Amid Mardi Gras buzz, Indonesians in Australia rue diminishing LGBTQ rights back home

As the 46th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras prepares to kick off on March 2, the party buzz has caught on in the Indonesian LGBTQ community in Australia, where members are readying themselves to march alongside activists and revellers from around the world. The Indonesian float at the parade, dubbed Selamat Datang – meaning “Welcome” in Indonesian […]

ABSURD ANTI-LGBT+ VIDEO URGES RUSSIANS TO VOTE IN UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Three weeks ahead of the 2024 Russian presidential election, a bizarre video campaign has cropped up on the internet, urging Russians to vote in order to avoid a dystopian, LGBT-dominated future. Titled ‘THE FUTURE OF RUSSIA?’ the 6-minute video is set in Moscow, 2036, and portrays a future where LGBT+ ideology has prevailed as a result […]

US man guilty of killing transgender woman in gender identity hate crime first

A man has been found guilty of killing a transgender woman in the US’s first federal trial over an alleged hate crime based on gender identity. Jurors in South Carolina decided that Daqua Lameek Ritter shot dead Dime Doe in August 2019 for that reason. During the trial, witnesses testified that prior to the killing […]

Uganda squirms as pressure mounts to repeal anti-gay law

As human rights defenders inside and outside of Uganda await a Constitutional Court ruling on petitions challenging the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023, the backers of the cruel law are squirming with discomfort. While international pressure against the law has been building, the regime’s expectations for the law proved unrealistic. After President Yoweri Museveni signed the […]

Mandaue City probes club for alleged transgender discrimination

THE Mandaue City Government is investigating a club in the city for allegedly discriminating against a transwoman guest. The establishment reportedly refused entry to a transgender individual unless she paid for the use of a VIP table. VIP tables in clubs provide guests with a reserved area and a dedicated server for orders, typically at […]

Nex Benedict’s death sparks calls against anti-LGBTQ bullying nationwide

Vice President Kamala Harris and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre are the latest figures to speak out regarding the death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary 16-year-old who died one day after a physical altercation with several other students at their Owasso, Oklahoma, school. “My heart goes out to Nex Benedict’s family, friends, and their […]

Protest targets Ugandan plan to praise anti-LGBT law in England

Human rights activists based in and outside Uganda have petitioned the government of the United Kingdom, urging it to cancel an invitation to Anita Among, Speaker of the Uganda Parliament, to participate in the Commonwealth’s 75th anniversary celebrations scheduled for next month in London. Among was the chief architect of the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), […]

Why is Germany so low on PrEP and will HIV infections now rise?

BERLIN, Jan 26 (OPENLY) – A severe shortage of HIV prevention drugs in Germany has sparked fears of a spike in infections over coming months, with doctors urging government to step in and keep tens of thousands safe. Almost 90% of Germany’s doctor surgeries and pharmacies are affected by the shortages of PrEP pills, according to a […]

Ghana moves closer to passing bill that would crack down on LGBT rights

ACCRA, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday moved a step closer to holding a vote on a bill that seeks to further clamp down on the rights of LGBT people, rejecting a proposal that would have seen jail terms for gay sex replaced with non-custodial sentences such as counselling. A coalition of Christian, Muslim, […]

Belarus plans its own anti-‘gay propaganda’ law

Russian ally Belarus is making preparations for a restrictive anti-LGBTQ+ law like Russia’s, with an extra provision targeting childless couples. Alexis Boddy of City Law School at the University of London writes in The Jurist: Belarus drafts law punishing the promotion of LGBT+ relationships. The Prosecutor General of Belarus, Andrei Shved, announced [on Feb. 19] that the government has […]

Gay-obsessed Nigerian pastor denounces ‘intriguing’ homosexuality

A tech-savvy Nigerian pastor is spreading an ongoing stream of homophobia online, having developed almost a fixation on the topic of homosexuality. The pastor, Damilola Oluwatoyinbo, has dedicated numerous sermons online and in person to denouncing what he views as a “challenging, intriguing, and captivating” subject. He  is the leader of the  Lagos-based KINGS church, which stands […]

Samuel Alito Is Mad You Can’t Be Bigoted Toward Gay People Anymore

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is complaining that people who oppose homosexuality were being unfairly branded as bigots, despite that being a dictionary definition of bigotry. The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a case about whether it is legal to exclude potential jurors based on their religion. The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Jean Finney, […]

Ghana moves closer to passing bill that would crack down on LGBT rights

ACCRA, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday moved a step closer to holding a vote on a bill that seeks to further clamp down on the rights of LGBT people, rejecting a proposal that would have seen jail terms for gay sex replaced with non-custodial sentences such as counselling. A coalition of Christian, Muslim, […]

Oklahoma Republicans Passed a Bathroom Bill. Now, a Trans Kid Is Dead.

One day after a transgender Oklahoman teen hit their head on the floor while getting attacked in their school bathroom, they were dead. Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old from Owasso, Oklahoma, was the victim of transphobic torment from school bullies that started at the beginning of the 2023 school year, just a handful of months after […]

FC Barcelona surprisingly puts pro-LGBTQ social post on Arabic account, to mixed reactions

The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona extends far beyond “El Clasico” matches, which rank among the most intense and politically charged matches in world soccer. The two La Liga clubs are also the most-followed sports franchises on social media, both well clear of third-placed Manchester United. The Los Angeles Lakers have the most followers […]

Belarus prepares law against ‘LGBT propaganda’

In Belarus, a draft law punishing the “promotion of non-traditional relationships” – which refers to LGBTQIA relationships – is being prepared. This development (or backward step, to be more apt) was announced by Belarusian state news agency Belta, which quoted the country’s prosecutor general, Andrei Shved, as saying that a bill was prepared establishing administrative […]

Nigerian Police threaten crackdown over viral LGBT TikTok trend

Nigerian police spokesperson ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi has vowed to crack down on a group of LGBT individuals featured in a viral video on social media. The threats were issued against participants in the queer edition of the trending TikTok “I am” challenge, where some LGBTIQ+ Nigerians disclosed their sexuality and gender identity on the social […]

China LGBTQ community hangs tough in dissent amid repression

In a scene like many played out in theaters around the world, last month a smiling dance performance director emerged from the wings after a show to thunderous applause, taking a bow with a rainbow flag bearing the slogan “Love is love, love and gender are unrelated.” But this scene was in China, and the […]

Idaho asks Supreme Court to let it enforce ban on transgender care

Idaho officials asked the Supreme Court to let the state enforce a strict ban on gender-affirming treatments for minors in an emergency request made public Monday by one of the groups involved in the case. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little last year, makes it a felony for doctors to provide medical treatment […]

Pride And The City: Creating Queer Third Spaces In Bengaluru

In the last few years, potentially due to the pandemic-caused confinement at home, the topic of third places has gained prominence in popular discourse. They can be described simply as a place of leisure and places for people to exist outside of home and work. According to Ray Oldenburg, who coined the term, they are […]

Cameroon: A merciful principal confronts two lesbian students

Youth Day is a festival held on Feb. 11 each year in Cameroon to celebrate the potential of the nation’s young citizens. But for two LGBT youths, the lead-up to this year’s celebration turned into a time for anxiety and, unexpectedly, a bit of mercy. Traditional activities of Youth Day in Cameroon include parades and […]

Supreme Court Could Kill College Transgender Sports

Riley Gaines, a former NCAA athlete turned political campaigner, has expressed confidence the Supreme Court will end up ruling against transgender women being allowed to compete in women’s sport in school and college, in a “Title 9 case.” In 2022 Gaines, then a student and college swimmer at the University of Kentucky, tied with transgender […]