If London was once the undisputed capital of queer Britain, its crown is quietly being shared. From Blackpool’s seafront to Hebden Bridge’s hills, something quite radical is happening. Drag nights in working men’s clubs. Pride flags flutter above centuries old town halls. Zine collectives, queer supper clubs, DIY cabarets. A renaissance, glitter splattered, defiant and… Continue reading The Queer Renaissance of Small Town Britain
Prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition disapproves of LGBTQ+ couples raising children together and says the country’s laws do not allow children to have two mothers. Without warning, Michela Leidi was officially cancelled as the mother of her daughter on the infant’s birth certificate in January. ‘I cried for ten days when I opened the letter, it… Continue reading The children of LGBTQ+ parents are being stripped of their birth certificates in Italy
Georgia’s parliament has approved a new law aimed at “family values and the protection of minors,” which includes significant restrictions on LGBT rights. The bill, passed in its third and final reading, grants authorities the power to ban Pride events, restrict public displays of the LGBT rainbow flag, and censor films and books containing LGBT… Continue reading Georgian parliament passes law restricting LGBT rights ahead of election
Queer East Festival: On The Road will head out across the country from September to December, offering its biggest tour yet and showcasing a remarkable line-up of contemporary feature films, documentaries and shorts as well as special events that highlight a wide range of LGBTQ+ stories from East Asia, Southeast Asia and their diaspora communities.… Continue reading Queer East Festival: On The Road
The United Nations verified 3,688 cases of conflict-related sexual violence around the world last year, a significant increase of 50% from 2022. This is certainly a vast underestimate of the true number of cases. A report by the UN secretary-general in April mentioned a number of specific countries where sexual violence – and conflict –… Continue reading In Myanmar’s brutal war, the military is weaponising sexual violence against women, children and LGBTQI+ people
The number of victims of femicide in Italy in in 2020 equated to a woman killed every three days, “Femicide is not a crime of passion, it is a crime of power,” wrote Elena Cecchettin after her sister was killed in November 2023. Italian student Giulia Cecchettin, 22, was killed allegedly by her controlling ex-boyfriend, Filippo… Continue reading Femicide in Italy: A modern phenomenon deeply rooted in the country’s cultural past
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined hundreds of cities and counties across the country in declaring racism a public health threat. On April 8, 2021, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky called racism an epidemic that affects “the entire health of our nation.” Declaring racism a public health threat will create a sharper strategic and operational focus on… Continue reading Declaring racism a public health crisis brings more attention to solving long-ignored racial gaps in health
Yet again a black woman in British public life has been subjected to racist and sexist abuse. This may be shocking, but it is not surprising. When Tory donor Frank Hester said that looking at Diane Abbott “makes you want to hate all black women” his comments were extreme. Yet, they were hardly out of… Continue reading The abuse of Diane Abbott by a top Tory donor shows how racism against women MPs is normalised
Homelessness is reaching record highs in the UK. The latest statistics on statutory homelessness show that in March 2023, 104,510 households – including over 131,000 children – were living in hotels, hostels, B&Bs and the like. But disabled people are particularly affected by homelessness, as our new report, commissioned by the Centre for Homelessness Impact, explores.… Continue reading Disabled people are disproportionately affected by homelessness – and getting support feels ‘nearly impossible’
The UK government is proposing major changes to the benefits system, in response to the increase in people claiming benefits for disability and ill health. The proposals, which will be consulted on in the coming months, focus mainly on replacing the personal independence payment (Pip). Pip is a working-age benefit to help disabled people with the additional costs associated… Continue reading Swapping payments for vouchers won’t fix disability benefits
