DUBLIN — In what the Irish government is calling a work ‘in progress,’ transgendered nationals are still banned from changing their birth certificate to reflect their new identities while those from other nations are not reports the Irish Times. “The General Registrar Office in Ireland will accept a birth certificate amended by another state where…
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia can now add musicals to the growing list of state-sponsored efforts to help curb the spread of homosexuality in this largely Muslim country. The Guardian is reporting that Asmara Songsang (Abnormal Desire), written and directed by Rahman Adam, 73, aims to teach younger members of the LGBT community about the evils of their…
ACCRINGTON, England – A transgender primary school teacher – who was subject of a ‘shock’ story about her transition in British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail – has been found dead. Some commentators are claiming the death was a suicide, although this has not yet been verified. Gay Star News reported that the death of…
The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has announced that beginning in May, three hospitals will be permitted to perform gender reassignment surgery, announced Nguyen Huy Quang, director of the Department of Legal Affairs for the Ministry. According to an internal document, in 2,000 newborn babies, one has genitals not fit to the chromosome. And 1 in…
LONDON (CNN) — In a week of change at the top for church leaders, the question of same-sex marriage has jumped to the fore. Only two days after Pope Francis was officially installed, former oil executive Justin Welby is to be enthroned Thursday as the new head of the Church of England and the 77…
In a move that suggests the Indian state is working toward greater acceptance of the LGBT community, Rituparno Ghosh, the director of Chitrangadahas won top honors at the state-sponsored National Film Awards, reports The Indian Express. The film, which took home the Special Jury Prize, concerns a choreographer (Ghosh) who is struggling with gender identity….
JAKARTA, Indonesia — In a sign of just how far the struggle for equality has come, an Indonesian constitutional court justice was forced to backtrack and apologize after stating his opposition to same-sex marriage during a fit and proper test before the House Commission III, the country’s legal affairs division. The justice, Arief Hidayat, was asked…
QUEBEC CITY — As part of a five-year, seven million dollar campaign, the Quebec government has launched a series of ads to find out just how tolerant its citizens are, reports the Montreal Gazette. The ads, which begin by asking, “How open are you?” and show a series of gender neutral situations, before displaying varying…
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The New Zealand Parliament has approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage , bringing the bill one vote closer to becoming law. The Jurist.org reported that the bill was approved by a vote of 77-44, in the second of three votes needed to become law. The second vote is generally the most critical, with the…
TORINO, Italy – The organizers of the 28th Torino GLBT Film Festival have revealed the official poster promoting the festival. German cartoonist Ralf König created the image for the festival, taking inspiration from the original 1986 poster by Marco Silombri. One of the most successful German cartoonists, König’s comics are translated and published in many…
