UK

General News

Man admits to murdering Worcester trans woman in 2019

55-year-old Martin Saberi has admitted to murdering Amy Griffiths a day before his trial was due to begin.

By Rachel Badham • 1 min read

General News

Tory MP apologises for anti-LGBTQ+ remarks

64-year-old Desmond Swayne, a long-serving Tory MP for New Forest West, has apologised for referring to same-sex relations as ‘unnatural’ in 1999.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Government to fine universities that ban hate speech

UK education secretary, Gavin Williamson, to release new regulations regarding free speech at universities tomorrow.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Study finds LGBTQ+ more likely to experience workplace harassment

A new report has found LGBTQ+ employees are more likely to feel unsafe and experience harassment in the workplace.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Gay asylum seeker criticises UK immigration system

Abderrahim El Habachi, a gay asylum seeker from Morocco, has spoken out against the UK Home Office’s lack of support for LGBTQ+ immigrants.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Tory MP calls for trans conversion therapy ban

Conservative MP, Alicia Kearns, has called for the UK government to ensure that any future laws created against LGBTQ+ conversion therapy will be trans inclusive.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Study finds non-LGBTQ+ people less likely to get HIV test

New research undertaken by the Terrence Higgins Trust found straight people are considerably less likely to get tested for the virus, despite making up 40% of recorded cases in 2019.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Eddie Izzard speaks about experience as a trans child

58-year-old comedian Eddie Izzard recently told Simon Thomas on the Life, Interrupted podcast that she knew she was trans as a young child.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Maureen Colquhoun dead at 92

Maureen Colquhoun, feminist pioneer and the UK’s first out lesbian MP, has died at 92. Colquhoun was a Labour politician, representing Northampton North from 1974 to 1979.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Mermaids warns of transphobic cyber-bullying

Trans advocacy organisation, Mermaids, has warned of the high levels of cyber-bullying young trans people face, which often leave them afraid to come out.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

LGBTQ+ organisations apply to join puberty blockers appeal

Stonewall, Gendered Intelligence, the Endocrine Society and young people’s sexual health charity, Brook, have applied to join the NHS appeal against the recent court decision to prevent trans people under 16 from accessing puberty blockers.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

Business News

Ann Summers CEO shares message of trans solidarity

Ann Summers chief executive, Jacqueline Gold, has shared a message of support for trans people, saying she wants to “empower” trans women and ensure they feel comfortable shopping with the brand.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

Arts

Join us on BBCSussex Thu evening

Join some of our editorial team on BBC Sussex, talking about Scene, been there, done that, and now planning for the future!

By Scene Editorial Team • 1 min read

General News

Alabama law may prohibit trans youth healthcare

Lawmakers in Alabama, US, are constructing a bill which will prevent young trans people under the age of 18 from accessing puberty blockers.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

UK places sanctions on Chechnya leaders

The UK government has placed strict sanctions on three top officials from Chechnya, Russia, who were charged with torturing LGBTQ+ people.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Petition condemns LGB Alliance

A change.org petition has called for UK media outlets to stop uncritically platforming the anti-trans group, LGB Alliance.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Mara Gomez is the first trans woman to play in Argentinian league

Mara Gomez, 22, is the first trans woman to have been signed to a professional football team in Argentina amidst global debates surrounding trans women’s right to play on league level sporting teams.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Update: LGBTQ+ organisations criticise government move to axe anti-bullying project

Multiple LGBTQ+ organisations in the UK have criticised the government’s decision to axe funding for The Homophobic, Biphobic and Transphobic Challenge Fund.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Update: English rugby league allows trans women to play

Despite recent rulings from World Rugby, the international union for the sport, stating trans women should not be allowed to play professionally on the basis of ‘safety’, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in England has announced it will continue to allow trans women to participate.

By Rachel Badham • 1 min read

General News

Canada to criminalise LGBTQ+ conversion therapy

Canada has reintroduced a previously unsuccessful bill to criminalise the practise of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy after past efforts were interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

By Rachel Badham • 1 min read

General News

Half of gender non-conforming people want to abolish legal gender categories

A new study which interviewed gender non-conforming people found half of respondents thought legal gender categories should be abolished altogether.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

General News

Stonewall to continue trans birth certificate campaign

LGBTQ+ organisation Stonewall has announced it will continue its campaign to allow for trans people to alter their birth certificates without medical diagnosis.

By Rachel Badham • 1 min read

General News

EU official demands action against LGBTQ+ free towns

European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen has publicly condemned the creation of ‘LGBTQ+ free’ zones in Poland, saying they have no place in the EU.

By Rachel Badham • 2 min read

Community

Update: Ofsted to mark down schools that exclude LGBTQ+ education

New regulations about LGBTQ+ inclusive education means UK schools that fail to teach students about LGBTQ+ matters risk being marked down by Ofsted inspectors.

By Rachel Badham • 1 min read