Europe
Europe’s smallest country San Marino bans anti-gay discrimination
San Marino has voted to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. The microstate, which is the smallest country in Europe by population with just 33,400 citizens, held a public vote on Sunday (June 2) on whether to update its discrimination protections. The country’s constitution already made clear: “All are equal before the law, without distinction… Read more »
Estonian council broke the law when it cut LGBTI festival funding
A victory against discrimination Organizers of an Estonian LGBTI film festival are ‘delighted’ a court ruled in their favor after they sued their local council. In February, SevenBow, the organizers of Festheart LGBTI film festival sued Rakvere City Council in northern Estonia for cutting its funding by 80%. The city’s laws dictate that its cultural… Read more »
Thousands rally in Northern Ireland in support of gay marriage
The Belfast rally was led by the same-sex partner of slain journalist and LGBTQ advocate Lyra McKee. Thousands of people marched through Belfast on Saturday to demand the recognition of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, the only region of the United Kingdom where it does not have legal status. Attempts to legislate for same-sex marriage… Read more »
Russian embassy wrapped in Pride flag to protest Chechnya’s anti-gay purge
They unfurled the flag alongside handing in a petition calling for the Russian government to intervene ‘We’re here to hand in some post,’ Eleanor Kennedy said into the intercom outside the Russian Embassy, London. Kennedy, alongside dozens of placard-holding supporters, were handing a petition calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to respond to the second… Read more »
Horrific evidence emerges of more torture in Chechnya’s gay purge
Men were suspended upside down while given electric shocks Graphic new evidence has emerged of the torture of gay men at the hands of authorities in Chechnya. The new evidence comes from the most recent crackdown of the LGBTI community. Earlier this year new reports revealed Chechnya had conducted another round up of LGBTI people… Read more »
The Men of Lesbos
…The events culminate in the appearance of a group of men, most of them shepherds, each wearing dozens of bells in copper and iron of every size—the sort you’d normally find around the necks of sheep and goats. Altogether, the bells on any one man can weigh as much as twenty kilograms or more. Anonymous… Read more »
London’s first trans pride is coming
Mark your calendars for 14 September London’s first trans pride will launch on 14 September. London Trans Pride ‘centers and celebrates trans people, trans narratives, trans experience’ according to a Facebook event posted on Tuesday (23 April). The all-day festival will include music, performances, stalls, talks, and artwork at a yet to be confirmed location.… Read more »
Turkish court lifts ban on Pride events in Ankara
The ban which had been in effect since November 2017 A court has lifted a ban on LGBTI Pride events being held in Turkey’s capital city, Ankara. Kaos GL, a Turkish LGBTI rights group, successfully appealed the ban at the 12th administrative court on Friday (20 April). LGBTI rights supporters had attempted to appeal the… Read more »
Russian LGBT Activists Detained At St. Petersburg Protest
Russian police detained 11 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists taking part in an annual Day of Silence protest in St. Petersburg on April 17. Around 50 protesters sealed their mouths with red tape and marched through the city’s streets. Russia passed a law in 2013 banning the spread of gay “propaganda.” By… Read more »
Slovakia elects its first-ever female, LGBTI-friendly president
Zuzana Caputova might change the game for LGBTI people by legally recognizing same-sex unions Liberal lawyer and LGBTI ally Zuzana Caputova has become the first-ever female president of Slovakia. Caputova’s election breaks the trend that has seen populist, anti-EU politicians make gains across the continent. She is a founding member of Progressive Slovakia, a non-parliamentary… Read more »
Turin mayor in Italy unveils banner to counter World Congress of Families
The banner was hung from the City Hall and carries a message of inclusivity for all kinds of families As the anti-gay, pro-life World Congress of Families takes over the city of Verona, Italy, many public figures are showing their support the the LGBTI community. Turin mayor Chiara Appendino unveiled a banner on 29 March,… Read more »
Survivors of Chechnya’s homophobic purge reveal what happened to them
These are the real stories of gay men who have been tortured, humiliated, beaten and electrocuted Survivors of Chechnya’s homophobic purge are, with very few exceptions, always anonymous. Many people have fled for their lives. Officers could catch them and send them back to a concentration camp. People are tortured, humiliated, beaten and electrocuted and… Read more »
LGBTI ‘lifeline’ for people in rural Ireland under threat of closure
Teach Solais is the only LGBTI center in western Ireland. And without it, people fighting rural isolation would be without their vital support A lifeline for LGBTI people living in rural western Ireland is in danger of closing. Teach Solais, an Irish word meaning ‘lighthouse’, is providing much-needed services. It is the only LGBTI center… Read more »
Turkey: Being gay could cost you your job
A Turkish police officer who identifies as homosexual has been suspended from duty in the city of Van. He was in the force for over 10 years. DW details his ordeal. Metin*, a 34-year-old Turkish police officer in eastern Anatolia, has been suspended from duty because he is gay. He can’t believe what’s happened. “When… Read more »
All the top 10 happiest countries in the world have the best LGBTI rights
They’re gay in both senses of the word The World Happiness Report 2019 has been released and all of the top ten countries have an exemplary record on LGBTI rights. The report, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in partnership with the Ernesto Illy Foundation, has ranked 156 countries on how happy their citizens… Read more »
Romanian senators just slammed down two civil partnership bills
It’s the latest defeat in the 11 year-long battle to legalize civil partnerships The Romanian Senate rejected by majority two civil partnership bills yesterday (18 March). Both bills proposed by pro-LGBTI parties were defeated in the Senate, Romania Insider reported. This is the latest defeat in an 11 year battle to legalize civil partnerships in… Read more »
A trans social worker from Mumbai just became a state ambassador
While the trans community has far to go, this is a huge step in representation In a groundbreaking first for the country, the Election Commission of India appointed their first trans ambassador today (19 March). The EIC elected Gauri Sawant, a Mumbai-based trans activist, as one of the 12 election ambassadors from the state. Speaking… Read more »
Russia cancels youth festival for promoting LGBTI agenda
Festival organizers also received death threats Police hauled the organizer of a youth festival in Russia in for questioning as she received online death threats. Yulia Tsvetkova put together the Colour of Saffron festival in the far eastern town of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Due to run this weekend, local authorities cancelled the event over concerns one of… Read more »
Homophobic arsonists torch HIV testing center in Athens
HIV testing is continuing in a mobile unit parked outside the torched building The Greek government has condemned an arson attack on a LGBTI sexual health organization in Athens. Unknown assailants set fire to the Athens headquarters of Checkpoint during the early hours of Monday morning. Located in the central and tourist area, Monastiraki, fire… Read more »
Royal Ascot relaxes dress code to make the races more LGBTI-inclusive
Elegant racegoers of the Royal Ascot will now be able to dress for the gender they ‘feel most comfortable with,’ it was announced today (5 March). The policy is part of a diversity drive to be more LGBTI-inclusive, according to The Telegraph. Visitors can dress according to their true selves, but must nevertheless not break… Read more »
This is what it’s like to be tortured in a Chechnya gay concentration camp
LGBTI activists on the ground are willing to try and evacuate as many as gay men as they can You hear a rapid knock on the door. Your eyes dart to the window, your heart beats faster. ‘It’s the police – open the door,’ a man says loudly from outside. You do – there are… Read more »
LGBTI crisis in Chechnya: People tortured in ‘gay purge’ need to flee the country
‘LGBTI people in Chechnya urgently need our help to save them from imprisonment, torture and murder’ LGBTI people are being rounded up, detained, tortured and executed in Chechnya. The ‘gay purge’ has been happening periodically since the end of 2016. What we know is that Chechen authorities have targeted human rights defenders, their critics and… Read more »
Partner of Serbia’s lesbian PM Ana Brnabic gives birth to a baby boy
Brnabic is the first openly gay politician and the first woman to serve as Prime Minister in Serbia The partner of Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has given birth to a baby boy. Her office has announced the same-sex couple has welcomed a boy named Igor on 20 February. ‘Ana Brnabic is one of the… Read more »
French Writer Alleges Vatican Is One Of The World’s Largest Gay Communities
Author Frederic Martel is claiming Catholic priests publicly denounce homosexuality while privately leading double lives. Vatican City (AP) — A gay French writer has lifted the lid on what he calls one of the world’s largest gay communities, the Vatican, estimating that most of its prelates are homosexually inclined and attributing much of the current… Read more »
Memories of Britain’s First LGBT+ Pride in 1972
Way back in the early 1970s, I was a member of the newly-formed Gay Liberation Front. It was Britain’s first direct action human rights movement of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. To combat the invisibility and denigration of the queer community, we decided to organise a ‘Gay Pride’ march, with the theme of… Read more »
Turkey: End Ankara Ban on LGBTI Events
Governor Extends Restrictions Beyond State of Emergency (Berlin) – The ban in Turkey’s capital Ankara on public events focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) issues discriminates against LGBTI people and violates their fundamental rights, and should therefore be immediately lifted, Human Rights Watch said today. The ban was originally imposed in November… Read more »
Gay computer hero Alan Turing named greatest person of 20th Century
The father of computer science beat Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela to be named BBC Two’s Icon Alan Turing, the father of computer science who was also gay, was named the most ‘iconic’ figure of the 20th Century on Tuesday (5 February). Public voting during a live broadcast of BBC Two’s Icons: The… Read more »
Number of people identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual hits record high, figures show
Young people most likely to identify as LGB, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) The number of people identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) has hit a record high in the UK, new figures show. Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the figure increased by 50,000 in 2017, with… Read more »
Activists: Chechen Authorities Order Families to Kill LGBT Family Members, Also Pay Ransoms
According to campaigners, families in Chechnya are being ordered to kill their LGBT relatives, with authorities also demanding money for the release of detained LGBT relatives. Russian campaigners have told The Daily Beast that Chechen authorities have ordered people to kill LGBT members of their own families, and have demanded ransoms for the release of… Read more »
‘It is possible to be Muslim and a lesbian’
Miriam hid her sexuality from her strict Muslim parents for years. When she eventually did come out to them, she found it impossible to translate “lesbian” into Punjabi or Urdu. She explains how the conversation put an end to her double life “playing the straight woman” but caused a rift so deep that her father… Read more »
Lithuania’s top court grants residence permits for same-sex foreign spouses
The landmark ruling comes despite the fact that same-sex unions are still not legally recognized in Lithuania Lithuania’s top court has ruled that foreign spouses of gay citizens must be granted residence permits. The Constitutional Court ruled that denying residency permits to the spouses of gay Lithuanian citizens who had married abroad was discriminatory and… Read more »
Activists warn of a new wave of anti-gay attacks in Chechnya
Exclusive: Activists say authorities ‘have increased their activity’ Activists are warning of a new wave of anti-gay attacks in the Russian republic of Chechnya. According to a social media post last night (10 January), activists are urging LGBTI Chechens to flee immediately, amid a new crackdown against LGBTI people. It is understood authorities received new… Read more »
Christian leaders and MP in the Netherlands sign anti-LGBTI manifesto
The manifesto says homosexuality is ‘unclean’ Hundreds of Christian leaders and one member of parliament have signed a manifesto expressing their opposition to LGBTI people. Some of the points on the manifesto included expressing their belief that marriage is between and a man and a woman. The manifesto also expressed a disapproval of transgender identities… Read more »
Marriage equality campaigners urge UK govt. to extend rights to Northern Ireland
Activists want to see marriage equality reach in Northern Ireland in 2019 Marriage equality activists have urged the UK government to extend same-sex marriage laws to Northern Ireland. Campaigners said they will increase the pressure on Westminster to spread marriage equality to all parts of the UK. Stephen Donnan, a campaigner with LGBTI rights group… Read more »
Iceland has made it illegal to pay women less than men
A new law in Iceland making it illegal to pay women less than men came into effect on January 1, 2018. Companies will now have to obtain certification for demonstrating equal pay. Iceland has been ranked the best in the world for gender pay equality for 9 years in a row.Iceland has made it illegal… Read more »
LGBTI group lodges criminal complaint against newspaper for inciting hate
The newspaper printed comments such as ‘homosexual perverts who define themselves as LGBTI’ Turkey’s leading LGBTI group, Kaos GL, has filed a criminal complaint against a major newspaper in the country. Kaos GL filed the petition with the Prosecutor’s office claiming the newspaper, Yeni Akit. It claimed the newspaper had incited hate against the LGBTI… Read more »
Abortion is now legal in Ireland as president signs bill
Abortion is an issue that affects many LGBTI people he Republic of Ireland’s president has signed a bill which legalizes abortion on the Emerald Isle. President Michael D Higgins signed the Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill into law today (21 December). The Irish people voted to legalize abortion in a referendum earlier this year.… Read more »
EuroPride 2019 is the perfect time to discover Vienna’s coolest LGBTI bars
Vienna’s gay and lesbian bars are some of the suavest in Europe Vienna’s reputation as an LGBTI hot spot just keeps growing and growing. From the Austrian capital hosting EuroPride 2019 to the passing of equal marriage, 2019 is shaping up to be its gayest yet. Which also makes it the perfect time to explore… Read more »
No Support
Russia’s “Gay Propaganda” Law Imperils LGBT Youth Summary Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in Russia face formidable barriers to enjoying their fundamental rights to dignity, health, education, information, and association. In Russia, antipathy towards homosexuality and gender variance is not new—LGBT people there have long faced threats, bullying, abuse inside their families, and… Read more »
Love letter between nuns shows the true story of queerness in the Middle Ages
Exclusive: GSN speaks to Professor Erik Wade about historical queerness A professor at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany recently posted a love letter between two medieval nuns on Twitter. GSN covered the letter and how pure it was. In looking to learn more about the two women, and their possible love story, GSN… Read more »
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