International

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EU court tells member states: gender marker changes are the law

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European Union member states must allow transgender citizens to update their names and gender markers on identification documents, according to the EU’s highest court. On Thursday, the EU Court of Justice (COJ) ruled that member state Bulgaria’s ban on trans people updating their names and gender markers on birth certificates — established in 2023 with a Bulgarian Supreme Court decision — violates the right to “freedom of movement” between EU countries guaranteed by the European Commission. All EU citizens’ right to freedom of movement supersedes any member country’s laws, the court said. The decision came in a case brought by ILGA-Europe, Trans […]

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US ‘pro-family’ group helped Senegal push anti-LGBTQ+ law

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US-based lobbyists known for calling homosexuality a public health threat reportedly advised Senegal officials on how to push an anti-LGBTQ+ law which increased maximum sentences for LGBTQ+ people. Senegal’s National Assembly garnered international condemnation earlier this month after passing a bill that doubles the maximum penalty for same-sex relations. While homosexuality has been illegal in the African nation since the mid-1960s, the newly passed law makes openly identifying as queer punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Senegal lawmakers supportive of the new bill declared that LGBTQ+ citizens would no longer be able to “breathe in this country” adding to applause […]

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Russia Declares Leading LGBT Rights Group ‘Extremist’

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Last week, a St. Petersburg court in a closed door hearing, designated a leading Russian LGBT rights group, Coming Out, as an “extremist organization.” The ruling delivers another severe blow to a community that has become a key target of the Kremlin’s harmful “traditional values” crusade.  Coming Out is the first LGBT rights organization to be formally designated “extremist” since Russia’s Supreme Court in 2023 prohibited the so-called International LGBT Movement, opening the floodgatesfor arbitrary prosecutions of LGBT individuals or those perceived to be, along with anyone who defends their rights or expresses solidarity with them. The case against Coming Out stemmed from a classified […]

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Temporary refugee status poses ‘constant threat’ to LGBTQ+ asylum seekers: ‘Horribly inhumane’

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Asylum seekers given refugee status in the UK will now only be offered protection for a temporary time, a change which will put vulnerable LGBTQ+ at constant risk of danger, a charity has warned.  Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced the move as part of a shake-up of the government’s asylum rules, which represents most substantial reform to the UK asylum system in a generation.  The changes come into force on Monday (2 March) and revoke the permanent protection given to refugees who are granted asylum, instead adults and accompanied children claiming asylum will now only receive a 30-month period of […]

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Two women arrested in Uganda for allegedly kissing in public

Two women have been arrested in Uganda for allegedly kissing in public, which could result in a life prison sentence.  Wendy Faith, 22, and Alesi Diana, 21, were arrested last week by the authorities in Arua, a city in the northwest of Uganda, as per coverage by The Guardian.  “Information was received from the community that the suspects have been involved in queer and unusual acts believed to be sexual in nature, besides being allegedly seen kissing each other in broad daylight,” police spokesperson for the West Nile region, Josephine Angucia, is quoted as saying.  “It’s further alleged […] that many […]

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Qatar’s only out gay citizen says seeking asylum in the US is a “rough” & “intrusive” process

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Dr. Nasser Mohamed is the first person from Qatar to publicly come out as gay, after being granted asylum in the U.S. based on the likely prospect he’d be persecuted for his sexual orientation at home. He’s currently a physician in San Francisco serving a primarily LGBTQ+ clientele. Mohamed, 38, went public in 2022 at the start of the World Cup in Qatar, to highlight LGBTQ+ rights abuses in the wealthy Gulf State. Many of those have been documented by the Alwan Foundation, an advocacy group founded by Mohamed to collect evidence-based data that “accurately reflects the circumstances and living […]

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2 celebrities among 12 people arrested in anti-gay sweep in Senegal

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Two of Senegal’s highest-profile celebrities were among 12 people rounded up and charged with committing “unnatural,” or homosexual, acts, among other crimes, police in the capital of Dakar announced Sunday. Pape Cheikh Diallo, a widely admired TV and radio presenter, and Djiby Dramé, a popular musician, were two of the men charged in the case linked to an individual who has admitted to knowingly spreading HIV, according to The New York Times. An HIV-positive individual “confessed to knowingly infecting about ten people he had contacted, primarily through WhatsApp groups,” authorities said. Police didn’t elaborate on who the individual is or his […]

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Why the UK’s asylum reforms endanger queer Nigerians

The UK’s asylum system’s designation of Nigeria as a “safe country” poses real risk to queer Nigerians facing persecution, reporter Daniel Anthony outlines for PinkNews.  Under UK asylum policy, Nigeria is treated as a country that is generally stable rather than affected by civil war, active conflict, or a failing government. It is listed as a safe country of origin for men, meaning UK authorities presume that, in general, there is no serious or widespread risk of persecution or indiscriminate violence.  However, for queer Nigerians, this perception of safety is misleading and dangerous. In Nigeria, safety can disappear with a […]

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European Parliament declares trans women are women

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Europe’s parliament has agreed to a resolution declaring that trans women are women. The resolution, adopted last week, made a host of recommendations for the EU to pursue at the 70th annual UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is set to take place next month. Among the recommendations was a proclamation emphasising the “importance of the full recognition of trans women as women, noting that their inclusion is essential for the effectiveness of any gender-equality and anti-violence policies”. Other proclamations referencing LGBTQ+ people included the need for a “comprehensive tool to monitor and counter democratic backsliding and backsliding […]

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LGBTQ+ and disability hate crimes to become aggravated offences in new UK law

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Hate crimes targeting people on the grounds of their sexuality, gender identity or disability would be made an aggravated offence, under a proposed new law.  If passed, an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill would see hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ and disabled people brought in-line with racially and religiously aggravated hate crimes, meaning they too will carry a higher maximum sentencing penalty.  The bill is currently progressing through the House of Lords and is intended to tackle anti-social behaviour alongside crimes including offensive weapons, sexual offences and stalking and public order.  Stonewall CEO Simon Blake described the amendment a “major step in the journey […]

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