long read

Egypt: Our lives are not conditional: On Sarah Hegazy and estrangement

Any one of us could have been Sarah, with her carefree gesture on a fun night out, drunk on delusions of hope. Celebrating camaraderie and the bliss of being surrounded by people who see and accept. Her happiness was rewarded with imprisonment, electrocution, sexual assault and exile. A reminder, as if any more are needed, that we, queer Arabs, must always keep our masks within reach.  

How globalisation has transformed the fight for LGBTQ+ rights

Much progress has been made in attitudes towards sexual equality and gender identity – but in many places a dramatic backlash by conservative forces has followed.

South Africa: Christian privilege | Court takes Beloftebos discrimination case

The owners of Beloftebos claim that they have a right to discriminate against same sex couples because their religious beliefs require them to do so. They are mistaken. This is why.

UK: He Found His Husband Dead From A GHB Overdose But Is Now Fighting To Uncover The Truth About What Happened

Ashley Chaplin's discovery turned into a mystery. Here, he tells BuzzFeed News of the questions still remaining and asks whether the police understand what was really happening.

UK: The Hidden Epidemic Of Abuse, Overdose, And Death Caused By The Sex Drug G

Exclusive: In the first part of a major investigation by BuzzFeed News and Channel 4’s Dispatches, we reveal the hidden epidemic of sexual violence, drugging, and deaths caused by the drug G.

Iraq: How A Housepainter And An Army Widow Led The Secret Fight To Save LGBT People From ISIS

One is the son of a communist who smuggled messages in kebabs for party members. The other is an army widow whose husband was killed by al-Qaeda. Together they want to convince the world that targeting LGBT people is a crime against humanity.

Indonesia: LGBT communities viewed as a moral threat – condemned by religion and, increasingly, by law

The Muslim-majority nation is using a pornography law to target LGBT people, with public humiliation a ritual punishment. HIV epidemic feared as homosexual stigma forces many to go ‘underground’, with as much as half of the infected population undiagnosed