[International]
Forgotten Victims: Remembering Slain Sex Workers
Last Wednesday, sex workers in Oakland, Belfast, and Rio de Janeiro protested on the steps of their respective city halls, while sex workers in New Orleans, Seattle, and Montreal marched through the streets carrying red umbrellas and candles. Since 2003, Dec. 17 has been known as the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, and this year it was commemorated in over 60 locations worldwide.

[Austria]
Europe’s Game-Changing Bearded Lady
Eleven hours after my plane touched down in Austria, one miscommunication about the difference between Friday and Saturday and a frantic search for lederhosen in the non-negotiable final minutes of shopkeepers’ hours in Vienna and I arrived at the eighth annual Almdüdler Trachtenpärchen Ball, hoping no one will notice that my socks didn’t match my leather knickers, awaiting like everyone else here the arrival of Conchita Wurst, the Queen of Austria.

[Turkey]
Police detain trans women in Malatya on grounds of “Reasonable suspicion!”
Police conducted house raids on the residences of trans women in Malatya. One trans woman was forced out of a taxi and taken into custody. Local sources speculate that the new “reasonable suspicion” standard on police searches is the reason behind the recently increased pressure on trans women.

[China/Taiwan]
Taiwan Removes Surgical Barriers to Trans Citizens' Legal Recognition
With Taiwan's celebrated decision, the number of countries worldwide that require proof-of-surgery to change legal gender now drops to 28.

[Malaysia]
Gays in Aceh go into hiding from syariah cops
Overwhelmed by fear, members of the main gay rights group in the Indonesian town of Banda Aceh started burning piles of documents outside their headquarters in late October, worried that the syariah police would raid them at any moment.

[Philippines]
Filipina Trans Woman's Alleged U.S. Marine Murderer Granted Trial Suspension
During the 60-day delay, Filipino advocates have high hopes for a review of the Visiting Forces Agreement, which has allowed the U.S. to remain involved in U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton's custody.

[Australia]
When Albert met Ann: 'Ridiculous' marriage laws force transgender divorce
When Albert met Richard, he offered to buy him a gin and tonic.
Homosexuality had been legal for almost a decade in Britain, and young men flocked to gay bars with a giddy ardour they were still reticent to display on the street.

[CA, USA]
After 25 Years, DNA Leads to Arrest in Trans Woman's Murder
Carla Salazar's murder was a mystery for 25 years, until advances in forensics finally led police to a suspect — the first arrest by a new task force focusing on cold cases.

[FL, USA]
Florida Man Gets 30 Years in Prison for Murdering Trans Woman
A 23-year-old Florida man has been sentenced for the murder of Ashley Sinclair (pictured), over a year after the transgender woman's murder.

[MI, USA]
Detroit LGBTQ community mourns passing of transgender man
The body of a 22-year-old Michigan transgender man Jay Ralko who had been missing for thirteen days was discovered on December 23 in Warren, Michigan. A statement released by Equality Michigan the following day noted that police believe the cause of death to be suicide, pending the results of an autopsy.

[Cuba]
Ana’s Story: Gender Reassignment in Cuba
The Cuban government paid for Ana Rafaela Diaz Gomez’s sex change, yet challenges still remain for same-sex couples on the island. (3:59) Video: Alexandra Garcia and Andrew Blackwell]
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Cuban government brutally repressed sexual minorities, but in the last seven years there has been an evolution of rights for people who identify as L.G.B.T. This transformation was led by Mariela Castro, a straight woman who is the daughter of the current president, Raúl Castro.

[Ecuador]
This Thursday December 25, 2014, Juan Luis Morales Almeida (Culturally name Marisol) about 39 years old, was found wrapped in blankets after propinársele six stab wounds to his body (one in the jugular), which appear to have robbed life. Its premises, located in av. Causarina by the entrance of the Eight northwest of Guayaquil, was the scene. Relatives and friends of the victim suspect that this bloody fact was made a partner known as “Robert”.