Strange bed fellows unite to fight trans rights in Australia
Conservative Christians and feminist campaigners may seem unlikely bedfellows – but the two groups have found common cause when it comes to blocking transgender rights in Australia. Both argue that trans women pose a risk to women and children in changing rooms, toilets and rape shelters, in a microcosm of an increasingly vicious culture war […]
Opposition in Brazil blame political tone for anti-LGBT+ violence
The political opposition in Brazil on Wednesday said the government of President Jair Bolsonaro was failing to stop violent attacks on women and LGBT+ people that have risen in the past year. Research published this week showed murders of LGBT+ people rose more than 10% last year while reports of sexual violence increased 4% in […]
Homophobic hate crime reports soar but charges fall
The number of homophobic hate crimes reported to police have more than doubled in the past five years – yet only 8% result in prosecutions, figures show. Reports of homophobic abuse recorded by UK police forces soared from 5,807 in 2014-15 to 13,530 in 2018-19, according to the data. But the number of prosecutions dropped […]
Indian city encouraged trans people to apply for police force. Instead of being given jobs, they were outed
Forty young transgender folk in Chhattisgarh, a state in central India, left their jobs and homes when the local government announced a recruitment drive for trans police officers. Many of the applicants had previously been harassed or tortured by the police – but the promise of work, respect and escaping the fate of many trans […]
Local Groups Help LGBT Victims of Hurricane Dorian in Bahamas
Local LGBT and LGBT-friendly organizations are joining forces to get much-needed funds and supplies to LGBT Bahamians whose lives were upended after Hurricane Dorian. Thousands of residents of Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands are relocating after the storm because they lack access to housing, food, and water. Among that population are presumed to be […]
Gay rights groups push for same-sex marriage in Chile
Gay rights activists are renewing efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Chile. Two groups have formally asked the South American country’s controller-general to require President Sebastián Piñera’s government to promote a measure in congress to legalize same-sex marriage. The left-leaning administration of former President Michelle Bachelet promised the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2016 […]
The first same-sex weddings in Northern Ireland will take place on Valentine’s Day
Campaigners for marriage equality in Northern Ireland have confirmed that same-sex marriage will be legal from January 13 2020, with the first weddings taking place on Valentine’s Day. Northern Ireland is the only country in the UK where same-sex marriage is not legally recognised. On July 9, MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of changing the law if […]
Brazil report charts surge in racial abuse and violence against women, LGBT
Brazil saw an alarming rise in racial abuse, sexual assault, femicide and violence against women and LGBT people in 2018, according to new figures released on Tuesday. The data illustrates a country which became more bigoted and more polarised against the backdrop of last year’s incendiary election campaign and the increase in inflammatory rhetoric by […]
HIV/AIDS meeting: Reduce bias to reduce infection
In order to create greater inter-regional collaboration to end HIV/AIDS by 2030, people must set aside their biases, stigmas and phobias to create an inclusive environment that is free from discrimination. This was the view of Ian Ramdahin, acting permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and memeber of the National AIDS Co-ordinating […]
Remembering and Celebrating South Africa’s Iconic LGBTQI+ Women
The shards of South Africa’s fragmented history share a common thread throughout; at the core is a struggle for equality and visibility. Over the course of the country’s fight for democracy, there have been countless women who’s incredible strength and bravery has shaped South Africa as we know it today. Some of these women are […]
ILGA-Europe welcome landmark decision by Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court to uphold the privacy of a lesbian couple
A controversial case that took a year and a half for Kazakhstan’s court system to hear has turned out to be the first legal victory for LGBTIQ rights in Kazakhstan. In January 2018, two young women (unnamed for ethical reasons) were filmed kissing at a cinema in the city of Almaty by a man, Eldar […]
The first credit union specifically tailored to LGBTQ customers to open in 2020
The state of Michigan has just approved a new credit union specifically tailored to LGBTQ customers. Superbia Credit Union will be opening its virtual doors in 2020 and it will be the first ever Profit-for-Purpose financial institution. Owned and guided by its members it will be an inclusive exists solely to serve and advocate for the […]
Racism, intolerance ‘escalating’ in Finland: Council of Europe
Racist and abusive language is “commonplace” online in Finland and is on the rise in political discourse, a report by the Council of Europe warned on Tuesday (Sept 10). Although the Nordic nation frequently tops international comparisons regarding happiness, gender equality and quality of life, the population has the lowest share of foreign-born residents in […]
When feminism supports trans rights, everybody wins – just like in Iceland
On 24 October 1975 90% of all women in Iceland went on strike. Twenty-five thousand women – more than 10% of the country’s population – made their way to the parliamentary square to rally for their rights. Since that day, Iceland has been at the forefront of women’s rights, and since 2009 it has been […]
Mexico trans women fight for justice as killings go unpunished
Months after Kenya Cuevas’ friend was killed in front of her, a funeral wreath with Cuevas’ name on it arrived at her doorstep. The implication was clear: Keep making noise about slain transgender women and you’ll be next. Mexico has become the world’s second deadliest country after Brazil for transgender people, with 261 transgender women […]
9 LGBTQ Faith Leaders to Watch in 2019
The past year has posed significant challenges for many LGBTQ members of faith communities. For example, a recent vote in the United Methodist Church strengthened its ban on marriage for same-sex couples and LGBTQ clergy, leaving many LGBTQ United Methodists feeling discouraged and isolated. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is actively stripping away nondiscrimination protections for […]
Ethiopian church-affiliated group urges action against gays
A group affiliated with Ethiopia’s Orthodox Church is condemning what it calls the government’s silence on homosexuality in the country. Speaking at a conference Sunday in Addis Ababa, the capital, Dereje Negash of the Orthodox Church group dedicated to an Ethiopian saint, said the government’s indifference on the issue is helping the LGBT movement in […]
Why are so few LGBT Chinese couples taking advantage of laws that could protect their rights?
A gay couple in Beijing recently made national headlines when they became the first same-sex couple to become each other’s legal guardian. The option – which allows them to authorise medical treatment and confers the highest degree of legal protection available in a country where gay marriage is still prohibited – has been open to […]
GayTravel.com Supports Disaster Relief Efforts for LGBT Bahamians
GayTravel.com, a trusted resource for LGBT travelers for over two decades, is leading the way by encouraging concerned travelers to participate in an online donation effort focused on LGBT Bahamians who are unlikely to receive much-needed aid from traditional charities. Hurricane Dorian was one of the most severe Atlantic storms on record and perhaps the […]
Transgender woman healing after beaten in Oregon over bathroom use
The attack broke Lauren Jackson’s bones but not her spirit. “Thankfully, I’m still alive. Thankfully, the injuries weren’t worse,” she told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Jackson, a transgender woman, was severely beaten by a man she didn’t know after using a woman’s bathroom at an Oregon coast park near Newport, Oregon, late last month, police and prosecutors […]
Bosnian capital holds first Pride parade amid counter protests and a backdrop of violent opposition
Sarajevo has become the latest and last of the Balkan capitals to hold its first Pride parade as LGBT+ activists in Bosnia and Herzegovina marched amid a backdrop of protests and aggression from conservative voices in the country. Led by a vast pink banner with the words “Ima Izac” – which translates as ‘Coming Out’ – attendees marched under rainbow […]
Hundreds march against Bosnia’s first LGBT pride parade
Several hundred people marched in Bosnia’s capital Saturday to show their disapproval of a weekend LGBT pride parade that will be the country’s first. A pride parade is scheduled for Sunday in Sarajevo, the only capital city in the Balkans that hasn’t hosted one yet. U.S. and European Union officials working in Bosnia have expressed […]
Brazil mayor blocked from banning Avengers comic over gay kiss
A Brazilian judge has blocked attempts by the mayor of Rio de Janeiro to ban a Marvel comic showing two men kissing. Mayor Marcelo Crivella, a former bishop, had demanded the comic be withdrawn from a book fair, saying it included content unsuitable for minors. But the judge granted an interim injunction against this, citing […]
Pride flags greet Mike Pence on arrival in Iceland
As Mike Pence pulled up to Höfði House in Reykjavík, he was met not only by Iceland’s president, Guðni Jóhannesson, but also a row of rainbow flags. An office block belonging to the IT company Advania opposite the historic building had changed its flags on the morning of the US vice-president’s visit. “We just felt […]
Defeated in court, Philippine lawyer to enter politics to pursue LGBT+ rights
A gay lawyer from the Philippines said on Thursday he would pursue a career in politics to push for LGBT+ rights after losing a legal battle to introduce same-sex marriage in the mainly Roman Catholic country. Jesus Falcis in 2015 petitioned the country’s top court to rule as unconstitutional a law stating marriage can only […]
Trans Chinese teens forced into ‘conversion therapy’: study
Trans teenagers in China face abuse at home and bullying at school, with almost one in five forced into conversion therapies, according to a survey released on Friday. The researchers called for the widely discredited therapy – be it hypnosis or electric shocks – to be outlawed, saying transgender youths in China face a “hostile” […]
In Nepal and India, parallel movements for dignity for LGBT communities
I came of age in late 1990s Kathmandu, during a period when Nepal’s capital city was smaller and more insular. There was little room for marginalized groups in the sociopolitical sphere. But the advent of the internet gradually expanded my world. Innate curiosity, a reading habit and love for movies helped me accept my sexuality […]
Norway issues rightwing terror warning for year ahead
Norway’s domestic security agency has warned about the possibility of a terror attack from rightwing extremists “in the coming year”. In a statement, the PST said its heightened assessment stemmed from the fact that several Norwegian rightwing extremists had recently expressed support for the perpetrators behind attacks in New Zealand, the US and the failed […]
The ex-gay Christianity movement is making a quiet comeback. The effects on LGBTQ youth could be devastating.
For two decades, McKrae Game was a top-tier figure among ex-gay Christians and a leading advocate for conversion therapy, a counseling practice with the goal of helping LGBTQ people suppress their homosexuality and become “straight.” But Game, 51, now disavows the movement and acknowledges he has been gay all along. He told the Post and […]
Judge has a lawyer arrested for defending the ‘Straight Pride’ protestors
A judge had a lawyer arrested who was trying to defend her clients who were protesting against Straight Pride. 36 demonstrators were arrested while protesting the Straight Pride Parade in Boston. Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said that prosecutors used their discretion to perform “triage” on the cases – they moved that many of the […]