGBT Lives ‘Pornography’
Belarus has hit a new low in its targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. As of today, the definition of pornography under Belarusian law will include depictions of same-sex relationships as well as transgender people. The Culture Ministry recently amended its decree on “erotic materials” to classify “homosexualism, lesbian love” and the […]
Germany makes changing legal gender easier
German lawmakers voted Friday in favor of the Self-Determination Act, making it easier for transgender, intersex and non-binary people to change their gender entry at the country’s registry office. In a roll-call vote on the controversial law, 374 MPs voted in favor, 251 against and 11 abstained. Under the Self-Determination Act, people aged 14 and […]
German parliament votes to make it easier for people to legally change their name and gender
German lawmakers on Friday approved legislation that will make it easier for transgender, intersex and nonbinary people to change their name and gender in official records. The “self-determination law,” one of several social reforms that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s liberal-leaning coalition government pledged when it took office in late 2021, is set to take effect on […]
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly Vetoes Bill That Would Strip Away Access to Essential Health Care for Transgender Youth
Today, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly vetoed SB 233, which, if enacted, would ban crucial, medically necessary health care for transgender youth. This is the latest anti-LGBTQ bill to be rejected by the governor, who vetoed a similar bill targeting gender affirming care last year, in addition to a slew of other extremist, anti-LGBTQ+ bills. Human […]
Disbelief as Zuma’s MK Party Sells LGBTIQ+ Merchandise
The Umkhonto WeSizwe (MK) party appears to be courting the LGBTIQ+ community by selling rainbow-themed promotional wear, despite its founder repeatedly attacking queer people and their relationships. On Thursday, social media influencer Sabelo Ntombeningi shared photos of themself modelling MK-branded hoodies, bucket hats, and t-shirts, all adorned with rainbow colours. “Umkhonto WeSizwe calls upon the […]
Scotland’s New Transgender ‘Hate Crime’ Law Already Showing How It Leads to Tyranny
Scotland’s new “hate crime” law already is demonstrating how it will be used to squash dissent and free speech. The so-called Hate Crime and Public Order Act, which went into force in Scotland on April Fools’ Day, adds age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity to a list of protected classes. The law provides […]
Ghana ruling party presidential candidate says he opposes same-sex relations
ACCRA (Reuters) -The presidential candidate of Ghana’s ruling party, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, said on Thursday he was opposed to “the practice of homosexuality”, a stance he promised to maintain if elected in December. President Nana Akufo-Addo faces pressure to sign into law one of Africa’s most severe anti-LGBT bills, which has been criticised by rights advocates […]
Rio’s Runway, Reimagined: Transmasc and Nonbinary Performers Expand Brazil’s Ballroom Scene
“Ballroom changes lives, you know? It’s inevitable,” said Maru Camargo, who joined Rio de Janeiro’s Ballroom scene about a year ago after moving from the countryside. If you have been to a party in Rio, you may know the outfits, the dancing, the music, the volume. If you have been to a Ball anywhere, you may […]
Transgender inclusion? World’s major religions take varying stances
The Vatican has issued a new document rejecting the concept of changing one’s biological sex — a setback for transgender people who had hoped Pope Francis might be setting the stage for a more welcoming approach from the Catholic Church. Around the world, major religions have diverse approaches to gender identity, and the inclusion or exclusion of […]
Government recognised violation of rights of LGBT representatives, however…
On 11 April, the European Court of Human Rights announced a decision on the complaints of 24 representatives of the LGBT community. The complaint was related to the mass detentions and administrative arrests of LGBT representatives in Azerbaijan in September 2017. They complained that they were harassed and ill-treated in detention centres because of their orientation […]
Rainbow Veterans, LGBT Purge Fund Honour WW1 Canadian Soldiers
Throughout history, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community have made important military contributions, paving the way for others who continue to do so today. Regrettably, a legacy of discrimination has meant most of those men, women and gender diverse people stories have been buried and excluded from our collective memory. Fortunately, recent research has brought some […]