<p>A transgender was shot dead by unknown assailants in Peshawar&#39;s Cantonment area on Sunday.</p>

<p>According to the Dawn, a number of armed attackers opened fire at the transgender in Khyber Supermarket.</p>

<p>The victim, with three bullet wounds, was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) for the treatment in critical condition; however, she succumbed to her injuries.</p>

<p>&quot;After receiving her, doctors shifted the injured to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and provided treatment,&quot; the LRH spokesperson Asim Khan said and added that the victim succumbed to her injuries in the ICU.</p>

<p>The transgender community has demanded the arrest of the killers.</p>

<p>The police have launched a search operation to nab the culprits.</p>

<p>However, initial reports have confirmed that one of the attackers was a friend of the victim.&nbsp;</p>


According to the Dawn, a number of armed attackers opened fire at the transgender in Khyber Supermarket.

A transgender was shot dead by unknown assailants in Peshawar's Cantonment area on Sunday. According to the Dawn, a number of armed attackers opened fire at the transgender in Khyber Supermarket. The victim, with three bullet wounds, was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) for the treatment in critical condition; however, she succumbed to her injuries. "After receiving her, doctors shifted the injured to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and provided treatment," the LRH spokesperson Asim Khan said and added that the victim succumbed to her injuries in the ICU. The transgender community has demanded the arrest of the killers. The police have launched a search operation to nab the culprits. However, initial reports have confirmed that one of the attackers was a friend of the victim.

Transgender shot dead in Pakistan

<p>An Istanbul district authority has banned a one-day festival that had been set to showcase short films on gay issues on Saturday, claiming the event posed a threat to public order.</p>

<p>The ban came after a similar decision on all LGBT cultural events in Ankara province.</p>

<p>The Istanbul event, co-organised by Turkish gay rights group Pink Life LGBT Solidarity Association and the British Council, had been set to screen 10 short films at Pera Museum in the popular district of Beyoglu on the European side of the city.</p>

<p>But the Beyoglu district governor&#39;s office said on Friday the event would not be allowed to take place, in a bid to &quot;protect public order and safety, others&#39; rights and freedoms, and to prevent crime&quot;.</p>

<p>In a statement, the governor&#39;s office said the planned &quot;events may be against constitutional order or public morality&quot;.</p>

<p>It also said the event organisers had not sought the necessary permission to stage the event.</p>

<p>The Pera Museum meanwhile said the event had been postponed, though it did not give a new date.</p>

<p>Earlier this month, a similar ban was imposed on another planned screening by the Pink Life group in Ankara.</p>

<p>And last week, authorities banned all LGBT cultural events in Ankara until further notice, to &quot;maintain public order&quot;.</p>

<p>The Istanbul ban will add to growing concern among gay rights activists in Turkey that their right to freedom of expression is being curtailed under the Islamic-rooted government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.</p>

<p>While homosexuality has been legal since the creation of the modern Turkish republic in 1923, LGBT individuals often say they are subject to harassment, rape and abuse.</p>

<p>The once hugely popular annual gay pride rally in Istanbul has been blocked by authorities for three years in a row now.</p>

<p>The authorities insist they are acting to ensure the security of citizens but activists claim the government is seeking to impose a conservative morality.</p>

<p>Earlier this month, Erdogan criticised a quota for gays on a neighbourhood committee, saying it was at odds with the nation&#39;s values.</p>


The ban came after a similar decision on all LGBT cultural events in Ankara province

An Istanbul district authority has banned a one-day festival that had been set to showcase short films on gay issues on Saturday, claiming the event posed a threat to public order. The ban came after a similar decision on all LGBT cultural events in Ankara province. The Istanbul event, co-organised by Turkish gay rights group Pink Life LGBT Solidarity Association and the British Council, had been set to screen 10 short films at Pera Museum in the popular district of Beyoglu on the European side of the city. But the Beyoglu district governor's office said on Friday the event would not be allowed to take place, in a bid to "protect public order and safety, others' rights and freedoms, and to prevent crime". In a statement, the governor's office said the planned "events may be against constitutional order or public morality". It also said the event organisers had not sought the necessary permission to stage the event. The Pera Museum meanwhile said the event had been postponed, though it did not give a new date. Earlier this month, a similar ban was imposed on another planned screening by the Pink Life group in Ankara. And last week, authorities banned all LGBT cultural events in Ankara until further notice, to "maintain public order". The Istanbul ban will add to growing concern among gay rights activists in Turkey that their right to freedom of expression is being curtailed under the Islamic-rooted government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While homosexuality has been legal since the creation of the modern Turkish republic in 1923, LGBT individuals often say they are subject to harassment, rape and abuse. The once hugely popular annual gay pride rally in Istanbul has been blocked by authorities for three years in a row now. The authorities insist they are acting to ensure the security of citizens but activists claim the government is seeking to impose a conservative morality. Earlier this month, Erdogan criticised a quota for gays on a neighbourhood committee, saying it was at odds with the nation's values.

Istanbul district bans gay film festival

<p>Australians have voted overwhelmingly for same-sex marriage, paving the way for legislation by the end of 2017 and sparking rainbow celebrations on Wednesday, with people wearing wedding dresses and sequined suits and declaring &ldquo;our love is real&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Australia will become the 26th nation to formalise the unions if the legislation is passed by parliament, which is expected despite some vocal opposition within the government&rsquo;s conservative right wing.</p>

<p>Thousands of people in a central Sydney park broke into a loud cheer, hugged and cried as Australia&rsquo;s chief statistician revealed live over a big screen that 61.6 percent of voters surveyed favoured marriage equality, with 38.4 percent against.</p>

<p>Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, who came out as gay three years ago, said the result was a huge relief.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It means that the way you feel for another person, whoever that may be, is equal,&rdquo; Thorpe told reporters at the Sydney celebrations.</p>

<p>The voluntary poll is non-binding but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull immediately said he would fulfill a pledge to raise a bill in parliament with the aim of passing laws by Christmas.</p>

<p>Turnbull played down concerns of a split in his coalition government over the policy as the conservative faction presses for amendments to protect religious freedoms that discriminate against same-sex couples.</p>

<p>&ldquo;It is unequivocal, it is overwhelming. They have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality,&rdquo; Turnbull told reporters in Canberra after the survey results were announced. &ldquo;They voted yes for fairness, yes for commitment, yes for love.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The result marks a watershed moment for gay rights in Australia, where it was illegal in some states to engage in homosexual activity until 1997.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It&rsquo;s a g&rsquo;day. Way to go Australia. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarriageEquality?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarriageEquality</a> <a href="https://t.co/0tdnBHPAW1">pic.twitter.com/0tdnBHPAW1</a></p>
&mdash; Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/status/930573863955472391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a g&lsquo;day. Way to go Australia &rdquo; tweeted U.S. TV host Ellen DeGeneres, who is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi in the United States.</p>

<p>Almost 80 percent of the country&rsquo;s eligible voters took part in the survey - a higher voter turnout than Britain&rsquo;s Brexit vote and Ireland&rsquo;s same-sex marriage referendum.</p>

<p>Mark Barry, 59, wiped away tears as he took the result with his partner of 35 years, Gerrard Boller.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I know a celebrant who is going to be very happy about this,&rdquo; Barry told Reuters.</p>

<p><strong>TURNBULL TROUBLES</strong></p>

<p>Irish-born Qantas Airways Chief Executive Alan Joyce, one of the few openly gay business leaders in Australia, told the Sydney crowd, many of whom sheltered from the hot sun under rainbow umbrellas, that the result was &ldquo;an amazing outcome&rdquo; and urged Turnbull to move quickly on legislation.</p>

<p>Turnbull, under pressure amid a citizenship crisis that has cost him his deputy and the government&rsquo;s majority in parliament, finds his leadership tested again as the marriage equality bill enters parliament, possibly as early as later on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The conservatives&rsquo; planned amendments to the bill would allow private businesses to refuse services like wedding cakes for same-sex weddings by objecting on religious grounds.</p>


The overwhelming votes have been paving the way for legislation by the end of 2017 and sparking rainbow celebrations on Wednesday, with people wearing wedding dresses and sequined suits and declaring ?our love is real?

Australians have voted overwhelmingly for same-sex marriage, paving the way for legislation by the end of 2017 and sparking rainbow celebrations on Wednesday, with people wearing wedding dresses and sequined suits and declaring “our love is real”. Australia will become the 26th nation to formalise the unions if the legislation is passed by parliament, which is expected despite some vocal opposition within the government’s conservative right wing. Thousands of people in a central Sydney park broke into a loud cheer, hugged and cried as Australia’s chief statistician revealed live over a big screen that 61.6 percent of voters surveyed favoured marriage equality, with 38.4 percent against. Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, who came out as gay three years ago, said the result was a huge relief. “It means that the way you feel for another person, whoever that may be, is equal,” Thorpe told reporters at the Sydney celebrations. The voluntary poll is non-binding but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull immediately said he would fulfill a pledge to raise a bill in parliament with the aim of passing laws by Christmas. Turnbull played down concerns of a split in his coalition government over the policy as the conservative faction presses for amendments to protect religious freedoms that discriminate against same-sex couples. “It is unequivocal, it is overwhelming. They have spoken in their millions and they have voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality,” Turnbull told reporters in Canberra after the survey results were announced. “They voted yes for fairness, yes for commitment, yes for love.” The result marks a watershed moment for gay rights in Australia, where it was illegal in some states to engage in homosexual activity until 1997. It’s a g’day. Way to go Australia. #MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/0tdnBHPAW1 — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) November 14, 2017 × “It’s a g‘day. Way to go Australia ” tweeted U.S. TV host Ellen DeGeneres, who is married to Australian actress Portia de Rossi in the United States. Almost 80 percent of the country’s eligible voters took part in the survey - a higher voter turnout than Britain’s Brexit vote and Ireland’s same-sex marriage referendum. Mark Barry, 59, wiped away tears as he took the result with his partner of 35 years, Gerrard Boller. “I know a celebrant who is going to be very happy about this,” Barry told Reuters. TURNBULL TROUBLES Irish-born Qantas Airways Chief Executive Alan Joyce, one of the few openly gay business leaders in Australia, told the Sydney crowd, many of whom sheltered from the hot sun under rainbow umbrellas, that the result was “an amazing outcome” and urged Turnbull to move quickly on legislation. Turnbull, under pressure amid a citizenship crisis that has cost him his deputy and the government’s majority in parliament, finds his leadership tested again as the marriage equality bill enters parliament, possibly as early as later on Wednesday. The conservatives’ planned amendments to the bill would allow private businesses to refuse services like wedding cakes for same-sex weddings by objecting on religious grounds.

Rainbow celebrations galore as Australians vote for same-sex marriage

<p>Amnesty International on Thursday condemned a draft bill in the Egyptian parliament that would criminalise homosexuality, in what the rights group called an &quot;unprecedented homophobic crackdown&quot;.</p>

<p>The bill lays jail terms of between one and three years for first-time offenders, whether the act takes place in public or a private place. Repeat offenders would receive five years.</p>

<p>&quot;This deeply discriminatory bill would be a huge setback for human rights and another nail in the coffin for sexual rights in Egypt,&quot; said Najia Bounaim, North Africa campaigns director at Amnesty.</p>

<p>Amnesty said that &quot;for more than a month now the Egyptian authorities have waged a vicious crackdown targeting LGBTI people in the country.&quot;</p>

<p>Despite homosexuality not yet being illegal in the North African country, the number of arrests of suspects has been mounting.</p>

<p>The crackdown comes after an open-air concert in Cairo on September 22 by Lebanese band Mashrou&#39; Leila, when the flag representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community was raised.</p>

<p>Thirty-one people have been arrested since the concert, 10 directly linked with the event, according to judicial and security officials.</p>

<p>Amnesty said the number was more than 70 people, some of whom had been subjected to anal examinations.</p>

<p>On November 19, a Cairo court is to rule on 17 defendants held on charges of &quot;sexual debauchery&quot;, the official term often used in Egypt for homosexuality.</p>


The bill lays jail terms of between one and three years for first-time offenders, whether the act takes place in public or private. Repeat offenders would get five years

Amnesty International on Thursday condemned a draft bill in the Egyptian parliament that would criminalise homosexuality, in what the rights group called an "unprecedented homophobic crackdown". The bill lays jail terms of between one and three years for first-time offenders, whether the act takes place in public or a private place. Repeat offenders would receive five years. "This deeply discriminatory bill would be a huge setback for human rights and another nail in the coffin for sexual rights in Egypt," said Najia Bounaim, North Africa campaigns director at Amnesty. Amnesty said that "for more than a month now the Egyptian authorities have waged a vicious crackdown targeting LGBTI people in the country." Despite homosexuality not yet being illegal in the North African country, the number of arrests of suspects has been mounting. The crackdown comes after an open-air concert in Cairo on September 22 by Lebanese band Mashrou' Leila, when the flag representing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community was raised. Thirty-one people have been arrested since the concert, 10 directly linked with the event, according to judicial and security officials. Amnesty said the number was more than 70 people, some of whom had been subjected to anal examinations. On November 19, a Cairo court is to rule on 17 defendants held on charges of "sexual debauchery", the official term often used in Egypt for homosexuality.

Egypt bill looks to criminalise homosexuality

<p>A transgender sailor of the Indian Navy approached the Delhi High Court to challenge an&nbsp;order of the Navy removing her from service because she underwent&nbsp;a sex change operation. The&nbsp;Navy considers Manish Giri (now known as Sabi) guilty of breaching service rules and eligibility criteria for his employment as a Sailor in the Indian Navy.</p>

<p>The Navy, in its press release, stated, &ldquo;The Indian Navy has discharged Manish Giri, a naval sailor evoking the clause of Service No Longer Required under the Navy Regulations. The serving sailor who underwent sex reassignment surgery at a private facility whilst on leave was administratively discharged from the Service.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Monday, the high court&nbsp;said&nbsp;that Navy can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/high-court-asks-navy-to-consider-transgender-for-alternate-job-23204">it needs to accommodate her</a>. &quot;The petitioner can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual&#39;s wife, and child, need not suffer,&quot; the court said.</p>

<p>Sabi Giri, born&nbsp;Manish Kumar Giri, was enrolled as a young sailor in the Indian navy in 2010 at the age of 18 years. Giri&nbsp;always wanted to change into a woman&#39;s body since &quot;she was old enough to understand gender&quot;. A few years into service, Manish decided&nbsp;to undergo Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and became a woman named Sabi.</p>

<p>Sabi had initially approached&nbsp;the doctors within the Navy at Visakhapatnam where she was posted, but they refused to help her. She then&nbsp;decided to consult a private psychiatrist and psychologist who diagnosed her with Gender Identity Disorder.&nbsp;But Sabi took a leave without informing the Navy and undewent the&nbsp;sex change operation in Delhi. She reported on duty after 15 days, but did not tell anyne about her surgery.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sabi&#39;s condition came to light when she developed a unirnary infection. As Navy&#39;s doctors&nbsp;didn&#39;t know&nbsp;how to handle this case, Sabi was admitted to the psychiatric ward.</p>

<p>After several rounds of psychiatric and other medical examinations, Sabi did join back, this time as&nbsp;a woman, but the Navy had by now sent her case file&nbsp;to the Defence&nbsp;Ministry&nbsp;seeking their comments and action that needed to be taken in the case. The action was necessitated by the fact&nbsp;that females are not allowed to work as soldiers per the Navy rules and regulations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sabi&nbsp;claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents about it, they forced her to marry a woman. She also claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues.</p>

<p>Now her case is listed for further hearing on November 23 as the court said that &quot;Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back.&quot;&nbsp;</p>


A transgender sailor of the Indian Navy approached the high court to challenge the order of the Navy removing her from service because she went through sex operation.?

A transgender sailor of the Indian Navy approached the Delhi High Court to challenge an order of the Navy removing her from service because she underwent a sex change operation. The Navy considers Manish Giri (now known as Sabi) guilty of breaching service rules and eligibility criteria for his employment as a Sailor in the Indian Navy. The Navy, in its press release, stated, “The Indian Navy has discharged Manish Giri, a naval sailor evoking the clause of Service No Longer Required under the Navy Regulations. The serving sailor who underwent sex reassignment surgery at a private facility whilst on leave was administratively discharged from the Service." On Monday, the high court said that Navy can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, it needs to accommodate her. "The petitioner can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual's wife, and child, need not suffer," the court said. Sabi Giri, born Manish Kumar Giri, was enrolled as a young sailor in the Indian navy in 2010 at the age of 18 years. Giri always wanted to change into a woman's body since "she was old enough to understand gender". A few years into service, Manish decided to undergo Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and became a woman named Sabi. Sabi had initially approached the doctors within the Navy at Visakhapatnam where she was posted, but they refused to help her. She then decided to consult a private psychiatrist and psychologist who diagnosed her with Gender Identity Disorder. But Sabi took a leave without informing the Navy and undewent the sex change operation in Delhi. She reported on duty after 15 days, but did not tell anyne about her surgery. Sabi's condition came to light when she developed a unirnary infection. As Navy's doctors didn't know how to handle this case, Sabi was admitted to the psychiatric ward. After several rounds of psychiatric and other medical examinations, Sabi did join back, this time as a woman, but the Navy had by now sent her case file to the Defence Ministry seeking their comments and action that needed to be taken in the case. The action was necessitated by the fact that females are not allowed to work as soldiers per the Navy rules and regulations. Sabi claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents about it, they forced her to marry a woman. She also claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues. Now her case is listed for further hearing on November 23 as the court said that "Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back."

Meet Sabi Giri, Indian Navy's first transgender sailor

<p>The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider giving an alternate job to a transgender sailor who was removed from service after a sex change, terming it an &quot;out of the box situation&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;You can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, you can accommodate her,&quot; a bench of Justices G S Sistani and V K Rao suggested to Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who appeared for the Centre and Navy.</p>

<p>Calling for a change in mindset, the bench said the instant case was probably the only one of its kind in the armed forces and asked the Navy to consider the transgender for some other job.</p>

<p>&quot;Here is an opportunity to look at it from a different perspective. It is an out of the box situation. It may be a first of its kind situation.</p>

<p>&quot;Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back,&quot; the bench said and listed the matter for further hearing on November 23.</p>

<p>The court said that while the person deserved to be punished for indiscipline for being absent without leave, but where there was a medical condition of this sort, it may be seen from a different perspective.</p>

<p>During the course of the hearing, the bench said, &quot;the mindset should change. In today&#39;s situation, a medical condition like this cannot be suppressed.&quot;</p>

<p>The court was of the view that the petitioner, who was posted onboard INS Eksila at Visakhapatnam, can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual&#39;s wife and child, need not suffer.</p>

<p>ASG Jain and central government standing counsel Anil Soni, who also appeared for the Navy, told the court that the individual in question &quot;had a chequered history of indiscipline&quot; for being absent without leave several times.</p>

<p>However, they agreed to take instructions on whether the instant matter can be taken up as a special case.</p>

<p>They also told the bench that the individual had got badly infected after undergoing sex reassignment surgery and it was the Navy which treated her humanely and provided treatment and counseling to her.</p>

<p>The lawyers said that one seat in another branch or department of the force cannot be blocked for such an individual who also suffered from psychiatric and gender identity problems.</p>

<p>They further argued that since the petitioner was a female now, she cannot be employed as a sailor in the Navy as that position is not open for women.</p>

<p>The ASG said the simple question before the bench was whether a woman and not a transgender, can be appointed as a sailor on a ship as the petitioner was now a female.</p>

<p>The petitioner had challenged the October 6 order of the Navy removing her from service.</p>

<p>She had claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents, they forced her to marry a woman.</p>

<p>She further claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues.</p>


The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider giving an alternate job to a transgender sailor who was removed from service after a sex change, terming it an "out of the box situation".

The Delhi High Court today asked the Centre to consider giving an alternate job to a transgender sailor who was removed from service after a sex change, terming it an "out of the box situation". "You can punish her for indiscipline, but at the same time, you can accommodate her," a bench of Justices G S Sistani and V K Rao suggested to Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, who appeared for the Centre and Navy. Calling for a change in mindset, the bench said the instant case was probably the only one of its kind in the armed forces and asked the Navy to consider the transgender for some other job. "Here is an opportunity to look at it from a different perspective. It is an out of the box situation. It may be a first of its kind situation. "Here is a person struggling with gender identity. Had she suppressed the condition and continued, it would have been dangerous. It could have been fatal. Think about it and come back," the bench said and listed the matter for further hearing on November 23. The court said that while the person deserved to be punished for indiscipline for being absent without leave, but where there was a medical condition of this sort, it may be seen from a different perspective. During the course of the hearing, the bench said, "the mindset should change. In today's situation, a medical condition like this cannot be suppressed." The court was of the view that the petitioner, who was posted onboard INS Eksila at Visakhapatnam, can give up a claim for the job of a sailor and may accept a clerical position so that the family, comprising aged parents, the individual's wife and child, need not suffer. ASG Jain and central government standing counsel Anil Soni, who also appeared for the Navy, told the court that the individual in question "had a chequered history of indiscipline" for being absent without leave several times. However, they agreed to take instructions on whether the instant matter can be taken up as a special case. They also told the bench that the individual had got badly infected after undergoing sex reassignment surgery and it was the Navy which treated her humanely and provided treatment and counseling to her. The lawyers said that one seat in another branch or department of the force cannot be blocked for such an individual who also suffered from psychiatric and gender identity problems. They further argued that since the petitioner was a female now, she cannot be employed as a sailor in the Navy as that position is not open for women. The ASG said the simple question before the bench was whether a woman and not a transgender, can be appointed as a sailor on a ship as the petitioner was now a female. The petitioner had challenged the October 6 order of the Navy removing her from service. She had claimed that she was suffering from gender identity issues since 2011 and when she told her parents, they forced her to marry a woman. She further claimed that she was absent from service without leave several times as she suffered bouts of depression, owing to her gender identity issues.

Delhi High Court asks Navy to consider transgender for alternate job

<p>A federal judge in Washington on Monday blocked President Donald Trump from banning transgender people from serving in the US&nbsp;military, handing a victory to transgender service members who accused the president of violating their constitutional rights.</p>

<p>Trump announced in July that he would ban transgender people from the military in a move that would reverse Democratic former President Barack Obama&#39;s policy of accepting them and halt years of efforts to eliminate barriers to military service based on sexual orientation or gender identity.</p>

<p>The transgender service members sued in August to try to block the ban, which had not yet gone into effect, and US&nbsp;District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted them an injunction halting enforcement of it until their case is resolved.</p>

<p>The service members asserted that Trump&#39;s policy violated their rights to due process and equal protection under the law under the US&nbsp;Constitution. Kollar-Kotelly said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their claim that the ban was unconstitutional because the administration&#39;s reasons for it &quot;do not appear to be supported by any facts.&quot;</p>

<p>After his policy announcement on Twitter, Trump signed a memorandum in August that directed the military not to accept transgender people as recruits and halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgeries for active-duty personnel unless the process was already underway.</p>

<p>The memo called on Defense Secretary James Mattis to submit a plan to Trump by Feb. 21 on how to implement the changes, and the Pentagon has created a panel of senior officials for that purpose. In the meantime, the current policy of allowing transgender people to serve remains in force.</p>

<p>Mattis in June already had delayed allowing transgender recruits to join the US&nbsp;armed forces on July 1 as previously scheduled.</p>

<p>The judge tossed out the suit&#39;s challenge to the sex-reassignment surgery directive, saying none of the plaintiffs had shown they would be impacted by that prohibition.</p>

<p><strong>&#39;HUGELY IMPORTANT&#39;</strong></p>

<p>&quot;This is a hugely important decision and confirms that transgender people can and should be able to serve in the military if they are qualified to do so,&quot; said the plaintiffs&#39; lead attorney, Jennifer Levi.</p>

<p>&quot;The court saw through the smoke screens that the government tried to throw up to hide what is actually going on here, which is straight-on bias and prejudice against transgender people,&quot; added Levi, director of the transgender rights project for the anti-discrimination group GLBTQ Legal Advocates &amp; Defenders.</p>

<p>The Justice Department said it was disappointed in the ruling and evaluating its next steps. Spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said the suit was premature because the &quot;Defense Department is actively reviewing such service requirements, as the president ordered, and because none of the plaintiffs have established that they will be impacted by current policies on military service.&quot;</p>

<p>Trump&#39;s action appealed to his hard-line conservative supporters. The president in February also rescinded protections put in place under Obama for transgender public school students.</p>

<p>The judge&#39;s action marked the latest legal setback suffered by Trump on policies he has pursued as president. Courts also have blocked Trump&#39;s latest version of a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries, and dealt him setbacks on policies on so-called sanctuary cities and environmental rules.</p>

<p>The service members who sued Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and military leaders in August had been serving openly as transgender people in the US&nbsp;Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. They said Trump&#39;s ban discriminated against them based on their sex and transgender status.</p>

<p>They also said they relied on the 2016 policy put in place by Obama to reveal they are transgender and called Trump&#39;s reversal unfair, arbitrary and a violation of their privacy rights.</p>

<p>The Trump administration argued that transgender people might harm military unit cohesion and that they suffer medical conditions that could limit their ability to perform duties or deploy.</p>

<p>The judge said the military previously commissioned a study that debunked concerns about unit cohesion, military readiness, or healthcare costs related to transgender troops. That report estimated there were 2,450 active-duty service members and 1,510 in the military reserves.</p>

<p>&quot;In short, the military concerns purportedly underlying the president&#39;s decision had been studied and rejected by the military itself,&quot; Kollar-Kotelly wrote.</p>

<p>Other suits also have been filed against Trump&#39;s ban.</p>


Trump announced in July that he would ban transgender people from the military in a move that would reverse Democratic former President Barack Obama's policy of accepting them.

A federal judge in Washington on Monday blocked President Donald Trump from banning transgender people from serving in the US military, handing a victory to transgender service members who accused the president of violating their constitutional rights. Trump announced in July that he would ban transgender people from the military in a move that would reverse Democratic former President Barack Obama's policy of accepting them and halt years of efforts to eliminate barriers to military service based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The transgender service members sued in August to try to block the ban, which had not yet gone into effect, and US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted them an injunction halting enforcement of it until their case is resolved. The service members asserted that Trump's policy violated their rights to due process and equal protection under the law under the US Constitution. Kollar-Kotelly said the plaintiffs were likely to succeed in their claim that the ban was unconstitutional because the administration's reasons for it "do not appear to be supported by any facts." After his policy announcement on Twitter, Trump signed a memorandum in August that directed the military not to accept transgender people as recruits and halted the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgeries for active-duty personnel unless the process was already underway. The memo called on Defense Secretary James Mattis to submit a plan to Trump by Feb. 21 on how to implement the changes, and the Pentagon has created a panel of senior officials for that purpose. In the meantime, the current policy of allowing transgender people to serve remains in force. Mattis in June already had delayed allowing transgender recruits to join the US armed forces on July 1 as previously scheduled. The judge tossed out the suit's challenge to the sex-reassignment surgery directive, saying none of the plaintiffs had shown they would be impacted by that prohibition. 'HUGELY IMPORTANT' "This is a hugely important decision and confirms that transgender people can and should be able to serve in the military if they are qualified to do so," said the plaintiffs' lead attorney, Jennifer Levi. "The court saw through the smoke screens that the government tried to throw up to hide what is actually going on here, which is straight-on bias and prejudice against transgender people," added Levi, director of the transgender rights project for the anti-discrimination group GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. The Justice Department said it was disappointed in the ruling and evaluating its next steps. Spokeswoman Lauren Ehrsam said the suit was premature because the "Defense Department is actively reviewing such service requirements, as the president ordered, and because none of the plaintiffs have established that they will be impacted by current policies on military service." Trump's action appealed to his hard-line conservative supporters. The president in February also rescinded protections put in place under Obama for transgender public school students. The judge's action marked the latest legal setback suffered by Trump on policies he has pursued as president. Courts also have blocked Trump's latest version of a travel ban on people from several Muslim-majority countries, and dealt him setbacks on policies on so-called sanctuary cities and environmental rules. The service members who sued Trump, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and military leaders in August had been serving openly as transgender people in the US Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. They said Trump's ban discriminated against them based on their sex and transgender status. They also said they relied on the 2016 policy put in place by Obama to reveal they are transgender and called Trump's reversal unfair, arbitrary and a violation of their privacy rights. The Trump administration argued that transgender people might harm military unit cohesion and that they suffer medical conditions that could limit their ability to perform duties or deploy. The judge said the military previously commissioned a study that debunked concerns about unit cohesion, military readiness, or healthcare costs related to transgender troops. That report estimated there were 2,450 active-duty service members and 1,510 in the military reserves. "In short, the military concerns purportedly underlying the president's decision had been studied and rejected by the military itself," Kollar-Kotelly wrote. Other suits also have been filed against Trump's ban.

In defeat for Trump, US judge blocks transgender military ban

<p>How many genders do we know? The instinctive answer of the majority is &ldquo;two&rdquo;. How many biological sexes are there? Most again will say, &quot;male&quot; and the &quot;female&quot;. In the Hindi language, children are taught the male and female categorisation of inanimate objects. History narrates tales of oppressed women and sings heroic praises of male fighters. When students reach puberty, biology teaches them about intercourse and reproductive system. But is our world only limited to the males and females?</p>

<p>It is about time we ask, why have the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender (LGBT) people not given a place in school textbooks?</p>

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<p><strong>Sex is science, gender is culture</strong></p>

<p>There are more sexes and genders than what our system educates us of. The association of sex with gender is so deep that most cannot even differentiate between the two. Sex refers to biological differences, hormonal profiles, and the sex organs whereas gender refer to the characteristics that a society delineates as masculine or feminine.</p>

<p>Transgender people have a gender identity that differs from their assigned biological sex. At times, they opt for medical assistance to transition from one sex to another. &ldquo;When someone says they feel like the opposite gender, it is presumed that they are or want to be a &lsquo;hijra&rsquo;. Many still see it as a physical problem. Gender is not always what one has between their legs,&rdquo; says Sarah from Transgender India, an online and offline community that provides support in the process of transition.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Hijra&rdquo;, &ldquo;kinnar&rdquo;, or hermaphrodites&nbsp;have both male and female sexual organs. They challenge the sexual orientations and identify themselves as the new, &#39;third&#39; gender.</p>

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<p>In Hindu mythologies, the third gender had a prominent role in society. According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama authorised them to confer blessings on auspicious occasions. Unfortunately, there was a complete role reversal with the enforcement of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 during the British Era. &ldquo;Through this legislation, eunuchs were considered criminals by birth. Any eunuch could be arrested without a warrant and punished. Although the Act got repealed in 1949, discrimination prevails till date,&rdquo; says Ishita Midha, law associate at Thomson Reuters.</p>

<p>Since the third gender can be recognised&nbsp;at birth, they are abandoned more often. The transgender people, however, usually come out at a later stage in life. &ldquo;Surprisingly, the acceptance level among educated Indian families is increasing. In India, the family is the only thing a child has and will ever have. In places like the UK, US, Netherlands, there are foster homes and other community residences to take care of the child--sadly, none of that is present here. Making peace with their parents is the only way out for them,&rdquo; explains Neysara Rai, founder of Transgenders India.</p>

<p>&ldquo;The children are willing to make a career for themselves and lead a normal life. However, a normal life is a very over-ambitious goal because they are isolated and tormented--especially in schools and colleges where children are not sensitised and maturity levels are low. With such prejudices, it is almost impossible to take your mind off the body and focus on other aspects of life,&rdquo; she explains.</p>

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<p>&ldquo;Some children try to keep it a secret. The transition period requires medication. They save their pocket money and visit doctors on their own. These children, although adults, are college-goers and therefore financially dependent on their parents,&rdquo; she adds.</p>

<p><strong>&lsquo;I can only have the life I want if I can earn money&rsquo;</strong></p>

<p>Born as a male in a well-to-do but conservative Muslim household in the state of Karnataka, Jolene* always identified herself as a woman. &ldquo;When nobody was at home, I would put on my sister&rsquo;s clothes and try on her lipsticks. It was a liberating feeling,&rdquo; she explains.</p>

<p>Jolene&rsquo;s father has been always against social and extracurricular activities. &ldquo;My mother and sister are also scared of him. He feels he can control everything because he earns for us,&rdquo; she said.</p>

<p>Jolene was always confused and questioned her existence before she made friends with the Internet to discover that she was nothing but normal. &ldquo;My only motive in life now is to study really hard, become big so that I can earn for myself and then I can stay away from them forever.&rdquo;</p>

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<p>Self-acceptance was not enough. Although she knows who she is, she put up a face for the society and still goes as a boy, living in a boys hostel in an engineering college of Rajasthan. After learning about transition procedures from her community, she started self-medicating &ldquo;I never have enough money to visit the doctor. A single session cost between two-three thousand rupees. My father sends me a fixed sum and would track every transaction. I tell him that I spent on dinner or coffee and then buy medications from that money,&rdquo;</p>

<p>Day by day, she started to look more feminine. As she transitioned, the teasing and tormenting increased. One night, the bullying in the hostel took an ugly turn. At an informal party, a few drunk boys cornered her in a dark room. &ldquo;Are you one of us? Let us see what you are hiding in those pants,&rdquo; They preyed on her, assaulted her and beat her. She was not raped, but many like her have.</p>

<p>She did not complain, fearing that if her father gets to know about the medication, the consequences could be worse than rape &ldquo;I have friends who are activists--they will help me out but I am just letting it pass. I need to get out of college and earn--then I will take care of everything&rdquo;</p>

<p>According to Jolene, education is the only way she can empower herself but the lack of education in our society about a trans-woman like Jolene makes her a victim of discrimination and violence every single day.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>&lsquo;Look beyond my body, into my heart&rsquo; -- The quote that changed Aryan&rsquo;s life</strong></p>

<p>The narrative of a transgender person is usually full of sorrows. However, the 30-year-old Aryan has embraced life. He was always unconsciously aware of his gender identity is male, although his body and society said otherwise. &ldquo;For instance, when I had to choose clothes for myself, I would pick up from the male section,&rdquo; he explains.</p>

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<p>Aryan is pursuing masters in Psychology from Pune. He came out to his family in December of 2016. In a patriarchal society where women are still fighting for an equal spot for themselves, Aryan&rsquo;s parents supported him without a second thought. &ldquo;My father is very broad-minded. I can talk to him about my physical discomforts and about using the men&rsquo;s washroom. When I told him I wanted to use chest binders, he said &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t worry about the money, just buy the best ones,&rsquo; I am blessed,&rdquo; he explains.</p>

<p>Aryan did his diploma in counselling from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. &ldquo;I was upfront about my identity in the college interview itself. My attendance sheet and all other college documents mentioned my name as Aryan--although my birth-name legally had not been changed,&rdquo; he adds.</p>

<p>Aryan plans on a physical transition next year. He is extremely comfortable with his gender identity and gives psychology studies due credit for it. &ldquo;A lot of people take up psychology to resolve their own issues. Learning about the human mind is the first step towards healing. For transgender people, who happen to be more vulnerable, it is a more therapeutical subject,&rdquo; he adds.</p>

<p>When asked if he had to deal with rejection from his peers, he assertedly said &ldquo;Even if I get rejected, it is they who have to deal with the rejection, not me. All I have to is to accept myself and give&nbsp;an open end to others to do that as well--rest is up to them,&rdquo; he says.</p>

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<p><strong>Sex education and LGBTQ inclusive curriculum in schools</strong></p>

<p>As and when we talk about transgenders, hermaphrodites or anybody from under the queer umbrella, the narrative focusses only on their bodies. How can one empower the community? It is difficult to negate the gender and sexuality completely to focus on material success.</p>

<p>Is educating them the answer? Even for a well-educated, successful transgender person, it is difficult to break free from the deeply-rooted body politics.</p>

<p>While Aryan feels contented because of the support of his family and friends, Jolene is still struggling to make a space for herself. While both of them come from well-off backgrounds and have received quality education, the difference in acceptability levels exists because of the attitude of people around them.</p>

<p>While it is extremely important for the LGBT community to receive education, at the same time, it is important to educate the society about the LGBT in order to normalise their existence and carve a niche that is beyond body politics. &ldquo;The need of the hour is to primarily ensure that awareness is spread amongst the society about the LGBTQ and how they are just like any other human being. Students must be educated about the plurality of genders from the very beginning,&rdquo; Midha adds.</p>

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<p>Children are not born homophobic, biphobic or transphobic--they learn negative behaviours very early on from outside influences. &ldquo;It is the job of educators to ensure that all discriminatory views are challenged and eradicated to create a safe space for everyone,&rdquo; says Neysara.</p>

<p>Most primary schools and parents criticised the idea of teaching about LGBTQ in the school curriculum. &nbsp;&ldquo;As a parent, it is my right to be able to see the curriculum and approve it before it is imposed on my kids. I will be enraged if my kid goes to a school that confuses him to with the idea of alternate sexualities,&rdquo; says Ritu Bhandari, mother of a 7-year-old.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Children shouldn&#39;t be brainwashed into believing that alternate sexualities are normal especially when they are not,&rdquo; says another parent of a primary school student.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Such courses should only be offered to students of the queer community. Why should &lsquo;normal&rsquo; people be forced to learn about them? &rdquo; says Ashish Pant, father of a 12-year-old.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, some broad-minded teachers, as well as parents, believe that LGBT studies are the first step towards inclusion. &ldquo;Children are taught about the struggles of women, people of color, and disabled individuals, and how their differences should be celebrated. Why should it be different with the queer?&quot; says primary school teacher, Meenu Verma.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>Bangalore University has one seat reserved for transgender people--but never has one transgender student been enrolled in it. The seat is all for media and not for practice</h5>
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<p>&ldquo;By not telling them, all you are doing is hurting them. I am gay and I wish there was something about the topic in schools while I was growing up. I had so much hate towards myself, thinking it was wrong and immoral.&nbsp;There are also many LGBT teen suicides and a major reason being the lack of information given to them. Education is the only way to combat these trends,&rdquo; explains Hameed*</p>

<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;There are so many so called &lsquo;schemes for transgenders&rsquo; which are actually only on papers and are more of marketing gimmicks,&rdquo; says Neysara.</p>

<p>&ldquo;For instance, the Bangalore University has one seat reserved for transgender people--but never has one transgender student been enrolled in it. The seat is all for media and not for practice. They say they do not get applications and no suitable candidate has applied. However, most of my students have reached out to the university but have never got a response from them about the seat. They are completely ignored and pushed away. According to my understanding, they do not want a transgender student to be studying alongside their regular students,&rdquo; she adds.</p>

<p>Neysara&rsquo;s students have tried contacting the Vice Chancellor since they suspected that the working staff at the lower ground are not completely aware of the reservation. However, they were never able to reach the Vice Chancellor either.</p>


Educational institutions in India do not want a transgender student to be studying alongside their regular students

How many genders do we know? The instinctive answer of the majority is “two”. How many biological sexes are there? Most again will say, "male" and the "female". In the Hindi language, children are taught the male and female categorisation of inanimate objects. History narrates tales of oppressed women and sings heroic praises of male fighters. When students reach puberty, biology teaches them about intercourse and reproductive system. But is our world only limited to the males and females? It is about time we ask, why have the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender (LGBT) people not given a place in school textbooks? But is our world only limited to the males and females? × Sex is science, gender is culture There are more sexes and genders than what our system educates us of. The association of sex with gender is so deep that most cannot even differentiate between the two. Sex refers to biological differences, hormonal profiles, and the sex organs whereas gender refer to the characteristics that a society delineates as masculine or feminine. Transgender people have a gender identity that differs from their assigned biological sex. At times, they opt for medical assistance to transition from one sex to another. “When someone says they feel like the opposite gender, it is presumed that they are or want to be a ‘hijra’. Many still see it as a physical problem. Gender is not always what one has between their legs,” says Sarah from Transgender India, an online and offline community that provides support in the process of transition. “Hijra”, “kinnar”, or hermaphrodites have both male and female sexual organs. They challenge the sexual orientations and identify themselves as the new, 'third' gender. With the enforcement of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 during the British Era, eunuchs were considered criminals by birth. × In Hindu mythologies, the third gender had a prominent role in society. According to the Ramayana, Lord Rama authorised them to confer blessings on auspicious occasions. Unfortunately, there was a complete role reversal with the enforcement of the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 during the British Era. “Through this legislation, eunuchs were considered criminals by birth. Any eunuch could be arrested without a warrant and punished. Although the Act got repealed in 1949, discrimination prevails till date,” says Ishita Midha, law associate at Thomson Reuters. Since the third gender can be recognised at birth, they are abandoned more often. The transgender people, however, usually come out at a later stage in life. “Surprisingly, the acceptance level among educated Indian families is increasing. In India, the family is the only thing a child has and will ever have. In places like the UK, US, Netherlands, there are foster homes and other community residences to take care of the child--sadly, none of that is present here. Making peace with their parents is the only way out for them,” explains Neysara Rai, founder of Transgenders India. “The children are willing to make a career for themselves and lead a normal life. However, a normal life is a very over-ambitious goal because they are isolated and tormented--especially in schools and colleges where children are not sensitised and maturity levels are low. With such prejudices, it is almost impossible to take your mind off the body and focus on other aspects of life,” she explains. With such prejudices, it is almost impossible to take your mind off the body and focus on other aspects of life. × “Some children try to keep it a secret. The transition period requires medication. They save their pocket money and visit doctors on their own. These children, although adults, are college-goers and therefore financially dependent on their parents,” she adds. ‘I can only have the life I want if I can earn money’ Born as a male in a well-to-do but conservative Muslim household in the state of Karnataka, Jolene* always identified herself as a woman. “When nobody was at home, I would put on my sister’s clothes and try on her lipsticks. It was a liberating feeling,” she explains. Jolene’s father has been always against social and extracurricular activities. “My mother and sister are also scared of him. He feels he can control everything because he earns for us,” she said. Jolene was always confused and questioned her existence before she made friends with the Internet to discover that she was nothing but normal. “My only motive in life now is to study really hard, become big so that I can earn for myself and then I can stay away from them forever.” My only motive in life now is to study really hard, become big so that I can earn for myself and then I can stay away from them forever. × Self-acceptance was not enough. Although she knows who she is, she put up a face for the society and still goes as a boy, living in a boys hostel in an engineering college of Rajasthan. After learning about transition procedures from her community, she started self-medicating “I never have enough money to visit the doctor. A single session cost between two-three thousand rupees. My father sends me a fixed sum and would track every transaction. I tell him that I spent on dinner or coffee and then buy medications from that money,” Day by day, she started to look more feminine. As she transitioned, the teasing and tormenting increased. One night, the bullying in the hostel took an ugly turn. At an informal party, a few drunk boys cornered her in a dark room. “Are you one of us? Let us see what you are hiding in those pants,” They preyed on her, assaulted her and beat her. She was not raped, but many like her have. She did not complain, fearing that if her father gets to know about the medication, the consequences could be worse than rape “I have friends who are activists--they will help me out but I am just letting it pass. I need to get out of college and earn--then I will take care of everything” According to Jolene, education is the only way she can empower herself but the lack of education in our society about a trans-woman like Jolene makes her a victim of discrimination and violence every single day. ‘Look beyond my body, into my heart’ -- The quote that changed Aryan’s life The narrative of a transgender person is usually full of sorrows. However, the 30-year-old Aryan has embraced life. He was always unconsciously aware of his gender identity is male, although his body and society said otherwise. “For instance, when I had to choose clothes for myself, I would pick up from the male section,” he explains. I was upfront about my identity in the college interview itself. My attendance sheet and all other college documents mentioned my name as Aryan--although my birth-name legally had not been changed. × Aryan is pursuing masters in Psychology from Pune. He came out to his family in December of 2016. In a patriarchal society where women are still fighting for an equal spot for themselves, Aryan’s parents supported him without a second thought. “My father is very broad-minded. I can talk to him about my physical discomforts and about using the men’s washroom. When I told him I wanted to use chest binders, he said ‘Don’t worry about the money, just buy the best ones,’ I am blessed,” he explains. Aryan did his diploma in counselling from Tata Institute of Social Sciences. “I was upfront about my identity in the college interview itself. My attendance sheet and all other college documents mentioned my name as Aryan--although my birth-name legally had not been changed,” he adds. Aryan plans on a physical transition next year. He is extremely comfortable with his gender identity and gives psychology studies due credit for it. “A lot of people take up psychology to resolve their own issues. Learning about the human mind is the first step towards healing. For transgender people, who happen to be more vulnerable, it is a more therapeutical subject,” he adds. When asked if he had to deal with rejection from his peers, he assertedly said “Even if I get rejected, it is they who have to deal with the rejection, not me. All I have to is to accept myself and give an open end to others to do that as well--rest is up to them,” he says. While it is extremely important for the LGBT community to receive education, at the same time, it is important to educate the society about the LGBT in order to normalise their existence. × Sex education and LGBTQ inclusive curriculum in schools As and when we talk about transgenders, hermaphrodites or anybody from under the queer umbrella, the narrative focusses only on their bodies. How can one empower the community? It is difficult to negate the gender and sexuality completely to focus on material success. Is educating them the answer? Even for a well-educated, successful transgender person, it is difficult to break free from the deeply-rooted body politics. While Aryan feels contented because of the support of his family and friends, Jolene is still struggling to make a space for herself. While both of them come from well-off backgrounds and have received quality education, the difference in acceptability levels exists because of the attitude of people around them. While it is extremely important for the LGBT community to receive education, at the same time, it is important to educate the society about the LGBT in order to normalise their existence and carve a niche that is beyond body politics. “The need of the hour is to primarily ensure that awareness is spread amongst the society about the LGBTQ and how they are just like any other human being. Students must be educated about the plurality of genders from the very beginning,” Midha adds. I will be enraged if my kid goes to a school that confuses him to with the idea of alternate sexualities. × Children are not born homophobic, biphobic or transphobic--they learn negative behaviours very early on from outside influences. “It is the job of educators to ensure that all discriminatory views are challenged and eradicated to create a safe space for everyone,” says Neysara. Most primary schools and parents criticised the idea of teaching about LGBTQ in the school curriculum. “As a parent, it is my right to be able to see the curriculum and approve it before it is imposed on my kids. I will be enraged if my kid goes to a school that confuses him to with the idea of alternate sexualities,” says Ritu Bhandari, mother of a 7-year-old. “Children shouldn't be brainwashed into believing that alternate sexualities are normal especially when they are not,” says another parent of a primary school student. “Such courses should only be offered to students of the queer community. Why should ‘normal’ people be forced to learn about them? ” says Ashish Pant, father of a 12-year-old. On the other hand, some broad-minded teachers, as well as parents, believe that LGBT studies are the first step towards inclusion. “Children are taught about the struggles of women, people of color, and disabled individuals, and how their differences should be celebrated. Why should it be different with the queer?" says primary school teacher, Meenu Verma. Bangalore University has one seat reserved for transgender people--but never has one transgender student been enrolled in it. The seat is all for media and not for practice × “By not telling them, all you are doing is hurting them. I am gay and I wish there was something about the topic in schools while I was growing up. I had so much hate towards myself, thinking it was wrong and immoral. There are also many LGBT teen suicides and a major reason being the lack of information given to them. Education is the only way to combat these trends,” explains Hameed* “There are so many so called ‘schemes for transgenders’ which are actually only on papers and are more of marketing gimmicks,” says Neysara. “For instance, the Bangalore University has one seat reserved for transgender people--but never has one transgender student been enrolled in it. The seat is all for media and not for practice. They say they do not get applications and no suitable candidate has applied. However, most of my students have reached out to the university but have never got a response from them about the seat. They are completely ignored and pushed away. According to my understanding, they do not want a transgender student to be studying alongside their regular students,” she adds. Neysara’s students have tried contacting the Vice Chancellor since they suspected that the working staff at the lower ground are not completely aware of the reservation. However, they were never able to reach the Vice Chancellor either.

Why Indian schools have so few transgender students

<p>An undergraduate student of the Mahila Maha Vidhyalaya, a college affiliated to the Banaras Hindu University, was allegedly asked to leave the girls&rsquo; hostel because she showed &ldquo;tendencies&rdquo; of homosexuality and indiscipline, the Indian Express reported.</p>

<p>The authorities say they asked the student to leave because she was harassing her fellow boarders.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the Express reported a professor -- a member of the college&#39;s disciplinary committee -- &nbsp;as saying on the condition of anonymity that the student was &ldquo;showing tendencies of being homosexual&rdquo;.</p>

<p>The Express quoted Neelam Atri, chief coordinator of the college&#39;s five hostels, as saying: &ldquo;Around 16 boarders had given me in writing that the student was harassing them and scaring them with her activities and indiscipline. The student was also threatening fellow boarders with suicide if they did not yield to her demands.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Atri refused to comment on the allegations of homosexuality, saying it was an internal college matter, and the people saying that is why the student was asked to leave were trying to give the college a bad name. &nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;The student used to threaten to harm herself if her fellow boarders did not help her out with her homework or other such things&hellip; She is not well. She has been depressed and had tried to harm herself. So, we asked her family to show her to a good doctor&hellip; We told them that if she recuperates, she can return to the hostel,&rdquo; the Express quoted her as saying.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Express added that the student&rsquo;s parents were called to the college and asked to get their daughter treated for the &ldquo;disease&rdquo;.</p>

<p>The Express quoted a professor as saying: &ldquo;The tendencies she was showing were at a nascent stage. We cannot really pin-point if it is really homosexuality. But we had to suspend her to maintain peace and discipline in the hostel.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Express also quoted a fellow student, who did not wish to be named, as saying: &ldquo;The student was blind in one eye. She was disabled. The college authorities should have been extra attentive towards her. Instead, they suspended her without an inquiry or counselling. How is she going to face her class now? She has to study with the same women students.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The fellow student added that the student who was allegedly asked to leave the girls&#39; hostel and her parents, who are from rural Uttar Pradesh, &quot;are traumatised&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>


The student has not been asked to leave the university

An undergraduate student of the Mahila Maha Vidhyalaya, a college affiliated to the Banaras Hindu University, was allegedly asked to leave the girls’ hostel because she showed “tendencies” of homosexuality and indiscipline, the Indian Express reported. The authorities say they asked the student to leave because she was harassing her fellow boarders. But the Express reported a professor -- a member of the college's disciplinary committee -- as saying on the condition of anonymity that the student was “showing tendencies of being homosexual”. The Express quoted Neelam Atri, chief coordinator of the college's five hostels, as saying: “Around 16 boarders had given me in writing that the student was harassing them and scaring them with her activities and indiscipline. The student was also threatening fellow boarders with suicide if they did not yield to her demands.” Atri refused to comment on the allegations of homosexuality, saying it was an internal college matter, and the people saying that is why the student was asked to leave were trying to give the college a bad name. “The student used to threaten to harm herself if her fellow boarders did not help her out with her homework or other such things… She is not well. She has been depressed and had tried to harm herself. So, we asked her family to show her to a good doctor… We told them that if she recuperates, she can return to the hostel,” the Express quoted her as saying. The Express added that the student’s parents were called to the college and asked to get their daughter treated for the “disease”. The Express quoted a professor as saying: “The tendencies she was showing were at a nascent stage. We cannot really pin-point if it is really homosexuality. But we had to suspend her to maintain peace and discipline in the hostel.” The Express also quoted a fellow student, who did not wish to be named, as saying: “The student was blind in one eye. She was disabled. The college authorities should have been extra attentive towards her. Instead, they suspended her without an inquiry or counselling. How is she going to face her class now? She has to study with the same women students.” The fellow student added that the student who was allegedly asked to leave the girls' hostel and her parents, who are from rural Uttar Pradesh, "are traumatised”.

BHU asks student to leave girls' hostel for showing 'tendencies of being homosexual'

<p>Canada has discreetly granted asylum to 31 gay and bisexual men from Chechnya working with the NGO Rainbow Railroad, the group`s director has said.</p>

<p>Kimahli Powell, executive director of the Toronto-based NGO said in a Facebook message on Friday that his organization had been able to help 31 LGBTQ people leave Russia and be granted asylum in Canada.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We have been working on a program with the Canadian government that allowed the entry of persecuted LGBTQ Chechens into the country he told CBC, pointing out that the Canadian government had played a &quot;major role.&quot;</p>

<p>The Globe and Mail wrote that &quot;Canada has been secretly giving asylum to gay Chechens fleeing persecution (which could) further impair already tense relations between Russia and Canada. &quot;</p>

<p>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that Canada was &quot;is proud to stand up and defend rights. LGBTQ rights here and around the world are extremely important to us. Canada will always stand up for rights and protect vulnerable people around the world.&quot;</p>

<p>The Globe and Mail reported that Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, a former correspondent in Russia, played an key role in this operation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Freeland condemned persecution in Chechnya in April, saying in a statement that news of persecution of homosexual and bisexual men in Chechnya is a reprehensible situation.</p>

<p>&quot;We call on the Russian authorities to thoroughly investigate these reports and to immediately ensure the safety of all persons in Chechnya who may be at risk due to their sexual orientation,&quot; she said at the time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The program was kept secret for several months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Powell told the Globe that he had decided to make the arrival of Chechen refugees public, because those who wanted to come to Canada had arrived there.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rainbow Railroad, founded in 2006, aims to help LGBT people flee persecution by state actors.</p>


The Globe and Mail wrote that 'Canada has been secretly giving asylum to gay Chechens fleeing persecution further impair already tense relations between Russia and Canada'

Canada has discreetly granted asylum to 31 gay and bisexual men from Chechnya working with the NGO Rainbow Railroad, the group`s director has said. Kimahli Powell, executive director of the Toronto-based NGO said in a Facebook message on Friday that his organization had been able to help 31 LGBTQ people leave Russia and be granted asylum in Canada. "We have been working on a program with the Canadian government that allowed the entry of persecuted LGBTQ Chechens into the country he told CBC, pointing out that the Canadian government had played a "major role." The Globe and Mail wrote that "Canada has been secretly giving asylum to gay Chechens fleeing persecution (which could) further impair already tense relations between Russia and Canada. " Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that Canada was "is proud to stand up and defend rights. LGBTQ rights here and around the world are extremely important to us. Canada will always stand up for rights and protect vulnerable people around the world." The Globe and Mail reported that Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, a former correspondent in Russia, played an key role in this operation. Freeland condemned persecution in Chechnya in April, saying in a statement that news of persecution of homosexual and bisexual men in Chechnya is a reprehensible situation. "We call on the Russian authorities to thoroughly investigate these reports and to immediately ensure the safety of all persons in Chechnya who may be at risk due to their sexual orientation," she said at the time. The program was kept secret for several months. Powell told the Globe that he had decided to make the arrival of Chechen refugees public, because those who wanted to come to Canada had arrived there. Rainbow Railroad, founded in 2006, aims to help LGBT people flee persecution by state actors.

Chechen gay, bisexual men get asylum in Canada

<p>The Indian Supreme Court&#39;s landmark&nbsp;judgment declaring the&nbsp;right to privacy a fundamental right has touched upon issues that are fundamental to deciding the constitutionality of&nbsp;Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises unnatural sex.</p>

<p>Even though the focus of the case has been on Aadhaar cards, the verdict has also brought hope for the LGBT community.</p>

<p>The Supreme Court, in its landmark judgement, observed&nbsp;that the &quot;right to privacy is an integral part of right to life and personal liberty guaranteed in Article 21 of the Constitution&quot;.</p>

<p>Furthermore, the judgment states -&nbsp;&quot;The rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population cannot be construed to be &#39;so-called rights&#39;... Their rights are not &#39;so-called&#39; but are real rights founded on sound constitutional doctrine.&quot;</p>

<p>A petition challenging Section 377 is still pending before the Supreme Court.</p>

<p>Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) dating back to 1860, introduced during the British rule in&nbsp;India, criminalises sexual activities &quot;against the order of nature&quot;.</p>

<p>The section was decriminalised with respect to sex between consenting adults by the Delhi High Court in&nbsp;July 2009.</p>

<p>That judgment was overturned by the Supreme Court of India on 11 December, 2013, with the court ruling that amending or repealing Section 377 should be left to Parliament, not the judiciary.</p>

<p>On 6 February 2016, the final hearing of the curative petition submitted by the Naz Foundation and others came for hearing in the Supreme Court.</p>

<p>The three-member bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India T&nbsp;S&nbsp;Thakur said that all the eight&nbsp;curative petitions submitted will be reviewed afresh by a five-member constitutional bench.</p>

<p>Today&#39;s judgement brings hope&nbsp;for the LGBT community which has been fighting for its rights.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The rights of LGBT community are not 'so-called rights but real rights founded on sound constitutional doctrine'

The Indian Supreme Court's landmark judgment declaring the right to privacy a fundamental right has touched upon issues that are fundamental to deciding the constitutionality of Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises unnatural sex. Even though the focus of the case has been on Aadhaar cards, the verdict has also brought hope for the LGBT community. The Supreme Court, in its landmark judgement, observed that the "right to privacy is an integral part of right to life and personal liberty guaranteed in Article 21 of the Constitution". Furthermore, the judgment states - "The rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population cannot be construed to be 'so-called rights'... Their rights are not 'so-called' but are real rights founded on sound constitutional doctrine." A petition challenging Section 377 is still pending before the Supreme Court. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) dating back to 1860, introduced during the British rule in India, criminalises sexual activities "against the order of nature". The section was decriminalised with respect to sex between consenting adults by the Delhi High Court in July 2009. That judgment was overturned by the Supreme Court of India on 11 December, 2013, with the court ruling that amending or repealing Section 377 should be left to Parliament, not the judiciary. On 6 February 2016, the final hearing of the curative petition submitted by the Naz Foundation and others came for hearing in the Supreme Court. The three-member bench headed by the then Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said that all the eight curative petitions submitted will be reviewed afresh by a five-member constitutional bench. Today's judgement brings hope for the LGBT community which has been fighting for its rights.

Supreme Court's verdict on right to privacy ignites hope for LGBT community

<p>In a world divided by race, language, religion, and ideology, it is understandable why we need to celebrate International Integration Day. Development of a peaceful world demands respectful treatment of all forms of diversity. International Integration Day promotes the values of universal acceptance and equality around the globe. But what is ideally desired is not always practised. It has never been. The intolerance that marks our everyday existence is most visible towards sexual minority groups, such as the gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals. We have so far failed to extend the idea of inclusiveness to appreciate people with different sexual orientation than what is believed to be the mainstream or the &quot;natural&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The question that human rights activists and LGBTQ community members have been asking all along is: why being a gay is the crime? Why being different in terms of sexual orientation is offensive, when being different could be unique? The saga of oppression against lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgender is a long drawn one but it is sadly the most unacknowledged, ignored and triviliased issue both in India and elsewhere.</p>

<p>Everyone looks for a place in society - to be accepted as an equal member like anybody else. But that acceptance is not easy to achieve because we always tend to judge others by fixed social norms. Members of LGBTQ community, therefore, find it extremely daunting to disclose their identity, fearing reprisals. The reprisals and marginalisation did not spare even an established social persona like Rituparno Ghosh. Ever since the acclaimed filmmaker decided to remain not so discreet about his sexual identity, he has been the butt of unsavoury jokes, even in TV shows.</p>

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<p>It was Ghosh&#39;s heroism that he openly accepted his sexual preference and even underwent several surgeries to transform her body to his likings. His androgynous personality was never a barrier to him in his filmmaking and acting career but in the last few years of his life, he isolated himself from the entire industry and from his near and dear ones. No matter how brazenly he opened up about his effeminate traits but somewhere deep inside he continued to battle for the acceptance from the people.</p>

<p>Today, Ghosh is not only remembered as an established filmmaker and actor but also as an important icon of the LGBTQ community of India. Through his award-winning films, not only did he break the conservative sensibility of Indian viewers on sexuality, he also educated us on how it is like being a homosexual. He was what can be called a cultural activist. His cross-dressings, his films, his razor sharp intellect cut through the moral morass of the society. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Queer parades: yes, we are gays and we exist</strong></p>

<p>Gay parades are becoming increasingly common. People marching hand in hand on the streets and roaring slogans out loud, demanding equal status and the rights they deserve. Even a decade ago this was not a common sight. But now it is. From Paris to Tel Aviv to Lucknow, LGBTQ community in colourful costumes has been coming out openly, marching in the streets, announcing and celebrating their identity. The goals such parades serve are to make the rest of the society sensitive to their demands for acceptance as well as help LGBT individuals to open up about themselves. Coming together helps the community members to realise they are not alone even if mainstream society go on showing reluctance in integrating them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Israel parade is a perfect example of such solidarity act. Tel Aviv has conducted a massive and impactful pride parade couple of days back on the theme &quot;Bisexual Visibility&quot;, making it one of the largest parades in the Middle East and Asia celebrating bisexuality. Thousands of activists and revealers gathered, donned in rainbow colour outfits and LGBTQ flags in hands. Israel is one of the most gay-friendly country in the Middle East, where LGBT community members have even rights to serve in the military. However, there are individuals who lash out against such parades. One Kazi Azizul Huq tweeted &ldquo;I am saddened by Sodomists &ldquo;Pride&rdquo; allowed in the Holy Land. It delegitimises Israel&rdquo;.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The LGBTQ community has drawn attention through fascinating and outrageous quotes, such as &quot;What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it&#39;s curved like a road through mountains.&quot; (Tennessee Williams). Another quote goes: &quot;Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?&quot; (Ernest Gaines). Or through chanting slogans like &quot;377, Quit India&quot;, as section 377 of Indian Panel Code considers being gay to be an immoral act, which violates the innate sexual process and is against the law of nature.</p>

<p>&quot;Give me a support so that I can take off my mask&quot; is another slogan that evokes the emotional urge of the queers. Such slogans signify that there is a larger volume of people out there, hiding in their closet who are, however, unique in their own way but drowning in the fear of rejection.</p>

<p><strong>Success and failure: LGBT rights battle in India and beyond</strong></p>

<p>After going through numbers of the heated debates on giving legal recognition to same-sex marriage, Netherlands became the first country in the world to grant same-sex couples their basic human right. Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Israel are other few countries to legalise homosexuality and same-sex marriage later on.</p>

<p>However, countries in the Middle East, Asia, and most of Africa, as well as St Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and other Carribbean Sea countries, have criminalised homosexuality and same-sex marriage as per their respective laws.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Anjali Gopalan is a noted name today for her contribution towards the LGBTQ community. Her organisation Naz foundation is working against the colonial era law which defined homosexuality as &ldquo;carnal intercourse against the order of law&rdquo;.</p>

<p>India still has a long way to go because in term of achieving rights for the gays. The LGBTQ community is ceaselessly in catch-22 situation. They are harassed&nbsp;and discriminated, their murders go unreported, they are abandoned by their families and along with emotion abuse they also face physical assault. But what for, just for being different?</p>

<p>Achieving integration is the need of the hour, particularly because we are talking and debating basic rights every other day. Then, why are gay rights not to be acknowledged? The philosophy of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam (the world is one) is the need of the hour. Real integration can only be achieved through building inclusive societies across the globe. To avoid incompletion, we have to accept the gay individuals as one of the shining colours of rainbow in the sky.</p>


On International Integration Day, the world largely remains intolerant towards sexually different people.

In a world divided by race, language, religion, and ideology, it is understandable why we need to celebrate International Integration Day. Development of a peaceful world demands respectful treatment of all forms of diversity. International Integration Day promotes the values of universal acceptance and equality around the globe. But what is ideally desired is not always practised. It has never been. The intolerance that marks our everyday existence is most visible towards sexual minority groups, such as the gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals. We have so far failed to extend the idea of inclusiveness to appreciate people with different sexual orientation than what is believed to be the mainstream or the "natural". The question that human rights activists and LGBTQ community members have been asking all along is: why being a gay is the crime? Why being different in terms of sexual orientation is offensive, when being different could be unique? The saga of oppression against lesbians, gay, bisexual, and transgender is a long drawn one but it is sadly the most unacknowledged, ignored and triviliased issue both in India and elsewhere. Everyone looks for a place in society - to be accepted as an equal member like anybody else. But that acceptance is not easy to achieve because we always tend to judge others by fixed social norms. Members of LGBTQ community, therefore, find it extremely daunting to disclose their identity, fearing reprisals. The reprisals and marginalisation did not spare even an established social persona like Rituparno Ghosh. Ever since the acclaimed filmmaker decided to remain not so discreet about his sexual identity, he has been the butt of unsavoury jokes, even in TV shows. The intolerance that marks our everyday existence is most visible towards sexual minority groups, such as the gays, lesbians, transgenders and bisexuals × It was Ghosh's heroism that he openly accepted his sexual preference and even underwent several surgeries to transform her body to his likings. His androgynous personality was never a barrier to him in his filmmaking and acting career but in the last few years of his life, he isolated himself from the entire industry and from his near and dear ones. No matter how brazenly he opened up about his effeminate traits but somewhere deep inside he continued to battle for the acceptance from the people. Today, Ghosh is not only remembered as an established filmmaker and actor but also as an important icon of the LGBTQ community of India. Through his award-winning films, not only did he break the conservative sensibility of Indian viewers on sexuality, he also educated us on how it is like being a homosexual. He was what can be called a cultural activist. His cross-dressings, his films, his razor sharp intellect cut through the moral morass of the society. Queer parades: yes, we are gays and we exist Gay parades are becoming increasingly common. People marching hand in hand on the streets and roaring slogans out loud, demanding equal status and the rights they deserve. Even a decade ago this was not a common sight. But now it is. From Paris to Tel Aviv to Lucknow, LGBTQ community in colourful costumes has been coming out openly, marching in the streets, announcing and celebrating their identity. The goals such parades serve are to make the rest of the society sensitive to their demands for acceptance as well as help LGBT individuals to open up about themselves. Coming together helps the community members to realise they are not alone even if mainstream society go on showing reluctance in integrating them. Israel parade is a perfect example of such solidarity act. Tel Aviv has conducted a massive and impactful pride parade couple of days back on the theme "Bisexual Visibility", making it one of the largest parades in the Middle East and Asia celebrating bisexuality. Thousands of activists and revealers gathered, donned in rainbow colour outfits and LGBTQ flags in hands. Israel is one of the most gay-friendly country in the Middle East, where LGBT community members have even rights to serve in the military. However, there are individuals who lash out against such parades. One Kazi Azizul Huq tweeted “I am saddened by Sodomists “Pride” allowed in the Holy Land. It delegitimises Israel”. Kazi Azizul Huq tweeted “I am saddened by Sodomists “Pride” allowed in the Holy Land. It delegitimises Israel. × The LGBTQ community has drawn attention through fascinating and outrageous quotes, such as "What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it's curved like a road through mountains." (Tennessee Williams). Another quote goes: "Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?" (Ernest Gaines). Or through chanting slogans like "377, Quit India", as section 377 of Indian Panel Code considers being gay to be an immoral act, which violates the innate sexual process and is against the law of nature. "Give me a support so that I can take off my mask" is another slogan that evokes the emotional urge of the queers. Such slogans signify that there is a larger volume of people out there, hiding in their closet who are, however, unique in their own way but drowning in the fear of rejection. Success and failure: LGBT rights battle in India and beyond After going through numbers of the heated debates on giving legal recognition to same-sex marriage, Netherlands became the first country in the world to grant same-sex couples their basic human right. Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Israel are other few countries to legalise homosexuality and same-sex marriage later on. However, countries in the Middle East, Asia, and most of Africa, as well as St Lucia, Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and other Carribbean Sea countries, have criminalised homosexuality and same-sex marriage as per their respective laws. Anjali Gopalan is a noted name today for her contribution towards the LGBTQ community. Her organisation Naz foundation is working against the colonial era law which defined homosexuality as “carnal intercourse against the order of law”. India still has a long way to go because in term of achieving rights for the gays. The LGBTQ community is ceaselessly in catch-22 situation. They are harassed and discriminated, their murders go unreported, they are abandoned by their families and along with emotion abuse they also face physical assault. But what for, just for being different? Achieving integration is the need of the hour, particularly because we are talking and debating basic rights every other day. Then, why are gay rights not to be acknowledged? The philosophy of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam (the world is one) is the need of the hour. Real integration can only be achieved through building inclusive societies across the globe. To avoid incompletion, we have to accept the gay individuals as one of the shining colours of rainbow in the sky.

Social integration is a distant dream for the LGBTQ community

<p>This month, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will join gay pride marches in cities big and small. In many cities, pride marches are controversial. In some &ndash; like Moscow &ndash; they are even banned. But for many people in North America, parts of Europe, Latin America and elsewhere, attending the local pride march has become an unremarkable ritual of summer.</p>

<p>There are still good reasons to march. Few countries around the world have robust protections for gay and transgender rights. And pride marches, the LGBTQ political rallies that take the form of exuberant, outrageous parades, often meet hostile counterdemonstrators.</p>

<p>But such expressions of pride have faced another sort of opposition: from within the queer and trans communities themselves. One reason is that gay and trans rights doesn&rsquo;t describe a single, unitary political movement.</p>

<p>I am a historian of queer and trans politics. My research, together with that of James Steakley, Katie Sutton, Robert Beachy and many others, shows that there are several traditions of gay and trans activism. These traditions have not always gotten along. And some of them hate what pride is all about.</p>

<p><strong>A history of multiple movements</strong></p>

<p>Gay and trans rights movements are quite old. For more than 100 years, political groups have been fighting on behalf of same-sex desires, gender nonconformity and transition from one gender to the other &ndash; although the terms &ldquo;gay rights&rdquo; and &ldquo;trans rights&rdquo; are relatively recent inventions.</p>

<p>By the late 1800s, a movement that called itself &ldquo;homosexual emancipation&rdquo; formed in Germany. It boomed after World War I and flourished in the 1920s under the democracy that existed before the Nazis took over. The movement included people who called themselves &ldquo;transvestites.&rdquo; Were they alive today, many would probably use the term transgender.</p>

<p>From the beginning, gay and transgender activists split into a dizzying array of factions. All were in favor of greater legal and social tolerance for same-sex relationships. But beyond that narrow common ground, they were a political hodgepodge.</p>

<p>Some were leftists. One prominent leader of a gay rights group was also an important player in Berlin&rsquo;s communist party. Others were middle-of-the road, calling for the end of Germany&rsquo;s law against sodomy but otherwise content with the status quo. There were even right-wing, explicitly racist gay rights activists.</p>

<p>The Nazi Party itself was zealously anti-gay. Once in power, the Nazis murdered thousands of men for the &ldquo;crime&rdquo; of male-male sex. Yet, the historical record shows that a small number of men quietly belonged to both the homosexual emancipation movement and the Nazi Party, though they were not open about their sexuality within the party. Historians are still debating the significance of homosexuality in the Nazi Party. The small faction of gay fascists lauded erotic relationships between manly, &ldquo;Aryan&rdquo; soldier types while loathing feminists, Jews and leftists.</p>

<p>As you might imagine, these different camps within the homosexual emancipation movement did not agree on lots of things.</p>

<p><strong>A debate about discretion</strong></p>

<p>One of their big disagreements was about discretion: Was it acceptable for same-sex couples and gender nonconformists to cavort in view of the straight public?</p>

<p><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/moOamKxW844" width="560"></iframe>The 1972 film &lsquo;Cabaret&rsquo; is set in Berlin prior to the Nazi seizure of power. The story deals with homosexuality and the rise of Nazism.<br />
Fifty years before pride marches began, 1920s Berlin had a jumping nightlife of gay male, lesbian and transvestite establishments featuring clubs like the Eldorado &ndash; known for its cross-dressing wait staff &ndash; and dance palaces like the Magic Flute. There was even a yearly all-women moonlight cruise. The pre-Nazi government&rsquo;s approach was live and let live.</p>

<p>Not all advocates of gay rights, however, liked this public culture.</p>

<p>One man, a self-professed gay Nazi, wrote that Berlin&rsquo;s clubs were &ldquo;insalubrious&rdquo; places where people surrendered to their animal lusts, and that &ldquo;the general public inevitably gets the impression that it&rdquo; &ndash; that is, the gay rights movement &ndash; &ldquo;is all about sex.&rdquo; This man wanted to celebrate homoerotic comradeship, a spiritual love, as he described it, as well as a physical one. However, he wanted to celebrate this manly love with maximum discretion, and certainly not in public. He wrote: &ldquo;What two men do in the barracks,&rdquo; by which he meant the barracks of the Nazi Party militia, &ldquo;is no one&rsquo;s business.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Such complaints were not limited to the far right. Moderate activists had their own doubts about the bars and dance halls. One leader of transvestites warned, &ldquo;When we demand that the public acknowledge us, then we have the duty to dress and conduct ourselves publicly in an inconspicuous manner.&rdquo; Transvestites were told to avoid gaudy accessories like costume rings or oversized earrings.</p>

<p>To admit that one was homosexual or a transvestite in public in the 1920s was to court serious social and legal consequences. Activists of that era probably could not have imagined that one day people would march in large groups down public streets celebrating their homosexual and transgender selves.</p>

<p><strong>&lsquo;We&rsquo;re here, we&rsquo;re queer&rsquo;</strong><br />
<br />
In 1970, activists organized the first pride marches to mark the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Those riots occurred the summer before when people fought back against a police raid of a queer bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York&rsquo;s Greenwich Village.</p>

<p>Pride exploded the old worries about discretion when it arrived in cities around the world in the 1970s.</p>

<p>Pride reveled in gaudy accessories. It had lots of scanty dress, too, from drag queens in slinky gowns to shirtless dykes with political slogans scrawled in marker across their chests. By bringing the party &ndash; along with the politics &ndash; into the streets in broad daylight, pride fought against homophobia. At the same time, it flatly rejected the old fears about overt public displays.</p>

<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re here, we&rsquo;re queer, get used to it,&rdquo; a favorite chant at pride, was not only directed at mainstream, straight society. It was also, in my opinion, an answer-back to the debate about discretion that had marked the long history of gay and trans activism.</p>

<p><strong>More debates about pride</strong></p>

<p>By the 1990s, pride marches had run into more controversy within activist circles. They were criticized as too commercial, too male-dominated, too devoid of a broader left-of-center political agenda and insufficiently inclusive of people of color &ndash; or indeed downright racist and Islamophobic. Alternative demonstrations cropped up, like Berlin&rsquo;s Alternative Pride and New York City&rsquo;s Dyke March. Debates about pride continue to this day.</p>

<p>Pride is in part what people make of it. A pride march can have a social justice agenda. Or it can have a pro-Trump agenda.</p>

<p>Yet pride&rsquo;s history is a story of a radical break with right-wing and even middle-of-the-road gay and trans politics. Pride rejected respectability and discretion.</p>

<p>Traces of that history probably survive in your local pride march. Look for the people who are not worried about alarming the straights.</p>


Few countries around the world have robust protections for gay and transgender rights. And pride marches, the LGBTQ political rallies that take the form of exuberant, outrageous parades, often meet hostile counterdemonstrators.

This month, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will join gay pride marches in cities big and small. In many cities, pride marches are controversial. In some – like Moscow – they are even banned. But for many people in North America, parts of Europe, Latin America and elsewhere, attending the local pride march has become an unremarkable ritual of summer. There are still good reasons to march. Few countries around the world have robust protections for gay and transgender rights. And pride marches, the LGBTQ political rallies that take the form of exuberant, outrageous parades, often meet hostile counterdemonstrators. But such expressions of pride have faced another sort of opposition: from within the queer and trans communities themselves. One reason is that gay and trans rights doesn’t describe a single, unitary political movement. I am a historian of queer and trans politics. My research, together with that of James Steakley, Katie Sutton, Robert Beachy and many others, shows that there are several traditions of gay and trans activism. These traditions have not always gotten along. And some of them hate what pride is all about. A history of multiple movements Gay and trans rights movements are quite old. For more than 100 years, political groups have been fighting on behalf of same-sex desires, gender nonconformity and transition from one gender to the other – although the terms “gay rights” and “trans rights” are relatively recent inventions. By the late 1800s, a movement that called itself “homosexual emancipation” formed in Germany. It boomed after World War I and flourished in the 1920s under the democracy that existed before the Nazis took over. The movement included people who called themselves “transvestites.” Were they alive today, many would probably use the term transgender. From the beginning, gay and transgender activists split into a dizzying array of factions. All were in favor of greater legal and social tolerance for same-sex relationships. But beyond that narrow common ground, they were a political hodgepodge. Some were leftists. One prominent leader of a gay rights group was also an important player in Berlin’s communist party. Others were middle-of-the road, calling for the end of Germany’s law against sodomy but otherwise content with the status quo. There were even right-wing, explicitly racist gay rights activists. The Nazi Party itself was zealously anti-gay. Once in power, the Nazis murdered thousands of men for the “crime” of male-male sex. Yet, the historical record shows that a small number of men quietly belonged to both the homosexual emancipation movement and the Nazi Party, though they were not open about their sexuality within the party. Historians are still debating the significance of homosexuality in the Nazi Party. The small faction of gay fascists lauded erotic relationships between manly, “Aryan” soldier types while loathing feminists, Jews and leftists. As you might imagine, these different camps within the homosexual emancipation movement did not agree on lots of things. A debate about discretion One of their big disagreements was about discretion: Was it acceptable for same-sex couples and gender nonconformists to cavort in view of the straight public? The 1972 film ‘Cabaret’ is set in Berlin prior to the Nazi seizure of power. The story deals with homosexuality and the rise of Nazism. Fifty years before pride marches began, 1920s Berlin had a jumping nightlife of gay male, lesbian and transvestite establishments featuring clubs like the Eldorado – known for its cross-dressing wait staff – and dance palaces like the Magic Flute. There was even a yearly all-women moonlight cruise. The pre-Nazi government’s approach was live and let live. Not all advocates of gay rights, however, liked this public culture. One man, a self-professed gay Nazi, wrote that Berlin’s clubs were “insalubrious” places where people surrendered to their animal lusts, and that “the general public inevitably gets the impression that it” – that is, the gay rights movement – “is all about sex.” This man wanted to celebrate homoerotic comradeship, a spiritual love, as he described it, as well as a physical one. However, he wanted to celebrate this manly love with maximum discretion, and certainly not in public. He wrote: “What two men do in the barracks,” by which he meant the barracks of the Nazi Party militia, “is no one’s business.” Such complaints were not limited to the far right. Moderate activists had their own doubts about the bars and dance halls. One leader of transvestites warned, “When we demand that the public acknowledge us, then we have the duty to dress and conduct ourselves publicly in an inconspicuous manner.” Transvestites were told to avoid gaudy accessories like costume rings or oversized earrings. To admit that one was homosexual or a transvestite in public in the 1920s was to court serious social and legal consequences. Activists of that era probably could not have imagined that one day people would march in large groups down public streets celebrating their homosexual and transgender selves. ‘We’re here, we’re queer’ In 1970, activists organized the first pride marches to mark the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Those riots occurred the summer before when people fought back against a police raid of a queer bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village. Pride exploded the old worries about discretion when it arrived in cities around the world in the 1970s. Pride reveled in gaudy accessories. It had lots of scanty dress, too, from drag queens in slinky gowns to shirtless dykes with political slogans scrawled in marker across their chests. By bringing the party – along with the politics – into the streets in broad daylight, pride fought against homophobia. At the same time, it flatly rejected the old fears about overt public displays. “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” a favorite chant at pride, was not only directed at mainstream, straight society. It was also, in my opinion, an answer-back to the debate about discretion that had marked the long history of gay and trans activism. More debates about pride By the 1990s, pride marches had run into more controversy within activist circles. They were criticized as too commercial, too male-dominated, too devoid of a broader left-of-center political agenda and insufficiently inclusive of people of color – or indeed downright racist and Islamophobic. Alternative demonstrations cropped up, like Berlin’s Alternative Pride and New York City’s Dyke March. Debates about pride continue to this day. Pride is in part what people make of it. A pride march can have a social justice agenda. Or it can have a pro-Trump agenda. Yet pride’s history is a story of a radical break with right-wing and even middle-of-the-road gay and trans politics. Pride rejected respectability and discretion. Traces of that history probably survive in your local pride march. Look for the people who are not worried about alarming the straights.

From Nazis to Trump, Gay pride rallies have always been under attack

<p>At a time, when the entire world is celebrating LGBT Pride Month in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people, the diplomatic missions of all countries in India&#39;s capital have reaffirmed their&nbsp;strong commitment to promote the universality of human rights and to ensure that everyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation enjoys these rights without discrimination.</p>

<p>Events in New Delhi included the lighting of embassies in the iconic colors of the LGBTI rainbow flag, hoisting the rainbow flag on the embassies&#39; flagpoles, LGBTI film screenings, lectures, social media campaigns using the hashtags #MyCountry4Equality or #ForeignMissionsPride and other functions.</p>

<p>Every year around June, the countries organise, or participate in events to celebrate the diversity of our citizens, reduce discrimination and misinformation about the LGBTI community.</p>

<p>Marches, lectures and events were held in many countries in the month of June, often called &quot; Pride Month,&quot; in honor of the Stonewall Riots that are considered as the start of the LGBTI movement in the United States. Events are as diverse as the countries and communities that host them. Each country celebrates diversity in its own way and at various times throughout the year.</p>

<p>LGBTI Pride celebrations in June were held in over 120 cities around the world. Pride celebrations typically include parades, marches, film festivals, speeches, dances, picnics, and countless other social events.</p>

<p><strong>Background</strong></p>

<p>In 1791, France becomes the first West European country to decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults, followed by the Netherlands in 1811, Brazil in 1830, Portugal in 1852, the Ottoman Empire in 1858, Guatemala and Mexico in 1867, Japan in 1880 and more than a hundred countries in the 20th century.</p>

<p>In 1867, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs becomes the first self-proclaimed homosexual to speak out publicly for homosexual rights when he pleads at the Congress of German Jurists in Munich for a resolution urging the repeal of anti-homosexual laws.</p>

<p>After the Second World War, the rate of countries decriminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults grows, organizations defending LBGTI rights are created, and publications on the subject grow.</p>

<p>1970, the first Pride march is organized in the US, later followed in different forms by many countries on all continents. In 1972 &quot;Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays&quot; is founded in the US, becoming one of the first large-scale organisations of straight people defending LBGTI rights.</p>


Every year around June, the countries organise, or participate in events to celebrate the diversity of our citizens, reduce discrimination and misinformation about the LGBTI community

At a time, when the entire world is celebrating LGBT Pride Month in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people, the diplomatic missions of all countries in India's capital have reaffirmed their strong commitment to promote the universality of human rights and to ensure that everyone, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation enjoys these rights without discrimination. Events in New Delhi included the lighting of embassies in the iconic colors of the LGBTI rainbow flag, hoisting the rainbow flag on the embassies' flagpoles, LGBTI film screenings, lectures, social media campaigns using the hashtags #MyCountry4Equality or #ForeignMissionsPride and other functions. Every year around June, the countries organise, or participate in events to celebrate the diversity of our citizens, reduce discrimination and misinformation about the LGBTI community. Marches, lectures and events were held in many countries in the month of June, often called " Pride Month," in honor of the Stonewall Riots that are considered as the start of the LGBTI movement in the United States. Events are as diverse as the countries and communities that host them. Each country celebrates diversity in its own way and at various times throughout the year. LGBTI Pride celebrations in June were held in over 120 cities around the world. Pride celebrations typically include parades, marches, film festivals, speeches, dances, picnics, and countless other social events. Background In 1791, France becomes the first West European country to decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults, followed by the Netherlands in 1811, Brazil in 1830, Portugal in 1852, the Ottoman Empire in 1858, Guatemala and Mexico in 1867, Japan in 1880 and more than a hundred countries in the 20th century. In 1867, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs becomes the first self-proclaimed homosexual to speak out publicly for homosexual rights when he pleads at the Congress of German Jurists in Munich for a resolution urging the repeal of anti-homosexual laws. After the Second World War, the rate of countries decriminalizing homosexual acts between consenting adults grows, organizations defending LBGTI rights are created, and publications on the subject grow. 1970, the first Pride march is organized in the US, later followed in different forms by many countries on all continents. In 1972 "Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays" is founded in the US, becoming one of the first large-scale organisations of straight people defending LBGTI rights.

Foreign Missions in India celebrate LGBT Pride month

<p>Indian film director, Faraz Arif Ansari, has made a 20-minute short film, titled &lsquo;Sisak&rsquo; on the LGBTQ community of India. The movie deals with their struggle, especially the ordeal they face while using public transport in the country. The director was unaware that his film would turn out to be&nbsp;India&rsquo;s first silent LGBTQ movie.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="430" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KTtgOaIWC4Q" width="970"></iframe></p>

<p>The name of the movie &lsquo;Sisak&rsquo; is an Urdu origin word, meaning &quot;sob&nbsp;stuck in the throat&quot; - with reference to the dilemma faced by the LGBTQ community. The movie documents two men who take the same local train in the city of Mumbai, India, every night. It captures the discrimination they face&nbsp;while travelling every day.&nbsp;Ansari has made a silent movie, using transitions and poetry of their encounter with different set of people. The men don&rsquo;t talk to one another, while on the journey and the movie makes use of real-life noise and music, to tell a story of love, but also of fear and despair.</p>

<p>Ansari thought of the plot nearly four years ago, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling reinstating Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality.</p>

<p>The director&nbsp;narrated how he thought of the plot in an interview to HuffPost India: &ldquo;I was working on another screenplay in a cafe in Nainital at the time. I tried to compose a tweet, but deleted it. I wanted to put up a Facebook post, but couldn&#39;t find the words.&quot;</p>

<p>In the end, he opened a word document and wrote the entire story of Sisak &mdash; in three hours flat.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/mexico%20(17)-20170228080049.png" />
<div class="media-description">
<p>Faraz Arif Ansari, Director, Sisak (Pinterest)</p>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>In the meanwhile, he kept contemplating on using dialogues but decided against it, as he thought &lsquo;no words would do justice&rsquo;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On why he wanted&nbsp;the movie to be silent, he said, &ldquo;We are a part of a generation that rants everywhere. Sometimes silence can allow us to look inside and connect with ourselves. In a world where the young seem driven by likes and retweets, people have forgotten to love.&quot;</p>

<p>It wasn&rsquo;t all smooth sail for Ansari, as he had to struggle with uncertainty, facing problems like lack of funding, actors dropping out&nbsp;just few days&nbsp;before the shoot and worse&nbsp;being chased by police while shooting on site. The film had a budget to&nbsp;shoot&nbsp;for just five days, but he wrapped it up in just three days, owing to shortage of&nbsp;funds.</p>

<p>Among other challenges, the actors had to change into their costumes behind dupattas held up by the female members of the crew. The team also had to be swift on their feet, moving from one platform of the train to the next, in a couple of minutes.</p>

<p>The movie has now been submitted to Cannes this year. He is already in the process of making the short film into a full-length silent feature film.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The film directed by Faraz Arif Ansari has been submitted to Cannes this year

Indian film director, Faraz Arif Ansari, has made a 20-minute short film, titled ‘Sisak’ on the LGBTQ community of India. The movie deals with their struggle, especially the ordeal they face while using public transport in the country. The director was unaware that his film would turn out to be India’s first silent LGBTQ movie. The name of the movie ‘Sisak’ is an Urdu origin word, meaning "sob stuck in the throat" - with reference to the dilemma faced by the LGBTQ community. The movie documents two men who take the same local train in the city of Mumbai, India, every night. It captures the discrimination they face while travelling every day. Ansari has made a silent movie, using transitions and poetry of their encounter with different set of people. The men don’t talk to one another, while on the journey and the movie makes use of real-life noise and music, to tell a story of love, but also of fear and despair. Ansari thought of the plot nearly four years ago, in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling reinstating Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalised homosexuality. The director narrated how he thought of the plot in an interview to HuffPost India: “I was working on another screenplay in a cafe in Nainital at the time. I tried to compose a tweet, but deleted it. I wanted to put up a Facebook post, but couldn't find the words." In the end, he opened a word document and wrote the entire story of Sisak — in three hours flat. Faraz Arif Ansari, Director, Sisak (Pinterest) × In the meanwhile, he kept contemplating on using dialogues but decided against it, as he thought ‘no words would do justice’. On why he wanted the movie to be silent, he said, “We are a part of a generation that rants everywhere. Sometimes silence can allow us to look inside and connect with ourselves. In a world where the young seem driven by likes and retweets, people have forgotten to love." It wasn’t all smooth sail for Ansari, as he had to struggle with uncertainty, facing problems like lack of funding, actors dropping out just few days before the shoot and worse being chased by police while shooting on site. The film had a budget to shoot for just five days, but he wrapped it up in just three days, owing to shortage of funds. Among other challenges, the actors had to change into their costumes behind dupattas held up by the female members of the crew. The team also had to be swift on their feet, moving from one platform of the train to the next, in a couple of minutes. The movie has now been submitted to Cannes this year. He is already in the process of making the short film into a full-length silent feature film. (WION)

'Sisak': India's first LGBTQ silent film

<p>She was once ridiculed as &quot;a boy-like-girl&quot;&nbsp;in her school. As a child, she was&nbsp;alienated and isolated by a homophobic society in a small village in India&#39;s eastern state of Bengal. Her teachers and friends made fun of her short hair, attire&nbsp;and sexuality. Her parents refused to stand by her side as they discovered her sexuality. But all these didn&rsquo;t stop her.</p>

<p>19-year-old Asmita Sarkar broke all stereotypes to fight the student body elections in Kolkata&rsquo;s reputed Jadavpur University. She took the bold step to pitch herself as a lesbian contender in the university polls. She has become the face of the community in the university. As you enter the Arts Department unit in the university, you will find Asmita campaigning not just for herself but trying to sensitise other students about the co-existence of their LGBT counterparts. Asmita is fighting the AFSU (Arts Faculty Students Union) elections of Jadavpur University, scheduled to be held on January 25.</p>

<p>Her timid appearance is not to be mistaken with a young and enthusiastic student leader, brimming with confidence. In an interview with WION, Asmita shared her struggle to establish her sexuality in a country, where homosexuality is no less than a crime. She discovered her lesbian tendencies at a young age and had no one to guide her in accepting her natural instincts. Rather, she was discouraged and often openly&nbsp;humiliated.</p>

<p>&ldquo;I hail from a small town. There no one knew about my sexuality till I was 12-years-old. But, as they came to know about my gender choice, everyone in my family and school insulted me. I was never welcomed at family gatherings. I was treated as an untouchable. When my family came to know about my sexuality, I was left alone. I had to cook my own food. They were worried about the fact that what anyone would think about me,&rdquo; said Asmita.</p>

<p>In India, homosexuality and queer identities continue&nbsp;to be a taboo&nbsp;subject. It may be acceptable to more Indian youths than&nbsp;before, but the LGBT community is still struggling with their sexuality and gender choices. The problem is deep-rooted in the rural areas. Families in rural India conduct secret honour killings of gay men or subject lesbians to family-sanctioned corrective rapes to oppress the community as a whole.</p>

<p>&ldquo;There is no place for the LGBT community or the transgender in Indian society. We don&rsquo;t belong to this planet, for the commoners. The problem starts within the family itself. Parents fail to support their LGBT children. Then, comes the draconian laws like section 377, which makes life all the more difficult for the community,&rdquo; said Manobi Banerjee, India&rsquo;s first transgender College Principal.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The university polls are a platform for Asmita, where she is trying to stand up for her community. &ldquo;If I win, I will try and create a cell for transgender and LGBT community members on the university campus. We demand recognition for our community in various college application forms. The fight has just begun,&rdquo; added Sarkar, as she walked towards the canteen for a quick breather from the campaign.</p>

<p>According to an Indian Home Ministry data of 2014, a total of 778 cases were registered under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This law has made life difficult for the LGBT community in the country. This law makes &ldquo;carnal intercourse against the order of nature&rdquo; a crime. However, it fails to distinguish between consensual sex and rape. Thus, it acts as a hindrance to the sexual freedom of the LGBT community.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Kicking away the social stigma, Asmita Sarkar of eastern India?s Jadavpur University has taken up the poll fight as a homosexual candidate

She was once ridiculed as "a boy-like-girl" in her school. As a child, she was alienated and isolated by a homophobic society in a small village in India's eastern state of Bengal. Her teachers and friends made fun of her short hair, attire and sexuality. Her parents refused to stand by her side as they discovered her sexuality. But all these didn’t stop her. 19-year-old Asmita Sarkar broke all stereotypes to fight the student body elections in Kolkata’s reputed Jadavpur University. She took the bold step to pitch herself as a lesbian contender in the university polls. She has become the face of the community in the university. As you enter the Arts Department unit in the university, you will find Asmita campaigning not just for herself but trying to sensitise other students about the co-existence of their LGBT counterparts. Asmita is fighting the AFSU (Arts Faculty Students Union) elections of Jadavpur University, scheduled to be held on January 25. Her timid appearance is not to be mistaken with a young and enthusiastic student leader, brimming with confidence. In an interview with WION, Asmita shared her struggle to establish her sexuality in a country, where homosexuality is no less than a crime. She discovered her lesbian tendencies at a young age and had no one to guide her in accepting her natural instincts. Rather, she was discouraged and often openly humiliated. “I hail from a small town. There no one knew about my sexuality till I was 12-years-old. But, as they came to know about my gender choice, everyone in my family and school insulted me. I was never welcomed at family gatherings. I was treated as an untouchable. When my family came to know about my sexuality, I was left alone. I had to cook my own food. They were worried about the fact that what anyone would think about me,” said Asmita. In India, homosexuality and queer identities continue to be a taboo subject. It may be acceptable to more Indian youths than before, but the LGBT community is still struggling with their sexuality and gender choices. The problem is deep-rooted in the rural areas. Families in rural India conduct secret honour killings of gay men or subject lesbians to family-sanctioned corrective rapes to oppress the community as a whole. “There is no place for the LGBT community or the transgender in Indian society. We don’t belong to this planet, for the commoners. The problem starts within the family itself. Parents fail to support their LGBT children. Then, comes the draconian laws like section 377, which makes life all the more difficult for the community,” said Manobi Banerjee, India’s first transgender College Principal. The university polls are a platform for Asmita, where she is trying to stand up for her community. “If I win, I will try and create a cell for transgender and LGBT community members on the university campus. We demand recognition for our community in various college application forms. The fight has just begun,” added Sarkar, as she walked towards the canteen for a quick breather from the campaign. According to an Indian Home Ministry data of 2014, a total of 778 cases were registered under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This law has made life difficult for the LGBT community in the country. This law makes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” a crime. However, it fails to distinguish between consensual sex and rape. Thus, it acts as a hindrance to the sexual freedom of the LGBT community. (WION)

Meet India?s lesbian student leader

<p>The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America&#39;s biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions.<br />
<br />
On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police.<br />
<br />
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table.<br />
<br />
In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump&#39;s comment were divisive and unproductive.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;re scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don&#39;t nip it in the bud,&quot; Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP.<br />
<br />
&quot;If common sense doesn&#39;t step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames,&quot; he said, speaking of Trump.<br />
<br />
Rehab said there was fear in Chicago&#39;s Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes.<br />
<br />
In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said.<br />
<br />
&quot;There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,&quot; James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference.<br />
<br />
Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making &quot;clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background.&quot;<br />
<br />
Bennett chimed in: &quot;I would encourage people to watch Chicago&#39;s example.&quot;<br />
<br />
<strong>Sending a message</strong><br />
<br />
Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;re trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other,&quot; said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group.<br />
<br />
&quot;Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning,&quot; Johnson told AFP.<br />
<br />
On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was &quot;not the worst thing to do.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We&#39;re not using common sense,&quot; Trump said.<br />
<br />
African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person&#39;s race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime.<br />
<br />
&quot;He questions Muslims&#39; assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values,&quot; Rehab said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(AFP)</p>


'There is never a time to divide Americans and that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,' they said

The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America's biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions. On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table. In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump's comment were divisive and unproductive. "We're scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don't nip it in the bud," Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP. "If common sense doesn't step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames," he said, speaking of Trump. Rehab said there was fear in Chicago's Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes. In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said. "There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain," James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference. Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making "clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background." Bennett chimed in: "I would encourage people to watch Chicago's example." Sending a message Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people. "We're trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other," said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group. "Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning," Johnson told AFP. On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was "not the worst thing to do." "I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We're not using common sense," Trump said. African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person's race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime. "He questions Muslims' assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values," Rehab said. (AFP)

In Chicago, Muslim and gay rights leaders take on Trump

Human rights activist Sarah McBride made history yesterday when she became the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention.<br />
<br />
&quot;Four years ago, I came out as transgender while serving as student body president in college. At the time I was scared. I was worried that my dreams and my identity were mutually exclusive. Since then, though, I have seen that change is possible. I witness history as an intern at the White House and helping my home state of Delaware pass protections for transgender people,&quot; McBride told the crowd in Philadelphia.<br />
<br />
&quot;Will we be a nation where there is only one way to love, only one to look, and only one way to live? Or will we be a nation where everyone has the freedom to live openly and equally, a nation that is stronger together? That is the question in this election.&quot;<br />
<br />
McBride currently works as the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. She was also the first openly transgender woman to work at the White House when she interned in the Office of Public Engagement in 2012.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

'I have seen that change is possible.' Sarah McBride is the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention

Human rights activist Sarah McBride made history yesterday when she became the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party convention. "Four years ago, I came out as transgender while serving as student body president in college. At the time I was scared. I was worried that my dreams and my identity were mutually exclusive. Since then, though, I have seen that change is possible. I witness history as an intern at the White House and helping my home state of Delaware pass protections for transgender people," McBride told the crowd in Philadelphia. "Will we be a nation where there is only one way to love, only one to look, and only one way to live? Or will we be a nation where everyone has the freedom to live openly and equally, a nation that is stronger together? That is the question in this election." McBride currently works as the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. She was also the first openly transgender woman to work at the White House when she interned in the Office of Public Engagement in 2012. (Reuters)

Transgender activist makes history at Democratic National Convention

When openly gay independent candidate Wataru Ishizaka campaigned for a 2007 Tokyo local election, people snickered at his speeches, but now even Japan&#39;s conservative ruling party mentions gay rights in its platform for this year&#39;s upper house election.<br />
<br />
Though the paragraph is deep in the manifesto of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and refers only to promoting understanding of sexual diversity, even this was unthinkable a decade ago.<br />
<br />
By Asian standards, Japanese laws are relatively liberal - homosexual sex has been legal since 1880 - but social attitudes keep the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community largely invisible.<br />
<br />
LGBT rights are not covered in Japan&#39;s Equal Opportunity Act and there are no anti-discrimination laws.<br />
<br />
But things are changing.<br />
<br />
Several municipalities, including two Tokyo districts, now give same-sex partners rights similar to spouses, as do a growing number of companies.&nbsp;On his second attempt in 2011, Ishizawa won the Tokyo district assembly seat, and this time he said there were tears, not titters, when he spoke.<br />
<br />
Gaku Hashimoto, an LDP lawmaker in the lower house of Parliament who sits on a committee working for a law on LGBT rights, said winning the hosting rights for the 2020 Summer Olympics had helped bring change, since the Olympic charter mandates equality, including on matters of sexual orientation.<br />
<br />
&quot;The LDP has some very conservative aspects, and I believe there weren&#39;t a lot of people aware of this issue, so without this outside pressure, things might not have come this far,&quot; said Hashimoto, son of a former prime minister.<br />
<br />
&quot;But at the same time, society has developed ... There&#39;s a lot of debate on the issue, and local governments are taking their own steps.&quot;<br />
<br />
Helping society understand LGBT issues and obtaining a social consensus should nevertheless come before anti-discrimination laws, he added.<br />
<br />
Critics say the LDP mostly wants to burnish its image overseas before the Olympics, with an eye to luring tourists.<br />
<br />
&quot;The LDP and people in the core of government ... if they could get by without dealing with LGBT issues, they would. But there&#39;s the calculation that doing nothing looks bad overseas,&quot; said Akiko Shimizu, associate professor of gender and sexuality studies at Tokyo University.<br />
<br />
&quot;In reality they oppose same-sex marriage and don&#39;t clearly talk about laws to forbid discrimination.&quot;<br />
<br />
Same-sex marriage remains a distant dream in Japan, where some gays still enter heterosexual marriages of convenience or sport wedding rings as straight camouflage.<br />
<br />
&quot;There&#39;s the whole family system ... a father, a mother, children, and the inheriting of assets. Conservatives don&#39;t want to break this system down,&quot; Ishizaka said.<br />
<br />
The main opposition party, the centrist Democratic Party, hasn&#39;t weighed in on same-sex marriage either, he added. Its manifesto does mention anti-discrimination measures.<br />
<br />
<strong>&#39;Spirit of diversity&#39;</strong><br />
<br />
Public views remain mixed. A 2015 survey by a research group led by Kazuya Kawaguchi at Hiroshima Shudo University found that while 51 per cent of respondents supported the idea of same-sex marriage, they were less willing to countenance an LGBT relative, friend or colleague.<br />
<br />
As many as 53.2 per cent said they were repelled by the idea of a gay male friend.<br />
<br />
But even this is an improvement, said Takahiko Morinaga, CEO of the new Japan LGBT Research institute, noting the influence of social media and news events such as the US same-sex marriage ruling and Japan&#39;s winning the Olympics.<br />
<br />
&quot;Those of us in the gay community had pretty much given up, feeling strongly that Japan was not a place where you could expect to come out. These events gave us a bit of hope,&quot; he added.<br />
<br />
&quot;These things have really brought the global spirit of diversity to the attention of Japanese corporate executives, as well as media and ordinary citizens.&quot;<br />
<br />
Panasonic Corp this spring joined a handful of firms that give same-sex partnerships some of the rights of married couples, while others allow same-sex partners family rights for phone bargain schemes and airline mileage.<br />
<br />
With LGBT spending estimated at 5.9 trillion yen ($58 billion), others are eyeing the potential of the &quot;pink yen&quot; in Japan&#39;s stagnant economy.<br />
<br />
&quot;There are a lot of services that LGBT people want - insurance that includes a same-sex partner, housing, and services connected to ageing,&quot; said Morinaga.<br />
<br />
Human resources personnel at Nomura Securities, a pioneer in Japanese LGBT inclusion since it bought US investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 and adopted its equality policies, say they are getting more inquiries from companies looking to implement diversity policies, including domestic firms eager to recruit and retain talent.<br />
<br />
&quot;It&#39;s starting to become a situation where if somebody does it, the others have to fall in line, especially in the same industry,&quot; said Yuki Higashi, Japan head of talent management, diversity and inclusion at Nomura.<br />
<br />
Politics might take a little longer to fall in line.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;re aware that people say it&#39;s not enough, and that we aren&#39;t going as far as to ban things - but just to get this far, we&#39;ve really had to balance the opinions of many people,&quot; said lawmaker Hashimoto.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Homosexual sex has been legal in Japan since 1880, but stigma persists and LGBT rights are not covered under the Equal Opportunity Act

When openly gay independent candidate Wataru Ishizaka campaigned for a 2007 Tokyo local election, people snickered at his speeches, but now even Japan's conservative ruling party mentions gay rights in its platform for this year's upper house election. Though the paragraph is deep in the manifesto of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and refers only to promoting understanding of sexual diversity, even this was unthinkable a decade ago. By Asian standards, Japanese laws are relatively liberal - homosexual sex has been legal since 1880 - but social attitudes keep the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community largely invisible. LGBT rights are not covered in Japan's Equal Opportunity Act and there are no anti-discrimination laws. But things are changing. Several municipalities, including two Tokyo districts, now give same-sex partners rights similar to spouses, as do a growing number of companies. On his second attempt in 2011, Ishizawa won the Tokyo district assembly seat, and this time he said there were tears, not titters, when he spoke. Gaku Hashimoto, an LDP lawmaker in the lower house of Parliament who sits on a committee working for a law on LGBT rights, said winning the hosting rights for the 2020 Summer Olympics had helped bring change, since the Olympic charter mandates equality, including on matters of sexual orientation. "The LDP has some very conservative aspects, and I believe there weren't a lot of people aware of this issue, so without this outside pressure, things might not have come this far," said Hashimoto, son of a former prime minister. "But at the same time, society has developed ... There's a lot of debate on the issue, and local governments are taking their own steps." Helping society understand LGBT issues and obtaining a social consensus should nevertheless come before anti-discrimination laws, he added. Critics say the LDP mostly wants to burnish its image overseas before the Olympics, with an eye to luring tourists. "The LDP and people in the core of government ... if they could get by without dealing with LGBT issues, they would. But there's the calculation that doing nothing looks bad overseas," said Akiko Shimizu, associate professor of gender and sexuality studies at Tokyo University. "In reality they oppose same-sex marriage and don't clearly talk about laws to forbid discrimination." Same-sex marriage remains a distant dream in Japan, where some gays still enter heterosexual marriages of convenience or sport wedding rings as straight camouflage. "There's the whole family system ... a father, a mother, children, and the inheriting of assets. Conservatives don't want to break this system down," Ishizaka said. The main opposition party, the centrist Democratic Party, hasn't weighed in on same-sex marriage either, he added. Its manifesto does mention anti-discrimination measures. 'Spirit of diversity' Public views remain mixed. A 2015 survey by a research group led by Kazuya Kawaguchi at Hiroshima Shudo University found that while 51 per cent of respondents supported the idea of same-sex marriage, they were less willing to countenance an LGBT relative, friend or colleague. As many as 53.2 per cent said they were repelled by the idea of a gay male friend. But even this is an improvement, said Takahiko Morinaga, CEO of the new Japan LGBT Research institute, noting the influence of social media and news events such as the US same-sex marriage ruling and Japan's winning the Olympics. "Those of us in the gay community had pretty much given up, feeling strongly that Japan was not a place where you could expect to come out. These events gave us a bit of hope," he added. "These things have really brought the global spirit of diversity to the attention of Japanese corporate executives, as well as media and ordinary citizens." Panasonic Corp this spring joined a handful of firms that give same-sex partnerships some of the rights of married couples, while others allow same-sex partners family rights for phone bargain schemes and airline mileage. With LGBT spending estimated at 5.9 trillion yen ($58 billion), others are eyeing the potential of the "pink yen" in Japan's stagnant economy. "There are a lot of services that LGBT people want - insurance that includes a same-sex partner, housing, and services connected to ageing," said Morinaga. Human resources personnel at Nomura Securities, a pioneer in Japanese LGBT inclusion since it bought US investment bank Lehman Brothers in 2008 and adopted its equality policies, say they are getting more inquiries from companies looking to implement diversity policies, including domestic firms eager to recruit and retain talent. "It's starting to become a situation where if somebody does it, the others have to fall in line, especially in the same industry," said Yuki Higashi, Japan head of talent management, diversity and inclusion at Nomura. Politics might take a little longer to fall in line. "We're aware that people say it's not enough, and that we aren't going as far as to ban things - but just to get this far, we've really had to balance the opinions of many people," said lawmaker Hashimoto. (Reuters)

Japan woos LGBT community to revamp global image before hosting Olympics

Thousands of supporters of Peru&#39;s gay community marched through the streets of Lima in celebration of the annual pride parade on July 2 and demanded the courts recognise same-sex civil unions and gay marriage.<br />
<br />
Parade participants dressed up in colourful costumes and sang and danced as they made their way through the capital.<br />
<br />
This year&#39;s theme was &quot;Without sexual and gender diversity there is no democracy&quot;.<br />
<br />
Same-sex civil unions in Peru had been on the legislative agenda in 2014, but a bill legalising civil unions was shelved early last year.<br />
<br />
The Andean nation does not recognise same-sex civil unions nor gay marriage.<br />
<br />
The march was headed by vice-president elect Mercedes Araoz who said the incoming administration of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski hopes to expand protections for same-sex couples.<br />
<br />
&quot;As you well know, (President-elect) Pedro Pablo Kuczynski&#39;s plan, Peruvians for Change, has always talked about complete respect for individual freedoms. Here, we are talking about a constitutional right which we support and which must be expounded upon in the law and that is what we want to do,&quot; she said.<br />
<br />
Participants also demanded the government do more to protect the rights of members of the LGBT community, who are subject to discrimination and hate crimes.<br />
<br />
According to TLGB/PROMSEX human rights group, there have been more than 1,000 cases of violence and hate crimes against members of the LGBT community since 2012, when they started keeping track, but many are either not reported out of fear or not pursued by authorities.<br />
<br />
The first Latin American country to allow same-sex civil unions was Argentina in 2002. In 2010, it became the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriages in 2010 and, later that year, the first country in the region to allow gay couples to marry and adopt children.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

Participants demanded the government recognise same-sex civil unions and gay marriage, and protect the LGBT community from discrimination

Thousands of supporters of Peru's gay community marched through the streets of Lima in celebration of the annual pride parade on July 2 and demanded the courts recognise same-sex civil unions and gay marriage. Parade participants dressed up in colourful costumes and sang and danced as they made their way through the capital. This year's theme was "Without sexual and gender diversity there is no democracy". Same-sex civil unions in Peru had been on the legislative agenda in 2014, but a bill legalising civil unions was shelved early last year. The Andean nation does not recognise same-sex civil unions nor gay marriage. The march was headed by vice-president elect Mercedes Araoz who said the incoming administration of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski hopes to expand protections for same-sex couples. "As you well know, (President-elect) Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's plan, Peruvians for Change, has always talked about complete respect for individual freedoms. Here, we are talking about a constitutional right which we support and which must be expounded upon in the law and that is what we want to do," she said. Participants also demanded the government do more to protect the rights of members of the LGBT community, who are subject to discrimination and hate crimes. According to TLGB/PROMSEX human rights group, there have been more than 1,000 cases of violence and hate crimes against members of the LGBT community since 2012, when they started keeping track, but many are either not reported out of fear or not pursued by authorities. The first Latin American country to allow same-sex civil unions was Argentina in 2002. In 2010, it became the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriages in 2010 and, later that year, the first country in the region to allow gay couples to marry and adopt children. (Reuters)

Peru celebrates gay pride

The Pentagon today ended its ban on openly transgender people serving in the US military, formally removing the risk to an estimated thousands of US troops who once could have been kicked out of the armed forces due to gender identity.<br />
<br />
The repeal, which ends one of the last barriers to serving in the military, comes after a 2011 decision to end the US military&#39;s ban on openly gay and lesbian people serving, despite concerns - which proved unfounded - that such a move could be too great a burden in wartime and would undermine battle readiness.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;re eliminating policies that can result in transgender members being treated differently from their peers based solely upon their gender identity rather than upon their ability to serve,&quot; defence secretary Ash Carter told reporters.<br />
<br />
Carter said that within 90 days, the Pentagon would create a guide book for commanders on how to lead transgender service members and medical guidance to doctors.<br />
<br />
Within one year, transgender individuals would be allowed to join the armed forces, he said.<br />
<br />
Carter said that based on a study carried out by the Rand Corporation, there were about 2,500 transgender active-duty servicemembers and 1,500 reserve transgender service members. Still, Rand&#39;s figures were within a range, which at the upper end reached 7,000 active duty forces and 4,000 reserves.<br />
<br />
&quot;The reality is that we have transgender service members serving in uniform today,&quot; Carter said, acknowledging the policy change will have implications for issues including deployment and medical treatment.<br />
<br />
He added that at least 18 countries already allowed transgender personnel to serve openly in their militaries.<br />
<br />
Carter announced in 2015 that he intended to lift the ban and laid out a series of steps, including a six-month study on the implications of lifting the restrictions. But advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community said the process, which eventually stretched to nearly a year, has taken too long.<br />
<br />
Advocates praised Carter&#39;s announcement today and said it followed several moves by the military to be more inclusive in the last decade.<br />
<br />
&quot;I would hope that it showcases the fact that the sky will not fall, the world will not come apart, by us being a more inclusive and open society,&quot; said Matt Thorn, executive director of OutServe-SLDN, an advocacy group for LGBT military personnel. &quot;I don&#39;t think anybody should be concerned or afraid about moving forward with this policy.&quot;<br />
<br />
But critics have argued that Carter is putting the political agenda of the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama ahead of military readiness.<br />
<br />
&quot;Over the next few weeks, we are going to continue to push for actual answers to the readiness questions we&rsquo;ve been asking for nearly a year to which we have still not received a response,&quot; Republican representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

Commanders will be given handbooks detailing how they are to be led, and doctors will be provided medical advice

The Pentagon today ended its ban on openly transgender people serving in the US military, formally removing the risk to an estimated thousands of US troops who once could have been kicked out of the armed forces due to gender identity. The repeal, which ends one of the last barriers to serving in the military, comes after a 2011 decision to end the US military's ban on openly gay and lesbian people serving, despite concerns - which proved unfounded - that such a move could be too great a burden in wartime and would undermine battle readiness. "We're eliminating policies that can result in transgender members being treated differently from their peers based solely upon their gender identity rather than upon their ability to serve," defence secretary Ash Carter told reporters. Carter said that within 90 days, the Pentagon would create a guide book for commanders on how to lead transgender service members and medical guidance to doctors. Within one year, transgender individuals would be allowed to join the armed forces, he said. Carter said that based on a study carried out by the Rand Corporation, there were about 2,500 transgender active-duty servicemembers and 1,500 reserve transgender service members. Still, Rand's figures were within a range, which at the upper end reached 7,000 active duty forces and 4,000 reserves. "The reality is that we have transgender service members serving in uniform today," Carter said, acknowledging the policy change will have implications for issues including deployment and medical treatment. He added that at least 18 countries already allowed transgender personnel to serve openly in their militaries. Carter announced in 2015 that he intended to lift the ban and laid out a series of steps, including a six-month study on the implications of lifting the restrictions. But advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community said the process, which eventually stretched to nearly a year, has taken too long. Advocates praised Carter's announcement today and said it followed several moves by the military to be more inclusive in the last decade. "I would hope that it showcases the fact that the sky will not fall, the world will not come apart, by us being a more inclusive and open society," said Matt Thorn, executive director of OutServe-SLDN, an advocacy group for LGBT military personnel. "I don't think anybody should be concerned or afraid about moving forward with this policy." But critics have argued that Carter is putting the political agenda of the Democratic administration of President Barack Obama ahead of military readiness. "Over the next few weeks, we are going to continue to push for actual answers to the readiness questions we’ve been asking for nearly a year to which we have still not received a response," Republican representative Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. (Reuters)

US Army ends ban on transgender people

<p>Only&nbsp;five&nbsp;countries&nbsp;in the world have&nbsp;given lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)&nbsp;people&nbsp;equal&nbsp;constitutional&nbsp;rights, global research shows, with most&nbsp;countries&nbsp;failing to protect the community from widespread discrimination and abuses.</p>

<p>Britain, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Malta are the&nbsp;only&nbsp;countries&nbsp;that&nbsp;give&nbsp;constitutional&nbsp;rights&nbsp;to&nbsp;people regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a report by global research group WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).</p>

<p>The report, which analysed the constitutions of all 193&nbsp;countries&nbsp;recognised by the United Nations, is the most comprehensive study to date, researchers say.</p>

<p>Despite 22&nbsp;countries&nbsp;introducing same-sex marriage laws, the lack of&nbsp;equal&nbsp;constitutional&nbsp;rights means&nbsp;LGBT&nbsp;people&nbsp;are at risk of&nbsp;rights&nbsp;violations and discrimination, researchers said.</p>

<p>&quot;While marriage&nbsp;equality is an important start, it is not enough to prevent discrimination at work, in housing or many other spheres of life,&quot; said study author Jody Heymann, founding director of WORLD and dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.</p>

<p>&quot;It is crucial for constitutions to guarantee&nbsp;equal&nbsp;rights&nbsp;and protection from discrimination to&nbsp;LGBT individuals in all spheres,&quot; she said in a statement.</p>

<p>Most&nbsp;countries&#39; constitutions protect&nbsp;people&nbsp;regardless of sex, religion, race or ethnicity, but do not extend the same legal protections to the&nbsp;LGBT&nbsp;community.</p>

<p>The constitutions of Mexico, New Zealand Portugal, South Africa and Sweden&nbsp;give&nbsp;equal&nbsp;rights&nbsp;to people&nbsp;based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity, the report said.</p>

<p>(Reuters)</p>


Despite 22 countries introducing same-sex marriage laws, constitutional?rights preventing discrimination at work and in housing are lacking

Only five countries in the world have given lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people equal constitutional rights, global research shows, with most countries failing to protect the community from widespread discrimination and abuses. Britain, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Malta are the only countries that give constitutional rights to people regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, according to a report by global research group WORLD Policy Analysis Center (WORLD) and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The report, which analysed the constitutions of all 193 countries recognised by the United Nations, is the most comprehensive study to date, researchers say. Despite 22 countries introducing same-sex marriage laws, the lack of equal constitutional rights means LGBT people are at risk of rights violations and discrimination, researchers said. "While marriage equality is an important start, it is not enough to prevent discrimination at work, in housing or many other spheres of life," said study author Jody Heymann, founding director of WORLD and dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. "It is crucial for constitutions to guarantee equal rights and protection from discrimination to LGBT individuals in all spheres," she said in a statement. Most countries' constitutions protect people regardless of sex, religion, race or ethnicity, but do not extend the same legal protections to the LGBT community. The constitutions of Mexico, New Zealand Portugal, South Africa and Sweden give equal rights to people based on sexual orientation, but not gender identity, the report said. (Reuters)

Only five countries give LGBT people equal constitutional rights: research

Turkish riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up a rally of about 50 members of the LGBT community in Istanbul on Sunday, an AFP correspondent said.<br />
<br />
Several hundred policeman surrounded the city`s main Taksim Square to prevent the demonstration taking place during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan<br />
(AFP)

Hundreds of policemen surround the area to prevent 50-LGBT members from demonstrating during Ramzan

Turkish riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to break up a rally of about 50 members of the LGBT community in Istanbul on Sunday, an AFP correspondent said. Several hundred policeman surrounded the city`s main Taksim Square to prevent the demonstration taking place during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan (AFP)

Riot police fires rubber bullets and tear gas at LGBT rally in Istanbul

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