U.S. asylum applications from Russian nationals have jumped 15 percent for the second straight year, a rise that asylum seekers and attorneys attribute to Russians fleeing their homeland due to fears of persecution and antigay violence. Read More
Tens of thousands march for gay rights in Taiwan
In carnival splendor participants in the 2014 Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade posed for selfies with onlookers, comfortable and extravert in their lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender skins.
The parade attracted tens of thousands of LGBT rights supporters from across the globe, who took to Taipei's streets for "A Walk in Queer Shoes", celebrating the diversity of LGBT groups. Read More
Thousands demonstrate in France to defend "traditional family values"
Protesters took to the streets in Paris and Bordeaux to demonstrate against medically assisted procreation techniques for lesbian couples and surrogacy. According to Ludovine de la Rochere, president of Manif Pour Tous that organised the demonstration, such techniques must be "fought at all costs.” Manif pour Tous fought against the adoption of same-sex marriage in France last year. Read More
Serbia Gay Pride march returns after four years
Serbia's first Gay Pride march for four years has been held in the capital Belgrade, amid huge security, including special forces and armoured vehicles. Authorities had cancelled the event every year since marchers were attacked in 2010 - nine years after Gay Pride was first held in Belgrade.
Earlier in September a German LGBT rights speaker was treated in hospital after being beaten in Belgrade. In response to the attack, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said: "We will not allow this kind of thing to remain unpunished." Read More
Gay activists on front line of Hong Kong protests
Thousands of protesters sit peacefully on the streets of the Causeway Bay shopping district. The chants of 'Leung Chun-ying, ha toi [step down]' quieten down as gay singer Anthony Wong starts to perform.
Tommy Chen, spokesperson for LGBTI rights group Rainbow Action, says there can be no equality for LGBTI people without democracy: ‘The queer community actually understands this quite well, so that’s a reason the queer community in Hong Kong has been involved in the social movement for over 10 years,’ he said. The group is a member of one of the protest organizers Civil Human Rights Front, which Chen said had a 'disproportionately high' number of LGBTI volunteers and organizers. Read More
First Bahamas Gay Pride Event Cut Short After Death Threats
Members of the LGBT community abandoned the first pride event in the English-speaking Caribbean "out of fear" of repercussions after death threats were posted on Facebook. Read More
A multitude of celebrations
Two American 90-year-old women married after 7 decades together in a church of the town they moved to in 1947. Meanwhile a mass wedding in London saw 15 same-sex couples and 55 mixed-sex couples tie the knot across 6 ceremonies this weekend, part of Southbank’s Festival of Love programme, which celebrates the introduction of equal marriage earlier this year.
Out and Proud Gay Kenyans
As part of an ongoing series looking at gay rights around the world, DailyXtra talks with one of Kenya’s highest profile LGBT activists. Monica Mbura is a Kenyan judge who is one of the few out lesbians in the country. Watch Now
South Korea’s gay march forward
An estimated 10,000 participants attended the Queer Culture Festival with concerts, drag and dance performances, booths from different LGBT organizations, representatives from the American, German, and French embassies, and Christian protesters.
Protestors shouted slogans and carried signs that read, “Our youth are getting AIDS because of homosexuality,” and “Homosexuality is not genetic. It’s an acquired choice. Treatment is possible” Read More
Israel allows Jews to immigrate with same-sex spouses
The Government says it will allow Jews to immigrate to Israel with their non-Jewish same-sex spouses. Israel does not permit gay couples to marry in the country, but recognizes same-sex marriages if they were performed legally abroad. Read More
Lost in the chaos - LGBTI people in emergencies
Unaddressed protection needs, rigid systems, and research gaps imperil lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in humanitarian emergencies. Experiences of sexual and gender minorities during disasters and conflicts are drawing increased attention from some responders, but experts are urging a rethink of policies and protocols that could fuel exclusion and harm. Read More
Does the Anglo Caribbean need Bahamas Pride?
The group Society Against HIV & STDs (SASH) Bahamas, the largest NGO working on LGBTI and HIV issues, has decided to host the first public Pride event in Bahamian history. There are some obvious questions about this Pride, such as, is it really necessary? Also, what good will it serve, especially in the absence of any overt political objective? And, more troubling, will this stir up a backlash from fundamentalists who have, for the most part, ignored the Bahamian LGBTI community?
This last question is not trivial, as we have witnessed an upsurge in homophobic rhetoric and attacks across the Caribbean, and there have been massive anti-gay protests in Jamaica and Belize. Traditionally more tolerant societies, like Grenada, Trinidad, and St. Lucia, have also seen a spike in gay baiting and animus. Despite these concerns, I still believe that Bahamas Pride is a necessary development, and a very positive political initiative. Read More