Today, at an event held alongside the European Union Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, The Equal Rights Trust (ERT), in partnership with the Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC), launched Half an Hour to Spring: Addressing Discrimination and Inequality in Belarus. This addition to the ERT Country Report Series is the first ever comprehensive account of discrimination

Moscow gay club attacked with poison gas

Four attacks have been made on Russia’s Central Station nightclub since the gay propaganda law was enforced this summer. The perpetrators of the attack on the club Central Station on 23 November, remained unknown, but the club’s director was clearly convinced that extremist anti-gay views were to blame. According to a report by Queer Russia,

Shaky situation in the Middle East

Noor Sultan, a 29-year-old Sudanese lesbian woman based in Cairo, is the Deputy Director and media officer of the Bedayaa Organization in Nile Valley Area Egypt and Sudan – an area in change. – The situation in the Middle East is very shaky. Since early 2011, heads of state of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya were

Major EU fund for employment and social inclusion will combat discrimination

Today, the European Parliament adopted a regulation defining the priorities of the European Social Fund (ESF) for the period 2014-2020. For the first time, the Fund will contribute to combating discrimination based on sex—including discrimination against transsexual persons—and sexual orientation. Today’s binding resolution specifies that discrimination based on sex should be interpreted broadly, including discrimination against transsexual

Gay. Let’s get over it! A message from the popstar Will Young

Dear friend, I’m delighted to be part of Stonewall’s new campaign to tackle homophobic language, which launches today as part of Anti-Bullying Week. I wanted you to be one of the first to hear about it and I’d also like to ask for your help! We know that 99 per cent of lesbian, gay and

On 12-13 November 2013 the Fundamental Human Rights Conference (FRC) “Combating hate crime in the EU: Giving victims a face and a voice”, organised by the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency is taking place in Vilnius, Lihuania. The conference focuses on fighting hate crimes and seeks to establish and promote international cooperation among the EU

Lesbian, gay, Muslim and proud

Last month Omar Kuddus wrote an article for the Gay Star News titled ‘It’s time to come out as gay, Muslim and proud’. As the chair of Imaan, the largest LGBTQI Muslim organization in the UK, Europe and probably even the world, I was definitely interested in what Kuddus had to say. He wrote of personal struggles

Minsk Pride needs your help

According to the website GayRussia.ru, organizers of Minsk Pride 2013 are collecting signatures on a petition supporting their efforts to hold a Pride event this year in Belarus. “The organizing committee of the Minsk Gay Pride 2013 , issued a statement calling on all concerned people all over the world to sign the online petition in

New European Parliament report in the making on a future EU LGBT equality roadmap

Today the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) will start working on a new strategy against homophobia and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. This roadmap would serve to guide EU and Member State actions, while respecting the principle of subsidiarity: the Commission would use its powers under EU treaties,

Ukraine film festival targeted by anti-LGBT protesters

Ukraine‘s premier film festival, Molodist, has been picketed by protesters complaining about the presence of LGBT films at the event. According to the Hollywood Reporter, dozens of people stood outside the Zhovten cinema in Kiev, some holding up placards with anti-LGBT slogans and burning a flag. The co-chairperson of the Parents’ Committee of Ukraine was also

Uzra Zeya, representative of the US government: “I was honored to represent the United States government at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) Europe’s Annual Conference, held in Zagreb, Croatia yesterday.  Before an audience of more than 250 activists from 45 countries across Europe, I affirmed the strong U.S. commitment to advance

New Georgian President: “government must never allow discrimination”

Giorgi Margvelashvili, the winner of a landslide vote on Sunday to elect the country’s next President, believes that “the objective of a democratic state is to protect the rights of every citizen.” In a written response to a series of questions posed by the voter information website Prezidenti.ge, Margvelashvili outlined his views on various issues,