International

/ /

The U.S. Just Quietly Welcomed More LGBT Refugees

  Last month, the Obama administration quietly made it easier for LGBT people fleeing persecution in their home countries to immigrate to the United States. In its annual report to Congress, State Department officials expanded the rights generally reserved for the spouses of asylum seekers to include same-sex partners for those fleeing countries where homosexuality is illegal. The policy shift will apply only those who are fleeing countries the State Department has designated “Process Priorities” countries, or P-3, because of humanitarian crises. There are currently 24 P-3 countries which include Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and several Central American […]

/ /

1 in 2 Young People in Britain Say They are Not 100% Heterosexual

  Invented by Alfred Kinsey in the 1940s, the Kinsey scale plots individuals on a range of sexual dispositions from exclusively heterosexual at 0 through to exclusively homosexual at 6. Where the original study had a large number of methods for placing people, YouGov simply asked people to place themselves on the sexuality scale. Taken as a whole, 72% of the British public place themselves at the completely heterosexual end of the scale, while 4% put themselves at the completely homosexual end and 19% say they are somewhere in between – classed as bisexual in varying degrees by Kinsey. Of the people […]

/

Pride Event BANS Drag Queens in Case They are Offensive

Free Pride Glasgow – which was set up as an “anti-commercialist” alternative to the main Pride Glasgow event – made the decision ahead of the event next month, claiming that despite drag being a uniquely celebrated part of most Pride, they would not be welcome to perform at Free Pride. A statement from the group claimed: “After much discussion, the trans and non binary caucus decided not to have drag acts perform at the event. “This does not mean that people of any gender can’t wear what they want to the event, we simply won’t be having any self-described drag […]

/

Petition forces Finland’s parliament to debate reversing same-sex marriage

An anti-gay petition in Finland has gathered enough signatures to force the parliament there to debate the reversal of the country’s gender-neutral marriage law. The petition gathered 50,000 signatures, the number required to have an issue debated in parliament. It was created by the ‘Association for Real Marriage’ on the citizens’ initiative website, and gained the support by 6pm on Sunday. The goal was reached with two-and-a-half months to spare, according to the terms of the citizens’ initiative scheme. The President of Finland in February signed a law legalising gender-neutral marriage – but couples will face a long wait before they […]

/

Greenland’s Parliament Has Unanimously Approved Same-sex Marriage and Adoption

MPs in the country, which has a population of 57,000, voted to adopt Danish legislation on the issue. Two MPs were absent, but none voted against the measure. The new measure will now scrap Greenland’s domestic partnership laws, adopted from Denmark in 1996. The bill to make the changes to bring Greenland in line with Denmark, which legalised same-sex marriage in 2012, was announced in February. Going into effect on 1 October 2015, the new law also grants adoption rights to same-sex couples, say reports. Greenland in 2008 introduced discrimination protection for gay people, and in 2010 held its first […]

/ /

Does the UK now Have the Most LGBT Elected MPs in the World?

According to new research, the number of LGBT MPs elected to the House of Commons today means the UK has the most in the world. The research makes the claim, although there are actually no out trans MPs in the UK. Research from the LGBT Representation and Rights Research Initiative from the University of North Carolina, found that one more LGBT MP was elected to the Commons today than before dissolution in March. The study from Professor Andrew Reynolds suggests the UK now technically has the most LGBT MPs in the world, although there are no openly trans members. Professor Reynolds […]

/ /

The 85 Most Powerful Comings Out of 2014

  Due to four notable December announcements – from a Spanish television host, an ‘ex-gay’ survivor of Michele and Marcus Bachmann’s conversion therapy clinic, a national champion swimmer, and a high school all-state soccer goalie, we’ve updated this list to provide a more complete look back at those who decided to come out in 2014. We’ve also added a professional strongman that we unfortunately overlooked in our first post. Enjoy these new additions to the list. ************* “I think coming out…is really about coming out as your authentic self, coming out as the person you always knew you were but […]

/ /

Egypt Arrests Group Of Men For Participation In Same-Sex Wedding

   Egypt has reportedly arrested as many as nine men who were identified as participating in a same-sex wedding. A video of the ceremony was uploaded back in April, but after it went viral recently, police identified nine of the 16 participants, though some reports suggest there were only seven arrests. Though Egyptian law does not explicitly prohibit homosexuality, the men were held in custody under charges of “incitement to debauchery” and “publishing indecent images.” Gay Egyptians have also been previously prosecuted under charges such as “scorning religion” and “sexual practices contrary to Islam.” The prosecution is describing the celebration […]

«‹ 130 131 132 133