Stories about LGBTQ+ from June, 2022
Trans women in the sex industry in Azerbaijan: Is it a free choice or just the illusion of choice?
In countries like Azerbaijan, where trans women end up as sex workers, legalization of sex work is seen as a solution to the problem.
Why gender dissent and queer sci-fi can challenge surveillance: An interview with artist Shu Lea Cheang
Cyberpunk artist Shu Lea Cheang explores the issues of surveillance through the prism of queer activism, sexual dissident history and data art installation to challenge the public's acceptance of control.
The overturning of Roe vs. Wade unsettles the Caribbean, most of which doesn't have progressive abortion laws
"Apart from women deeply inculcated with religious dogma, the time cannot be far off when women throughout the Caribbean will use their voting power to demand the right to choose."
Istanbul police violently break up PRIDE March and arrest over 300 people
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Istanbul LGBT+ Pride Week. While local authorities banned all PRIDE events, protestors still took to the streets, marched, and chanted slogans.
I did not come to flirt, but only to buy lemons
"I hope the day comes when buying lemons is just that and the shop is not another place where individuals are treated according to what they are supposed to have under their skirts."
Meet the team behind the Bangkok Pride Parade
After a hiatus of nearly two decades, the Pride Parade returned to Bangkok, Thailand, on June 5, drawing crowds of LGBTQ+ community members, sex workers, feminists, political dissidents, and corporate advocates.
In a post-COVID workplace, is a ‘professional’ dress code still relevant?
Adopting a gender-neutral, less restrictive, and diverse dress code style will open the doors of opportunity for employees coming from underrepresented groups such as people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ employees.
Four years on: Saudi's movie market is of humble local productions, massive sales and censorships
Four years after Saudi overturned a four-decade ban on cinemas as part of "a reform package", many ask how tolerant officials really are to diversity amidst tight censorships.
Equality for transgender Ukrainians: A long way to go, now complicated by the war
Russia's invasion has affected the life of the Ukrainian transgender community: many have lost jobs, access to safe medical care. They are also exposed to humiliating gender questioning.
Croatian LGBTQ+ college student association normalizes differences at Zagreb Law Faculty
In less than two years, Croatian gay–straight alliance student association ZA-Pravo has gained the attention of LGBTQ+ students and the general public by creating a safe space for all.
What South Asians in the US are saying about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights
As the US is engaging in a political and cultural war about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, the large South Asian community living in the country comments on the situation.
‘We’re also taking part in this war,’ says Ukraine's LGBTQ+ community
Though sexual diversity in Ukraine is not outlawed (it's legal since independence in 1991), the LGBTQ+ community has long been stigmatized. Now they are sacrificing their lives for their homeland.
Chinese nationalists scapegoat feminists and LGBTQ+ people for the declining birth rate
"This government is so consistent in treating women's body as a tool for its economic development goals, and in violating women's reproductive choice and bodily autonomy."
