By Danny Kaufman and Nathalie Margi
Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its groundbreaking ruling legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States. This landmark decision comes on the heels of the tireless work of countless activists who have for decades fought for equal rights under the law, and is a milestone in the ongoing struggle for justice, love, and equality.
Today also happens to be the
Trans Day of Action
In recent years, there’s been an increase in sexual violence and discrimination against women, girls and LGBTQ people in Ukraine, including legislation seeking to ban the exchange of information on sexuality, sex education and homosexuality in the country.
Against this backdrop, in November 2013 the Ukrainian government chose to abandon closer relationships with the European Union in favor of stronger ties with Russia, leading to nationwide protests.
In January 2014,
By Kate Kroeger, Executive Director, Urgent Action Fund
San Francisco, September 17, 2013
In my line of work, I often get the question: “Why does equality for women and girls matter?”
To me, a world without equality for women and girls is like flying a plane with only one wing. To solve any of the issues of our day – from poverty alleviation to defending everyone’s human rights – we
LGBTQI activist organization Identoba encountered a wave of harassment from extremist and fundamentalist groups in its home country of Georgia for its participation in the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on May 17, 2012.
On the day of the event, violence erupted as religious extremists confronted protestors, leading to physical and verbal abuse, as well as the arrest of several activists by government security forces.
“This grant has
“On the nights of July 6th and 7th, twelve gay and transgender people were arrested along the east and southeast areas of the Mandalay moat and subjected to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse by police officials… Approximately ten policemen assaulted the detainees verbally and physically—kicking them, hitting them with police batons, and yelling at them with homophobic slurs and violent threats. One detainee, a 35-year old make-up artist who shared
In recent months, hundreds of NGOs across Russia have faced unannounced background checks as a result of the “Foreign Agents” Law. The bill, signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on July 21, 2012, requires nonprofit organizations that receive funding from outside Russia to publicly declare themselves as “foreign agents”– a term that, to Russians, evokes memories from the cold war-era and is meant to discredit the organizations’ work.
The
On May 17, Georgian LGBTQI activists were assembling in the country’s capital, Tbilisi, for a peaceful rally to mark the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) when the event was cut short by a violent crowd of counter-protesters
reported to number in the thousands. Clashes resulted in 17 people being injured, 12 of whom were hospitalized, including three policemen and a journalist. Police guarded several dozen LGBTQI activists
LGBTQI activist organization Identoba encountered a wave of harassment from extremist and fundamentalist groups in its home country of Georgia for its participation in the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on May 17, 2012.
On the day of the event, violence erupted as religious extremists confronted protestors, leading to physical and verbal abuse, as well as the arrest of several activists by government security forces.
Days after the
The Situation: Indonesian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have experienced increasing violence and discrimination in recent years. Strong religious and cultural norms inform the social and political climate. Both state actors and community members violate the rights of LGBT citizens. In spring 2011 the situation escalated when several transgender activists were targets of a brutal attack that left one person dead.
The Rapid Response: Sanggar Warna Remaja (SWARA),
