Oceania
Polish city of Lublin hosts first Pride march amid violent counter-protests
Counter protestors clash with police after ban on Equality March is lifted The city of Lublin in Poland hosted its first ever Pride event this weekend. However, the parade was marred by violent clashes between police and groups attempting to disrupt the Pride event. Around 1,500 people took part in the Equality March on Saturday… Read more »
Lesbian couple in Poland can finally get a birth certificate for their child
The court decision is a rare win for conservative and religious Poland, one of the worst places to be LGBTI in Europe Lesbian parents in Poland can register their child, the country’s highest court ruled on Thursday (11 October). Importantly, the ruling was celebrated as the first of its kind in conservative and deeply religious… Read more »
Gay mayor gets Poland’s left dreaming of change
Robert Biedron is a politician for openness and a hero to Poland’s left. The challenge the current mayor of Slupsk poses to the country’s establishment has drawn comparisons to French President Emmanuel Macron. When meeting with supporters, Robert Biedron appears beaming, vibrant and confident. For months, Poland’s first openly gay mayor has been beating the… Read more »
First legal center for transgender Australians opens its doors
In the first week of the pilot scheme, Transgender Australians sought advice on applications to change names and accessing bathrooms Transgender Australians visited the not for profit Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) in Sydney last week for specialized legal help. Advice ranged from applications to change names, advice about accessing bathrooms, and an Apprehended Violence… Read more »
Australia celebrates trans women with this beautiful mural ahead of Darwin Pride
Sistergirls united Darwin, Australia, is celebrating the trans women in the community with an amazing mural ahead of this year’s Pride. Now in its 33rd year, Darwin Pride honors the LGBTI community in Australia’s Northern Territory. A few days away from the annual march, a big mural painting of iconic sistergirl Shaniquá TiwiSista has appeared… Read more »
Openly gay Robert Biedron starts social movement against Polish conservatives
The 42-year-old politician could become Poland’s first gay president in 2020 Robert Biedron, the openly gay mayor of the Polish city of Slupsk, has founded a social movement to counter the conservative parties, his opponents in the run for presidency. Biedron has been for many years the only openly gay politician in Poland. Risen to… Read more »
Mr Gay Europe 2018 crowned in Poland amidst fierce protest
Poznan, Poland: The final of this year’s edition of Mr Gay Europe took place on Saturday in the western city of Poznan in Poland, a conservative and devout Catholic country where many do not accept homosexuality. “I hope this will help us in our fight for the same rights as those enjoyed in the rest… Read more »
Meet the man behind some of the most stunning male art in the world
Exclusive: Ross Watson talks about his art, inspirations and why he and his partner won’t be taking advantage of Australia’s new same-sex marriage law Australian artist Ross Watson has become one of the world’s foremost painters of the male figure. Although many might recognize his art, they might not know much about the man behind… Read more »
Reduction in HIV diagnoses in New Zealand
There has been a significant reduction in the number of people diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand over the past year. In 2017, 197 people were diagnosed – a decrease from the 243 reported in 2016, figures released today by the AIDS Epidemiology Group, University of Otago, show. It is the first time there has… Read more »
Thousands march in Warsaw gay pride parade
Thousands marched in the Polish capital on Saturday in an Equality Parade which aimed to raise awareness about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. The parade’s organisers said some 45,000 people took part in the event. But police said that figure was exaggerated. The annual parade, held for the 18th time, also aimed to… Read more »
Antarctica To Celebrate First Pride
The residents at the United States Antarctic research centre McMurdo Station will be celebrating Antarctica’s first ever official pride month. The research centre can hold over 1,000 people, however in the off season 133 people live at the research centre as part maintenance team, 15 in that team identify as LGBT. Imagine trying to be… Read more »
At the 11th hour, Papua New Guinea’s HIV drug crisis has been averted
The international pressure has forced the government to commit more funding to HIV treatment Stocks of anti-retroviral drugs to treat HIV have been replenished in Papua New Guinea as the country faced a critical shortage. Last month, medical experts and HIV advocates warned people ‘may die’ due to the low number of HIV drugs in… Read more »
Australian Government gives $180 million for more people to get PrEP
Australia must address the rate of new HIV cases amongst Aboriginal populations The Australian Government last night handed down its Federal Budget which included AU$180 million (US$134 million) PrEP funding. The Budget announcement comes weeks after the government added the HIV preventative medication to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). PrEP’s (pre-exposure prophylaxis) addition to the… Read more »
Papua New Guinea is running out of vital HIV drugs and people could die
HIV-positive Papua New Guineans could die if the country’s dwindling antiretroviral drugs supply is not replenished soon, advocacy groups have warned. The Oceanic nation is eating into its ‘buffer’ supply of the HIV medicine after the government slashed the budget for the treatment, reported ABC News. ? “We’re talking about quite a serious situation …… Read more »
Poland could vote in its first openly gay president during next election
Poland‘s existence under an anti-LGBT+ administration could be drawing to a close as an openly gay presidential candidate offers up a fervent fight for leadership. Current polls indicate that one in four Poles intend to vote for the left-wing candidate Robert Biedron, who entered his political career as an LGBT+ activist. ? Biedron, who is… Read more »
New Zealand passes law to clear historical gay sex convictions
The New Zealand parliament on Tuesday night unanimously passed a bill that is expected to allow about 1,000 men to apply to have past convictions for homosexual activity removed from their criminal records. Homosexuality was decriminalized in New Zealand in 1986, but men who were convicted before that date still have the convictions on their… Read more »
Australian government to subsidise HIV-preventing PrEP drugs
The Australian government will be offering subsidised HIV-preventing drugs, it has announced. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) drug Truvada, which can drastically reduce people’s chances of being infected with HIV, has seen a massive uptake by the gay community globally over the past few years. ? The drug is recommended for groups considered to be at high… Read more »
Same-sex adoption is now legal everywhere in Australia
Same-sex couples can now adopt children anywhere in Australia. The Northern Territory was the last region of the country holding out against the tide of progress – until this week. ? In a historic move, lawmakers added amendments to the NT Adoption of Children Act which mean that same-sex couples – as well as de… Read more »
Sydney’s Mardi Gras: 40 years of pride and protest – in pictures
Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives curator and archivist Nick Henderson opens the vault to take us through four decades of Sydney’s great festival Sydney’s first Mardi Gras was the last in a series of events produced as part of the Day of International Gay Solidarity, on 24 June 1978, by the Gay Solidarity Group, following… Read more »
Cyclone destroys LGBTQ youth centre in Tonga
An LGBTQ+ youth centre in Tonga has been destroyed by a cyclone that is thought to be one of the most powerful to hit the island nation. The Category Five Cyclone Gita caused thousands of dollars worth of damage across the island, including wiping out the national parliament. ? LGBTQ activists were devastated to learn… Read more »
Lesbian couple become first to get married in Pride Parade in New Zealand
A lesbian couple in New Zealand has become the first same-sex couple known to tie the knot during a Pride parade in the country. Victoria Envy, 28, and Sinead O’Connell, 25, married each other on a float that was part of the parade on Saturday evening. ? The couple first met at the same Pride… Read more »
Jacinda Ardern becomes first New Zealand PM to march in gay pride parade
Prime minister joined a crowd of 25,000 in Auckland and called for more support for LGBTI people with mental health problems Jacinda Ardern has become the first New Zealand prime minister to walk in the country’s gay pride parade. More than 25,000 people watched the parade in Auckland on Saturday night, cheering as the prime… Read more »
New Zealand to introduce PrEP for less than two dollars a month
New Zealand has announced that it will publicly fund PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) for just $1.20 a month for a prescription. The country is one of a few that have made the decision to make the HIV prevention medication available at a reduced price. ? From March 1st, the treatment will be rolled out to those… Read more »
Gay imam announces plans to open LGBTQ-friendly mosque
A gay imam has revealed plans to open an LGBTQ-friendly mosque. Nur Warsame came out in 2010 and has now revealed plans to open the welcoming mosque in Melbourne. ? Speaking to ABC, the Somalian explained that he decided to open a mosque that would be welcoming of the LGBTQ people after he faced an… Read more »
How Queer Poles Find Any Degree of Self-Embrace They Can
‘OUT: LGBTQ Poland’ features portraits and stories from queer Polish people that are as uplifting as they are chilling. To be out and LGBTQ in a staunchly Catholic, politically conservative country like Poland is to summon an unlikely well of resilience while waiting for social tides to change. As journalist Robert Rient writes in the… Read more »
The rainbow in Asia and the turbulent fight for gay rights
Michael Kirby, Visiting Professorial Fellow at University of New South Wales, looks at the challenges facing LGBT people in Asia. On November 15, 2017, I received the welcome wake-up call at my hotel in Bangkok. It was my partner of 48 years, Johan, phoning to tell me of the outcome of the “postal survey”, just… Read more »
Maori man proposes to Aboriginal Australian partner live on TV
A Maori man has proposed to his Aboriginal Australia boyfriend during a live TV interview. Just days after the Australian Parliament moved to legalise same-sex marriage, the couple appeared on Kawekorero Reporters on Maori TV. ? Richard Haeata of Te Whanau-a-Apanui and his boyfriend Robert Stewart (Iora Nation) appeared on the show, but nobody guessed… Read more »
Australia Makes Same-Sex Marriage Legal
Syndey, Australia — Australia’s Parliament voted overwhelmingly to legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday, overcoming years of conservative resistance to enact change that the public had made clear that it wanted. The final approval in the House of Representatives, with just four votes against the bill, came three weeks after a national referendum showed strong public… Read more »
Jewish And Muslim Leaders Unite To Demand Protection Under Gay Marriage Law
Jewish and Islamic leaders have demanded protections for religious officials who refuse to perform gay marriages under Australia’s new same-sex marriage law. Imams and rabbis from the the city of Perth said that any new law legalizing gay marriage should include express provisions for religious leaders who cannot perform gay marriages due to the tenets… Read more »
Australians Say ‘Yes’ to Gay Marriage, Paving Way for Law Change
Australia is set to legalize same-sex marriage before the end of the year after voters emphatically backed the move in a nationwide survey. “We must respect the voice of the people,” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in Canberra on Wednesday after the country’s statistics office revealed 61.6 percent of respondents support marriage equality, with 38.4… Read more »
Anti-Gay Posters Surface in Australia Ahead of Same-Sex Marriage Vote
Sydney, Australia — In the lead-up to a vote on legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia, vitriolic campaign materials, including fliers calling homosexuality “a tragedy of a family,” circulated this week in Melbourne and Sydney. The fliers, the latest salvo in a heated national debate that has involved politicians and religious leaders, were denounced by Prime… Read more »
Olympic legend Ian Thorpe condemns Australian government over same-sex marriage
Olympic legend Ian Thorpe has criticised the Australian government for its stance over same-sex marriage. The multi-gold medal winning swimmer, who came out as gay in 2014, says it’s time the measure was introduced. He has called on Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to hurry up and approve the measure. Appearing on the Morning Show… Read more »
New Zealand’s Parliament unanimously passes apology for anti-LGBT laws
New Zealand MPs unanimously passed a motion of apology for the country’s historical anti-LGBT laws. The country’s Justice Minister Amy Adams had moved a motion to apologise to those convicted under anti-gay laws, that were scrapped in 1986. The motion was passed this morning unanimously, with all of the MPs present voting in favour. Ms Adams said:… Read more »
Amir, A Gay Man Detained On Manus Island, Faces An Impossible Choice
Amir can return to Iran, where homosexuality is punishable by execution, or stay in Papua New Guinea, where it carries a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. As Australia and Papua New Guinea prepare to close the offshore detention camp on Manus Island in October, many gay asylum seekers and refugees face an… Read more »
Report delves into men and fa’afafine sex antics
Close to 30,000 fa’afafine and men have sex with other men in Samoa. So says the Pacific Multi-country Mapping and Behavioural Study 2016, as part of the Ministry of Health’s sixth annual report to UNAIDS. Obtained by the Samoa Observer this report is evidence of Samoa’s commitment to the global response to HIV, AIDS, and… Read more »
Fijian couple attacked scared to come forward in case it happens again
A couple from Fiji are afraid to come forward after a homophobic attack over fears they will be subjected to reprisals. The men said they had not gone to police because they feared for their lives, according to a local newspaper. The attack occurred on Sunday morning when the two men were returning home. “While… Read more »
New Zealand to quash historical gay sex convictions
New Zealand has said it will move to quash historical convictions for consensual sex between men. Justice Minister Amy Adams said an application process will be introduced and cases will be judged individually. In 1986 when the Homosexual Law Reform Act was passed, sex between men above 16 years old was decriminalised. But convictions for… Read more »
Haters helped this gay Polish couple gain permission to marry in Portugal
A Polish couple who received death threats on their coming out video are getting a sweet taste of revenge, as their haters have made their dreams of marriage a reality. Polish TV presenter and journalist Jakub Kwiecinski and his partner David have been granted special permission to get married in Madeira, Portugal. The couple had… Read more »
Gym hunks go weak at the knees as they get engaged at the gym
An adorable video of two hunks getting engaged at their gym has gone viral. The video shows Nico Martina (white tank top) proposing to his other half, Michael Sinclair at their local gym in Kings Cross, Sydney. The two guys say they met at the gym, and so it seemed the perfect place to tie… Read more »
Australian poll finds record unhappiness after party politics derails equal marriage
Polling in Australia has shown record levels of dissatisfaction with the political system, after the major political parties failed to agree a path to equal marriage becoming law. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who heads a right-wing coalition, had tried to avoid a split within his own government on the issue of same-sex marriage by… Read more »
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