Police arrest counter-protesters of LGBT march in Poland

Riot police have tear gassed and arrested dozens of far-right protesters after hundreds tried and failed to disrupt an LGBT parade in Lublin, in eastern Poland.

Nearly 30 people have been detained so far after an estimated 200 counter-demonstrators attempted to block the route of the Lublin’s second ever march for gay rights. Balaclava-clad homophobes brandished banners likening homosexuality to paedophilia and reading “woe to him who rots in silence”, attempting to pelt marchers with eggs.

Around 1,000 officers patrolled the event, which attracted about 1,500 marchers in Lublin, which has a population of around 342,000. Shielded by a wall of riot police, marchers carrying signs promoting tolerance and personal freedom were able to safely conclude the parade as planned without any disruption.

A court overruled the decision by Lublin Mayor Krzysztof Zuk to ban the march citing security concerns.

The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) has increasingly sought to stoke anti-LGBT sentiment in the Roman Catholic nation, painting “LGBT ideology” as an affront to traditional Polish values.

The prime minister’s adviser Jaroslaw Kaczynski has publicly urged citizens to resist the “travelling theatre” of Pride marches which he described as “a real threat to ... the Polish state”.

Despite warnings from campaigners that the government’s weaponisation of the issue could fuel hate crimes, PiS has made its opposition to “LGBT ideology” a key issue in its campaign ahead of parliamentary elections on 13 October.

Around 30 cities and localities have declared themselves “LGBT-free zones” this year, with one conservative newspaper distributing stickers printed with the phrase: Strefa Wolna Od LGBT (translation: LGBT free zone) .

Clerics force cancellation of Beirut Pride opening

The opening concert of Beirut Pride has been cancelled because of pressure from religious institutions and threats of violence, organisers said.

Clerics had complained to the Lebanese authorities, linking the festival to "the promotion of same-sex marriage and associating it with debauchery and immorality", a statement said.

The Pride organisers announced: "Under pressure from the street, the management of the Palace is unable to produce the concert next Saturday. We thank the performers and the Palace for their perseverance, and the opening evening of Beirut Pride 2019 is suspended until further notice."

This announce came after Lebanon's former chief mufti, Mohammed Rashid Qabbani, accused the organisers of violating good morals.

In July, a major music festival cancelled a concert by the country's best-known rock band Mashrou' Leila, whose lead singer is openly gay, to prevent bloodshed after church leaders accused the group of blasphemy. And in May, Lebanon's government blocked access to the gay dating app Grindr.

LGBT people have faced prosecution in the past for violating Lebanon's penal code, which punishes any sexual intercourse "contrary to the order of nature" with up to one year in prison.

Lebanon was seen as more tolerant than most other Arab countries, but LGBT people say they still face harassment and have no rights. The true is last year some Pride events were cancelled and organisers were arrested.

Sadly Lebanon is taking steps backwards about LGBT rights.

Organisers announced that they had been 

forced to cancel the Beirut Pride concert 

Mattel launches line of gender-inclusive dolls

Mattel launched a line of gender-inclusive dolls called Creatable World. The line's premise is all about customization of hair, clothes and accessories creating a toy that isn't dictated by gender norms.

Mattel's Barbie dolls represented the traditional female image, and preteens embraced the hairstyles, thick eyelashes and spike heels that came with her. But now, Mattel is introducing dolls that let kids form the gender expression of the toy themselves. The doll is fully gender neutral and can be accessorized to be a boy, a girl, neither or both.

The company released six dolls with different skin tones, hair and clothes, calling the doll line Creatable World. Mattel said that it aims to reflect and celebrate the positive impact of inclusivity.

"This line allows all kids to express themselves freely, which is why it resonates so strongly with them," said Kim Culmone, senior vice president of Mattel fashion doll design. "We're hopeful Creatable World will encourage people to think more broadly about how all kids can benefit from doll play," she added.

The six neutral gender dolls

A gay kiss in front of anti-LGBT protesters

Joe Fergus and Robert Brookes had been to see a production of queer favourite The Rocky Horror Show at the city’s Storyhouse Theatre earlier this month, but were met with anti-LGBT protesters when they left the show.

The small group of homophobes, who are reportedly representatives of the Zion Tabernacle Protestant Evangelical Church in Chester, held yellow signs with various religious verses on them in protest of the LGBT community and the show.

But that wasn’t going to stop the couple enjoying their night, and they had the perfect response to the protesters: a kiss.

“When haters be hating, the best thing to do is spread the love,” said Joe.

A photo of the moment was shared by Chester Pride, and received a great response from Facebook users, with one calling it “the best photo I will see in a long time”, and another adding: “This needs to go viral. This is iconic. All you need is love.”

Great!!

Love always wins!!

LGBT situation in Ukraine

From NASH MIR Center:

In 2019, the activity of the Ukrainian LGBT community increasingly carried on, but aggressive pressure on it from the far-right nationalist groups did not accordingly decrease. The police quite effectively provided protection for LGBT public actions, but no improvement in investigating hate crimes against LGBTs was recorded.

The Ukrainian authorities and politicians in 2019 were focused on the election campaign and the elections that forced them to distance themselves from LGBT issues. They have not done anything to further the implementation of the LGBT components of the Action Plan on Human Rights. 

The position of the newly elected president and parliament regarding LGBT issues remains unclear – but the first steps of the new government did not show any significant differences from the policy in this area followed by their predecessors. Decreasing influence of conservative religious and nationalist political forces gives a cautious hope for faster progress in protecting LGBT people's rights under the new government.

Festivals and marches "to protect the traditional family", organized by religious activists, keep on getting active support from churches, religious and conservative NGOs, but the campaign of electronic petitions and appeals, stating homophobic requirements from local councils to the government, is clearly on the decline.

Read the full report here.

Ukrainian Police has to escort and protect LGBT activists

Belgrade, the winning bidder for EuroPride 2022

European Pride organisations have selected Belgrade Pride to be the host of EuroPride in 2022.

Belgrade’s bid attracted 71% of the vote of members of the European Pride Organisers Association in a ballot at their Annual General Meeting in Bilbao earlier today.

Kristine Garina, President of the European Pride Organisers Association, said: “Pride has always been a protest and EuroPride will have a huge impact for LGBTI people in Belgrade, Serbia and the whole region. I have seen for myself the violence and protests that Belgrade Pride has experienced in the past, and our members’ votes for Belgrade show that we want EuroPride to have maximum impact.”

Belgrade Pride’s history is one of violence and counter-protests from far-right and nationalist groups, and subsequent bans on the event taking place. Since 2014, the Pride has taken place successfully and with growing support. Belgrade Pride 2019 took place just one week ago.

Belgrade Pride’s victory was in the face of stiff competition from Pride Barcelona, Dublin Pride, and a joint bid from ILGA Portugal, rede ex aequo and Variações LGBTI.

Garina paid tribute to the other bids, saying “Every one of the bids showed the power of Pride to change lives, and they all offered brilliant, inspiring and inclusive events. It’s sad that there can only be one winner, and I thank all the organisations for their hard work and commitment.”

Congratulations!!

Weird questions that gay couples get

A same-sex relationship is just like a straight relationship in most ways. But one of the more interesting things about being in a same-sex relationship is the response and questions you get from your straight friends, family and even strangers about what it’s like to be gay and dating.

Watch this BuzzFeed video about the weird questions that gay couples usually get. It looks funny but all of them are very real.

Enjoy!

Watch live: Presidential Candidates Forum on LGBTQ issues

This Friday, 10 candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination will appear in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the LGBTQ Presidential Forum.

It will be the first public event of the 2020 election cycle to focus exclusively on LGBTQ issues.

The candidates scheduled to appear are Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Julián Castro, Amy Klobuchar, Tulsi Gabbard, Joe Sestak, and Marianne Williamson.

The LGBTQ Presidential Forum presented by The Advocate, The Gazette, GLAAD and One Iowa is broadcast live at 7:00 PM Iowa time, 8:00 PM East Coast time. 

Check the livestream link below:

Nearly 60 mayors endorse Pete Buttigieg

Fifty-eight U.S. mayors and former mayors announced their endorsements of Pete Buttigieg in a USA Today op-ed, giving the South Bend, Indiana, mayor a boost of institutional support for his presidential campaign.

The mayors, including some who have already publicly backed Buttigieg, called for "a great mayor in the White House." The statement, written by Mayors Steve Adler of Austin, Texas; Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento, California; and Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, emphasizes Buttigieg's bipartisan credentials and executive experience.

"We endorse him from heartland towns, coastal cities, suburban communities, and every other corner of our great country," the mayors wrote. "What’s more, in the spirit of the community of mayors, we are already offering Pete our best ideas and helping engage grassroots supporters all across the country."

"We’re proud to stand together as 'Mayors for Pete,' and hope you’ll join us in supporting this bold and unifying leader who will help us write a better future," they added.

Although the mayors are largely white, Buttigieg picked up some key endorsements from mayors of color, a constituency of voters with whom Buttigieg has struggled to make headway, notably including in the key-primary state of South Carolina. 

Buttigieg picked up his first endorsement from a Hispanic official: Mayor Michelle De La Isla of Topeka, Kansas, the city's first Latina mayor. Former Mayor Sly James of Kansas City, Missouri, and Mayor Mark Barbee of Bridgeport, Pennsylvania, who are both black, also signed on to the endorsement.

Several mayors also hail from early nominating states, including Ryan Arndorfer of Britt, Iowa, and Suzanne Prentiss of Lebanon, New Hampshire. Another notable nod came from Breea Clark of Norman, Oklahoma, Sen. Elizabeth Warren's hometown.

Buttigieg, the first gay candidate to make traction in a presidential campaign, joined the 2020 Democratic presidential primary as a relatively unknown candidate earlier this year but had a surge of momentum. He would win a general election against Donald Trump by nine points, the Quinnipiac poll showed.

Read the statement here.

Mayor Pete with his parents

THE DARE PROJECT is coming

The gay short film DARE made a huge impression on audiences in 2004 with its story of Ben (Adam Fleming) and Johnny (Michael Cassidy), lustful teen crushes, and forbidden gay love in high school. 

DARE had 13.5M views on Youtube; played over 50 film fests; was released as the lead film on gay short DVD compilations around the world, and then eventually became a Sundance feature.

Now, writer and producer David Brind and director Adam Salky have done something unprecedented. They’ve brought back the very same cast and creative team from the original short film 15 years later for THE DARE PROJECT, a continuation of Ben and Johnny’s story. 

Brind spoke about the origins of the 2004 film, and the decision to try and put together a sequel. In THE DARE PROJECT, Ben and Johnny, now in their early 30s fortuitously run into each other at a party in Los Angeles after not seeing each other since high school. Is their connection still alive, and what do they do about it?

Here’s the original short film, for those who haven’t seen it or want a refresher:

THE DARE PROJECT is available starting midnight to rent and buy on Tuesday, 9/24 at dareshortfilm.com but, before that, take a first look at the exclusive premiere of the sequel's trailer in Vimeo:

Jamie Barton waved a rainbow flag at the Last Night of the Proms

The mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton waved a rainbow flag during her rendition of Rule Britannia at the Last Night of the Proms to show her support for LGBT rights.

Barton was making her first appearance at the Proms and had said that it was “important for me to stand up proudly as a bisexual woman”.

As well as Rule Britannia, one of the highlights of the Last Night at the Royal Albert Hall, she sang Somewhere over the Rainbow, from The Wizard of Oz, and George Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm.

The American singer, who took to the stage waving a Pride flag, said her mission was to "unify the audience". And, with a sensuous reading of Bizet's Habañera and a wistful Somewhere Over The Rainbow, she achieved her goal.

Barton, who revealed her bisexuality on Twitter on National Coming Out Day 2014, said she wanted to use the Proms to make a very clear statement of Pride.

Awesome!

Pete Buttigieg made history with his coming out story at Democratic debate

Pete Buttigieg’s closing statement at the Democratic presidential debate was historic as he candidly told the story of his coming out in response to a question about resilience.

It came at the tail end, after moderator asked each candidate on stage to discuss how they have demonstrated resilience. Buttigieg discussed the fears he faced about coming out as gay while serving as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, in 2015.

“As a military officer serving under ‘don't ask, don't tell,’ and as an elected official in the state of Indiana when Mike Pence was governor, at a certain point, when it came to professional setbacks, I had to wonder whether just acknowledging who I was was going to be the ultimate career-ending professional setback,” Buttigieg acknowledged.

“I came back from the deployment and realized that you only get to live one life. And I was not interested in not knowing what it was like to be in love any longer, so I just came out.”

But Buttigieg acknowledged that at the time, he feared negative attention on the moment. “I had no idea what kind of professional setback it would be, especially because inconveniently it was an election year in my socially conservative community,” he said.

“What happened was that, when I trusted voters to judge me based on the job that I did for them, they decided to trust me and reelected me with 80 percent of the vote. And what I learned was that trust can be reciprocated and that part of how you can win and deserve to win is to know what's worth more to you than winning.”

“That's what we need in the presidency right now. We have to know what we are about,” he said. “…It's about the people who trust us with their lives, a kid wondering if we're actually going to make their schools safe when they've learned active shooter drills before they've learned to read, a generation wondering we will actually get the job done on climate change."

"And if we hold to that, then it doesn't matter what happens to each of us professionally," he continued. "Together, we will win a better era for our country.”

Pete Buttigieg would win a general election against Donald Trump by nine points, the Quinnipiac poll showed.

Griezmann pro stopping soccer matches for anti-gay chants

France forward Antoine Griezmann has said stopping matches for anti-gay chanting is a "good thing", just one day after French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet had made clear his opposition to the idea.

The FFF introduced new rules this season enabling referees to interrupt play in the event of any such incident, but Le Graet said he was not in favour of this.

However, Griezmann views it positively. "For me, stopping the matches is a very good thing, whether it is for homophobic or racist chanting," the player told postmatch at Stade de France. "If we stop games, people will not be happy and those doing the chanting will stop it."

Griezmann's position is directly contrary to Le Graet's, who has said he is totally against the stoppage of matches for homophobic, but not racist, chanting.

Several French Ligue 1 matches have been briefly interrupted by referees this season because of anti-gay chants in the stands, in accordance with new rules the FFF enforced this season.

France won the World Cup in 2018 

Meeting of two openly gay heads of state and their partners

Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia, posed with their partners ahead of a state visit. The two openly gay world leaders were pictured together for first time. 

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg is hosting his Serbian counterpart this week to discuss the possibility of the latter joining the European Union among other issues. 

Bettel and his husband, Gauthier Destenay, were seen posing with Brnabić and her partner, Milica Djurdjic. The pictures were tweeted by Bettel himself to mark Brnabić’s arrival in the country.

Bettel became Luxembourg’s first openly gay prime minister in 2013. He married architect Gauthier Destenay in May 2015, shortly after his government introduced marriage equality.

Upon taking office in June 2017, Brnabić declared that she did not want to be branded “Serbia’s gay PM”. Rather, she said, she would like to be known for her “competence, professionalism and trustworthiness”.

While many acknowledged that the fairness of this request, there is a widely-held frustration that LGBT rights have not advanced under Brnabić’s leadership.

Bettel's tweet

LGBT YouTubers are suing YouTube over alleged discrimination

Five prominent LGBT YouTube channels are suing the video site and its parent company Google for allegedly discriminating against queer content creators. The group of YouTubers have accused the website of making it difficult for them to reach a wider audience, and of restricting their ability to make a living from their work.

The complainant, including Amp Somers, Lindsay Amer, Chris Knight, Celso Dulay, Cameron Stiehl, Chrissy Chambers, and Chase Ross, have spoken out about YouTube’s alleged treatment of the LGBT creator community.

According to the lawsuit, YouTube algorithms flag videos about LGBT issues as “shocking,” “inappropriate,” “offensive,” and “sexually explicit,” meaning that they are then demonetised, or made ineligible for paid advertising.

YouTube has also been accused of blocking LGBT creators from purchasing advertising on other videos, while allowing hate-filled videos to remain online and even advertise on LGBT channels.

YouTube spokesperson Alex Joseph told PinkNews that its policies have no notion of sexual orientation or gender identity. “All content on our site is subject to the same policies,” Joseph said.

“Our systems do not restrict or demonetise videos based on these factors or the inclusion of terms like ‘gay’ or ‘transgender.’ In addition, we have strong policies prohibiting hate speech, and we quickly remove content that violates our policies and terminate accounts that do so repeatedly,” he added.

None of these accusations are new, but this is the first time that they have been rounded up as part of a lawsuit.

Watch the YouTubers' video below:

Over 2,000 attend Sarajevo's first Gay Pride march

Sarajevo has become the latest and last of the Balkan capitals to hold its first Pride parade as LGBT activists in Bosnia and Herzegovina marched amid a backdrop of protests and aggression from conservative voices in the country.

More than 2,000 people turned out in Sarajevo for the city's first Gay Pride march to protest hate crimes suffered by the LGBT community.

Led by a vast pink banner with the words “Ima Izac”, which translates as ‘Coming Out’, attendees marched under rainbow flags to the sounds of whistles and drums as they used the event to highlight the ongoing violence and discrimination faced by LGBT people in the country.

Protesters were flanked by more than 1,000 police officers to limit potential violence and aggression from groups opposing the march – with planned counter protests and a history of disruption at LGBT events in the traditionally conservative country casting a shadow over proceedings.

Among those taking part were ambassadors from several western countries, including Britain, France, Italy and the United States, Eric Gordon Nelson, who is gay. Ahead of the event he said: “The US Embassy expresses support to the first Pride March in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The goal of the pride parade is equal human rights for all".

Members of the community have complained that they face widespread harassment and attacks which are rarely prosecuted.

Organiser Lejla Huremovic told the gathering: "If there was no violence I wouldn't be here today. This gives us strength and faith that prejudice against us will start to wane and that it will become better for all of us."

Brazilian judge allows one comic showing a gay kiss despite protest of Mayor of Rio de Janeiro

A Brazilian judge decreed that the order of sweeping and censoring books containing LGBT content at the Bienal do Livro enacted by Rio de Janeiro’s Mayor, Marcello Crivella, was illegal under Brazilian law and contradicted articles of Brazil’s constitution, which protects freedom of expression.

A Marvel comic shows two male characters, Wiccan and Hulkling, kissing while fully clothed. In the storyline, they are portrayed as being in a committed relationship.

Mayor Marcelo Crivella, a former bishop, had demanded the comic be withdrawn from a book fair, saying it included content unsuitable for minors. Crivella has in the past decried homosexuality as "evil behaviour," despite same-sex marriage being legal in the country since 2013.

But the judge granted an interim injunction against this, citing the right to freedom of expression.

Copies of the comic book, Avengers: The Children's Crusade, quickly sold out after the mayor's intervention. The illustration has been also printed on the front page of Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo.

Brazil's largest literary event "gives voice to all audiences, without distinction, as it should be in a democracy", the book fair's organisers told.

The illustration in the comic

The illustration in the newspaper's front page

Watch Pete Buttigieg's first campaign ad

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg unveiled his first campaign ad, which debuted in Iowa.

Titled The Only Way, the 30-second clip begins with an image of the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, in military camouflage (he served in Afghanistan with the Navy Reserve). "As a veteran, and as a mayor, I've seen what we can achieve when we have each other's back," Buttigieg says. "But in today's divided America, we're at each other's throats."

The mayor then describes the issues facing the country, like climate change, rising health care costs, and the fact that "our kids are learning active shooter drills before they learn to read." Buttigieg says we need "real solutions, not more polarization."

The campaign is spending over $200,000 in the next week and a half on the spot, which will air on TV and online. The mayor's presidential campaign has also opened 20 new field offices in the state and hired an additional 30 staffers there. Iowa's Democratic caucus will take place February 3, 2020.

Buttigieg is the first gay candidate to make traction in a presidential campaign, would win a general election against Donald Trump by nine points, the Quinnipiac poll shows.

Watch the video below:

We Don't Always March Straight

The Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces) shared a message of solidarity on social media as the country hosted the EuroPride 2018 celebration in Stockholm and Gothenburg.

The ad from Swedish Armed Forces from EuroPride had a proud anti-fascist message: We don’t always march straight. But no matter when or where we march, we always stand up for your right to live the way you want with whoever you want. 

This ad certainly struck fear into all of the anti-LGBT fascists in Sweden. Volt, the ad agency that designed the campaign, described it this way:

"Usually when The Swedish Armed Forces put paint on their faces it is to camouflage themselves. During EuroPride 2018 they wanted to do the opposite, they wanted to be seen. They wanted to make a statement with the potential to echo across Europe to show that they stand up for the values they’re tasked with defending, and the equal worth of all people regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression."

The Armed Forces clapped back: “The Armed Forces have chosen to participate in Pride to demonstrate that we stand up for our values and protect all people’s equal values and rights. To clearly show that we are an inclusive organisation, where everyone is treated with mutual respect.”

HRC to host Democratic presidential town hall focused on LGBT issues

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) announced it will host a CNN Democratic presidential town hall in California this fall focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

The event will take place the night before October 11, the 31st anniversary of National Coming Out Day. HRC said the October 10 primetime event will feature the largest ever audience for a Democratic presidential town hall devoted to LGBT issues. 

The candidates will take questions from the audience and CNN journalists on specific LGBT concerns as well as their plans to promote equality and civility.

"This town hall comes at a critical time in our fight to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in this nation," said Alphonso David, who was recently named HRC president. 

He added: "Today, in 30 states, LGBT people remain at risk of being fired, evicted or denied services because of who we are. Thirty-five states have yet to ban the dangerous and debunked practice of 'conversion therapy,' which is harming our young people. Hate crimes are rising, and more than 100 transgender people, most of whom are transgender women of color, have been killed in the United States in the last five years."

And he also said: "Although the federal government should be protecting all residents, the Trump-Pence Administration is directly attacking our community by banning transgender troops from serving our country openly, undermining health care services for people living with HIV, and seeking to erase LGBT people from protections under law."

Invitations to participate in the town hall will be extended to Democratic presidential hopefuls who meet the DNC's qualifications for the October 2019 primary debates. Candidates must reach 2% in at least four national polls identified by the DNC to determine eligibility. 

So far, former Vice President Joe Biden, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have accepted HRC's invitation to participate in the event.

Recently, a poll found 70% of voters in the US would vote for a gay man as president.

Pete Buttigieg, the first gay candidate to 

make traction in a presidential campaign

Iran continually violates LGBT rights in spite of West' silence

Iran is one of the principal countries where LGBT rights are seriously violated and the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Sarif showed why when he endorsed the execution of gay people.

Sarif defended his country's draconian policies at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Tehran. Maas largely ignored the issue at the time. A reporter from German tabloid Bild asked: "Why are homosexuals executed in Iran because of their sexual orientation?"

He responded: "Our society has moral principles. And we live according to these principles. These are moral principles concerning the behavior of people in general. And that means that the law is respected and the law is obeyed".

Homosexuality violates Islamic Law in Iran and can be punishable by death. Several thousand people have been executed for homosexuality since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

LGBT people in Iran face abuse, torture and threats by govern and families. Violating LGBT rights under the guise of moral principles shows that Iran doesn't respect human rights, and LGBT rights are human rights. 

As long as the country's laws do not change, the situation of homosexuals in Iran will not improve, and Western countries remain silent.

Read more: Amnesty International report on global executions

Schools in Britain will have support to teach same-sex relationships

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says every school in Britain will be given support to teach children about same-sex relationships.

This year, primary schools in Birmingham faced protests over LGBT-inclusive lessons and following the protests, other teachers and allies called for the UK Government to support the school’s decisions.

Back in February, former Education Secretary Damian Hinds revealed that primary school pupils will be taught about respectful relationship but said the school's will decide when they think it's age appropriate to teach sex education.

The new curriculum, which will include subjects on relationships education from primary school, relationships and sex education at secondary school and health education for all ages, will be introduced in England from 2020.

Now, the new Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said headteachers should be able to teach about Britain as it is today and they will receive support ahead of the introduction of the inclusive lessons.

Williamson said: “Firstly, we shouldn’t be seeing protests outside any schools. We want to make sure all pupils, parents and teachers are able to go to those schools freely without any form of intimidation. We will be there supporting and backing every single school – that’s what we have been doing.”

And he added: “The purpose of it is we wanted to make sure every single school is able to teach about Britain as it is today – but also have the flexibility to ensure that it has an understanding of the communities which it operates in.”

Gavin Williamson, the Britain Education Secretary

Every tenth LGBT person in Russia comes across physical abuse

Read the whole report in the Russian LGBT Network:

The research conducted by the Russian LGBT Network at the end of 2018, fully describes the situation with LGBT rights in Russia. More than 80% of the respondents stated that they could reveal information about their sexual orientation and gender identity only to their friends. Every tenth respondent experienced physical abuse. More than a half reported about at least one violation of their rights in 2018.

7,476 people from all parts of Russia took part in the survey conducted at the end of 2018. The report “Monitoring of discrimination motivated by sexual orientation and gender identity in 2018” is based on the results of this survey and the materials of the monitoring programme, and contains information about physical abuse, tortures, discrimination at work place, violation of parental rights and so-called “propaganda law”.

The report confirms that every tenth member of LGBT community experienced physical abuse. The results show that abusers are often well-known people, which affects the number of reports to the police. The research also confirms a very low level of trust towards the state institutions: 74% of participants would rather avoid involvement of the police due to the lack of trust in law-enforcement bodies, 66% - partly or wholly mistrust Russian courts.

(...)