Trans soldier Hannah Graf among those celebrated in New Year’s honors list
Trans soldier Hannah Graf has been celebrated in the New Year’s honors list among a whole host of exceptional people in the United Kingdom. The honors and bravery list gives out titles to people who have displayed exceptional behavior, with honors this year including the team of British divers who saved the 12 young footballers trapped in […]
Meet the lesbian prisoner who won apology from Colombian government
Marta Álvarez was subjected to almost a decade of abuse and humiliation because of her sexuality. The lesbian activist spent nine years in a Colombian prison and experienced a series of relentless homophobic attacks at the hands of the guards and officials. Álvarez spent years of her sentence trying to speak out about the inequality and eventually […]
Malaysian Activists condemn assault of two men accused of homosexuality
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists today condemned the violent assault of two young men after they were beaten up by several unknown assailants for allegedly having sex in a car. LGBT activist Numan Afifi Saadan, who shared the video, which has since gone viral, chastised the act of violence against the LGBT community […]
Interview: Indonesians are gay-friendly if not brainwashed
Dede Oetomo is the founder and trustee of the Indonesian LGBT advocacy group GAYa Nusantara Foundation, based in Surabaya. “Indonesia has always been conservative and it has gotten better in some ways. Before 1998 the conservative Muslim clerics that are against LGBTI people would be in jail or seeking asylum. Now there is no limit […]
Trans prisoner moved to female prison after year-long court battle
A trans woman prisoner has been transferred to a female prison in Illinois after a year-long court battle. Deon ‘Strawberry’ Hampton described being treated like a ‘sex slave’ while housed in multiple in male penitentiaries over several years. Hampton, 27, has now been moved to the Logan Correctional Center, a female penitentiary located around 160 miles southwest of Chicago. ‘We are thrilled,’ said […]
Trans protestors in India demand repeal of controversial bill
Members of the trans community in Mumbai, India have protested a bill which was designed to protect their rights. The bill has been highly controversial among the trans, intersex, and gender non-conforming communities. The protestors said that lawmakers did not adequately consult members of the trans community when drafting the bill, and includes provisions which could negatively impact […]
Notes From My Time Surveying China’s Gay Community in 1993
In 1993, I was appointed by China’s Ministry of Health to carry out a multi-city survey on the country’s population of men who have sex with men, usually abbreviated MSM. Although I had been researching gender studies and sexuality for eight years by that point, I remember worrying about my fitness for the job. The […]
Russian City Cancels K-Pop Film Amid Fear of ‘Korean Homosexuals’
A theater in the Russian city of Makhachkala canceled the premiere of the music documentary BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul after a social media campaign accused BTS, a K-Pop group whose members have spoken out favorably about LGBTQ rights, of “over-the-top immoral behavior.” The film got nixed after a social media campaign alleged the boy […]
I survived conversion therapy as a child. Now, I’m part of the movement to ban it for good.
As a child undergoing conversion therapy in Florida in the early 2000s, I could never have imagined how different this nation would be nearly 20 years later. I could not have fathomed the power and hope inspired by the national debate and coast-to-coast enactment of laws designed to save thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and […]
Solongo Batsukh, Mongolia’s transgender beauty queen who refuses to stay hidden despite backlash on social media
Make-up artist Solongo Batsukh braves Mongolia’s below-freezing temperatures in just a skimpy black dress and light pastel pink coat – the country’s trailblazing transgender beauty queen wants to look good in any weather. “I don’t like to look puffy,” the 25-year-old says as she drives to a beauty salon that hired her to promote its products […]
Thailand: PARTNERSHIP BILL MAY STILL NOT PASS NLA
Opinions are divided on the Life Partnership Bill, which is holding back some rights for same-sex couples, as the bill enters the final phase before becoming law. The LGBT community, on one hand, slams the bill for not recognising their rights – now limited to heterosexual couples – to adopt a child, receive a spouse’s […]
Anti-discrimination ‘We All Belong’ pledge launch
The ‘We All Belong’ campaign in Derry & Strabane have launched their pledge to tackle prejudice, racism, discrimination and all forms of hatred. Public representatives, as well as people with disabilities, LGBT groups and the PSNI, were among the first to sign the pledge, with Mayor John Boyle calling on people from across the city […]
Activists replace 200 Tube adverts with instructions on how to stop deportations
Campaign asks members of the public to protest deportations on commercial flights by refusing to take seat. Campaigners have “hacked” hundreds of adverts on the London Underground, replacing them with notices telling passengers how to disrupt attempted deportations on passenger airlines. The signs, branded “See It, Say It, Stop It” in reference to the British Transport Police’s “See It, Say […]
No ‘Gay Propaganda’ Found in Schoolchildren’s Art, Police Say
Police found no violations of Russia’s gay propaganda laws in confiscated children’s drawings from a school art exhibition after parents complained that they depicted same-sex couples. Russia outlawed “homosexual propaganda” among minors in 2013, a move that allowed courts to ban gay pride events and led to a surge in anti-LGBT sentiment. In November, police […]
Thailand cabinet approves the first draft of same-sex civil union bill
Thailand is moving forward in recognizing same-sex couples. Today the cabinet approved the first draft of a bill regulating civil partnerships. This paves the way for Thailand to become the first country in Asia to endorse same-sex marriage. In the current version of the bill, same-sex couples may adopt children if they are at least 20 years […]
Gay refugees escape Kakuma’s dangers, reach Nairobi’s squalor
The U.N. refugee agency has moved more than 200 gay refugees from dangers of Kakuma refugee camp to safety in crowded, unsanitary quarters in Nairobi. The O-blog-dee advocacy blog reported on the actions by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees( UNHCR). “At this time UNHCR has only been able to come up with a small compound consisting […]
Gay Life in Berlin Is Starting to Echo a Darker Era
Germany has long been lauded for its liberal attitude toward sex. It recently passed laws allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt, and just became the first European country to legalize a third gender. But LGBT-rights groups have warned of a parallel rise of violent homophobia in mainstream politics. Since the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party stormed […]
Gay affirming Church launches day before Christmas in Uganda
A Church that does not view homosexuality as sin, and affirms the full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons (LGBT) in ministry has been launched in Uganda. Sexual Minorities Uganda, a non-government organization that advocates for the protection and promotion of human rights for LGBT Ugandans on 23 December confirmed the grand opening officiated by […]
Peep Show’s Robert Webb slams trans charity that saves lives: ‘Mermaids sucks’
Peep Show star Robert Webb has attacked a UK charity that helps to save trans lives. The British comedian slammed Mermaids in a series of tweets that backed an article written by The Times’ Janice Turner. Turner accused the charity of lying to people using ‘cod science’. The Times also chose to not include Mermaids’ […]
AIDS council slams Jakim’s ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTs
The Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC) has censured a purported revamp of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department’s (Jakim) outreach (Mukhayyam) programme to rehabilitate LGBT persons. Referring to a recent report by news portal SAYS, which recounted the testimony of former Mukhayyam attendees about how members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community were being […]
Indonesia’s president turns tough
Joko Widodo was welcomed as a fresh breeze when he stood for election as president of Indonesia in 2014. A stranger to the elites that had long dominated politics, he became a media darling by talking to ordinary people in the street, in what quickly became known as blusukan, roaming around. Now, facing re-election next […]
‘Badhais’ criminalised, LGBT community opposes LS Bill
At the office of the Shaan Foundation, which works with the LGBT community in the district, transgender persons begin a gathering early in the day, holding a ‘siyappa’ (a mourning rite). Cheekily, one of them chants, “Sarkar da siyappa kar rahe haan. Sade dhidd te latt marti” (We are protesting against the government. It has […]
Stonewall hits back at ‘inaccurate’ transgender lottery grant bias claims
Stonewall has responded to an “inaccurate” article by the Sunday Times about a grant reportedly awarded to the charity by the Big Lottery Fund. The piece claimed £500,000 was donated to the LGBT organisation for its transgender rights activism, leading to accusations that the Lottery broke its rules on political donations. It also stated transgender […]
Transgender university students told not to use men’s toilet
Two transgender students have received an apology from their English university after a security guard told them not to use the men’s toilets. The security guard allegedly asked the two students – who are both transgender men – why they had used the men’s toilet, according to the Telegraph. He then told them that there […]
Former Mr Gay World On India Becoming More Accepting Of LGBTQ In 2018
Members of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) community thronged streets as they rejoiced in colours of love and pride. As we passed this test with rainbow colours, we speak to Mr Gay World India 2016, Anwesh Sahoo to share if things have only changed on paper this year.
Barbados LGBT community calls on Buju Banton to publicly denounce ‘Boom Bye Bye’
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) community has called on Jamaican dancehall recording artist Buju Banton, fresh from serving a prison sentence, to publicly denounce one of his most popular songs ahead of a performance scheduled here next year.
LGBTQ young homeless people often remain invisible when mainstream providers deliver services
Earlier this week, it was revealed that there has been a huge spike in deaths of homeless people sleeping on Britain’s streets. We’re shocked and extremely saddened to hear about the rise in deaths of homeless people on the streets, which is part of the social impact facing those experiencing or at-risk of homelessness in […]
Thousands of Canadians have signed petitions to ban conversion therapy
Thousands of Canadians have rallied behind two petitions calling for a nationwide ban of conversion therapy. It’s part of a wider global trend condemning the practice.
Neighbors cover street with rainbow flags after couple’s flag stolen
A suburban Illinois couple got the best gift they could have imagined this holiday season: a neighborhood filled with rainbows after their LGBT pride flag was stolen. Casey Handel and Zadette Rosado just moved into Barrington, northwest of Chicago, last May with their two daughters. They flew their rainbow flag behind their home. Two weeks ago, someone […]
Singapore government responds to court’s gay adoption decision
Singapore’s Minister for Social & Family Development Desmond Lee has commented on a recent court decision in the island nation that allowed a gay man to adopt the child he fathered oversees through a surrogacy arrangement. Singapore outlaws homosexuality, and does not formally recognize surrogacy or rainbow families, but the court ruled that it was […]