A Russian man has come out as one of the gay and bi men being detained, abused, and in some cases murdered in Chechnya. A number of men have shared their stories about being taken to secret prison sites, where they were beaten and forced to reveal the identity of other gay and bi men.(…)
The United Nations human rights office on Friday expressed deep concern about a wave of arrests in Azerbaijan, Egypt and Indonesia of more than 180 people perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), many of whom have reportedly been mistreated by law enforcement officials. “Arresting or detaining people based on their actual or(…)
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein Thursday launched an unprecedented set of global standards to support the business community in tackling discrimination against lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex people. Addressing an audience of business leaders, activists and journalists at Microsoft’s New York City headquarters, Zeid called on the private(…)
ILGA-Europe have launched an urgent appeal to help organizations on the ground support victims of the crisis in Azerbaijan, where members of the LGBTI community are being targeted by police raids. Members of the LGBTI community in Baku are being actively targeted by police raids, with those detained being assaulted, forcibly medically examined, fined or(…)
An LGBT and intersex rights advocate in El Salvador on Monday again criticized President Trump over his administration’s immigration policy.Andrea Ayala, executive director of Espacio de Mujeres Lesbianas por la Diversidad, a Salvadoran advocacy group known by the acronym ESMULES, noted to the Washington Blade during an interview at a coffee shop in the upscale(…)
Six men arrested in Egypt for “promoting sexual deviancy” on social media will be subjected to “anal examinations” before their October 1 trial, reports Reuters on Saturday. According to Amnesty International, the men’s arrest was triggered by a crackdown against homosexuality that started after music fans waved a rainbow flag at a Mashrou’ Leila concert(…)
“Horrific laws” condemning people to death because of whom they love are the focus of a new international proposal. “The question of the death penalty” resolution to denounce the most severe punishment for consensual same-sex relations was passed on Friday by the 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Twenty-seven nations voted in favor(…)
Jowelle de Souza is Trinidad and Tobago’s most high-profile transgender person. The political and animal rights campaigner lives in San Fernando, the country’s second city, where she owns a beauty salon and is well-known as a civil society activist. But her public life illustrates the contradictions over LGTBI rights in Trinidad and Tobago, one of(…)
The Philippines Congress voted unanimously to pass a bill that protects LGBTI people from discrimination. Impressively, the Congress voted 197-0 to pass the SOGIE Equality Act on its third and final reading on Wednesday. SOGIE stands for sexual orientation and gender identity. The Bill was introduced a little over a year ago by the Philippines(…)
A judge in Brazil – supposedly one of South America’s most gay-friendly countries – has approved gay conversion therapy. The move, by Waldemar de Carvalho in Brasilia, overrules a 1999 ban on such therapies. The judge ruled in favor of an action brought by Rosangela Justino. The evangelical Christian psychologist’s licence was revoked last year(…)