[Portugal]
JS quer mudança de sexo reconhecida na lei
Proposta. A Juventude Socialista (JS) vai a congresso com um único candidato, que aposta nas questões fracturantes. Casamento homossexual, adopção por casais 'gay' ou o reconhecimento da mudança de sexo na lei portuguesa são algumas das reivindicações da Jota socialista.

[UK]
DIY Sex-Swap Man Is A Lesbian
THE sex-swap builder who CASTRATED himself has proudly declared: I am a LESBIAN.
Howard Shelley—now called Holli (photo) after he cut off his testicles with a kitchen knife—admits still lusting after women, but as a woman.
Posing publicly for the first time as a bobbed brunette, she said: "I still fancy women, not men, and I'm looking for a new woman in my life."
The 44-year-old took drastic DIY action after a doctor said he had to live as a woman for two years before being considered for a sex-swap op.

[EU/Malta]
Maltese law 'discriminates' on same-sex partners
Excerpt: The report finds other discriminatory aspects against LGBTs in Maltese legislation, such as where it comes to the implementation of the EU Employment Equality Directive and on legal measures for the protection of transgender persons.

Leis em Malta discriminam as minorias sexuais, diz UE

Um estudo sobre homofobia e discriminação realizado entre os 27 países-membro da União Européia apontou a ilha de Malta como um país discirminatório cujas leis reforçam a discriminação contra lésbicas, gays, bissexuais e transexuais.

[Israel]
Want a Sex Change Operation? Consider Doing it In Israel
An Israeli Health Ministry committee is examining ways of facilitating the procedure for sex-change operations.
The committee, which includes a representative of the transgender community, was set up after the Doctors for Human Rights (DHR) organization complained that the existing procedure for approving sex-change operations was outdated and discriminatory toward transgenders.

[Nepal]
Gay activist in Nepal campaigns against discrimination
Excerpt: An extraordinary week in 2004 catapulted his cause to the center of public attention. Even conservative Nepalese who don't approve of homosexuality were horrified by the actions of a policeman who slit a transgendered person's throat. When 39 members of the Blue Diamond Society were arrested at a protest a few days later, sympathetic media coverage and international outrage stung the government.

[Thailand]
Medical Tourism
Excerpt: Sexual reassignment (sex change) surgery is in the top ten procedures people come to Thailand for and costs less than $6,000 whereas in the US it runs upwards of $15,000.

[USA] [News/Film]
Gay Entertainment Report (Queen Raquela wins Showtime Vanguard Award)
Excerpt: The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela stars Raquela Rios as a Philippine transsexual prostitute in search of a fairly tale life in Europe. It is Rios' film debut, a transsexual herself. Director Olaf de Fleur found Raquela Rios on the Internet while she was living in the Philippines.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]

HRC once again tries to put ENDA down the memory hole

At Sunday's Pride I was hit up for donations by the inevitable swarm of HRC (Human Rights Campaign) supporters. With the first one I was angry, but polite -- pointing out I'd support HRC when they've proven they actually mean it when they say they support trans rights and won't sell us out again, like they did with ENDA last year. The second one tried to sooth me by saying that HRC wouldn't stop working for an inclusive ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act). And that's when I lost it.