• Why a UN Official’s Video Could Get Her Arrested
    Commentary
    May 16, 2012
    If Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for Human Rights, were to speak in St. Petersburg and say that the best way to combat homophobia is to discuss it at school, she would risk being arrested! It’s something to think about as we prepare to celebrate the annual International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) on May 17.
  • Gay in America: Left Out of Family Leave
    Commentary
    May 11, 2012
    If the love of your life had major surgery or a serious illness, you would want to be by their side. You'd want to take some time off work without losing your job, and give them the care they need. But if you're gay in America, you have no such right under federal law.
  • US: Obama Statement for LGBT Rights
    Press release
    May 9, 2012
    US President Barack Obama and Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller should be commended for their statements during their election campaigns on behalf of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people.
  • Russia: Is wearing a pink triangle a crime?
    Commentary
    Apr 26, 2012
    A couple of weeks ago, when I was trying to decide whether to pin a pink triangle to the lapel of my black overcoat, Sergei Kondrashov was detained by police in the street of Russia’s northern capital with a banner saying, "A dear family friend is a lesbian. My wife and I love and respect her ... and her family is just as equal as ours."
  • Being Tolerant Is African, Too!
    Commentary
    Apr 17, 2012
    This week, homophobic rhetoric in Liberia once again reared its ugly head when a flier publicizing a “hit list” of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals was distributed in Monrovia.It appears that “kicking gays out of Liberia” as the flier said, is the latest pre-occupation in a country that has survived almost 20 years of violent internal conflict that claimed many lives and devastated the economy. One would think there would be more pressing concerns in Liberia.
  • Hungary: Revoke Denial of Pride March Route
    Press release
    Apr 11, 2012

    Hungarian police should immediately revoke their decision to refuse planners of the 2012 Pride March permission to pursue their chosen route. The march should be allowed to go ahead as planned on July 7. The police also have an obligation to facilitate the peaceful passage of the Pride March, protect the safety of the participants, and ensure that anti-gay protesters are not allowed to disrupt or interfere with the march.

  • Chile: Amend and Pass Anti-discrimination Bill
    Press release
    Apr 9, 2012
    Chile’s congress should address significant shortcomings in an anti-discrimination bill currently in the final stages of parliamentary debate.
  • Chile: Letter to Congress on Anti-discrimination Bill
    Letter
    Apr 9, 2012

    The recent tragic death of 24-year old Daniel Zamudio following a brutal attack by alleged neo-nazis has brought the scourge of homophobic violence to world attention and cast a spotlight on Chile’s lack of legislation to protect and defend the rights of vulnerable minorities.

  • Cameroon: LGBT Rights Workshop Shut Down
    Press release
    Apr 5, 2012
    Cameroonian authorities on March 27, 2012, illegally shut down a human rights workshop in Yaoundé that was to include discussion of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and arrested one of the workshop organizers. The action violated rights to freedom of assembly and expression under both Cameroonian and international law.
  • Albania: Reprimand Official for Anti-Gay Remarks
    Press release
    Mar 26, 2012
    The Albanian government should publicly reprimand Deputy Defense Minister Ekrem Spahiu for homophobic remarks and endorsing violence against people participating in a Gay Pride parade. Asked what he thinks of plans to hold a Gay Pride parade in the capital, Tirana, Spahiu said the participants should be beaten.