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Author: Rachel Badham

Lorraine Kelly backs trans rights in debate with Kathleen Stock

Posted on by Rachel Badham

TV presenter and LGBTQ+ ally, Lorraine Kelly, affirmed her support for the trans community during an interview with Kathleen Stock, who recently stepped down from her position at the University of Sussex amid accusations of transphobia. Speaking with Stock on her morning TV show, Kelly said that she “disagrees” with Stock’s stance on trans rights, adding: “I do happen to believe that trans women are women and trans men are men.”

While Stock suggested that she had been silenced through student-led protests that criticised her previous comments on self-identification and the potential reform of the Gender Recognition Act, Kelly said that Stock has “more of a voice” following the controversy. Kelly continued: “There’s this whole thing around ‘cancel culture…but you’ve not really been cancelled, because you walked away from your job. You did resign”, to which Stock agreed.

Kathleen Stock appearing on Lorraine (November 8)

Many LGBTQ+ people have praised Kelly for supporting the trans community, with one Twitter user saying: “The wonderful @reallorraine driving home the point on @lorraine, that contrary to Kathleen Stock’s claims that ‘gender critical’ transphobes are being “silenced”, that she’s actually got an even *bigger* platform now!” Another added: “Thank you to Lorraine Kelly for saying that she believes trans women are women and for being the only person in British media to point out the obvious to Kathleen Stock.”

Protest held outside BBC after anti-trans article

Posted on by Rachel Badham

On Saturday November 6, around 100 people gathered outside of the BBC headquarters in London to protest the publishing of an anti-trans article titled: “We’re being pressured into sex by some trans women”, which detailed the experiences of some lesbians who said they are “increasingly being pressured and coerced into accepting trans women as partners”. Despite widespread backlash, the BBC has defended the article and confirmed that it will remain live on its website.

The crowd of protestors included non-binary comedian Mae Martin, who wrote on social media: “[I am unsettled] by the fact that and other UK media continue to uncritically platform misinformed, demonstrably biased and transphobic opinions. It’s bad journalism and it’s contributing to a culture of hysteria that makes life scarier for trans/nonbinary people in this country (and it was already scary).”

The anonymous organiser of the protest told LGBTQ+ news outlet, What The Trans!?, that the article was written “without evidence, to paint a target on the backs of every trans person in the country.” They added: “This is not news, it is targeted hate-propaganda that has no place on any news platform. The UK media has hermetically sealed trans people out of the discussion about trans people, this is the real silencing.”

LGBTQ+ rights group shuts down in China

Posted on by Rachel Badham

One of China’s largest LGBTQ+ rights groups, LGBT Rights Advocacy China, has announced that it will be shutting down for good, amid fears that the country is becoming increasingly hostile towards the queer community. According to Associated Press, the news comes as part of a national restriction on social activism, as the advocacy group will be ceasing all activity after 8 years.

Announcing the decision to shut down, group leaders said on social media: “We are deeply regretful to tell everyone, Queer Advocacy Online will stop all of our work indefinitely.” Members have not yet confirmed why the decision was made, and have remained anonymous due to ‘safety concerns’. Group founder, Peng Yanzi, has also declined to comment on the situation. 

This event comes after a series of incidents that suggest censorship is being tightened in China, including the mass deletion of LGBTQ+ student-led accounts on We Chat – a popular social media platform – earlier this year. Shanghai Pride, the oldest LGBTQ+ event in mainland China, was also cancelled indefinitely last year, causing concern over the censoring of queer voices.

Report: Anti-LGBTQ+ Alliance Defending Freedom is building international networks

Posted on by Rachel Badham

A new report from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) has found that the controversial Alliance Defending Freedom has been pushing an “anti-LGBTQ+, anti-women, and anti-abortion agenda in Eastern Europe” by building relations with far-right groups and political leaders across the world. The American-based hate group describes itself as a “conservative Christian nonprofit advocacy group”, and is supposedly contributing to a rollback on human rights in many Eastern European countries.

According to the report, which explores the strategies the group uses to further it’s agenda, the ADF has now obtained “consultative status” at the United Nations Human Rights Council as well as official status at EU, despite its anti-LGBTQ+ values. The Polish Ministry of Justice also lists it as an NGO that is “supportive of human rights”, as the group continues to involve itself in European legal battles that relate to LGBTQ+ equality and women’s rights. It is currently litigating a handful of international cases in countries such as Finland, Germany, Russia, India, Pakistan, Ireland, Slovenia, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Turkey and the UK. 

Wendy Via, the co-founder of the GPAHE, described the ADF’s international work as a “poisonous American export”, adding: “Powered and funded in large part from the US, it employs strategies that have worked to roll back human rights in the US to do the same in Eastern European countries. It’s willing to play the long game, and its end game – to end reproductive freedom and LGBTQ+ equality – will cause greater harm if it is not stopped.”

Trans activist killed in Washington

Posted on by Rachel Badham

39-year-old Latina trans woman Rikkey Outumuro, also known by her drag name Tru Starlet, is the 44th known trans or gender non-conforming person to have been killed in the US this year, meaning violence rates are now on par with 2020 – the deadliest year on record for trans Americans. According to The Chronicle, Outumuro was shot five times by her 28-year-old partner, Cristopher Allen Gaudreau in Centralia, Washington on October 30 after the pair went out for drinks. 

Gaudreau has since been charged with first-degree murder. Outumuro was well known among the local LGBTQ+ community in Washington, with friends describing her as “an incredible advocate for the queer and trans community” who “focused much of her time organising and sharing her fire and wisdom with the students at Centralia College”. She was also known for being the former Miss Gay Lewis County, and had a six-year-old son with Gaudreau. 

Tori Cooper, the Human Rights Campaign’s director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative said that Outumuro had “touched the lives of so many people in her community”, adding: “With Tru Starlet’s death, we’ve tied last year’s record number of fatal violence cases with two whole months remaining in 2021. Each one of these cases has been an unspeakable tragedy…Gun violence and domestic violence are plagues upon our nation and leave far too many in mourning.”

 

Study: Anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination on the rise in the US

Posted on by Rachel Badham

Released on Wednesday, the Annual Accelerating Acceptance study by GLAAD has found that 59% of LGBTQ+ Americans (out of 2,506 participants) have experienced discrimination within the past year, compared to less than 50% in 2020. Although the majority agreed that housing and employment benefits discrimination should be illegal, only 61% of non-LGBTQ+ respondents agreed that trans bathroom discrimination should be outlawed, with an additional 47% saying that they were “unfamiliar” with trans and non-binary people. 

The vast majority of all respondents believe that housing discrimination has already been criminalised, even though there are actually “no comprehensive federal protections for LGBTQ+ people” if they are evicted or denied housing because of their identity. GLAAD President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, said the findings highlight a “dangerous reality” for LGBTQ+ Americans, as many are “not aware that LGBTQ+ people are not federally protected from discrimination in many areas of life”.

Ellis continued: “With a large majority of Americans expressing that federal law should protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in areas of life in which they are currently not protected, it is more crucial than ever that we elect pro-equality candidates who will pass comprehensive legislation like the Equality Act”, which was passed by the national House of Representatives earlier this year. 

Government officials held “secret meeting” with conversion therapy practitioners

Posted on by Rachel Badham

An investigation by VICE News has discovered that the government equalities office held an “undisclosed private meeting” earlier this year with the Core Issues Trust, which aims to “help people who want to move away from unwanted homosexual feelings”. The meeting was organised with the “ex-gay” leaders of the controversial group which actively advocates for conversion therapy. 

The group told VICE that leaders have “spent years” trying to communicate with the government about their views on conversion therapy, and finally attended a meeting which equalities minister Kemi Badenoch was reportedly “eager” to attend. The Core Issues Trust then described the meeting as a “productive” step “in the right direction”, as government officials supposedly “encouraged” any ‘former LGBTQ+ people’ to participate in the public consultation that is running throughout November.

Responding to the report, the government equality hub insisted that the “government’s values do not align with those of the Core Issues Trust”, adding: “We believe that conversion therapy is an abhorrent practice and will shortly publish our plans to ban it in this country.” March 28 2021 marked 1,000 days since the government first promised to ban conversion therapy in the UK, with officials saying that the new law will be enacted in Spring 2022.

42nd trans person killed in the US

Posted on by Rachel Badham

26-year-old Jo Acker is the 42nd known trans or gender non-conforming person to have been violently killed in the US this year after she confronted a shooter in Boise, Idaho, and was fatally wounded. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Acker, a white trans woman, was working as a security guard in a shopping centre when a shooter opened fire on the public. Acker attempted to stop the attacker, but was shot in the process. 

Following her death, Acker’s family described her as a “hero”, adding: “[She was] the type of person that always wanted to help people…[and] will be greatly missed.” Tori Cooper, the  HRC director of community engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative, said there is a “dire need for gun control laws” in the US as this will “not only keep our transgender community safer, but all communities safer.”

If the current rate of violence continues, the death toll for 2021 will likely surpass that of 2020, which saw 44 trans people killed in America. A total of 350 murders were recorded globally, with the majority occurring in Mexico, Brazil and the US. The annual Transgender Day of Remembrance will be held on November 2oth to commemorate those whose lives have been lost to violence.

15-year-old beaten in homophobic attack

Posted on by Rachel Badham

A teenager was violently attacked in St Andrews, Scotland, after being subjected to homophobic harassment on a bus last Wednesday. Speaking to the Courier, the boy’s mother said her son was verbally abused on public transport, so he decided to get off the bus. However, the three perpetrators followed him off the bus and attacked him when his back was turned.

His mum said: “There were three of them, they attacked him from behind, he fell on the ground and hit his head. They punched him in the face and started kicking him on the ground.” She described the incident as “really scary”, adding: “My son came from an environment where we never had a closet for him to come out of, we were always very open and understanding…I think that, if anything, that made me think: ‘are these people telling my son that he should be in the closet?’”

The boy did not need to be hospitalised for his injuries and is now recovering. Police have confirmed that the attack is being investigated and treated as a hate crime. The assault comes amid a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes across the UK, with incident rates increasing by 9% between March 2020 and March 2021. The prevalence of homophobic hate crimes rose by 7% in total.

LGBTQ+ veterans to have lost medals returned by Remembrance Sunday

Posted on by Rachel Badham

LGBTQ+ veterans who were stripped of their medals because of their identity will have them returned in time for Remembrance Sunday 2021 (November 14), as promised by veterans minister Leo Docherty. According to the Mirror – which has run a long campaign in collaboration with an LGBTQ+ veterans charity to have all medals returned –  Docherty said he will act with “deep urgency” to have the medals restored in the coming weeks.

He has ordered the Ministry of Defence to contact those who had medals confiscated so that they can be returned before Remembrance Sunday and worn by veterans on the day itself. Fighting with Pride joint-CEO, Craig Jones, said he is “delighted” at the news, adding: “Now LGBTQ+ veterans will be able to join in the solemn act of remembrance wearing the medals they so rightfully earned.”

Royal Air Force veteran David Bonney and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell lay an LGBTQ+ wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday 2020

Earlier this year, a scheme was launched so that LGBTQ+ veterans who had their medals removed or were discharged from the armed forces on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity can now reclaim these losses. The Ministry of Defence said it is “committed to addressing this historical wrong”, as medals continue to be returned to LGBTQ+ veterans across the country.

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