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Olympics: U.S. women's 3x3 basketball team wins gold
The U.S. team of Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young won the first women's gold medal in the new Olympic sport of 3x3 basketball, The Chicago Tribune reported. Plum scored all five of ...
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Olympics: Japan tops U.S. in gold-medal softball game
In the Olympics, host country Japan beat the United States 2-0 to take the gold medal on July 27. Softball was added to the games at host country Japan's request, and from the moment it became ...
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Olympics: Women's soccer team advances to quarterfinals
United States women's national team (USWNT) forward Alex Morgan had a goal disallowed as the squad settled for a 0-0 tie with Australia in its final game of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics group stage, ESPN.com noted. ...
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Gay British diver wins Olympic gold
The British team of Tom Daley and Matty Lee narrowly won the 10-meter synchronized diving competition on July 26 at the Tokyo Olympics, upsetting favored China and keeping the diving powerhouse from any chance of a ...
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WORLD Marriage in Chile, Polish website, Toronto news, 'Reclaim Pride' march
On July 21, Chile's Senate approved an equal-marriage bill, DW.com reported. The regulations were presented during the second government of the socialist Michelle Bachelet (2014-2018) and last June 1, during ...
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Hungarian protesters defy prime minister with sizable march
In Hungary, approximately 30,000 people joined the annual Pride celebrations in the capital of Budapest on July 24, with attendees marching in colorful outfits in support of inclusion and freedom, according to CNN.com. However, this year ...
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WORLD Cameraman dies, order for Russia, French priest, 'Benedetta'
A Georgian TV cameraman who was among dozens of journalists attacked by a right-wing mob during chaos aimed at pro-LGBTQ campaigners has died, RFERL.org reported. Co-workers of Lekso Lashkarava, 37, said July 11 that he had ...
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Billie Jean King part of group inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame
Lesbian trailblazer and icon Billie Jean King was one of 12 people inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 17, according to the hall's website. The Class of 2021 includes coach Dennis Van ...
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Israel court: Surrogacy for same-sex couples should be allowed
On July 11, Israel's High Court of Justice ruled hat the state must allow same-sex couples and single men to become parents through surrogacy, after the government said last week that passing a law to this ...
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WORLD Anti-LGBTQ crimes, conversion therapy, out prime minister, Pakistan school
In England, police are treating the painting of a homophobic slur on an LGBTQ Pride mural as a hate crime, the BBC reported. The wall in St Helens, Merseyside, which was painted by volunteers and artists ...
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Spanish authorities arrest three in beating death of gay man
In Spain, authorities said they have arrested three men for the brutal beating death of a gay man July 3 that sparked widespread protests across the country, out.com noted, citing El Mundo. Nursing assistant Samuel Luiz, ...
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WORLD Historic ruling, Pope Francis, photo contest, Methodist Church
In a first-of-its-kind decision in Latin America, The Inter-American Court of Human Rights found the Honduran state guilty of the extrajudicial execution of transgender activist Vicky Hernandez, which occurred June 28-29, 2009, according to The Washington ...
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Ten incredible places to visit in Armenia
Armenia is one of the most fascinating places in the world, with rich millennia-old history, ancient monuments, majestic countryside, lush highlands and much more. I just came back from this country. It was my third time ...
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WORLD Peter Tatchell, conversion therapy, Hong Kong ruling, Mexico report
Longtime British LGBTQ-rights activist Peter Tatchell is the subject of the new Netflix documentary Hating Peter Tatchell. According to an op-ed he penned for The Guardian, Tatchell has "been violently assaulted [more than] 300 times, had ...
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European Union confronts Hungary's leader over LGBTQ rights
The Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte challenged Hungary Prime Minister Viktor Orban to trigger the process of leaving the European Union (EU) as an argument over LGBTQ rights deepened Orban's isolation in the bloc, Time reported. ...
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More than 100,000 attend Tel Aviv Pride
More than 100,000 people gathered along Tel Aviv's seafront promenade June 25 to march in the largest Pride parade held worldwide since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a press release announced. The Jerusalem Post noted ...
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WORLD Poland march, Google's donation, Ireland incidents, True Colors
In Poland, thousands marched through central Warsaw on June 19 in an "Equality Parade" demanding an end to discrimination against the LGBT community—amid what campaigners said has been a rising tide of homophobia in the country ...
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WORLD India court, trans death, Guatemalan LGBTQs, Gay Games
A court in India ordered state and federal officials to draw up plans for sweeping reforms to respect LGBTQ rights, in a ruling that went far beyond the terms of a case brought by a lesbian couple who said they had ...
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WORLD: Domestic violence, activist dies, Jerusalem Pride, Olympics
On May 28, the LGBTQ Domestic Violence Foundation launched its #SeenAndBelieved campaign to shine a light on the prevalence of DFV (domestic and family violence) in LGBTQ communities, aiming to break down the barriers to victims ...
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WORLD Twitch, AIDS activist dies, Europe and LGBTQ laws, India hearing
COMPILED BY WCT STAFF The world's largest game streaming service, Twitch, said that players will be able to add a transgender label to their videos—a move the company said would aid inclusion among its 30 million ...
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WORLD Myanmar activist, Cyprus official, brutal crimes, UK youth
In Myanmar, Equality Myanmar Executive Director Aung Myo Min broke another barrier, becoming the first LGBTQ person to become sworn in as a member of cabinet after being appointed by the National Unity Government as its ...
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MUSIC Adam Lambert to curate, perform at 'Stonewall Day'
The organization Pride Live announced its fourth annual Stonewall Day—a global campaign to elevate awareness and support for the Stonewall legacy and the continuing fight for full LGBTQ+ equality. This year, Pride Live is teaming with ...
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International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia observed May 17
--From May17.org
LGBTQI+ networks, individuals and allies from around the world took part in the 2021 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia again this year on May 17. The theme for this year's events was "Together: Resisting, ...
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WORLD: Toronto schools, shocking death, trans women sentenced, Elton John
The Toronto Catholic District School Board plans to celebrate Pride Month every June, starting this year, CBC.ca reported. The board's trustees voted in favor of flying rainbow flags outside its office and all of its schools ...
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International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Biphobia to take place May 17
--From a press release
LGBTQI+ networks, individuals and allies from around the world will be celebrating the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia again this year on Monday, May 17. The theme for this year's events, known also as ...
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UK to ban conversion therapy
Britain will move to ban conversion therapy and provide more support to those in the LGBT community who have undergone the treatment, as part of its post-pandemic government agenda, Reuters reported. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government ...
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WORLD Parenting news, Tonga activist, pension fight, drag personality
A Croatian court has ruled that same-sex partners can now adopt children, backing a same-sex couple in their five-year fight for the right to family life, Openly News reported. On April 21, Zagreb's Administrative Court ruled ...
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Refugee Coalition of East Africa calls for attention to anti-queer violence
--From a press release
On May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia will be observed worldwide, followed by many celebrations of Pride in the month of June. We at the Refugee Coalition of East Africa will raise ...
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WORLD Caribbean group, hate crime, 'Queen of the Pacific,' volcano wedding
A Caribbean advocacy group launched a fund to help LGBTQ people who have been impacted by the eruption of a volcano on the island of St. Vincent, The Washington Blade reported. The Eastern Caribbean Alliance for ...
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WORLD Namibia ruling, U.S. embassies, Kenya refugee camp, trans teen
Namibia's High Court ruled against a gay couple battling to obtain travel documents for their twin daughters, born to a surrogate in South Africa, after authorities refused to do so on the basis the infants were ...
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WORLD Peru items, Kenya, UK government, Poland city
The first lesbian elected to Peru's Congress promised to put up a "strong battle" for LGBTQ+ rights in the South American nation as two social conservatives go head to head for a presidential run-off vote in ...
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International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia theme announced
--From a collective press release
LGBTQI+ networks from around the world have announced the theme for this year's International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia: "Together: Resisting, Supporting, Healing!" We are inspired by this very ...
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SPORTS Rapinoe, Morgan lift U.S. to victory over France
The U.S. Women's Soccer National Team beat France 2-0 on April 13 in a friendly match against France behind goals by veterans Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, The Olympic Channel noted. The duo won Olympic gold ...
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Groups respond to death of queer refugee after attack on Kenyan camp
LGBTQ+ people living in a refugee camp in northwestern Kenya have had to deal with a series of homophobic attacks by other residents and locals—and, now, one individual has passed away after an arson-related attack in ...
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WORLD Trans women arrested, death threats, Russian film, leader apologizes
Two transgender women facing charges of "attempted homosexuality" (as well as public indecency and not carrying identification) in a high-profile case in Cameroon will spend more than two months behind bars without a trial after a ...
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Russian leader Putin officially bans same-sex marriage
On April 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a series of constitutional amendments that, among other things, formally defines marriage as between a man and a woman in the country, The Washington Blade reported. ...
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WORLD Uzbek activist, hate-crimes report, Ghana arrests, Chely Wright
Uzbek activist Miraziz Bazarov was hospitalized after he was attacked by unknown men hours after his public event was disrupted by dozens of aggressive men in Tashkent, RFERL.org reported. Physicians at the Tashkent Traumatology Hospital said ...
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Global momentum for marriage equality surges,"Freedom to Marry Global" website created
--From a freedomtomarry.org press release
April 1st marks twenty years since the Netherlands ended the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage, becoming the first of so far 30 countries worldwide to affirm the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. Now, two ...
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WORLD Pride in London, racist drag shows, Korean defector, Alan Turing
Pride in London announced that its five most senior members, including its co-chairs, will step down following damning accounts of racism and bullying, PinkNews reported. The non-profit has been deluged by demands for new leadership after ...
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WORLD Landmark ruling, Montreal's Gay Village, acid attack, anti-LGBTQ laws
In a landmark ruling, a Japanese court ruled that the government's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, NPR noted. Article 24 of Japan's constitution defines marriage as based on the "mutual consent of both sexes," which ...
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LETTER The Vatican's words and actions do not echo love
The LGBTQA community is responding with shock, anger and frustration at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith statement concerning same-sex unions. Many in our community can't understand why Pope Francis would allow such a ...
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DignityUSA: Vatican denying same-sex blessings "Exacerbates pain and anger"
--From a press release
March 15, 2021. DignityUSA, the organization of Catholics working for justice, equality, and full inclusion of LGBTQI people in the church and society, is deeply disappointed by the Vatican's statement unequivocally denying blessings to same-sex coupl ...
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Vatican won't bless same-sex unions
The Catholic Church said it cannot bless same-sex unions, adding that it is "not licit" to bless relationships that involve sexual activity outside of marriage, according to an NBC News item. The Congregation for the Doctrine ...
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WORLD Adoption ban, trans soldier, Belgium killing, archbishop
Same-sex couples will be barred from adopting children in Poland even as single parents, under a new law announced by a nationalist ruling party that has made anti-gay policies a major part of its governing platform, ...
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WORLD Court rulings, trans kids' books, activist dies, Naomi Campbell
A Chinese court upheld a ruling that a textbook description of homosexuality as "a psychological disorder" was not a factual error but merely an "academic view," according to the South China Morning Post. The Chinese LGBT ...
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Lesbian Amanda Nunes defends UFC title
Amanda Nunes—a Brazilian lesbian who many consider to be the great women's mixed-martial artist of all time—successfully defended one of her UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) titles on Feb. 6. Nunes—who ...
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WORLD Ghana turmoil, Malaysia case, Copenhagen 2021, Brazil churches
Anti-gay outcry has forced Ghana's first LGBT+ community center to temporarily close to protect its staff and visitors three weeks after it opened, Reuters reported. Church groups, politicians and anti-gay rights groups have called on the ...
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WORLD Canadian groups, Moroccan refugee, LGBT+ Rights Ghana, trans heroine
From $400,000 in funding for a national initiative aimed at expanding two-spirit advocacy, to $239,000 to improve LGBTQ youth housing access in the Prairies, 76 Canadian community groups are being sent nearly $15 million from the ...
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Commission: Jamaica should repeal same-sex ban
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the top rights body of the Americas, said in a symbolic landmark ruling on Feb. 17 that Jamaica should repeal its colonial-era gay sex ban, Reuters reported. Two Jamaicans ...
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WORLD School items, Olympics, Angola law, Dutch senate
Toronto's Catholic school board reinstated the link to an LGBT support phone line on its website following outrage from the community, according to Yahoo! News, citing The Canadian Press. The school board removed LGBT YouthLine from ...
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WORLD Turkish items, Gibraltar couple, lesbian lawmaker dies, Australia
In Turkey, four students were arrested over artwork that reportedly depicted LGBT rainbow symbols alongside an image of a sacred Islamic site, the BBC reported. Students at Bogazici University in Istanbul have been protesting against the ...
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Biden issues global pro-LGBTQI memorandum
On Feb. 4, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a presidential memorandum aimed at expanding protection of the rights of LGBTQI people worldwide, including potentially through the use of financial sanctions, U.S. News & World Report reported. ...
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WORLD Trans honoree, Sophie dies, famous Africans come out, Leo Varadkar
In India, the list of Padma awards recipients this year included a transgender individual from Karnataka who has, over the past many decades, practiced and single-handedly popularized rural folk arts, according to NDTV. For Manjamma Jogathi, ...
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Removing "Global Gag" will benefit millions of women worldwide, leaders comment
--From press releases
On Jan. 28, President Joe Biden signed a presidential memorandum that will reverse restrictions on abortion access domestically and abroad imposed and expanded by the Trump administration, CNN.com reported. ...
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Pioneering AIDS researcher Dr. Joseph Sonnabend dead at 88
--From a media release by HIVPlusMagazine
Pioneering AIDS researcher and clinician Joseph Sonnabend, 88, died Jan. 24, 2021 at the Wellington Hospital in London, after suffering a heart attack on Jan.3, 2021. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a physician mother and ...
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WORLD Global Fund, Croatian case, Poland items, Hillsong
In 2020, the Global Fund signed 157 grants for a total of $8.54 billion for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria programs and to strengthen systems for health—and this is the highest number of grants the program ever ...
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WORLD Workplace index, Japan survey, stories of the year, Buttigieg
Two years after the India's Supreme Court decriminalized homosexuality, employment for the LGBTQ community is slowly gaining acceptance in the private sector—to the point where there is now an India Workplace Equality Index, RFI.fr reported. The ...
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Gay influencers called out for partying in Mexico during pandemic
A social-media account called GaysOverCovid has been exposing the gay men of the world for continuing their hard-partying, jet-setting lifestyles in the midst of a pandemic, according to media outlets such as DListed.com. For instance, Chicago-based ...
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WORLD Lithuania outlook, HIV/AIDS and COVID, lawyer arrested, trans youth
Lithuania appears set to legalize same-sex civil partnerships next year, but same-sex marriage could be up to a decade away, according to Tomas Raskevicius—the country's only openly LGBT+ lawmaker, Reuters reported. "We're going to submit t ...
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WORLD Gender-identity studies, religion items, Hungary's ban
Romania's Constitutional Court overturned a ban on gender-identity studies voted through by lawmakers but which rights groups and universities said would infringe on human rights and fuel discrimination, Openly News ...
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Switzerland's parliament okays marriage equality,
residents to have final say
On Dec. 18, the Swiss parliament approved a bill allowing same-sex couples to marry, finally bringing the nation in line with much of Europe on LGBTQ rights, TheLocal.ch reported. However, the Swiss residents themselves will have ...
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International LGBTI Assn reports on criminalization, 69 countries have bans
--From a press release
Geneva, 15 Dec. 2020 — Despite considerable progress in legal protection for lesbian, gay and bisexual people, 69 UN member States continue to criminalise consensual same-sex activity, ILGA World (The ...
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WORLD: Bhutan's pro-gay move, LGBTQ+ refugees, official comes out
A joint sitting of both houses of Bhutan's parliament approved a bill to legalize gay sex, making the tiny Himalayan kingdom the latest Asian nation to take steps toward easing restrictions on same-sex relationships, Reuters reported. ...
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England allows gay and bisexual men to donate blood
England has relaxed blood-donation rules for gay and bisexual men. Gay and bisexual men will be able to donate blood more easily from next summer following a landmark policy change, The Guardian reported. Men in a ...
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WORLD Dutch apology, Swiss gov't, Victory Institute, 'Queer Japan'
The Dutch government issued a formal apology to transgender and intersex citizens who were required to undergo sterilization surgeries to legally change their gender and agreed to compensate some of those who underwent the procedures, The ...
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WORLD German soldiers, UK HIV rates, OutRight, Chopin
Chancellor Angela Merkel's government agreed on a draft bill that would compensate gay soldiers who faced discrimination in the armed forces between 1955 and 2000, TheLocal.de reported. Under the proposed law, which needs to be approved ...
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WORLD European Union, groundbreaking case, Caster Semenya
The European Union announced its first strategy to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people, out.com noted. Many saw the development as a response to the rising anti-LGBTQ+ hate and rhetoric in Poland and Hungary. The new ...
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WORLD Trans deaths, China census, Rob Halford, Hungary measure
Globally, at least 350 transgender people have been killed this year (2020)—a figure that has risen since last year's total of 331, Forbes noted. The annual list, released for Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20) by ...
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WORLD Canada museum, gay NZ leader, marriage items, 'Drag Race'
The embattled Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) said it's planning sweeping changes to rebuild the organization more than four months after staff came forward with shocking allegations of racism and LGBT censorship, CBC.ca reported. The ...
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WORLD Taiwan marriages, Nigeria court, protests, GQ Awards
Two women became the first military officers to marry their same-sex civilian partners at a mass military wedding in Taiwan—marking another landmark for LGBTQ+ rights in Asia, CNN.com reported. The island's defense ministry called it an ...
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VIEWPOINT Is Pope Francis' support of civil unions just lip service?
Pope Francis has expressed support for civil unions in the Catholic Church. Once again, the pontiff has sent shockwaves across the globe to 1.3 billion of his followers with another LGBTQ- affirming statement. However, this one ...
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WORLD Church leaders, Amnesty International, students
Pope Francis included a U.S. archbishop who has made several strong, positive statements about LGBTQ people in the group of 13 church leaders named cardinals; there are also a bishop from the island nation of Malta ...
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Pope calls for same-sex civil unions in documentary (UPDATED)
In a departure from the position held by the Vatican's doctrinal office, Pope Francis called for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples in a documentary that aired in Rome, NBC News noted. "Homosexuals ...
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WORLD French plan, 'gay panic' defense, trans youth case, Northern Triangle
The French government unveiled a national plan to combat hatred and discrimination against LGBTQ people, and the initiative emphasises the importance of inclusive education in stamping out homophobia, RFI.fr reported. The three-year plan aims to make ...
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WORLD India couple, Japan items, pro-trans writers, Nigeria job fair
In India, a same-sex couple approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal recognition of their marriage under the Foreign Marriage Act, India.com reported. The petitioners, an Indian citizen and an overseas citizen, are two gay men ...
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