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Biden Champions LGBTQ+ Rights Amidst Global Challenges in Keynote Speech

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At the 2023 Human Rights Campaign National Dinner held at the Washington Convention Center on Saturday, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden passionately spoke in support of the LGBTQ+ community, emphasizing their continued commitment to combat discrimination and violence.  The occasion marked the fourth time Biden has spoken at the annual gala, but his first as president. The first lady spoke first. During her speech, she was met with chants of “Four more years!” from the audience. For more than one minute, the crowd cheered and chanted as the standing ovation continued.  Responding with gratitude, Jill Biden said, “Well, I can certainly say […]

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World Bank to implement LGBTQ safeguards before new Uganda funding resumes

The World Bank will aim to ensure gay and transgender Ugandans are not discriminated against in its programs before resuming new funding, which was halted in August over an anti-LGBTQ law, a bank executive said. World Bank project documents will make it clear that LGBTQ Ugandans should not face discrimination and that staff will not be arrested for including them, Victoria Kwakwa, the bank’s head for eastern and southern Africa, told Reuters. Rights groups have said that the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which was enacted in May and prescribes the death penalty for certain same-sex acts, has unleashed a torrent of abuse against LGBTQ people, mostly […]

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‘You left Russia, but Russia never left you’: Queer couple scarred after fleeing anti-LGBTQ+ violence

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Max and Sasha are just two of the many LGBTQ+ people who have joined the mass exodus fleeing Russia to avoid violence, discrimination and war. Now, the queer Russian-Ukrainian couple are left with the scars of living under Vladimir Putin’s repressive regime. Putin’s obsession with rejecting what he sees as Western “degradation” has led to Russia toughening anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in recent months. At the same time, the Kremlin has clamped down on free speech, human rights and dissent as the war in Ukraine drags on.  Max and Sasha fled Russia this time last year. They joined the hundreds of thousands […]

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Nepal Courts Refuse to Register Same-Sex Marriages

Two lower courts in Nepal have denied a couple recognition of their marriage, in defiance of the Supreme Court’s recent interim order to register same-sex marriages while legislative change is pending. The couple – Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey – are considering seeking redress at the Supreme Court. Gurung, a transgender woman who is legally recognized as male, and Pandey, a cisgender man, held a Hindu wedding ceremony in 2017, and first attempted to register their marriage in June at the Kathmandu District Court, following the Supreme Court’s order. When that court rejected their registration, saying it did not need to recognize a couple […]

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Sex education classes often don’t include LGBTQ students. New restrictions could make it worse.

In fifth grade, Stella Gage’s class watched a video about puberty. In ninth grade, a few sessions of her health class were dedicated to the risks of sexual behaviors. That was the extent of her sex education in school. At no point was there any content that felt especially relevant to her identity as a queer teenager. To fill the gaps, she turned mostly to social media. “My parents were mostly absent, my peers were not mature enough, and I didn’t have anyone else to turn to,” said Gage, who is now a sophomore at Wichita State University in Kansas. […]

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EU Launches New Hate Speech/Terrorism Probe Into X

Via press release from the European Commission: Today the European Commission services formally sent X a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This request follows indications received by the Commission services of the alleged spreading of illegal content and disinformation, in particular the spreading of terrorist and violent content and hate speech. The request addresses compliance with other provisions of the DSA as well. Following its designation as Very Large Online Platform, X is required to comply with the full set of provisions introduced by the DSA since late August 2023, including the assessment and mitigation of risks […]

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At least two transgender women will compete in the Miss Universe pageant

Marina Machete became the first transgender woman to win Miss Portugal last week, making her one of two trans contestants so far to compete for Miss Universe later this year. Machete, a 28-year-old flight attendant, thanked her supporters for the “positive and empowering” messages she has received since being crowned Thursday.  “To all of you watching, I just want to say that, just like the universe, your possibilities in life are limitless,” she said in a video shared on Instagram over the weekend. “So don’t limit yourself to any dream that you have.” She added that she is excited to meet the […]

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Turkey’s Erdogan tells supporters he does not ‘recognize LGBT’

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday he did not “recognize LGBT” and vowed to combat “perverse” trends which he said aimed to destroy the institution of family in the country. Turkey’s government, led by Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party, has toughened its stance on LGBTQ freedoms in recent months, particularly while campaigning for this year’s elections in May. Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but hostility to it is widespread, and police crackdowns on Pride parades have become tougher over the years. Speaking at an AK Party congress in Ankara, Erdogan, who has frequently labeled members of the LGBTQ […]

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LGBTQ+ youth center vandalized with paint & slurs three nights in a row

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An LGBTQ+ youth center in Spokane, Washington was vandalized three nights in a row last week, after already experiencing vandalism of its Pride mural a month ago.  On Thursday night, the sign for the Odyssey Youth Movement (OYM), located in the South Perry neighborhood, was covered in paint, as was the nearby rainbow crosswalk. The following evening, the windows and doors were covered in anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech. And finally, on Saturday night, a black pick-up truck left rubber tire treads across the rainbow crosswalk.  This isn’t the first time that 4-H has faced trouble over LGBTQ+ issues. “We’re all saddened […]

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NHL bans all theme-night gear, including Pride symbols, from uniforms

The NHL issued a sweeping ban against on-ice theme night gear, barring clubs from having players wear rainbow sweaters or use multicolored tape on sticks during Pride Night, for example, officials confirmed Tuesday. The move, first reported Monday by the LGBTQ news site Outsports, followed a 2022-23 season when a handful of players — including Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov and then-San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer — declined to participate in their clubs’ Pride Night celebrations. Outsports called the NHL’s new directive “the most stifling, anti-LGBTQ policy any pro sports league in North America has ever issued.” Representatives for the NHL and the players union […]

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