LGL’s Intern Nele: LGBT Advocacy in A Challenging Environment

Coming to Lithuania, I had only a vague idea of the country, the LGBT rights situation, or the work I was going to be doing. I knew Lithuania was considered one of the most homo-, bi- and transphobic countries in the European Union: that it was one of very few European countries without any legal

Conference on the rights of transgender people in Lithuania

On September 6th 2018, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania held a conference on the state of the rights of transgender persons, during which international and local human rights experts as well as medical and legal representatives discussed the situation in Lithuania ahead of decisions on the pending gender reassignment bill drafts. Prof. Vytautas Mizaras

Pakistan University Will Give Free Education to Trans People

The university wants to help trans people overcome stigma and become involved in society. A university in Pakistan announced it will give free education to trans people. Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) based in the capital Islamabad was Asia’s first distance learning university. It’s motto ‘education for all’ helped frame its decision to provide free

Trump Administration Says it’s Legal to Discriminate Against Transgender Workers

The Trump administration is continuing its attack on civil rights laws by rolling back a policy protecting transgender employees from discrimination. The move, from Trump’s Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is just the latest in a string of attacks on trans equality in the past few months. As well as banning transgender people from serving in the

Finnish Government Opts to Keep Law That Requires Trans People to Be Sterilised

The government of Finland have decided to keep rules that force the sterilisation of trans people who wish to change their legal gender. In a disappointing blow to trans activists, the Finnish government decided on August 25th to not implement the recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council had previously recommended

Pentagon Agrees to 6-month Delay for Transgender Enlistments

Defense Secretary James Mattis has agreed to a request from military service chiefs for a six-month delay in allowing openly transgender people to enlist into the U.S. armed forces. Dana White, a Pentagon spokesperson, said Mattis on Friday “approved a recommendation by the services to defer accessing transgender applicants into the military until Jan. 1,

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

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

Meet the First Openly Transgender Woman to Win a Primary Election in Virginia

In November, she’ll face off against a Republican who has put forward numerous anti-LGBTI bills. Danica Roem may be the first openly transgender woman elected in Virginia. The 32-year-old journalist, stepmom, and heavy metal band member won the primary election for the Virginia House of Delegates District 13 on Tuesday 13 June. She is one

Strasbourg Court: Forced Sterilisation Trans People Violates Human Rights

Last week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that requiring trans people to undergo sterilisation in order to have their gender recognised, violates human rights. In the case A.P. and Others v. France, three transgender people attempted to change the entries on their sex and forenames on their birth certificates, and were refused so