India: Board bans film on gays

Days after India voted against gay rights for the United Nation employees, a film called Unfreedom which explores homosexuality, has been banned by the CBFC. 

The film is the story of a young girl who resists a forced arranged marriage to unite with her lesbian partner. The nudity and lovemaking scenes of the female protagonists, irked the Board. Add to it a parallel story line which revolves around a liberal Muslim kidnapped by a terrorist and the CBFC was up in arms. 

Speaking from the US, the director told Mirror, "The two stories are juxtaposed and the film challenges the idea of religious fundamentalism and questions its connection with homosexuality which is a biting reality of India." 

He added that the film was refused by both the Examining Committee and the Revising Committee. "They plainly told me that after watching the film, Hindu and Muslims will start fighting and will ignite unnatural passions. I was aghast as my film is not provocative."  Read More 

SA’s first transgender teen novel published

A local novel about a transgender teen coming to grips with his true identity has been released in South Africa. It’s believed to be a first.

Miscast, written by Charmaine Kendal, is published by Junkets Publisher. In it, Kendal tells the story of Cathryn, a teenager born as a biological girl, who has always felt that she was in the wrong body, and how she journeys to her real identity. Read More

How Patricia Velasquez Was Inspired To Come Out as The World's First Latina Lesbian Supermodel

Patricia Velasquez was anxious in the final days before Y2K. The world was about to end. The impending date would crash essential computer systems throughout the world, bringing about a global apocalypse – or at least that’s what thousands of people believed. Yet, Velasquez was carrying a heavier weight on her shoulders – how to live an open and authentic life.

It consumed her while in Paris, getting glammed up for what would become known as one of Jean Paul Gaultier’s most wild and memorable fashion shows, but in the seconds before she stepped out onto the runway, she had a moment of realization. Read More

I’m both man and woman and am proud of it- Gospel Singer

His life has been an empty shell, filled with shame and guilt, for 35 years.

Coming to terms with the fact that he was a hermaphrodite (person with both the male and female sex organs) was too much to bear for Apostle Darlan Rukih Moses, adding that his wife has since accepted him the way he is, though at first, it was really difficult for her.

 The father of three adopted children (with the same condition) says he’s now ready to come out of the closet, and speaking to The Nairobian, Moses says he is proud of being a man and a woman and going public will help create awareness and is advocating against discrimination of people suffering from his condition. Read More

Obama Shoots Giant Rainbow Out Of His Hand in Jamaica

President Obama visited Jamaica, the 1st US president to do so 30 years. Departing, he shot a beautiful, giant rainbow at the island nation, proving he has some tricks up his gay wizard sleeve! Caught on camera by White House photog Pete Souza, we guess Obama is okay with his magical powers not being a secret. Read more

Perú: "Virgenes de la Puerta" A rare glimpse inside Peru's trans community

Boston-based artists Andrew Mroczek and Juan Barboza-Gubo have been documenting the plight of Peru's mercurial transgender community. As part of their ambitious project Virgenes de la Puerta ("Virgins of the Door"), Mroczek and Barboza-Gubo are photographing several trans women -- many of whom have never been photographed in a positive, respectful way -- in order to present them as honored role models, and examples of leadership in the country's burgeoning transgender pride movement.

"We want to show the trans community that there are these amazing pillars who represent their interests," Mroczek explains, "and that there are those who are willing to sacrifice their own personal safety in order to gain the visibility needed to promote change."

In a country where homosexuality and transgenderism are widely considered to be illnesses, transgender Peruvians live almost entirely in the shadows, forced to the fringes of society by a staunchly Catholic nation that severely marginalizes its LGBT citizens.  Read More 

US: The gayest generation? Research finds more millennials identify as LGBT

Millennials are either the gayest generation, or the most honest. A research report by the Public Religion Research Institute states that 7% of millennials identify themselves as either gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, a percentage that is more than twice the share of older Americans who identifies as something other than heterosexual.

The results were tucked into a massive report that examined millennials’ attitudes toward everything from sex education to the idea that marriage is an outdated institution. As a whole, the survey shows a cohort that has fewer non-negotiable stances than previous generations. “The survey paints a picture of a generation that is less likely to apply black-and-white rules,” PRRI CEO Dr. Robert Jones says. 

Reports on the LGBT population size have varied wildly ever since Alfred Kinsey's research in 1948 suggesting that 10% of men are gay. Kinsey’s research wound up being called into question years later, but the disparity between percentage of millennials that identify as LGBT and the percentage of older cohorts suggest changes in society may be making people feel comfortable to come out. Read More

Australia: This speech from the world’s most senior transgender military officer will make you feel things

Catherine McGregor, the world’s highest ranked military officer, gave a moving speech to the National Press Club. McGregor, current Director of Research and Analysis in the Office of the Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, spoke about the pain of gender dysphoria, dealing with transphobia, and the support she received after coming out in 2012. Read More

Japan: Gay wedding ceremonies seen gaining wider acceptance

Wedding facilities openly embracing gay couples are increasing, according to Nijiiro Diversity, a nonprofit organization in Osaka that advises companies about how to deal with sexual minority issues.

Among such facilities are Aoyama Geihinkan in Tokyo and Kafuu Resort Fuchaku Condo Hotel in Okinawa. The latter, which started wedding services for same-sex couples last September, has a  website dedicated to the service. 

Meanwhile, Shibuya Ward in Tokyo made headlines by approving a draft ordinance recognizing same-sex partnerships. It is aiming to reduce the discrimination often faced by homosexual couples, and is the first municipality in the country to take such a move.

“I hope weddings of same-sex couples will raise awareness that sexual minorities are not people who exist only on TV or in foreign countries but people who may be around you,” said Maki Muraki, who heads Nijiiro Diversity.  Read More

India: Panjab University to introduce 'third gender' category

Panjab University  (PU) will soon introduce a column for transgenders (TG) under 'gender' category in all its application forms, academic testimonials and other relevant documents that are processed or issued by the university.

According to a notification issued by the PU registrar, the PU vice-chancellor has approved certain measures to remove discrimination against the transgender community, to be implemented with immediate effect. In addition, PU will also create transgender-friendly infrastructure like washrooms, restrooms, etc, in its campuses. PU will hold sanitization programmes and awareness workshops for students, teachers and non-teaching staff to bring members of the TG community in the mainstream of life.  Read More

Sweden: Official dictionary adds gender-neutral pronoun

“Hen” will be added to “han” (he) and “hon” (she) as one of 13,000 new words in the latest edition of the Swedish Academy’s SAOL. The pronoun is used to refer to a person without revealing their gender – either because it is unknown, because the person is transgender, or the speaker or writer deems the gender to be superfluous information.

The word “hen” was coined in the 1960s when the ubiquitous use of “han” (he) became politically incorrect, and was aimed at simplifying the language and avoiding the clumsy “han/hon” (s/he) construction. It resurfaced around 2000, when the country’s small transgender community latched on to it, and its use has taken off in the past few years.

It can now be found in official texts, court rulings, media texts and books, and has begun to lose some of its feminist-activist connotation. Read More