171 men arrested in a high-profile police raid of a gay sauna in Kuala Lumpur under suspicion of “immoral activities” had to be released on bail, as the court found there was no evidence to support charges of “unnatural intercourse” or “prostitution exploitation” (offenses under the penal code), since none of the men admitted to […]
Support for Gay Marriage is Falling
The Economist/YouGov conducted a demographically weighted poll of 1,623 U.S. adults in late October, that revealed 54% support for the legality of gay marriage, compared to 33% opposition. While this is still a solid majority, it is substantially down from the 70% level of support in a 2021 Gallup poll. Most of the decline comes […]
On Global Sexual Democracy: The Toxic Tea
Ghana president John Dramani Mahama has pledged to sign into law the “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill” if it is passed by his country’s parliament. This draconian anti-LGBTQ+ bill punishes queer people for merely existing. The bill calls for a three-year imprisonment for those who identify as LGBTQ+, and a ten-year sentence for […]
On Global Sexual Democracy: The Good Tea
The European Court of Justice ruled that Polish courts had erred in refusing to recognize the legitimacy of a same-sex couple’s marriage performed in Germany. Like Hungary and Slovakia, Poland does not allow same-sex marriage within its own borders, and the ECJ’s ruling does not require EU members to do so. However, if a same-sex […]
Congress Targets Sex Dolls
There are few issues on which Republicans and Democrats appear capable of working together, but one is support of the CREEPER Act (Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots Act 2.0). A group of 34 lawmakers sent a letter to the online platform Shein, criticizing it for having failed to prevent the sale of childlike sex […]
America’s Latest Homophobic Antics
The Trump administration continues to target LGBTQ+ folks through a variety of public policy moves, such as its recent demotion of World Aids Day. The state department has directed its employees and funding recipients to “refrain from publicly promoting World Aids Day [December 1] through any communication channels, including social media, media engagements, speeches or […]
Social Media on the Chopping Block for Youth Around the World
Governments are growing increasingly concerned with the effects of social media on children. Heavy participation on social media platforms is being blamed for youths’ struggles with screen addiction and bullying, as well as identified as a conduit for inappropriate explicit (often sexual) content. Australia’s social media ban (the world’s first) for anyone under 16 goes […]
Protecting Rape Victims is Complicated
As we reported in our last edition, France recently legislated a major change to redefine rape as sex without clearly expressed consent. However, a similar proposal in Italy, supported by both Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her center-left rival Elly Schlein, has run into political obstacles due to objections from Meloni’s coalition partner, Deputy PM […]
Doug Ford Goes After “Diddlers”
Ontario’s populist premier Doug Ford has announced that his government will introduce new restrictions on people convicted of sex offenses in response to the Supreme Court decision striking down mandatory minimum sentences for possession of child pornography. Ford said, “Throw them in jail. Throw away the key. They can rot in there… They’re a bunch […]
Uganda Bill Criminalizes Identifying as LGBTQ+
Uganda, already one of the world’s harshest anti-gay regimes, is introducing a new bill which would impose up to 10 years in prison for simply identifying as LGBTQ. In 2023 the Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, signed into law the “Anti-Homosexuality Act” which brings the death penalty to anyone involved in “aggravated homosexuality”. Prior to that, […]