The latest “Equal Eyes” compilation of LGBTI news briefs from UNAIDS includes some slight signs of progress in Indonesia, India and Malaysia, which have laws against same-sex intimacy, and in Lithuania, which has an anti-“gay propaganda” law. Continue reading
Homophobia, often violent, is a problem in Russia and five nearby countries that have enacted or considered imposing anti-“gay propaganda” laws. None of these countries has a specific law against same-sex intimacy, with the exception of the internationally unrecognized Moldovan break-away territory of Transnistria. But each of them has prohibited or considered imposing prohibitions on … Continue reading
The European Parliament is keeping a worried eye on two Central Asian nations’ proposals to adopt Russian-style anti-“gay propaganda” laws. The Russian law, enacted in 2013, provides for fines of up to 200,000 rubles (about US $3,000) for “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” that appears where the message could reach minors, including online. The law … Continue reading
In Nigeria, police broke up an alleged same-sex wedding and arrested the participants. Under a 2013 law, same-sex marriages are illegal in Nigeria, not just unrecognized. In Lithuania, which is considering adopting a Russia-style ban on “gay propaganda,” the Interior Ministry refused to grant the husband of a Lithuanian man a temporary residency permit after … Continue reading
The United Kingdom-based African LGBTI advocacy organization Out and Proud Diamond Group has been shortlisted for honors at the National Diversity Awards 2015. The awards, including the one for community organizations working on LGBTI issues, will be presented Sept. 18 at the Anglican cathedral in Liverpool. Out and Proud Diamond Group (OPDG) was formed in … Continue reading
The number of countries with anti-homosexuality laws is currently 75, according to the latest tally from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. That’s down one from earlier this month, when the African nation of Chad was incorrectly included in the list. This blog now lists a total of 79, including four … Continue reading
The arc of history is trending toward justice for LGBTI people worldwide, judging by the latest tallies from ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. In an encouraging change from 2006, when the ILGA report listed 92 countries with laws prohibiting sexual acts between consenting same-sex adults, ILGA in its 10th annual … Continue reading
The European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT Rights issued this press release today: Fairy tale banned under Lithuanian ‘anti-propaganda’ law Wednesday, the Lithuanian Office of the Inspector of Journalist Ethics concluded that a book containing fairy tales for children violates the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information, and should … Continue reading
Much discussion and a little action on LGBT rights occurred during last month’s meeting of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. These are excerpts from the report on the session by the advocacy group ARC International, particularly the sections related to countries with anti-gay laws. Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human … Continue reading
Traditions can create a sense of connectedness between the present and the past, but they can also be used to deny rights to women and sexual minorities, warns Graeme Reid, director of the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. In an essay published by CNN, he writes: The U.N. Human Rights Council recently passed … Continue reading
