Aussie same-sex marriage postal survey to go ahead, says High Court
LGBT groups are disappointed after Australia’s High Court dismissed two legal bids to halt the government’s postal survey on same-sex marriage. On Thursday, seven high court judges were unanimous in finding that the applications by the plaintiffs, which included individuals and organisations such as PFlag and Australian Marriage Equality, were without merit. The plaintiffs had […]
Indonesia | Twelve “suspected lesbians” evicted from their homes
Police in Indonesia have conducted a raid on the homes of 12 “suspected lesbians”, immediately forcing them from the area. According to Human Rights Watch, officers raided a residential compound in West Java province’s Tugu Jaya village on 2 September. The action was in response to complaints from local Islamic youth groups and religious leaders that […]
Nigeria gay crackdown | 70 arrested for planning “homosexual party”
Following the recent arrest of 40 men accused of homosexuality in Nigeria, up to 70 more individuals have been apprehended by religious police in the north of the country. Reports state that between 52 and 70 accused, primarily minors, were arrested in Kano State for allegedly “planning homosexual frivolities amidst the Eid-il-Mubarak festivities”. The Herald […]
Furore as chain store drops binary gender labels from children’s clothes
News that British retailer John Lewis has stopped selling children’s clothes under the traditional “boys” and “girls” categories has been met with both praise and condemnation. The chain of high-end department stores announced that its clothes for children between the ages of 0 to 14 would now be labelled either “Girls and Boys” or “Boys […]
Equality Court | Brakpan restaurant to stop ‘no gays allowed’ date nights
An Equality Court case has ended in victory for a lesbian woman who was banned from a Brakpan restaurant’s ‘straight couples only’ date night events. In November last year, Mia Agrela (pictured) booked for the Lake Restaurant’s weekly date night evening with her partner. She was, however, informed in a follow up message that “no […]
Jamaicans in shock as fashion designer & ‘face of Pride’ is murdered
Proudly gay Jamaican fashion designer, video director and activist Dexter Pottinger has been brutally murdered in his home. Pottinger, 34, used his profile to publicly speak out for the rights of the LGBTQ community when he became the face of Jamaica Pride Week in 2016. His body was found with multiple stab wounds in his bedroom […]
Secret project revealed: Canada takes in gay purge refugees from Chechnya
It’s been revealed that the Canadian government has been secretly helping gay men flee from the crackdown on LGBT people in Chechnya. Chechnya’s LGBT community was plunged into crisis earlier this year when reports emerged that security forces were rounding up and detaining gay men in secret facilities, where they were tortured and in some cases […]
In the corridors of power: SA’s LGBTI community now has a presence in Parliament
In the years immediately following democracy and up to the realisation of the Civil Union Act, LGBTI South Africans played an active role in national politics and legislation. Now, the community once again has an active, ongoing presence in Parliament to stay on top of government and lawmakers when it comes to LGBTI issues. The […]
SA-born Troye Sivan cast in star-studded gay conversion therapy film
South African-Australian Spud star Troye Sivan will appear alongside the likes of Nicole Kidman in a major new coming out film. The Wrap reports that the 22-year-old actor and musician has officially joined the cast of the gay coming-of-age drama Boy Erased, which will be directed by Joel Edgerton. The film is based on Garrard Conley’s […]
Nigeria | Students beat ‘gay’ classmate to death
More than a dozen college students have murdered one of their own when they attempted to ‘discipline’ him for being gay. The Herald reports that 15 students, between the ages of 17 and 19, have been arrested in connection with the murder in the country’s Jigawa State. Suspecting that their classmate was gay, the group […]