Dozens of young Chinese women writing manga-style fiction about androgynous gay male characters have been arrested, fined, and in some cases imprisoned for obscenity, on the grounds that homosexuality is a “sexual perversion.” Once relatively tolerant of low-key gay sex when their concern was to limit the birth-rate, Chinese authorities have become increasingly hostile to […]
This ain’t no parade
Although Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government banned Pride gatherings in his country recently, around 100,000 people showed up to March on the 28th in a significant “fuck you!” showing of fierce resistance and solidarity. The amendment to Hungary’s constitution that led to the Pride ban was motivated by “child protection” according to the government. More […]
Supreme court upholds mandatory ID for porn websites
In a 6-3 ruling written by Justice Clarence Thomas (Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton), the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring cumbersome age verification mechanisms to enter sexually explicit websites, effectively jettisoning the 2004 precedent of Ashcroft v. ACLU. Critics have expressed concern that the real purpose of the Texas law is to […]
Did you know that Harvey Milk joined the navy during the Korean War?
To celebrate Pride month this June the generous and oh-so-tactful American Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has indicated that the renaming of the navy ship Harvey Milk is imminent, and perhaps others, in the vein of anti-DEI efforts being led by the current administration. The timing of these actions is uncouth to say the least. […]
Russia’s continued anti-queer campaign
Russia is continuing its affront on queer rights and freedoms by cracking down on “LGBTQ propaganda”. Book publishers are important conduits of queerness as archival and educational tools, and they are under attack in Russia. Below we are linking you to two stories where you can find more context on this developing story. READ THE […]
A slippery slope for sex and censorship
In this rather astonishing story an Australian female author was charged with child pornography for having written a fictional novel about an 18-year old woman’s relationship with a man who has fantasized about her since she was a toddler. The defendant has pleaded not guilty to possessing, disseminating, and producing child abuse material. The case […]
Last remaining LGBT-free zone in Poland has been revoked
HARD COPY: By 2020 about a third of the country had established “LGBT-free” zones, which were set-up to eliminate any “propaganda” that promoted queer identities and lifestyles. Two years ago, the far-right Law and Justice Party, responsible for having initiated these policies, was defeated in national Polish elections. Ever since, their anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has been […]
The “Take It Down Act” passes through Congress
HARD COPY: Have you heard of it? It’s a bill with a ton of bipartisan support that is about to be signed by the president. The bill responds to the new-age phenomenon of “revenge porn” and other similar instances of sexual abuse in which non-consensual intimate imagery is circulated. In addition to stricter penalties, the […]
Ban pornography depicting strangulation, review urges UK ministers.
HARD COPY: The slippery slope of pornography regulations Baroness Bertin, a conservative member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, has completed her review of the pornography industry. Depictions of strangulation are on the list of sexual tropes that the report suggests should be censored in porn. What English legislators do with the […]