Page 4 - Lgbtq

RSS welcomes SC decision not to grant recognition to same-sex marriage

The majority verdict of the court said there are no adoption rights for queer couples. While Narasimha agreed with Bhat and Kohli in not granting the right, Chandrachud and Kaul were in favour

Disappointed but will fight: Activists after verdict on same-sex marriages

The activist's plea was among the 21 petitions seeking legal validation for same sex marriages that were heard by the Supreme Court

Same-sex marriage: Here's what CJI Chandrachud said in his judgement

CJI Chandrachud on Tuesday said, 'The right to enter into union includes the right to choose one's partner and the right to recognition of that union'

Same-sex marriage in India: Supreme Court to pronounce judgment today

Over 20 petitions advocating for legal equality of same-sex couples in matters of marriage, including adoption, succession, inheritance, divorce, among others have been placed before the Supreme Court

US health officials propose using cheap antibiotic as 'morning-after pill'

US health officials plan to endorse a common antibiotic as a morning-after pill that gay and bisexual men can use to try to avoid some increasingly common sexually transmitted diseases. The proposed CDC guideline was released Monday, and officials will move to finalise it after a 45-day public comment period. With STD rates rising to record levels, more tools are desperately needed, said Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proposal comes after studies found some people who took the antibiotic doxycycline within three days of unprotected sex were far less likely to get chlamydia, syphilis, or gonorrhoea compared with people who did not take the pills after sex. The guideline is specific to the group that has been most studied gay and bisexual men and transgender women who had an STD in the previous 12 months and were at high risk of getting infected again. There's less evidence that the approach works for other people, including heterosexual m

Press Council of India issues guidelines for coverage of LGBTQ news

The Press Council of India on Thursday issued guidelines for covering news related to the LGBTQ+ community asking journalists to avoid use of words such as 'eunuch' or the phrase 'sex-change surgery' and opt for transgender woman and gender affirmative surgery respectively. "Do not use transgenders in your article; 'transgender' is an adjective. Use transgender person, transwomen, transmen, and/or trans* persons," the guidelines for covering news on the LGBTQ+ community said. The purpose of this docket is to enhance the understanding of gender, sexuality, its terms and usage, the Press Council of India (PCI) said. The term "alleged" should not be used when describing LGBTQIA+ identities and relationships such as "alleged transgender person", or "alleged relationship"-- which are all as real and valid as any other, it said. The guidelines also recommend journalists not to focus on a transgender person's previous gender identity by using phrases like "he was a she", or "she was he"

World Bank halts new lending to Uganda over enactment of anti-LGBTQ law

The World Bank said it will not consider new loans to Uganda after the East African country earlier this year enacted an anti-gay bill that rights groups and others have condemned. The World Bank had deployed a team to Uganda after the law was enacted in May and determined that additional measures were necessary to ensure projects align with the bank's environmental and social standards. No new public financing to Uganda will be presented to our Board of Executive Directors until the efficacy of the additional measures has been tested, the World Bank Group said in a statement on Tuesday. Our goal is to protect sexual and gender minorities from discrimination and exclusion in the projects we finance. These measures are currently under discussion with the authorities, it added. The anti-gay legislation, which prescribes the death penalty for some homosexual acts, was signed into law in May. It has widespread support at home, and Ugandan officials have been defiant amid concern that

Over 60% of respondents for employer with commitment to LGBT+ inclusion

Over 60 per cent of respondents in India said they work for an employer who has shown commitment to the LGBT+ inclusion, when compared to 35 per cent globally, a study revealed on Wednesday. More than 60 per cent of Indian respondents work for an employer that demonstrates commitment to LGBT+ inclusion both internally and externally, compared to 35 per cent globally, the Deloitte Global LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work study said. Almost three-quarters of Indian respondents said they are looking to change employers to find a more inclusive organisation compared to more than double the global average, the study said. It stated that there were very few LGBT+ employees in India, who "don't know" the answer to this question, compared to more than one in 10 respondents globally. The Deloitte Global LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work study is a global online survey of 5,474 (non-Deloitte) LGBT+ employees that took place between January and February 2023, in countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China

DeSantis defends anti-LGBTQ video shared by campaign, calls it fair game

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending an anti-LGBTQ video his campaign shared online that attacks rival Donald Trump for his past support of gay and transgender people, despite some of his fellow Republicans calling it homophobic. DeSantis, in an interview Wednesday on the podcast of conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, did not address accusations that the video was homophobic but said the intent was identifying Donald Trump as really being a pioneer in injecting gender ideology into the mainstream where he was having men compete against women in his beauty pageants. I think that's totally fair game because he's now campaigning, saying the opposite, that he doesn't think that you should have men competing in women's things like athletics, DeSantis said. His presidential campaign shared the video on Twitter last week, on the last day of June's LGBTQ+ Pride Month, saying, To wrap up Pride Month,' let's hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate ...

Russian lawmakers weigh bill banning gender transitioning procedures

Russian lawmakers gave initial approval on Wednesday to a bill that would outlaw gender transitioning procedures in yet another blow to the country's beleaguered LGBTQ+ community. Senior lawmaker Pyotr Tolstoy, who is among the bill's sponsors, has said it is intended to protect Russia with its cultural and family values and traditions and to stop the infiltration of the Western anti-family ideology. Russia's LGBTQ+ community has been under growing pressure for a decade as President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church embarked on a campaign to preserve what they deem the country's traditional values. The bill bans any medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person, as well as changing one's gender in official documents and public records. Russian transgender people and LGBTQ+ rights advocates contacted by The Associated Press described the measure as a grim development. We knew that they didn't like us here, but to go absolutely against human rights, agains

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Indian-American LGBTQ members urge PM Modi to support equal rights in India

Indian-American LGBTQ members on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support the equal rights of the LGBTQ community in India. Prime Minister Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden this month. During his four-day visit starting on June 21, the US president and the First Lady will host Modi for a state dinner on June 22. I would say the Indian Supreme Court has been debating the issue of gay marriage, LGBTQ marriage for a couple of months now. I would urge Prime Minister Modi to support this, to support the equal rights of the LGBTQ community in India and to understand that our children and LGBTQ folks are entitled to equal rights because we are all human, Aruna Rao, executive director, Desi Rainbow, told PTI. Rao was among the handful of Indian Americans who were invited to participate in the historic Pride Rally on the South Lawns of the White House which was addressed by President Joe Biden

Biden marks LGBTQ+ Pride month with celebration on White House South Lawn

President Joe Biden welcomed hundreds to the White House on Saturday for a delayed Pride Month celebration aimed at showing LGBTQ+ people that his administration has their back at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation, particularly aimed at the transgender community, sweeping through statehouses. The event, which the administration described as the largest Pride event hosted at the White House, was initially scheduled for Thursday, but was postponed because of poor air quality from hazardous air flowing in from Canadian wildfires. But the haze that blanketed a huge swath of the East Coast this past week had lifted over the nation's capital, allowing the president and first lady Jill Biden to hold their South Lawn party. So today, I want to send a message to the entire community especially to transgender children: You are loved. You are heard. You belong, Biden said. Pride Month is being celebrated this year as state lawmakers have introduced at

Biden invites LGBTQ+ individuals to White House for Pride Month celebration

President Joe Biden has invited thousands of LGBTQ+ individuals to celebrate Pride Month in a high-profile show of support at a time when the community feels under attack like never before and the White House has little recourse to beat back a flood state-level legislation against them. Biden was announcing new initiatives to protect LGBTQ+ communities from attacks, help youth with mental health resources and homelessness and counter book bans, White House officials said. The White House was closely monitoring air quality due to hazardous smoke from Canadian wildfires to determine whether to proceed with plans for a Thursday night picnic featuring food, games, face painting and photos. Queen HD the DJ was handling the music; singer Betty Who was on tap to perform. Karine Jean-Pierre, the first openly gay White House press secretary, said Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are strong supporters of the LGBTQ+ community and think that having a celebration is an ...

Ayushmann supports LGBTQIA+ community in Chandigarh to turn entrepreneurs

Actor Ayushmann Khurrana is supporting the LGBTQIA+ community in Chandigarh by investing in building food trucks for the community and helping them become self-reliant through food business. The food trucks are being called "Sweekar", promoting the importance of acceptance for the community in today's society. Ayushmann, who is the National Ambassador of UNICEF, believes an individual must do their bit to help as many people as possible. According to me, an actor should try & have a social responsibility. It is the love of the people that put us in a position where we can do our bit to empower people and communities thereby raising awareness on important issues. I have always believed that inclusivity is the primary pillar for nation building," the actor said in a statement. "We have to also encourage others to do the same. Once we realise how symbiotic we are as a society and how we can only thrive by being together, we will achieve our bigger goal of creating a harmonious, ...

Uganda gets harsh anti-LGBT law, Biden calls it 'violation of human rights'

The new law mandates a 20-year term for "promoting" homosexuality and also prescribes for death penalty for certain behaviour including engaging in gay sex when HIV positive

A change of heart

A heartfelt letter to the Chief Justice, appealing for the consideration of marriage equality, emphasises why it is such an emotive issue for so many parents

Same-sex marriage will create imbalance in social fabric: Rajasthan govt

The Rajasthan govt, in a submition, has said that legalising same-sex relationships will create imbalance in the social fabric, leading to widespread consequences for the social and family systems

Parl has power to legislate; how far can courts go: SC on same sex marriage

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said Parliament undisputedly has the legislative power over issues raised in pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage and pondered over the "interstices" left open for it to exercise its power and till what extent. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud was faced with several consequential legal questions, such as adoption, succession, intestacy and laws governing pension and gratuity where a once legally-acknowledged spouse is the beneficiary, if it decides to legalise same-sex marriage. The bench observed that if same-sex marriage is allowed, then the judicial interpretation, keeping in mind the consequential aspects, will not remain confined to the Special Marriage Act, 1954 and personal laws will also come into play. "Now, the question which we really therefore have to pose is, if this is a power which is conferred specifically on Parliament, where does the court really exercise its jurisdiction. ..

Group of 400 parents of LGBTQIA++ writes to CJI, seeks marriage equality

A group of over 400 parents has written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud, heading a bench hearing the pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage, urging that their LGBTQIA++ wards be granted the right to marriage equality. The letter by Sweekar-The Rainbow Parents' assumes significance it comes when a five-judge constitution bench headed by the CJI is hearing a batch of petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage for the fourth day. We desire to see our children and children-in-law find final legal acceptance for their relationship under the Special Marriage Act in our country. We are certain that a nation as big as ours which respects its diversity and stands for the value of exclusion, will open its legal gate of marriage equality to our children too. We are growing old. Some of us will touch 80 soon, we hope that we will get to see the legal stamp on the rainbow marriage of our children in our lifetime, the group said in its letter. Sweekar-Th