International

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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 […]

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Top HIV Scientist Dies from Coronavirus in ‘Huge Blow’ to the Global Fight

Professor Gita Ramjee, a highly acclaimed scientist who dedicated her life to fighting and preventing HIV, has sadly died of coronavirus. Ramjee, 64, was a South African researcher internationally renowned for her work expanding disadvantaged women’s access to HIV treatment. On March 31 she tragically passed away from coronavirus complications, having just returned from a symposium in the UK. She was working on trials for a gel that could potentially reduce HIV infection. “The passing of professor Ramjee comes as a huge blow to the entirety of the healthcare sector and the global fight against HIV/AIDS,” the deputy president of South Africa, […]

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Uganda Exploits Coronavirus To Arrest 20 LGBT Persons

ABC News reports: A gay rights leader in Uganda says 20 members of the local LGBT community have been detained after police raided their shelter and accused them of violating coronavirus-related social distancing measures. “It is evident that they were arrested because of their homosexuality,” Frank Mugisha [photo] said Wednesday, expressing concern for their safety as “some of them are on AIDS medication.” Gay sex is criminalized in Uganda. Mugisha said the 20 were among 23 people accused of violating the president’s orders during a police raid on Sunday. Three were freed because of ill health, he said. Mugisha said the […]

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Attack on Gay Man enough for Asylum Claim, U.S. Appeals Court Rules

An asylum seeker from Ghana who said he was attacked by a mob led by his father because of his sexuality has shown a valid fear of persecution, a U.S. appeals case said in a case argued by two law students. The petitioner, a gay man in his late 20s from Accra, said he had a secret relationship with a friend from his Muslim school days when his father found out in 2016 and flew into a rage. He said he was beaten, doused with kerosene and threatened with being beheaded before escaping, naked and bleeding. Related NBC OUT Group […]

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UK LGBT+ Helpline Sees Calls Double as Queer People Fear being left with Abusive Families during Lockdown

An LGBT+ charity has said it has seen a huge increase in the number of calls to its helpline since the coronavirus pandemic started. The UK-based LGBT Foundation said the number of calls received over the last week was more than double the number received in the same period last year. Worryingly, the charity said countless LGBT+ people are seeking support as they are stuck self-isolating with abusive family and partners. They also warned that self-isolation means many queer people have been forced back into the closet, while many more have faced severe financial issues due to the pandemic’s economic fallout. Many LGBT+ people are trapped […]

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Stop Hooking-up for Casual Sex during Coronavirus Lockdown. Immediately

The UK’s national LGBT+ health adviser is urging people to stop hooking-up during the coronavirus lockdown – making clear that the only safe sex is with yourself or “someone within your household”. Dr Michael Brady, medical director at Terrence Higgins Trust, warned that hook-up culture could lead to the spread of coronavirus – which is not sexually transmitted, but can easily spread through close bodily contact. In a blog post, Dr Brady made clear that people should not be venturing outside for hook-ups during the lockdown. People need to stop having casual sex immediately, says LGBT+ health expert. He explained: “The […]

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Monster behind Chechnya’s Gay Purges, Says People with Coronavirus should be ‘Killed’

Anyone who breaks coronavirus quarantine should be executed, says Chechnya leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. The president of the Russian republic – who oversaw a brutal crackdown on LGBT+ people in Chechnya  – made the claim on March 24 at a government meeting as the region confirmed its first three coronavirus cases. “If you ask me, anyone who creates this problem for himself should be killed,” he said. “Not only does he get sick, [but he also infects] his family, his sisters, brothers, neighbours,” the regional Caucasian Knot news agency quoted Kadyrov as saying. Ramzan Kadyrov recommends Chechens drink water with lemon and honey […]

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Queer People still Considering Dates and Hook-ups despite Coronavirus

Around two in 10 queer people would consider hooking-up with someone even as measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic includes strict social distancing. The coronavirus pandemic has redefined day-to-day living for countless people as lockdowns and pleas to minimise contact with other people are enforced by world leaders. While the virus’ death toll bears down on all, around 28 per cent of LGBT+ people would still consider going out on dates, according to a report published Tuesday by Queer Voices Heard. Queer community ‘pessimistic’ about how coronavirus pandemic will impact them, researchers say. Survey takers for the social enterprise group described the “genuine […]

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UK Teen Gets Life Sentence In Brutal Grindr Murder

The Guardian reports: A teenager who lured a “gentle, kind-hearted” sales assistant to a remote beauty spot on a date and stabbed him to death has been locked up for a minimum of 24 years. Alex Davies, 18, was murdered in Parbold, Lancashire, by Brian Healless, also 18, after they agreed a rendezvous through the dating app Grindr. Healless, from Chorley, tried to set up similar outdoor meetings with four other men on Grindr in the days after the killing, Preston crown court heard. He had told Davies, from Skelmersdale, he was “not out yet” and suggested a “discreet spot” halfway […]

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Coronavirus Lockdown is Trapping Queer People with Abusive Families in the Middle East

Coronavirus lockdowns in the Middle East are trapping LGBT+ people with abusive families, advocacy groups have warned. Coronavirus is hitting the Middle East hard, and as the death toll passes 1,000 in Iran alone, governments in Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq and Algeria have all implemented emergency restrictions. While it’s hoped these measures will be effective in slowing the spread of the virus, they’re disastrous for many LGBT+ people who are being forced to remain in unsafe home environments. The Thomson Reuters Foundation heard that many LGBT+ advocacy groups in the region are now having to step up […]

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