[UK]
Court rules that NHS was right to reject transsexual's breast enlargement claim
An NHS Trust acted rationally in refusing to provide breast enlargement surgery to a transsexual, the High Court has ruled, even though there was credible medical evidence that the surgery would have been beneficial. The case raises issues as to when treatment can truly be said to be "necessary" in light of increasingly tight purse strings, and whether NHS policy could be discriminatory towards transsexuals.

[Belgium]
Research report "Being transgender in Belgium"
The Belgian Institute for the equality of women and men has recently published a new brochure in English.
The research report Being transgender in Belgium gives an overview of the social and legal situation of transgender people in Belgium. The aim of this research was to map the discrimination and inequalities in practice, policy and legislation faced by transgender people. The research consisted of various phases, each with a specific methodological approach: a detailed literature review exploring terminology, prevalence, social position in various spheres of life and the legal position; an extensive online survey aimed at transgender people, followed by focus groups; a case study relating to the position of transgender people at the ground level. The research results are translated into policy recommendations in the concluding section of the report.
The brochure can be downloaded via the website of the Institute for the equality of women and men (http://igvm-iefh.belgium.be/ > Publicaties/Publications > Transgender/Transgenres), or can be ordered in print. It is also available in Dutch and French.

[Turquia]
Agresión a un grupo de activistas transgénero en Turquia
Desde el equipo de Minorías Sexuales y Derechos Humanos de Amnistía Internacional España se nos informa de la agresión sufrida el pasado 17 de mayo por un grupo de activistas transgénero por parte de varios agentes de policía en Ankara, la capital turca, y se nos pide difundir una acción de protesta, petición que atendemos gustosos.

[Turkey]
Amnesty notes little progress on human rights in Turkey
Amnesty International (AI) has noted little progress made on enhancing human rights protections in Turkey, accusing Turkey of failing to address increasing human rights abuses in various areas.

[Russia]
Activists to defy Moscow gay pride demo ban
Gay rights activists vowed on Thursday to go ahead with a gay pride demonstration in Moscow this weekend, despite a ban by the city authorities.
"No illegal decisions by the authorities or court decisions will stop us from holding our demonstration," organiser Nikolai Alexeyev, one of Russia's leading gay rights activists, told reporters.
"We will hold it Saturday May 29 in any circumstances, whether or not there is a court decision in our favour."

[Malawi] [News/Commentary]
Is the Malawi Couple Gay?
By now I'm sure you've heard of the Malawi couple that was recently sentenced to 14 years hard labor because they publicly proposed to one another back in December. Personally, I haven't written about it since I know next to nothing about Malawi, but now coverage of the story has become a story in and of itself.
South Africa’s Zuma Condemns Arrest of Gays in Malawi (Update1)

[Nepal]
Third gender raises voice in Nepal
"I am the third sex, not a man trying to be a woman. It is your society's problem that you only recognize two sexes." Mona Ahmed expressed her plight in a book written by Dayanita Singh “Myself Mona Ahmed”. Mona has sadly but daringly expressed that her being third sex is not her problem, indeed it’s our society’s problem as we have failed to explicitly give third sex a recognition and an appropriate place in our society and in our heart. It’s really disappointing to find that we still have the same old discriminative eyes to look at them and make mockery of them. All children are born normal, except few anomalies. Right at the birth time they are categorized as male and female. But the mutation seen after few years caused by different hormones in the body leads to changes in gender.

[Pakistan]
A first: Pak court gives go ahead for sex change operation
In the first ruling of its kind in Pakistan, a court has allowed a man suffering from gender identity disorder to undergo an operation to change his sex.
Sami Saleem, 30, had filed a petition with the Rawalpindi-based bench of the Lahore High Court in which he had said that his physical characteristics were like those of a man while his feelings and thoughts were like those of a woman.
LHC allows man to undergo sex change surgery

[Canada]
Montreal cabaret under threat as offices move in
In the heart of downtown Montreal once known as an area of ill-repute, many erotic and burlesque clubs are fighting for survival as developers of staid office blocks move in.
For 35 years, sex workers, dancers and drag queens have flocked to Cafe Cleopatra, a veritable underground cultural attraction and one of the last remnants of Montreal's legendary red light district on Saint Laurent Boulevard.
But now the cabaret faces expropriation and demolition by a real estate promotor aiming to build modern offices for Hydro-Quebec, the province's powerful utility company.

[USA] [Blog/Commentary]
WPATH Statement on Gender Identity Disorder
There's been a lot of controversy in the trans community over whether "Gender Identity Disorder" should be removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, and from the World Health Organization's psychiatric manuals as well.

[NY,USA]
Gay Films Highlight Brazilian Film Fest in New York
Movie buffs should mark their calendars for the 8th Cine Fest Petrobras Brasil. From June 5-12, this anticipated film fest will again take over Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street in New York City with a full line up of fifteen exclusive screenings.



[NY, USA]
GENDA Has Enough Votes To Pass NYS Senate; Join June 1 Lobby Day!
The chances of the Gender Expression Nondiscrimination Act (GENDA) becoming state law got a boost this week when one more New York State Senator publicly committed to voting in favor of the legislation. The total number of committed senators (see list below) is now 32 — enough to pass the bill in the 62-member body.

[Puerto Rico]
Justifican la sentencia previa a presunto asesino de Ashley
La fiscal Rebecca Carrasquillo, quien llevara el caso de asesinato en segundo grado y violación a la ley de armas en el 2007 contra el sujeto que ha confesado haber asesinado a la transexual Ashley Santiago Ocasio, defendió ayer la sentencia que lo dejó tras las rejas por sólo un año.
Un extenso perfil criminal del presunto asesino confeso de Ashley Santiago
En paz el pueblo de Corozal pero exige justicia por Ashley