LGBTIQ*

Shubha Chacko is a prominent LGBTQ activist from India. On the occasion of the landmark Supreme Court judgment decriminalizing a portion of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, she writes on the long fight against section 377, the challenges ahead and what it means for the society at large.

Between 2011 and 2013 alone 5,891 LGBT people left Armenia. This article will tell the first-hand story of lesbian, bisexual and transgender Armenian citizens who have moved to different EU countries.

The German Federal Constitutional Court has ordered the legislature to provide a third gender option beside male or female in the country’s birth registry – or else do away altogether with information on gender in civil status. This puts Germany in a position to play a leading role in Europe on this issue.

Today, on 20 November, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Broader systemic inequalities still exist - especially in three crucial areas: gender identity/expression, sex work and migration.

Trans people are routinely discriminated against in healthcare settings and their health and well-being is underserviced. Within the broader trans community, non-binary people face particular barriers in accessing healthcare services and they score lowest on self-reported physical and mental health.

The public discourse in Indonesia has turned against LGBT people. However, behind closed doors, the Indonesian government still supports projects for LGBT groups.

Sexual and gender minorities remain dangerously vulnerable to human rights abuses across much of Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite immense legal and cultural barriers, civil society activists around the continent are rising up to improve the lives of LGBTI people. Brian Pellot spoke with two leading activists in Uganda and Botswana.

Political transition in Myanmar from a military to a civilian government holds the promise of opening up political spaces to previously marginalized groups. However, the dividend of the country’s democratization process seems to be still far off for the LGBTI community.

Are LGBTQ rights on the line under the new administration? We spoke with Sharita Gruberg, associate director of the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, about challenges that face LGBTQ community under Trump.

Despite the empowerment of the LGBTI movement during the last 20 years, LGBTI people in Russia face extensive legal discrimination, widespread homophobia and even massive violence.

Where are the interfaces between religion, faith, and LGBTIQ rights? This question was discussed at the conference “Too queer to believe – Religion, social activism and LGBTI rights” which the Heinrich Böll Foundation held in Berlin in conjunction with the Turkish NGO Kaos GL at October 5th, 2016.

Discrimination in the healthcare system, exclusion from society, limited job opportunities - in South Caucasus LGBTI persons are still victim of discrimination and violation. An owerview of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Ten years after the creation of the Yogyakarta Principles, “Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity”, Caroline Ausserer speaks with Maxim Anmeghichean, one of the experts that elaborated them.

Niv Acosta’s performance “Discotropic” rediscovers queer blackness. A performance that weaves together science fiction, disco and astrophysics with queer bodies and black experiences. KWEEK. A queer interjection.  

Russian NGOs are under pressure: They are hindered in their work with laws and checks by the authorities, paralyzed and driven to close down. External support is not only helpful, but vital.

Civil society organisations can be a vanguard of progress for the LGBTI community. Despite the growing number of laws and policies impeding LGBTI advocacy, activists and organisations successfully challenge these trends.

Worldwide people are exposed to serious human rights violations because of their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Therefore the UN Human Rights Council has decided to appoint an independent expert on the protection of LGBTI people.

Ten years after the creation of the Yogyakarta Principles, “Principles on the Application of International Human Rights Law in Relation to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity”, Caroline Ausserer speaks with Professor Stephen Whittle, one of the experts that elaborated them.

Born in Benin, Cléo left her country because of her transsexuality and her activism. After living in Tunisia for several years, she was recently granted asylum there. She tells us about her fight and her odyssey.

The cases of Marwen and the six students from Kairouan who were arrested and sentenced for homosexual practices in 2015 received a lot of media coverage. However, that did not stop the spiral of violence against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people (LGBTs) in Tunisia. Homophobia can be deadly.