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Botswana’s High Court Decriminalizes Homosexuality

The Independent reports: Botswana has decriminalised homosexuality. The southern African nation’s High Court rejected sections of the penal code that criminalise same-sex relations and impose up to seven years in prison .Activists and rights groups cheered the unanimous ruling, which called the sections unconstitutional. High Court said in its ruling that penalising people for who they are is disrespectful, and the law should not deal with private acts between consenting adults. The right to privacy includes sexual orientation, which is innate and not a fashion statement, the judges said. The Washington Post reports: Reading the unanimous ruling of a panel of judges in […]

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Vatican Rejects Trans People, says They ‘Annihilate the Concept of Nature’

The Vatican has issued a statement rejecting trans people, saying they ‘annihilate…the concept of nature’. In a new document issued during Pride Month, the Congregation for Catholic Education has issued a crushing statement on trans issues. The office responsible for overseeing education calls trans people experiencing ‘nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants’. ‘Male And Female He Created Them’, was released by the Vatican on 10 June without prior announcement. It is described as an ‘aid for Catholic schoolteachers and parents’. The document is also signed by Italians Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi and […]

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Armed Neo-Nazi Group Disrupts Detroit Pride with Police Escorts

An armed group of self-described white supremacists have crashed Detroit Pride with the help of police escorts. The incident happened yesterday (Saturday, 8 June).N The National Socialist Movement (NSM) disturbed the annual Motor City Pride Festival in Detroit, Michigan with swastika flags, Nazi salutes, and other offensive items. ‘[The National Socialist Movement] NSM will be armed and counter-protesting the freaks,’ wrote Burt Colucci, the self-identified ‘commander’ of NSM, on Russian social network VK. ‘NSM, let’s put some boots on the ground!! I don’t really give a damn about op-sec or Antifa in this situation. We go in with Swastikas blazing and if […]

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Chanel Scurlock, a Black Trans Woman, was Murdered in North Carolina

In the early hours of 6 June, North Carolina authorities found the body of Chanel Scurlock, a black transgender woman, in Lumberton. They found Scurlock’s body in a field near Old Town Road in the city. She was shot to death and her car was missing. Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins told local news outlet The Robesonianinvestigators have ‘great leads’ into her death. ‘Robeson County sheriff’s detectives are currently working diligently to bring closure to a grieving family,’ Wilkins added. ‘This cowardly act has to be addressed and a person or persons will be held accountable and brought to justice.’ The Robesonian and other outlets, however, […]

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YouTube Reverses Decision, Starts Removing Supremacist Channels

In an about-face, YouTube announced it would start removing channels promoting extreme views. This included reversing a decision about right-wing commentator Steven Crowder. The video platform has recently received a slew of criticism for its handling of the Crowder situation. It all began when YouTube announced an investigation into Crowder after journalist Carlos Maza claimed Crowder was targeting him with racist and homophobic harassment. A few days later, YouTube said Crowder’s videos did not violate its harassment policies. All of that changed on Wednesday (5 June) with a new policy change from the company. YouTube bans extremism The company said in a blog post it would be banning video ‘alleging that a group is superior […]

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San Marino Bans Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation

The enclave state of San Marino has banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. The citizens of the small state in the Italian peninsula has voted in a referendum. The motion passed with 71.46% of votes on Sunday 2 June. This is another major victory for the local LGBTI community. Until 2004, homosexuality in the country was punishable by three to 12 months of jail time. The attitude towards the community has changed over the last few years. In November 2018, San Marino also passed civil union laws for same-sex couples. The LGBTI community in San Marino Article 4 of the constitution will now […]

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President Trump Must Honor 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Riots, LGBTQ Movement

GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today called on President Donald Trump and his administration to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots by declaring June as National Pride Month. The riots at the Stonewall Inn back on June 28,1969 sparked the creation of the LGBTQ movement and the beginning fight toward LGBTQ acceptance across the nation. “In just fifty years, LGBTQ Americans have become indispensable to the United States of America thanks to the hard work of countless LGBTQ leaders who bravely called out injustice and hate. Yet, as LGBTQ acceptance around the U.S. spreads, President Trump […]

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Town that Survived a Deadly Typhoon is Putting on its First Pride

A village in the Philippines which has survived typhoons, poverty and isolation will rise together to host its first Pride. The LGBTI community in San Julian in Eastern Samar is working hard despite a limited budget to put on Rampa Este.  ‘Rampa’ is Filipino gay slang which means ‘sashay’ or walk with pride or happiness. ‘Este’ means east in the local Waray language. Rampa Este is a jam packed multi-day festival. Organizers launched with painting a rainbow crossing in the middle of towns. Festival founder, Roel Andag, said the rainbow crossing sent a message. That message was not only to people […]

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Trump Administration to US Embassies: ‘You Can’t Fly Rainbow Flags’

The Trump administration, in another move against the LGBTI community, is rejecting US embassies’ request to fly rainbow flags for Pride month. This comes only days after Donald Trump acknowledged Pride Month for the first time ever in his presidency. Three American diplomats confirmed the reports from the embassies to NBC News. They said requests from Israel, Germany, Brazil and Latvia have all been denied request to fly rainbow flags outside their buildings. While the embassies are allowed to display the rainbow flag elsewhere, including inside the buildings, they are not allowed to fly it on the main flagpole. According to NBC’s reporting, Brian Bulatao, the State Department’s undersecretary for […]

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LGBT Americans Don’t Identify with Faith Groups, but Most still Believe in God

A new analysis has found that three-quarters of lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans believe in God, but many don’t identify as part of an organised religion. The finding comes from a Pew Research Center analysis of data from the 2014 Religious Landscape Study. According to the survey data, 77 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in America say that they believe in God, compared to 89 percent to straight adults. But despite three-quarters of gay adults believing in God, only 59 percent of LGB respondents identify as a Christian or another non-Christian faith, compared to 78 percent for heterosexuals. Although lesbian, gay […]

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