Lydia Smith

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Trans Woman Murdered in Ecuador Sparks Fears of Anti-LGBT Violence

he body of a 40-year-old trans woman known as ‘La Gata’ was found by her family in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas in the South American country.

This is the eighth case of murder or violent death of a trans person in the country this year, according to Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Diane Rodriguez, the first trans woman elected to Ecuador’s National Assembly, told Reuters: “Once again, the LGBT community in Ecuador is in mourning. We thought (the attacks) were going to decrease, but on the contrary, we’ve been surprised by this year’s statistics.”

The killing has sparked fears of a rise in anti-LGBT violence in the country, which has seen progress for the LGBT+ community in recent years.

In June, Ecuador’s highest court legalised same-sex marriage, ruling in favour of two gay couples who petitioned for the right to wed.

The constitutional court in the capital Quito voted five-to-four to approve same-sex marriage in the cases of the two, extending gay marriage across the country.

Trans Activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera to Get New York Monument

Transgender activists Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera will be commemorated with a monument in the city of New York.

It may be placed down the street from the Stonewall Inn, where the 1969 Stonewall Riots took place led by Johnson and Rivera.

The two transgender women of colour led the uprising against homophobic police raids, an era-defining moment in the struggle for LGBT equality.

Rivera and Johnson also later co-founded the organisation STAR, or Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, a group dedicated to helping homeless young drag queens and trans women of colour.

The monument will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and it is proposed for the Ruth Wittenberg Triangle in Greenwich Village, the New York Timesreported.

It will also be one of the world’s first monuments dedicated to transgender people.

New York’s first lady, Chirlane McCray, told the newspaper: “The LGBTQ movement was portrayed very much as a white, gay male movement.

“This monument counters that trend of whitewashing the history.”

Marsha P Johnson
Marsha P Johnson

The Stonewall Riots

On June 28 1969, the police stopped by The Stonewall Inn on the grounds of checking for alcohol law violations and other transgressions, which is something they did regularly.

What actually occurred was police intimidation and demands for payoffs in return for not arresting or publicising the names of customers.

Johnson, known for her fierce activism and advocacy of homeless queer people and sex workers, was one of the first to resist police intimidation at the bar, and Rivera is rumoured to have thrown the first bottle.

The riot reportedly broke out when lesbian activist Stormé DeLarverie was attacked by police for saying her handcuffs were too tight.

Other Stonewall customers threw bottles, coins and other items at the officers as tensions boiled over when those inside the bar were dragged outside by police.

Both Johnson and Rivera, instrumental in the LGBT rights movement, are credited with playing major roles in the backlash against police brutality at the Stonewall Inn.

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All-male Morehouse College to start Accepting Trans Students

An all-male, historically black college in Atlanta, Georgia, will start admitting some transgender students in 2020.

Morehouse College announced that it will begin to accept transgender men, but not trans women.

“In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we’re proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of the greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business, and the arts for more than 150 years,” Terrance Dixon, Morehouse’s vice president for enrollment management, said in a statement.

“The ratification of this policy affirms the college’s commitment to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service.”

Students who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming are also eligible for admission.

However, the college has outlined that all students are expected to self-identify as men throughout their education at Morehouse.

The college added that if a student transitions from a man to a woman, they will no longer be eligible to matriculate.

“Exemptions from this rule may be granted by a three-person committee appointed by the President after a written appeal is submitted by the student,” according to the college.

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“In the event that the impacted student disagrees with the decision of the committee, the student may make a final appeal to the President of Morehouse.”

Graves Hall, Morehouse College (Wiki Commons)

The Gender Identity Policy reads: “If a student decides that, as a men’s college, Morehouse no longer offers the appropriate educational environment for the student, or if an enrolled student begins to self-identify as a woman, we will offer guidance and resources to assist in making choices that are best for that student.”

Despite the new policy, Morehouse said it would continue to use the masculine pronouns and other gendered language, including the language of brotherhood, that university officials felt reflected its mission.

The new policy reads: “Where there is a conflict between the student’s self-identified gender and the sex that appears on documentation such as an academic transcript or documents provided as part of the financial aid process, the student is strongly encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions for a discussion around the desire to attend a single gender men’s college and how they self-identify in terms of gender.”

The policy was developed after 15 months of community engagement with faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Morehouse President David Thomas created a task force that led the community engagement meetings.

Some have criticised Morehouse’s exclusion of trans women, however.

Speaking to CNN, Morehouse graduate Titi Naomi Tukes said: “I unequivocally disapprove of it because it is exclusionary of trans women or gender non-conforming and non-binary students.”

Tukes said when students go to college they usually don’t know themselves and can often question their religion, sexuality or gender during their education.

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Americans Comfortable with Gay Presidential Candidate, Poll Finds

A majority of Americans say they are comfortable with or enthusiastic about a gay presidential candidate, according to a survey.

A poll by NBC and the Wall Street Journal, published in March, found 68 percent are either enthusiastic (14 percent) or comfortable (54 percent) with a candidate who is gay or lesbian.

Seventy-five percent of American voters under 35 now say they would be enthusiastic or comfortable with a gay presidential candidate, according to the poll.

According to the poll, 56 percent of voters above the age of 65 are now either enthusiastic about or comfortable with the possibility.

A previous survey conducted in 2006 shows Americans’ attitudes towards a gay presidential candidate have changed drastically over the last decade.

More than 50 percent of Americans either had “reservations” about or were “very uncomfortable” with a gay person running for president.

Only 47 percent of those under 35 said they were comfortable with or enthusiastic about a gay presidential candidate in the 2006 survey. Thirty-one percent of voters above 65 said the same.

Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg
Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg (Official photo)

Gay mayor Pete Buttigieg announced his candidacy for US president earlier this year and in March, jumped to third place in polls in the key primary state of Iowa.

An Emerson poll released on Sunday (March 24) shows Buttigieg polling at 11 percent in the crucial state of Iowa, behind only former Vice President Joe Biden on 25 percent and Senator Bernie Sanders on 24 percent.

Buttigieg, who would become the first openly gay man to hold the office of US President if elected, started as a long-shot candidate in the Democratic primaries, but the Indiana mayor has built support in recent weeks.

The Emerson poll places Buttigieg ahead of many of the more established candidates in the race, with Senators Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker on 10 percent, 9 percent and 6 percent respectively.

The Presidential hopeful has served as the mayor of South Bend in Indiana since 2012, repeatedly clashing with the state’s then-governor Mike Pence over LGBT+ issues.

He came out in 2015 in a column in the South Bend Tribune during his second re-election campaign, writing: “Today it remains legal in most parts of Indiana (though not South Bend) to fire someone simply for being gay, and bullying still contributes to tragically high suicide rates among LGBT teens.”

He added: “Putting something this personal on the pages of a newspaper does not come easy. We Midwesterners are instinctively private to begin with, and I’m not used to viewing this as anyone else’s business.

“But it’s clear to me that at a moment like this, being more open about it could do some good. For a local student struggling with her sexuality, it might be helpful for an openly gay mayor to send the message that her community will always have a place for her.

“And for a conservative resident from a different generation, whose unease with social change is partly rooted in the impression that he doesn’t know anyone gay, perhaps a familiar face can be a reminder that we’re all in this together as a community.”

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Brunei to Bring in Stoning to Death under New Anti-LGBT Laws

Brunei is reportedly planning to introduce anti-LGBT laws next month that could see people whipped or stoned to death for same-sex activity.

Homosexuality is illegal in the east Asian country and punishable by up to ten years imprisonment.

Under the upcoming changes to Brunei’s penal code, punishments could include whipping and stoning to death for people found guilty of adultery, sodomy and rape, according to human rights groups.

The country introduced Islamic criminal law in 2014 when it announced the first of three stages of legal changes that included failing to pray on Friday or pregnancy outside of marriage.

A subsequent backlash led to the final two stages being delayed, but the country now reportedly plans to introduce the changes on 3 April.

The Brunei Project, a human rights group, posted on social media: “The Brunei Project recently learnt that after years of continually delaying implementation of phases 2 and 3 of the Syariah Penal Code (SPC), the Brunei Government is now rushing through the final two phases concurrently, with the laws scheduled to take effect on 3rd April 2019.

“While this means that the Government is breaking its promise to implement the laws in three distinct phases, with a grace period between each phase, what is even more alarming is the secrecy with which it is doing so.

A security guard confronts demonstrators protesting the introduction of laws targeting women and LGBT people in Brunei, outside the Sultan-owned Beverley Hills Hotel (David McNew/Getty Images)

“According to one source, there is an existing ban on the local media reporting on implementation of the SPC, although this cannot be verified at present. At the time of writing this post, most people in Brunei remain unaware that the SPC is scheduled to be fully implemented in less than two weeks.”

The Facebook post continued: “Among the punishments will be the amputation of limbs for theft, the death penalty for apostasy, and a range of punishments for those found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with members of the same gender and adultery.”

The organisation also highlighted that Brunei signed the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, although it has not yet been ratified.

“By implementing these laws, Brunei is clearly in violation of its obligations under the CAT,” the organisation added. “The Brunei Project calls on the Brunei Government to stop being so secretive with the implementation of these laws and to be open and transparent with the Brunei people.”

ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, a Manila-based human rights group, confirmed the implementation of the remaining changes were due to take place on April 3, citing government documents, Reuters reported.

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Bangladesh May be Set to Get its First Transgender MP

Bangladesh may be set to get its first transgender MP, following the national elections last year.

The ruling Awami League (AL) is considering a transgender candidate for one of the parliament’s 50 seats reserved for women, according to local media.

Eight transgender women have filed their nominations with the party, the The Dhaka Tribune reported.

Falguni, one potential candidate, said: “We are citizens of Bangladesh but we have no representation in the parliament.

“There is no one from our community who can understand and raise our concerns. That is why we are running for the seats.”

Last year, Bangladesh appointed its first transgender human rights official in a bid to transform attitudes towards trans people in the country.

Tanisha Yeasmin Chaity, who was appointed to Bangladesh’s Human Rights Commission, said she was “excited” and added “it was a new beginning for the entire transgender community.”

Chaity joined Bangladesh’s Human Rights Commission last year (YouTube)

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Chaity said: “Hijras should lead lives as normal people. The attitude and mindset of society has to change in order to ensure that hijras do not have to do what they are forced to do for money.”

Hijra is an umbrella term which refers to a third gender in south Asia and is sometimes used to describe transgender people.

In 2013, hijra were officially recognised as a third sex which enabled the, to identify their gender in documents such as passports.

Despite this, they are often subjected to violence, discrimination and rejected by family, leaving them forced to make money by begging or sex work.

Chaity said: “I was the only male child of the family, and thus my parents were not ready to accept these changes. Their attitude towards me changed, and they kept trying to demoralise me.

“When the pressure became overwhelming, I left my home for the first time to look for people like me in the transgender community – where I would feel safe and accepted,” she said.

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LGBT Charity Calendar Banned on Facebook for ‘Sexual Activity’

The Naked Rugby Players calendar (Facebook)

The Naked Rugby Players calendar (Facebook)

An LGBT charity calendar has reportedly been banned on Facebook for containing “sexual activity” despite it not containing any.

The calendar by The Naked Rugby Players, which aims to raise money for the testicular cancer charity Balls To Cancer and LGBT+ inclusive rugby, was banned from the social media platform for containing explicit content.

The calendar reportedly went against Facebook’s community standards on nudity and sexuality activity, which bans content containing nudity (showing genitals), sexual activity, sexually explicit language and female nipples (except in the context of breastfeeding, birth, health and protests).

However, the calendar contained none of the above.

According to The Gay UK, Facebook told the page’s owners that the post went against their community standards and banned the page from commenting or posting for 24 hours.

Facebook’s ban “disappointing”

The description on The Naked Rugby Players website reads: “We’ve photographed six inclusive rugby teams from across the UK, wearing nothing more than some sport socks and boots, to bring a little excitement to 2019 whilst at the same time raising money for each inclusive club involved and for the Balls To Cancer charity who promotes awareness of Testicular Cancer in men.”

It features the teams the Bristol Bisons, Liverpool Tritons, Glasgow Alphas, Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents, Northampton Outlaws and the Sheffield Vulcans.

The creative director behind the calendar, Jake Hook, told The Gay UK: “We take a huge amount of time on photo shoot days to ensure that everybody is comfortable and making absolutely 100 percent sure that nobody’s genitals are on show.

“In fact, it is in our agreement with the clubs that take part that we make sure that no one’s genitals will be invisible.

“Facebook’s ban is obviously disappointing,” he added.

“We are so proud of this calendar and the message that it gives. Be proud of your body, be proud of your sexuality and be comfortable in your own skin.”

You can purchase the calendar on The Naked Rugby Players website for £10 with free shipping.

Facebook controversy over LGBT+ adverts

In October, an investigation by The Washington Post found dozens of LGBT+ adverts have been blocked by Facebook.

Posts promoting transgender rights have been affected, along with a number of local queer organisations.

The social media giant, which has already faced accusations of queer erasure, said that in the majority of cases, its censoring was accidental.

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More than 70% of LGBT people have experienced mental Health Issues Because of Work

Nearly three-quarters of LGBT people have experienced mental health issues because of work, a survey has found.

The poll, commissioned by Business in the Community with HR firm Mercer, found 72 percent of LGBT people have experience problems as a result of work.

A quarter of LGBT employees (26 percent) said they had hidden their identity at work in the last year because they were afraid of discrimination, it also found.The survey, conducted by YouGov, was published ahead of World Mental Health Day and shows LGBT people are disproportionately affected by mental health issues.

The results show only 60 percent of LGBT employees feel comfortable being open about their sexual orientation at work, while 32 percent of managers have disguised that they are LGBT due to fear of discrimination.

Twenty-nine percent of bisexual employees said they had hidden their identity.

BAME LGBT employees are more than twice as likely as white employees to have experienced negativity from customers and clients (23 percent compared to 11 percent).

Seven percent have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the last year, rising to 15 percent of BAME people, 20 percent of non-binary people and 30 percent of senior leaders.

The research calls for employers to break the culture of silence that surrounds mental health and to invest in basic mental health literacy for all employees.

The research, conducted by the Human Rights Campaign, found that 46 percent of LGBT employees in the US hide their sexuality at their place of employment.

This represented just a four percent drop from HRC’s 2008 Degrees of Equality report, which was created before Barack Obama’s presidency, before same-sex marriage was legalised across the US and before transgender rights became a prominent issue in the civil rights struggle.

More than half of workers (53 percent) said they had heard jokes about lesbian or gay people at least once in a while at work.

A further one in five queer employees reported to HRC that they had been told or had colleagues imply that they should dress in a more feminine or masculine manner.

Nearly one-in-three LGBT+ people said they had felt unhappy or depressed at work.

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Thousands of Transgender People May be Prevented from Voting in Election

An estimated 78,000 transgender Americans may be barred from voting in the upcoming US elections due to strict voter ID laws, according to a new report.

Research by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found people without identification or documentation that accurately reflects their gender identity are at risk of losing their ability to vote in November.

Eight states require voters to provide a government-issued photo ID at polling places, where officials decide whether the ID photo matches their registration information.The rules could prevent trans people from voting in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

According to the report, there is “no way to predict precisely how election officials and poll workers will treat transgender voters” at the polls if they present identification that does not accurately reflect their gender.

Across these eight states, 57 percent of the transgender voting-eligible population may have no identification or records that accurately reflect their gender, the report data suggests.

“Voter ID laws create a unique barrier for transgender people who would otherwise be eligible to vote. Many transgender people who have transitioned do not have identification documents that accurately reflect their correct gender,” the report authors state.

“In the November 2018 general election, strict photo ID laws may create substantial barriers to voting and possible disenfranchisement for over 78,000 transgender people in eight states.”

The institute, who has monitored the impact of these laws in previous elections, said this estimate is higher than in the past due to increase availability of “better data on the status of names and gender markers among transgender people.”

The report also highlights that trans people of colour, young adults, students, people with low incomes and people with disabilities are likely to be among those facing barriers.

CHICAGO, IL - FEBRUARY 25: Demonstrators protest for transgender rights on February 25, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The demonstrators were angry with President Donald Trumps recent decision to reverse the Obama-era policy requiring public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Trans people reported negative experiences when voting in the US (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“Some voters may not have the means or the ability to obtain the required voter identification for a variety of reasons, such as poverty, disability, or religious objection,” researchers add.

The report, which uses data from the 2015 US Transgender Survey by the National Centre for Transgender Equality, found 32 percent of survey respondents reporting having negative experiences after presenting ID that did not match their gender identity.

Trans voters said they were verbally harassed, denied services or asked to leave the polling area, with some reporting being attacked or assaulted.

The William Institute report also used data from the 2017 Current Population Survey (CPS), conducted by the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labour Statistics.

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Teenage LGBT First-time Offenders Have Higher Rates of Drug Abuse and Poor Mental Health, Study Finds

LGBT+ teenagers who are first-time offenders are more likely to have substance abuse or mental health problems than their heterosexual or cis-gendered peers, according to new research.

The study, carried out by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests higher rates of stress among LGBT+ adolescents—often triggered by family problems or rejection by their peers—could be to blame.

The researchers emphasised that a teenager’s sexual orientation or gender identity alone does not put them at increased risk of breaking the law, as a range of factors contribute to offense rates.Dr Matthew Hirschtritt, lead author of the study, said: “Factors like peer rejection and family discord may contribute to impaired support networks and engagement in risky behaviour.

“It would be incorrect to conclude that sexual-minority status puts a youth at increased risk of offending.

“But if we compare court-involved sexual minority youth with court-involved straight youth, we see more severe psychological distress and a greater likelihood of child-welfare system involvement.”

For the study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Adolescent Health, researchers examined 423 first-time, non-detained offenders aged between 12 and 18 from a juvenile court in an unnamed Northeastern state.

Of these, 133—about a third of the group—identified as LGBTQ.

The teenagers had committed offenses ranging from underage drinking to breaking and entering.

Among the LGBTQ group, one in two had used alcohol, compared to one in four of the heterosexual and cis-gendered group.

They were also approximately twice as likely to use drugs, including cannabis, cocaine and injection drugs.

The LGBT+ group also reported poorer mental health, which meant they were at higher risk of self-harm.

Researchers called for better support of young LGBT+ first-offenders.

Co-author Dr Marina Tolou-Shams said: “We need cost-effective, tailored interventions so that adolescents’ first court appearances become an opportunity to prevent worsening of pre-existing health risks and further entrenchment in the justice system.”

Dr Hirschtritt added: “One-on-one support, group counselling and peer support may meet the needs of these adolescents without further stigmatising them.”

In June, a survey of young people in the UK found 62 percent of LGBT+ youth have experienced suicidal thoughts as a result of bullying.

The Annual Bullying Survey, carried out by the charity Ditch the Label, found 43 percent of people within the LGBT+ community questioned have been bullied in the last 12 months.

More than 9,000 people aged between 12 and 20 were surveyed.

Of those within the LGBT+ community, nearly a third—31 percent—had attempted suicide because of their experiences and half of the respondents said they had self-harmed.

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