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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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Threat to marriage equality looms at Supreme Court, Lambda Legal responds
--From a press release
(Washington, D.C., October 5, 2020) — Today, in a statement in Davis v. Ermold, authored by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and joined by Justice Samuel Alito, the Justices indicated a desire to overturn Obergefell v. ...
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WORLD Egypt arrests, Trans Legal Mapping Report, designer dies
In Egypt, authorities are accused of using dating apps and social media to track down and arrest queer folks in their latest attempt to "clean the streets," Out.com noted. Human Rights Watch interviewed 15 people who ...
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WORLD Iran report, Uruguay Pride parade, anti-gay terrorist
A new survey—"Hidden Wounds: A Research Report on Violence Against LGBTI in Iran," published by the Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network, 6Rang—is shedding light on the atrocities LGBTQ+ Iranians face on a daily basis, Out.com reported. ...
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WORLD Barbados items, EU's criticism, Billie Jean King, Equality Act
Barbados is ready to grant legal status to same-sex couples, in a major breakthrough for gay rights lobbying in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region, The Jamaica Gleaner reported. Gov. General Dame Sandra Mason made the announcement ...
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WORLD Argentina pro-trans move, Canada survey, Uganda groups, sports items
Argentina President Alberto Fernandez is now requiring 1% of public sector jobs be set aside for transgender people, LGBTQ Nation noted, citing Pagina 12. Fernandez signed a decree that reads, "Every [trans] person has a right ...
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WORLD Vancouver protest, dating apps, Budapest Pride, N. Ireland marriages
In Canada, protesters held a beach dance party in Vancouver's West End night in a bid to disrupt an event by a Toronto preacher who has been accused of anti-LGBTQ hate speech, CBC.ca reported. David Lynn, ...
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WORLD Tom of Finland, India items, Denmark legislation, PrEP study
The works of the iconic Finnish artist Tom of Finland will be exhibited in Japan for the first time ever, a press release noted. The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Finnish Institute ...
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WORLD Foreign aid policy, India trans council, torture claims, rainbow flag
The lead U.S. foreign aid agency has proposed a new policy on gender and women's empowerment that eliminates any mention of transgender people or contraceptives, ProPublica reported. The draft policy released by the U.S. Agency for ...
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WORLD Pride events, Queensland, Costa Rica refuge, George Michael
The pandemic may have forced Pride organizers to cancel their planned march this year in Sarajevo, but activists say they will compensate for this loss with many other activities, BalkanInsight.com noted. Preparations for the march—scheduled for ...
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World Rugby's proposed ban on transgender women sparks outcry
Citing recent research, a 38-page World Rugby transgender working group draft document is proposing a ban on transgender women from playing women's rugby. An anonymous leaked the draft document to The Guardian. Windy City Times was ...
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WORLD Israel incident, Cayman marriage, singer comes out, Poland arrests
The Israel Police arrested a 16-year-old from the central Israeli city of Lod on suspicion that he took part in a violent attack on two young gay men in the Jaffa Port, Haaretz reported. The suspect ...
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WORLD Human Rights Watch items, Indian prince, British Vogue
A Human Rights Watch report says that gay and bisexual men in Syria, along with transgender women, have been suffering horrific sexual violence in that nation during its civil war, Out.com noted. (The report is based ...
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WORLD Polish anti-LGBT zones, conversion therapy, HRC's Chile report
A Polish court annulled a town's LGBT-free zone declaration, Out.com noted, citing Polsat News. The provincial administrative court in Radom invalidated the Klwow Commune Council's resolution because the term "LGBT-free" refers to ...
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Panelists share anti-LGBTQ+ experiences in 'Torture' virtual discussion
The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) hosted a virtual event entitled "Reclaiming Identity: LGBTQ Experiences of Torture, Persecution, and Healing," on July 22. It showcased the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals who have been tortured and ...
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Activists fight against anti-LGBTQ+ zones and bias in Poland
There is a crisis happening in the LGBTQ+ community in Poland, as in many countries around the world. Poland's historically patriarchal and Christian values are deeply woven into social and political settings—and the effects on the ...
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MOVIES Film probes Chechen's anti-LGBTQ atrocities
The Toronto-based LGBT-rights advocacy Rainbow Railroad hosted an online discussion of the HBO documentary Welcome to Chechnya on July 16. That film, which premiered last month, details both hostilities facing LGBTQ persons in that Russian state, ...
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WORLD Israel's lawmakers, Poland, Pride flag, Global Pride grants
Israel swore in its latest openly gay lawmaker recently—marking a record for the country considered a regional pioneer on LGBT rights despite opposition from religious conservatives, VOA News reported. Yorai Lahav Hertzanu ...
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WORLD Conversion therapy, Thai measure, gay bars vandalized, Global Pride
The United Nations' Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity called for a global ban on the practices of so-called "conversion therapy," ...
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Instagram excludes harmful conversion therapy groups, Born Perfect applauds
--From a press release
MENLO PARK, CA — Instagram announced today that it will exclude content that promotes the harmful practice of conversion therapy — a step taken by the Facebook-owned social media platform to curtail online hatred and harmful ...
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Activists fight against anti-LGBTQ+ zones and bias in Poland
There is a crisis happening in the LGBTQ+ community in Poland, as in many countries around the world. Poland's historically patriarchal and Christian values are deeply woven into social and political settings—and the effects on the ...
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United Nations call for a global ban on conversion therapy, Born Perfect comments
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — Today, the United Nations' Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity called for a global ban on the practices ...
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WORLD African country's pro-LGBT move, Pride marches, lesbian singer
In a landmark decision on July 6, the Senate of Gabon voted to decriminalize same-sex relations with 59 votes in favor, 17 against and four abstentions, Outright International noted. The move to decriminalize was supported by ...
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World-first Global LGBTQIA+ Pride viewed by 57M+
--From a press release
Global Pride, the 27-hour virtual Pride that took place on June 27, reached a worldwide audience of 57,050,978 viewers in at least 163 countries, organisers have confirmed. Broadcast on the YouTube channels of Todrick Hall and ...
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WORLD Russian trans woman's win, Pride marches, museum CEO resigns
In Russia, a transgender woman won a landmark decision for trans rights and recognition after being fired from her job—but is now living in fear after her personal information was made public by Russian media, according ...
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Global divide on homosexuality persists but acceptance has grown over two decades
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 25, 2020) — Despite major changes in laws and norms surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBT people around the world, a new ...
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LGBTQIs face rampant bias in Venezuela, sparking asylum in nearby countries
In the United States, Pride Month is known for widespread festivities, parade floats, rainbow-colored everything and celebration of self-identity. In Venezuela, Pride Month looks quite different for those who are part of the LGBTQI community. In ...
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WORLD Israel news, Egyptian activist dies, Spanish singer comes out
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers behind the four largest pride parades in Israel—Haifa, Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva and Tel Aviv-Yafo—jointly decided to postpone their prospective parades, hoping they will be able ...
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WORLD Global Pride, trans woman attacked, Poland items, singer comes out
Organizers of the June 27 virtual event Global Pride said that former U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and artists Laverne ...
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WORLD Trans woman's death, NZ trans politician, cyberattack
In Colombia, trans woman Alejandra Monocuco died with coronavirus symptoms after paramedics learned she was HIV-positive and allegedly refused to treat her, PinkNews reported. She lived in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Bogota and was a ...
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WORLD Zambia pardon, fashion house, HIV+ mayor, Costa Rica marriage
Zambia's president pardoned a gay couple sentenced to 15 years in prison in November under colonial-era sodomy laws in a case that caused a diplomatic conflict with the United States, Reuters reported. Japhet Chataba, 39, and ...
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WORLD New HIV news, Catholic event, conversion therapy, Hungary anti-trans bill
A global trial stated that a new HIV drug injected every two months effectively reduces the rate of infection, and provides longer and stronger protection, than taking pills, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The four-year trial—conducted ...
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Costa Rica celebrates marriage equality
As of midnight on May 26, Costa Rica became the first country in Central America (and the 28th United Nations member state) to legalize same-sex marriage after a groundbreaking court ruling came into effect. Reuters reported ...
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Global panel looks at impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQI people
Following the release of OutRight Action International's report "Vulnerability Amplified: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBTIQ People," the United Nations (UN) LGBTI Core Group hosted a virtual panel "The Impact of COVID-19 on LGBTIQ ...
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WORLD Violence in Mexico, rainbow drawings, youth survey, Israeli Pride events
Mexico is seeing a surge of extreme violence toward LGBT+ people in its deadliest year in half a decade, rights group Letra S. said, citing cases of victims brutally stabbed and brazenly killed in public, Reuters ...
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Tinley Park asked to support LGBTQ rights in Polish sister city
Activists in Europe are calling on Tinley Park residents and village officials to show support for LGBTQ rights in a sister-city community in Poland, The Chicago Tribune reported. European rights groups want Tinley Park and other ...
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WORLD Blood-donation ban, Kenyan refugees, trans activist, club COVID-19 outbreak
The top court in Brazil ruled the country's ban on men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating blood is unconstitutional, The Washington Blade noted, citing Reuters. Seven of the 11 judges who sit on ...
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Germany's parliament bans conversion therapy
Germany's parliament passed a law banning so-called "gay conversion therapy" for young people nationwide, media reports noted. The legislation is intended to stop groups offering the service—which claims to be able to ...
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Ida B. Wells, two Black gay men win Pulitzer Prizes
Ida B. Wells (1862-1931)—a Chicago investigative journalist, educator and an early leader in the civil rights movement—received a special citation when the 2020 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced May 4 ...
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Federal, private sectors unite in mental health, suicide prevention response
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Recognizing the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country's mental health and well-being, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance), which serves as the ...
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Survey: One in four LGBT Colombians have attempted suicide
Findings from the largest and most comprehensive study conducted on LGBT people in Colombia A new survey from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and the Colombia Collaborative Project finds that the majority (72%) ...
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WORLD Turkish president, Honduras killing, Pope Benedict, Tom of Finland
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported Turkey's top Muslim cleric, who caused a firestorm by claiming homosexuality "brings disease and causes this generation to decay," NBC News reported. In his first sermon during the holy month ...
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WORLD China couple, Finland adoption, Pride masks, Morocco influencer
A Chinese lesbian couple's landmark court battle over the custody of their two children has stirred debate over LGBT rights and put a spotlight on the absence of a same-sex marriage law, Reuters reported. Shanghai resident ...
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WORLD HIV+ Ugandan men, employment lawsuit, Chilean rejection
Mbarara Rise Foundation (MRF) issued a statement expressing concern about the safety, well-being and health of LGBTQI persons living in Uganda and, especially, for HIV-positive gay men. Founder/Executive Director Real ...
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WORLD Canada and COVID-19, Indonesia incident, Panama policy
The organization Egale, partnering with INNOVATIVE Research Group, presented a timeline that shows the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on Canada's LGBTQI2S (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and two-spirit) ...
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WORLD Trans Day of Visibility, Hong Kong judge, Ugandan police, Elton John
On the International Trans Day of Visibility (March 31), Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David issued a message. "Transgender and non-binary people face significant cultural, legal and economic challenges, but ...
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International Prides coming together for June 27 event amid COVID-19 cancellations
Pride organizations around the world have come together to organize a "Global Pride" event on Saturday, June 27, in response to the hundreds of Pride celebrations that have been cancelled or postponed because of the COVID-19 ...
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WORLD Singapore ruling, athlete comes out, Canadian gym owner, UK Black Pride
Singapore's highest court upheld a law that criminalizes sex between men, dismissing three separate appeals that argued that the legislation was unconstitutional, Reuters reported. The ruling came after challenges last year to ...
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