This morning, February 2, Ali Erol, a prominent Turkish human rights activist and a founder of Kaos GL Association, Turkey’s first registered LGBT organisation, was arrested and detained in a home he shares with his partner.
This morning, February 2, Ali Erol, a prominent Turkish human rights activist and a founder of Kaos GL Association, Turkey’s first registered LGBT organisation, was arrested and detained in a home he shares with his partner.
President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union address to a joint session of the United States Congress on the evening of January 30, 2017. Heavily contested topics were covered in President Trump’s speech including immigration, tax reform, and religious freedom.
OutRight Action International launches new report titled, Arab Mass Media: A Monitoring Report Looking at Sexuality and Gender Identity in Arabic Media from 2014 to 2017. The report, available in both English and Arabic monitors widespread local and national newspapers in 14 countries in the Arab region, radio, TV channels, and social media platforms to assess the current language journalists use to talk about LGBTIQ people and if the coverage is positive, negative, or neutral.
One year ago, a gunman who pledged himself to ISIS showered bullets in an Orlando nightclub and carried out the most deadly shooting in US modern history. On that night alone, 49 people were killed and many others injured. The attack happened on Latin Night at the gay bar Pulse.
On Wednesday, May 24 2017, the Judicial Yuan, Taiwan’s highest court, ruled that restricting marriage to only a man and a women was unconstitutional. The court voted in favour of marriage equality. Taiwan has made history as the first Asian country to vote in favour of same-sex marriage.
On Sunday May 21 2017 at 8pm, police raided the Atlantis Gym & Sauna in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta at 8pm in the evening arresting 141 men claiming they were engaging in a “gay sex party”. Those arrested were detained by the North Jakarta District Police. Indonesia does not have laws criminalising homosexuality, except in the Aceh province, however the country does have severe anti-pornography laws which have recently been used to target LGBT+ websites and activities.
LGBT+ youth continue to be disenfranchised. May 17th has become a day to raise awareness of violations against the rights of LGBT+ people. It was on this day in 1990 that the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses as part of the International Classification of Diseases. While much has progressed since that day, LGBT+ people, and often LGBT+ youth in particular, continue to face a disproportionate burden of discrimination and violence.
Novaya Gazeta the Moscow based newspaper reported on April 1 that more than 100 men have been arbitrarily detained and at least three have been murdered by Chechen authorities for their alleged “non traditional” sexual orientation.
US Department of State appoints two organisations known to oppose the UN human rights system, LGBT+ rights, and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights to its official delegation to the 61st annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) is labeled a ‘hate group’ by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Heritage Foundation who in the past have called for a cut in funding for programs combatting violence against women and claims that anti-discrimination laws grant LGBT+ people “special privileges.”
Trump’s Executive Order will Lead to persecution of LGBT+ people globally says Jessica Stern, Executive Director, OutRight Action International. Last Monday, March 6, President Donald Trump signed into power an Executive Order to block citizens of six majority Muslim countries from entering the United States.
