Poppy-Jay St. Palmer

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32% of US voters prefer candidates who oppose LGBTQ+ rights, study shows

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A new poll has shown that 32 percent of Americans would prefer to vote for a candidate that vocally opposes LGBTQ+ rights over one that vocally supports them. The survey comes from Data for Progress, a progressive US-based research group, and was shared with The Advocate on 19 June. Results showed that more than half of Americans polled – 51 percent, in fact – said they were more likely to vote for a candidate who actively supports LGBTQ+ rights. Just 16 percent said they did not know which kind of candidate they would prefer when it comes to support for the queer community. Despite […]

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At least 50 people detained by police at Istanbul Pride event

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At least 50 people were detained this weekend at a banned Istanbul LGBTQ+ Pride event, organisers have said. The event, which took place on 28 June, went ahead despite a ban imposed by the local authorities and a lockdown of all the city’s main gathering points. Iron barriers were installed around Istanbul’s famed Taksim Square, while subway transport in certain areas was also restricted. The Turkish Journalists’ Union has also confirmed that one of the people who were detained was Muberra Unsal, who holds a press card. “Journalists covering the Istanbul Pride March faced unlawful interference again this year. Despite repeatedly identifying […]

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More than two-thirds of LGBTQ+ people in the closet while traveling

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New research from Booking.com’s Travel Proud Report has shown that most LGBTQ+ people go back in the closet when they go on vacation. The new report from the travel booking site surveyed 13,300 LGBTQ+ travellers across 19 different countries, and found that only 31 percent of respondents globally said they were “out” while travelling. Forty per cent of LGBTQ+ travellers said they are willing to hide their queer identities in order to experience a bucket list destination. Meanwhile, more than half of all closeted LGBTQ+ travellers surveyed said they don’t feel anxious while travelling, compared to just 30 percent of […]

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Italian Catholic Scouts group to allow LGBTQ+ leaders for first time

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Italy’s Catholic Scouts is set to allow LGBTQ+ Scout leaders to join the group for the first time ever as it updates its outdated selection criteria. The council for the Italian Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts, also known as AGESCI, announced the change in a document shared on 28 May. “AGESCI has reached the conclusion that… emotional orientation and gender identity cannot constitute exclusion criteria in the discernment that community leaders are called upon to exercise when an adult requests to join the association to play an educational role,” the document said. It went on to say that the teaching of being […]

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More gay and bi men in the UK are donating blood than ever before

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Gay and bisexual men in England are donating blood in larger numbers than ever before, a new survey has shown. The surge follows a change in the eligibility criteria for England, Scotland and Wales that was introduced in 2021. In the 1980s, queer men were completely banned from donating blood to prevent the transmission of HIV after the AIDS crisis. In 2011, the ban was then lifted, but queer men wanting to donate had to adhere to strict rules, including a requirement to abstain from having sex with another man for 12 months prior. That period was then reduced to three months in 2017. Matt Hancock, […]

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Eight Democrats voted with Republicans on bill that could out trans students

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Eight Democrats voted with Republicans to help pass a bill that could force teachers to out transgender students to their parents and ban the acknowledgement of trans identities in school settings. HR 2616, also known as the ‘Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act’, was passed in the House of Representatives on 20 May. If approved by the Senate and signed into law by Donald Trump, it would prohibit any school that receives federal funding from teaching “concepts related to gender ideology”, effectively ban state-funded schools across the United States from acknowledging the existence of trans people. The House Equality Caucus has dubbed the bill the ‘Don’t […]

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Iceland ranks top in 2026 map of most trans-friendly countries in Europe

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A new 2026 ranking of the most trans-friendly countries in Europe and Central Asia has been released, and Iceland has come out on top. The annual Trans Rights Index and Map, which comes from Transgender Europe, documents the protections and opportunities available for trans and non-binary people within each European and Central Asian country. It comes in partnership with ILGA Europe’s Rainbow Map and is co-funded by the European Union. The index scores countries in a number of different indicator categories, includingLegal Gender Recognition, Asylum, Hate Crime/Speech, Non-Discrimination, Health and Family. Iceland scored 30 out of 32, with full marks in all but two categories. […]

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Founder of ‘women-only’ app loses appeal after landmark trans discrimination ruling

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A “women-only” social media app has lost an appeal to overturn a ruling that found it discriminatory against trans women. In January 2022, Giggle for Girls, marketed as a female-only space that allows women to find roommates, engage in freelance work, find friendship groups and more, came under fire for excluding trans women with its use of artificial intelligence. A court ruling in August 2024 found that Australian businesswoman and founder of Sall Grover and her app had unlawfully discriminated against trans woman Roxanne Tickle when her membership was withdrawn. Grover, whose Wikipedia page describes her as a “self-identified trans-exclusionary radical feminist”, filed the notice […]

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Meta hits all-time low for LGBTQ+ safety in new GLAAD report

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A new social media report from GLAAD shows that Meta has hit an all-time low when it comes to safety for its LGBTQ+ users. The LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation’s Social Media Safety Index confirmed that Meta’s policy changes on Facebook, Instagram and Threads have made the platforms more harmful for queer users, particularly trans and non-binary people. The news comes after a year in which Meta has been scaling back best practice policies surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and loosening its hateful conduct policies. In 2025, Meta’s policy changes included allowing anti-LGBTQ+ terminology when referring to queer people, removing protections for LGBTQ+ people, modifying sections of its Hateful […]

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GLAAD president slams FCC crackdown on trans media

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The president and CEO of GLAAD has called out Brendan Carr and the Federal Communications Commission for their inquiry on trans representation in media, saying it’s causing “harm [to] LGBTQ Americans”. “Parents should absolutely have a say in what their kids watch, and parents already know that seeing an LGBTQ person on screen or in real life does no harm,” Sarah Kate Ellis of GLAAD said in a statement on 22 April. “What does cause harm is government overreach. Under Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission is once again attempting to dictate what can be seen on television.” The FCC announced on […]

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