Lily Wakefield

/

LA Pride Steps Away from ‘All Black Lives Matter’ March after Police Inclusion Sparks Outrage

LA Pride has stepped away from its “All Black Lives Matter” protest, after organisers were revealed to have been working “collaboratively” with police. LA Pride was cancelled almost two months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, but organisers announced last week that they intended to replace it with a Black Lives Matter march. However the event was slammed by the LGBT+ community after an LA Pride organiser wrote a letter to police seeking permission and approval for the march. In the letter, organisers requested a special event permit in order to hold its Black Lives Matter march, and said they looked forward to organising […]

/ /

Justice for Tony McDade Closer as Police Union Loses Bid to Keep his Killer Anonymous

A judge has denied a motion by the Florida police union to withhold the identity of the police officer who took the life of Black trans man Tony McDade. McDade was shot dead by a police officer in north Florida on May 27, two days after another (cis) Black man, George Floyd, was killed by four police officers, including one who knelt on his neck until he passed out. The actions of Black Lives Matter protesters across the US have resulted in charges being levelled against all four of the sacked police officers involved in Floyd’s death, including second degree murder and aiding and […]

/ /

Police Fire on Gay Bar Giving First Aid to Protesters’ Eyes

An LGBT+ bar owner in North Carolina was fired at by police during ongoing Black Lives Matter protests for simply running a first aid station on his own property. In the wake of the death of George Floyd, protests against ongoing police brutality against Black people have broken out across the US. Tim Lemuel owns Ruby Deluxe in Raleigh, North Carolina, and on Monday night, June 1, he kept watch outside his bar to stop protestors vandalising the building, according to The News and Observer. In the parking lot of the LGBT+ bar, Lemuel and his staff set up a first aid station […]

/ /

Malaysia’s Ban on Gay Sex is to be Challenged

A man in Malaysia has won the right to challenge a religious state law banning gay sex in the mostly Muslim country. According to Reuters, a lawyer for the man said on Wednesday (May 27) that Malaysia’s top court had him the go-ahead for the landmark LGBT+ rights test case. The Muslim man in his 30s will remain anonymous for his protection and privacy. He initially filed the lawsuit in 2018 after he was arrested for attempting gay sex, a charge that he denies. He was arrested as part of a raid by by Islamic enforcement officers in the state of […]

/

The Stud, the Oldest Gay Bar in San Francisco to Close

The Stud, San Francisco’s oldest gay bar, has announced that it will be closing its doors for good as the coronavirus pandemic has left it no longer able to pay rent. The legendary queer bar opened in 1966 on San Francisco’s Folsom street, and in 1987 moved to its current location on 9th Street Many queer icons have performed at or visited the stud over its 55-year history, including Sylvester, Etta James, Bjork, Lady Gaga, Ana Matronic, Justin Vivian Bond, Michael Stipe, Lady Miss Kier, RuPaul, and Charo. It has faced many difficulties, and in 2016 a massive rent increase […]

/ /

Canada Announces Memorial to the Thousands of LGBT+ People Persecuted

Canada has just approved a site for a C$8 million (£4.7 million) memorial to thousands of LGBT+ people who were forced out of government and military jobs by a five-decade institutional “purge”. The memorial will be built in Ottawa, overlooking Canada’s Supreme Court and Parliament Hill, according to LGBTQ Nation. Over five decades, from the 1940s until the mid-’90s, LGBT+ Canadians were discharged from the military or fired from the civil service. A state-sponsored programme to root out gay and lesbian people was carried out until the late 60s, because it was a thought they posed a threat to national security. […]

/ /

Same-sex Marriage has Finally been Legalized in Costa Rica

Equal marriage has finally been legalised in Costa Rica, with the first-ever same-sex marriage registrations to be processed at the end of this month. According to Q Costa Rica, the country’s Civil Registry will begin processing the registrations on May 26. Official Luis Guillermo Chinchilla told the publication that everything had been prepared, and said: “The Civil Registry has made significant efforts in adjusting all the computer systems in civil registry matters, with the purpose of managing these registrations in a timely and expeditious manner, always within the framework of suitable and effective registry security as usual by our institution.” In August, […]

/ /

Germany Bans Conversion Therapy for Minors

Germany has banned traumatising conversion therapy for people under the age of 18, and introduced penalties for adults, putting the UK and US to shame. On Thursday evening, May 7, the Bundestag passed a law which completely bans any so-called “therapy” that aims to change the sexual orientation of minors, and the crime will carry a prison sentence of up to one year. According to Badische, conservative German health minister Jens Spahn stressed: “Homosexuality is not a disease. Therefore the term therapy is misleading.” Conversion therapy for those of legal age in Germany will also be banned, if a person is […]

/ /

Russian TV Show Host Flees after Inviting Hosting Gay Man on her Show

A YouTuber has been forced to flee the country of Russia after she invited a gay man to be in one of her videos, and subsequently being convicted of violating Russia’s “gay propaganda” law. 25-year-old Victoria Pich has been producing entertainment videos since 2013, according to Codastory, and over that time has gained almost two million YouTube subscribers. Wanting to cover more serious topics, in 2019 she started a series titled “Real Talk”. It was inspired by the American YouTube channel HiHo Kids and its “Kids Meet” series which shows children meeting different kinds of people – for example someone living with HIV, […]

/ /

Lesbian Teacher who Worked at a Catholic School for 20 Years Fired after Signing a ‘No Gays’ Contract

A queer teacher, who has worked at the same Catholic school for 20 years, has just been sacked for violating the school’s anti-LGBT+ policies. According to Dayton Daily News, the teacher was a graduate of Alter High School in Ohio, which is controlled by the archdiocese of Cincinnati, and had taught there for two decades. The principal of the Catholic school, Lourdes Lambert, told the publication that someone had raised a “concern” about the unnamed teacher with the archbishop. As a result, the teacher will not have his contract renewed, although he will be permitted to finish the school year, teaching […]

«‹ 12 13 14 15›»