New research shows almost 40% of LGBTQ+ employees still hide their identity at work in the UK

 

Almost 40 per cent of LGBTQ+ people in the UK are still in the closet at work for “fear of discrimination”, a new report by Stonewall has found. 

The statistics come as the new Trump administration has rolled back federal commitments to DEI programmes, and threatened future action on private companies.  

The report found that two in five (39 per cent) queer employees feel they need to hide their sexuality or gender identity at work, while over a quarter (26 per cent) of LGBTQ+ people experienced negative comments from customers or clients because of their identity. 

The research also found that 12 per cent of LGBTQ+ employees believed they were fired or dismissed for their identity, which constitutes illegal discrimination in the UK. 

The consequences of discrimination meant LGBTQ+ people experienced impostor syndrome at work, fearing they might be seen as a “diversity hire”, and they avoided corporate events because of feeling uncomfortable, or they altered their appearance to blend in.

Check the report here.

Trump bans transgender troops again

 

Donald Trump signed four executive orders pertaining to the military, including one barring transgender people from enlisting and serving openly and another cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the armed services.

The order pertaining to transgender military service, titled "Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness," reinstates a policy from Trump's first term and rescinds an order by then-President Joe Biden that allowed trans people to enlist and permitted already enlisted trans service members to receive coverage for transition-related medical care. 

In his order, Trump claimed that service by troops who identify as a gender other than their biological one “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness, requiring a revised policy to address the matter.

The Department of Defense doesn’t publicly report how many trans people are serving in the military, and estimates vary widely. One 2014 report by the Williams Institute at UCLA found that about 15,500 transgender people were serving in the military.

#NoStepBack!!!

Trump administration purges of LGBTQ+ content from government websites

 

After Donald Trump returned to the White House and issued an executive order denying the existence of transgender people, his administration has taken another brazen step to erase LGBTQ+ Americans. 

The references to LGBTQ+ identities have vanished overnight from WhiteHouse.gov and several federal agency websites, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of State, and Department of Labor, based on a report by GLAAD.

GLAAD president and chief executive Sarah Kate Ellis condemned the removal of the pages, claiming Trump was “clearly committed to censorship” of queer topics.

“This action proves the Trump administration’s goal of making it as difficult as possible for LGBTQ+ Americans to find federal resources or otherwise see ourselves reflected under his presidency. Sadly for him, our community is more visible than ever, and this pathetic attempt to diminish and remove us will again prove unsuccessful,” she said.

We won't be erased!!

Trans people no longer exist in the U.S., according to Trump

 

In his inauguration speech, Donald Trump said "as of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders, male and female".

After Trump signed the executive order, the federal government is set to only recognize two sexes, male and female.

According Trump's ideology, the order is aimed at defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truths to the federal government. Male and female are sexes that are not changeable.

The federal government would also shift from using the term “gender” to “sex,” and that sex would be an individual’s immutable biological classification.

Trump’s executive order dismantles efforts by the President Biden administration to be more inclusive of Americans’ gender identification, including on passports.

This has only just begun. Trans people won't be erased!!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

Gay couples rush to marriage before Trump takes office

 

Some queer couples in the U.S. are rushing to marry before Donald Trump’s inauguration and they’re also coming together in group wedding ceremonies as the LGBTQ+ community had done before.

Many gay couples in recent weeks are rushing to get married, start fertility treatments and take other measures out of fear that some of their rights might be rescinded during a second Trump administration.

Several events for queer couples are happening in states across the country, including Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New York. Hundreds of wedding vendors, from photographers to officiants, are offering free or discounted services to couples marrying before January 20. 

Same-sex marriage has been legal in the United States since the Supreme Court’s 2015 landmark ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, which made state bans on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Before then, 37 states and U.S. territories had already legalized marriage equality.

The Respect for Marriage Act, passed in 2022 with about two-thirds of the vote in Congress, requires all states and the federal government to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages as long as they were valid in the state where they were performed. 

Unless the Supreme Court reversed it decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationally, there’s nothing that Congress or the incoming administration could do to prevent same-sex couples from marrying.

Amazon also abandons DEI ahead of Trump's return

 

Amazon has recently made significant changes to its internal policies, removing explicit references to protections for LGBTQ+ and Black employees from its corporate pledges.

Amazon has quietly removed several policies from its public websites aimed at protecting workers, including "solidarity" pledges with its Black employees and health care benefits for transgender workers.

The changes include several to policy, as well as department titles, bucking the trend of big companies that have abandoned similar commitments as conservative backlash toward DEI policies continues to grow.

The removal of the section that focused on “Equity for Black people” and the omission of the term “transgender” from the company’s human rights guidelines have raised concerns. 

A section previously called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” is now “Inclusive Experiences and Technology,” and the section “advance DEI through technology” is now a pledge to “advance the employee experience.”

Amazon’s recent shift aligns with broader trends among major corporations. Companies like Meta, McDonald’s, and Walmart have also restructured their DEI programs, citing a range of reasons including changes in legal and political climates.

The change is the far-right agenda is gaining ground with Trump.

15 Age Gap Gay Romance Movies You Need To Stream!

 

Four men sentenced to prison for the homophobic murder of Samuel Luiz in Spain

 

Four men have been sentenced to prison for the homophobic murder of Samuel Luiz, a 24-year-old nursing assistant, whose killing in July 2021 shocked Spain and prompted widespread protests.

Luiz was attacked outside a nightclub in A Coruña, north of Spain, while making a video call. Accused of filming passersby, he tried to explain but was assaulted and left with severe injuries. Minutes later, the assailant returned with others who brutally beat Luiz until he lost consciousness. He died later that morning in the hospital.

The attack prompted revulsion across Spain and led to demonstrations the following week in cities including A Coruña, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Salamanca, Bilbao and Zaragoza. Demonstrators carried signs with slogans such as “your homophobia is killing us”.

A court in A Coruña sentenced three of the convicted men—Diego Montaña, Alejandro Freire, and Kaio Amaral—to 24 years, 20 years, and 20 years and six months in prison, respectively. A fourth man, Alejandro Míguez, who did not physically assault Luiz, was sentenced to 10 years for being an accomplice.

The sentencing marks a step toward justice for Luiz’s family and friends, as well as a reminder of the ongoing struggle against homophobia. Samuel Luiz’s tragic death remains a powerful call to action for equality and human rights in Spain and beyond.

The 4 convicted men

Zuckerberg abandons content moderation policies inspired in Musk and aligns with second Trump term

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of major updates to its content moderation policies, including that it’s getting rid of restrictions on speech about topics like immigration, gender identity and gender. He described the company’s current rules in these areas as “just out of touch with mainstream discourse.”

Facebook, Instagram, and Threads (from Meta) are ditching third-party fact-checkers in favor of a Community Notes program inspired by X of Elon Musk.

In a notable shift, the company now says it allows “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird.’”

In other words, Meta now appears to permit users to accuse transgender or gay people of being mentally ill because of their gender expression and sexual orientation.

Zuckerberg recently visited Mar-a-Lago to meet with President-elect Donald Trump and donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. In his announcement, Zuckerberg expressed an intention to collaborate with Trump to oppose international regulations on social media companies. 

For many, this signals an alignment with far-right agendas that could embolden hate speech on Meta’s platforms. Responding to questions from reporters, Trump said he thought Zuckerberg’s announcement was a result of the former president’s threats.

A victory for the Trump-Musk tandem

Sarah McBride sworn in as first trans member of US Congress making history

 

Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride has become the first-ever transgender member of U.S. Congress, after taking the oath.

The 34-year-old is history-making becoming the first ever trans person to take the oath in Washington and be sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives.

McBride, who first began her political career in 2019 after joining the Delawarean state Senate as Democrat, made it to the U.S. Congress following her win in the U.S. election in November.

Her road to becoming the highest-ranking trans political figure in the U.S. has been hard-fought, even after bagging her seat in the election.

Responding to the attacks, McBride said the efforts by Republicans to mitigate her rights were an “attempt to distract” from their failings.

She highlighted concerns over anti-LGBTQ+ bills that Republicans have signaled will take center stage, including efforts to redefine Title IX protections.

“It is not surprising to me that an anti-trans bill will be one of the first they put forward,” McBride said, calling it part of a broader strategy to distract from economic issues. 

“These anti-LGBTQ policies... have an impact on every single person in this country who believes that the time and energy of the federal government should be spent improving the lives of workers, improving conditions facing retirees, and improving supports for our families,” she added.

Congratulations and good luck!!!

Russia now fines for “looking too gay”

 

Russian officials have fined nightclub revellers for "looking too gay" in their choice of outfits after a police raid on a nightclub. 

At least seven people received the penalties following a police raid. The detainees reportedly wore clothing that police suspected promoted non-traditional sexual relations like "pink socks".

They were reportedly hit with charges of trying to arouse interest in non-traditional sexual relations, which has been outlawed in Russia for a decade. Usually this charge is directed at those publishing pro-LGBT material, not at those wearing "unmanly" clothing.

Russia's Supreme Court effectively outlawed LGBTQ activism in 2023. With Putin, Russia is a very homophobic and transphobic place, especially after the 2013 law that bans so-called gay propaganda, really, any positive mention of LGBTQ identity. 

Marriage equality law is set to take effect in Thailand

 

Thailand’s marriage equality law is set to take effect on Jan. 22. Thai MPs passed the marriage equality bill on June 15, 2024.

The new marriage law also removes gendered references to “husband” and “wife” and establishes some adoption and inheritance rights.

The country will become the first one in Southeast Asia, and the third in the continent after Taiwan and Nepal, to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.

After the law’s passage, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin called it a“significant step for Thailand. He stated the marriage equality bill would give them “the exact same equal rights” as heterosexual couples. “Equality and equity have become concrete in Thai society,” he added.

Well done Thailand!!!