A 9-year-old girl gave this heartfelt letter to her teacher after he came out as gay

A 9-year-old girl has written a heartfelt letter to her teacher, after he revealed he was gay during a lesson on homophobic bullying. 

It reads: “Dear Mr R,

“Even though you’re gay, I will always treat you the same way as I do now. I still think about you the same way as I used to. You’re a great teacher and these are just some of the word’s (sic) that I would describe you as: great, amazing, fantastic, brilliant, awesome and brave.
“The reason why I say brave is because you shared a personal secret which was very brave.
“You don’t have to feel scared because I know that eveyrone in the class feels the same way as I do.

“From A x x

Preacher Scott Lively on trial for role in Uganda anti-gay law

Anti-gay preacher Scott Lively will face trial for crimes against humanity for his role in influencing the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA). A lawsuit was originally filed by the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of umbrella advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda. He is accused of direct involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda and therefore of aiding persecution – a violation of international law. A Boston Court of Appeals last week denied Lively's petition to have the case dismissed. It will proceed in federal court. 

Lively, who is president of Abiding Truth Ministries, recently described homosexuality as an "infection" and worse than mass murder. He has also accused gay people of being "agents of America's moral decline."  Read More

Face-sitting protest outside parliament against new porn rules

Sex workers and campaigners have gathered in front of parliament to protest against changes to UK pornography regulations.

Organiser Charlotte Rose called the restrictions “ludicrous” and said they were a threat to freedom of expression.

Protesters say the list of banned activities includes “face-sitting”, and campaigners planned to carry out a mass demonstration of this while singing the Monty Python song Sit On My Face. Read More

Google+ Now Lets You Define Your Gender

Following on the heels of social networking sites like Facebook and OKCupid, users of Google+ will soon be able to set their own gender, reports TechCrunch. 

Among a cascade of updates rolled out on Tuesday, the tech giant announced it will let users list their gender as more than just “Male” or “Female. In fact, according to Google software engineer Rachael Bennett’s post, Google+ users will now have access to an “infinite number of ways to express your gender identity.”  Read More

Australian Court: Resort cannot use religion to justify discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

The Court of Appeal of Victoria, Australia found Christian Youth Camps liable for an act of unlawful discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arising from the refusal of its manager, Mark Rowe, to allow one of CYC’s adventure camp resorts to be used by same-sex attracted young people.

Cobaw Community Health Services Ltd, an organization working to prevent suicide among young people and to raise awareness about the needs of same-sex attracted young people and the effects of homophobia and discrimination on them, had made the request to host a retreat for same-sex attracted young people. CYC denied them access after learning of the intended guests. Read More

Legendary Hulk Hogan Says Pro Wrestling Has Moved Past Its 'Barbaric Mindset' About Gays

Judgments about someone's sexuality have no place in professional wrestling, said Hulk Hogan. During a recent interview, the legendary grappler -- arguably the biggest name in sports entertainment history -- stated the industry has moved past the "barbaric mindset" which once made it unsafe for athletes to be openly gay. 
"I think everybody's been reeducated, so it's not that big a deal," said Hogan when asked about the spate of professional athletes, including World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Darren Young, who have come out in recent years.

"At least for me -- and I can only speak from my heart -- I've got people all around me who are gay, so it's not an issue with me," shared Hogan during an in-person meeting at the new Santa Clara, California-based Levi's Stadium, which will house WrestleMania 31 next March 29. "I think the whole world feels like that now." Read More

Kenya takes step toward recognizing intersex people in landmark ruling

A Kenyan court has ordered the government to issue a birth certificate to a five-year-old child born with ambiguous genitalia, in a landmark ruling that the child's lawyer said was a first step toward recognizing intersex people.

Hospital staff put a question mark next to the box designating gender on a form to record the 2009 birth of the baby whose sex organs were not clearly female or male. This meant the child never received a birth certificate, necessary to enjoy basic legal rights, such as attending school, getting a national identity document and voting.

"Now they are going to be able to get a birth certificate," the child's lawyer, John Chigiti, said. "That's a win." Read More

Digital security tools and Tactics for the LGBTI community in Sub-Saharan Africa

In recent years, LGBTI persons have indeed become more visible and active in the public sphere. Nonetheless, the State and society all too often force them back “into the closet” with threats of ostracization, harassment, physical violence and even death.  The Internet has emerged as a viable option for LGBTI persons to gain visibility, communicate, network, and express what one cannot express in public. Read More

Curiosity, Confusion and Comfort: The Three C's I Experience When Coming Out As Trans

With November behind us, I want to get something off of my chest. I should have written this sooner. I shouldn't have let it sit on my computer for so long. It's late, but at least it's no longer waiting to be published.

Confusion and curiosity are natural reactions. I get that. Believe me when I say that I'm not trying to deprive you of an education or an understanding. In fact, that's one of the biggest things I advocate for: education surrounding LGBTQ identities. But also please understand that there are some just some questions that don't need to be answered. Instead of dwelling on the negative comments or poorly-worded inquiries I've received in the past, some of which are just too ridiculous to repeat, this piece is really in honor of Transgender Awareness Month -- in appreciation for the years I've been able to exist just as I am. Read More

Rights Bill Sought for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Americans

As barriers to same-sex marriage fall across the country, gay rights advocates are planning their next battle on Capitol Hill: a push for sweeping legislation to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from discrimination, similar to the landmark Civil Rights Act that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed in 1964.

Plans for a so-called comprehensive lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights bill are still in their infancy, and advocates say the campaign could take a decade or longer.  Read More

Australia's first minister for equality to reform gay adoption laws

Gay couples will be allowed to adopt children in Victoria and religious organisations will find it harder to discriminate against employees based on their sexuality, under changes to be made by Australia's first minister for equality Martin Foley.  

Hours after being sworn in as part of the new Andrews government, Equality Minister Martin Foley promised to waste no time amending state adoption laws in order bring Victoria into line with NSW, Western Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.

At present, gay couples in Victoria can be appointed as foster parents or guardians, but do not have the right to adopt a child together – even if that child has been in their care for years. Read More

Student gives excellent answer when school asks ‘how should we punish gays?’

When a school in Korea asked its students in a survey on how it should punish gay kids, one gave a strong answer which may surprise you. The survey was conducted in response to a rumour that there was a lesbian couple in one of the school years, and in an attempt to find out who. 

It assured students that it would enable them to help create “a safe and healthy school environment." Read More