This year, two South Asian countries adopted different paths on LGBTQ rights. Although the tiny, mountainous country of Nepal made significant progress in legalizing non-heterosexual marriages, the Supreme Court of India has rejected the legalization of same-sex unions. The LGBTQ community in India is prepared to continue pressing for equal rights in spite of the setback.
Malaysian rights activists have lambasted the government’s decision to ban two children’s books because they allegedly promoted “LGBTQ lifestyles” and a novel for purportedly being “harmful to Malaysian morals.”
Kenya has acknowledged that COVID-19 restrictions are fueling cases of gender-based-violence but has been less open on abuses against the LGBTQ community
The group listed a set of demands, including the legalization of same-sex “partnerships,” an end to discrimination against LGBT Russians and investigations into the reported kidnappings and killings of LGBT members in the ultraconservative republic of Chechnya. The group also called for the repeal of Russia’s controversial law banning homosexual “propaganda” toward minors.
While Buttigieg’s sexual orientation has not been a major issue in the Democratic race, many believe it would become a point of contention if he won the nomination to face President Donald Trump in November
Yulia Tsvetkova, an artist and activist in Russia’s Far East, runs social media pages focusing on women’s art and LGBT issues. Her posts prompted officials to charge her with “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors” and distributing pornography, an offense for which she could face years in prison
Nearly a year and a half after India scrapped a controversial legislation criminalizing homosexuality, the Indian capital has hosted its first ever queer literature festival. Turning the focus on stories and experiences of the community, the two day meet explored common ground between different identities of society
Leonid was born in a small town in Russia’s Far East, where his mother beat him for being gay. When he finished school, he left home and met Aleksandr, with whom he now campaigns for LGBT rights
Transgender women in Lebanon face systemic violence and discrimination, Human Rights Watch, Helem, and MOSAIC said in a report and video released today. Transgender women face discrimination in accessing basic services, including employment, healthcare, and housing, as well as violence from security forces and ordinary citizens
Marriage equality campaiganer Lu Hsin-chieh said that the law wasn’t exactly what they had campaigned for, but that it had been passed in order to comply with an interpretation of the constitution by Taiwan’s highest court two years earlier