Obama to award Ellen DeGeneres the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Ellen DeGeneres is one of 21 achievers who’ve been named as recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. The award is America’s highest civilian honour, “presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other […]
Ivory Coast: Gay couple jailed even though being gay is legal
Despite private same-sex intimacy being legal in the Ivory Coast, a court has sentenced a gay couple to 18 months in jail. According to Abidjan.net, the men – known only as PL, a 31-year-old security guard, and LA, 19 – were caught having sex by a relative. The relative contacted the police and the two […]
Hate crimes bill feedback deadline extended
The government has extended the deadline for public submissions on the recently published hate crimes and hate speech bill. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development announced on Wednesday that feedback on the draft legislation must now be submitted by 31 January 2017. The original deadline was 1 December 2016. The date was moved following requests […]
Cape Town school removes gender from hair & jewellery regulations
A Cape Town high school has taken a step forward when it comes to gender equality with a new gender neutral hair and jewellery regulations. According to News24, Westerford High School’s governing body decided two weeks ago to remove any reference to gender in the policy. For the first time, boys will be allowed to […]
How To Get Away With Murder star comes out as… straight!
After years of speculation, hunky How To Get Away With Murder actor Jack Falahee has finally revealed that he’s actually straight. Falahee, who plays the role of gay law student Connor Walsh in the hit show, has previously refused to address his own sexuality; but that all changed this week. In a series of Twitter […]
295 trans murders just the tip of the iceberg
It’s been revealed that no less that 295 transgender and gender-diverse people were reported murdered across the globe in the last year. The tragic statistic was released ahead of the 18th International Trans Day of Remembrance (20 November) by Transgender Europe (TGEU). The group’s Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) research project aims to raise awareness of […]
Mamelodi to mark LGBTI Pride ahead of World Aids Day
The Tshwane township of Mamelodi will be hosting another Mams Pride event on Saturday, 26 November to celebrate and empower the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community and to salute their allies who continue to support the LGBTI in various ways. First held in 2014, Mams Pride has become an important platform to […]
SAHRC takes school to court over transgender Limpopo pupil’s abuse
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has taken a Limpopo school to the Seshego Equality Court over its treatment of a transgender learner. The high school pupil, who has not been identified, allegedly faced unfair discrimination, harassment, and hurtful speech at the school. The SAHRC revealed that because of a “hostile and intimidating environment” […]
Here are the countries with the most LGBTI people in jail
It’s believed that there are hundreds if not thousands of people in jail around the world because of their sexuality or gender identity. The site Erasing76Crimes.com has updated its list of LGBTI people who are awaiting trial or already in prison in the around 75 countries where homosexuality is illegal. The blog has attempted to keep […]
Tinder introduces a host of new gender options
One of the world’s biggest dating apps has expanded its range of gender identity options to allow users “to express your authentic self”. On Tuesday, Tinder announced that it had updated its gender self-identification categories so that they are now far broader than just male or female. The company said it worked with transgender and […]