Trans Man Wins Court Battle to Have the Right Gender on School Records

‘The authorities… should readily extend their helping hand rather than denying the same looking down upon them.’ A man who transitioned after graduating from university should be allowed to update his school records to reflect his true gender. The Madras High Court in Tamil Nadu, India ruled on a petition filed by a transgender software engineer

After defending her thesis to receive a Master’s degree in education this spring, Vilnius University graduate Akvilė Giniotaitė shared her work with LGL. Her thesis explores how non-heteronormative sexuality and gender expression are approached in Lithuanian schools. Seeking perspective into how attitudes learned and reinforced in school contribute to a heteronormative society, she analyzed state

Lithuania Joins Equal Rights Coalition

On June 8th, 2017 during the meeting of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office in Geneva (Switzerland), attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuania officially joined the international Equal Rights Coalition, which aims to strengthen international efforts to assure LGBT* human rights

Michigan Just Changed its Policy to Let Trans Prisoners Get Medical Treatment

Michigan has changed its policy on providing medically necessary treatments to transgender prison inmates. A new policy adopted by the Michigan Department of Corrections takes effect today which means transgender people can receive hormone therapy and other medical treatments while in prison. The change came after a trans woman incarcerated pushed the MDoC to change

German Lawmakers Approve Same-sex Marriage Bill

German lawmakers on Friday approved a bill that will extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The measure passed in the lower house of the German Parliament, which is known as the Bundestag, by 393-226 vote margin with four abstentions. The vote took place less than a week after Chancellor Angela Merkel announced her position on

Angela Merkel Softens Stance on Opposition to Same-sex Marriage

Angela Merkel has softened on her opposition to same-sex marriage. Chancellor Merkel has repeatedly ruled out calls to introduce equal marriage, saying: “For me, marriage is a man and a woman living together.” The upper house of the German Parliament  has previously passed symbolic motions calling for same-sex marriage. The German Chancellor on Monday for

Congress Passes Resolution Condemning LGBTQ Torture in Chechnya

Congress passed a bipartisan resolution on Tuesday condemning anti-LGBTQ persecution and violence in Chechnya. House resolution 351 was introduced on May 23 by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who has an out transgender son and is a frequent advocate for LGBTQ rights. Ros-Lehtinen is also a member of the House LGBT Equality Caucus. The

On 19th June, 2017 Agneta Skardžiuvienė, Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson of the Republic of Lithuania, found that Telšiai Žemaitė Gymnasium violated the Law on Equal Treatment of the Republic of Lithuania by not ensuring the absence of discrimination and material promoting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in its curriculum. It has been confirmed that

D.C. to Allow Gender-Neutral Driver’s Licenses

At the direction of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, the city’s Department of Motor Vehicles will begin allowing residents to choose a gender-neutral “X” identifier on driver’s licenses and other city identification documents on June 26. The announcement on Tuesday by the mayor’s office of the soon to be available gender-neutral identification documents came on the

German High Court Rejects Parliamentary Vote on Same-sex Marriage

Governing coalition is divided on the issue and the lower house’s legal affairs committee has repeatedly deferred an official vote. Germany’s highest court has rejected an opposition party’s attempt to force a parliamentary vote on same-same marriage. The country has recognised civil partnerships for same-sex couples since 2001. While other countries have taken the next

On 20th June, 2017 the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia’s ‘anti-propaganda’ legislation is in breach with human rights. The federal law was adopted in 2013 and bans the “promotion” or “propaganda” of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism. The Court found that the law breaches the right to freedom of expression (Article 10) and the

Denmark Approves Same-sex Marriage in the Faroe Islands

The road to approving same-sex marriage in the Faroe Islands has finally been completed. The islands have become the final Nordic country to legalise marriage equality. The archipelago known as the Faroe Islands, which is self-governing, voted to make it legal for same-sex couples to marry last year. However the legislation required a change in