Luxembourg PM stuns EU-Arab summit into ‘icy silence’ after LGBT comments
As state leaders addressed the EU-Arab League summit in Egypt earlier this week, it was comments made by the Luxembourg prime minister about his sexuality that drew attention. Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s first openly-gay prime minister, reminded the summit that his same-sex marriage would class him a criminal in some of the countries that his audience […]
Nigeria re-elects president who called gay sex ‘abhorrent’
Nigeria has re-elected President Muhammadu Buhari, who once called gay sex “abhorrent.” While on a trip to meet US President Barack Obama in July 2015, Buhari was asked by American officials about same-sex marriage. According to Buhari’s special advisor on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, the president’s response was clear. “PMB (President Muhammadu Buhari) was […]
Homophobia and Rising Islamic Intolerance Push Indonesia’s Intersex Bissu Priests to the Brink
Once kingmakers in one of the most gender fluid societies on earth, the intersex bissu priests of Sulawesi — Indonesia’s third-largest island — are on the verge of disappearing after years of cultural decline and increasing persecution. It is a cultural tradition that has persisted for centuries in a Muslim-majority country, but the tradition of […]
The irony: Egypt proud of Rami Malek’s win amidst LGBT crackdown
Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek’s Oscar win was not only remarkable, but also controversial. His victory sparked a string of various debates – one of which the status of the LGBTIQ+ community in Egypt. Malek took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Since […]
Tunisia: Effort to Shut Down LGBT Group
The Tunisian government should halt its attempt to fight a court ruling that gave an LGBT association the right to operate, Human Rights Watch said today. The Tunis-based Shams association has vocally advocated the repeal of Tunisia’s anti-sodomy law and has defended many victims prosecuted on the basis of their sexual orientation. “If organizations that […]
Younger pupils will not be taught about gay relationships, minister insists
Schoolchildren as young as four will not be taught about gay and transgender relationships as part of new compulsory lessons, ministers have insisted. New curriculum guidelines announced by the Government will introduce dedicated lessons about relationships, keeping safe on the internet and looking after their own mental health. Pupils will learn the link between physical […]
LGBT Oscar winners: ‘Green Book,’ ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ ‘The Favourite’ make history as 3 of 4 acting awards go to queer roles
The 2019 Oscars turned out to be better than ever for LGBT movies. Eight total awards went to movies with queer themes, which is more than ever before. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Favourite” and “Green Book” all prevailed, joining the list of LGBT Oscar winners throughout history. That includes one acting award apiece three out of […]
Colour & confidence: Marching with queer pride
Even as the Supreme Court struck down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in a landmark judgement in September last year, the queer community’s fight for acceptance and various rights continues. Some fight their battles within themselves, some with families, and some with society at large. Making themselves visible as unapologetically queer, scores of […]
Pakistan opens public school for transgender students
Pakistan has opened a public school exclusively for transgender pupils, believed to be one of the first of its kind in the country. Around 20 students will attend the school, which was established by the government-run literacy department in the Lodhran district, in the Punjab province, according to Daily Pakistan. Chief spokesperson of the chief […]
How being an LGBT international student in Australia changed me
When Bijan Kardouni was 23, he went to the wedding of his secret lover. Bijan had met Sami* through the underground LGBT community in Iran, using a VPN blocker to contact him on a banned site called ManJam. A year later, Sami’s family forced him to marry a woman. Bijan was there to support him. […]
LGBT Kenyans’ Patience Has Gone Unrewarded
Kenya’s High Court on Friday postponed a much-awaited decision on a colonial-era law that has long deprived one group of Kenyans of uhuru, or freedom, promising to revisit the issue in May. Criminalization of gay sex remains on the books. Disappointment reigned among Kenya’s LGBT communities and the human rights advocates who have supported their […]
Drag queens protest at border wall to raise money for LGBTQ asylum-seekers
Beatrix Lestrange stood in front of a crowd wearing a multicolored dress, red wig, black pumps and a choker with studs. “Who’s ready to have a political time?” Lestrange asked the audience, which was standing in a semicircle cheering and applauding. “We’ll try to bring joy, positivity, beauty, drag, culture to whatever this is,” Lestrange […]
Anti-LGBT discrimination costs Kenya ‘up to $1.3 billion’ a year
A culture of anti-LGBT discrimination could be costing Kenya up to $1.3 billion a year, a new report claims. The report from the pro-LGBT Open for Business coalition sets out the economic case for LGBT+ inclusion in Kenya, after the country’s Supreme Court delayed a much-anticipated ruling on a challenge to anti-gay laws. It is […]
Story of a trans man who suffers Brazil’s hostile environment to LGBTQ
Growing up in an evangelical Christian family in Brazil, life was pretty tough for Ariel Nobre. Designated female at birth, the 31-year-old transgender man was sent to a gay conversion therapy centre when he was just 18. “They wanted to cure me,” Nobre told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “I stayed there six months. After I […]
Kids Love Drag Queen Storytime. Anti-LGBT Groups Want To Shut Them Down
The children who listen to the drag queens reading stories in Houston, Michigan, and South Carolina love it. Anti-LGBT groups are mobilizing to menace the events out of existence. Houston drag queen Angelina DM Trailz was afraid of kids—until she read to them. She knows that her fear seems irrational now—but she attributes it to […]
Force British territories to legalise gay marriage, report says
Last year, the British governor of Bermuda – the most populous territory – allowed legislation denying LGBT+ people the right to marry in favour of domestic partnerships. British overseas territories should be forced to legalise same-sex marriage, according to a report released by the British parliament this week. Some of the territories, which have their own […]
Spain’s far-right debuts in Senate by blocking anti-homophobia motion
Spain’s far-right party Vox debuted in the upper house of parliament by blocking a motion calling for an official stance against homophobia in sport. Vox automatically obtained the right to send one representative to the senate after it won 12 seats in a regional election in Andalusia in December, the first electoral success for the […]
Tunisia targets pro-gay advocacy at Shams
The Tunisian government has appealed a 2016 court decision that granted official recognition to the group Shams, which advocates the repeal of the nation’s anti-gay law. “The activities of this association are contrary to the principles of a Muslim society,” Tunisian officials complained. The news website Kapitalis.com reportedthat the government’s appeal was filed on Jan. 8, […]
GOP lawmakers push to ban LGBT conversion therapy in Utah
Two Republican lawmakers proposed a ban on gay conversion therapy for minors in conservative Utah on Thursday, a plan that’s been hailed as a milestone by advocates and won’t be opposed by the influential Mormon church. Republican Rep. Dan McCay acknowledged he isn’t a typical sponsor for such a measure, but he said it’s an […]
Colombia’s ‘Madonna’ helps LGBTQ people fleeing Venezuela
Gusts of hot desert wind drift through the broken window, shattered by a stone, in the house that Madonna Badillo shares with seven Venezuelan sex workers. Badillo fixed the window many times before but eventually gave up. Harassers have repeatedly hurled rocks at the home as an act of aggression against her and the transgender […]
Cabinet Unveils Draft Bill and Picks a Side in Taiwan’s Gay Marriage Fight
The administration of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has approved a draft bill which, if passed, will make Taiwan the first country in Asia to legally enact marriage equality for same-sex couples. The draft legislation comes almost two years after Taiwan’s highest court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. However, voters […]
Homosexual man faces being DEPORTED from Britain for ‘not being gay enough’
Immigration chiefs believe Yew Fook Sam is lying about his sexuality because he does not have a boyfriend. He is a member of numerous gay associations, part of an LGBT church group and has worked as steward at Pride festivals. Sam says he would face jail, attack or even murder if sent back to his […]
Hazon’s aggressive anti-Left, anti-LGBT campaign draws backlash, support
“A father and a mother = a family. The courage to be normal.” Thus read a large banner displayed on a hotel near the entrance to Jerusalem. The banner quickly sparked outrage from the Israeli LGBT community. The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel (known as the Agudah) contacted the hotel quickly and the banner […]
Holyrood politicians unite in show of support LGBTI Scots
MSPS from across Holyrood’s political spectrum have joined together to give their backing to Scotland’s LGBTI youngsters. The representatives helped to mark the last Friday of LGBT History Month, also known as Purple Friday, by showing support for LGBT Youth Scotland’s campaign of the same name. Purple Friday aims to inspire people to be catalysts […]
Tunisian government moves to shutter LGBTQ group, advocate says
The Tunisian government is attempting to disband one of the country’s few, and arguably its most prominent, LGBTQ rights groups, according to the group’s leader. Mounir Baatour, president of Association Shams, said the government filed this week an appeal seeking to overturn a 2016 court decision that permitted the association to continue operating in the […]
Poland moves step closer to banning gay conversion therapy
Politicians in Poland have submitted a draft bill to the Parliament which bans the use of gay conversion therapy. Lawmakers from the liberal Nowoczesna party drafted the bill with the Campaign Against Homophobia. Conversion therapy, which can include hypnosis and electric shocks, is based on the belief that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is […]
Donald Trump doesn’t appear to know about his own administration’s efforts to decriminalize homosexuality around the world
The Trump administration is reportedly set to launch a worldwide campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of countries where its still against the law, but when asked about it today, the president appeared to be unaware of the push. On Tuesday, NBC News reported that U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, an […]
Iran: activist charged with normalising same sex relations
Rezvaneh Mohammadi, gender equality activist’s first court session was held in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court Branch 28 on February 18, 2019, presided by the notorious Judge Moghiseh, according to the reports received by 6Rang. Reports indicate not only that Ms. Mohammadi’s lawyer was not given the right to defend his client, he was also refused access […]
Can the United Methodist Church stay united? LGBT issues may lead to a split
At a high-stakes gathering starting Saturday in St. Louis, the United Methodist Church’s legislative assembly will debate the place of LGBT people in the church knowing that the outcome could lead to a split in the 12 million-member denomination. The UMC Book of Discipline, the denomination’s rulebook, says homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching. It […]
Serbian PM’s same sex partner gives birth to baby boy
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic’s partner gave birth to a baby boy Wednesday, her office said, heralding it as a historic event although the conservative country does not legally recognise same-sex marriages or partnerships. “Ana Brnabic is one of the first Prime Ministers whose partner has given birth while in office and the first in […]