LGBT – RightsViews

Most Unusual Requests: Transgender, Jewish students targeted in the US, Ukraine

May 17, 2023 by Jess GallagherNo Comments

By Guest Writer Ararat L. Osipian Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is asking state universities to fill the survey regarding the number and ages of students who sought gender dysphoria treatment, including sex reassignment surgery and hormone prescriptions. This survey has been sent to the universities by the state’s budget director, Chris Spencer: “Our office has learned that several state universities provide services to persons suffering from gender dysphoria. On behalf of the Governor, I hereby request that you respond to the enclosed inquiries related to such services.” The survey is to be completed as part of the obligation to govern institutional resources and protect the public interest. It did not take long for Democrats to respond. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell said that “We can see cuts in funding for universities to treat students with this condition, and I think an all-out elimination of services is certainly on the table.” According to Driskell, the Floridian Governor is trying to remake the state’s...

The Right to Healthcare for LGBTQIA Indians: A Relentless Fight towards Equality

January 13, 2023 by Varsha VijayakumarNo Comments

By Guest Writers Srushti S Kekre* and Udisha Surana** Of all forms of inequality, ‘injustice in healthcare’ is the most shocking and inhumane. -Martin Luther King Jr. Since time immemorial, the LGBTQIA community has been subjected to regressive and dehumanizing practices. Pervasive intolerance and prejudice has forced them to live on the margins of society and fight for something as indispensable as healthcare. The Indian healthcare system has historically functioned around a heteronormative mindset, actively dismissing the interests of people with gender diverse identities. Yet Article 14 of the Constitution of India guarantees protection against any discrimination on the basis of caste, race, gender and religion. Meanwhile, the Indian Supreme Court, in the landmark case of L.I.C of India v. Consumer Education and Research Centre, expressly applied the principles of equality to eliminate any form of discrimination and protect the right to health and adequate healthcare facilities. Lamentably, bigotry has progressed to an extent where, throughout the Covid-19 global pandemic, the LGBTQIA community was intentionally...

Understanding the LGBT Rights Movement in Indonesia

March 4, 2021March 2, 2021 by Larissa PeltolaNo Comments

By guest contributors Harsh Mahaseth* and Ishita Goel* Although homosexuality is legal in most parts of Indonesia, it is widely believed that the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia is anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), with government officials making the four-letter acronym a toxic symbol. In November, Indonesian police arrested Millen Cyrus, a trans-woman Instagram influencer, for alleged drug possession. Police placed her in a male detention cell at the Tanjung Priok Port Police Station, a move that received criticism from Indonesians and the international community. Millen Cyrus was arrested on November 22, 2020, after police raided her hotel room and discovered 0.36 grams of crystal methamphetamine in her possession. Police revealed later that Cyrus had been placed in a male detention cell because her I.D card identified her as a male. She was moved to a special cell following public outrage, not because police realised their mistake. They removed her from the male detention cell in order to “stifle anger,”...

Freedom of Expression Under Threat

January 11, 2018January 12, 2018 by EditorNo Comments

By Graeme Reid, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender rights program at Human Rights Watch Invisibility and stigma go hand in hand. "Coming out" became a central part of the gay liberation movement in the United States and Europe from the 1960s, a strategy adopted as a prerequisite for claiming rights. And in the late 1980s, in response to the AIDS crisis, ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) adopted the slogan "Silence=Death," which became the rallying cry of a movement challenging silence and stigma. Globally, in the past three decades, there has been a rapid increase in queer visibility, facilitated by many factors including images and ideas circulating through the internet, interconnectedness among LGBT organizations and individuals, and the global response to HIV/AIDS. As of 2017, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) has 1,228 member organizations in 132 countries. Yet visibility also comes with risks. As the visibility of sexual and gender minorities has increased, so too...

On Being LGBT in West Africa

March 6, 2015March 21, 2016 by Editor1 Comment

By Philip Rodenbough, doctoral candidate in chemistry at Columbia University. Twitter: @prodenbough ___________________________________________________________________________ The Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) is a program organized by the US Department of State through which students work part time on a project under the direction of a mentor at State, USAID, embassies abroad, or other government agencies. The e-internship is completed entirely online, so anyone can participate from anywhere. During the previous academic year, VSFS offered over 300+ positions to students, many of which were human rights related projects. Through VSFS, I was fortunate to participate in an independent research project on the LGBT experience in West Africa, with the guidance of a USAID mentor. Throughout the 2013-14 academic year, I researched country conditions, collected media reports, conducted interviews, and authored original detailed descriptions on the LGBT experience in West Africa. This research was developed to to help form baseline data that informs on the needs of the local LGBT communities, in addition to assessing the impact...