Australia: 17 year old given power over his parents for gender dysphoria

A 17-year-old transgender boy has become the first child in Australia to have been given the right to make decisions on special medical procedures without parental consent. 

The Family Court found that the boy, known as Isaac, was competent and gave him the power to override his parent's wishes to prevent him from using puberty suppressants, testosterone replacement therapy and undergoing any surgery related to his gender. The case potentially paves the way for other children seeking treatment without the support of one or both of their parents to ask the courts to declare them competent enough to make the decision themselves.  Read More

Twitter Users in France Convicted For Inciting Violence Against LGBT Community

In France, three Twitter users have been fined for using the hashtag #BrûlonsLesGaysSurdu, or “Let’s burn the gays.” It is the first time France has handed down court convictions for anti-gay tweets.

The case was brought by the French LGBT charity Comité IDAHO, which filed a complaint against the three Twitter users, accusing them of inciting hatred and violence on the basis of sexual orientation. The group called the convictions a “significant victory.”  Read More 

Despite Legal Gay Marriage These US States Forbid Teaching About Gay Sex

This month the US Supreme Court announced it would decide in the current term whether all 50 states must allow same-sex couples to marry. But while legal gay marriage has spread rapidly over the last several years, sex education laws in many states remain in the Dark Ages—even in states where gay marriage is allowed.

Sex education is only mandated for middle or high schoolers in 22 states, but almost every state in the nation has policies governing what teachers should emphasize or avoid if they teach sex ed. In 20 states, this means spelling out how teachers should cover homosexuality: 9 states require that information on sexual orientation be "inclusive," while 11 states have either pro-heterosexual or anti-homosexual biases. Read More

Appeals Court Upholds Condom Use In Porn Films Being Shot In LA

A Los Angeles County ordinance requiring actors in pornographic films to use condoms does not violate the porn industry’s First Amendment rights of free expression, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The decision rejected the industry’s contention that having actors use condoms would interfere with a film’s fantasy element by subjecting viewers to real-world concerns like pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Read More

British Columbia’s Trinity Western University fights Nova Scotia decision to deny accreditation

British Columbia’s TWU argued in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society (NSBS) did not have the authority to refuse to approve the university’s proposed law school.

The society’s council decided that TWU students would need to meet national requirements for skills and knowledge required to be licensed to practice law. However, TWU must drop its community covenant prohibiting same-sex intimacy before graduates from the school would be allowed to enroll in the province’s bar admission program.

In its brief to the court, the NSBS argued while the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of religion and association, it does not require the society to support conduct that discriminates against others.  “Those who hold evangelical beliefs are not singled out,” the NSBS brief states. “Instead, it is the law degree from schools that engage in discriminatory conduct that is singled out.” Read More

Preacher Scott Lively on trial for role in Uganda anti-gay law

Anti-gay preacher Scott Lively will face trial for crimes against humanity for his role in influencing the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA). A lawsuit was originally filed by the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) on behalf of umbrella advocacy group Sexual Minorities Uganda. He is accused of direct involvement in anti-gay efforts in Uganda and therefore of aiding persecution – a violation of international law. A Boston Court of Appeals last week denied Lively's petition to have the case dismissed. It will proceed in federal court. 

Lively, who is president of Abiding Truth Ministries, recently described homosexuality as an "infection" and worse than mass murder. He has also accused gay people of being "agents of America's moral decline."  Read More

Australian Court: Resort cannot use religion to justify discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation

The Court of Appeal of Victoria, Australia found Christian Youth Camps liable for an act of unlawful discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arising from the refusal of its manager, Mark Rowe, to allow one of CYC’s adventure camp resorts to be used by same-sex attracted young people.

Cobaw Community Health Services Ltd, an organization working to prevent suicide among young people and to raise awareness about the needs of same-sex attracted young people and the effects of homophobia and discrimination on them, had made the request to host a retreat for same-sex attracted young people. CYC denied them access after learning of the intended guests. Read More

Kenya takes step toward recognizing intersex people in landmark ruling

A Kenyan court has ordered the government to issue a birth certificate to a five-year-old child born with ambiguous genitalia, in a landmark ruling that the child's lawyer said was a first step toward recognizing intersex people.

Hospital staff put a question mark next to the box designating gender on a form to record the 2009 birth of the baby whose sex organs were not clearly female or male. This meant the child never received a birth certificate, necessary to enjoy basic legal rights, such as attending school, getting a national identity document and voting.

"Now they are going to be able to get a birth certificate," the child's lawyer, John Chigiti, said. "That's a win." Read More

Chinese Court Sides With Gay Man in ‘Conversion’ Suit

In a victory for gay rights advocates in China, a Beijing court ruled on Friday that a Chinese clinic must pay compensation to a gay man who sued it for giving him electric shocks intended to change his sexual orientation and stating that homosexuality is not a mental illness. Read More

EU Countries Banned From Requiring LGBT Asylum Seekers To “Prove” Their Sexuality

Europe’s top court, the European Court of Justice has blocked tests administered by European countries to determine cases of asylum seekers who say they are gay or lesbian. It has ruled that refugees who claim asylum on the grounds that they are homosexual – especially from African countries – should not have to undergo tests to prove it.

The ruling was a result of three men, including a Ugandan and one from a Muslim country, failing in their bids for asylum when a Dutch court said they had not proved their sexuality.  Read More

South African Court Sentences Man To 30 Years In Prison For Rape And Murder Of Black Lesbian

A South African court has sentenced Lekgoa Lesley Motleleng to 30 years for the rape and murder of Duduzile Zozo, a 26-year-old black lesbian from a township east of Johannesburg.

The gruesome details of her death brought national attention to an epidemic of sexual assault targeting black lesbians in South Africa and the failure of the criminal justice system to respond to them. While there are no reliable statistics on how frequently black lesbians are targeted for so-called “corrective rape,” a 2013 study found that almost one in three lesbian or bisexual women in South Africa reported being the victims of “forced sex.”  Read More