Featured stories about LGBTQ+
Stories about LGBTQ+
7 January 2020
‘Where it hurts': A Brazilian online campaign raises awareness about abuse by health professionals
A popular hashtag on the Brazilian internet gathers stories of sexual orientation discrimination, body shaming, and sexual and physical assault in the consultation room.
30 December 2019
Global Voices quinceañera: The Caribbean steps out of the box
Pride parades. Cannabis legislation. £20 million in reparations. These were some of the victories in the Caribbean for 2019. Part 3 of 5.
2 December 2019
‘They call for my slaughter': Somali atheists living in fear
The Somali atheist community spans the globe, while many others remain “in the closet,” hiding their beliefs for fear of repercussions. An estimated 1.2 million seek solace online, using pseudonyms.
30 November 2019
Sexual harassment case in Trinidad & Tobago highlights need for better policies
A recent case has highlight Trinidad and Tobago's lack of laws protecting citizens from workplace sexual harassment, especially members of the LGBTQ community, who can be quite vulnerable.
28 November 2019
The Gambia confronts the nightmare of witch hunts under former regime
In The Gambia, alleged witches were held for up to five days in secret locations and made to drink ‘Kubehjaro’, a hallucinogenic substance, and then forced to confess to witchcraft.
27 November 2019
In Uzbekistan, where homosexuality is illegal, LGBTQ+ people must hide to survive
Global Voices interviewed one of the very few LGBTQ+ activists in Uzbekistan, who provide legal and psychological support to a deeply underground community.
20 November 2019
Victory for transgender students at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University
Prior to this development, Chulalongkorn University had no official protocol for transgender students wishing to dress according to their gender identity.
18 October 2019
From dictatorship to democracy: All eyes on The Gambia’s upcoming Universal Periodic Review
Ahead of The Gambia's Universal Periodic Review, which issues top the agenda of civil society organizations? "There has been a kind of a media boom after the dictatorship."
15 October 2019
Rwanda deports American evangelical pastor accused of hate speech and visa violations
Many Rwandans lauded the US evangelical preacher's deportation, decrying hate speech in Rwanda. But supporters see it as an attack on faith-based organizations by the Kagame administration.
12 October 2019
Arts festival caught in the crosshairs of Azerbaijan's ‘national mentality’
One mural depicting the body of a transgender person drew so much attention that it was painted over once the festival ended — in a not so artistically-friendly way.
8 September 2019
Human rights—and an actual rainbow—take center stage at Bosnia-Herzegovina's first Pride Parade
Concerns expressed during the build-up to the event about possible violence proved unfounded. As one Twitter user put it: "So much pride and happiness today in Sarajevo!"
6 September 2019
Bosnia-Herzegovina to hold first ever Pride parade in Sarajevo on September 8
The parade is taking place in an atmosphere of threats of violence and homophobic rhetoric by traditional and social media, but organizers are determined that the show will go on.
18 August 2019
Cinema and new laws bring greater acceptance and visibility for Vietnamese transgenders
LGBTQ+ identities are gaining legal and social recognition in Vietnam, as a documentary illustrates.
3 August 2019
In Azerbaijan, trolls keep us at each other’s throats
"Recently I half-jokingly wrote on my Facebook page. . . that “being from Azerbaijan is a terminal diagnosis incompatible with happiness.”
2 August 2019
Russia's LGBTQ+ community reels after murder of activist Yelena Grigoryeva
Police say Yelena Grigoryeva died in the course of a “domestic dispute” with her killer, but activists dispute that account; her name had recently appeared on a homophobic hit-list.
31 July 2019
Queer as quantum joy
"You deserve to be proud of yourself, you rare, riotous beauty. Go on, give yourself a huge, rafter-rattling cheer."
18 July 2019
Brazil's top court criminalizes homophobia and transphobia
"We believe that punitivism should not be the way for regulation, but since we live in a society tha only reorganizes itself with laws, it is an important decision."
30 June 2019
In pictures: Nepal holds parade during international Pride Month
Participants demanded equal rights, including same-sex marriage, and were able to educate people about the diversity of the queer community, well beyond the term LGBTQ+.
28 June 2019
Myanmar unites against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination after tragic death of a young gay librarian
Kyaw Zin Win wrote in his last note, "[Myanmar] is a country that mocks the identity and existence of a person".
14 June 2019
Bhutan takes first steps toward decriminalizing homosexuality
The bill will be discussed in the National Council, the upper house of the parliament, during the upcoming winter session starting in November. Bhutanese activists eagerly await the results.
