Category: Openly

Articles Cook Islands LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly

LGBTQ+ rights lag in Pacific despite Cook Islands’ gay sex move

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A move to decriminalise gay sex in the Cook Islands is a welcome step but LGBTQ+ people in the Pacific Islands region still lack basic rights and risk discrimination – or worse – at every turn, activists say. Lawmakers in the tiny island nation of 15,000 people passed a bill on April 14 to decriminalise same-sex sexual relations, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison, although the law was rarely, if ever, enforced. The measure is expected to become law on June 1. Announcing his support for…

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Articles LGBTQ+ News Life Malcolm Kenyatta News Openly US

US anti-LGBTQ+ laws fail to woo voters, says trailblazing Black gay politician

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The wave of recent anti-LGBTQ+ bills launched across the US is unlikely to win over voters who are more focused on practical issues such as health and education, said a trailblazing Black gay lawmaker. The spate of conservative-sponsored legislation from anti-trans bills to drag queen bans is a backlash against the growing support for LGBTQ+ rights, said Pennsylvania state representative Malcolm Kenyatta, as polls show rising acceptance among Americans. “People only fight you when you’re winning,” Democrat Kenyatta, 32, told Openly. “When people are given an option between somebody who’s…

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Anti-drag ban Articles Drag LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly US USA

First US drag show ban stokes fears of violence

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Daphne Rio had been performing a weekly drag brunch at a Dallas cafe for nearly a year when a couple slipped in, snapped a slew of pictures then slipped straight back out. Their lightning visit set off alarm bells for Rio, no stranger to the drag circuit after 8 years of performing in a host of Dallas bars and clubs. So it came as no surprise when, days later, images of Rio and her fellow performers showed up in a newsletter distributed by a right-wing group that organizes protests against…

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Articles Asia LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly

GetEqual app helps Southeast Asia LGBTQ+ gig workers find new jobs

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A mobile app for job listings for freelance LGBTQ+ workers in Southeast Asia can help tackle workplace discrimination and provide more economic opportunities for the growing number of people in the informal sector, activists said. GetEqual, launched last week, is available on the Line app in Thailand initially, and will be rolled out in Vietnam and Cambodia later in the year, said Ryan Figueiredo, founder and executive director of LGBTQ+ rights group Equal Asia Foundation, which launched the app. Line is the most widely used chat app in Southeast Asia,…

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Articles Kenya LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly Uganda

LGBTQ+ Kenyans and Ugandans hide from wave of homophobic abuse

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LGBTQ+ Kenyans say they are living in fear after a pro-gay court ruling triggered an outpouring of abuse and death threats, while an anti-gay bill in neighbouring Uganda has stoked a rise in hate incidents, according to East African activists. Kenyan rights campaigners said some religious and political leaders are whipping up a homophobic backlash to the court ruling, which has led to calls for tougher laws against gay sex and a surge of abuse against sexual minorities. “I’ve stopped going out, especially at night. It’s better not to attract…

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Articles Explainer Intersex LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly

What is intersex surgery and where is it banned?

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Intersex children in Spain can no longer be subjected to medically unnecessary genital surgery under a law that went into effect on Thursday. The bill, which also allows transgender people aged 14 or older to change their legal gender without a medical diagnosis, carries a raft of provisions to protect intersex youth. It includes a complete ban on unnecessary intersex surgeries for children under 12. Older children can request to undergo surgery if wanted. The law also gives parents up to a year to register the sex of babies who…

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Articles Drag Drag King LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly Russia-Ukraine War Ukraine

Why I want to put on a drag king show for Ukraine’s military

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Evelyn Aschenbrenner is a U.S. citizen serving in the Ukrainian army’s International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, which is made up of foreign fighters. I first became interested in drag kings – mostly female entertainers performing exaggerated male characters – when I saw a documentary about them in Detroit in the early 2000s and then went to see some drag king shows. I loved it, as it’s theatrical and over the top and a lot of fun. I identify as bisexual and genderfluid and use the pronouns they/them. I’m…

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Articles LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly Pope Francis

What has Pope Francis said on LGBTQ+ issues?

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Pope Francis has described laws criminalising LGBTQ+ people as a sin and an injustice, saying the criminalisation of homosexuality is “a problem that cannot be ignored”. “Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them. God accompanies them … condemning a person like this is a sin. Criminalising people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice,” he said on Sunday. Sixty-six U.N. member states criminalise same-sex relations, data from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) shows. Here is a timeline of other key statements by…

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Articles Hollywood LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly Trans

Should non-LGBTQ+ actors play trans or gay characters?

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LGBTQ+ fans of “The Last of Us” are split over the casting of Nick Offerman as a gay character in the hit TV series, reigniting a long-running debate over whether straight or non-transgender actors should play gay or trans roles. “Nick Offerman is the only straight man I’m okay with being cast as a gay character. He is the exception to the rule,” one viewer tweeted after the third episode of the HBO/Sky series, which features two men, including Offerman’s character, falling in love. Critics say casting straight actors in…

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Articles LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly Turkey

Turkish LGBTQ+ sex workers struggle to survive in housing crisis

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Sex worker Nina relies on an apartment in the Turkish city of Istanbul as a relatively safe space to meet clients. But the 29-year-old is worried about making enough to cover the rent after the landlord doubled the price. As a surge in inflation fuels a housing crisis in Turkey, LGBTQ+ sex workers like Nina say landlords are forcing them to accept huge rent hikes for fear of being evicted. Nina, who is non-binary and uses the pronouns they and them, worries about how they will pay the increased monthly…

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