Europe
EU LGBT survey: Poll on homophobia sparks concern
A quarter of gay people surveyed in a major EU poll say they have been subjected to attacks or violent threats in the past five years. Poorer and younger respondents were more likely to face discrimination due to their sexuality, the survey found. Some 93,000 people in the EU and Croatia were polled in the… Read more »
Ukraine: new report reveals pervasive homophobia
A new report by Amnesty International reveals homophobia reached endemic levels in Ukraine A report launched in Kiev a day before the International Day Against Homophobia, shows that homophobia and anti LGBT discrimination is spiraling out of control in the Ukraine. The 17 page report launched today (16 May), entitled ‘Nothing to be proud of:… Read more »
Gearing up for Belgian Gay Pride
GSN checks in on preparations for the 2013 LGBT pride celebrations in Brussels The politics of Belgium are fascinating and ever-changing, but one constant appears to be a commitment to supporting the country’s LGBT community. On Saturday (18 May), Brussels will be taken over by its annual LGBT Pride celebrations. I was in Brussels on… Read more »
Italy grants gay partners rights but only for politicians
Deputies in the lower house of parliament given health benefits for gay partners. But other Italians are angry they are getting rights normal same-sex couples don’t yet enjoy The Italian Camera dei Deputati (the lower chamber of the Parliament) has approved a new rule which extends its politician’s health benefits to their gay partners. Now… Read more »
Love stories and “forbidden” objects at the National Museum of Albania
They had never thought that there would be so many participants. They did not know whether to blush, feel embarrassed or not, but they felt this way only for a few moments, because it did not take long for them to realize that none of the participants judged them… “Art 1” the exhibition organized by… Read more »
Albania celebrates gay life with festival for IDAHO
Albania organizes IDAHO week to give the LGBT community sexual liberation from verbal and physical homophonic abuse Pink Embassy and LGBT Pro Albania have organised a weeklong celebration which includes the countries second Festival of Diversity, LGBT exhibitions and lectures. It is all part of making a stand as Albania celebrates International Day Against Homophobia… Read more »
I came out because gay people in Russia are suffering – it’s time for courage
A young man has been brutally murdered in a homophobic attack. We must challenge the prejudice gripping this country Vlad Tornovy was murdered in Volgograd, the town where the course of the second world war was reversed 70 years ago. The suspects lived in the same block of flats as the 22-year-old. When questioned, one… Read more »
History made in Italy as Milan recognizes UK civil partnership
Cristian and Federico signed their civil union in London in 2010. Now they can apply for local benefits and local welfare A local court in Milan has recognized a British civil partnership – the first time Italy has legally recognized a gay union from abroad. Now the civil union between Cristian, a biologist, and Federico,… Read more »
Cyprus: Gay couple dragged from car and beaten by gang of eight
A gay couple have been brutally attacked by a group of eight people while driving in the Cypriot village of Arakapas, near the city of Limassol. According to the Cypriot newspaper Simerini, the couple, consisting of an English man and a German man, were travelling in a car when it was forcibly stopped by the… Read more »
Russia’s gays fear more violence after brutal murder
Moscow (Reuters) – They beat him. They shoved beer bottles in his anus. They tried to set him on fire. Then they crushed his head with a heavy stone. A 23-year-old man in Russia’s southern city of Volgograd was tortured and killed after revealing he was gay during a drinking session last Thursday night, investigators… Read more »
Amsterdam and Lisbon film festivals join The Iris Prize
The world’s largest LGBT short film festival approves two new partners and seeks one more LGBT film festivals in Amsterdam and Lisbon have joined The Iris Film Prize, the world’s biggest gay short film festival, and will each nominate a short film to compete. They join the expanding international network of LGBT film festivals including… Read more »
Fire at Yumbo: Suspected arson attack on Gran Canaria gay pride
Police arrest suspected arsonist after four gay businesses at Yumbo Center go up in smoke during Maspalomas Gay Pride Unconfirmed reports suggest a suspected arsonist has been detained by Spanish police for setting on fire four gay establishments at the Yumbo Center during Maspalomas Gay Pride. At the time of writing, at least four terraces… Read more »
Albania passes landmark gay hate crime laws
Two laws just approved by Albania’s parliament make it one of the countries with the most advanced legislation in the region for protection of LGBT people Albania amended its criminal code and put hate crimes against sexual orientation and gender identity on par with an offense against gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, disability and so… Read more »
Gay Pride in Ukraine’s struggling democracy
“President Viktor Yanukovych’s regime, widely criticized for harassing reporters, nurturing a culture of corruption, and using the justice system to persecute political opponents like Yulia Tymoshenko, has a chance to show the European Union he can do something right. He needs to support the event and protect demonstrators in favor of and opposed to civil… Read more »
How Spain is designing a sporting future free of gay hate
LGBT sports organizations around the world continue to play a key role in eliminating homophobia from sport Continuing our mission to profile the LGBT sports organizations of the world, we meet graphic designer Ricardo Mendi Serrano, communications officer for Elaios LGBT sports club which is based in Spain’s fifth largest city – Zaragoza. When was… Read more »
Russia: Parades to demonstrate for gay rights in Moscow and St Petersburg, despite anti-gay law
Parades of gay rights demonstrators will take to the streets of Moscow and St Petersburg today, despite a law in the latter, which prohibits the “promotion” of homosexuality. Described on Facebook as a “Rainbow Mayday”, and a “rainbow column”, advice on the page suggests that, in St Petersburg, demonstrators should join with a sanctioned “democratic… Read more »
World’s first openly gay government leader retires from politics
Reykjavik, Iceland — The world’s first elected openly gay head of government has retired. Johanna Sigurdardottir, 70, ended her political career on Saturday, capping 35 years of public service in Iceland, where she served as Prime Minister since 2009. A social democrat and Iceland’s longest-serving member of Parliament, Forbes listed Sigurdardottir among the 100 Most… Read more »
Malta: Gay and trans council appointed to advise on introduction of same-sex civil partnerships
A consultative council has been appointed by the ruling Labour government to give recommendations and prepare upcoming legislation relating to LGBT people. The council was formed by Social Dialogue Minister Helena Dalli after the first reading of a bill that will allow trans people who undergo gender reassignment to marry a person with the same… Read more »
French Police Arrest More Than 100 As Gay Marriage Protests Continue
French police have arrested more than 100 activists as protests against a bill legalizing marriage and adoption for gay couples enters its final phase. The measure has already been approved in the French parliament’s upper and lower houses. A final vote in the National Assembly is planned for Tuesday and is considered a formality. Opponents,… Read more »
Why gay marriage polarised France
Paris — Gay marriage may have passed with barely hitch in many countries, but it has kicked up a huge storm in France, a country often seen as the champion of secularism and notoriously relaxed on issues pertaining to private life. Smelling blood after a bruising first year for President Francois Hollande, right-wing leaders have… Read more »
Violence grows as gay marriage bill divides France
Rise in homophobia worries Paris’s gay community as protesters against Hollande’s proposed reform take to streets on Saturday A large American wartime poster proclaiming “We can do it” hangs behind the bar at Les Souffleurs, a fashionable bar in the Marais, the traditionally Jewish, but now gay, quarter of Paris. The barman admits business is… Read more »
Anti-Homophobia Meeting to Talk About “Peace”
Kaos GL will focus on the issue of “peace” during this year’s International Anti-Homophobia Meeting. Held in the week of May 17th every year, the 8th meeting will celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Forums and Conferences Will be on May 17th and 18th Kaos GL, a strong proponent of peace all the… Read more »
Sweden Adopts a Gender-Neutral Pronoun
Swedes are shaking up their language with a new gender-neutral pronoun. The pronoun, “hen,” allows speakers and writers to refer to a person without including reference to a person’s gender. This month, the pronoun made a big leap toward mainstream usage when it was added to the country’s National Encyclopedia. The majority of world languages… Read more »
Ukraine: Reject Discriminatory LGBT Laws
European Parliament Should Hold Kiev to its Rights Obligations (Moscow) – The Ukrainian parliament should reject two draft laws that would discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and infringe on their free expression rights. On April 3, 2013, one of the bills passed a parliamentary committee vote, sending it to the full… Read more »
Turkish LGBT activist Yasemin Oz wins human rights award
Lawyer Oz, who has been active in LGBT rights for 18 years, wins the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s Felipa de Souza Award Yasemin Oz, who has campaigned for LGBT-rights in Turkey since the mid-1990s, is being honored with a human rights award. The Felipa de Souza Award, given by the International Gay… Read more »
Northern Cyprus to legalize gay sex
The government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is set to decrliminalize gay sex Homosexuality is to be legalized in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), if the measures drawn by government are approved. The new amendment, drawn up by the Prime Ministry’s European Union (EU) Coordination Centre, would repeal Articles 171, 172… Read more »
“Reeducation for Halimi!” (Minister of Justice), protest of LGBT in response of the street language used by minister
The LGBT movement protested today in front of the Ministry of Justice in response to the scandalous street vocabulary of the Minister of Justice Eduard Halimi. Yesterday, the media published a video and several photos of Halimi and member of parliament Fatos Hoxha chatting with each other using very banal vocabulary. The minister stated in… Read more »
Iceland PM asked to meet with gay rights activists in Chinese visit
Iceland’s prime minister has been asked to meet with the parents of gay children during her visit to China. Johanna Sigurdardottir, the world’s first openly gay prime minister, is due in the country next week. The Xinhua news agency reports Sigurdardottir and her wife Jonina Leosdottir have been asked to meet with members of PFLAG… Read more »
Slovenia’s judges demand new laws for gay couples
Constitutional Court in Ljubjana rules that the old Family Code discriminates same-sex couples and asks the parliament to intervene Slovenia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the country’s law on inheritance and succession discriminates same-sex couples. Speaking this morning (10 April) in the eastern European country’s capital, the court’s spokesman said ‘the Ljubljana’s parliament should fix… Read more »
Turkish Republic Of Northern Cyprus To Legalise Homosexuality
Homosexuality is to be legalised in the TRNC, if the measures drawn by government are approved. The new amendment, drawn up by the Prime Ministry’s EU Coordination Centre, would repeal Articles 171, 172 and 173 of Chapter 154 of the TRNC Penal Code that prohibit male homosexual conduct. Currently there are two legal challenges to… Read more »
Switzerland: Swiss Federal Supreme Court rules that criminal HIV exposure or transmission is no longer necessarily a serious assault
The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has ruled that HIV infection may no longer be automatically considered a serious assault, due to improved outcomes in life-expectancy on antiretroviral therapy. A news article on the ruling, featuring Groupe sida Genève‘s spokesperson, Deborah Glejser, appeared (in French) in yesterday’s Le Temps. Case 6B_337/2012 was heard on 19th March… Read more »
Malta: Transgender woman wins legal right to marry after government drops case
Campaigners have welcomed a decision to allow a transgender woman in Malta the right to marry. Joanne Cassar, a 31-year-old hairdresser, began legal proceedings in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2011 after she was prevented from marrying on the island. Although the case is still pending in Strasbourg, on Wednesday, the Maltese… Read more »
Gay activist badly beaten as Russian city bans pride
Syktyvkar’s authorities, capital of Russia’s republic of Komi, have banned a gay pride march as it ‘promoted homosexuality’, while its organizer was badly beaten The Syktyvkar city administration, capital of the Russian republic of Komi announced that its banning a planned gay-pride parade. In a statement released yesterday (25 March) the authorities explained that the… Read more »
Russia’s New Normal
Moscow — It’s the sort of thing one hates hearing from one’s child. “You know, mom,” my 11-year-old daughter said, “It makes me particularly nervous when people make fun of gays.” In Russia, everyone is talking about homosexuality these days. I knew exactly what she meant, and I said so: I’d felt the same way… Read more »
New pope ‘is a bad sign’ for equality, says Argentine LGBT rights group
Argentina’s leading LGBT rights organization ‘expresses its deep regret’ at the appointment of a new pope, a former archbishop of the City of Buenos Aires, with an anti-gay record Newly-elected Pope Francis has received a frigid welcome from Argentina’s leading LGBT rights group. In a statement released yesterday by the Argentine LGBT Federation (FALGBT), the… Read more »
Iran, Russia and Egypt threaten to scupper UN women’s declaration due to gay rights opposition
An alliance made up of Iran, Russia and Egypt has threatened to derail a UN declaration urging an end to violence against women and girls by objecting to language concerning LGBT rights and reproduction. Reuters reports delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are racing to reach a deal on a… Read more »
Pope Francis Against Gay Marriage, Gay Adoption
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a 76-year-old Argentinean, was chosen as the first Latin American pope on Wednesday. He will lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics as Pope Francis. While his selection may be historic, it may also mean more of the same when it comes to gay rights in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis is… Read more »
Vast majority of Russians oppose gay marriage and gay pride events – poll
As the Russian parliament prepares for its second reading of a nationwide ban on ‘gay propaganda’ to minors, polls show that an overwhelming majority of Russians oppose both same-sex marriage and gay pride events. Around 85 percent of adult Russians said they were strongly against a law that would allow same-sex marriage, the Levada Public… Read more »
Anti-gay attitudes on the rise in Russia
85% of Russians oppose same-sex marriage and gay prides in Russia, as only 4% said they supported gay rights While it feels like the majority of the world has gradually more accepting of homosexuality, in Russia it is the opposite story. Over the past eight years, the number of Russians who believe gays and lesbians… Read more »
Queen Elizabeth ‘Stands Up’ for Gay Rights Without Mentioning Them
While Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is being hailed as a progressive leader for signing a new Commonwealth charter that opposes discrimination based on gender, LGBT activists note that the monarch has never actually uttered the words ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian.’ Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday backed a new commonwealth charter for the United Kingdom, which some… Read more »
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