India: Mr Gay World entrant, family go into hiding

India's homophobia has cost the country its representation in the Mr Gay World (MGW) 2015 – the international pageant for gay men that seeks to establish ambassadors for LGBTQ and human rights. Over 36 hours after Thahir Mohammed Sayyed, the entrant to MGW from Kochi, went into hiding with his family, he reached out on a social media platform and said: "I am withdrawing from the contest."

"I hope the organisers appreciate the difficulties I faced. I cannot take this pressure," he said in a message, refusing to come on the phone. "I have switched off my phone to prevent getting any 'unwanted' calls," he added. 

Noemi Alberto (Director Asia) expressed surprise at the turn of events. "Thahir was very eager about this competition; however, it is totally understandable even if he withdraws," she said. The Indian Union Muslim League leader said, "I can understand it is a peculiar situation, because homosexuality is not allowed under Islamic law as well as Constitution. But the Kerala government is committed to the safety of its citizens." Read More 

ISIS Execute "gay" man by stoning as he lays defenceless

Only days after pictures emerged of hugging then executing two men, Islamic State fighters have reportedly thrown another man, accused of being gay, off a building and stoned him to death after he survived the fall. The campaigning group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, a Syrian based campaign against ISIS and the Assad regime, have reported that a man accused of being gay was thrown from a building in Iraq and stoned on the ground after surviving the fall. Warning graphic images 

Syria: The ISIS hug of death for gays

Shocking photos of two gay men being hugged by their executioner before being stoned to death have surfaced online. For Islamic State sympathizers and members tweeting their responses, the hugs of death are meant as an expression of compassion, a gesture of forgiveness—before the gruesome reality of their murder.

The photographs are the latest propaganda images purportedly showing gay men being murdered by the jihadists, who have also stoned women for adultery, beheaded suspected dissenters and filmed on two occasions young boys shooting men the Islamic State has claimed were spies. A video on Sunday appears to show fighters from its branches in Libya executing dozens of Ethiopian Christians, some by beheading and others by shooting. Read More

Brazil: Outrage after transgender prisoner ‘stripped, beaten’ and head shaved by police in Brazil

LGBT groups have expressed their outrage after a transgender prisoner in Brazil was allegedly beaten by police and prison guards. Graphic images have emerged showing Veronica Bolina stripped naked, her head shaved and swollen, lying partially naked on the ground in front of a group of officers and other prisoners in Sao Paulo.

It was reported that Bolina was set upon by officers on three different occasions after being taken into custody. However, officials have denied that she is being victimised. It has been claimed that her injuries were the result of a struggle after she bit an officer on the ear.

LGBT groups have condemned the attack. One campaigner Susane Montalvo Sarabia, said: "It is just sickening that in this day and age such things as this still happen. They have pulverised that poor woman's face and are now trying to cover it up. Whether she is innocent, guilty, transgender or straight doesn't matter. The police should not be allowed to do this to anyone." Read More

Russia: Anti-gay gang from Barnaul faces criminal charges over sexual assault and torture of teenager

Four young people from 16 to 20 years old, residents of Barnaul, a city in the West Siberian Plain and the administrative center of Altai Krai, calling themselves “fighters against same-sex love,” are to stand in trial on charges of crimes committed against a 16 year old teenager under several articles of the Criminal Code: beating, sexual assault, extortion, robbery.

At the end of January 2015, an unnamed 16-year-old boy met became friends with a 20-year-old young man via social media. The two agreed to meet in person. When the teenager arrived, gang members attacked him, beat, and sexually assaulted the boy. Read More

Turkey: MP Candidates, Will you defend LGBTI rights in the Parliament?

As the parliamentary elections in Turkey approach, The Istanbul-based LGBTI advocacy group, Social Policies, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Studies Association (SPoD) has called on candidates, political parties, and party leaders to work towards the active inclusion of LGBTIs in decision- and policy-making mechanisms. SPoD has prepared an “LGBTI Rights Pledge,”  and circulated it to be signed by all parliamentary candidates. See the pledge here.  Read More 

UK: Cameron, Clegg, and Miliband on tackling homophobia in Uganda

With only 16 days to go until the General Election, we grilled – not literally, or there’d be no election – the leaders of the three major UK parties: Current Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Lib Dem chief and Deputy PM Nick Clegg faced your questions surrounding key LGBT issues.

Today’s issue is homophobic discrimination in the Commonwealth countries. We asked all three leaders:  What would your government do to put pressure on the likes of Uganda and other Commonwealth countries to show anti-gay discrimination won’t be tolerated?  Read More 

UK: Jim Wells resigns as Northern Ireland health minister over 'anti-gay' remarks

Jim Wells stepped down after the police received a complaint about comments he is said to have made to a gay couple while out canvassing in the general election. Wells was already under fire for appearing to link gay relationships to child abuse during an election debate. His resignation highlights one of the major problems that Ed Miliband or David Cameron face if they chose to form a minority government backed by Democratic Unionist Party.

It also exposes the deep strain of evangelical Christian hostility towards gay people from within the DUP, drawing accusations from the likes of the Liberal Democrats that it is not fit to determine the shape of the next government. Nick Clegg said Wells’ comments showed that the DUP “mask had slipped”.

Wells last week caused a furore when he said: “You don’t bring a child up in a homosexual relationship. That a child is far more likely to be abused and neglected,” before he was shouted down by members of the audience. Read More 

Canada: Sexual assaults in Ottawa linked to hookup apps

Capital Pride and the GLBT Ottawa police liaison committee are teaming up to respond to a series of sexual assaults involving men who met on hookup apps.

Mauricio Olivares, Capital Pride’s newly-hired festival producer, attended a committee meeting on April 20 to discuss recent sexual assaults targeting male victims. “I know of at least five cases in the last two months,” he said. “From what we’ve discussed with other people and other community members, we realize the number is actually much higher than that.”

By collaborating with the liaison committee and local agencies, it’s important to rally the community so that survivors know they’re not alone and they can access local resources whether they report the assault or not, Olivares said. As hookup apps and dating websites have become more popular, perpetrators are using the cloak of anonymity to victimize others, Olivares said.  Read More

Russia: Court won't reinstate fired lesbian teacher

A district court in St. Petersburg refused to reinstate a lesbian music teacher who was fired in December from a local school for “immoral conduct.” The teacher sued the school, seeking reinstatement to her job and 300,000 rubles (roughly $6,000) in compensation for moral damage. In its ruling, the court drew from an expert evaluation of the teacher’s photos from social networks.

The dismissal of the teacher was the result of efforts from anti-gay activist Timur Isaev, who was engaged in “forced outing.” This means he searched for lesbians and gay people on social networks and reported them to their employers. At least 29 teachers were dismissed as a result of his activities before he was arrested on charges of embezzlement.

Isaev repeatedly appealed to the principal of the school, demanding that the teacher be dismissed. In firing the teacher, her principal mention the the social media photos, given to him on a CD by Isaev.  Read More 

US: Pennsylvania high school students organize “Anti-Gay Day”

Students at a Pennsylvania high school held an “Anti-Gay Day” protest on Thursday, wearing coordinated flannel shirts, writing “anti-gay” on their hands, and sticking Bible verses on LGBT students’ lockers. The anti-gay protest occurred a day after students with the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance held a “Day of Silence,” an event aimed at drawing attention to anti-gay bullying. 

“I got called a dyke, a faggot,” Johnson said. “They were calling us every horrible name you can think of.” The national Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network organized a “Day of Silence” around the United States. As part of their protest, Johnson and the other dozen members of the GSA arranged to wear black, paint rainbows on their faces, and stay silent for much of the day.

“This is a troubling turn of events,” wrote Sue Kerr, editor-in-chief of Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents. “These kids didn’t just spontaneously pull a homophobic move. They have a plan. They have coordinated outfits.”  Read More

Tonga: Will bans same-sex marriage while ratifying CEDAW

The Director of the Women and Children Crisis Centre Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki says since last month's cabinet announcement that the UN convention would be ratified there has been huge debate in the community. Church and community leaders have come out against the move over the concern that CEDAW would lead to same sex marriage and abortions in the country as CEDAW refers to the right for a woman to choose her spouse and family planning. 

But the chief executive of Internal Affairs Lopeti Senituli says the government is planning law changes to satisfy the church leaders. "Under our existing Deaths, Births and Marriages Registration Act there is no specific reference for or against same sex marriage. The government is proposing now that we amend our Deaths, Births and Marriages Registration Act to prohibit same sex marriage." Read More