First transgender song nominee boycotts the Oscars
English singer and songwriter Anohni is the first transgender musical performer to be nominated for an Oscar, but she won’t be attending Sunday night’s glamorous event in Hollywood. Her reason? While Anohni’s Manta Ray, from the documentary Racing Extinction, is among songs by nominees such as Lady Gaga in the best Original Song category, she’s […]
Bittersweet victory as Italy’s Senate passes flawed civil union bill
Gay relationships are on track to finally be recognised in Italy after the country’s Senate voted to approve a compromised civil union bill on Thursday night. While not full marriage equality, this is the first time Italian lawmakers have supported the legal recognition of same-sex couples. The bill next needs to be voted on by […]
Watch: SA dance team’s moving take on taboo of male rape
The subject of male rape remains a taboo, thanks to its impact on our social and cultural notions of masculinity. Now, South African dancer and choreographer Ruan de Villiers and director Emil Haarhoff have collaborated on a powerful, beautifully made short film that aims to get us talking and thinking about the issue. Danced to […]
Gay “cure” group accused of consumer fraud
An American group that claims it can “cure” gay people through so-called conversion therapy is being accused of committing consumer fraud. On Wednesday, three LGBT and human rights groups – Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) – filed a federal consumer fraud complaint against the […]
Indonesia psychiatrists’ body says homosexuality is mental disorder
From psychiatrists to politicians, the onslaught against the LGBT community in Indonesia has continued unabated this week. Following plans to censor LGBT issues in the media and a spate of anti-gay remarks from officials, it was reported on Wednesday that the Indonesian Psychiatrists’ Association (PDSKJI) views homosexuality as a mental disorder. “We really do care […]
Joburg exhibition explores LGBTI “journeys of faith”
A new exhibition about LGBTI people’s struggles with religion and spirituality is set to open at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. Presented by Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA), Journeys of Faith – Navigating Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity will be on display at the museum from the end of February. The fifteen-panel exhibition […]
Anger as Italy prepares to drop gay adoption from same-sex union bill
It’s being reported that following stiff opposing from lawmakers, a bill to allow same unions in Italy will no longer legalise limited gay adoption. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has told his Democratic Party to “water down” the controversial bill so that it has a chance of being passed by parliament. The country is the last major […]
Russia plans to open LGBT “treatment” facilities across the nation
Russia is proposing opening special exam rooms in hospitals and clinics to “treat” people with “gender identity disorders” and “disorders of sexual preference”. In addition, the facilities would also address children with “psychological and behavioural disorders associated with sexual development and orientation”. Staff, consisting of a doctor (sexologist) and a nurse, will “diagnose and treat these disorders” […]
Half of black gay and bi men in US face HIV infection
Despite advances in prevention options and treatment, the LGBT community in the US still continues to face alarming rates of HIV infection. In a new report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that while the risk of infection in general had decreased in the US, gay and bisexual men remain disproportionately affected by […]
Here’s Kenya’s first LGBT music video that’s just been banned
A music video dedicated to same-sex love and the plight of LGBT people in Africa has predictably been banned by the Kenyan authorities. The track, a reworking by Art Attack of the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song Same Love, features new lyrics and a video boldly depicting the lives of LGBT people in Kenya. The […]