Trouble in Bangkok as Filipino transgender group clashes with Thai peers
Police officers from Lumphini station were called out on Monday to break up the fight that broke out at a restaurant in Soi Sukhumvit 11near Nana BTS station between about 20 Filipino transgender women and four Thai counterparts. One of the Thais was injured in the fight, according to a friend of a victim, who […]
Republican Bill Would Imprison Teachers Who Support Trans Students
A Missouri Republican proposed legislation that, if passed, could imprison teachers who support transgender students, the latest in a string of bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community nationwide. Representative Jamie Ray Gragg last week introduced House Bill 2885, which would charge teachers who provide support to a transgender student’s social transition with a class E felony. […]
S. Korea Methodists excommunicate pastor over gay rights
South Korea’s Methodist Church has excommunicated a pastor for advocating gay rights, according to a church verdict obtained Tuesday by AFP. Nearly a quarter of South Korea’s population of 51 million are Christian and the religious community holds significant political sway, with many evangelicals staunchly opposing gay rights. Gay marriage is not recognised in South […]
Ghana May Lose $3.8Bn World Bank Funding Over Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
The government of Ghana may lose a total of $3.8 billion in World Bank funding over its recent Anti-LGBTQ bill passed by the country’s parliament last week. The Finance Ministry of Ghana has appealed to the president to withhold his signature from the contentious bill against LGBT rights, which was approved by parliament.According to the […]
Landmark Court Ruling Opens Door for Backdated State Pensions for Transgender Individuals
In a groundbreaking legal decision, transgender individuals who have undergone gender reassignment surgery may now be eligible for backdated State Pension payments. This comes after a court ruling acknowledged the rights of transgender persons to be recognized in their acquired gender for State Pension purposes. The decision marks a significant milestone in the fight for […]
A new nightclub continues a long legacy for Washington D.C.’s Black gay community
In December, Thurst opened its doors with co-owners Shaun Mykals and Brandon Burke at the helm. The duo built their reputation on “Thursday Bliss,” an open-mic night originally hosted at the legendary jazz establishment Bohemian Caverns. They quickly outgrew the space. Of their newest venture, Burke said the name pays homage to the unique Black […]
Nigerian director on his queer film and the lynching of a gay friend
Babatunde Apalowo, director of the gay-themed Nigerian film All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, was shocked to learn that one of his college roommates was lynched for being gay. “Our residence was small rooms with bunk beds,” Apalowo recently told Variety. “It’s difficult to move around in that small physical space and not get […]
LGBTQI community marches on at Mardi Gras despite grief
The bright glitter, sequins and rainbows of Sydney’s Mardi Gras will be tinged with sadness as the LGBTQI community mourns and celebrates the lives of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Hundreds of thousands will gather in Oxford Street for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras annual parade festivities on Saturday. Float organiser Jane O’Keefe, […]
Cape Town Gay Pride Shows Solidarity With Africa’s Persecuted
Led by motorcycle riders draped in rainbow colours and dressed in multicolour costumes, more than 3,000 people on Saturday took part in Cape Town’s annual Gay Pride parade. The parade was an opportunity for South Africa to reaffirm its place as one of the rare African countries to recognise LGBT+ rights. “I am here because […]
Judge blocks Texas attorney general’s demands for LGBT group’s records
PFLAG, a leading U.S. LGBTQ advocacy group, on Friday won a temporary restraining order blocking demands from Texas’ Republican attorney general for information about the group’s work with families of transgender minors seeking gender-affirming treatments, such as puberty blockers and hormones. The order, which will remain in effect for at least two weeks, from Travis […]
Oklahoma school faces US federal probe in the wake of Nex Benedict’s death
US federal officials have confirmed that they are opening an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where high school pupil Nex Benedict died following a fight last month. Nex Benedict, who was Two Spirit/gender non-conforming and used he/they pronouns according to his friends (as confirmed in this NBC interview), died on 8 February, one day […]
1st transgender lit & cultural festival churns out new ideas
Lucknow: The state capital hosted India’s first-ever transgender literary and cultural programme on Friday. The event served as a platform for members of the transgender community to discuss the role of literature, art, and music in bringing them into the mainstream of society. Social welfare minister Asim Arun, who graced the event, reiterated the state […]
Hong Kong: Transgender activist must not be deported to mainland China
A Chinese transgender activist due to be released tomorrow after serving a prison sentence in Hong Kong will be at grave risk of persecution if she is deported to mainland China. She must instead be allowed to remain in Hong Kong or travel to another destination, Amnesty International urged today. Lai Ke (also known as […]
Breaking Down Barriers: Mo Jenkins Makes Transgender History in the Texas Legislature
Mo Jenkins is shaking things up as the first trans woman to be a committee director and committee clerk in the Texas Legislature. Currently working for Abel Herrero, the state representative for Texas House District 34, Jenkins is herself now running for state representative. If she wins her primaries, Jenkins will be the first openly […]
Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill draws international condemnation after it is passed by parliament
A bill which criminalizes LGBTQ people in Ghana and their supporters drew international condemnation Thursday after it was passed by parliament, with the United Nations calling it “profoundly disturbing” and urging for it not to become law. In a statement, Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner, said the bill broadens […]
LGBTQ+ advocacy group sues Texas AG, says it won’t identify transgender families
A national LGBTQ+ advocacy group is suing the Texas Attorney General’s office rather than hand over information about its support of transgender children receiving gender-confirming medical care. According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Texas court, PFLAG National says Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is demanding “documents and communications” related to a sworn statement […]
Nigerian designer seeks to challenge norms with gender-fluid fashion
A Nigerian designer is making waves in fashion with a gender-fluid clothing line, which he says is intended to challenge the notion that non-binary dressing is a Western concept and to defy societal norms in a country where LGBT rights are restricted.
Ghana’s parliament passes anti-LGBTQ law
Ghana’s parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that further clamps down on the rights of LGBTQ people in the West African country. The “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values” bill enjoys support from a majority of lawmakers in Accra and has been sponsored by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders.
Ukrainian veterans reject award after church annuls gay soldier’s medal
Now the culture wars have come to Ukraine. An Orthodox church in Kyiv annulled a medal it awarded to Viktor Pylypenko, a Ukrainian combat medic who served in the battle to fight off Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, after the church discovered he was gay.
Viktor Pylypenko stripped of war medal because he’s gay
On February 8, 2024, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate awarded soldier Viktor Pylypenko a medal for his war service. But then, someone told them Viktor Pylypenko is gay. It’s no a big secret. After coming out as gay in 2018, Victor launched the charity LGBT+ Military, which supports LGBT+ soldiers and veterans. He […]
Christchurch Youths Sentenced in Unprovoked Attacks on Gay Men, Victim Speaks Out
In a harrowing series of events that shook Christchurch, five youths have been sentenced for their roles in unprovoked attacks on gay men, including a distressing assault on Kelly Hopkins. The attacks, which were filmed and shared within a private group, were reportedly inspired by violent content on social media from the United States, leading […]
Nex Benedict’s death spurs student walkout at his Oklahoma high school over anti-LGBTQ+ bullying
Students walked out Monday at Owasso High School in Oklahoma to protest bullying against LGBTQ+ students, and show solidarity with the local queer community after the tragic death of student Nex Benedict. Benedict, who was 16 and had Indigenous hertiage, had reported being bullied for months before he was involved in a physical confrontation in […]
UK’s only trans judge quits due to hostile climate: ‘I’m political every time I choose where to pee’
In a letter to the senior judiciary, Victoria McCloud, a High Court master, wrote that she is resigning because “I am now political every time I choose where to pee”, adding that her personal dignity is at stake, The Times reported. McCloud was first appointed as a part-time judge in 2006 and became the youngest […]
Bringing Haiti together at a Cap-Haïtien voodoo festival
While Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, is plagued with unending violence, the north of the country seems to be holding its own, attracting numerous cultural events that can no longer take place in the country’s main metropolitan area. In this context, the northern city of Cap-Haïtien is scheduled to host the first international voodoo festival from Aug. […]
Kane and Kotfe have been together for 12 years but their country’s law treats them as ‘strangers’
Kaneshige ‘Kane’ Hirata, a former firefighter, and Kohei ‘Kotfe’ Katsuyama, a former police officer, have been in a committed relationship for the past 12 years, living together in Japan for most of this time. However, the couple is unable to tie the knot legally, as Japan remains the only country in the G7 yet to […]
Siberian Queer Bar Shuts Down After Police Raid
A queer bar in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk has announced that it will close following a police raid over the weekend, local media reported Monday. The abrupt closure of the bar — called Elton — came after Yekaterina Mizulina, who has spearheaded a crackdown on anti-war activists in Russia, vowed to contact the police […]
Major medical society re-examines clinical guidelines for gender-affirming care
The major global medical association for endocrinologists will review its clinical guidelines for gender-affirming care, the Endocrine Society told CNN on Monday. Despite recent moves by some US states to restrict or ban such care, the society said it’s a routine update that was not prompted by politics. The society’s guidelines help the organization’s 18,000 […]
Church-state tension looms over gay marriage
More tension looms between Church and state over the bill for same-sex civil marriage and adoption by such couples which Parliament recently passed, after Greek Archbishop Ieronymos reportedly expressed dismay with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ speech during the House debate on the legislation. Kathimerini understands that the archbishop believes that the prime minister does not seem […]
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 […]
‘It was the life raft’: Transgender people find a safe haven in Florida’s capital city
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Quandarius “Chanel” Johnson twirled a gold-colored crown that glinted with light streaming in from a nearby window. It’s a symbol to remind her of her strength. After all, “I’m a Leo,” Johnson said. She keeps the crown hanging on her bedpost. Johnson, a Black transgender woman, lives in a safe house not far from […]