Category Archives: Sexual + Gender Minorities

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Turkey News | LGBT

Istanbul Pride attendees dispersed by police with water cannon and rubber bullets as governor calls off event
  • Plans to march along Istanbul’s Istikal Avenue near Taksim Square quickly evaporated as police swarmed the marchers preparing for the Sunday evening parade, leading to several detentions.
  • The governor denied permission for the event citing Ramadan, despite the parade having taken place in the past.
  • The event has grown from 30 participants in 2003 to around 50,000 in 2013, considered to be the largest of its kind in the Muslim world.

“These people do not hurl stones and they never would. They do not throw petrol bombs. They just ask for a legal recognition. … This summarizes what has been happening in Turkey. Any request for rights is met like this.”

Read the full stories at Hurriyet News Daily and Reuters.

(Image Credit: Kemal Aslan/Reuters)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Canada News | LGBT

Toronto-based Rainbow Railroad facilitates rescue of persecuted individuals from LGBT-unfriendly countries
  • Founded in 2006, the charity focuses on identifying endangered individuals and raising the money necessary to cover the logistics of moving them to safer countries.
  • Despite managing 30-50 cases at any given time, the organization was volunteer-based until 2013, when a grant from TD Bank allowed for the signing on of one full-time employee.
  • With the grant expiring at the end of the year, Rainbow Railroad is raising funds to ensure that it will be able to maintain its current level of work.

Read the full story at the Toronto Star.

(Image Credit: Rainbow Railroad, via the Toronto Star)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

U.K. News | LGBT

Hundreds of thousands take part in what may be the largest London Pride yet
  • Organizers estimate 30,000 attended the parade, which was centered on the theme “Pride Heroes” and included a tribute to famed British mathematician Alan Turing.
  • The approximately 950,000 who have participated in London Pride events throughout the week have helped shatter the event’s participation record, set last year at 750,000.
  • Saturday’s parade included participants from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), whose inclusion had been a source of controversy as the party’s political positions put it at odds with many in the LGBT community.

“Given the huge impact Turing had on our industry and on the lives of the public who rely so heavily on technology, he was an obvious choice for our Pride Hero. We’re honoured to be walking with his family and proud to be taking part in London Pride.”

Read the full story at the Independent.

(Image Credit: via the Independent)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

U.S. News | LGB

U.S. becomes 25th country to guarantee same-sex marriage rights nationwide with Supreme Court decision
  • Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the opinion in the 5-4 ruling, which cast same-sex marriage as a fundamental constitutional right.
  • The ruling legalizes same-sex marriage in the 13 remaining states that have yet to have pass marriage equality legislation or have judicial rulings issued effectively legalizing the recognition.
  • The decision is the culmination of a nearly unbroken line of state and federal court decisions that have dismantled bans on same-sex marriage, most spurred by the Supreme Court’s US v. Windsor decision that ruled much of the federal legislation banning same-sex marriage unconstitutional.

“It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. … Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”

Read the full story at the New York Times and Quartz.

Gender, Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Sexual + Gender Minorities

Canada News | Minorities

Toronto government works to boost proportion of minority-led and diverse businesses receiving government contracts
  • The city council has begun rolling out a social procurement framework for business development, which could lead to a policy in which one of three short-listed bids for city contracts would be from diverse or minority-led businesses (including those identified as immigrant, racial/ethnic minorities, women, and/or gay or lesbian).
  • In 2012, 7% of bidders were minority-led or -controlled and received C$339 million in contracts, while in 2013, 5% were and received C$434 million.
  • The city and business leaders acknowledge that the highest hurdles facing minority business owners are lack of awareness about minority-friendly programs, aversion to working with the government because of perceived rigidity, and self-selection out of the contracting process from fear of lacking necessary connections.

Read the full story at Inside Toronto.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Czech Republic Research | GLB

Nearly half of Czechs support same-sex marriage in their country
  • According to a new poll from the Public Opinion Research Centre (CVVM), 49% of Czechs support the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 47% oppose it.
  • 75% support the establishment of some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples.
  • Despite the support for same-sex marriage, 49% still remain opposed to same-sex couples adopting children, although the 44% in support is an increase from 19% a decade ago.

Read the full story at PinkNews.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Dominican Republic News | LGBT

Dominican Republic organization works with government and community to promote tourism and economic empowerment for LGBT community
  • The Center for Integrated Training and Research (COIN) has roots in the three-decade fight against AIDS in the Caribbean.
  • The organization now focuses on economic empowerment , through which it has worked with government and travel industry officials and offered community workshops through its program ProActividad.
  • Out U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James “Wally” Brewster and his husband have worked to support the country’s LGBT community despite opposition in the conservative, Catholic-predominant country.
“We are all looking for the same thing: To eliminate negative things in order for us to build something positive.”
Read the full story at the Washington Blade.
(Image Credit: Michael K. Lavers/Washington Blade)
Sexual + Gender Minorities

Nepal News | LGBTQ

Nepal’s LGBT community faces unique challenges atop already precarious social conditions after earthquakes
  • The Blue Diamond Society has been a leading organization for the support of Nepal’s sexual and gender minority community, and their tents have provided a place of refuge for individuals alienated from families and communities in the aftermath of the country’s devastating earthquakes.
  • Some in the community face challenging situations during the rebuilding period, such as lack of health services and facilities for third-gender-identifying individuals.
  • The Red Cross has designated staff devoted to providing support to society’s most vulnerable, and it has worked closely with the Blue Diamond Society to provide services and raise awareness about the community among volunteers.

“What Nepal is going through is beyond imagination. But we, the LGBTIQ people of Nepal, pledge with all Nepalese, that we will rebuild our lives, our families, our societies and our nation.”

Read the full story at Gay News Network.

(Image Credit: Paula Bronstein/Gay News Network)

Sexual + Gender Minorities

U.S. News | Transgender

U.S. government orders companies insuring federal employees to include transition-related coverage for transgender individuals
  • The Office of Personnel Management issued the carrier letter ahead of the fall decision timeline it had initially outlined.
  • The office lifted the ban on transition-services coverage a year ago, but mandatory coverage was not yet required.
  • The expanded coverage will go in effect at the beginning of 2016.

“With today’s announcement, transgender federal employees can now access health care that is so fundamental to their well-being and, in the long-term, will make transgender employees happier and more productive workers.”

Read the full story at BuzzFeed.

Age, Gender, Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief, Sexual + Gender Minorities

Canada News | Muslim Women

Quebec premier defends proposed legislation banning face-covering attire for certain civic employees and toughening consequences for hate speech
  • Premier Philippe Couillard indicated that the legislation under consideration by Quebec lawmakers would ban face coverings on public servants in roles requiring face-to-face engagement with the public.
  • The draft legislation is a narrower version of the previous government’s proposal to ban the wearing of religious symbols by all public servants.
  • The current draft of the hate speech law creates a Human Rights Tribunal, which would oversee investigations and punitive actions for individuals inciting violence against vulnerable groups.

“The role of the government is to draw a line in the sand. … This issue of face covering for me has very little to do with religion, and a lot to do about the image of women, the status of women in our society. Showing your face is the essence of communication.”

Read the full story at the New York Times.

(Image Credit: Mary Altaffer/Associated Press, via the New York Times)

Sexual + Gender Minorities
Everyday discrimination and persecution blight on progress for Britain’s rural LGBT individuals
  • Permeation and permanence of bullying and other acts of intimidation in daily life leads to fear and alienation for LGBT people in rural areas, according to a hate crime researcher.
  • This fear leads to the under-reporting of hate crimes, with discrepancies between police reports and surveys of hate incidents indicating as many as 35,000 cases going unreported.
  • Lack of community, fear of being outed, communities’ intolerance of difference, and age all contribute to individuals’ vulnerability in rural areas, leading to social disengagement.

“We are a country with proud traditions of tolerance and respect but we must not let important progress in areas such as same-sex marriage mask the acute and continuing challenges that still remain. Researchers in today’s report were told of victims’ fear of not being taken seriously, how they were scared of being ‘outed’ and suspicion and distrust of the authorities. We must all redouble our efforts, and work together to give LGBT communities a stronger voice and put an end to the hatred that is a blight on modern society.”

Read the full story at the Guardian.

(Image Credit: Jose Jacome/EPA, via the Guardian)

Sexual + Gender Minorities
Anti-gay sentiment in Kyrgyzstan has complex cultural and geopolitical roots in the evolution of Russian-Western relations
  • Journalists, researchers, and advocates attempt to tease out the causes of expanding anti-gay sentiment in the country as Kyrgyz legislators debate bills looking to limit international influence and gay rights.
  • Kyrgyzstan’s strategic location in Central Asia has led to an ongoing tug-of-war between the U.S. and Russia for influence in the region, with the latter’s hardline conservative stance against the LGBT community seen as influencing Kyrgyzstan’s current social landscape.
  • Gay rights’ status as a symbol of Western cultural imperialism in the region has allowed for the marriage of anti-gay and nationalist interests, with “gay propaganda” serving as a catch-all for the influence of international interests.

“People are confronting a changing world, they can’t understand it and they respond by returning to the values of their grandmothers and grandfathers. … And these events around Russia the last year and half have only increased this sensation of unpredictability, tension. And, conservatism, reliance on patriotism, this wounded sense of pride, is a very convenient basis for political games.”

Read the full story at Al Jazeera America.

(Image Credit: Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP/Getty Images, via Al Jazeera America)

Sexual + Gender Minorities
Malaysian court fines nine and sentences two trans women to jail for “cross-dressing”
  • The group of women were arrested in Kelantan, one of the 13 of Malaysia’s 14 states that criminalizes cross-dressing.
  • The lawyer representing the group has filed an appeal, and the two jailed have been released on bail.

“Laws against ‘a male person posing as a woman’ not only deny transgender women in Malaysia our fundamental rights as citizens of the country, they also contribute to a hostile environment. … These laws lead people to perceive us as criminals and subject us to humiliation, hate crimes, and other forms of violence.”

Read the full story at PinkNews.

Sexual + Gender Minorities
Thousands celebrate LGBT Pride in Latvia despite fears of attacks
  • Held for the first time in Latvian capital Riga, EuroPride saw an estimated 5,000 attendees in the former Soviet nation.
  • Police arrested three for minor offenses, but no major incidents marred the celebration.
  • The event’s success was markedly different from the Pride march in Riga a decade ago, which saw violent attacks from protesters.

“It’s a very significant thing for Latvia, a former Soviet state, to be hosting EuroPride for the first time. In future we hope to see more long-term commitment to equal rights but we’re pleased the police have been working very closely with the organisers to ensure everything goes off smoothly.”

Read the full story at PinkNews.

(Image Credit: via PinkNews)

Sexual + Gender Minorities
Hundreds of thousands demonstrate in Rome against same-sex unions and inclusive education curricula
  • As PM Matteo Renzi attempts to move a same-sex civil union bill through Parliament, the rally overflowed from San Giovanni square, which can accommodate around 300,000 people.
  • Claiming defense of children, the protesters demonstrated against same-sex unions and families and the inclusion of information about gender identity in school curricula.
  • While a newspaper poll found approximately 51% of Italians support same-sex marriage, the continuing influence of the Catholic Church has made political progress slow.

“[Migrants’] problems ‘are an urgent issue which concerns us all. Those who take to the streets to talk of other things show they are living on another planet, and I would recommend leaving them on that planet alone.'”

Read the full AFP story at Yahoo! News.

(Image Credit: Tiziana Fabi/AFP)