International

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Malaysia Should Legally Recognize Transgender People

“I have never had official employment,” Aisha (not her real name), a Malaysian trans woman who does sex work, told Human Rights Watch and Justice for Sisters in 2019. “I tried. I applied for a job selling perfume, but the employer said they would only accept me if my gender was female on my [identity card].” The gender marker on Malaysian identity cards matter. A 2019 study by SUHAKAM, Malaysia’s human rights commission, found that 57 percent of trans women interviewed in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor had experienced discrimination, including being denied employment, education, housing, or health care because their appearance did […]

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Top lawyers, MPs, academics and activists tell Boris Johnson how to end conversion therapy

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Lawyers, politicians, academics and activists have banded together to tell Boris Johnson exactly how to legislate for a ban on conversion therapy after his claim it is “technically complex”. In March this year, following the resignation of three members of the government’s own LGBT+ advisory board, Johnson promised to “stamp out” conversion therapy, but claimed that a ban would be “technically complex to deal with”. Four monthson, there has been no progress aside from the announcement of a consultation which will take place before a ban is introduced, with no timeline, aiming to “protect the medical profession, defend freedom of speech, and uphold […]

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Russia’s anti-homophobia campaign defiantly launches on anniversary of Putin crackdown

The first-ever Russian anti-homophobia campaign has bravely launched on the anniversary of a constitutional amendment that formally banned same-sex marriage in Russia. The unflinching campaign is led by the Russian LGBT Network, which released a heartrending film depicting the love and struggle of two queer men through interpretive dance. Simply titled “We Will Become Better,” the video was released in defiance of Russia’s notorious “gay propaganda” law, which criminalises any positive depiction of LGBT+ identities. “This campaign is a precedent for Russia’s social advertising industry. It’s the first-ever project created by an LGBT+ organisation and a marketing agency,” said Alla Chikinda of the Yekaterinburg Resource […]

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Spain advances landmark trans self-ID bill – but activists say it doesn’t go far enough

Spain has advanced a landmark bill that would allow trans adults to self-determine their gender – but activists say it doesn’t go far enough. The Spanish government approved the draft bill on Tuesday (29 June). It would allow trans people over the age of 16 to update their gender marker and name on official documents without being forced to get a medical diagnosis. Currently, trans people in Spain must have a gender dysphoria diagnosis or have been prescribed hormone therapy before they can legally change their name and gender on official documents. Under the draft bill’s provisions, individuals aged between 14 […]

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High Court rejects bid to force trans women into men’s prisons in landmark ruling

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The High Court has rejected claims that housing trans women who’ve committed sexual or violent offences against women in female prison facilities is discriminatory to cis women. A judicial review against the government was launched last year to determine whether the Ministry of Justice’s policy on the care and management of trans prisoners discriminates against cis women. The High Court returned its judgement on Friday (2 July), stating that the policies “do not involve an unjustified or disproportionate intrusion with the [Human Rights Act] Convention rights of women prisoners”. The landmark case was brought by an unnamed cis female inmate at HMP Downview, who said she […]

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‘Traumatized’ teen ‘stuck at home like a prisoner’ after anti-LGBT+ hate attack

Police are investigating an alleged hate incident after a gay teenager said they were attacked and called a transphobic slur at school. Emily Wilkinson-Quinn, 14, was left “completely traumatised” following the attack on 20 May, according to their mum Natasha-Jayne Wilkinson. Emily told The Yorkshire Post that a classmate followed them into their classroom and poured hand sanitiser over their face and clothes. According to Metro, the boy called Emily a “f*****g t****y” while he carried out the attack. Natasha-Jayne said that Emily has been bullied ever since they came out as gay last year. The hand sanitiser incident was a “targeted attack”, she said. […]

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EU to finally take legal action against Poland over horrific ‘LGBT-free’ zones

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The EU will finally take legal action against Poland over the country’s “LGBT-free zones”, which began popping up in 2019, according to reports. Bloomberg Equality reports that “four people familiar with the matter”, who asked to remain anonymous, said the move could be formally announced as soon as next month. The legal action, known as an infringement procedure, would see the EU give Poland notice to correct the issue. If it fails to do so, the EU could take the case to the European Court of Justice, which may impose a fine. Some towns and regions in Poland that declared themselves “LGBT-free” […]

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Essex Police have launched a probe after a gang of some 20 thugs hurled homophobic abuse and threatened two young boys in Basildon, England. As England grapples with an escalating rate of homophobic hate crimes, a hunt is underway to find a throng of young people who targeted two teens in Lake Meadows, a  park in Billericay, on Thursday afternoon (1 July). According to county law enforcement, witnesses shared reports on social media of seeing around 20 youths threatening two boys. The group, Essex Police said according to Liverpool Echo, began “acting aggressive” towards the boys in an incident the authorities are treating […]

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Hungarian Jewish groups take defiant stand against cruel anti-LGBT+ law

Jewish groups in Hungary have taken a stand against their country’s vile anti-LGBT+ “propaganda” law, warning that “no one should be labeled impure”. The wide-reaching legislation passed by Hungary’s government this month, ostensibly to combat child sex abuse, defines any positive depiction of LGBT+ gender identity and sexuality as “gay propaganda”. t forbids the depiction or discussion of these topics in schools, as well as any form of LGBT+ representation in advertising or media that could be seen by under-18s. The legislation immediately set alarm bells ringing for Hungary’s Jewish community, who know all too well what it means for a minority […]

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‘I have nothing to hide’: Brazil presidential hopeful comes out

Brazilian governor and potential major party presidential candidate Eduardo Leite, a prominent critic of President Jair Bolsonaro, came out as gay in a TV interview. Leite, governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, would be the first openly gay presidential candidate in Brazil. Anti-gay rhetoric has been a staple of speeches by Bolsonaro, who once declared that if he had a gay son, he would rather he died in an accident. “I have never spoken about a subject related to my private life”, Leite told Brazilian journalist Pedro Bial in a TV interview on Thursday evening. “But […]

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