Blog Posts | OK 2B GAY

July 18, 2019

Women’s Equality leader: being black and bisexual shaped my politics

Mandu Reid is the first black leader of a political party in UK history. She’s also the first out bisexual woman. It’s a part of her identity she’s always had to defend, both in and outside of the LGBT+ community. But having grown up as a mixed-race child in South Africa’s apartheid era, defending...

July 18, 2019

Hate-crime laws updated in Oregon to include gender identity

Gender identity will now be a protected class in Oregon, in the most significant update to the state’s hate-crime laws since the 1980s. The new measures, signed by the Democrat Oregon governor Kate Brown, also close a loophole that meant people who committed hate crimes alone, rather than in groups, received lighter...

July 18, 2019

Gay man banned from donating blood donates kidney instead

A man who was told he could no longer donate blood because he has sex with men has protested the “crazy” FDA restrictions by donating a kidney to a stranger. 24-year-old Barton Lynch from Virginia donated blood for years in honour of his father, who was diagnosed with cancer. But after he began dating men,...

July 18, 2019

Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price: I stand shoulder to shoulder with my trans siblings

When I was a young gay man in the 1980s, it would have been inconceivable that an event championing LGBT+ people would be held in the heart of Welsh democracy, and I myself there as the first openly LGBT+ party leader in our national Senedd. The 1980s were a dark and difficult period for LGBT+ … Continued The post...

July 18, 2019

UK under-18 gender identity services most ‘cautious’ in world

Children with gender identity issues go through one of the most “cautious and painstaking” processes in the world when accessing healthcare on the NHS, say experts from the UK’s gender identity development service. Dr Bernadette Wren, head of psychology at NHS England’s gender identity development...

July 18, 2019

Boy called ‘gay, fat, stupid’ gets incredible response from celebs on Twitter

A musical theatre teacher posted on Twitter on Tuesday (July 16) to say a little boy she teaches was suffering homophobic bullying because of his love of musical theatre, and West End stars responded in the most amazing way. Jacqueline Hughes said that her student Charlie was being called gay, fat and stupid and had...

July 17, 2019

England rugby star Billy Vunipola stands by ‘man made for woman’ jibe

England rugby star Billy Vunipola has defended his views about gay people, after being rebuked for a post in support of disgraced player Israel Folau. In April, Vunipola was handed a formal warning by the Rugby Football Union and his team the Saracens over social media posts defending Folau, who was sacked from the...

July 17, 2019

Israel education minister rows back support for gay cure therapy

Israeli education minister Rafi Peretz has claimed he opposes gay cure therapy, after LGBT+ protesters demanded his resignation over inflammatory comments supporting it. The far-right politician, whose Jewish Home party is part of a pact with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stirred anger after claiming that “it is...

July 17, 2019

European Court of Human Rights rules against Russia over LGBT group ban

The European Court of Human Rights has fined Russia for violating freedom of association by blocking the registration of LGBT+ groups. The action was brought by the groups (Rainbow House, Movement for Marriage Equality and Sochi Pride House, all of whom allege their registration as legal entities was blocked because their...

July 17, 2019

Teen who stabbed classmate over anti-gay bullying guilty of manslaughter

Abel Cedeno, who stabbed a classmate in retaliation to homophobic bullying, has been found guilty of manslaughter. Cedeno was found guilty of manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a weapon at Bronx Supreme Court on Monday (July 15). The teen fatally stabbed 15-year-old Matthew McCree during a fight at their high...