Gibraltar saw its first same sex marriage on December 16, 2016 at the Civil Status and Registration Office. Adrian Charles Triay-Dignam tied the knot with his partner Aaron Mills in the first such union since Parliament voted to change the law in October. Registry official Austin Viagas concluded the ceremony by saying “It is my honour
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Eight US states still have laws restricting teachers and staff from talking about LGBTI issues in school. Public schools in the United States are ‘inadequate’ when it comes to protecting and educating LGBTI youth, according to a new report. The report, released by the Human Rights Watch, outlines key areas of opportunity for public schools
A U.N. committee on Monday, December 19, 2016 once again rejected efforts to suspend the organization’s first-ever LGBT rights watchdog. The U.S. was among the 84 countries that voted against the motion. Seventy-seven countries backed it, while 16 countries abstained from the vote. “The U.N. General Assembly vote makes clear that no one should be
Almost 700 LGBTI human rights defenders and allies from 101 different countries have recently gathered in Bangkok, Thailand to take part in the 28th ILGA World Conference. For five days, advocates from all over the world met to network and engage in dialogue on issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex communities both
A powerful artwork featuring Harry Potter characters will appear in a comic book to raise funds for Orlando Pulse victims, after JK Rowling gave her blessing. The artwork was created by celebrated comic book artist Jim Lee – and the Potter author gave her blessing for it to appear in the ‘Love is Love’ anthology
Dozens of LGBT activists and their supporters have gathered for a pride event in Podgorica on Saturday, December 17, 2016. Activists marched through the Montenegrin capital carrying banners that read “born this way” and “equality for everyone”. The Balkan country is known for having highly conservative attitudes towards the gay community, with one survey finding
On December 5th, 2016 the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania ruled that the case regarding the Lithuanian Migration Department‘s refusal to issue a temporary residence permit to a Belarusian man, who is married to his Lithuanian same-sex partner under the Danish law, will be referred to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania. The
From December 12-13th, 2016, representatives of the National LGBT* rights organization LGL and international project partners and experts took part in the final “Hate No More” conference in Warsaw. During the conference, activities implemented by the project were reviewed and a study was presented on the needs of people affected by homophobic and transphobic violence
Slovakia’s time at the helm of the EU’s rotating presidency has not been completely smooth sailing and its successor, Malta, will hope to guide the bloc’s agenda controversy-free. Recent successes in social issues point towards a presidency quite different from the last. During its six months holding its first EU presidency, Slovakia faced criticism about
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Caucus Whip has said that a bill to legalise same-sex marriage in Taiwan “will be passed” in 2017. The country is one of the most progressive in Asia on LGBT rights, providing some LGBT rights protections and allowing some limited recognition of same-sex relationships. Ker Chien-ming said that he holds no “loating
JERUSALEM — A small rainbow flag that hangs from the second floor of a nondescript building on HaSoreg Street near Jerusalem’s Zion Square is the only visible sign that the offices of Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance are inside. Tom Canning, director of development of the local LGBT advocacy group, on Nov. 13
Malta last week became the first country in Europe to ban so-called conversion therapy. The Associated Press reported the Maltese Parliament on Monday unanimously approved a bill that would prohibit the widely discredited practice in the small archipelago that is located in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and the North African coast. Those who violate