BELFAST — A gay artist in Belfast has been hit with a £60 (approx. $90) fine after protesting for same-sex marriage by chalking the word ‘love’ on sidewalks. Christoff Gillen was fined under a piece of legislation that is rarely (if ever) used. He was fined for “defacing” the streets of Belfast. He was doing…
In addition to other forms of discrimination, lesbian and bisexual women in Cuba face unequal treatment from public health services. Their specific sexual and reproductive health needs are ignored, and they are invisible in prevention and treatment campaigns for women. Many lesbian and bisexual women are afraid of gynecological instruments and procedures which they experience…
After years of debate, some would argue centuries, the Swedish government plans to introduce a gender-neutral pronoun. The pronoun, “Hen,” will be used to refer to a person’s gender without revealing their gender either because, according to the Guardian.com, “It is unknown, because the person is transgender, or the speaker or writer deems the gender…
NEW YORK, N.Y. – The 40 Years of Pride conference, organized by The Aguda and A Wider Bridge, will bring together a diverse group of LGBTQ leaders from around the world this summer in Israel from June 9-11. For two and a half days, leaders from around the world will gather in the heart of Tel…
An attempt by Russia to deny benefits to same-sex partners of United Nations (UN) staff has been pushed back in an overwhelming vote affirming the right of the UN to set its own internal policies, writes Jean Freedberg on the HRC Blog. Last June, LGBT advocates hailed the policy announcement by Secretary General Ban ki-Moon…
The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) has announced their latest initiative that aims to bring attention to the negative and incorrect use of the word ‘gay’ or the phrase ‘that’s so gay’. To combat this issue, they’ve made the first and only object in the world that can be called ‘gay’ without…
As millions around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, LGBT advocates in Ireland are hard at work preparing for May 22, writes Ashley Fowler on the HRC Blog. In a little over two months, Ireland will become the first nation in the world to hold a national referendum for marriage equality. Irish advocates have joined together…
At the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, being held in New York March 9-20, a Kenyan campaign to stop new HIV infections among children has been highlighted as an example of what committed political leadership can achieve in improving women’s access to health care. The First Lady of Kenya, Margaret…
In China, homosexuality still remains taboo. But the pressure to conform to heteronormative behavior stems neither from religion nor the state but from Chinese families where a one-child policy puts additional pressures on gay men to continue the family line. Enter the ‘homowives,’ a non-derogatory term in China that refers to the wives of gay…
The government of Slovenia has passed legislation that will make it the 21st nation to grant full marriage rights to all of its citizens. Slovenia’s national parliament approved the bill by a vote of 51 to 28. The bill will be sent to President Borut Pahor to sign into law. Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark,France,…
