Transgender people might be more visible than ever, but across much of Europe having their gender identity recognised by law remains either impossible, or beset by obstacles. The group Transgender Europe has released a report with a wealth of detailed findings about the differing rights of trans people across the continent. The study compared policies and laws for trans people in 22 different areas, including asylum, employment discrimination, hate speech laws, goods and services discrimination, and whether official documents can be changed to register gender identity. Read more
Kenya newspaper prints list of 'top homos'
Citizen Weekly has exposed 12 LGBTI activists and leaders. Several were previously in the closet. While some are known internationally as spokespeople for the community, others included a closeted senator and a gospel singer.
Activists fear the newspaper will incite mob violence, similar to when Ugandan activist David Kato was killed after being 'named and shamed' on the front page of a tabloid in 2010. While the front page headline reads: 'TOP GAYS, LESBIANS LIST IN KENYA OUT', the actual article does not call for violence or murder like other past tabloid lists of this nature. Read More
Kenya: Dep. President says 'no room for gays' in country
Kenya's deputy president has said there is "no room" for homosexuality in the country’s society, the latest comments from an African government to anger activists and likely annoy Western donors. William Ruto made the remarks at a church service Sunday, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived for talks.
"The Republic of Kenya is a republic that worships God. We have no room for gays," Ruto told a Nairobi church congregation in Swahili, according to an online video posted by Kenyan broadcaster KTN. Speaking to Reuters on Monday, Ruto's spokesman Emmanuel Talam confirmed the deputy president's remarks, adding: "The government believes that homosexual relations are unnatural and un-African." Read More
Russia: Moscow police break-up rally, detain activists
Moscow policemen disrupted the Rainbow Flashmob dedicated to IDAHO, as reported by participants of the rally in their blogs on social networks. The event of launching colored balloons to the sky was to be held in the Yekaterininskiy Park, but police stopped the rally.
Activist Nikolai Kavkazskiy said “The police brought me to the bus and said that they were not detaining me, but forwarding me somewhere.” According to him, a total of 14 police officers detained LGBT activists, who planned to take part in the celebration. The detainees were taken to the police station, then policemen seized their documents and demanded to undergo fingerprinting. Read More
France: Top anti-gay hate group becomes a political party
Manif Pour Tous, a group that came to fame protesting same-sex marriage in France, is becoming a political party. But the group says it doesn’t want to win elections. Instead, they admit that their new status will mean they benefit from tax breaks and donors will be able to make tax-deductible gifts. Manif Pour Tous willcontinue to lobby in the political sphere and will make voting recommendations.
The National Assembly of France passed marriage equality rights in 2013. Read More
Bangladesh: TV actress commits suicide over social stigma of same-sex relationship
She wooed audiences with her performances in popular Bengali sitcom, Tumi Ashbey Bole but gave in to the social pressure created by her same-sex relationship. From a journal left behind, police say social stigma over her same-sex relationship with another TV actress led her to commit suicide.
After the actress Ganguly was linked to learned of her suicide, she also attempted suicide, jumping in front of a running train at Howrah station. However, bystanders rescued the actress. Currently, she is undergoing treatment at a hospital after sustaining minor injuries. Read More
US: Trans woman, 23, kills herself after being attacked online
Rachel Bryk jumped off the George Washington Bridge, the bridge between New York and New Jersey, on Thursday night. An eyewitness is believed to have seen the young woman leave her purse on the bridge and jump off into the Hudson River.
Rachel is the 8th trans person in the US to commit suicide in the last 5 months. Also in the last 5 months, 8 trans people have been murdered in the US. Read More
India: Mr Gay World entrant, family go into hiding
India's homophobia has cost the country its representation in the Mr Gay World (MGW) 2015 – the international pageant for gay men that seeks to establish ambassadors for LGBTQ and human rights. Over 36 hours after Thahir Mohammed Sayyed, the entrant to MGW from Kochi, went into hiding with his family, he reached out on a social media platform and said: "I am withdrawing from the contest."
"I hope the organisers appreciate the difficulties I faced. I cannot take this pressure," he said in a message, refusing to come on the phone. "I have switched off my phone to prevent getting any 'unwanted' calls," he added.
Noemi Alberto (Director Asia) expressed surprise at the turn of events. "Thahir was very eager about this competition; however, it is totally understandable even if he withdraws," she said. The Indian Union Muslim League leader said, "I can understand it is a peculiar situation, because homosexuality is not allowed under Islamic law as well as Constitution. But the Kerala government is committed to the safety of its citizens." Read More
ISIS Execute "gay" man by stoning as he lays defenceless
Only days after pictures emerged of hugging then executing two men, Islamic State fighters have reportedly thrown another man, accused of being gay, off a building and stoned him to death after he survived the fall. The campaigning group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a Syrian based campaign against ISIS and the Assad regime, have reported that a man accused of being gay was thrown from a building in Iraq and stoned on the ground after surviving the fall. Warning graphic images
Syria: The ISIS hug of death for gays
Shocking photos of two gay men being hugged by their executioner before being stoned to death have surfaced online. For Islamic State sympathizers and members tweeting their responses, the hugs of death are meant as an expression of compassion, a gesture of forgiveness—before the gruesome reality of their murder.
The photographs are the latest propaganda images purportedly showing gay men being murdered by the jihadists, who have also stoned women for adultery, beheaded suspected dissenters and filmed on two occasions young boys shooting men the Islamic State has claimed were spies. A video on Sunday appears to show fighters from its branches in Libya executing dozens of Ethiopian Christians, some by beheading and others by shooting. Read More
Brazil: Outrage after transgender prisoner ‘stripped, beaten’ and head shaved by police in Brazil
LGBT groups have expressed their outrage after a transgender prisoner in Brazil was allegedly beaten by police and prison guards. Graphic images have emerged showing Veronica Bolina stripped naked, her head shaved and swollen, lying partially naked on the ground in front of a group of officers and other prisoners in Sao Paulo.
It was reported that Bolina was set upon by officers on three different occasions after being taken into custody. However, officials have denied that she is being victimised. It has been claimed that her injuries were the result of a struggle after she bit an officer on the ear.
LGBT groups have condemned the attack. One campaigner Susane Montalvo Sarabia, said: "It is just sickening that in this day and age such things as this still happen. They have pulverised that poor woman's face and are now trying to cover it up. Whether she is innocent, guilty, transgender or straight doesn't matter. The police should not be allowed to do this to anyone." Read More
UK: Jim Wells resigns as Northern Ireland health minister over 'anti-gay' remarks
Jim Wells stepped down after the police received a complaint about comments he is said to have made to a gay couple while out canvassing in the general election. Wells was already under fire for appearing to link gay relationships to child abuse during an election debate. His resignation highlights one of the major problems that Ed Miliband or David Cameron face if they chose to form a minority government backed by Democratic Unionist Party.
It also exposes the deep strain of evangelical Christian hostility towards gay people from within the DUP, drawing accusations from the likes of the Liberal Democrats that it is not fit to determine the shape of the next government. Nick Clegg said Wells’ comments showed that the DUP “mask had slipped”.
Wells last week caused a furore when he said: “You don’t bring a child up in a homosexual relationship. That a child is far more likely to be abused and neglected,” before he was shouted down by members of the audience. Read More