LGBTQ

Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual rights

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Drag queens vs the far right

On 7 August, fascists from Patriotic Alternative turned up in Leeds to protest Drag Queen Story Hour. These storytimes for kids, where stories are read by drag performers, originated in San Francisco in 2016. Author Michelle Tea, who is behind the events, sought to “inspire a love of reading, while teaching deeper lessons on diversity, self-love and an appreciation of others”. The vast majority of people would surely see this as innocuous fun and it has proved to be very popular, spreading across the US and overseas. However, from 2019 onwards, white supremacists and neo-Nazis in America began...

Far-right threat to EuroPride in Serbia

“I will curse all those who organise and participate in such a thing... If I had a gun, I would use it...” So Serbian Orthodox Church Bishop Nikanor Bogunović denounced this year’s EuroPride, due in Belgrade 12-18 September. The Church, a major prop of the far right regime of President Alexander Vučić, organised a march on 28 August to celebrate Vučić’s ban on the EuroPride week of events, imposed just two days before. At least 10,000 turned out. The march was led by the Night Wolves, a biker gang of 4,000 members and far right Putinist grouping which originated in Russia but roams across...

Monkeypox: a history of neglect

Outside of its endemic regions in Central and West Africa, confirmed monkeypox rates continue to rise to tens of thousands of people globally, six of whom have died: two in Spain, one each in India, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru; none in the UK. Monkeypox has long been infecting and killing people within Africa, with some variants killing up to 10% of those infected. Over one hundred people in Africa have been killed in this wave, in 2022, alone. It is carried by rodents — not monkeys! — and historically many infections were directly from these rodents: it did not spread far between humans. The...

Trans healthcare: expansion or alibi for cuts?

The interim recommendations of the Cass review have been published. This was a review commissioned by NHS England to look at how the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) can be improved. The service is for under 18s and is currently managed by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. On the face of it there is much to be welcomed. The main recommendations are that the service needs to be expanded, that there should be more research so treatments are more evidence-based, and that the service should be more holistic — looking at the many needs of the children, not just their gender...

Labour dithers on trans rights

In the midst of the Tory leadership candidates baiting each other to move even further rightwards on trans rights, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves gave an interview to the Times in which she appeared to move away from support for transgendered people’s rights too. There is a lot else to criticise in the interview, which may be worth returning to, but most of it basically affirms that Reeves is not at all left-wing – which we knew. In contrast she has previously made relatively good comments defending trans rights, at least recently as September 2021 . As often with these kinds of interviews...

20,000 at London Trans+ Pride

Over 20,000 people are estimated to have marched in London Trans+ Pride, 9 July 2022. It was much more political, left-wing, angry, much more explicitly a protest, than most wider LGBT+ Pride marches in UK today. It had much less institutional backing or media coverage. At a time when the government is pushing against trans rights, it was also much bigger than last year (a few thousand). There was no obvious union presence: we must build this in future. The Bristol Pride march the same day also centred on trans rights. Added on 7 August A comrade has written in to say there was a significant...

Bristol Pride — trans rights is central

An early-morning procession because it fed into the festival, still probably thousands marched in Bristol's LGBTIQ+ Pride demonstration on 9 July, with reportedly tens of thousands at the festival. I saw a few Labour Party banners, and unions marching too: NEU, GMB, a few people from the UVW sex workers branch. There were various corporate banners and blocs too. Mostly the procession was non-political, but the politics there was was mostly, understandably and correctly given the context, about trans rights. There was a small amount of anti-police agitation, with mixed reception. One positive...

Police break up Istanbul Pride

The Istanbul Pride march, 26 June, was broken up by police, and 373 activists were detained, including 30 minors. The Pride march has been banned since 2015. Chants included “Kurdistan exists, queer people exist”, “Trans murders are political”, and “The world would shake if faggots and queers were free”. At a student LGBTI+ protest at Istanbul University, counter-protesters threatened violence and chanted “Takbir, Allahu Akbar”. In 2016 it was reported that Turkey has the highest transgender murder rate in Europe. Last year Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention meant to combat violence...

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