Tag: LGBTQ people

Government officials in at least 30 towns, villages, and regional assemblies throughout the staunchly Catholic country of Poland have declared themselves to be “free of LGBT ideology”. Does this mean these places are “free” of LGBTQ people as well? And what exactly is the supposed “LGBT ideology,” since there are as many “ideologies” as there are LGBTQ people. Unlike Polish officials’ apparent conceptualizations, we do not constitute a monolithic community marching in lockstep. According to the Polish LGBTQ non-profit civil rights...

The High Court of Singapore made a surprising ruling that allowed a same-sex couple to adopt their child who was conceived through surrogacy in the United States, according to South China Morning Post. The couple was denied the right to adopt last year. A three-judge panel led by Sundaresh Menon ruled that the adoption bid should go through as it would “increase the child’s prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship and securing long-term residence in Singapore." The court considered Singapore's public policy...

Homophobes and the religious intolerant are using a recent fire to spread homophobic rhetoric. On Tuesday (August 29), a sudden blaze broke out at the Primark building in Belfast, North Ireland. The 233-year-old building went up in smoke, but 80 firefights fought to make sure that the fire didn’t spread to any other buildings, according to Metro. While the building didn’t entirely burn down, experts are currently investigating what caused the fire and if the building’s structure is damaged beyond repair. As...

Governor Cuomo offered to officiate for them Gay couple Dylan Toften and Thomas Hurd went to the town clerk in Root, New York, a small town outside of Albany, to get their marriage license. They were ready to start their lives together as a wedded couple. Unfortunately, the town’s clerk, Laurel Eriksen, denied their request — despite the fact that same-sex marriage has been legal in the state of New York since 2011, and the United States at large since 2015. Toften...

Over the next few months, thousands of people will take to the streets of the UK and beyond to celebrate and show solidarity with the LGBTQ community. With more Pride events than ever before, it’s great to see so many towns and cities around the world embracing our community. Recently there has been some debate whether or not Pride is still a protest. In my opinion, until each and every member of the LGBTQ community around the world is free...

New research has found that Iceland is the most gay-friendly country on Earth. The report, titled Polarized Progress: Social Acceptance of LGBT People in 141 Countries, found that 80 out of 141 countries had seen an increase in acceptance of LGBTQ people since 1980, while 46 had seen a decline, and 15 had seen no change. Researchers at the Williams Institute at UCLA analysed findings from 11 different surveys to develop their own LGBTQ Global Acceptance Index (GAI), which ranks the...

The stakes are high. The peculiarities of Northern Ireland politics have provided us with a unique and historic opportunity. With enough support, the right to marry the person you love, to be a full and a equal citizen of the UK, could finally come to the people of Northern Ireland. With direct rule in operation, the promise of a free vote in the UK Parliament from the Northern Ireland secretary, and a private member’s bill to be introduced at the end...

Several men have shared their experiences about the anti-LGBTQ crackdown happening in the country of Azerbaijan. One anonymous man told Radio Free Europe that he was tortured for nine days. “They gave me electric shocks.” “They beat me with a stick on my knees. I couldn’t move afterwards.” This man was one of dozens of gay and transgender people who have been arrested and tortured in the country. Many of which are being abused, beaten, forced into medical tests, and more. Including, trans...

An issue that remains a constant one for the LGBT community is how many of us are treated at the workforce. Work is supposed to be a place where you get your job done, but it seems as if there are many other issues going on in terms of bullying that are directed towards members of our community. A new study done by CareerBuilder shows that four out of 10 LGBT workers report feeling bullied at work, or 11 percentage...

South Africa's Parliament has officially endorsed International Coming Out Day. On Tuesday, MP Zakhele Mbhele (DA), introduced the motion. It notes that the goal of Coming Out Day is to, "create an environment where living openly and honestly as LGBTQ people is possible." It acknowledged the struggle of being LGBT, "one of the most powerful tools of activism because, at its most benign, prejudice and discrimination seek to shame and demean LGBTQ people into silence and invisibility." Lastly, it pledges solidarity, "the...

Kosovo held its first ever pride parade despite threats of violence. The parade, dubbed The Name of Love, was the first organized and previously announced march. Three earlier LGBTQ marches held in the country did exist, but they were more spontaneous in nature. The march itself started at Pristina's central Skanderbeg Square. Participants then marched for some 500 meters while chanting "There is no gender in love" before reaching Zahir Pajaziti Square where a concert was held. U.S. Ambassador Greg Delawie was...

Ahh, wedding season! If you haven’t seen my previous article on how gay men are always getting dumped by their best girlfriend, you wouldn’t know that I am officially a bridesmaid (yes!) at my best girlfriend’s upcoming wedding. I couldn’t be more excited to participate in my lifelong friend’s special day. I’m so thrilled for her, that I began thinking…I, as a gay man, can legally get married! How could I almost have forgotten?! Recently, I was in Chicago for...

Now there's Like, Heart, Rainbow, Smile, Wow, Sad, and Anger. It's like the Care Bears. During any normal month, there are five reactions on Facebook: Like, Heart, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry. But in honor of Pride month, Facebook's rolling out a new one: a rainbow. The social media network announced in a post on Friday, "We believe in building a platform that supports all communities. So we’re celebrating love and diversity this Pride by giving you a special reaction." June is...

Democrats reintroduced the Equality Act in Congress today that would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for LGBTQ people. The bill, if passed, would include protections from discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit, jury service, and public education. The bill was first introduced into Congress in 2015, and is reintroduced by sponsored Rep. David Cicilline, and Senators Jeff Merkley, Tammy Baldwin, and Cory Booker, as well...