Last week, the parliament spoke out in favour of equal parental leave rights for same-sex couples with children. In its report evaluating the implementation of the EU law (Directive 2010/18/EU) on parental leave, the Parliament emphasised that “adequate, individual, compensated parental leave is crucial for same-sex parenting couples to be able to achieve a work-life

In 2010 the marriage of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the former Prime Minister of Iceland, and Jónína Leósdóttir, a journalist and a writer, generated media attention all around the world. After all, in addition to being the first out gay head of state in the world, Jóhanna was also Iceland’s first female Prime Minister. The couple met

Uganda held largest ever rally for LGBTI rights

Uganda held its largest ever rally for LGBTI rights on Tuesday (17 May). The event, scheduled to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, saw around 300 Ugandan LGBTI celebrate and enjoy and live in as much freedom as they could. Sponsored by the Rainbow International LGBT Activist Solidarity Fund, it saw a

Activist Riamoni Chisty speaks about the country he fled, where a gay person can be brutally attacked and then called the aggressor. The government treats homosexuality as a crime, and society largely sees it as a sin. Last month, unknown assailants hacked two gay activists to death in an apartment in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. One

Global survey finds homophobic views are still dominant

Two-thirds of adults would be upset if child was gay, and only a quarter would accept a trans child. Two-thirds of adults would be upset if their child told them that they were in love with someone of the same sex according to a new survey. The survey was conducted by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,

Global Focus Issue of IDAHOT 2016 is Mental Health and Well Being

Each year activists from around the world identify one theme that they feel should get priority attention. While everyone is of course free to work on their own agenda, the annual theme allows one specific aspect to get highlighted. For 2016, activists have selected “Mental Health and Well Being”. Sexual and gender diversities are still characterized

LGL Invites to International Baltic Pride 2016 Human Rights Conference

The National LGBT* Rights Organization LGL cordially invites you to the one-day international human rights conference “Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships: Emerging International Consensus and Local Opportunities”, which will be organized within the framework of the Baltic Pride 2016 events on 17 June 2016. It is organized with the view of discussing the international and

Mariela Castro leads Cuba LGBT march

The daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro on Saturday led in a march in Havana that commemorated the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Mariela Castro, director of Cuba’s National Center for Sexual Education that is known by the Spanish acronym CENESEX, joined transgender actress Candis Cayne and hundreds of others who marched from the

Denmark to no longer define transgender as mental illness

Denmark is set to officially delete the definition of transgender as a mental illness. The move will make Denmark the world’s first health authority to take the step. From January 1st, 2017, transgender will no longer appear on Denmark’s definition of mental illnesses, the Ministry of Health has confirmed. The move would make Denmark a

Transgender Europe, launching its Trans Rights Europe Map 2016, warns protection level for trans people remains low in Europe. “Discrimination at the job market is a major factor keeping trans people from thriving. While it is positive that in 2016, 26 European states – that is four more than last year – offer now explicit

Italy says ‘yes’ to gay civil unions in historic vote

The Italian government finally approved a bill to allow gay civil unions, after a long and bitter debate that has pitted the Catholic Church against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. In order to speed up the bill’s passage, Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, called a confidence vote in Italy’s lower house on Wednesday saying it was

Maria Sam Katseva, a singer from Ukraine, will perform at the Baltic Pride 2016 concert in Vilnius on June 18th, 2016. The artists performing at the Baltic Pride concert will unite in sending a powerful message of tolerance, respect and support for the local LGBT* community. Today we speak with Maria Sam Katseva about the