[Portugal]
17 de Maio, Dia Mundial de Luta Contra a Homofobia

No âmbito do Dia Mundial de Luta Contra a Homofobia, a Associação ILGA Portugal, em parceria com a Associação para o Planeamento da Família (APF), organiza no próximo dia 17 de Maio, pelas 16h, no Fórum Lisboa (antigo Cinema Roma), um debate dedicado à relação entre a discriminação com base na orientação sexual e a discriminação com base no género, chamando a atenção em particular para a discriminação das mulheres lésbicas.

[Europe/International] [Commentary]
COMMENT: Governments must take all measures necessary to protect LGBT citizens
Excerpt: Transgender persons are humiliated. Some of them have been denied necessary healthcare and have been confronted with medical practitioners who refuse to provide gender reassignment therapy.

Others have been prevented from having a change of name in passport or identification documents or only managed such a change after having gone through de-humanising procedures that are currently in place in many States.

The prejudices in this area are indeed very deep, not least in countries with a recent past of dictatorship and absence of free discussion.

[UK/International]
Islamic influence on UN Human Rights Council worries humanists

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has written to Foreign Office minister Lord Malloch-Brown about the activities of the Organisation of Islamic Conference.

It is concerned that the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council is being undermined by the presence of Islamic nations on the council.

Last year 54 member states of the UN Human Rights Council asked the council to act against violations of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

[UK/Europe]
British activist becomes President of Transgender Europe

Dr Stephen Whittle, one of the UK's leading trans activists, has become President of Transgender Europe (TGEU) at an international conference in Berlin.

More than 200 activists from across the world attended the event at the start of May.

[Rússia]

Moscou proíbe celebração do Dia Contra a Homofobia
A Prefeitura de Moscou não autorizou que um grupo de homens e mulheres gays realizasse uma pequena manifestação agendada para acontecer no próximo sábado, dia 17 de maio. Mesmo programada para ter apenas 10 participantes, a Prefeitura negou a autorização.

[Canada]
Ont. to cover sex changes again: Smitherman

Ontario will soon join other provinces in providing coverage for sex-change surgery under the province's health insurance plan, Health Minister George Smitherman confirmed Thursday.

[USA/Canada]
Flap Flares Over Gender Diagnosis

Transgender and gay activists are objecting to some members of an American Psychiatric Association (APA) committee that will weigh changes to the definition of gender identity disorder (GID), a diagnosis that activists say is used to treat young trans and gay people with the goal of curing them.

But the members are not easily pigeonholed as anti-gay or anti-transgender and the diagnosis itself has been used to gain medical care and legal protections for some transgendered people.

[USA] [Television]
Gay TV channel caught up in RuPaul "Drag" net

MTV Networks' Logo, which targets lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewers, has greenlighted a reality competition series starring noted drag queen RuPaul.

[NY, USA]
Russo's Blog: Should City Taxpayers Pay For Sex-Change Operations?

Should New York City government pay for a transgendered teenager to have a sex-change operation? The Family Court said yes, but News 4 New York has learned a higher court Tuesday said "no" on appeal.

Judge Nips Sex Surgery

The city does not have to pay for a foster child's sex-change operation, an appeals court has ruled.

Manhattan Family Court Judge Sheldon Rand had ordered the city to arrange and pay for an operation for Brian L. to become Mariah L.

[CA, USA]
California Supreme Court overturns gay marriage ban

California's Supreme Court ruled that a ban on gay marriage was unlawful Thursday, effectively leaving same-sex couples in America's most populous state free to tie the knot in a landmark ruling.

Estado da Califórnia aprova lei sobre casamento gay

A Suprema Corte do estado da Califórnia aprovou nesta quinta-feira (15) o Projeto de Lei que legaliza o casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo no estado americano. Segundo a Corte, orientação sexual, assim como raça ou gênero, "não constitui base legítima para negar ou restirngir direitos legais".