How far has SOGII advocacy comae at the UN and where is it heading?

Tremendous achievements have occurred in the past decade enabling human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex persons worldwide to be more effectively addressed by the UN. The steady engagement of SOGI (sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex) advocates with UN mechanisms and States has led to increasing visibility of these issues in UN spaces.

Assessing sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex activism and key developments at the UN 2003-2014 Read More

LGBT Activists Meet at UN, Promise to Keep Fighting

On Human Rights Day, homosexual activists converged on UN headquarters to make the case that “LGBT rights are human rights.” Undersecretary General Jan Eliasson called the promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights (LGBT) an “unfinished human rights revolution.” He lamented the lack of international progress, but said gains had nevertheless been “spectacular.”

Panelists called for redefining family in light of the persistence of UN member states not to recognize an equivalence between same-sex couples and the union of a man and a woman.  Fifteen UN member states, calling themselves the “LGBT core group,” hosted the event. Despite considerable resources and influence, so far they have failed to gain traction among the wider membership and are limited to hosting side events and press conferences.

Multiple negotiations over the past year, which marks the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, have shut out the notion of “various forms of the family”—a term homosexual activists prefer instead of the definition of family from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Read More

Watch the event here

King of the Double Life: Olympic hopeful Tom Luchsinger could hide being gay from the cameras but not the mirror

How Olympic hopeful and national champion swimmer Tom Luchsinger wrestled with being gay in front of the cameras - and his mirror. The former Univ. of North Carolina standout shares his experiences in the closet:

April 2013. I wake up and look at the clock. 2:58 AM. I have a long day ahead of me.

I don't have to be up for another two hours and five minutes for the first of three workouts. Yes, I'm that exact. In the wee hours of twilight my mind begins to race. I can feel my heart rate rising and my body beginning to perspire as I think, "You're gay." Read More

Embrace Diversity Festival 2014 honors LGBT community in Vietnam

Around a thousand LGBT people and their allies on Sunday flocked to HCMC's Labor Culture Palace in District 1 for the event titled “Embrace Diversity Festival 2014.”  The “Ngày hội Tôn Vinh Sự Đa Dạng 2014” was held by ICS Center, an organization supporting LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender) community’s rights in Vietnam.  Read More

Thousands march in first Quezon City pride

More than 4,000 members and supporters of the LGBTI community took to the streets of Quezon City on Saturday (13 December) for the city’s first pride parade. The event commemorated the 20th anniversary of the first pride in the Philippines and was a ‘pet project’ of the recently formed Quezon City Pride Council (QCPC).

‘Our main goal is to deliver the message of equality,’ Jeffklein Glodove, secretariat of QCPC told GMA News Online. ‘QCPC defines equality in all aspect of life. Equality in the workplace, social services, and delivery of goods without any discrimination regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation.’ Read More

Appeals Court Upholds Condom Use In Porn Films Being Shot In LA

A Los Angeles County ordinance requiring actors in pornographic films to use condoms does not violate the porn industry’s First Amendment rights of free expression, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The decision rejected the industry’s contention that having actors use condoms would interfere with a film’s fantasy element by subjecting viewers to real-world concerns like pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Read More

British Columbia’s Trinity Western University fights Nova Scotia decision to deny accreditation

British Columbia’s TWU argued in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society (NSBS) did not have the authority to refuse to approve the university’s proposed law school.

The society’s council decided that TWU students would need to meet national requirements for skills and knowledge required to be licensed to practice law. However, TWU must drop its community covenant prohibiting same-sex intimacy before graduates from the school would be allowed to enroll in the province’s bar admission program.

In its brief to the court, the NSBS argued while the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of religion and association, it does not require the society to support conduct that discriminates against others.  “Those who hold evangelical beliefs are not singled out,” the NSBS brief states. “Instead, it is the law degree from schools that engage in discriminatory conduct that is singled out.” Read More

Preacher Scott Lively on trial for role in Uganda anti-gay law

Anti-gay preacher Scott Lively will face trial for crimes against humanity for his role in influencing the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA). A lawsuit was originally filed by the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of umbrella advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda. He is accused of direct involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda and therefore of aiding persecution – a violation of international law. A Boston Court of Appeals last week denied Lively's petition to have the case dismissed. It will proceed in federal court. 

Lively, who is president of Abiding Truth Ministries, recently described homosexuality as an "infection" and worse than mass murder. He has also accused gay people of being "agents of America's moral decline."  Read More

A 9-year-old girl gave this heartfelt letter to her teacher after he came out as gay

A 9-year-old girl has written a heartfelt letter to her teacher, after he revealed he was gay during a lesson on homophobic bullying. 

It reads: “Dear Mr R,

“Even though you’re gay, I will always treat you the same way as I do now. I still think about you the same way as I used to. You’re a great teacher and these are just some of the word’s (sic) that I would describe you as: great, amazing, fantastic, brilliant, awesome and brave.
“The reason why I say brave is because you shared a personal secret which was very brave.
“You don’t have to feel scared because I know that eveyrone in the class feels the same way as I do.

“From A x x

Face-sitting protest outside parliament against new porn rules

Sex workers and campaigners have gathered in front of parliament to protest against changes to UK pornography regulations.

Organiser Charlotte Rose called the restrictions “ludicrous” and said they were a threat to freedom of expression.

Protesters say the list of banned activities includes “face-sitting”, and campaigners planned to carry out a mass demonstration of this while singing the Monty Python song Sit On My Face. Read More

Google+ Now Lets You Define Your Gender

Following on the heels of social networking sites like Facebook and OKCupid, users of Google+ will soon be able to set their own gender, reports TechCrunch. 

Among a cascade of updates rolled out on Tuesday, the tech giant announced it will let users list their gender as more than just “Male” or “Female. In fact, according to Google software engineer Rachael Bennett’s post, Google+ users will now have access to an “infinite number of ways to express your gender identity.”  Read More

Australian Court: Resort cannot use religion to justify discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

The Court of Appeal of Victoria, Australia found Christian Youth Camps liable for an act of unlawful discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arising from the refusal of its manager, Mark Rowe, to allow one of CYC’s adventure camp resorts to be used by same-sex attracted young people.

Cobaw Community Health Services Ltd, an organization working to prevent suicide among young people and to raise awareness about the needs of same-sex attracted young people and the effects of homophobia and discrimination on them, had made the request to host a retreat for same-sex attracted young people. CYC denied them access after learning of the intended guests. Read More