Poland’s ruling party picks LGBT rights as election battlefront
Poland’s ruling nationalist party aims to stem a decline in its popularity ahead of two key elections this year with warnings that opposition support for LGBT education is a threat to Polish culture and should be blocked wherever possible. The Law and Justice Party (PiS) has condemned a new school sex education program planned in […]
LGBT Brazilians’ Mental Health Plummets With Anti-Gay President
When the proudly homophobic President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January, LGBT community members were worried their rights would be taken away. Two months later, watchdog groups are saying suicide among LGBT people has skyrocketed as a result. There are no official figures, according to Grupo Gay da Bahia, the Brazilian watchdog group, but after […]
Groups blast ‘homophobic’ and ‘unjust’ family bill
A coalition of LGBT rights groups yesterday urged Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao to withdraw his draft bill on same-sex families, which they said could undermine the legalization of same-sex marriage. The bill is “homophobic” and “basically offers zero protection for same-sex families,” Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy vice president Tsai Shang-wen said […]
Nigerian lesbian: I need to marry a gay man
In Nigeria, many LGBTI persons grow anxious as they get older and confront pressures from their families and society to get married. They can’t simply marry the people they love because Nigeria’s anti-gay law outlaws same-sex marriage. They’re deprived of the basic human right to live their lives with their loved ones. That’s the predicament […]
How ‘Real America’ Became Queer America
This may seem like a strange time to feel optimistic about the future of L.G.B.T. rights in America. But as a queer transgender woman who has spent most of her adult life in red states, hopeful is exactly how I feel. In July 2017 the same month that President Trump announced on Twitter that he […]
Dutch priest who petitioned for pro-LGBT ‘rainbow crossing’ in front of basilica withdraws petition
Fr. Maickel Prasing, the Dutch priest who launched an online petition for a rainbow crossing to be placed in front of the Catholic Basilica of Oudenbosch, Brabant, in the Netherlands, closed the petition at the behest of the diocese of Breda in the wake of the media attention attracted by his suggestion. Public protests by […]
Nearly half of LGBT graduates in Japan report having uncomfortable experiences in job interviews
Over 40 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual students and over 80 percent of transgender students in Japan had uncomfortable experiences during job interviews, a survey by a nonprofit organization showed Wednesday. “Company officials in charge of personnel affairs should be aware that job-hunting students include a certain percentage of sexual minorities,” said Tokyo-based ReBit. […]
BOTSWANA COURT CASE TO CHALLENGE LEGALITY OF GAY SEX
Botswana’s High Court will hear on Thursday a case challenging the decriminalization of homosexual intercourse, offering campaigners a rare chance to argue for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights (LGBT) on a continent where homosexuality remains highly contentious. Botswana’s Penal Code outlaws “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature” and those convicted […]
Guinea-Bissau’s ‘Big Mamas’ advance gay pride in conservative West Africa
Edimilson Silva wears tight jeans, sparkly jewellery and sometimes lipstick – outfits that in neighbouring countries could get him harassed, jailed or even killed. But in his home in Guinea-Bissau’s capital, Bissau, a city of about 500,000 people in the small, impoverished West African nation, homosexuality is gradually becoming more accepted, he said. “In the […]
This transgender woman is running for a seat in India’s national parliament
India’s commercial hub, Mumbai has its first-ever transgender candidate for upcoming parliament elections. Sneha Kale announced she would contest the north-central constituency as an independent candidate this week, according to the Mumbai Mirror. Like many transgender Indians, Sneha Kale makes money from begging. She has entered politics to fight for the rights of the transgender […]
Thailand’s Tourism Industry Looks to Cash In on Same-Sex Partner Law
Thailand is advancing same-sex partnership legislation. And one of the nation’s biggest industries, tourism, is paying close attention. Amid an election campaign, a measure that would give gay and lesbian couples more rights — yet doesn’t legalize same-sex marriage — was approved by the Cabinet and was headed to Parliament. Though the session ended before […]
Caribbean cricket lesson: ‘Nothing wrong with being gay’
In the Caribbean, anti-gay slurs are less acceptable than they used to be. A star West Indies cricketer learned that the hard way last month. Umpires imposed a four-match suspension in mid-February on cricketer Shannon Gabriel of Trinidad and Tobago, playing for the West Indies team. Gabriel later apologized for his words and accepted the […]
Where does Malaysia stand on gay rights?
An outburst by a Malaysian minister who criticised a feminist rally attended by gay rights campaigners is the latest sign the government is reneging on pre-election vows to improve the country’s dismal human rights record, critics say. Islamic Affairs Minister Mujahid Rawa sparked uproar among activists when he said the presence of members of the […]
Poland’s ruling party launches attack on LGBT community at party convention
Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) has launched an attack on gay rights as part of its election strategy ahead of European elections in May and national elections later in the year. The approach echoes those of the party’s 2015 election campaign, where fearmongering of foreigners was at the heart of the party’s message. […]
Adoption assessment tool is not LGBT-inclusive, claims study
The tool that assesses potential candidates as adoptive parents does not meet the needs of lesbian, gay or gender minority adults, a new study has observed. Sarah Dow-Fleisner, lead author of the study, worked with a team of researchers to test the validity of the commonly-used Transracial Adoptive Parenting Scale (TAPS). TAPS, which has 29 […]
Cameroon university blocks career of LGBTI activist
Kundy (a pseudonym) is one of the most experienced LGBTI activists in Cameroon. At age 30+, he has had an impressive amount of experience protecting and advocating for LGBTI people in the country. He has spearheaded projects and surveys about the situation of LGBTI people in Cameroon and has represented the LGBTI community at regional […]
Two Brazilian police arrested over killing of activist Marielle Franco
Two police officers were arrested Tuesday in the killing of Rio city councilor and black gay rights activist Marielle Franco, prosecutors said, almost a year to the day after the brazen murder shocked Brazil. Franco, 38, grew up in a slum and went on to become a charismatic defender of the poor and the LGBT […]
Egyptian Transgender Woman Forcibly Arrested, at Risk of Torture and Sexual Violence
19-year-old Malak al-Kashef, who recently had sex reassignment surgery, has not been heard from ever since she was taken by the Egyptian national security at the early morning hours of March 6. After police raided her house and forcibly took her, she was reportedly taken to an “undisclosed location.” Police denied they have her their […]
American Transgender ‘Woman’ Named ‘Miss International Queen’
American contestant Jazell Barbie Royale was crowned “Miss International Queen” in Thailand on Friday at a beauty pageant for transgender women, becoming the first person of colour to win the competition since it started in 2004. Royale buried her face in her hands, spread her arms in victory and welled up with tears when news […]
Dutch Reformed Church forced to allow same-sex marriage
A South African court has overturned a decision by the Dutch Reformed Church not to recognise same-sex unions. The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria scrapped the church’s policy against gay marriage, stating it is discriminatory to exclude members of the church from the right to wed. The church decided to allow individual church councils to […]
Trump to host Brazil’s anti-gay president Jair Bolsonaro at White House
Donald Trump has invited Brazil’s anti-LGBT president Jair Bolsonaro to the White House. The far-right Brazilian leader, who holds extreme anti-LGBT beliefs, will meet with Trump at the White House on March 19, US officials announced. A statement said the pair will discuss “how to build a more prosperous, secure, and democratic Western Hemisphere.” They […]
After decades-long legal battle, gay couple’s 1971 marriage officially recognized
In 1971, gay couple Michael McConnell and Jack Baker applied for a marriage license from Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The clerk, not realizing one of the individuals listed on the application was male, issued the license — though stopped short of officially recording it. Nearly five decades later — after a prolonged legal battle to […]
On International Women’s Day: End daily ‘corrective rapes’
Today is International Women’s Day #IWD2019: We celebrate and stand in solidarity with all women, noting their tenacity and fortitude, especially those who courageously survive violence and defy patriarchy. At African HRC, with global lesbians and transgender women our family, we continue to fight for the basic human right to autonomy of mind and body. […]
In Muslim Malaysia, Uproar Over LGBT Groups at Women’s Day March
A Malaysian minister has decried the presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) groups at a march celebrating International Women’s Day on Saturday, calling it “a misuse of democratic space”. The statement comes amid concerns over growing persecution of the LGBT community in the Muslim-majority country, where sodomy and other same-sex acts are outlawed. […]
Queer women in Russia’s North Caucasus ‘face sexual violence, forced marriage, and murder’
Queer women in Russia’s North Caucasus face attempts to ‘cure’ them, beatings, rape, forced marriages, and murder, according to a recent report interviewing a number of queer women from the region. While some gay men have been able to flee, the report said women were less able to do so as their money, movement, careers, […]
Italian lesbian reveals years of corrective rape by father
A 23-year-old Italian woman has spoken out about the years of sexual assault she suffered at the hands of her father, who attempted to “correct” her sexuality. Francesca, who is a lesbian, told the newspaper La Repubblica the abuse began when she was 15. Her sister had read a series of text messages between Francesca […]
Equality Florida Sounds Alarm Over Preemption Bill
Equality Florida, the only statewide LGBT rights group, is sounding an alarm over HB 3, which could threaten local LGBT rights protections if passed. “So House Bill three is a sweeping preemption of local government regulations. Basically, anything that touches business, occupation, paid employment, and the sale of goods or services. So that’s a very […]
Rabbi Sadan: Silencing LGBT debate endangers democracy
Rabbi Eli Sadan, the head of the pre-military preparatory committee, compared the silence surrounding the Muslim immigration process imposed on the public in Europe to the public debate on LGBT rights in Israel. In an internal letter to the closed forum of heads of the pre-military academies, Rabbi Sadan brought up the book The Strange Death […]
‘I’m ready,’ says first transgender candidate for Thai PM
Pauline Ngarmpring thought she would take it slow as she began her new life as a transgender woman after transitioning at the age of 49. Instead, three years on, she is a candidate for Thai prime minister – the country’s first transgender candidate for the post – and her days and nights are filled with […]
Meet the young Nigerian running an LGBT clothing brand
Rex Young, a young Lagos-based Nigerian entrepreneur, is tapping into the country’s LGBT market. Young, a professional graphic designer, has delved into an untapped market of making custom-made T-shirts for Nigeria’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] community. Shirts under his brand ‘Revolt x Raldie’ are custom-made with strong messages aimed at promoting equality and […]