Research is showing that 43% of sexually active teens in the U.K. have been strangles during sex. Researchers have found the practice of “non-fatal strangulation” (NFS) has been increasingly normalized among young people by “media, pornography, and peer norms”. NFS is never a safe practice, despite a widespread belief it can be performed safely. In […]
Ugandan President: Denying Your Partner Sex is a Major Offense
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who has held office since 1986, said at an Inter-Religious Family Festival that mistreating a spouse by denying them sex (a practice known as kugunga) is a “very serious offense” in traditional, pre-colonial Ugandan society, comparable to public insults or failing to support one’s family. He said the offense should result […]
More Developments from Trumpland
A press release from the White House praised the Supreme Court’s recent rulings upholding states’ ability to restrict trans participation in women’s sports as bolstering the “President’s push to eliminate transgender insanity”. Less noticed, but even more worrisome to some trans advocates is a proposed rule requiring that political appointees conduct a “pre-clearance review” of […]
Trinidad and Tobago and Other International Good News for LGBT Community
Trinidad and Tobago’s Sexual Offenses Act, or “buggery law” outlawing homosexuality, is a legacy of British Colonialism. Trinidad and Tobago has been an independent, sovereign nation since 1962. And, although England and Wales decriminalized consensual same-sex in 1967, it is currently illegal in Trinidad and Tobago. In 2018, activist Jason Jones successfully brought a lawsuit […]
Japanese Host Clubs
Japanese lawmakers have attempted to curb the manipulative tactics used in the country’s “host clubs,” pricey establishments where lonely women (and sometimes gay men) are encouraged to run up huge tabs by attractive male “hosts” who feign romantic attraction. Women are then forced into prostitution if they cannot otherwise pay off their debts. Despite legislative […]
Public Kerfuffle Over Genitalia in Switzerland
A transgender woman was removed from the women-only nude section of a popular open air bathing spot in Bern, Switzerland after people complained about her presence. When tensions rose on site, staff asked her to leave, and when she refused, police escorted her from the premises and allegedly detained her at a station for two […]
Sexual Newspeak: The Consequences of Semantics on Gender and Sexual Minorities
The Malaysian government has officially replaced the term “LGBT” with “deviant culture” (Malay: “budaya songsang”) in its public communications and educational materials, framing LGBTQ+ identities as out of sync with the country’s religious and cultural values. Human rights advocates argue that this new terminology further stigmatizes LGBTQ+ people and reinforces discrimination. And, as related to […]
Nepal’s Supreme Court Mandates Marriage Equality
In some good news for LGBTQ+ rights, the Supreme Court of Nepal has ruled in favor of marriage equality. They have issued a binding directive order ensuring equal marriage rights for gender and sexual minorities. The Supreme Court issued an interim ruling in 2023 recognizing same-sex marriage. However, the Nepali government has had a mixed […]
Weaponizing Accusations of Child Abuse: The Pete Buttigieg Case
Pete Buttigieg, former United States Secretary of Transportation and a very vocal member of the Democratic Party, is speaking out about what he considers to be “the ugliest thing that has happened to [him] since [his] career in service began.” He was recently temporarily separated from his four-year-old twins after an anonymous false report to […]
FTC Claims Trans Medicine is Consumer Fraud
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas (all red states) have joined forces to sue the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), alleging that it made deceptive claims about the safety and effectiveness of pediatric gender-affirming medical treatments. The lawsuit argues that WPATH overstated evidence that supports interventions such as […]