Same-sex couples around the world have been seeking to adopt children for decades, but the road hasn’t always been easy, and many roadblocks prevent LGBTQ+ couples from providing safe and loving homes to children who need them. A Barron’s report indicates that less than 40 countries allow same-sex couples to adopt children. These countries are most often the same countries that allow same-sex marriage or civil partnerships. The Netherlands made history in 2001 as the first country in the world to allow same-sex couples to adopt. Now around 22 European countries have done so, along with nine countries in the…
Author: Lauren Mulvey
What teams are you cheering on at The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris? According to OutSports, at least 155 out athletes from 25 countries around the world are competing in many categories, including basketball, field hockey, gymnastics, tennis, volleyball, and more. Big names competing this year include track star Sha’Carri Richardson, trans nonbinary runner Nikki Hiltz, and British diver Tom Daley. Hiltz made history as she qualified for the games this year, finishing in record time for a 1500m race in the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials. “I wanted to run this one for my community,” they told OutSports. “All…
The 76th annual Emmy Awards nominees were announced recently and this year’s list includes many LGBTQ actors in a diverse range of categories and shows. Actors nominated include Jodie Foster for her lead role in True Detective: Night Country, Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer for Fellow Travelers, Nava Mau for Baby Reindeer, Bowen Yang for SNL and Holland Taylor for The Morning Show. Fan favorites include Andrew Scott, nominated for his role in Ripley, and nonbinary and indigenous actor Lily Gladstone for Under the Bridge. Another indigenous and two-spirit nominee Kali Reis was acknowledge for her role in True Detective:…
New findings from Booking.com have found that LGBTQ+ travelers seek inclusivity and acceptance when traveling. Data shows that around 59% of LGBTQ+ travelers experience discrimination during their travels, and an additional 50% agree that identifying as LGBTQ+ has made them “more insecure and self-conscious as a traveler” according to TravelPulse. The same data finds that around 56% of LGBTQ travelers are considering their destination’s local legislation on marriage equality prior to booking, with 53% considering whether that destination is more or less accepting of queer people than their home country. With the release of this data, Booking.com also announces a…
While life for trans people in places like the U.K. and U.S. is fraught with many challenges, some places in the world offer better quality of life for trans residents. According to Pink News, Britain has seen near constant attacks on trans people “whether it’s politicians not letting up on their attacks against trans people or the Cass Report spelling uncertainty for the future, the transgender community in Britain has had it tough over the past decade.” Luckily, there are some shining alternatives to the U.K. and U.S. around the world where trans people can live out and proud, but…
Netflix has debuted their first ever gay romance reality television series called “The Boyfriend.” The LGBTQ+ inclusive show is set in a beach house on Tateyama, Japan, which the show dubs the “Green Room.” Here, cameras follow nine men from different career and life backgrounds on a month-long journey to find love and develop new friendships. The trailer reveals that the nine men are housed together on a beach for one month and given the task of managing a coffee truck to help bond them as they get to know one another. It also reveals relationships and friendships unfolding between…
People all across the USA want to know who J.D. Vance is after Donald Trump announced him as his pick to be Vice President. According to the Human Rights Campaign, the US Senator of Ohio has stated he “strongly disagreed” that LGBTQ+ people should be protected from discrimination. He also spoke out against Biden’s Marriage Equality Act, and has voice support on barring victims of rape and incest from access to abortion care. Throughout his term as a Senator, Vance has voted against progressive bills including one that would codify access to IVF, and he has said that he would back…
A new study has found that in spite of popular conservative belief, gender-affirming surgeries for minors are extremely rare. The study published on Thursday by the online Journal of the American Medical Association pulled U.S. medical data from 2019 to assess the rates of gender-affirming surgeries consistent with a gender dysphoria diagnosis as well as those without. Intersex individuals who underwent surgery, and all other surgeries conducted due to illness or injury were excluded from the final data, which found only 150 cases of a minor receiving a “gender-affirming surgery” in 2019. However, of the 150 discovered, 146 (or 97%)…
Keir Starmer became the newest prime minister of the U.K. after a recent general election that brought the social democratic Labour party into prominence. But where does Starmer stand on LGBTQ+ rights? The U.K. has received a lot of flack recently for being one of the worst places for LGBTQ+, particularly trans people, to live. After the election, the Labour party officially holds 411 of 650 seats in the House of Commons. This means Starmer and the Labour party are taking their place as the majority in the U.K. for the first time in 14 years, but what does this…
Though a majority of the U.S.’s most popular Pride celebrations took place in June, the fun continues both domestically and abroad. If you’re still looking to celebrate Pride this year, head to sunny California to attend Pride in San Diego on July 20-21, or pack your bags for Silicon Valley Pride August 24-25. Also yet to occur is the ever-colorful New Orleans Pride, which is set for August 29 – September 2. In Phoenix, Arizona, Pride is on October 19th and 20th. Fun also awaits across the pond in Europe with Amsterdam Pride, slated for July 27 through August 4.…
The House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies recently approved a spending bill that would cut around $419 million from federal AIDS programs. GOP house members have been attempting to curtail AIDS program funding in recent years, but have been rejected in their efforts, according to LGBTQ Nation, If they are approved the cuts would slash $214 million off the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HIV prevention programs, around $190 million off the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and $15 million off the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Minority HIV/AIDS Program. In addition to…
Trans, non-binary track star Nikki Hiltz is headed for the Paris Olympics after winning a final 1500m race at the US Olympic Track and Field trials. https://youtu.be/k3aRTiNiR_w?feature=shared Hiltz finished in a record time of three minutes and 55.33 seconds, making them the second fastest American in this event. With this victory, Hiltz qualifies for the Olympics for the first time. Others who came close to a win included American Elle Purrier St. Pierre and Emily Mackay, who have both also qualified into the Games, which are slated to begin with an opening ceremony on July 26. Those who finished in the…
As much of Africa remains staunchly opposed to allowing same-sex couples the rights afforded to straight couples, Namibia has recently decriminalized same-sex relationships. The case brought to court involved a gay Namibian man named Friedel Dausab, who argued that the country’s Immigration Control and Defense Acts which prohibited “sodomy” and other “unnatural sexual offenses” constituted unfair discrimination, infringing upon citizens’ fundamental rights, according to Time magazine. Court judges found that the laws unfairly discriminated between straight men, women and gay men. “This is good for young LGBTQ people to know that their love is not a crime,” Dausab said following…
Ashley Brundage, a Democrat and mother of two from Florida qualified to run for the state house last week, a race, which if won, would make her the state’s first trans elected official. Brundage, who was awarded a “Spirit of the Community Award” from the Florida Commission on the Status of Women in 2022, hopes to represent Hillsborough County’s 65th House District, the area that she calls home in Tampa with her family. Prior to launching her campaign Brundage founded Empowering Differences, which offers motivational speaking, leadership development, and organizational training in DEI. Brundage founded the company in 2011, as…
Elected president of the American Library Association (ALA) last year, Emily Drabinski has been fighting to further public access to books and information in spite of a near constant stream of bigoted legislation attempting to censor progressive topics spanning LGBTQ+ love and identities, race, gender, and sex. According to LGBTQ+ Nation, in 2023, more than 4,200 books were targeted by censorship laws in schools and libraries. “This is a year when libraries and readers and books have been challenged in many ways because of their LGBTQ+ content, and being an openly out lesbian leader of the ALA has meant that…
Renowned LGBTQ+ advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has recently announced a $15 million effort to help incumbent Joe Biden win re-election in this fall’s presidential race. The spending will be divvied up across six key battleground states including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, which are said to be the states that will ultimately decide November’s presidential election. The HRC campaign will include paid ads, staff hires, field campaigns, and events across the battleground states. The decision to invest follows HRC estimates that this year will render around 75 million “equality voters” who will vote based on…
Popular Netflix series Bridgerton has finally given its characters queer awakenings this season. Warning: season three spoilers ahead. The Bridgerton family are known for their looks and charm, and throughout the first and second seasons, viewers were teased with the idea that outcast older brother, Benedict Bridgerton, may be gay as he encounters alluring male characters who entrance him with art and intrigue. But soon after, the writers kept Benedict busy with a string of casual heterosexual flings. This season Benedict pursues a relationship with progressive Tilley Arnold (Hannah New), and is eventually led to a threesome with Tilley’s friend…
A new poll from Gallup has found that more than six in ten adults say they oppose bans on gender-affirming care for minors. However, 51% of Americans still believe changing one’s gender to be morally wrong, and 44% say it is morally acceptable. Despite the fact that most Americans oppose bans on gender-affirming care, around 25 states have enacted laws or policies to restrict access to this care, according to Gallup. Throughout the country, these bans block minors from receiving psychological counseling, being prescribed puberty blockers or hormone treatments and undergoing gender-affirming surgeries. Gallup polled Americans on their thoughts on…
Though much light is often shed on how LGBTQ+ freedoms are restricted through censorship and limited freedom of expression in public life, one practice that still lurks in the shadows is conversion therapy. By definition, conversion therapy is a medical or mental intervention meant to alter an LGBTQ+ person’s sexuality by means of “therapies” that are often traumatizing physically and emotionally. Those who have undergone conversion therapy experience lifelong effects on their relationships, self-esteem, mental and physical health. In December of 2023, a report from The Trevor Project found that the prevalence of conversion therapy across the U.S. is still…
Recently, an official LGBTQ+ safe zone called the Pride House was inaugurated for the Paris Olympics on a barge along the Seine River between the Grand Palais and Place de la Concorde in Paris’ city center. During the Olympics and Paralympics the barge will act as a space for LGBTQ+ athletes and visitors following the opening ceremony on July 26. According to the official Olympic statement, the goal of the space is to “celebrate LGBTI+ athletes and ensure their visibility with a programme of celebratory, cultural, and educational activities throughout the Games period.” According to AP News, this initiative “is part of…
Duolingo has deleted LGBTQ+ content for Russian users after the country officially deemed all content, practices, associations and mentions of LGBTQ+ identities “extremism.” Duolingo, the globally popular language learning app, began to remove content after warnings from Russia’s communication regulator on featuring “non-traditional sexual relations and LGBT propaganda.” A spokesperson for Duolingo told Reuters that despite their mission to normalize LGBTQ+ representation in their content “Unfortunately, local laws prohibit us from including certain content in Russia. Duolingo’s mission is to expand access to quality education around the world and we’re committed to maintaining access to our product everywhere that is…
As states across the U.S. continue to pass and propose transphobic legislation, on the other side of the world in Sydney, Australia the first ever affordable housing for trans women is being planned. The housing mission is a partnership between transfeminine All Nations housing co-operative and the Sydney city council. Common Equity New South Wales will purchase seven properties and outfit them for women who are considered “highly at risk.” Housing will be specifically used for women whose income ranges from very low to moderate. In an exclusive with Pink News, Common Equity NSW chief executive Nick Sabel said the…
Attempts by Ron DeSantis to prevent rainbow Pride displays on state bridges this month have been countered by an out and proud LGBTQ+ community in Florida. The veiled attempt to limit the flying of the Pride colors was announced by Florida Transportation Secretary James Perdue. Instead, the state will display patriotic colors on bridges as part of Florida’s new “Freedom Summer,” between May 27 and September 2. According to The Washington Post, the phrase “Freedom Summer” originates from a civil rights effort to register black voters in Mississippi, DeSantis has completely removed any civil rights notion from the phrase with…
In a huge win for the trans community, a U.S. District Court has permanently blocked Florida from enforcing bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors as well as some adults. According to LGBTQ Nation, a ruling made on Tuesday from Judge Robert Hinkle of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida called the bans “unconstitutional.” These bans throughout the state blocked gender-affirming care in the form of puberty blockers and hormone therapies, and threatened to penalize healthcare providers who offered this care to their patients. The ruling found the bans to be unconstitutional on the basis of curtailing…
Leading LGBTQ+ media advocacy group, GLAAD has announced a summer blood donation campaign called “Summer of Giving,” running now until September 4, 2024. GLAAD is partnering with America’s Blood Centers, a national organization of community-based, independent blood centers for the campaign which “focuses on advocacy and education and implementation of new [Food and Drug Administration] guidance that expands blood donor eligibility to more LGBTQ people, especially for gay and bisexual men who, in the past, have faced discrimination around blood donor eligibility,” according to GLAAD’s official statement. The initiative celebrates a more inclusive approach to evaluating blood donors ahead of…
SafeHome, the expert research source on home security and safety, has released their third annual LGBTQ+ state safety report cards, rating states based on how they protect their queer communities. The new report, published on May 29, rendered results that may not surprise you. SafeHome reported that at the end of 2023, 75 of 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced across the country became laws. In 2022, hate crimes against LGBTQ+ Americans reached a five-year high. SafeHome’s new scoring system takes into account legislative analysis and hate crime data sourced from the FBI. Apart from this information, the ranking is also based…
As Pride month kicks into full gear with celebrations around the country and world, President Joe Biden has released a proclamation declaring June to be LGBTQI+ Pride Month. “During Pride Month, we celebrate the extraordinary courage and contributions of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI+) community,” the statement reads. During his presidency, Biden signed into law the Respect for Marriage Act which protects same-sex and interracial marriages. He also ended the ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, and signed Executive Orders which strengthened civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, and the justice…
Popular kids video game company Nintendo has revealed that the newest version of their 2004 game “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door,” will feature a transgender character. The character, named Vivian, discusses her gender identity with Mario during the game, explaining that she realized she was a girl and not a boy, after which her evil siblings began bullying her. These “evil siblings” are the games’ villains. The game has undergone some changes from the original Japanese version, in which Vivian was derogatorily referred to with male pronouns and called a “man” on various occasions. The English version which was released…
In the midst of an epidemic of anti-LGBTQ censorship laws around the country, Minnesota turns the page by passing a law prohibiting libraries from banning books. Recently, Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill into law banning K-12 schools, colleges and public libraries from complying with removal requests “based solely on the viewpoint, content, message, idea or opinion conveyed,” according to Them. Walz spoke of his decision to sign the bill in a post on X: “Censorship has no place in our libraries. As a former teacher, I’m clear: We need to remember our history, not erase it.” Versions of the…
Nine EU Countries refused to sign a new LGBTQ+ rights bill at a conference held in Brussels on May 17. These include popular travel destinations like Italy, Croatia, and Hungary. Other countries that refused to sign the declaration are Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Italy backed its decision to decline signature by citing a similar bill proposed by Italian Democratic Party MP and gay activist Alessandro Zan, which would increase penalties for anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. It was speculated that Italy refused to sign the EU declaration, for the same reason it declined Zan’s bill. Despite this, Italy did…