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18 February 2015 edition
Dear friends and colleagues,
From the UN: The Human Rights Council’s 21 Session Universal Periodic Review - a review of the human rights record of 14 countries - was held in Geneva. Check out the new list of recommendations to improve the human rights situation regarding people's gender and sexual orientation. The 22nd session will be in May 2015.
The United Nations Development Programme has joined with civil society to produce a new framework committed to leaving no one behind in the Asia-Pacific HIV response. And at the 70th anniversary remembrance of the liberation of Auschwitz, Charles Radcliffe, from the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights praised LGBT rights advances despite recent “worrying trends” including criminalization.
HIV, Health, and Well-Being: With home testing kits gaining in popularity, a new attachment can turn a smartphone into a mobile lab to diagnose HIV and syphilis, which could be good news for the gay and bi men community that accounts for 75% of all syphilis cases. Meanwhile a new study finds that men who have sex with men suffer health inequalities and less funding support than other groups. And in Indonesia AIDS activists are increasingly turning to social media to reach the gay community.
A new study in Psychological Science shows that transgender kids aren't confused or delayed in understanding their identities, while a review of studies shows that children of gay or lesbian parents are not adversely affected by their parentage. In the meantime, a new study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence finds that teens who talk about sexual orientation with LGBT peers and friends are more likely to become allies.
And in Botswana, NGOs are welcoming a new series of government-sponsored HIV prevention ads aimed at gay men and other key populations.
Politicking: Poland's first transgender politician plans to make history again with a run for president. In Nepal, government leaders have spoken on amending anti-gay legal provisions. In Colombia, LGBT leader Wilson Castañera was one of six human rights advocates to participate in peace talks between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. And in the US, lawmakers have introduced a bill that would promote LGBT rights worldwide even as conservatives continue to push discriminatory laws at home.
Ignorance, Fear, and Loathing: In Ghana, police arrested a suspect in connection to the brutal attack against a gay man that was filmed and posted online; local celebrities and prominent personalities have come out to condemn the attack. Another Syrian man has been murdered for being "gay." Although he survived after ISIS threw him from a tower, he was stoned to death by onlookers on the ground. And in the US, a 6th transgender woman has been murdered in less than a month.
In Tanzania, a trans man and his wife were arrested on gay-sex charges. And in Egypt, men arrested on charges of homosexuality are forced to undergo horrific and - according to international human rights and medical experts - completely unscientific anal exams.
A private school in the US claims it has the right to expel a student for openly talking about his sexuality. In Russia, a group has been targeting teachers who have voiced support for LGBT rights, leading to their expulsion.
In Germany, some asylum seekers are fighting back against immigration officials who told them that Uganda is a safe place to be gay. Meanwhile UK officials have warned caseworkers must not "stereotype characteristics" when determining if a person is lesbian, gay or bisexual persons and deserves asylum.
Religiosity: In a speech to followers, Buddhist leader Dzongsat Khyentse Rinpoche spoke on respecting sexual orientation and how it fits with Buddhist teachings. Leading Church of England evangelical activist, Jayne Ozanne announced she is a lesbian and says the time has come for the Church to move towards acceptance of LGBT people.
Leaders from the United Methodist Church proposed a more open stance on homosexuality during an international gathering in Mozambique. Meanwhile the one newly appointed Catholic cardinal who has shown support for LGBT people is balanced by three new cardinals who hold fast to anti-gay dogma. And in Kenya, the Catholic bishops issued their annual Lent message with an attack on homosexuality.
In Switzerland, a village is backing a priest who has refused to resign for blessing a lesbian couple. In the US, the Archbishop of California has added a 'morality clause’ to catholic school staff contracts and will make teachers 'ministers' of the church. The new wording prevents all employees from voicing contradictory opinions, even during personal time. And as ministers are exempt from anti-discrimination employment laws, teachers will be able to be fired for speaking against church doctrine.
Winds of Change: An Australian court has granted a 17-year-old trans boy power over his own body, enabling him to seek testosterone replacement therapy against his parents' wishes. And in Vietnam, a 71-year-old mother has spoken out to support her gay son. Her speech reflects the positive changes felt by 8 out of 10 LGBT Vietnamese people.
In Slovakia a referendum to prevent same-sex marriage and keep gay couples from adopting children failed to pass because of poor voter turnout. Meanwhile in Chile, congress approves same-sex civil unions, though not marriage. In Japan, two Tokyo municipalities have declared their intention to issue certificates equivalent to marriage for same-sex couples. And in China the largest tech company, Alibaba, is teaming up with LGBT groups to support equal marriage with a new marketing campaign.
Author Peter Montgomery investigates what is next for LGBT advocates once same-sex marriage equality is achieved. And gender activist Kate Bornstein urges that now is a pivotal time for trans people as rigid notions of gender is challenged all over the world.
While the Irish government has worked with LGBT groups to tackle homophobia in primary schools with guidelines for inclusive teaching and classroom behavior, Jamaica's first female public defender has vowed to defend rights of all, including the LGBT community.
The Dominican Ministry of Tourism will launch an LGBT tourism campaign that will promote gay rights in the Caribbean. And threatened with losing US contracts, ExxonMobil has added LGBT worker protections.
Out on the street: As hundreds turned out for Mumbai's annual pride parade despite fear and anger churned up by the return of Indian law banning same-sex sexual relations, Justice AP Shah, India's Law Commission Chairman, spoke out on the consequences of those laws, saying they cause: "damage to the psychological well being of homosexuals, encouragement of violence and facilitation of police harassment and discrimination against the LGBT community."
Meanwhile a new tour company is serving “gay Jews and those who love us,” with a "Poland & Prague Pride Trip" -- a tour that begins in Auschwitz and ends at Prague's gay Pride parade.
Culture and Sports: Singer John Legend has joined the boycott of the Sultan of Brunei owned Beverly Hills Hotel. His reps confirmed the singer would not perform for the hotel as long as the Sultan supported policies allowing 'LGBT Bruneians to be stoned to death.' And despite his Russian fans, Sam Smith has vowed never to perform in Russia as long as anti-gay laws continue to discriminate.
The WWE plans to tour the United Arab Emirates but will leave behind gay wrestler Darren Young 'for his safety.' Young spoke out against the decision and was promptly silenced. Openly gay Olympic figure skater Eric Radford and his partner talk about his decision to "come out;" the team is a favourite to win the world championships in Shanghai in March. And an American actor on a popular Russian tv series has shocked fans by coming out of the closet.
Survivors of the 1980s AIDS crisis reflect back on their experiences during the height of the American epidemic and in 'Portrait of the activist' Eric Ohena Lembebe reflects on forming the anti-AIDS group CAMFAIDS. A new documentary explores how obsession with masculinity is negatively impacting young men. Meanwhile from China, a short film encouraging parents to accept their gay children has gone viral.
Jamin Warren explores the importance of having gay characters in video games. LGBT cartoon web series 'McTucky Fried High,' explores queer teen issues.
And finally, check out this cartoon that aims to show the dangers of syphilis to adults with humor.
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"When I came out I knew I was going to have bullies, and I knew people were not going to be OK with it. But I never expected it to be from the people who were supposed to protect you from the bullies." ~ Austin Wallis, 17 year old on being told by his school principal to stop being gay or leave the school
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U.N. Forum Praises LGBT Rights Advances in Developing Nations
Marking 70 years since the liberation of Auschwitz and the end of WWII, the United Nations reflected on some of the “lesser known victims” of the Nazi regime – the LGBT community – and how gay rights may be further advanced into the future.
Charles Radcliffe, Chief of Global Issues with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said global progress toward better protections for the LGBT community has been steady. He also said it was important to continue strengthening protections for LGBT people, citing recent “worrying trends” including criminalization of gay relationships or the silencing of LGBT activists in some nations.
“We need to change attitudes, challenge stereotypes, and get people talking about these issues especially in communities and cultures where it is still taboo,” he said. “It’s not enough to change laws and institutions. We have to change people’s minds.” Read More
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Universal Periodic Review recommends changes for sexual and gender rights
During the UPR, many recommendations were made regarding sexual rights as they relate to human rights across the 14 countries reviewed. These included recommendations to change legislation, decriminalize sexuality, and gender protection acts. To read the full list across Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Guinea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Spain, Lesotho, Kenya, Armenia, Guinea-Bissau, Sweden, Grenada, Turkey, Guyana, and Kuwait click here.
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Leaving no one behind in the Asia-Pacific HIV response
Government delegates, leading civil society voices, and UN partners gathered in Bangkok to review progress in responding to the HIV epidemic in the Asia Pacific region. The meeting will produce a new regional framework of cooperation.
In his opening remarks, Nicholas Rosellini, Director of UNDP's Bangkok Regional Hub, highlighted that the HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific continues to be concentrated among key populations who face the burden of being marginalized not only socially but also through counter-productive legal frameworks. Read More
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Indonesia: AIDS activists use social media to reach gay community
Jakarta-based program "Scaling Up For Most-At-Risk Populations (SUM)", has launched a social media campaign called #GueBerani (I am brave) in order to encourage gay men to get tested for HIV.
Program leader Erlian Rista Aditya said he believed social media would become an effective tool in their public health campaign because 83 million people in Indonesia were active internet users and almost all of them used social media. Read More
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'Dongle' turns smartphone into mobile lab to diagnose HIV, syphilis
Engineers have created a compact, handheld device that plugs into an iPhone and turns it into a mobile laboratory that can diagnose HIV and syphilis in just 15 minutes. “This kind of capability can transform how health care services are delivered around the world,” study leader Samuel K. Sia, a biomedical engineer at Columbia, said in a statement. Read More
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UK: Men who have sex with men have other health inequalities
The UK government’s leading body for public health has launched a new framework for improving the health of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Public Health England have identified research showing that men who have sex with men are twice as likely to be depressed or anxious as other men, are twice as likely to be dependent on alcohol as other men, are more likely to smoke, have higher rates of cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes and are less likely to seek help from health and social care services. Read More
LGBT health issues receive paltry funding
A new report shows that foundation funding for LGBT health totals less than 0.5 percent of all health funding, and funding for HIV/AIDS is drastically out of proportion. The report was issued by Funders for LGBTQ Issues to coincide with an LGBT Health Funding Summit. Read More
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Gay and Bi Men Account for 75% of All Syphilis Cases
At the end of 2014 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its sexually transmitted disease surveillance data for the previous year, showing the rates for primary and secondary syphilis, increased by an alarming 10 percent.
“This second year of double-digit increases of syphilis rates is completely unacceptable and also significantly intersects with our HIV epidemic,” says William Smith, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors. “This continues to affect populations already disproportionately impacted by all STDs, including HIV, most notably gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM).” Read More
US: Rare type of syphilis infects 6 statewide, leaves 2 blind
Health officials are warning about an unusual cluster of syphilis infections that strike the eyes, urge increased testing. Read More
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Transgender kids aren't confused about their identities
Transgender youngsters identify as much with their genders as do non-transgender children, a new study says. The findings indicate that transgender children are not confused or delayed in their understanding of gender, as some have suggested, write the researchers in Psychological Science.
The children were asked different types of questions that have been shown in other studies to be measures of implicit gender identity. When the researchers looked to see if the transgender children’s responses mirrored those of non-transgender kids - known as cisgender children - they found that transgender boys’ responses mirrored cisgender boys’ answers. Transgender girls responded the same as cisgender girls. Read More
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Scholarly research on children with gay or lesbian parents
An overview of research literature finds that children of gay parents fare no worse than children whose parents identify as straight. Taken together, this research forms an overwhelming scholarly consensus, based on over three decades of peer-reviewed research, that having a gay or lesbian parent does not harm children. Read More
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Colombia: LGBT advocate participates in peace talks
The head of a LGBT Colombian advocacy group took part in peace talks between his country’s government and a rebel group. Caribe Afirmativo Director Wilson Castañeda was among the six Colombian human rights advocates who participated in a meeting between representatives of President Juan Manuel Santos’ government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
“We do not want a post-conflict period to generate closets where people are once again stigmatized, made invisible and continue living in fear,” he said, noting LGBT Colombians should be explicitly included. “As Colombians we hope to leave the closet behind, to be able to live without fear of difference.” Read More
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Dominican Republic: Advocates, officials to launch LGBT tourism campaign
Members of the Center for Integrated Training and Research, a Dominican advocacy group known by the Spanish acronym COIN that has fought the AIDS epidemic in the country and throughout the Caribbean for more than two decades, will meet with representatives of the Dominican Ministry of Tourism and Tourism Police to promote LGBT tourism and gay rights in the Caribbean country. Read More
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Poland: Transgender politician to run for President
Poland’s first openly transgender lawmaker, Anna Grodzka, plans to run for President. There are currently no openly transgender heads of state in the world, meaning that Grodzka – who is already the world’s only elected transgender MP – would make history again if successful. Read More
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Nepal: Government ready to amend anti-gay legal provisions
Minendra Rijal, Nepal's minister for information and communication, has said the government is ready to amend discriminatory legal provisions against sexual minorities.
However, Rijal said equality could not be achieved through legal advancement and policies only, but also required changes in society's attitudes and behavior: 'I urge the community to stand up and take a lead.' Read More
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US: Lawmakers introduce bill to promote LGBT rights worldwide
The International Human Rights Defense Act, spearheaded by Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Alan Lowenthal would appoint a special envoy within the U.S. Department of State to coordinate efforts to prevent discrimination and advance the rights of LGBT people worldwide.
“With the rights of the LGBT community under attack around the globe, we must stand hand-in-hand with them in the struggle for recognition and equality everywhere," Markey said. Read More
Inside The Last-Ditch Conservative Campaign To Target LGBT Americans
In this progressive climate, the battle has shifted to the state level, where conservatives are waging a last-ditch campaign to target LGBT Americans. Two months into 2015, the volume of legislation that allows religion to be used for discrimination is already higher than the total for 2014.
The legislation introduced so far tends to fall into three broad categories: bills that could facilitate discrimination on the basis of religious freedom, bills that specifically target officials who marry same-sex couples and bills that would allow anyone to refuse to recognize a couple's marriage based on religious beliefs. Read More
Arkansas is the latest state to pass Bill Allowing LGBT Discrimination Read More
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Germany tells asylum seekers Uganda is a safe place to be gay
German authorities refused two gay refugees asylum because they consider Uganda a safe place to live for LGBTI people despite the violence they have suffered at home. In 2013 Ugandan president Museveni passed a bill arranging for homosexual people to be punished with lifetime prison sentences. It also binds citizens to report homosexuals to the police. This was repealed but the government is pushing for a new bill that will punish LGBTI people in the same way.
‘Gay friends were accepted as persecuted refugees in Finland and the Netherlands. When German politicians visit Uganda they condemn the discrimination,’ one of the asylum seekers said. ‘But they tell us there is no problem." Read More
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UK: Caseworkers ‘must not stereotype’ gay asylum seekers
The Home Office has published new guidance on the treatment of sexual identity issues in asylum claims following last year’s critical report by Borders and Immigration Chief Inspector John Vine.
The guidance states that Home Office caseworkers must conduct “a sensitive enquiry into the development and exploration of the claimant’s sexual identity and the extent to which it is relevant to the assessment of the need for protection. It should not be an enquiry into any explicit sexual activity.” Read More
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US: Sixth Transgender Woman Is Killed In Less Than A Month
Police have arrested an Akron, OH, father in connection with the February 13 stabbing death of his child Bri Golec, a 22-year-old who local advocates say was as a trans woman. Bri is the sixth transgender woman in the US to be murdered in the last month. Read More
Only a few days earlier Penny Proud was fatally shot in New Orleans - the fifth transgender woman of color to be killed within the past month. Media then misgendered her and dwelled on prostitution activity near the crime scene, despite being unable to provide evidence linking it to the homicide. Nationally, transgender women of color were the victims of 67% of all hate-motivated homicides against LGBT people in 2013, according to a report on hate violence. Read More
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Syria: Killed for 'being gay'
Less than 2 months after two other men were thrown from buildings on accusations by ISIS of homosexuality, another man is thrown from a tower. The man survived the fall and, according to reports, was stoned to death by onlookers. ISIS released pictures and video of the murder. Read More
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Ghana: Police arrest suspect in connection to brutal anti gay attack
A man has been arrested in connection with the brutal attack on a Ghanaian events organizer on allegations he was gay. The suspected attacker was arrested by police after a video surfaced showing events promoter, Kinto Rothmans being assaulted and blood dripping from his head. Ghanaian celebrities took to social media to condemn the attack. Singer Efya immediately took to Twitter to express her disgust saying, ‘You can’t beat the gay out of someone… you can’t.’ Read More
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Egyptian Doctors Think This Torturous Exam Can Detect “Chronic Homosexuals”
More than 150 people have been arrested on charges of homosexuality since President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi took power. Anal exams are a routine part of the investigation in such cases. “First we make them take the prostrate position — the position that Muslims take when they pray,” Dr. Maged Louis, chief of forensic medicine for the Cairo police district, said. The tests are intended not just to determine whether someone has ever had anal sex, but also to detect “chronic homosexuals,” because the letter of Egyptian law only criminalizes men who engage in “habitual debauchery.”
International human rights and medical experts dismissed Louis’s checklist as having “no medical basis” and “categorically not true.” The idea that inspectors are intentionally fabricating evidence because of their own homophobia isn’t what makes these exams so disturbing — though that does sometimes happen, according to defendants’ accounts. It’s that beliefs about homosexuality are leading doctors — some of whom have done extensive (and horrific) research into perfecting diagnostic techniques — to believe that what they are doing is science. Read More
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Tanzania: Trans man, wife arrested on gay-sex charges
Police in Tanzania have arrested a trans man and his female partner on suspicion of violating the Tanzanian law against same-sex intimacy.
News of the arrest, and the couple’s photos, were splashed across the local newspaper with the headline, “Beautiful girls arrested for homosexuality.” The arrests came after their neighbors told police that they suspected the two people were married and in a same-sex relationship. Read More
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US: Texas school claims it had the 'right' to expel student for being gay
The Executive Director of Lutheran High North has responded to a teen who said on YouTube he was forced to move schools for being gay: 'We reserve the right to discontinue enrollment of a current student participating in, promoting, supporting or condoning homosexual activity'
Austin Wallis, a 17-year-old former student at private Christian school posted a video that showed him in tears after he recounted a story of how he was called into his principal's office and told he must delete all social media on which he had revealed his sexuality or leave the school. Read More
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Botswana: BONELA welcomes NACA’s overtures to gays, prostitutes
The Botswana Network on Ethics Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) has welcomed the decision by the government to spread the HIV/AIDS message to marginalised groups, including the gay community and commercial sex workers. In an interview, BONELA executive director, Cindy Kelemi said her organisation had been calling for such intervention “for more than a decade” but no one had been willing to listen.
“We see it as a milestone that finally government is reaching out to minority groups. We applaud government for taking such a step,” she said. Read More
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Russia: This Shadowy Group Is Targeting Teachers Who Support LGBT Rights
A shadowy group identifying itself as the “public ombudsman for children’s rights” turned up at a school in St. Petersburg in what it called a “raid” to demand the dismissal of a teacher supportive of LGBT rights, local media outlets reported.
The group said it showed the school director photos from Maksim Ivantsov’s wall on the Russian social network VKontakte as proof of the teacher’s “propaganda” of “LGBT values.” Ivantsov has spoken out publicly against anti-LGBT discrimination.
Ivantsov is only the latest in a growing list of teachers who have been targeted using the anti-LGBT propaganda law. Read More
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Buddhist leader Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche speaks on Homosexuality
Speaking to a Bhutanese audience Rinpoche stated: "your sexual orientation has nothing to do with understanding or not understanding the truth. You could be gay, you could be lesbian, you could be straight, we never know which one will get enlightened first."
He concluded his speech: "Time is changing, and we should be really tolerant, I mean tolerant is even I mean… You should not be tolerating this, actually. You should be respecting it. Tolerance is not a good thing. If you are tolerating this, it means that you think it’s something wrong that you will tolerate. But you have to go beyond that. You have to actually respect this one." Watch his statements here.
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Church of England evangelical activist, comes out as a lesbian
One of the Church of England’s leading evangelical campaigners announced that she is a lesbian and said she decided to be open after trying various ministries to cast out her sexual orientation.
“God is a God of surprises,” said Jayne Ozanne, as she took up her new job as director of Accepting Evangelicals, a network of Christians who believe the time has come to move toward the acceptance of loving same-sex partnerships and a positive Christian ethic for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people. Read More
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What Have the New Catholic Cardinals Said About LGBT People?
With contradictory statements from Pope Francis regarding equality for LGBT Catholics, The Advocate investigated the 20 new cardinals, only 4 of whom have made statements on LGBT issues. While Archbishop John Atcherley Dew of Wellington, New Zealand has voiced support for acceptance, the others paint a less pleasant picture. Read More
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Kenya Catholic bishops issue Lent message attacking homosexuality
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) have begun their Lenten season with an attack on homosexuality and sex work.
In their annual Lenten Campaign message titled ‘Build our Family and Nation with Dignity’ the bishops take issue with some of the social issues plaguing the family including homosexuality, drug abuse, redundant parents, incest and prostitution. Read More
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United Methodist Church body proposes more open stance on homosexuality
The United Methodist Church could have openly gay clergy and clergy could officiate at same-sex marriages if a proposal affirmed by a denomination-wide leadership body prevails. The Connectional Table plans to draft legislation that members hope can be “a third way” in the church’s long debate over homosexuality.
During an international meeting held in Mozambique, church leaders overwhelmingly affirmed a proposal to remove prohibitive language that makes it a chargeable offense under church law for clergy to be “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” or to officiate at same-sex weddings. Read More
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US: Archbishop’s 'morality clauses’ chill rights of teachers
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone's new anti-gay "purity test" for Catholic high school teachers will be added to the faculty handbooks, and outlines the church's teaching that using contraception is a sin and that sex outside of marriage, whether it is in the form of adultery, masturbation, pornography or gay sex, is "gravely evil."
Cordileone is insisting that administrators, faculty, and other staff “must refrain from public support of any cause or issue that is explicitly or implicitly contrary to that which the Catholic Church holds to be true, both those truths known from revelation and those from natural law” — not just in the classroom, but in their off-duty hours as well.
The archdiocese has proposed contract language that describes faculty & staff as “ministers engaged in this religious mission regardless of individual job description or subject matter.” As 'ministers' are exempt from anti-discrimination law, teachers will have no recourse if they're dismissed. Read More
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Australia: 17 year old given power over his parents for gender dysphoria
A 17-year-old transgender boy has become the first child in Australia to have been given the right to make decisions on special medical procedures without parental consent.
The Family Court found that the boy, known as Isaac, was competent and gave him the power to override his parent's wishes to prevent him from using puberty suppressants, testosterone replacement therapy and undergoing any surgery related to his gender. The case potentially paves the way for other children seeking treatment without the support of one or both of their parents to ask the courts to declare them competent enough to make the decision themselves. Read More
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Vietnam: The 71-year-old mother who fights for gay rights
All heads turned when Thi took the stage to speak about her youngest son's struggle with being gay and to promote support for gays and lesbians. The conference, organized by by Ho Chi Minh City-based activist group ICS, gathered supporters for and families of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) people.
A farmer, Thi said she could only learn about the community from her son because she did not know how to access the Internet to study and there was no LGBT support group in her hometown. Read More
Eight in ten Vietnam gays see positive change toward them
Nearly 80% of LGBTI Vietnamese say society had changed positively toward them over the last five years, according to a new survey. The most voted changes were confidence to be themselves, government recognition and LGBTI activities. Read More
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Slovakia: Referendum to bar same-sex couples from marrying and adopting fails
A proposal to deny same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt failed in Slovakia on Saturday because turnout did not reach the 50% threshold required to become law under the country’s voting rules.
Though it didn't pass by default, the vote reflects a growing backlash in Eastern Europe against LGBT rights. Slovakia is one of four Eastern European countries to pass laws denying legal recognition to same-sex couples since 2012, the same time that a growing number of countries in Western Europe have adopted full marriage equality. Read More
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Japan: Second Tokyo ward speaks of action on same-sex unions
Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward has said it may follow Shibuya’s lead in recognizing long-term same-sex couples, days after the neighboring district announced a vote on the matter. Mayor Nobuto Hosaka of Setagaya, Tokyo’s most populous ward, said Shibuya’s move to consider declaring such relationships as “equivalent to marriage” was a precedent which prompted Setagaya to examine what it can do to aid its own residents.
Shibuya’s proposal was widely hailed as groundbreaking. It would alleviate some of the discrimination and hardship experienced by sexual minorities in a largely conservative society. Shibuya assembly members will vote on the measure during a session slated to convene in early March.
“We will strive to create a society that values diversity and respects human rights,” Hosaka said separately on Twitter. Read More
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Switzerland: Village backs priest over lesbian couple blessing
A catholic priest in a traditional Swiss village under fire for blessing a lesbian couple has defended his actions and rejected calls from the church hierarchy for his resignation. But the priest has received support from his congregation and residents of the village, who started a petition in his defence.
“We stand behind priest Bucheli,” Peter Vorwerk, vice-president of the parish council is quoted as saying. Christianity is based on charity so it is difficult to understand why the church should deny someone the blessing of God, he said. Read More
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Chile: Congress approves same-sex civil unions
After hours of debate, the Chile’s Civil Union bill was approved by 86 votes to 23, with two abstentions, in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday. The Senate passed the bill last year. The new law will recognise the civil unions of couples living under the same roof, whether the couple is heterosexual or same-sex, and provides them with certain legal rights. Read More
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What to Do When 'I Do' Is Done
With the widely shared expectation that the Supreme Court will soon return to the issue of marriage and may strike down marriage bans nationwide, LGBT leaders find themselves asking a question that would have seemed improbable just a few years ago: What should be the priorities of the LGBT movement once legal marriage equality has been achieved?
The most likely candidate for the kind of coordinated, national- and state-level strategy that fueled the marriage equality campaign is a push to get all LGBT Americans covered by laws barring discrimination against them in employment, housing, health care, and public accommodations. Brutal persecution of LGBT people around the globe, often with the collusion or encouragement of American anti-gay activists, is another growing concern. Those issues are likely to draw support from across the ideological spectrum of LGBT organizations. Read More
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Pivotal time for trans people as rigid notion of gender challenged
For Kate Bornstein, the American author and pioneer gender activist, this is a pivotal time in history for transgender people as the rigid concept of two sexes is challenged by a growing number of individuals who don't conform to either. Some even suggest the notion of gender as we know it, the categorization of individuals as either male or female, might become obsolete altogether.
"Most college students are okay with the idea of someone who defines themselves as not a man or a woman," said Bornstein, 66, who was born a man but had a sex change operation in the 1980s. "That's very different from their parents or even their older siblings," she said. Now gender non-conformity, also known as genderqueer, and transsexuality are far more visible. Read More
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Ireland: Government launches push to tackle homophobia in primary schools
The Irish government has launched its first resource to help primary school teachers tackle homophobic bullying. The guide, titled Respect, will be officially launched by Education minister Jan O’Sullivan this evening.
It was created by the Department of Education and Skills, alongside the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation and Ireland’s Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN). The resource – which is the first of its kind on the Republic of Ireland – encourages teachers to challenge children to think about family, love and gender from an early age. Read More
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Predicting LGBT-Affirming Behavior in Teens
To counter homophobic behavior in schools, research is needed on heterosexual youth who act as allies to LGBT youth by engaging in LGBT-affirming behavior. This study found that critical thinking, self-reflection, lower sexual prejudice, having more LGBT friends, and having sexual orientation-based discussions with peers were associated with engaging in more LGBT-affirming behavior. Having LGBT friends was more strongly associated with affirming behavior for youth who felt more connected and had more sexual orientation-based discussions with these friends. Read More
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ExxonMobil Relents, Adds LGBT Worker Protections
ExxonMobil has reversed its longstanding opposition to providing LGBT employment protections, a sign of the impact of President Obama’s executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Read More
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Beverly Hills Hotel Boycott: John Legend Backs Out of 'L.A. Confidential' Party
Los Angeles Confidential's plans to host the first major entertainment industry party inside the Beverly Hills Hotel amid a widespread Hollywood boycott have backfired as its cover star John Legend has backed out of a planned appearance and the Human Rights Campaign has fired off an official letter to the mag's publisher.
The party would be the first notable event held at the BHH since early 2014 when the boycott started following the Sultan of Brunei's passage of barbaric Sharia Law, which calls for the stoning of gays and adulterers. (Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah owns the BHH and the Hotel Bel-Air through his Dorchester Collection.) Read More
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Jamaica: Harrison-Henry Vows To Defend Rights Of All
Arlene Harrison Henry, who was appointed recently as Jamaica's first female public defender, has indicated that her mission is to defend the rights of all citizens, especially the vulnerable groups in society.
"The LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender) group is also a delicate matter in our country, but they, too, are entitled to equality, representation, and equal protection of laws," she said.
Henry added: "The bottom line is I won't be partial, and if I encounter someone from that group whose rights have been breached, I will be defending them just the same, and every sector in society will be represented." Read More
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China: Alibaba’s Latest Marketing Campaign Supports Same-Sex Marriage
Alibaba marketplace Taobao will celebrate Valentine’s Day by sending gay couples to the U.S. and other countries where same-sex marriage is legal.
Taobao, China’s largest online marketplace by far, will team up with Danlan, a gay-focused website, as well as advocacy groups including Beijing LGBT Center and PFLAG China, for We Do. Public votes will narrow down the 20 couples listed on We Do’s site to ten, who will receive a free trip to California, one of the states in the U.S. where same-sex marriage is legal. Read More
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Chinese short film appealing to parents to accept their gay children goes viral
Ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays next week, PFLAG China has launched a short film to promote family reunions between parents and their gay children. The touching short film, which tells the story of a young gay man who became estranged from his parents after coming out, and eventually being accepted by them years later, has gone viral with over 100 million views. Read More
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Israel: Hebro Presents First-Ever Gay Jewish Auschwitz Tour
Jayson Littman, founder of Hebro Travel, a new tour company serving “gay Jews and those who love us,” is serving up trips that blend historical exploration, cultural discovery — and some serious partying.
An Israel trip timed for Tel Aviv Pride in June will take travelers to a famously gay-friendly environment. But it’s Littman’s latest tour offering that’s generating attention — and raising eyebrows. The history-making Poland & Prague Pride Trip includes a Jewish heritage tour of the Kazimierz District and Schindler’s List route; visits to historic synagogues; and stops at Auschwitz and Theresienstadt and ends with Prague’s Gay Pride festivities. Read More
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India: Pride Parade Amid Fears Created by Return of Law That Bans Gay Sex
Hundreds of people turned out for Mumbai's annual Pride Parade on Saturday, demanding equality and rights for the LGBT community in India.
Wearing an array of outfits, participants danced under huge rainbow flags and carried multi-colored balloons through neighborhoods of India's financial capital chanting "Homophobia Bharat chorro," a slogan that translates in English to "Homophobia get lost from India." Read More
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India's Justice Shah: Sec 377 damaging psychological well-being of homosexuals
Law Commission Chairman Justice Ajit Prakash Shah has said that the Supreme Court's December 2013 decision to uphold Section 377 of the IPC and re-criminalise gay sex was constitutionally wrong as it deprives homosexuals of basic rights and also affects them psychologically.
"Section 377 is discriminatory in its application, unreasonable in its intent, deprives a group of its personal autonomy and violates individual privacy and human dignity. Consequences of the laws in our country on gay sex include damage to the psychological well being of homosexuals, encouragement of violence and facilitation of police harassment and discrimination against the LGBT community," Justice Shah said. Read More
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US: Survivors of 1980s AIDS crisis reveal what happened to them
From the role of lesbians to the vanishing of whole neighborhoods, real LGBTI people share their experiences. Survivors of the 1980s AIDS crisis have shared accounts of their experiences.
As the UK celebrates LGBT History Month, users of Reddit revealed what it was like to be living in what felt like a constant state of tragedy. Read More
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Cameroon: Portrait of the activist as a young man, and now
the story of the first 32 years of his life, including his coming out, his decision to establish CAMFAIDS, the murder of fellow activist Eric Ohena Lembembe in 2013, and his decision to move to France, where he has been granted asylum.
“I knew that I wasn’t insane or possessed, but my family didn’t understand,” says Dominique Menoga, describing the awkward day when he came out to his family.
Menoga, the former president of the LGBTI rights and anti-AIDS activist group CAMFAIDS (the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS), recalls that the revelation made his family tense and upset, and that his father started planning to send him to a traditional healer. Read More
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Sam Smith vetoes Russia gigs in protest over country's stance on gay rights
Superstar Sam Smith is set to add Sunday night’s Grammys to his global conquests – but there is one place the singer will never venture and that’s Russia. Despite a huge fan base in the country, the singer has said he detests president Vladimir Putin’s stance on homosexuality.
"I don't hate Russia, but I just will never go to Russia," he said. "What they do to gay people there is just disgusting and it makes me very angry." Read More
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Russia: Gay American Actor Makes Waves in Russia
American actor Odin Lund Biron, who plays a starring role in one of Russia's most popular sitcoms, has come out of the closet. Biron stars alongside Ivan Okhlobystin, arguably one of Russia's most outspoken entertainment personalities, who is well-known for his homophobic diatribes.
"There are some things that are not worth knowing," Okhlobystin Tweeted in reference to Biron's sexual orientation Wednesday morning, pleading: "God protect us from this wickedness!"
The show's fan base flooded Russian social media with the news of Biron's coming out. Though social networks were replete with messages of disbelief and disgust, some fans of "Interny" expressed support for Biron, congratulating him on the bold move. Coming out of the closet is a high-risk endeavor in the world of Russian show business. Television host Anton Krasovsky was promptly fired from his job at Kontr TV in 2013 after announcing he was gay on air. Read More
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The New Documentary That Shows How Our Obsession With Masculinity Is Destroying Young Men
“We’ve put young boys and men in a straightjacket, forcing them to conform to a construct and disconnect from who they really are,” says The Mask You Live In writer-director Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Read More
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Gay wrestler Darren Young slams WWE tour of United Arab Emirates Read More
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'McTucky Fried High,' LGBT Web Series, Explores Queer Teen Issues Read More
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New Zealand Bank Unveils 'GAYTMs' Benefiting The LGBT Community In Honor Of Pride Events Read More
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The Importance of Having Gay Video Game Characters: Video Read More
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Cartoon Aims To Show Dangers Of Syphilis Watch here
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Openly gay figure skater and his pairs partner win Canadian championship Read More
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