Officer Mikayla Connell became the first out transgender person to graduate from the San Francisco Police Academy. "There aren't that many transgender police officers, either female-to-male or male-to-female," explained Connell. "And the more we have, I think the better connection the department is going to have to the transgender community." Read More
Iranian Muslim lesbians marry in religious ceremony in Sweden
Two Muslim women have done what would be unthinkable in their homeland by entering into a same-sex marriage, and the ceremony was performed by an openly gay Imam. ‘It’s very special because this is the first time that a couple of lesbians are getting married publicly in front of an imam,’ the Imam said. 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
Interview With A Convicted Jihadist: 'As Soon As I Left Islam I Stopped Hating Women, Gays, And Jews'
Saif Rahman, founder of the Humanist and Cultural Muslim Association and Author of The Islamist Delusion interviewed a former convicted jihadist – a teenage convert to Islam and now an ex-Muslim – about his previous views on homosexuality and women. Read More
Camp Aranu'tiq: A Safe Haven for Transgender Kids
When my son began his transition from female to male at age 12 I knew I was fighting a battle. I knew the world could be cruel and I wasn't sure the world was ready for transgender children, but ready or not my son was coming. One of the many things I thought of was: how could he be involved in a traditional summer camp? Most camps split activities by gender. The bathrooms and locker rooms are for girls and boys. What about a kid that didn't fit the gender norms? What about my son? Read More
Bishop of Buckingham speaks out in support of same-sex marriage
Equal marriage was praised by Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Revd Dr Alan Wilson, in a debate on whether same-sex marriages should be allowed in church. Same-sex marriage passed into law in March, but gay weddings in the Church of England are still prohibited. A prominent supporter of gay marriage, he told worshipers that the Christian tradition holds “the root of marriage is not sex but companionship”. He said: “The idea that marriage is about friendship has become extremely powerful in England.” Read More
Anti-gay Inter-Religious Council fires all staff
The sudden withdrawal of a grant worth billions of shillings by USAID has paralyzed operations at the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda. The multi-denominational organization was forced to lay off all staff after USAID abruptly ended its financial support worth $34.5m (Shs 89.7bn). The Uganda organization says it is a victim of its anti-gay stance, although some sources claim it failed to meet some of USAID’s rigorous accountability procedures. Moments after USAID withdrew its funding, the Democratic Governance Facility of European Union, withdrew its Shs 1.9bn funding for a three-year project on governance and accountability. IRCU suspects DFG’s withdrawal was influenced by USAID. Read More
Do not harm homosexuals, Ugandan Archbishop Odama appeals
The Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese, John Baptist Odama, has asked Ugandans to avoid harming homosexuals. Bishop Odama said homosexuals are also human beings created in the image of God who only deviated from the Godly way of life. “Let us learn to love God’s human creatures. It is not that I am advocating for homosexual practice in the country, but we should not take laws into our hands to harm and hate the homosexuals because we all have weaknesses,” the Archbishop said. Read More
Cops raid second Lebanon bathhouse in gay crackdown
Up to 28 people could face jail or expulsion from Lebanon after two raids on Turkish baths believed by police to be meeting spaces for gay and bisexual men. This comes after an earlier raid on the Agha Hammam baths where another 27 people were arrested. They have now been charged with homosexuality and could be jailed. Read More
Criminalizing gays by misusing anti-gay sex law not acceptable, says Mumbai chief of ruling party
Ashish Shelar, the Mumbai chief of India’s ruling party says his party is now against the misuse Indian Penal Code to harass gay people. The chief's comments are significant as the party has previously supported the Supreme Court's ruling making gay sex illegal. Read More
Cuban president’s daughter casts first ‘no’ vote since the Revolution over trans and HIV exclusion
Mariela Castro, daughter of President Raúl Castro and niece of Fidel Castro, has given an unprecedented "no" vote in the Cuban parliament to a workers' rights bill she felt didn't go far enough to prevent discrimination against people with HIV or with unconventional gender identities. "This is the first time [there has been a "no" vote], without a doubt," said Carlos Alzugaray, a historian and former Cuban diplomat. Read More
Follow-up: Russian anti-gay extremist sentenced to five years in penal colony
Maxim Sergeyevich Martsinkevich, leader of Russian anti-gay vigilante group “Occupy Pedophilia,” who is alleged to have lured LGBT youth to abusive encounters through fake social media profiles, was sentenced to five years in a Russian penal colony. Read More