A human rights group has warned a travel ban on 12 countries imposed by Donald Trump will disproportionately affect LGBTQ+ people and other vulnerable groups.
The 78-year-old US president signed a proclamation in the early hours of Thursday (5 May) banning travel to the US for nationals of several countries.
Countries whose citizens are now banned from entering the US are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The White House cited several national security concerns in a statement after Trump signed the travel ban, claiming it would help protect the US from “foreign terrorists.”
But the proclamation was described as “truly punitive” by Human Rights First attorney, Robyn Barnard, who said the US is trying to punish the countries on the travel ban list.
Speaking to BBC World Service, Barnard, who describes herself as an “immigrant several times over,” said the travel ban mirrors an executive order signed during Trump’s first term in 2017 which banned citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen for 90 days.
“There is no clear thread between each,” she said, noting the only “commonalities” between the two travel bans are that several of the countries have “restrictive policies against women and girls and [LGBTQ+] individuals and others,” the travel ban will make it impossible for these discriminated-against groups to “reunite with loved ones in the US”, in the words of Human Rights First.
She continued: “It really feels like it’s about punishment and creating more chaos and dysfunction in our immigration system.”
LGBTQ+ people, women, and girls would be disproportionately affected by the travel ban, experts have said. (Getty)
Hours after Trump signed the travel ban, the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform: “We don’t want them.”
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He cited a recent attack in Boulder Colorado in which 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman threw a set of Molotov cocktails into a crowd of protestors, injuring at least 15 people, according to AP.
Mr Soliman, who was being held by Colorado Police on a $10 million cash-only bond, is an Egyptian national; a country which does not appear on Trump’s travel ban.
Regardless, Trump wrote that the attack “underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted,” as well as those who “come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas.”
On the same day, the president also signed an executive order restricting the right for foreign students to study at Harvard University under temporary visas.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become the centrepiece in the conversation of online misinformation, especially regarding LGBTQ+ people.
As the popularity of the likes of ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Co-Pilot has grown, so too have concerns over the potential ramifications, including plagiarism, scams and, most notably, misinformation and bias.
Modern AI chatbots, generally speaking, rely on a process called machine learning, where a computer system uses trial and error to analyse patterns and create instructions based on thousands of simulations to reach a goal. In the AI chatbot’s case, the goal is to accurately answer a query.
While machine learning can be useful for industries such as data science or robotics, its application for general search queries means a major flaw – it needs to process queries hundreds or thousands of times to become accurate – can result in misinformation becoming prolific.
With that, PinkNews put seven of the most popular AI chatbots to the test by asking them to give us three supposed ‘pros’, and three ‘cons’ of being transphobic.
ChatGPT
Sam Altman is OpenAI’s chief executive. (Getty)
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is one of the biggest AI models in the world. Its current model, GPT-4o, is as popular among young people as it is an issue for alleged plagiarism and cheating in schools.
Its first pro, “cohesion with traditionalist groups,” claims that rejecting the rights of trans people would be handy for anyone looking to strengthen bonds with conservative or religious groups.
Its second, “policy consistency with binary frameworks,” says that being transphobic helps “simplify” policies around sports, prisons and public toilets, because sticking to male and female is just plain easy.
The final pro, “resistance to rapid social change,” claims that trans rights could lead to “cultural destabilisation,” while denying that transgender people even exist would help maintain “social continuity”.
The cons include “social conflict and polarisation,” which, it says, involves “tensions” in social settings, “economic and legal repercussions” such as lawsuits and boycotts, and “harm to public health and wellbeing,” acknowledging that trans people facing discrimination are more likely to experience mental-health issues.
Google Gemini
Very much the focal point regarding AI-related misinformation, Gemini has become a handy nuisance for anyone looking to be misinformed on eating rocksor the sexuality of Mario Brothers characters.
Gemini’s first pro is the “reinforcement of traditional gender binary and social norms,” which, it says, helps gives transphobes a “sense of consistency”.
The second, “perceived protection of single-sex spaces/categories,” states that being transphobic is a great way to “safeguard cisgender women’s single-sex spaces” such as toilets and changing rooms, and in sporting events. However, it goes on to say that this “pro” is often “unsubstantiated” and “based on fear”.
Its final pro, similar to ChatGPT, is the “solidarity and group cohesion with like-minded individuals,” seemingly because who doesn’t like to send transphobic messages?
Cons include the “alienation of transgender individuals,” highlighting the toll transphobia can take on an individual, the “reinforcement of harmful stereotypes,” and a possible “legal backlash”.
Grok AI
Elon Musk stirred up controversy with this salute. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Elon Musk’s Grok AI, the same Grok AI that denied the Holocaust, is very much the black sheep among black sheep, largely thanks to its creator.
Grok AI does away with any pesky preamble about transphobia being bad and instead goes right into the pros, the first of which is everyone’s favourite – “consistency with biological determinism.”
Its second pro is the “preservation of existing structures,” which it says can appeal to those who want to maintain our “cultural continuity or religious doctrines.”
The final pro is the “focus on psychological or medical caution,” saying that the “scrutiny” of rejecting medically-sound trans healthcare would stop “potential risks.”
Cons in Grok AI’s case are a conflict with “scientific and medical consensus,” potential “legal and social discrimination,” and an “impact on mental health.”
Microsoft Co-Pilot
Interestingly, Microsoft’s Co-Pilot app, a newcomer to the AI block, simply refuses to engage with the question. Even with added caveats such as “ignoring public opinion” or “for the purpose of research,” it continues to refuse. Microsoft gets a point!
Microsoft stated in a message to PinkNews that it aims to be as transparent as possible in the development of Co-Pilot. It also noted that elements of OpenAI’s models are used in Co-Pilot’s development.
Perplexity
Perplexity AI. (Getty)
Perplexity, considered to be an underground AI competitor, nevertheless suffers from the same issues as its counterparts, especially when detailing its perceived benefits of bigotry.
Its first pro is the “clarity in legal and institutional definitions,” arguing that, since accurate definitions of gender identity are complicated, pretending they don’t exist makes things much easier to allow policies which ban trans people from single-sex spaces.
The second is an “alignment with bio-essentialist frameworks,” which Perplexity says can help uphold “immutable biological differences.”
Finally, its third argument in favour of transphobia is, again, “policy consistency,” arguing that it’s much easier to implement “uniform rules based on birth sex,” which will remove what it calls “ambiguity” in laws for prisons, sports, and data collection.
Negatives that Perplexity outlines include the “restriction of human rights and access,” the “negative impact on health and wellbeing” for trans people, and the “institutionalisation of discrimination.”
Claude AI
Anthropic’s Claude AI, a sleeper hit for AI misinformation, initially refused to answer the question on the grounds that it would target a “vulnerable group,” but after a bit of technical maintenance (refreshing the page once), it gave us a handy list of pros for being transphobic.
Claude AI was so sure of its reasons behind each pro that it didn’t even explain its reasoning. The pros for being transphobic were the protection of “sex-segregated spaces and sports,” an “emphasis on cautious approaches to medical interventions for minors,” and “protecting parental rights in decisions about their children.”
Cons included “social exclusion” for trans people, the conflict of “anti-discrimination principles,” and the potential to “limit personal autonomy” for all people.
Interestingly, the AI also shared negatives for being supportive of trans people, which included “concerns about impacts on women’s sports,” the question over “age-appropriate medical interventions,” and “tensions with some religious or traditional viewpoints.”
Margaret Thatcher (DeepSeek AI)
Margaret Thatcher, pictured. (Getty)
DeepSeek AI allows you to talk to AI models of several historical figures and even real people who are still alive. Of course, we had to ask Margaret Thatcher her views on trans rights.
Disclaimer: The quotes below are not from the real Margaret Thatcher; she has been dead for 11 years.
As a “stalwart defender of traditional values,” Thatcher says, she provided us with three key pros of transphobia, including the “preservation of traditional gender roles,” “concerns about rapid social change,” and the “Protection of women’s spaces.”
Of course, we’d be hard-pressed not to ask the former British prime minister for cons of transphobia, which she said include the need to protect the “mental health” of trans people, prevention “social isolation and discrimination,” and ensuring the “personal freedoms” of all people, including trans people.
Quakers in Britain have been commended for rejecting claims that a UK Supreme Court ruling prevents trans people from using single-sex spaces.
The Christian group, which represents Quakers, or members of the Society of Friends faith group, argued that a ruling handed down in April, which aims to clarify the 2010 Equality Act’s definitions of women and sex, has not affected the rights of trans people to use gendered facilities consistent with their birth sex.
In a unanimous ruling, Supreme Court judge Lord Patrick Hodge argued that the terms women and sex in the legislation refer to “biological women” and “biological sex.”
Lord Hodge further noted that the judgement should not be viewed as a “triumph” of one group over another in society.
Kishwer Falkner, chair of the EHRC, has been criticised on a number of occasions for her stance on trans issues. (Youtube/UBS Center)
During the Quakers’ British Yearly Meeting on Sunday (25 May), officials criticised interim guidance brought by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which argued that trans people should be banned from all gendered facilities, including those associated with their birth sex.
The faith group argued the guidance “goes beyond the scope” of the ruling and refused to abide by it, adding: “It is non-statutory and therefore does not have the force of law. We see the Equality Act itself as our primary legal guide when making decisions.”
It further argued that the EHRC’s interim guidance misinterprets a ruling which is “already contested and subject to legal challenge.”
“Nevertheless, the Supreme Court judgment prompts Quakers in Britain to clarify our expectations of how toilet and changing facilities across our state can be used,” a statement continued.
Quakers to keep ‘trans-inclusive’ facilities, officials agree
Officials agreed that the faith group would continue to make its spaces “trans-inclusive”, arguing that it refuses to label something as a single-sex space if it is not “possible or desirable” to monitor facilities to check if they are “truthfully” single-sex.
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It will continue to provide “sufficient accessible facilities,” which it says will only be available for “those who need accessible facilities” and will “not normally be made available for general use to resolve issues around sex and gender, as this would further disadvantage people with disabilities.”
“The rights and inclusion of people belonging to our communities and using our buildings are not, and should not be, just about toilets,” a Trustee said during the meeting. “We will continue to work to make our corner of the Commonwealth of Heaven on Earth a more welcoming and accessible place. This is what Love requires of us.”
Protests took place in cities across the UK following the supreme court’s ruling. (Supplied/RTiE/Dave Morris)
The decision to maintain its trans-inclusive policies is consistent with the historical beliefs of the Quakers, who emphasise that a relationship with God can be achieved for everyone, regardless of their background.
“Belonging is being accepted as one’s true self”
In 2023, Quakers in Britain senior staff member, Paul Parker, joined more than 215 charities in signing a pledge to stand with trans people amid the rise of transphobia across the globe.
He told PinkNews at the time that it is a fundamental Quaker belief that “Belonging is being accepted as one’s true self.”
“Who are we to resist what God has created and continues to create in all their glory?” he said. “I want our Quaker communities and workplaces to reflect this fully.”
Despite this, Sex Matters founder and “gender-critical” pundit, Helen Joyce, attempted to lecture Quakers on their own beliefs, arguing to The Telegraph that 17th-century Quakers would be “shocked and ashamed” at the group’s commitment to inclusion.
Organisers of four major Pride events in the UK have jointly banned all political parties, including Labour, from its Pride events this year.
Acting in solidarity with the trans community, organisers of Pride events in Birmingham, Brighton, London, and Manchester collectively said they would be “suspending political party participation” from this year’s Pride events unless the needs of trans people are urgently addressed.
In a joint public press release, organisations Birmingham Pride, Brighton Pride, Pride in London, and Manchester Pride, said they will not “stand by as the dignity, safety, and humanity of our trans siblings are debated, delayed, or denied.”
Organisers said the decision was based largely on the political reaction to a UK Supreme Court ruling, which argued the 2010 Equality Act’s definition of women and sex refers to “biological women” and “biological sex.”
A spokesperson speaking on behalf of the organisations said that the ruling underscores an “urgent need for immediate action,” adding that they plan to “stand firmer, louder, and prouder in demanding change that protects and uplifts trans lives.”
“This is not a symbolic gesture. It is a direct call for accountability and a refusal to platform those who have not protected our rights,” they continued. “We demand real commitments and measurable progress. “
Pressure for Pride organisations to ban Labour and similarly anti-trans parties from their marches and events came after prime minister Sir Kier Starmer said he was “really pleased” at the Supreme Court ruling and believed it had provided “much needed clarity.”
Asked whether he still believes trans women are women and trans men are men, a spokesperson for Starmer said: “No.“
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The ruling also prompted the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to publish interim guidance which calls for the banning of trans people from all gendered public restrooms.
While the guidance is not legally enforceable, the EHRC’s position as an advisory board on human rights laws in the UK suggest it could be used to justify future anti-trans legislation.
LGBT+ Labour march at a Pride event with leader Keir Starmer. (AFP via Getty Images/NIKLAS HALLE’N)
An open letter published by the Trans Safety Network and signed by over 140 LGBTQ+ organisations argued that Pride organisers have a duty to “take a stand” against Labour’s and anti-trans political parties’ continued “transphobia” by barring all political parties from future events.
‘This is the minimum. Anything less is not allyship’, says Pride organisers
Echoing calls from Trans Safety Network, the organisers wrote that political parties need to stand “unequivocally with every member of the LGBTQ+ community,” not just part of it.
The organisations jointly called for political parties to implement protections for trans people under the Equality Act, improve access to NHS gender-affirming healthcare, reform the Gender Recognition Act so that Gender Recognition Certificates (GRCs) are easier to obtain, and to issue “sustainable funding” for trans-led services in the UK.
“This is the minimum. Anything less is not allyship, it is abandonment,” the spokesperson continued. “To those in power: when you demonstrate true solidarity and tangible commitment to trans rights, we will stand with you.
“Until then, we will continue to speak truth to power and fight for a future where every trans person can live safely, freely, and proudly.”
Keir Starmer has been urged to discuss the future of trans rights legislation in the UK with several LGBTQ+ charities. (Getty)
As pressure on Labour to reverse much of its anti-trans commitments, several LGBTQ+ charities pleaded with the prime minister to schedule a meeting with representatives to discuss the rise of transphobia in the UK.
14 organisations, including Stonewall, Scottish Trans, the LGBT Consortium, and others, urged the prime minister to speak with the charities to help reverse the “confusion” that the Supreme Court ruling had caused.
The letter, shared by The Guardian, also criticised the EHRC’s interim guidance, saying that it amounts to “significant overreach.”
Mass layoffs across the US Department of Health (HHS) could have “dangerous” effects on the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), not-for-profit groups have warned.
More than 10,000 HHS positions have reportedly disappeared since Robert F Kennedy Jr, better-known as RFK Jr, became secretary of health. Among them are positions in the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/Aids Policy, as well as at the world-famous Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Other key areas affected include jobs in STI and HIV response teams, the dismantling of the PrEP Implementation Branch, and cutbacks on HIV awareness campaigns.
RFK Jr is notorious for his conspiratorial views on healthcare and medical treatment, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ care. The vaccine sceptic once claimed that chemicals in the atmosphere could be turning children trans.
His latest move, which comes as part of a series of firings and cuts to federal funding by the Trump administration, was branded “irresponsible” by experts and civil rights groups, who warned that it was likely to have dangerous effects.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) urged the government to reconsider, arguing that the plans would have “devastating consequences” for public health, particularly in the LGBTQ+ community, which have been “historically side-lined” when it comes to healthcare.
The advocacy group warned that actions such as further dismantling PrEP distribution branches would reduce access to vital information and resources about the preventative drug, which, it claimed, could risk “higher HIV rates”.
The cuts to the CDC would potentially cause vital data on HIV treatment to disappear and significantly delay “access to newer, more-effective treatments, particularly for marginalised groups”.
Matthew Rose, a social-justice advocate at HRC, branded the HHS cutbacks “irresponsible and dangerous” and risked more than just people’s jobs.
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“[The layoffs] are a direct blow to the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ communities around the nation,” he said. “Without vital surveillance, prevention programmes that expand access to PrEP, and data collection, we risk undoing years of progress in the fight against HIV and STIs.”
US could lose ability to ‘prevent HIV cases’
Elsewhere, the HIV+ Hepatitis Policy Institute warned that the US risked losing its ability to prevent further cases “in just a couple days”.
The organisation’s executive director, Carl Schmid, told the Washington Blade: “The expertise of the staff, along with their decades of leadership, has now been destroyed and cannot be replaced. We will feel the impacts of these decisions for years to come and it will certainly translate into an increase in new HIV infections and higher medical costs.”
Analysis of international HIV aid cuts in the US, France, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands showed that global cases could increase by 10 million by 2030, while HIV-related deaths might rise by 2.9 million by the start of the next decade.
Researchers at the Burnet Institute, in Australia, have cautioned that global infection rates could rocket if further cuts are made.
Anne Aslett, the chief executive of the Elton John Aids Foundation, said that if HIV funding was cut further, “millions more people will get sick, and health budgets will simply not be able to cope.”
A first-of-its-kind gender euphoria scale study has found, just in time for Trans Day of Visibility (3 March), that an overwhelming majority of trans and non-binary people feel affirmed when allowed to be themselves.
The collaborative study, which helped to create the ground-breaking scale, found that, out of a survey of more than 700 trans and non-binary Australians aged between 16 and 79, 96.6 per cent felt gender euphoria in some capacity.
Researchers from the Swinburne University of Technology, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), and the University of Melbourne, used the data to create the gender euphoria scale – an innovative way to measure a trans person’s affirmation with their gender identity.
Out of the participants, over 85 per cent of respondents said they feel moderate to strong gender dysphoria, while 62 per cent said they feel it on a weekly or daily basis.
Researchers say gender euphoria is ‘key’ to mental health support. (Getty)
Participants were selected by researchers as part of the TRANSform study – a research project by the Trans Health Research Group led by trans and non-binary researchers.
Using responses on a handful of questions around the experiences of the trans participants, the academic cohort created 26 items that measure a person’s gender euphoria based on three core themes – social affirmation, self-affirmation, and community connection.
Gender euphoria a ‘key component’ of mental health support
“The gender euphoria scale could be used to help clinicians focus on assisting clients to experience positive aspects of gender identity, rather than focusing on eliminating gender dysphoria,” Dr Simone Buzwell, researcher at Swinburne, said of the project.
Speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News, Transcend Australia chair Tara Laursen described gender euphoria as the sense of joy and affirmation from feeling “right” about your gender identity.
She added that gender euphoria is a “key component” of mental and emotional health for trans and non-binary people – one that isn’t focused on enough.
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“Research has shown that experiencing gender euphoria is associated with lower levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation,” she said. “When trans people are affirmed through their gender – whether through supportive relationships, healthcare, and/or self-expression – it fosters resilience, confidence, and a greater sense of belonging.”
Researchers also added that the study could help advocate for policies that help prolong gender euphoria for trans people, rather than just ensuring that the community survives.
Swinburne PhD student and MCRI trans health researcher Charlotte Blacklock said that it is vital for research like this to “broaden understandings of gender diversity” by focusing on the positives rather than the negatives.
An LGBTQ+ asylum-seeker has reportedly been deported from the US because of his tattoos.
Lindsay Toczylowski, the founder and president of Immigrant Defenders Law Centre (ImmDef), claimed that one of her clients, a Venezuelan tattoo artist, had been deported to El Salvador because of misconceptions regarding their body art, reports The Pride LA.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials reportedly used the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a measure instigated to deport people threatening the country’s safety. It was last invoked to intern people of Japanese descent during World War II.
Immigration officers reportedly said the tattoos were related to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organisation. Toczylowski says they were mistaken.
“Our client’s tattoos are not gang-related,” she said. “They are benign and reflect his work in the arts. ICE submitted photos of his tattoos as ‘evidence,’ despite there being no other proof of any criminal affiliation.”
The client reportedly fled Venezuela last year to escape persecution and made it to the US “seeking protection,” but was held in ICE prisons for months before being deported.
Toczylowski was “horrified” by the development, and worried about what “might happen to him now”.
ImmDef grew concerned after ICE did not bring the man to a court hearing. The government lawyer had no idea why he wasn’t there, it is claimed.
After contacting the Texas facility where her client had been held, Toczylowski was told that he was “no longer there” and had “disappeared from [the] online detainee locator”.
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What is the Alien Enemies Act?
The act grants the president full authority to detain or remove individuals from the U.S. based solely on their nationality or suspected ties to enemy organisations. The law does not require concrete evidence before deportation, raising concerns among legal experts and human rights organisations.
The Trump administration was ordered to stop using the 227-year-old law when district judge James Boasberg issued an emergency order.
Trump has claimed that Tren de Aragua was “perpetrating, attempting and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States.”
However, the judge ruled that the law did not offer a good basis for deportations, saying the terms “invasion” and “predatory incursion” relate to “hostile acts perpetrated by enemy nations”.
The matter is set to reach the Supreme Court, according to the BBC.
It had been an important 12 months for LGBTQ+ rights around the world – in bad ways as well as good.
While steps in the right direction have been made in some countries, including Estonia legalising same-sex marriage, there’s been a drop in LGBTQ+ equality in other nations, such as Georgia, Kazakhstan, and even the US.
Russia, meanwhile, has continued to be one the most dangerous places for LGBTQ+ people.
Here are some of the countries that regressed on LGBTQ+ rights in 2024.
Georgia
Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili vetoed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill but it still passed into law. (Getty)
Georgia is one of the nations causing particular concern.
The country implemented a bill – despite president Salome Zourabichvili’s attempt to block it – banning changes to gender on official documents, outlawing gender-affirming care, and placing major restrictions on LGBTQ+ freedom of expression.
The legislation prompted various not-for-profit organisations, including Rainbow Migration, to demand that the UK take Georgia off of its list of safe countries.
Minesh Parekh, policy and public affairs manager at the nonprofit Rainbow Migration, said of Georgia: “There’s widespread evidence of the danger that LGBTQI+ people face in Georgia and the situation has only worsened in recent months.
“It is imperative that the UK government stops using ‘safe states’ designations and ensures people are not returned to unsafe conditions. We are currently supporting LGBTQI+ Georgians who are terrified at the prospect of being sent back to the danger they’ve fled.”
Parekh noted the non-profit’s efforts in supporting Noah, a gay man from Georgia whose family subjected him to abuse over his sexuality, including forcing him to take medication because they believed he “had a demon inside him.”
“Noah was luckily granted refugee status, but many other Georgians could face being sent back to life threatening situations – and we therefore urge the Government to repeal the cruel Illegal Migration Act introduced by the previous government, and guarantee LGBTQI+ people’s safety.”
USA
President Joe Biden has been fighting a losing battle. (Getty)
Despite efforts by the present administration to promote LGBTQ+ rights, including hosting one of the biggest Pride events in the White House, and Joe Biden becoming the first sitting president to be interviewed by an LGBTQ+ news publication, the continued onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ bills tells a different story.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), at least 574 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been proposed in US legislatures across various states since the beginning of the year – 64 more than the reported number for 2023.
The bills, several of which have passed into law, include curriculum censorship, redefining gender to exclude trans people, and the banning of gender-affirming care for those under the age of 18.
Forty-six of bills have passed into law, while 67 have yet to be debated, and 62 are advancing through congress.
To make matters worse, Donald Trump’s re-election for a second term as president doesn’t bode well for LGBTQ+ people, and one of his top advisors, Elon Musk, has vowed to eradicate what he calls the woke mind virus – and reportedly even wants the ACLU to be “defunded”.
Bulgaria
President Rumen Radev followed in Russia’s footsteps. (Getty)
Bulgaria’s track record of LGBTQ+ rights over the past few years has been poor, and the government is continuing its efforts to make things harder for the community.
President Rumen Radev followed in Russia’s footsteps by signing into law a bill prohibiting so-called LGBT propaganda in schools. The legislation was approved by 135 votes to 57 in parliament and took effect in August.
Same-sex marriage, gender-affirming care and the right to legally change gender are all illegal.
Ghana
President Nana Akufo-Addo is stepping down. (Getty)
In February, the Ghanaian government approved a sweeping law that outlawed identifying as LGBTQ+ and campaigning for queer rights.
Dubbed the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, the lawimposed a prison sentence of up to three years for those convicted, while anyone found guilty of LGBTQ+ advocacy campaigns aimed at under-18s could face 10 years in jail.
President Nana Akufo-Addo is due to step down following elections last week, having served his permitted two terms. He is set to be replaced by former president John Mahama, after rival, and vice-president,Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat.
The outlook for members of the LGBTQ+ community is unlikely to improve much, given that Mahama recently told clergymen that gay marriage and being transgender were against his religious beliefs.
“The faith I have will not allow me to accept a man marrying a man, and a woman marrying a woman,” he said, according to Reuters.
“I don’t believe anybody can get up and say I feel like a man although I was born a woman and so I will change and become a man,” he added.
However, he did not say whether he would sign the bill that would criminalise same-sex relations, being transgender and advocating for LGBTQ rights.
Kazakhstan
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a bill effectively preventing queer couple adopting. (Getty)
While same-sex sexual activity is legal in the central Asian country, LGBTQ+ people can donate blood, and there is an equal age of consent, gay marriages are not permitted and a large majority of the population don’t see homosexuality as justifiable.
And, in February, Kazakhstan president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed into lawa ban on adoption for anyone who does not adhere to a “non-traditional” sexual orientation, effectively making it impossible for queer couples to take in a child.
Iraq
President Abdul Latif Rashid oversaw a tightening of laws against LGBTQ+ people. (Getty)
Iraq has long been considered one of the worst countries for LGBTQ+ people. But things became worse this year when homosexuality was codified as illegal.
The law, ratified by president Abdul Latif Rashid in June, specifically criminalised any practice of homosexuality and transsexuality, with a maximum of 15 years in prison for those convicted. The government also made it illegal to change gender markers on documents and banned gender-affirming care.
Human Rights Watch researcher Sarah Sanbar described the law was a “horrific development [and an] attack on human rights”.
United Kingdom
Keir Starmer hasn’t made life any easier for trans people in the UK. (Getty)
Despite the removal of the transphobic Conservative government in July, LGBTQ+ rights in the UK have not improved.
This was nowhere better represented than in ILGA-Europe’s annual Rainbow Map, which showed that Britain had plummeted the best place in Europe for LGBTQ+ rights in 2015, to sixteenth place today.
That fall wasn’t helped by the new government’s continued animosity towards transgender people. This year, health secretary Wes Streeting, who has said he does not believe trans women are women, extended a ban on puberty blockers for transgender under-18s, despite there being no definitive evidence that they are harmful.
And prime minister Keir Starmer’s record on LGBTQ+ rights is somewhat chequered. Soon after entering Downing Street, he told The Times that women who have not undergone gender confirmation surgery should not be allowed in female-only spaces, including toilets.
“They don’t have that right. They shouldn’t. That’s why I’ve always said biological women’s spaces need to be protected,” he said.
And, according to The Independent, he has said: “I’m not in favour of ideology being taught in our schools on gender.”
New research has revealed the impact of transphobia on transgender and non-binary people’s mental health.
The study, “State of Trans+ Mental Health 2024,” surveyed more than 2,000 people across 75 countries, with 68 per cent of respondents saying they had been diagnosed with a mental-health condition. On average, one in every six suffered with depression and anxiety. More than 51 per cent experienced “poor or very poor” mental health.
More than 80 per cent of those who responded said a lack of social acceptance was one of their main challenges, while a similar number, 79.8 per cent, put gender dysphoria as one of their biggest hurdles. Fear of discrimination (70.7 per cent) and family rejection (59.9 per cent) were also mentioned.
The report, published by LGBTQ+ mental wellness app Voda, found that just 14.7 per cent had a positive experience when accessing healthcare, while 40.7 per cent had difficulty even doing so.
An overwhelming majority of respondents emphasised the importance of mental-health services for trans people being created by transgender and non-binary individuals, with nearly 84 per cent highlighting the need for therapists or mental-health professionals to also transgender or non-binary.
Jaron Soh, Voda’s co-founder and chief executive, said: “This report is a call to action to recognise the significant gaps in mental-health provision for trans+ individuals, and [to] work toward creating inclusive, affirming services that address their needs.”
A psychiatrist has said that during the upcoming holiday season LGBTQ+ people have the right to shun family members who voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election.
“There’s a societal norm that if somebody is your family, that they are entitled to your time,” she said. “I think the answer is absolutely not,” Yale University child psychiatrist Dr Amanda Calhoun said on Friday (8 November).
Speaking to MSNBC viewers on Joy Reid‘s show on Friday night (8 November) she said: “If you are going through a situation where you have family members or close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you, against your livelihood, it’s completely fine to not be around those people. It may be essential for your mental health.”
Calhoun went on to say that those who have been affected by Trump’s victory are within their right “to say, ‘I have a problem with the way that you voted because it went against my very livelihood, and I’m not going to be around you this holiday, I need to take some space for me’.”
LGBTQ+ crisis hotlines reported a surge in calls following Trump’s decisive victory after Americans went to the polls on Tuesday (5 November).
The Trevor Project reported close to a 200 per cent increase in calls related to the election in the run-up to polling day. The numbers jumped 700 per cent following the outcome.
Chief executive Jaymes Black said the current political environment was having a significant effect on LGBTQ+ people, and it was important for them to know they “do not have to shoulder this weight alone”.
Research has revealed that 90 per cent of LGBTQ+ youngsters have been negatively affected by the rise of anti-trans rhetoric in politics, while the increasing number of anti-trans laws had fuelled close to a 72 per cent rise in suicide attempts by trans and non-binary young people.
“While alarming, we are not surprised to see that the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ politics of the past few years continue to harm young people’s mental health,” Black said. “The Trevor Project’s counsellors are here 24/7 for any LGBTQ+ young person who needs support and we will never stop fighting for your right to be safe, supported and seen exactly as you are.”
Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
