Maggie Baska

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Russia ordered to recognise same-sex relationships by Europe’s top court

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The European Court of Human Rights has ordered Russia to recognise same-sex partnerships, but it’s unlikely Russia will implement protections for queer couples.  The ruling came in response to a years-long fight by three queer couples for legal recognition and protection after they were denied the ability to marry by Russia.  The applicants were originally turned away by registrars on the basis that the Russian Family Code defines marriage as a “voluntary marital union between a man and a woman”.  The court ruled Wednesday (18 January) that Russia had an obligation to make equivalent legal protections to marriage available to same-sex couples […]

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M&S hits back at new attack on gender neutral changing rooms

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Marks & Spencer has defended yet another attempt by ‘gender critical’ activists to troll the store’s gender-neutral changing rooms. The British retailer – which sells food, clothes and home goods – informed customers on social media in August they are welcome to use any changing room in stores as they are inclusive of all genders. This has, however, been company policy for several years. The move, predictably, outraged people online who claim to be concerned about women’s safety and used the move to share anti-trans rhetoric about changing rooms.  A group calling itself “Women’s Rights Network” posted about the trans-inclusive […]

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‘It’s easier to die than live in Russia’: Queer artist flees Putin’s LGBTQ+ ‘propaganda’ crackdown

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After Russia voted to extend its LGBTQ+ propaganda law to adults, artist and activist Yulia Tsvetkova has been forced to flee. Tsvetkova was acquitted of distributing pornography and so-called LGBTQ+ “propaganda” by the Komsomolsk-on-Amur court in July, in a rare win for the queer community in Russia. Tsvetkova was arrested and charged with distributing pornography in 2019 after she posted drawings of vaginas on social media in a bid to combat societal body norms. She was also charged over the same drawings in 2020 after Russian officials claimed she violated the country’s LGBTQ+ “propaganda” law. After the acquittal, prosecutors attempted to relaunch proceedings against Tsvetkova, but on […]

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Kevin Spacey accuser Anthony Rapp details ‘frightening’ alleged sexual assault as trial continues

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Anthony Rapp testified in federal court about an “incredibly frightening” encounter, in which Kevin Spacey allegedly climbed on top of him when he was a teen.  Rapp, who is suing Spacey for $40 million in a civil trial over alleged sexual misconduct, described to the court on Friday (7 October) how he first became acquainted with Spacey as a teenager on the New York City theatre scene. He testified that Spacey invited him to a party at the actor’s loft in 1986 when Rapp was 14 and the disgraced actor was 26. Rapp, now 50, told jurors he decided to go because he […]

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Gay Palestinian man who fled to Israel to escape persecution murdered and beheaded in West Bank

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A young gay man, who fled to Israel to escape persecution in Palestine and was seeking asylum abroad, has been kidnapped and brutally murdered in the West Bank. Ahmed Hacham Hamdi Abu Marakhia, 25, fled Palestine two years ago after his sexual orientation was revealed. He had been living in Israel after authorities acknowledged his life would be in danger if he returned to Palestine. He was about to begin the process of seeking asylum abroad – potentially in Canada – at the time of his death.  Ahmed was killed Wednesday (5 October) in Hebron, a Palestinian city in the […]

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Republicans push anti-LGBTQ+ bill in Pennsylvania that ‘goes further’ than ‘Don’t Say Gay’

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Republican state lawmakers are rallying behind newly introduced anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that would ‘go further’ than Florida’s reviled ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law.  GOP politicians held a rally at the Pennsylvania state capitol Tuesday (20 September) to introduce House Bill 2813. The bill shares similarities with Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law, which bans discussions of LGBTQ+ topics in classrooms between kindergarten and third grade.  Pennsylvania state representative Stephanie Borowicz, the bill’s primary sponsor, said HB 2813 is “patterned” on the Florida legislation but actually “goes further” than the other measure, according to PennLive.  The bill states that any public or charter school “may not offer instruction […]

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Cost of living crisis forcing trans youth to ‘choose between eating and getting hormones’, charity says

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The cost of living crisis is forcing queer young people out of safe homes and into potentially dangerous situations. The economic crisis is hitting young people in the UK especially hard as landlords demand higher rents and inflation hits more aspects of everyday life.  British households are also facing a looming steep rise in energy bills from October after regulator Ofgem raised the energy price cap by 80 per cent on Friday (26 August).  Melissa Gilpin, marketing and communications manager at LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity akt, told PinkNews the looming crisis is “undoing years of work” in helping young people at risk of homelessness […]

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On Marsha P Johnson’s birthday, remember her true legacy of Black trans joy in resistance

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Marsha P Johnson, born 24 August, 1945, holds a special place within the LGBTQ+ community for her larger-than-life spirit and trans rights activism. She was instrumental in the 1969 Stonewall riots which kickstarted the modern fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the US. Along with Sylvia Rivera, who was also a key part of Stonewall, she established their landmark STAR organisation in 1970 to help homeless trans youth and other marginalised groups in New York City. She also was one of the founding members of the Gay Liberation Front.  Elle Moxley is founder and executive director of the Marsha P Johnson Institute. She say […]

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Men claim they’ve had sex with virulently homophobic pastor Jesse Lee Peterson

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Several men have alleged they had sex with anti-LGBTQ+ pastor and conservative radio host Jesse Lee Peterson.  The allegations emerged after Church Militant – a far-right Catholic group and website – released an almost 30-minute video in June featuring interviews with men accusing Peterson of making sexual advances toward them.  ​​Patrick Rooney, one of the men in the video, claimed he had a sexual relationship with Peterson that he said lasted about 10 years. Rooney, who has known Peterson since 1992, alleged in the video that the Los Angeles-based pastor made sexual advances toward him for years before they became sexually involved […]

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Czech president Miloš Zeman vows to block same-sex marriages if approved by parliament

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Czech president Miloš Zeman has said he plans to veto proposed legislation that would give same-sex couples the right to get married in the country.  The measure, which was drafted by lawmakers across the Czech political spectrum, was submitted to the parliament’s lower house on Tuesday (7 June), the Associated Press reported. Lawmakers have yet to set a date to debate the proposed same-sex marriage legislation. Yet the country’s president has said he is strongly opposed to the measure and will strike it down should it even land on his desk. “I’d like to announce that if I really receive such a law […]

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