LGBT Iraqis face ‘grave threat’ as Islamic State advances
LGBT Iraqis are experiencing high levels of persecution that puts many of them at imminent risk of death, say human rights groups. According to two publications released by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), MADRE, an international women’s human rights organisation, and the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), while the […]
Watch: Conchita Wurst’s brilliant new music video
Austrian bearded drag star Conchita Wurst has released her first music video since winning the Eurovision Song Contest. The new song, called Heroes, features a black and white video clip that’s already received acclaim for its striking and lyrical imagery. Wurst, performed by 25-year-old gay Austrian man Thomas Neuwirth, won the Eurovision Song Contest in May […]
Gambia’s president signs life sentence anti-gay law
It’s been confirmed that one of Africa’s most homophobic leaders has signed a new law that will throw gay people into jail for life. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both confirmed that the legislation, which was passed by Gambia’s National Assembly in September, was quietly approved by President Yahya Jammeh on 9 October. The […]
Matthew Shepard’s parents travel to Russia
The parents of slain gay American student Matthew Shepard have travelled to Russia to promote tolerance for the LGBT community. Shepard was just 21-years-old when he was brutally assaulted and tortured in 1998 by two men who left him tied to a fence to die in Wyoming, because he was gay. The foundation created in his […]
‘Hunt the gays’ game returns
A notoriously homophobic game, which involves shooting as many gay men as possible before they “rape” the player, has resurfaced in the Google Play app store. The game, Ass Hunter, was first created in 2002 by Frenchman Stéphane Aguie. It was met with outrage by gay activists, who successfully lobbied to have it removed from websites in 2009. […]
UN human rights chief slams Gambia over gay abuses
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, on Thursday criticised a recent amendment to the Criminal Code of The Gambia that creates a broad and vague offence of “aggravated homosexuality” punishable by life imprisonment. He also expressed alarm at reports of a wave of arbitrary arrests and detention of individuals perceived […]
Straight Americans okay with gay rights, just not gay kissing
A new study has shown that straight people have largely positive views on legal rights for same-sex couples, but are turned off by their public displays of affection (PDA) – especially by gay men. The study, which appears in the December issue of the American Sociological Review, surveyed more than 1,000 Americans. As part of […]
Queen of Nelson Mandela Bay Pride crowned
Ahead of the region’s annual Pride celebrations on 29 November, Nelson Mandela Bay Pride recently crowed its “Queen” for 2014 at Sun International’s Boardwalk Amphitheatre. Now in its third year, organisers said that the pageant was the largest and biggest-budget LGBT event of its kind to be held in Port Elizabeth. Ten contestants strutted their […]
Gay father fights for equal paternity leave
A gay South African man is fighting for the right to paternity leave equal to the maternity leave granted to biological mothers. The man, who the Cape Times identified only as an IT specialist, became a parent, along with his husband, through surrogacy in 2011. He applied for four months’ maternity leave from his employer. […]
Remembering the world’s transgender murder victims
Today, on the 16th International Transgender Day of Remembrance, the world is marking the murder of 226 transgender people over the last year. The Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) project has released its latest tragic report, highlighting the continued brutally faced by transgender people in 28 countries from October 1st 2013 to September 30th 2014. According […]