Michele Thiel

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Politician calls for transgender Americans to be offered asylum in Norway: ‘We have to act’

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A Norwegian transgender politician, representing the Green Party (MDG), has advocated for transgender Americans to be granted asylum in Norway due to the anti-trans discrimination they are facing in the US. Karina Ødegård, who is on track to becoming Norway’s first transgender member of parliament, has told Norwegian newspaper Afterposten that the challenges faced by trans people in the US are similar to the persecution experienced by marginalised groups in 1930s Germany. The Green Party have supported Ødegård’s proposals. Referring to the rise of fascism in Europe and the persecution of Jewish people and other minorities, she said: “What would we have done in the […]

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Donald Trump’s grim views on LGBTQ+ rights explored

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As we enter the last days of the US presidential campaign, voters are deciding who to vote for and what each candidate – Donald Trump and Kamala Harris – stands for. And queer people will be paying special attention to their views about LGBTQ+ rights as the culture war against the transgender community rages on. A CBS News poll published on Sunday (27 October) showed that Harris has the slightest of leads over Trump nationally: 50 per cent to 49. But with eight days to go, a lot could still change. The Trump-Vance Republican ticket has been vocal on the LGBTQ+ community […]

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The US Navy have launched a ‘gender neutral’ submarine and bigots are losing their minds

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The US Navy unveiled a brand new submarine last week; the first of its kind as it is designed to hold both male and female sailors. Dubbed the USS New Jersey, it was announced during a ceremony at the Naval Weapons Station Earle, NJ. The submarine will hold a crew of nearly 135 Navy personnel and has been created to ensure safety and privacy for both male and female sailors, including accommodations such as increased privacy in washrooms and sleeping areas as well as access to top bunks and overhead valves being designed with the height, reach, and strength of […]

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Queer Aussie surfer going for gold at Olympics after overcoming chronic illness

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Australian pro surfer Tyler Wright is a two-time world champion – but now she’s going for gold at the Olympics… although she won’t be anywhere near Paris. This will be Wright’s first Games – amid what she calls a “sausage-fest” in the sport. “As a young girl becoming a woman in surfing, 12 years ago, it was an era of ‘sex sells’,” she previously told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Sexy, straight, blonde, female” surfers were most coveted and she didn’t fit into those stereotypes. “I’m built like an athlete, I’m not straight, I don’t have blonde hair. While men were allowed to go out and be […]

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Boxer Hergie Bacyadan could become the first trans man to win an Olympic medal at Paris 2024

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Filipino trans boxer Hergie Bacyadan will make his Olympics debut at the Paris 2024 Games. Five Filipino boxers – out of 15 total athletes – will be representing the Philippines in the French capital. Bacyadan will be competing in the women’s 75kg division, the heaviest weight class. He is competing in the women’s division because he has not undergone hormone replacement therapy or gender reassignment therapy, despite identifying as a trans man. In fact, Bacyadan has proudly claimed several times that he has never taken testosterone and even stood up to the Russian vovinam team in 2023 after they requested that his […]

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Is it safe to travel to Turkey if you’re LGBTQ+?

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Turkey is an extremely popular destination, both for holidays and for people looking to get cost-effective dentistry and weight-loss surgery. But is it safe for LGBTQ+ people to visit? Firstly, same-sex relationships and queer or trans people are not illegal in Turkey, but the country doesn’t offer any legal protection from discrimination in employment, education, housing or health care. Same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are not recognised and, in general, the country is very conservative. People outside big cities can hold negative attitudes towards members of the LGBTQ+ community – but that’s not to say the major areas are liberal […]

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Groundbreaking map shows which US states are the least safe for LGBTQ+ people

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An independent non-profit think tank based in the US has created an interactive map to show which states in the US are safest for LGBTQ+ people to live and work – and which are not. The Movement Advancement Project (MAP) has tracked LGBTQ+ laws and policies across the country, including relationship and parental recognition, nondiscrimination, religious exemptions, LGBTQ+ youth, health care, criminal justice, and accessing identity documents. It has then scored each state based on those laws and policies – the higher the score, the more protective its laws are towards LGBTQ+ people while the lower the score a state receives, […]