Egypt recently denied entry to the Virgin Voyages cruise ship Scarlet Lady, which is carrying nearly 2,500 passengers, mostly LGBTQ+ travelers, and the musical diva force-of-nature, Patti LuPone. The Scarlet Lady has already been blocked from docking in Turkey. The ship had been chartered by the LGBTQ+ travel company Atlantis Events, and was scheduled to […]
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 […]
Women Less Heterosexual than Men
LGBTQ+ identification has more than doubled since 2012 according to a recent Gallup poll. 28% of Gen Z women identified as LGBTQ+ compared with 10.6% of Gen Z men. In an in-depth piece, The Conversation brings together an interdisciplinary team (psychology, social work, and gender studies) to look at this national trend and ask if […]
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 […]
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 […]
New Documentary Celebrates Sex-Positive Cable TV Pioneer
Bang My Box, a new HBO documentary produced by Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex & the City), chronicles the life of iconic New York City public access TV show creator and host Robin Byrd. The Robin Byrd Show first aired on public access in 1977 and ran for over 20 years. The late night call-in show […]
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 […]
Climate Activism Can be a Drag
The drag queen, Pattie Gonia, has been an environmental and political activist for several years and has amassed an impressive following of over 2 million people across their social channels. They have raised millions of dollars for environmental and social justice non-profits, co-founded the environmental equity organization Outdoorist Oath, and was featured as one of TIME’s most […]