Read the latest news and analysis of anti-gay crime and policy in the UK and abroad. Browse THEGAYUK’s entire archive on news about anti-gay behaviours in the UK and abroad.
t’s important to note that attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community can vary widely within individual states, and it’s not accurate to label an entire state as “anti-LGBTQ+.” However, some states have passed laws or have political climates that are perceived as being less supportive of LGBTQ+ rights.
That being said, there is no definitive list of the “most anti-LGBTQ+” states in the US. However, some states have been criticized for passing laws or taking actions that are perceived as discriminatory towards the LGBTQ+ community. For example, in recent years, some states have passed laws that allow businesses to refuse service to LGBTQ+ individuals on the basis of religious objections, or have attempted to restrict access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender individuals.
Some states that have been criticized for passing laws or taking actions that are perceived as discriminatory towards the LGBTQ+ community include:
Texas 49 bills
Oklahoma 35 bills
Missouri 34 bills
Iowa 29 bills
Tennessee 26 bills
Mississippi 24 bills
Indiana 18 bills
South Dakota 18 bills
North Dakota 17 bills
Kansas 12 bills
It’s worth noting that attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community can change over time, and some states that were once perceived as less supportive of LGBTQ+ rights have since passed more inclusive laws or become more accepting. Additionally, there are many individuals and organizations within these states that actively work to promote LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.
LGBT+ campaigners in Poland have taken to the streets after a leading activist was given a two-month prison sentence.
Earlier this week, the LGBT+ activist was also detained for 48 hours after taking a picture with a rainbow flag in front of a statue of Jesus Christ.
Hundreds of LGBT+ people and their allies took the streets in Warsaw in protest in front of the Campaign Against Homophobia offices.
According to sources, at least 48 people were detained and several were injured according to reports. Footage from the protest shows a wall of police becoming heavyhanded with the protesters, with some of the activists comparing the scenes that unfolded to the 1969 Stonewall riots.
Photos from the protests flooded social media, including one of an activist with what looks like a policeperson’s knee on their neck, many users on Twitter remarked that the actions of the police and their treatment of the protesters echoed the horrific footage of a policeman’s knee on the neck of George Floyd in the USA, which sparked the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests.
Shocking pictures from the protests
POLAND NEEDS YOUR HELP this isn’t some kind of a joke. young protestors are being beaten up on the streets by police, some of them are in really bad condition and why? just because they want to have basic human rights pic.twitter.com/AaODviBDKf
LGBT Activist, Remy Bonny has called on the EU to “convene an extraordinary session of the @EUCouncil on the authoritarian events that have taken place in Poland over the last weeks.
He added, “There is no way to deny that the events that took place in Poland Yesterday is the prelude of the establishment of a dangerous dictatorship in the middle of the European Union.
“A Europe without values is not worthy to be called a ‘Union’!”
The mayor of Depok city, in Indonesia, has demanded that police raid the LGBT+ community, to “stop the spread” of LGBT+ people.
Depok City is the hometown of the convicted serial rapist, Reynhard Sinaga and it is thought that the mayor has ordered the crackdown on LGBT+ people following the high profile court case, which saw Sinaga banged up for a minimum of 30 years.
According to Amnesty International, Mohammad Idris, the mayor of the city of Depok in West Java, asked municipal police to search rented residencies in order to stop what he called “immoral” acts.
Idris is part of the Prosperous Justice Party, an Islam-based political party in Indonesia, which has a political affiliation with the right-wing Muslim Brotherhood organisation.
He labelled his crackdown a “prevention toward the spread of LGBTI” in the city, saying he had called for the raids in the wake of global media interest in Sinaga’s case.
Sinaga was convicted of multiple rapes and sexual assaults and is currently serving a 30-year sentence in the UK.
Usman Hamid, Amnesty International Indonesia’s Executive Director, said,
“This latest vicious campaign against LGBTI people must stop.
“Same-sex relations are protected under international law and there can be no justification for these hateful raids.
“Criminalisation of homosexuality is discriminatory and violates the rights to private and family life, freedom of expression, and the freedom of assembly and association.
“The authorities in Indonesia repeatedly launch humiliating crackdowns on suspected same-sex activity, and misuse laws against loitering or public nuisance to harass and arrest LGBTI people.
“The Indonesian government should also repeal all laws that criminalise specific gender identities and expressions.”
Indonesia’s LGBT Crackdown
In recent years, LGBTI communities in Indonesia have faced increasing crackdowns from the authorities.
In 2018, police in Padang, West Sumatra, arrested ten women and accused them of same-sex relations after one of them posted a photo of her kissing and hugging another woman on Facebook. In the same year in the neighbouring province of Lampung, local police raided a beach and arrested three people who they suspected of being transgender women in an operation said to “provide safety and maintain public order” in the city. And in October 2018, West Java Police arrested two men for administering a Facebook group called “Facebook Gay Bandung Indonesia”, which has a total of 4,093 members.
Sharia Law?
Recently there has been a crackdown on homosexuality and transgender people, particularly in the Aceh Province, which uses Sharia law to govern its people, Sharia law outlaws same-sex sexual activity.
There have also been reports where there have been raids on gay men in the Country’s capital city, Jarkata. In May 2017, dozens of men were arrested for allegedly attending a party at a sauna. Police raided the venue and captured 144 men, under broad pornography laws. The broadly written rules have been used to target the gay community in the past unfairly.
Uganda’s Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Simon Lokodo, indicating that the Ugandan Government intends to introduce the death penalty for same-sex sexual acts in a so-called “kill the gays” bill.
Amnesty International have called the reintroduction “outrageous” and have called the government to reject the legislation.
Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s East Africa Director, said, “It is outrageous that instead of the Ugandan Government taking urgent steps to decriminalise gay sex, they want gay people executed.
“This is going to fire up more hatred in an already homophobic environment.
“This is an example of how Uganda’s politicians are stoking dangerous intolerance and bias against LGBTI people.
“Uganda’s MPs must resoundingly reject any plan to legalise this kind of bigotry and witch-hunting of anyone who is perceived as being different.”
Spate of recent killings
Last weekend (5 October), Brian Wassa, a gay paralegal, died from head injuries sustained in an attack by unknown assailants the previous day at his home in Kampala.
According to the LGBTI organisation Sexual Minorities Uganda, Wassa is the fourth LGBT+ person killed in the country in the past three months, killings which come in in the wake of a surge in anti-LGBT+ sentiments from political leaders.
Wassa’s death followed the killing of a trans woman from the Gomba district, a gay man in Kayunga district and another in the city of Jinja.
The Government of Uganda has a track record of promoting anti-LGBTI policies, which Amnesty has repeatedly criticised.
Death Penalty
CREDIT: TheGayUK
There are many countries and states where homosexual acts could land you the death penalty. Of these countries, all are located in Central Africa or in the Middle East.
Afghanistan
Men could face execution but are more likely to receive long prison
sentences. No executions are known to have been handed out since the end
of the Taliban rule.
Brunei*
Gay men in Brunei could be stoned or given 10 years in prison if found guilty of homosexual acts.
Iran
In Iran gay men can be lashed up to 74 times for “immature men” and
the death penalty for mature men of sound mind – and where the acts were
consenting. Women can be lashed 50 times and can face the death penalty
after their fourth conviction.
Mauritania
Homosexuality is against the law in Mauritania and could attract the
death penalty however there have been no public executions since 1987.
Qatar
In Qatar, gay men may face execution if they are Muslim otherwise men can face fines and a prison sentence which lasts 7 years.
Saudi Arabia
A second conviction of homosexuality in Saudi Arabia will land a
death penalty. For first offence, men can face fines, castration,
flogging, prison and torture.
Married men can expect to be stoned to death if caught having
same-sex relations. Unmarried men will receive 100 lashes or one-year
imprisonment.
Libya
Gay men could face death in Libya.
Nigeria
Homosexuality is illegal in some states of Nigeria and could attract
the death penalty. These states include: Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa,
Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara
Somalia
Homosexuality is illegal in Somalia and could attract a death penalty.
Syria
The actual penalty that gay men should face for homosexual acts is a
prison for up to 3 years, however, due to the rise in ISIS a highly
advertised death awaits those found guilty of engaging in same-sex
sexual acts.
Iraq
Despite homosexuality not being illegal in Iraq, there have been reported executions of gay men in ISIS controlled areas.
* Brunei is a Sovereign state and not a country.
There are some countries where although capital punishment might not
be constitutionally ratified there are cases where gay people have been
killed because of their sexuality.
Disgraced Rugby player Israel Folau’s contract has been terminated after a series of offensive social media posts.
The Australian Rugby Union has served Israel Folau with a contract ending breech notice, following on from offensive social media posts, one of which said that “hell awaits” gay people.
He can now accept the breach notice, in which case his contract is formerly ended or he can challenge it with a hearing.
Last week he posted on Instagram that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters” should “repent” because “only Jesus saves”.
“Israel was warned formally and repeatedly”
Chief Executive of Rugby Australia, Raelene Castle said, “At its core, this is an issue of the responsibilities an employee owes to their employer and the commitments they make to their employer to abide by their employer’s policies and procedures and adhere to their employer’s values.
“Following the events of last year, Israel was warned formally and repeatedly about the expectations of him as a player for the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs with regards to social media use and he has failed to meet those obligations.
“It was made clear to him that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action.
“All professional Rugby players in Australia are bound by the Code of Conduct and there is a process in place for any disciplinary matter. We appreciate that this particular matter will attract significant interest, but due process must be followed.”
In 2018 he received a backlash after another anti-gay tweet, in which said gay people would go to hell unless “they repent their sins and turn to God.”
Rugby player, Israel Folau has come under fire for anti-LGBT+ social media posts.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/125524007@N08/ [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]Australian rugby player, Israel Folau, 30, is set to be fired by Rugby Australia and the New South Wales Rugby Union after a social media post by the player suggested that “hell awaits” gay people.
On Wednesday, he posted on Instagram that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolaters” should “repent” because “only Jesus saves”.
In a statement, the governing bodies said, “He does not speak for the game with his recent social media posts, In the absence of compelling mitigating factors, it is our intention to terminate his contract.”
“Israel has failed to understand that the expectation of him as a Rugby Australia and NSW Waratahs employee is that he cannot share material on social media that condemns, vilifies or discriminates against people on the basis of their sexuality,” the governing bodies said in a statement.
“As a code, we have made it clear to Israel formally and repeatedly that any social media posts or commentary that is in any way disrespectful to people because of their sexuality will result in disciplinary action.”
In another tweet sent on Tuesday, Folau wrote “The devil has blinded so many people in this world, REPENT and turn away from your evil ways. Turn to Jesus Christ who will set you free”, after Tasmania opted to make a baby’s gender optional on birth certificates in its state.
The UK government has updated its travel advice for its LGBT citizens planning to take a trip to Brunei following on from the introduction of the death penalty for homosexual acts.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FOC) has updated its travel advice to LGBT+ people planning to travel to Brunei – after legislation recently changed in the nation, which affects LGBT+ people.
Brunei has now adopted a law which allows for the death penalty, death by stoning, to be used on men who are found having same-sex sexual relations with each other.
The UK Government’s advice warns travellers, “Homosexual activity is illegal” and warns travellers to “find out about the local laws and customs of the country and area you’re visiting.
“In some countries, homosexuality and/or homosexual relations are illegal and can be subject to severe penalties”.
The office also suggest, “invest in a good guide book – many specialise in advice to LGBT travellers”
Not all laws or punishments will affect non-Muslims in the region.
The adoption of sharia-based laws in the Muslim majority country means that Muslims found guilty of engaging in gay sex will be stoned to death, those who are not Muslim may receive lengthy prison sentences. The law also means that anyone found guilty of committing adultery or trying to denounce Islam or insulting the Prophet Muhammad will also be dealt with the death penalty.
Those found guilty of theft will have their hands amputated. Not all laws or punishments will affect non-Muslims in the region.
Christian business owners Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski in the US are even going to court to fight for the right to ensure they are not forced to provide services to gay people getting married. The duo makes and sell wedding invitations and say that their Christian beliefs are so strong that they shouldn’t be forced to make products for LGBT+ people getting hitched. They also believe that their freedom of speech is being curtailed.
They had their legal counsel, Kate Anderson from ADF Legal, speak to the rather silent media pool about their decision to take their case to the Arizona Supreme Court.
It all boils down to the fact that Joanna and Breanna feel that making gay marriage invitations would go against their religious beliefs and should be able to do this without being punished. This is despite the fact that they’ve never been actually undertaken a job to make invitations for any same-sex couples before they brought the case.
Duka and Koski’s business is called Brush & Nib Studios and is based out of Arizona, and Arizona state law forbids companies from discriminating against the LGBT+ community.
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An anti-gay game where players can kill LGBT+ people by shooting them in the head or throwing them off buildings has lost its ability to take supporter payments by Paypal, THEGAYUK.com has learned.
The game’s website was also yanked by its host, Wix. Writing on the the new website, the game’s creators said, “Our previous website was shut down by our prior host after individuals worldwide who cannot differentiate between a perfectly legal, satirical video game parody and real life decided to make multiple complaints to the hosting provider, Wix, demanding we be censored”.
The game’s creators also said that they had been banned by payment processor, SQUARE.
The game was supposed to have a release date of 1st Feb 2019, but it has been moved up to the 15th January 2018.
The creators say that the gamer takes on the role of Jesus (or a host of other characters) to travel through various cities leaving a “wave of dead terrorists and radicals in his path” in a game which it says it “fun for all the family”.
The radicals are described as social justice warriors, radical feminists, radical LGBT militants, illegal aliens, terrorists, doctors, socialist politicians and a “radical frenzied NON-BINARY, GENDER FLUID pansexual humanoid berserker”.
The Killers
Players have a host of killers they can play as. Jesus is the main character however there is a choice of “Dolf” a character who looks similar to Adolf Hilter, “Tromp” who has the trademark hairstyle of President Donald Trump, “Pootin”, who has a very similar look to President Putin as well as other figures similar to historical leaders and tyrants. The game’s creators deny that the characters are based on real-life people.
The Creators
The game has been created by four people, who are largely anonymised or known solely by their first names. “John” who financed the game says he’s “Christian first, Republican second and is “no stranger to the old “elbow-grease”.
“Anon” is “A man dismayed at the overwhelming political correctness engulfing the USA and the rest of the world, he now fuels his rage into the development of JSB”
“Anon 2” is “An anonymous European Union resident. The anguish he feels at the EU suppressing his free speech rights drove him to work on JSB”
“Edge” is described as “a retired full-time edgelord before joining the JSB: JD team. He has seen some edgy things in his time and now manages the edge factor of JSB”
Support by PayPal dropped
Supporters were previously reminded that they could donate by PayPal in order to help pay for the game to be financed. Supporters were able to make monthly or one-off payments.
THEGAYUK.com reached out to PayPal for comment who told us there were “looking into it, however won’t be able to comment further due to customer confidentiality”.
PayPal has now pulled the ability to use their platform to support his game.
Staffordshire cops were appealing for witnesses after disturbing anti-gay and homophobic grafitti was sprayed on over two dozen vehicles and buldings.
The graffiti was found in Chadsmoor, near Cannock. It is believed the grafitti was done on the night of the 23rd December 2018.
According to reports 26 cars and vans were targetted as well as numerous buildings and garages,including Curlew Hill, Kelvin Drive and Huntingdon Terrace.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said, “Officers are investigating homophobic graffiti found on cars and buildings in Chadsmoor overnight.
“In total 26 cars and vans were spray painted, as well as walls and garage doors, in various streets including Curlew Hill, Kelvin Drive and Huntington Terrace.
“Increased patrols will be in the area this evening. We take this type of graffiti seriously and witnesses, or anyone with information, are asked to call 101 quoting incident 129 of December 23.
Taking to Twitter the police released a picture of someone they’d wanted to speak to in connection with the grafitti and confirmed on Christmas eve, that an arrest had been made, they wrote, “We have arrested a 41-year-old man of no fixed address on suspicion of criminal damage in relation to the graffiti of multiple vehicles in Chadsmoor on Saturday night. The man is now being questioned in custody.
We have arrested a 41-year-old man of no fixed address on suspicion of criminal damage in relation to the graffiti of multiple vehicles in Chadsmoor on Saturday night. The man is now being questioned in custody. pic.twitter.com/V6vXZY854u
A poll of Bond fans has revealed that they really don’t want him to gay, but might be okay with him being a woman, non-British or BAME.
Fans want James Bond to remain British, male, straight and white according to a recent poll. The poll conducted by The Hollywood Reporter asked a series of questions about the world-famous spy’s sexuality, colour and gender, to find out how much change, if any, moviegoers could handle over casting a new Bond.
Over half of those asked (52%) said that they were opposed to Bond being gay. Only 15% strongly supported the idea of Bond being gay.
In fact more people were down with the idea of him being American (26 per cent) than gay.
Nearly half (48%) opposed the notion of Bond being female, while 29 per cent were opposed to him being black or mixed raced.
Up until this point all Bonds have been played by a white male, with most coming from England, Wales or Scotland. Only Pierce Brosnan (Irish) and George Lazenby (Austrailian) were born outside the UK.
