‘We fall, we rebuild, we dance again’: repression and resilience in queer Beirut

Ghiwa Abi HaidarRights

If you want to understand the progress of LGBTQIA+ liberation in Lebanon’s capital, our nightlife is a great place to start, says Ghiwa Abi Haidar. In a blog for Pride month, she looks back at a scene that has suffered bouts of brutal violence and censorship but where queer people are today once again finding rare freedom and radical joy on the dancefloor.

‘I would expect more trust’: five things holding back LGBTQIA+ led organisations in the Ukraine response

Charlotte GreenerHumanitarian, Research, Rights

LGBTQIA+ organisations responding to the crisis in Ukraine need  better support from international donors, including more flexible funding and support to boost the visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. Charlotte Greener shares insights from conversations with two LGBTQIA+ groups working in Ukraine and neighbouring Poland.

Across Asia, local LGBTQIA+ activists are finding their Voice

Kayla LapizInfluencing, Power Shifts, Rights

Over the past eight years, the Voice programme has been supporting the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. In a blog for Pride month, Kayla Lapiz and Ishita Dutta look back on some inspiring examples of local action as the programme comes to an end.

Why we must never repeat the mistakes of a ‘gender-blind’ COVID response

Harry BignellGender, Health, Inequality

Pandemics are bad for women’s health – but they are also bad for their labour rights, suggests research from Matahari Global Solutions and the People’s Vaccine Alliance. Harry Bignell and Abha Jeurkar set out key gendered impacts of the pandemic – including the impact on trans and non-binary people – and call for pressure on global leaders to make sure we avoid them in future.

Love as a form of resistance to violence – both against people and the planet

Joshua VillalobosGender, Rights, Violence Against Women and Girls

In our second blog for the 16 days campaign against gender-based violence, queer climate activist Joshua Villalobos explains the passion that drives opposition to both gender-based violence and the abuse of the climate that fuels it.

Why are LGBTQIA+ people in the Philippines still waiting for an anti-discrimination law?

Neal Igan RoxasInequality, Influencing, Rights

Neal Igan Roxas looks back on his childhood, and at the daily challenge for LGBTQIA+ people of “braving spaces” in the face of hostility, to explain why it is so vital the landmark SOGIE equality bill passes into law, after a two-decade battle for anti-discrimination protection.

El intento de Guatemala de prohibir los derechos de las personas LGBTQIA+ refleja lo lejos que estamos de lograr la igualdad

Natalia MarsicovetereInequality, Influencing, Rights

En marzo, el país estuvo a punto de aprobar una ley para prohibir el matrimonio igualitario y la educación sexual integral-LGBTQIA+ en las escuelas, así como para endurecer las penas por el aborto. En nuestra última entrada del blog sobre el mes del orgullo, Natalia Marsicovetere destaca la urgente necesidad de fortalecer la coalición por la justicia que logró poner freno a esta ley (English version below)