Ukraine should reform its laws to combat homophobic hate crimes and Albania should give more rights to same-sex couples and trans people, a top European rights body said on Wednesday, amid a backlash against LGBT+ rights in Eastern Europe.
Poland: The European Commission intervenes on “LGBT-free” zones. This letter could be groundbreaking
UK: Coronavirus Sex Ban In Britain Has People Frolicking And The Government Mocked
The questions — half serious, half joking — about what has become known as the coronavirus “sex ban,” #sexban, range from “does the British government intend to prevent its citizens from getting laid?” and “is it banning casual sex?” to insinuations that new official instructions issued to the public this week “to continue to control the virus and save lives” could be promoting intercourse in outside places.
Hungary: More than 10,000 have already asked the Ombudsman to do his job
Malaysia’s top court to hear challenge to law which punishes gay sex with prison
Russia: 'Completely Crazy': Activists Slam Antigay Ad As Russia's Constitutional Vote Looms
Albania: ECRI welcomes Albania’s significant progress, but some issues give rise to concern
Ukraine: Council of Europe’s anti-racism commission publishes conclusions on implementation of its priority recommendations
Australia: SA led the way for many reforms, so why is 'gay panic' still a defence?
South Australia has a reputation as a progressive state based on several milestones in its political history. It was the first to grant parliamentary voting rights to women, in 1894. It was also first to decriminalise homosexuality, and was at the forefront of the push for Aboriginal land rights during the 1970s. But a legal loophole allowing murder charges to be downgraded has remained
UK: Having sex with someone you don't live with is illegal from today under coronavirus lockdown laws
ILGA-Europe and ERA joint statement on the Decision of the Constitutional Court of North Macedonia to repeal the Law on Prevention of and Protection against Discrimination
Malaysian Launches Test Case Against Gay Sex Law
A Malaysian man has launched the country's first legal challenge against Islamic laws banning gay sex, a test case supporters said Wednesday could help combat growing persecution of the LGBT community.
He was charged last year for allegedly attempting to have "intercourse against the order of nature", and several others in the same case have already pleaded guilty and were caned as a punishment.
Critics say the climate is worsening for the gay community in Muslim-majority Malaysia, with several states enacting their own Islamic laws banning gay sex.
But campaigners believe victory in the challenge at Malaysia's top court could help halt the trend of local sharia authorities introducing harsh legislation targeting gay people.
"The case could discourage state overreach in terms of law making," Thilaga Sulathireh, from campaign group LGBTIQ+ Network, told the media.
The immediate impact of a victory would likely be to halt ongoing cases under Islamic law only in Selangor state, where the plaintiff was charged, but campaigners may then bring cases against other states.
The man, who has not been named, is challenging accusations levelled against him in an Islamic court at Malaysia's Federal Court on the grounds they breach the constitution, his lawyer Surendra Ananth told reporters. Read more via Asean Post