US Asks Supreme Court to Unblock Transgender Student Protections
The Biden administration wants the US Supreme Court to step in and limit lower court orders that fully blocked it from extending protections against sex discrimination in education to transgender students. In emergency requests on Monday, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar asked the justices to partially stay rulings from federal district courts in the Western […]
Out of the closet, out of care: LGBTQ communities in Malawi struggle to access health care
In Lilongwe, Malawi, 24-year-old Cleo Jones recalls feeling more comfortable around girls than boys during childhood. Jones came out as queer and nonbinary at the age of 15, a decision that was met with harsh rejection by their father and attacks and stigma from society, causing them to fall into periods of depression. Since then, […]
Israel LGBTQ+ Medical Society launches course on transgender-friendly protocols
When Y. J. Chichester Salant, a 27-year-old trans woman, went to an ENT doctor in Tel Aviv because of a serious upper respiratory infection, one of the first questions the doctor asked was about her “bottom surgery.” Salant, the health care coordinator at the Trans Center in Tel Aviv, was taken aback and told him […]
Police advice to LGBTQ+ individual to avoid public restrooms ruled as rights violation
A court has ruled that police advising an LGBTQ+ individual, who was undergoing the process of gender correction and changing their resident registration number, to avoid using public restrooms for a period constitutes an infringement of personal rights. The court’s decision highlights the illegality of such remarks, noting that they fail to consider the reality faced […]
Trans Housing Coalition Receives Grant to Fight Trans Homelessness in Atlanta
Trans Housing Coalition will be expanding its Housing First Program after receiving a grant from Health Care Advocates International’s HCAI Fund. The non-profit, an Atlanta-based trans-led organization aimed at getting chronically homeless Black trans women off the streets, received $35,000 to support their housing program. “The HCAI Fund grant empowers the Trans Housing Coalition to expand their […]
From fear to freedom: LGBTQ+ migrants seek safe haven in Germany
Faced with rape threats, forced conversion therapy, and the necessity to flee their homeland, four queer individuals share their experiences with DW. “The Russian police threatened to have me raped in prison,” recounts 21-year-old Yusif Muradov. He had to flee Russia after authorities started cracking down on him for being openly queer. As of 2024, 64 […]
Bangladesh Supreme Court sets aside government jobs for third-gender people
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruled today that 1 percent of government jobs must be set aside for third-gender people and those with physical challenges. The human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) declared that it “heartily welcomes the landmark verdict”. The decision came after days of nationwide unrest and deadly clashes between police and protesters, […]
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act challenged at Supreme Court
Following months of preparations, the long-awaited joint appeal to the Supreme Court of Uganda against the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) was formally lodged on July 11 by 22 parties who were dissatisfied with the Constitutional Court ruling that upheld AHA in April. Although the Constitutional Court nullified a few sections that it said were inconsistent with […]
At least 144 LGBTQ athletes to compete in Paris Olympics
At least 144 out LGBTQ athletes will be heading to Paris for the 2024 Summer Games, with a record number of out male Olympians participating, according to the LGBTQ sports site OutSports. In the last Summer Olympics, held in Tokyo in 2021, there were at least 186 out competitors, but the list originally started at […]
Glasgow celebrates Pride after Palestine protest row
Thousands of people have taken part in colourful Pride celebrations in Glasgow after concerns were raised about plans for pro-Palestine protests. A Glasgow Pride spokesman said it was “firmly against” conflict of any kind, but the purpose of Pride was to “stand-up for the human rights and inclusion of the LGBTQIA+ community”. The Glasgow Greens […]
‘Better days’ ahead for South Korea LGBTQ couples after landmark ruling
When South Korea was run by a military-backed authoritarian government in the 1970s, a “coffee house” where lesbians secretly gathered was an easy target. The country has progressed from the days of police raids on gay spaces, with the top court ruling on Thursday that same-sex couples are just as eligible for state health insurance […]
Two lifelong Republicans leave the GOP in support of trans grandchild
Two Ohio grandparents, Mike and Melissa H., were both lifelong Republican voters, but they recently left the GOP because its anti-transgender politics threaten the well-being of their trans grandchild. “I just felt a real departure from the Republican Party. I got some mailings from both the national Republican Party and the Ohio Republican Party, and […]
British government report says trans suicide claims overblown
A United Kingdom government advisor on Friday said statistics do not indicate that there had been a large spike in suicides among young people who identified as transgender after a 2020 decision by UK’s National Health Service restricting access to puberty blockers for those under 16. The UK’s health secretary asked Professor Louis Appleby to […]
Marriage equality comes to Aruba and Curacao; South Korea sees progress on LGBTQ unions
The global push to recognize the rights of LGBTQ couples continued in separate parts of the world this month when the Dutch Supreme Court ordered the legalization of marriage equality in the Caribbean-based constituent countries of Aruba and Curaçao, while South Korea’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of health insurance coverage for same-sex couples. The […]
Turkey Bans Transgender Art Exhibition Amid Intensified LGBTQ+ Crackdown
Turkish authorities have banned an exhibition that explores the art and history of the country’s transgender community, the Art Newspaper reported Thursday. Authorities shut down the exhibition, titled “Turn and See Back: Revisiting Trans Revolutions in Turkey,” by an order of a district governor who said the show “incited the public to hatred.” “Turn and […]
House to review anti-homosexuality law
Capitol Hill, Liberia, July 19, 2024 – Liberia’s House of Representatives has instructed its committees on Gender, Health, and Judiciary to review the request for the amendment of the country’s anti-homosexuality law. The proposal seeking an amendment to Chapter 14, Subchapter D of a bill titled “Anti-Homosexuality Law of Liberia 2024 was sent to the House […]
This African country never outlawed homosexuality… until now
The military junta ruling the West African county of Burkina Faso announced that homosexual acts will now be a punishable offense. As such, the nation is the latest in a growing number of African nations to crack down on same-sex relations. “Henceforth homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law,” Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue […]
Ghana supreme court defers ruling on anti-LGBTQ bill
Ghana’s Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred its ruling on a request to restrain parliament from transmitting a highly contested anti-LGBTQ bill to President Nana Akufo-Addo for his final approval. The ruling means debate around the bill, which has dominated Ghana’s political discourse since parliament passed it in February, will be sidelined from the campaign for December’s presidential […]
Dutch Supreme Court Allows Gay Marriage in Aruba and Curaçao
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled that Aruba and Curaçao must allow same-sex couples to marry, overturning an existing prohibition on the practice in those constituent countries. Same-sex couples have been able to wed in the Netherlands since 2001, and since 2012 in Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, three Caribbean municipalities under Dutch control. But the […]
Nearly half of 18 to 24 year olds are ‘not fully straight’, new survey shows
Findings in the Global Sex Survey, marking condom company Durex’s 95th anniversary, suggested society is becoming more open to sexual diversity than ever before. Forty-four per cent of worldwide respondents aged 18 to 24 identified as “not fully straight”, while in the UK that figure rose to 47 per cent. Similarly, a 2023 study by Business Insider and […]
Tel Aviv backs housing for transgender community with support from religious factions
The Tel Aviv City Council has approved a proposal by council member Reut Nagar to consider allocating part of the city’s affordable housing project to the transgender community, according to Mako’s news site. According to the report, this decision follows troubling testimonies published by “Transiot Israel” association, about the harassment transgender women face when seeking […]
We Are Being Killed’: A Gay Man Forced To Escape Turkmenistan
David Omarov, a native of Turkmenistan, says he was arrested and tortured there for being gay — a crime under the country’s repressive regime. He was also charged with “disseminating AIDS” while imprisoned in 2019 and forced to sign a confession before he was finally able to flee to Poland. In his new home, Omarov […]
California bans forced outing of LGBTQ+ students as Gov. Gavin Newsom signs landmark law
California has enacted a landmark law banning schools from outing LGBTQ+ students to their parents or guardians, becoming the first state to ban forced outing. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1955 on Monday, officially prohibiting schools from disclosing a student’s gender identity or sexuality to their guardians without the student’s permission. The law […]
In Senegal, anti-LGBT forces seek longer prison time for gay sex
Since 2020, Senegal has been debating the effectiveness of its repression of homosexuality. Abuses of all kinds against LGBT+ people are commonplace in the West African nation, which current imposes prison sentences of up to five years for consensual same-sex intimacy. A further outburst of homophobia came in June, after new Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko […]
The Struggle to Reclaim Autonomy in the Two-Spirit Movement
For centuries, two-spirit individuals have been subjected to violence and assimilation. Today, two-spirit activists across the United States are coming together to reclaim their autonomy and preserve their legacy. Two-spirit is a beacon of contemporary spiritual and cultural identity for Indigenous peoples. It is rooted in an Anishinaabe term signifying the harmonious coexistence of feminine […]
Ghana’s brazen move to outlaw LGBTQI groups is the latest attack on freedom of association in Africa
The fundamental freedoms of assembly, expression and association for queer individuals are under siege. These are sentiments Graeme Reid, an expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, shared in a statement during Pride Month at the 56th session of the Human Rights Council, highlighting the alarming expansion of […]
Albania Urged to Enhance Implementation of LGBT Protections Amid Discrimination
The Government of Albania has made notable strides in creating a framework to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. However, more efforts are needed to ensure that laws and policies are effectively implemented to reflect the lived experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, an independent expert said today. “At […]
Republican National Convention: Marjorie Taylor Greene Attacks Transgender Individuals And “Illegal Aliens”
As one of the first big name speakers on the first night of the Republican National Convention, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) delivered a speech that started off somberly in references to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, but quickly went into some of the red meat rhetoric that is her specialty. “For far too […]
Queer Amsterdam pull out of Pride Walk after Israeli flag row
The Queer Amsterdam foundation has pulled out of organising this year’s Pride Walk, one of the highlights of the annual Pride celebrations in the capital, because of a row over a ban on Israeli flags. Queer Amsterdam caused an outcry last week when it said on social media that Israeli flags would be banned during the walk. […]
Cameroon activists hope for change after president’s daughter comes out
Brenda Biya, 26, shared a photo on social media late last month that showed her embracing Brazilian model Layyons Valença. The post was accompanied by the caption: “I’m crazy about you and I want the world to know it”, along with a heart emoji. It came despite the fact that in Cameroon, sexual relations between […]