Tag: LGBTI community

LGBTI people and allies took to the colorful streets of Shibuya today Tokyo has celebrated equality for all with the annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade on 28 April. Thousands of members of the LGBTI community and allies took to the streets of Shibuya Ward, in the capital of Japan. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwzeoJwpxQB/?utm_source=ig_embed The first Tokyo Pride was in 1994 This year marks the 25th anniversary of the first LGBTI event in Tokyo. It was, in fact, 1994 when the first Pride took place. Japan has come a...

This is exactly what it's like to be LGBTI under ISIS Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, fell to ISIS in June 2014. Everyone was affected, but so-called Islamic State targeted gay people in particular. It took nine months of intense military operations from Iraqi forces and their allies to recapture Mosul in July 2017. But for those three years, ISIS executed LGBTI people by blindfolding them and throwing them off rooftops, as well as stoning them. Daesh (ISIS) also enforced strict clothing limitations....

EXCLUSIVE: Extreme law to be passed in the next two weeks Brunei will pass its Sharia Penal Code (SPC) by 3 April, Gay Star News has learned. The controversial penal code includes death by stoning for people convicted of sodomy, among other numerous brutal sentences. Other Sharia punishments include the amputation of limbs for those found guilty of theft. Anyone found guilty of apostasy will be handed a death sentence. ‘I am extremely concerned by this move. Some of the laws that we...

Valedictorian, whose education was saved by crowdfund, is now helping other students facing similar fate A gay US student, who won support for his education after his parents disowned him, has launched a charity foundation. As reported by Gay Star News last year, Seth Owen won huge support via a crowdfunding campaign. The money raised allowed him to attend college, despite his parents shunning him for being gay. Now Owen is paying it forward to help other young people in similar circumstances....

Summit between EU and Arab leaders took place in Egypt - a country currently conducting a severe crackdown on LGBTI people Luxembourg’s prime minister Xavier Bettel confronted Arab leaders over anti-gay laws in a powerful speech. The first gay EU leader to be married said his same-sex marriage would condemn him to death in some of their countries. The conference room at a summit of EU and Arab states fell ‘silent’ when Bettel made his statement. ‘Saying nothing was not an option for...

Lawmaker previously likened LGBTI people to a terrorist group and the Ku Klux Klan A Republican lawmaker has given a threatening response when asked what he would do if his kids were gay. Eric Porterfield, a Trump-supporting West Virginia lawmaker, was also under fire this week. He has previously likened LGBTI people to a terrorist group and the Ku Klux Klan. Republican lawmaker grins as he said he would see if a gay child could ‘swim’ A WVVA reporter asked what would happen if...

It was one of his first actions after his inauguration Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has stayed true to his word and signed executive orders targeting the LGBTI community. The ‘proud homophobe’ used his first day in office to sign the orders. They will affect the LGBTI community, indigenous groups and descendants of slaves. Just hours after his inauguration Bolsonaro removed LGBTI issues from consideration at the new human rights ministry, according to the Associated Press. He did not name another agency...

All sex acts between consenting adults, whether straight or gay, will now be legal The LGBTI community in India is celebrating as its Supreme Court ruled to overturn a law criminalizing gay sex. India’s Supreme Court on Thursday (5 September) ruled to abolish the colonial-era, Section 377 of the Penal Code. India has a population of 1.3 billion and and estimated LGBTI population of 78 million making this the biggest decriminalization verdict in history. Judges ruling on the high profile LGBTI rights...

‘I really want to thank my husband who thought it was a good idea' High profile LGBT activist Bisi Alimi and his husband have just become the first gay couple interviewed on Nigerian television. Alimi has actively campaigned for LGBTI rights since bravely coming out on Nigerian TV about 14 years ago. Coming out cost Alimi his acting job on a Nigerian soap opera. His parents also kicked him out of home. But Alimi would go on to set up the...

'A couple is made up of a woman and a man.' Sorry, what? It was just another Saturday night in Bacoli, a maritime location 15km west of Naples, Italy. Giuseppe Pitirollo, 37, and his husband Daniele Bausilio, 28, were having dinner with another couple of friends on 23 June. They decided to go to a beach party organized at Lido Turistico Beach Park. Little did they know they were about to be bounced off for the worst possible reason. The couple claims...

Root for equality at tonight's match Russia - Saudi Arabia When audiences come to watch the first game of the World Cup tonight (14 June), there will be a secret LGBTI message hidden in plain sight. The first game will be between Russia and Saudi Arabia, two countries which prosecute against the LGBTI community. Using this link, fans will see a gay couple kissing with the Russian and Saudi Arabian flags on their cheeks. It is similar to the way Snapchat and Pokemon...

People are not happy about the last minute decision LGBTI people across India are reeling that Love, Simon has been delayed ‘indefinitely’. The popular gay coming of age movie was a worldwide hit. Its Indian release date was supposed to be 1 June. But people reported that when they tried to book tickets to previously announced screening times, they were no longer available. It is understood the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) banned Love, Simon because of the film’s gay content. Regardless of...

Hasan Atik's nomination comes at a time when the situation for LGBTI people in Turkey is 'deteriorating' An openly gay man has been nominated to run for a seat in Turkey’s upcoming snap elections. The People’s Democratic Party (HDP) included Hasan Atik on its list of candidates for the 24 June election. Atik has long campaigned for LGBTI and HIV rights. He will run for a seat in the north-west province of Edirne. The HDP is a left-leaning political group, known to be...

Even speaking up for LGBTI rights in Nigeria can get you into trouble A group of brave Nigerians have taken to the streets of the capital Lagos to show their solidarity with the country’s LGBTI people. The protesters hit the streets on the country’s National Day of Mourning to raise awareness about the homophobic violence and murders of LGBTI people. The National Day of Mourning commemorates the countless Nigerians who lost their lives to different kinds of violence. The Bisi Alimi Foundation...