200,000 defy government and march in Budapest Pride
Turkiye moves to further restrict gender care for trans people
For the Los Angeles Blade, I wrote about APLA’s newest health center in West Hollywood dedicated to serving LGBTQ+ people.
Hungary: Organizers estimate that up to 200,000 people showed up to Budapest Pride in defiance of the government’s ban on the event. To put that number in perspective, that’s about 10% of the city’s population, and about 2% of the country’s overall population, that decided to take part under significant government threat.
Philippines: Newly elected opposition lawmakers have pledged to refile bills to ban anti-LGBT discrimination, recognize intersex people in law, and ensure hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples.
Turkiye: The Ministry of Health has issued a new regulation restricting access to hormone therapy for trans people to those over the age of 21, although the law currently allows it from age 18 forward. An anti-LGBT bill has been proposed by the government modeled after similar laws in Hungary, Georgia, and Russia, but it has not been brought forward for debate.
India: The High Court of Andhra Pradesh state affirmed that transgender women are women for purposes of laws meant to protect women from domestic violence and harassment.
Namibia: Equal Namibia is searching for litigants to challenge the country’s ban on same-sex marriage.
Cayman Islands: Hundreds marched in Caymans Pride over the weekend, as the UK territory awaits a ruling from the Privy Council on the legality of the civil partnership law imposed by the governor in 2020.
UK: The English Football Association has banned trans women from professional soccer.
Meanwhile in the States
Democrats have reintroduced a bill to ban the LGBTQ panic defense nationwide; it stands no chance of passage.
South Carolina: Columbia city council voted to full repeal the state’s only ban on conversion therapy last week, after months of threats from the state’s attorney-general.
Missouri: This isn’t really news, but it came to my attention that there are petition drives going on to put two referendums on the ballot in 2026: one to delete the defunct state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, and a second that would add “sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity, and marital status” to the state’s anti-discrimination laws. The drivers have until next May to collect the needed 170,000 or so signatures.
New Jersey: Lawmakers have advanced a bill to ensure that LGBT veterans who were discharged for being queer are still eligible for state benefits for veterans.
Pennsylvania: State Democrats plan to reintroduce a bill to penalize anti-LGBT hate crimes, but it will likely be blocked by the Republican-controlled senate again.