Gay Italian man gets driving license back after 15-year legal battle

Italy’s highest court found the Ministry of Defence, and Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport guilty of discriminating against him and violating his privacy. Fifteen years ago, Italian Danilo Giuffrida was disqualified from driving and told by his doctors he was not mentally fit to do so after he came out as gay during his military service.

Founder of Russian LGBT website convicted under propaganda law

Russian judge on Friday convicted the founder of a website for LGBT youth of violating the country’s law that bans the promotion of so-called gay propaganda to minors.  Lyudmila Pedan, a judge in the city of Nizhny Tagil, found Yelena Klimova, founder of the Children 404 Project, of violating the controversial law that President Vladimir Putin signed

Remembering Nazism’s Pink Hell

On January 27th, 1945, Auschwitz was liberated. In the decades since, groups of survivors have gathered to honor that day. On Tuesday 27th January 2015, holocaust survivors will return to Auschwitz for the 70th anniversary of liberation. In light of this important upcoming event, National LGBT* Rights Organization LGL takes the opportunity to commemorate the

Barack Obama: I hope the Supreme Court rules in favour of same-sex marriage

The country’s highest court announced earlier this month that it would take up a same-sex marriage case that could bring equal marriage to all 50 states. Attorney General Eric Holder has already confirmed that his office will submit a brief urging the court to strike down bans on same-sex marriage. President Obama was asked about the case in an

Transgender man has private audience with Pope Francis

A transgender man from Spain had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.  Hoy, a newspaper in the Extremadura region of Spain, reported that Diego Neria Lejárraga and his fiancée had a private audience with the pontiff that took place at his official residence. Neria told Francis in a letter that some of

NEDF Partners participated in workshops at LGBT* centre

On January 22nd, 2015, the National Equality and Diversity Forum (NEDF) visited the national LGBT* rights association LGL. The event, entitled “Identity: Gender,” was characterized by a fruitful exchange of experiences from those in attendance. Non-governmental organizations representing vulnerable groups visited LGL’s office so as to attain a better understanding of its specificities and work.

Haruki Murakami: I support gay marriage

Japanese author’s latest novel features a same-sex relationship. Japan’s best-known living author Haruki Murakami has said he supports gay marriage. The Nobel Prize favorite made the declaration yesterday (21 January) on Mr Murakami’s Place, a temporary website he set up to answer readers’ questions. One reader asked his view on gay marriage as his latest

France hands out first fines for anti-gay tweets

Three French Twitter users were fined this week for sending tweets that included homophobic hashtags. It’s the first time a French court has handed out convictions for homophobic abuse on Twitter. The convictions date back to offences committed in 2013 when several homophobic hashtags appeared on Twitter in France, including “Gays must die because…”, (#Lesgaysdoiventdisparaîtrecar).

Republic of Ireland: gay adoption law due before same-sex marriage referendum

Government pledges to enact legislation on adoption rights ahead of vote.   The Government has pledged that legislation providing for adoption by gay couples will be enacted before the referendum on same-sex marriage in May. The pledge came in the wake of concern in both Coalition parties that the first television debate on the issue on Monday

MEPs condemn homophobic hate speech Lithuanian MP

Last Sunday, Member of the Lithuanian Parliament Algirdas Vaclovas Patackas warned that the head of the Lithuanian Gay League’s (LGL) engaged in “provocation” that might result in “dead bodies”, similar to recent attacks in Paris. The MP made the remarks after LGL’s head, Vladimir Simonko, suggested that the organisation should consider buying the now obsolete