Tag Archive | UK
NZ and Britain ease blood donation rules for gay/bi men
New Zealand and Britain became on Monday the latest countries to ease rules on blood donations by gay and bisexual men, as supply concerns, caused by COVID-19, increase scrutiny of AIDS pandemic-era restrictions that LGBT+ rights advocates say are homophobic. New Zealand’s government cut the celibacy period for gay and bisexual men to give blood, from a […]
UK: Drag queens lead London theatre out of COVID-19 lockdown
As London’s West End theatres gradually reopen after the country’s second coronavirus lockdown, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ star, Courtney Act, who opens in a new play on Friday, is adamant – the show must go on. Theatres have been shuttered in the capital and across Britain for months this year, due to measures to curb the […]
UK: Trans teen takes legal action over gender care delay
A transgender teenager is taking legal action against England’s health service, over a delay in accessing specialist gender care, his lawyers said on Monday, as global debate rages over whether adolescents should be allowed to medically change gender. The 14-year-old was referred to Britain’s only youth gender identity clinic in October 2019, and has been […]
Britain resurrects lesbian pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read
Britain unveiled a statue of two lesbian pirates on Wednesday, resurrecting a duo who ‘broke gender boundaries’, amid a wider debate over why so few women are immortalised with monuments. The statue of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who, according to some historical sources, were lovers while pirates in the Caribbean, was unveiled at Execution […]
UK’s top court rejects trans man’s bid to be named child’s father
A British transgender man’s bid to be named the father rather than the mother on his child’s birth certificate has been rejected by the country’s highest court, in a case that has highlighted evolving conceptions of gender. Freddy McConnell transitioned aged 22, and official documents, such as his passport and health records, have been changed […]
C of E leaders apologise for ‘damage and hurt’ to LGBT+ people
The Church of England’s two most senior figures apologised on Monday for the “huge damage and hurt” caused to LGBT+ people, as the church published a package of teaching materials, covering sexuality and gender identity. The archbishops of Canterbury and York, Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell respectively, said in a joint foreword to the ‘Living […]
UK: Divisive court case over trans youths’ right to puberty-blocking drugs
In a divisive court case against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, whose outcome may affect transgender youth under sixteen being able to access puberty blockers, the Trust said it would not comment before judgment, but defended its “safe and thoughtful service which puts the best interest of its patients and their families first”. […]
OPINION: Boris Johnson’s failure on transgender rights is morally untenable
By Crispin Blunt Crispin Blunt is member of parliament for Reigate in the UK, and chairman of Britain’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global LGBT+ Rights The British government has relied on misinformation and populism over evidence and reason in their response to the consultation on reforming the 2004 Gender Recognition Act. This is an unhappy and unsustainable approach […]
‘Message of Love’ for trans people from 200+ UK authors
More than 200 British authors have signed a ‘message of love’ for transgender people, days after 58 other writers condemned threats against JK Rowling, over her views on trans rights. The latest open letter – signed by novelist, Jeanette Winterson, famed for ‘Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit’, and young adult writer, Malorie Blackman – […]
UK: TikTok apologises for censoring LGBT+ content
TikTok has apologised for suppressing LGBT+ content in the past, with a director telling British lawmakers on Tuesday that the company now removed LGBT+ images only when required to do so by law enforcement agencies. The video streaming app came under fire last year, over reports it censored depictions of homosexuality, such as two men […]
