Openly | LGBTQ+ news

Drag Night Namibia is opening up a space for drag performers to shine and to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights – in a country where male same-sex relations are illegal and a court ruling recognising gay marriages performerd abroad sparked a strong political reaction and motivated the Namibian upper house of parliament to pass a ban on same-sex marriage. 🎙️ Reporter: @Jayn Aeron in Windhoek. #windhoek #namibia #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #drag #dragqueen

As Ghana's first openly trans musician, Angel Maxine recently left the West African country to escape what she describes as daily bullying and harassment. We met her in Berlin, where she now lives, to talk about her fight for LGBTQ+ rights in Ghana – whose parliament recently passed a bill to criminalise identifying as LGBTQ+ as well as “promoting” queer rights. #ghana #accra #lgbtqrights #lgbtnews #angelmaxine #berlin

What is gender-neutral language like where you live? #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #nb #nonbinary #genderneutral #germanlanguage

Namibia's High Court is set to deliver a judgment in May that could decriminalise male same-sex relations in the southern African country. LGBTQ+ advocate Friedel Dausab brought the case against the government, arguing that the colonial-era criminalisation of gay relations was unconstitutional. We spoke to Patrick Reissner, a queer Namibian queer at Equal Namibia, a Windhoek-based LGBTQ+ rights group, about what the case means for queer people in the country. Read more on Context at the link in our bio. 🎙️ Reporter: Hildegard Titus in Windhoek. #namibia #windhoek #lgbtqrights #lgbtnews #lgbtafrica

Since Uganda passed one of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws last year, DeLovie Kwagala (aka Papa De) no longer feels safe to go home. The openly non-binary photographer, who uses they/them pronouns, remains uncertain about their future in Germany, where they’ve been able to relocate with their child thanks to a one-year residency programme. Papa De explores LGBTQ+ activism in Uganda in their new documentary “That Ugandan Flaming Homosexual”. We met them in Berlin, where the activist and filmmaker has found a temporary home. 🎙️ Reporter: Enrique Anarte in Berlin. #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #uganda #lgbtuganda #berlin

In Zimbabwe, a country that has been in economic turmoil for two decades and where gay relations are illegal, trans people often make difficult decisions to access hormone therapy. We spoke to Stewie Le Savage, a local LGBTQ+ rights activist, about the legal and economic obstacles trans Zimbabweans face to access gender-affirming care. On top of wide social stigma against queer people, doctors in the southern African country usually don’t prescribe or administer hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to trans patients, who end up buying these treatments from abroad or in the black market. But high rates of inflation means this isn’t an option for everyone. And even if trans Zimbabweans manage to get HRT, the lack of doctors who can safely administer it leads to many self-medicating – which comes with health risks. 🎙️ Reporter: Lungelo Ndlovu in Bulawayo. #zimbabwe #harare #lgbtnews #transrights #transawareness #hrt #transcare

BREAKING: The German parliament has just passed a self-ID bill making it easier for trans people to change their legal gender. Once it becomes law, which will likely happen next November, Germany will become the 12th country in Europe to introduce self-determination – despite growing criticism from gender-critical voices who claim trans rights endanger women’s and children’s rights. #lgbtnews #transrights #selfid #transawareness #lgbtgermany #selbsbestimmungsgesetz

Thailand’s lower house of parliament passed a bill on Wednesday to legalise same-sex marriage, raising hopes for LGBTQ+ activists that it could become the first Southeast Asian country to introduce marriage equality as soon as this year. #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #thailand #marriageequality #bangkok

Many feminist, trans and non-binary activists say gendered pricing in hairdressers, barbershops and hair salons is unfair and makes those spaces less welcoming for clients who do not fit into the traditional, binary gender stereotypes. That’s why many businesses in Belgium and other countries are offering gender-neutral prices. They argue that hair doesn’t have a gender and women with short hair shouldn’t have to pay what some call the “pink tax”. Yet some still want to differentiate between men’s and women’s haircuts. What do you think? 🎙️ Reporter: Jo Gill in Brussels and Leuven. #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #nb #nonbinary #transawareness #belgium #brussels

DeLovie Kwagala (aka Papa De) is a non-binary photographer from Uganda currently living in exile and campaigning against their country's harsh anti-LGBTQ+ law - which entered into force last year drawing international criticism - from abroad. Watch the first part of our interview with Papa De here: @Openly | LGBTQ+ news 🎙️ Reporter: Enrique Anarte in Berlin. #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #uganda #lgbtuganda #berlin #lgbtgermany

From England to Ghana and Russia, here are some of this week’s top LGBTQ+ headlines. Which other queer rights stories from around the world did we miss? #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #nexbenedict #ghana

Russia appears to be ramping up a crackdown on LGBTQ+ content online, queer rights activists told us, citing an investigation into language learning app Duolingo and an e-bookstore's decision to stop selling more than 250 titles. Read more on Context 📲 #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #lgbtrussia #duolingo #vladimirputin #lgbtq

Dozens of LGBTQ+ Africans and allies marched on Saturday in the German capital to protest the bills and laws targeting queer rights in several countries across the continent. 🎙️ Reporter: Melissa Aparicio in Berlin. #uganda #ghana #lgbtuganda #lgbtghana #namibia #berlin

Online misinformation claiming that the Nāzis didn’t target trans people is on the rise. We went to the square in Berlin where thousands of LGBTQ+ books were burnt in 1933, including volumes containing pioneering research on trans identities and gender-affirming care gathered by gay Jewish physician Magnus Hirschfeld. #lgbtqhistory #queerhistory #transhistory #holocaust #transawareness #transrights

From Italy to Georgia and Uganda, here are some of this week’s top LGBTQ+ headlines. Which other queer news stories from around the world did we miss? #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #giorgiameloni #uganda #rondesantis #tblisi

From Oklahoma to Uganda and Japan, here are some of this week’s top LGBTQ+ headlines. Which other queer news stories did we miss? #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #nexbenedict #uganda

From Sweden to Mexico and India, here are some of this week’s top LGBTQ+ headlines. Which other queer news stories from around the world did we miss? #lgtnews #lgbtqrights

In the past few months and years, many African politicians such as Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni have embraced the narrative that LGBTQ+ rights are a Western imposition and therefore “un-African”. Miss Mavis Dash, a drag queen and founder of @Drag Night Namibia, disputes the narrative. 🎙️ Reporter: @Jayn Aeron in Windhoek. #namibia #windhoek #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #dragqueen #lgbtafrica

From Ghana to Ukraine and Qatar, here are some of this week’s top LGBTQ+ headlines. Which other queer stories from around the world did we miss? #lgbtnews #lgbtqrights #ghana #qatar

Albania, once isolated from the world, has been an official candidate to join the European Union for almost a decade. But despite some legal progress on queer rights, LGBTQ+ Albanians still struggle to access housing and healthcare, and often end up homeless after being rejected from their families – which has led many of them to leave this Balkan country. #lgbtqrights #transrights #lgbtnews #albania #tirana