Category: News

Sep 26
100 LGBT+ people arrested in Azerbaijan

At least 100 LGBT+ people are reported to have been arrested and tortured in Azerbaijan. Following Police raids in the capital Baku, local activists report beatings and torture of LGBT+ people. Lawyers confirm at least 100 people have been arrested over a number of days. “Suddenly, without any clear reasons to us, police officers of […]

Sep 25
Seven Rainbow Candidates Make it to Parliament

New Zealand has voted, 2,16980 ballot papers have been counted and the preliminary results are out, but we are still without a clear idea of the make-up of our next government. As the country waits in limbo, special votes are yet to be counted and no party in this year’s election has enough votes to […]

Sep 25
Australian Woman with Down Syndrome Denied Right to Vote

An Australian woman with down syndrome has been denied the right to vote in the current marriage equality postal survey. Shea MacDonaugh, 31, voluntarily removed herself from the electoral role six years ago because she felt she didn’t understand the preferential voting system well enough. Having since completed university study and spent years advocating for […]

Sep 25
LGBT+ Guides for Schools Released

The Ministry of Education has released a new guide for supporting sex, sexuality and gender diverse students. The Inclusive Education guides for schools provide strategies and suggestions for supporting youth and were created after consultation with a range of organisations including RainbowYOUTH and InsideOUT. There are four key areas covered in the guides; understanding sex, […]

Sep 25
RainbowYOUTH appoint new Executive Director

RainbowYOUTH has appointed its new Executive Director and welcome Frances Arns to the whānau. Arns steps into the role with a desire to broaden the education and awareness role of the organisation and to continue to prioritise ensuring accessibility for takatāpui youth. “I’m looking forward to continuing the growth of RainbowYOUTH and building on the […]

Sep 21
Concerns Regarding Security of Postal Vote

As Australia is in the process of casting their vote on marriage equality, questions regarding the security of a postal vote have been raised after voting forms were found scattered on one woman’s property. Kerry Ford says she found dozens of postal voting letters dumped on her property and she is concerned that someone is […]

Sep 20
Brazilian Judge Overturns Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy

Gay conversion therapy has been ruled legal by a judge in Brazil. Federal judge in Brasília, Waldemar de Carvalho, has overruled a decision by the Federal Council of Psychology made in 1999 prohibiting psychologists from offering ‘gay conversion’ therapies. The action was brought to court by an evangelical Christian psychologist Rozangela Justino, who believes homosexuality […]

Sep 20
Lena Waithe Makes History at the Emmys

Writer for Netflix series, Master of None, Lena Waithe, has made history by becoming the first black woman to win an Emmy Award for comedy writing. The Thanksgiving episode was co-written with Aziz Ansari and focuses on the backstory of Waithe’s character Denise as a black woman coming to terms with her sexuality. It is […]