Lily Wakefield

/ /

Non-binary Coronavirus Victim Kept a Journal of Illness until their Death

A 37-year-old non-binary person who passed away from coronavirus this week kept a heartbreaking online journal of their experience. PJ McClelland from Florida, who died on April 11, had gained hundreds of followers as they shared their experience of having COVID-19 through daily Facebook posts. They were originally screened for coronavirus on March 23 and sent to be tested the next day. A few days later they found out they had a positive test result. They had no underlying health conditions other than a recent diagnosis of sleep apnea. Their update that day read: “I’m getting sicker by the day. It feels […]

/ /

Coronavirus is Spreading a Wave of Racism so the LGBT+ Asian Community is Fighting Back

As coronavirus continues its spread across the world, it takes with it a disgusting wave of anti-Asian racism. But the LGBT+ Asian community is fighting back. Asian LGBT+ activists spoke to the Bay Area Reporter about the current situation and the action they’re taking as they attempt to take care of themselves, as well as their communities. Amazin LeThi is a queer Vietnamese athlete and founder of LGBT+ advocacy organisation the Amazin LeThi Foundation. She was the first out athlete to compete for Vietnam at the South East Asian Games and is using her platform to speak out against coronavirus fuelled racism. […]

/ /

European Union MEPs Slam Hungary’s Attack Trans Community

European Union MEPs have slammed Viktor Orbán and Hungary after moves to strip away trans rights, calling it an “outrageous and deliberate” attack. On Tuesday, March 31, the Hungarian parliament agreed to extend the power of its far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán by granting him the right to rule by decree indefinitely, meaning he no longer needs to consult other lawmakers before making decisions. On the same day, which was also Transgender Day of Visibility, Orbán’s deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjén introduced a new bill which, if passed, would replace “gender” with “birth sex” in all legal documents issued in the country. This would mean […]

/ /

A Second Gay Man has Died from Coronavirus after Attending Miami Winter Party

A second queer man has died after contracting coronavirus at the annual LGBT+ fundraiser Winter Party Festival, in Miami, Florida. The event took place from March 4 to 10, packed with more than 10,000 queer attendees. Shortly after the event, organisers took to Instagram to confirm that an attendee was diagnosed with COVID-19. Multiple people who had been at the party later posted on social media confirming that they, or someone they knew who had also attended, had been diagnosed. The first death from coronavirus of a Miami Winter Party attendee was confirmed last week when Israel Carreras, 40, who had no […]

/ /

Ugandan Lesbian Granted Asylum in Germany

A lesbian from Uganda has been granted asylum in Germany, but the judge said that it will not set a precedent for future LGBT+ asylum seekers from the country. The 41-year-old woman, who remains anonymous, suffered repeated violence, death threats and an arson attack on her home in Uganda. She applied for asylum in Germany in 2011, but was rejected and forced to go to trial. However according to Deutsche Welle, during the trial at a Munich courthouse, the federal office for migration and refugees admitted that she did in fact qualify for refugee status, and the case was thrown out. […]

/ /

The Heartbreaking Reality of being Queer and Living Inside Poland’s ‘LGBT-free Zones’

A 19-year-old queer woman from Poland has revealed the heartbreaking reality of living in the heart of one of the country’s ‘LGBT-free zones’. A third of Poland has declared itself to be an official LGBT-free zone as local municipalities sign a pledge adopting resolutions against “LGBT+ propaganda”. Nearly 100 Polish municipal or local governments have now proclaimed themselves to be “free from LGBT+ ideology”. Local authorities in these areas pledge to refrain from acts that encourage tolerance and must avoid providing financial assistance to NGOs working to promote equal rights. An “Atlas of Hate” map created by activists reveals the extent of Poland […]

/ /

Study Shows that LGBT+ Youth Are more Likely to Attempt Suicide

A new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has shown that LGBT+ youth are more than three times as likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts. The AAP used Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance data from six states that collected data on sexual orientation, and four that collected data on sexual contacts, between 2009 and 2017. Although the number of suicide attempts among sexual minority people under the age of 18 had decreased over the eight-year period, the study showed in 2017 they remained more than three times as likely to try to take their own lives. In 2009, 26.7 […]

/ /

Teacher Accused of ‘Promoting the Homosexual Agenda’ Awarded $100,000 Settlement

A lesbian teacher who was suspended and accused of “promoting the homosexual agenda” after showing her students a photo of her partner has been awarded a $100,000 settlement. Stacy Bailey was, at the time, an art teacher at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School in Mansfield, Texas. She said she shared photos of her friends, family and partner with children at the beginning of term in August 2017. Shortly afterwards, a parent complained that Bailey was “promoting the homosexual agenda” by showing students a picture of her partner, and she was placed on administrative leave with pay by the Mansfield Independent School District (ISD). […]

/ /

Man Details Sexual Abuse by University Doctor who Treated ‘All Gay Men’ 50 Years Ago

A man has detailed the alleged sexual abuse he suffered 50 years ago at the hands of a now-deceased university doctor who treated “all the gay men”. Robert E Anderson was formerly a director of the health service at the University of Michigan, and worked at the university from 1968 until 2003. He passed away in 2008. According to The Detroit News, University of Michigan officials announced on Wednesday, February 19, that since July 2018 they had been investigating multiple reports of “sexual misconduct and unnecessary medical exams” by Anderson’s former patients. Most of the alleged incidents took place in the 1970s, […]

/ /

Children in Vietnam Are still Being Taught Being Gay is ‘a Disease’

Despite recent government promises to protect LGBT+ people, children in Vietnam are still taught at home and at school that being gay is a “disease”, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). Same-sex marriages are not recognised in Vietnam, but gay sex is legal and it is believed to have never been criminalised in the country’s history. There is an equal age of consent, and LGBT+ people are able to serve in the military. In 2015, the country made headlines for voting to allow trans people who had been through gender affirmation surgery to register as their […]

«‹ 13 14 15 16›»