Calum Stuart

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Over 1,000 Take to the Streets of Warsaw in Support of LGBTI Rights

Over 1,000 people took to the streets in the Polish capital of Warsaw in a show of support for LGBTI rights on Saturday (27 July). The march comes a week after a Pride event in the north-eastern city of Białystok was marred by violence. The first Pride event to take place in Białystok was met with counter-protests by Christian and far-right groups on 20 July. Videos showed counter-protestors attacking and throwing rocks and bottles at the Pride march participants. LGBTI rights are a deeply polarising issue in the majority Catholic country. Divisions over LGBTI issues have been exacerbated in the lead […]

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Polish Pride Parade Met with Right-wing Counter Protests

A Pride parade in the Polish city of Bialystok was met with counter protests by far-right groups. This was the first ever Pride event to take place in the north-eastern city on Saturday (20 July). About 800 people marched through the streets in support of LGBTI rights in Poland. However, Catholic and nationalist groups began attacking the Pride parade by throwing bottles, stones and firecrackers at the marchers, Irish news-site RTE reports. A number of violence clashes ensued, with riot police attempting to seperate the two groups. Poland is overwhemingly Catholic, and while there has been progress with regards to LGBTI […]

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Anti-LGBTI Hate Crimes in Scotland Reach Record Highs

Hate crimes against LGBTI people reached record high levels in Scotland between 2018-19. 1,216 anti-LGBTI hate crimes were reported in Scotland from 31 March 2018 to the same date this year. This is a 5% rise on the previous year. It is also the highest recorded number since hate crime legislation came into effect in Scotland 10 years ago. The number of reported hate crimes have soared in the capital, Edinburgh, and northeast city, Dundee. The Highlands, the Borders and West Scotland also saw increases. A Dundee-based LGBTI rights activist has speculated that the current political climate may have contributed to […]

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Mastercard to Let Trans and Non-binary People Use Chosen Names on Cards

Mastercard has announced that it will allow trans and non-binary people to use their chosen names on plastic payment cards. The True Name card will apply to credit, debit and prepaid cards used by trans and non-binary people. The move is part of the bank’s initiative to support LGBTI rights. It aims to combat issues trans and non-binary individuals have experienced while using payment cards. Many have spoken about feelings of fear and anxiety when they hand over payment cards which carry their birth or dead names. Mastercard is not the first to implement changes designed to help trans or […]

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Massachusetts Ranked #1 State for LGBTI-inclusive Businesses

Massachusetts is the state with the best LGBTI-inclusive business climate in the US, a new study has found. The east-coast state ranked ahead of California and New York to take the top spot. This is according to the LGBT+ Business Climate Index, a survey conducted by business advisory group, Out Leadership. In the report, the orgainsation noted that companies’ will experience increased profits and productivity states where LGBTI-inclusivity is supported. It adds that states where LGBTI communities are marginalized can suffer economically as a result. The survey measured all 50 states on factors such as economic, legislative, culture and wellbeing. They also measured the […]

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Tunisian Authorities Cite Sharia Law to Clamp Down on LGBTI Rights Activists

Association Shams, a  notable LGBTI rights group in Tunisia, is facing closure after a legal challenge by the government. Shams have condemned the move, describing it as discriminatory and ‘judicial harassment’ by the government. The group has been operating in Tunisia since 2013 and is one of the most prolific LGBTI rights organizations in the Arabic world. Shams say this is the seventh time the government has been tried to shut them down. Though the authorities failed to do so in a 2016 lawsuit, they are currently appealing the decision. A hearing is set for Friday (3 May), which could determine […]

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White Supremacist Sentenced to Life for Murdering Black Trans Woman

A white supremacist has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a black trans woman. Brandon Michael Tyson murdered Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson in Oklahoma City in 2017. Tyson, a member of the white supremacist group, the Aryan Brotherhood, will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole. Judge Amy Palumbo condemned Tyson as she sentenced him on Wednesday (24 April). ‘Your actions show that you’re a liar, a thief, and a murderer,’ Judge Amy Palumbo said. ‘You are a danger to the public. You have been given chance after chance after chance.’ The authorities did not say if they though […]

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Five Men Executed in Saudi Arabia Were Gay

Five men beheaded in a mass execution conducted in Saudi Arabia were gay, a Sharia court heard. One of the men executed had allegedly confessed to having sex with four of his co-accused ‘terrorists’. The five men were among 37 who were beheaded in the cities of Riyadh, Mecca, and Medina last week. They were executed for conducting acts of terrorism or working as spies for Iran. The mass execution was met with widespread international condemnation. Human rights groups have said it is likely the men’s confessions were obtained through torture. Homosexuality is also punishable by death in the ultraconservative Islamic kingdom. Doubts about […]

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Legendary San Francisco Trans Nightclub to Close

A legendary trans bar and nightclub in San Francisco will be closing up shop at the end of the month. Divas bar and nightclub in the city’s Polk Gulch neighborhood will be throwing a final goodbye party on March 30 before closing for good. Divas has billed itself as ‘the largest bar and nightclub in the United States devoted to the TS/TV community,’ and is one of the few trans-focused nightclubs in the US. The three-story venue has been a cornerstone for many in San Francisco’s trans community since 1998. Divas’ previous incarnation was as The Motherlode, which had been situated […]

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Over 100 Trans Individuals are Being Held in ICE Custody

Over 100 trans people are being held in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There are at least 111 ‘self-identified transgender individuals’ are being held in 20 different facilities across the US, according to ICE spokeswoman, Danielle Bennett. Of this number, 45 trans women are being held in the privately operated South Texas Detention Complex, located about 55 miles southwest of San Antonio. Bennett also confirmed that there are a number of trans people being detained in the Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico, which has a specialist unit for trans detainees, the Washington Blade reports. The Cibola County […]

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