Pope Francis is facing backlash after reportedly using a derogatory term for gay people during a private meeting with the Italian Bishops’ Conference, an incident that could significantly alter perceptions of his stance on LGBTQ+ issues within the Catholic Church. According to multiple sources, when asked whether gay men should be allowed to train for… Continue reading Pope Francis accused of using offensive language about gay people, raising questions about his attitudes
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 2024
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
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
The European commission is taking legal action against Hungary at the European court of justice (ECJ), escalating a longstanding dispute over the country’s anti-LGBT laws. This is an unprecedented step for the EU, but it isn’t a sure win for LGBT rights in Europe – and even has the potential to endanger them. Hungary (under Prime Minister Viktor… Continue reading EU sues Hungary over anti-gay law – what it could mean for LGBT rights in Europe
A major transformation is underway in Romancelandia. Once upon a time, romance novels from major U.S. publishers featured only heterosexual couples. Today, the five biggest publishers regularly release same-sex love stories. From May 2022 to May 2023, sales of LGBTQ+ romance grew by 40%, with the next biggest jump in this period occurring for general… Continue reading What’s behind the astonishing rise in LGBTQ+ romance literature?
In light of racially disproportionate stop and search practices, the case of Child Q and other accusations of misconduct, police in England and Wales are under pressure to address racism in their ranks. But their plan to do this through changes such as mandatory anti-racism training for all officers refuses to accept that the service itself is institutionally… Continue reading The UK police won’t acknowledge institutional racism in their race action plan
