The Third Gender of Southern Mexico
“Which form should I use when I talk to you: feminine or masculine?” I asked Lukas Avendaño, who I had seen in trousers earlier in the day but now was wearing a traditional black skirt with colourful embroidered flowers called an enagua. We were speaking in Spanish, with its gendered nouns and pronouns. “I prefer you’d […]
Trump trans troops move pulls supreme court further into political mire
After the Trump administration asked the supreme court to issue an unusually quick ruling on the Pentagon’s policy of restricting military service by transgender people, critics said the request was likely only to complicate a deteriorating relationship between the president and the federal judiciary. Joshua Matz, the publisher of the liberal Take Care blog, said the timing of the […]
Married gay man sues Hong Kong government over rejected public housing application
A gay man is suing the Hong Kong government for denying him a public housing flat – because he is married to another man. In a judicial review application filed to the High Court on Thursday, Nick Infinger argued the Housing Authority’s decision was unconstitutional under the Hong Kong Bill of Rights and the Basic […]
Staff arrested in Kenya LGBT centre for ‘recruiting’ gay youth
Two members of staff at an LGBT+ organisation in Mombasa, Kenya, were arrested after police received a “tip off” about gay-related activities in the area. Police raided the non-governmental organisation today and arrested two members of staff after receiving the tip off, according to Nairobi News. According to the local news outlet, the police accused the group of […]
Rugby stars support Gareth Thomas with rainbow laces
Rugby players from across the globe rallied behind hate-crime victim Gareth Thomas as part of the Rainbow Laces campaign. World champions New Zealand and USA followed the likes of Wales and France in showing support for the 44-year-old former Wales international. Thomas was the victim of a homophobic attack in Cardiff earlier this month. He said on Twitter: […]
Barbados: A brush with death, a vigil for trans murder victims
On the evening of Tuesday, November 20, 2018, I held the first candlelight vigil in Barbados for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming lives lost to transphobic and gender-based violence globally during the period October 1, 2017, to September 30, 2018. This was the second demonstration for Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) in the country, the first being a […]
Why LGBT Catholics want to change attitudes in Italy
Coming out can be challenging for young people across the globe – but in Italy many young Catholics are struggling with negative attitudes from both their communities and their churches. While some churches offer support for the LGBT community, others are still asking young people to see a psychologist or stop attending Church events. Sometimes […]
Taiwan votes down same-sex marriage as China welcomes midterm results
Voters in Taiwan have rejected same-sex marriage in a referendum, a setback to LGBT couples hoping their island will be the first country in Asia to let same-sex couples share child custody and insurance benefits. The vote on Saturday, organised by Christian groups that make up about 5% of Taiwan’s population and advocates of the traditional Chinese […]
Taiwan referendum threatens both LGBT rights and Olympic athletes
A key referendum in Taiwan has the potential to roll back same sex-marriage and jeopardize international athletic competition. Conservatives and pro-independence groups are using referendums to push their agenda. As Taiwanese voters head to the polls to elect city mayors and city and village leaders on Saturday, they will also be voting on 10 referendums […]
LGBT+ people’s health ‘seen as less important to NHS’, equalities committee warns
The NHS has been accused of treating the health needs of gay, transgender and other LGBT+ people as “less important” than the wider population by the head of parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee. After receiving evidence from more than 60 groups as part of an inquiry into health and social care support for LGBT+ communities, the committee’s chair, Maria Miller MP, said the “NHS is not […]
Anti-LGBT groups are spreading fake news before Taiwan’s same-sex-marriage vote
As Taiwan gears up to vote on same-sex marriage on Saturday (Nov. 24), its LGBT community has been battling a flood of misinformation proliferating across social media platforms like Line, the Japanese chat app that’s dominant in Taiwan. The messages most likely to go viral are the ones that connect same-sex marriage with HIV, said Johnson […]
This LGBT band is using music to fight Malaysian discrimination
Shh…Diam!, a four-member punk group is a rarity in a country where gay and transgender issues are often seen as taboo, cross-dressing is illegal and sodomy is banned under a British colonial-era law. Its name, which means “shut up” in the Malay language, is meant to mock critics for seeking to silence the country’s lesbian, gay, […]
Taiwan’s same-sex marriage vote divides families
On a sunny day in a park in Taipei, photographer Austin Haung advises a same-sex couple on how to pose for a pre-wedding photo shoot. For him, Taiwan’s reputation as a beacon of liberalism in the region means a thriving business. “Our clients are mostly same-sex couples from overseas, including Hong Kong, Singapore, China and […]
Turkey: Top religious body uses hate speech
Turkish LGBT rights organisation Kaos GL said on Wednesday that Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs had used hate speech against LGBT people while answering questions on homosexuality on Turkey’s official web-portal. The directorate said that homosexuality was not natural and did not have a biological basis when answering a question on what should be done for LGBT people […]
Sex, lies and heated debate: Taiwan prepares to vote in gay marriage referendum
Taiwan is in the final days of a battle over the future of equality in the country, with conservatives campaigning fiercely against LGBT advocates over a referendum on same-sex marriage on Saturday. As voting day nears, conservative groups have deployed a reported budget of 100m Taiwan dollars (£2.5m) in an effort to push the definition of […]
Transgender Remembrance Day, Yangon
The dark surface of Inya Lake is illuminated by warm bobbing candles, pushed out by a small but dedicated crowd who has come in the evening to show their respect. As the lights flicker on the water, yellow balloons are released into the sky and fly gently away, being indicative of freedom and lack of […]
Southern Muslim leaders disapprove of LGBT partner bill
Muslim leaders in Thailand’s South have rejected the proposed Life Partnership Bill, which would allow LGBT couples to marry. The Nation reports that, if the bill becomes law, the religious leaders say they will not perform marriage rituals for LGBT couples. No religious leader is required to perform rituals under the proposed law. Islam does […]
Same-sex Marriage: is Cuba Using it to ‘pinkwash’ Other Oppressive Policies?
Cuba will revise its constitution in 2019 – and one of the biggest topics under debate is Article 68, which proposes legalising same-sex marriage. By legalising same-sex marriage, and not just civil partnerships, Cuba would follow a broader trend in Latin America – and this is to be celebrated. But is the Caribbean nation’s promotion of […]
Mayor in Indonesia Leads Thousands in Anti-LGBTI March
The mayor of Padang, in West Sumatra, led thousands of city residents on an anti-LGBT march on Sunday (18 November). It is the latest state-sanctioned move to vilify the community in Indonesia. He organized the two-kilometer protest march to reject LGBT Indonesians and ‘declare a sin-free Padang’, according to local media. Thousands reportedly attended the march. LGBTI Indonesians are […]
No Filipino LGBTI Inclusive Policy: 1st SOGIE Inclusivity Index in the PHL Reveals
The Philippine LGBTI Chamber of Commerce recently revealed the results of the first-ever SOGIE inclusivity index in the Philippines, and the results are dismal. In a survey of 100 companies which cumulatively employ 267,231 people, not a single Filipino organization has any LGBT-inclusive policy. The study, which was undertaken by research firm Cogencia from July to […]
Activists Want Same-Sex Couples to Be Considered for LGBTI Foster Parenting
The civil society association called “Rainbow Families”, which brings together LGBTIQ activists, called on Tuesday on member of the Croatian parliament to amend the final foster care bill so as to enable same sex couples to be eligible to provide LGBTI foster parenting to children without adequate parental care. Such definition of foster carers will […]
Hiding in Fear: What is Life Like for LGBTI Indonesians?
In the last few weeks, regional authorities in Indonesia have launched a slew of anti-LGBTI measures. Gay sex is not illegal in Indonesia. But, since early 2016, ‘government-driven moral panic’ over LGBTI Indonesians has engulfed the nation, according to rights groups. And it only seems to be getting worse in the run-up to elections in the Muslim-majority country next […]
LGBT Couples With Migrant Caravan Hold Mass Symbolic Wedding at Mexico-U.S. Border Town
After making the arduous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a caravan of thousands of Central American asylum seekers, at least seven LGBT couples were able to celebrate their love openly, participating in a symbolic mass wedding ceremony in Mexican border town Tijuana on Saturday. Video of the ceremony captured by British newspaper The Telegraph shows […]
Justin Trudeau Resists GOP Push to Gut LGBT Rights From Trade Deal
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau has said that a trade deal with the US should represent “shared values,” as Republicans attempt to strip LGBT+ rights protections from the agreement. 40 US Republican lawmakers penned a letter to President Donald Trump on Friday (November 16) urging him to gut LGBT+ protections in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a proposed […]
Costa Rica poised to legalize same-sex marriage
Costa Rica is poised to become the first Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage. On November 14, Costa Rica’s constitutional court formally ordered the country’s lawmakers to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The court action paves the way for same-sex marriage to be legal in 18 months after it’s published in the official […]
New Zealand pride parade in chaos after ban on police sparks mass withdrawals
The New Zealand police, New Zealand Defence Force and numerous major sponsors have pulled out of the country’s largest pride parade after organisers banned police and corrections staff from marching in uniform. Auckland pride parade organiser Cissy Rock said uniformed officers would not be welcome at the February parade, as the organisation had a long way to […]
Chinese novelist jailed for 10 years for ‘writing gay sex scenes’
A Chinese erotic writer has reportedly been jailed for more than 10 years after including gay sex scenes in one of her novels. State media reported that the writer, who uses the internet alias Tianyi, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison by a court in Anhui province for “producing and selling pornographic materials” in her 2017 […]
Rugby team rallies against deportation of gay player to Kenya
An English rugby team is fighting to save a gay teammate from being deported to Kenya, where they fear he will face persecution or imprisonment. Kenneth Macharia, who has lived in the UK since 2009, has had his request for asylum rejected and is now being detained in an immigration center pending deportation, his club has […]
Russia: LGBT Conference Attacked, Disrupted
A prominent Russian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) support group had to cancel an annual Inclusive Family conference in Moscow after homophobic threats and an attack with pepper spray, Human Rights Watch said today. Police should conduct a thorough and effective investigation capable of identifying and holding those responsible accountable. The fifth annual LGBTQIAPP+ Family Conference […]
Trump’s Mexico-Canada deal hits trouble in Congress over LGBT Language
President Donald Trump may be touting his trade deal with Canada and Mexico as a victory, but emerging complaints from liberals and conservatives are threatening to sink the agreement in Congress. Democrats, whose votes Trump needs to pass the deal in the House, say they want to see stronger protections against pollution and climate change, […]