Vatican opposes anti-LGBTQ legislation, top cardinal says
The Vatican is against laws that criminalize same-sex acts, as enforced by a number of countries with the support of Catholic groups, the head of the Vatican’s doctrine office said on Monday. Presenting a publication which reaffirmed the Vatican’s opposition to sex reassignment surgery, so-called “gender theory” and having a child via surrogacy, Cardinal Victor […]
Behind the movement that brought homosexuality — and psychiatry’s power — to a vote 50 years ago
Fifty years ago, the nation’s psychiatrists effectively put gay people’s mental health — and their very place in society — to a vote. Five months prior, on Dec. 15, 1973, the 15-member board of the American Psychiatric Association had voted unanimously, with two abstentions, that homosexuality should no longer be considered a mental illness. The […]
‘The purpose is getting lost’: debate obscuring point of Scottish hate law, say campaigners
“We sell flat whites and make croissants in a bakery that’s supposed to be a safe place for the people who work here and the customers who visit. We didn’t expect to be targets of hate.” Tristan Aitchison runs the Xoko bakehouse in Inverness. Over the past year, the LGBTQ+-inclusive cafe has been subject to […]
Fears of discrimination in Thailand despite looming same sex marriage bill
Bangkok, Thailand – Thanadech Jandee is thrilled that Thailand’s marriage equality bill, allowing same-sex couples to marry, is moving closer to becoming law. Thanadech, who was born biologically female and had gender reassignment surgery to identify as male last year, lives with his girlfriend and her son from a previous relationship. But along with many […]
Member of Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ government resigns after fleeing alleged gay sex party
A top-ranking official in Hungary’s ultraconservative government has stepped down after being caught fleeing an alleged gay sex party. József Szájer announced his resignation as a member of the European Parliament for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party on Sunday. The married official admitted to attending what he called a “private party” in Brussels on Friday […]
Florida teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender ID under ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill settlement
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Students and teachers can discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms, provided it’s not part of instruction, under a settlement reached Monday between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who had challenged a state law which critics dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.” The settlement clarifies what is allowed in Florida […]
Group urges government to protect transgender people
On World Health Day yesterday, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) urged the government to better care for the health rights of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people. World Health Day is commemorated on Apr. 7 annually, the founding day of the WHO, to raise awareness about global health issues and the importance of […]
U.S. Supreme Court laid foundation for Ugandan ‘Kill the Gays’ ruling
The Ugandan court that endorsed the nation’s 2023 “Kill the Gays” law drew inspiration from the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning its previous Roe v. Wade ruling that had established abortion rights. In explaining their support for the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), the Ugandan Constitutional Court said that the U.S. Supreme Court had established […]
In rare appearance, Melania Trump to headline Mar-a-Lago fundraiser for conservative LGBT group
Former first lady Melania Trump will be headlining a Mar-a-Lago fundraiser later this month for Log Cabin Republicans, the largest organization representing LGBT conservatives in the United States. It’s a rare appearance at a fundraising event by the former first lady, who has mostly stayed away from former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign trail and […]
Christian Right on the gain in Europe: Reason for hope or alarm?
Christian organisations are successful in spreading the anti-woke, anti-gender and Christian-nationalist agenda. That was the alarm that sounded in Brussels on Thursday. At a conference at the European Parliament, the book “The Christian Right in Europe” was presented, a study of the “infiltration of the Christian right into national and international institutions”. This academic study […]
Gender-critical activists and pro-transgender groups clash in Edinburgh
Gender-critical activists and counter-protesters clashed in Edinburgh in a dispute over transgender rights. Let Women Speak (LWS), an organisation described by supporters as a “gender-critical feminist” campaign, led a rally outside the Royal Scottish Academy in the Scottish capital on Saturday. The rally, which began at 1pm, was led by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, sometimes known as […]
A Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist was stabbed and left for dead in the street. Now, he recounts his escape to Canada
The scar on Steven Kabuye’s right arm runs over a foot long. At the base of his torso, a small puncture wound marks where a knife almost ended his life. “Marks that will never leave my body,” reads the caption of one of Kabuye’s recent Instagram posts, which shows his injuries. “These scars should remind […]
Melania Trump Makes Unexpected Move With LGBT Group
Former First Lady Melania Trump is set to make a rare campaign appearance during a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans, according to Politico. Log Cabin Republicans bills itself as the nation’s largest organization representing LGBT conservatives and allies. Melania has largely remained out of the public eye when it comes to her husband, former […]
Westminster honey trap: Tory MP ‘mortified’ after sharing private numbers with Grindr contact
Conservative William Wragg MP has admitted sending the personal phone numbers of other parliamentary figures to someone he met on Grindr. William Wragg, the MP for Hazel Grove, in Greater Manchester, and the deputy chairman of the influential of 1922 Committee, told The Times he provided the contact details after sharing intimate pictures of himself […]
Uganda cited Dobbs to back an anti-LGBTQ crackdown. Americans should be worried too.
The ripple effects of Dobbs continue to emerge in unexpected places — and to threaten other civil liberties. Yesterday, Uganda’s constitutional court, the country’s second-highest judicial body, cited the US Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in its ruling to uphold the majority of a sweeping anti-gay law that criminalizes homosexuality and same-sex marriage, […]
Gay rights activists call for more international pressure on Uganda over anti-gay law
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan gay rights activists asked the international community to mount more pressure on the government of Uganda to repeal an anti-gay law which the country’s Constitutional Court refused to nullify on Wednesday. Activist Frank Mugisha said Tuesday’s ruling was “wrong and deplorable.” “This ruling should result in further restrictions to donor funding for Uganda […]
United Nations Passes Groundbreaking Intersex Rights Resolution
The United Nations Human Rights Council has passed its first ever resolution affirming the rights of intersex people, signaling growing international resolve to address rights violations experienced by people born with variations in their sex characteristics. The resolution was put forward by the governments of Australia, Chile, Finland, and South Africa and is called “Combating discrimination, […]
Transgender People Lament Being Subjected To Bribery, Extortion By Police To Survive In Kenya
Some transgender people living in Kenya have narrated how they had been victims of extortion and bribery by the country’s police force. The victims whose experiences were reported in a recent report published by CNN alleged that the only way for them to survive in the Eastern African country is by being ready to pay off […]
Hong Kong LGBTQ activists upset at revised ID card gender rules
HONG KONG, April 3 (Reuters) – Hong Kong will allow transgender people who have not completed full sex reassignment surgery to change gender on their ID cards, the government said on Wednesday, but activists are upset by strict new surgical and hormonal requirements. The Court of Final Appeal last February unanimously sided with appeals launched by transgender […]
Uganda’s Constitutional Court rejects petition against anti-gay law
Uganda’s Constitutional Court has rejected a petition seeking to annul an anti-gay law that has been roundly condemned internationally as one of the toughest in the world. The court found on Wednesday that some sections of the law violated the right to health and it was “inconsistent with right to health, privacy and freedom of religion” but […]
Thai LGBT activists celebrate vote that brings marriage equality closer
BANGKOK, April 2 (Reuters) – Thai LGBT activists celebrated another victory on Tuesday after a marriage equality bill overwhelmingly passed a first reading in the upper house, a key step bringing the country closer to becoming Asia’s third territory to legalise same-sex unions. “It’s like we’ve been embraced and accepted by the people in the entire […]
Benedict backed me up on rights for LGBT couples, Pope Francis says
VATICAN CITY, April 2 (Reuters) – Pope Francis found an ally in his predecessor Benedict XVI when he spoke in favour of civil partnerships for same-sex couples, the pontiff said in a new book due out in Spain. The work is set for publication on Wednesday, but its contents were shared in advance on Tuesday with […]
Ugandan court to issue verdict in petition against tough anti-gay law
Uganda’s constitutional court is due on Wednesday to deliver a verdict on a petition seeking to annul the country’s tough Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), a lawyer for the petitioners said on Tuesday. The ruling could underscore a growing anti-gay crackdown across Africa, including in Ghana where legislators also passed an anti-gay law in February. It also […]
A Trans-Led Art Collective Is Shifting Perceptions Around Transgender People in India
A decade ago, India’s top court ruled that transgender people should be treated as a third category of gender. While that decision would seem to indicate a progressiveness in India, the lived experience for transgender people there differs greatly. Across the country, they are often derided and disparaged. Many are often turned out onto the […]
Thai LGBT activists celebrate vote that brings marriage equality closer
Thai LGBTQ+ activists celebrated another victory Tuesday after a marriage-equality bill overwhelmingly passed a first reading in the upper house, a key step bringing the country closer to becoming Asia’s third territory to legalize same-sex unions. “It’s like we’ve been embraced and accepted by the people in the entire country,” said Waaddao Chumaporn, 40, an […]
Wisconsin governor vetoes transgender athlete ban
Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers rejected a proposal Tuesday to ban transgender student-athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, calling the Republican-led legislation “hateful and discriminatory” and part of a broader attack on transgender rights nationwide. “I am vetoing this bill in its entirety because I object to codifying discrimination into […]
Posts misrepresent White House Easter egg contest, Day of Transgender Visibility proclamation
As millions celebrated Easter this weekend, the Biden administration was criticized by many on social media, including several Republican politicians, for supposedly disrespecting the Christian holiday. The criticism centered on two separate claims. One, that President Joe Biden declared Easter Sunday to now be Transgender Day of Visibility and two, that he banned religious symbols […]
LGBTQ-inclusive church in Cuba welcomes all in a country that once sent gay people to labor camps
Proudly wearing a rainbow-colored clergy stole and a rainbow flag in her clerical collar, the Rev. Elaine Saralegui welcomed all to her LGBTQ+ inclusive church in the Cuban port city of Matanzas. “We’re all invited. And no one can exclude us,” Saralegui told same-sex couples who held hands sitting on wooden pews in the Metropolitan […]
New NHS trans youth clinics ‘not ready’ ahead of opening, sources claim
Replacement NHS gender identity clinics for trans youth are reportedly understaffed and “nowhere near ready”, sources have claimed. Following the planned closure of the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock Centre – NHS England’s only gender identity clinic for young people – two new regional hubs in London and the north of England […]
Africa Pride 2024 will celebrate love in the face of hatred and homophobia
A coalition of African LGBTQ+ rights group has announced plans for a continent-wide celebration of Pride. Africa Pride 2024 events will consist of online programs and a variety of public and private in-person gatherings, depending on local conditions, including safety and security issues. The celebrations in Africa will be supplemented by supporters’ Pride events throughout […]