Latest news with #BiphobiaandTransphobia
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Man Utd star Nemanja Matic handed ban after covering anti-homophobia sign
Nemanja Matic covered up an anti-homophobia logo during Lyon's final game of the season, with Ligue 1 chiefs coming down hard on the former Manchester United star Former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic has been handed a four-match ban for covering up an anti-homophobia logo on his Lyon shirt. The midfielder joined the French side 18 months ago from Ligue 1 rivals Rennes. Matic has been a key player for Lyon, even captaining them on occasions. He was brought on as a late substitute in their final day triumph over Angers, which helped them secure qualification for the Europa League. The final day was Ligue 1's dedicated period to show support for the LGBT+ community. The games coincided with International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on 17 May. Clubs put a rainbow patch on their shirt sleeves, as well as a symbol which had the word 'homophobia' in French crossed out with a red line and 'football' underneath. Matic appeared on the pitch with a piece of white material covering the rainbow logo. The 36-year-old was blasted for the move by France's sports minister Marie Barsacq, who said: ' Football has a massive platform, and the (French Football) Federation is determined to put this issue on the clubs' and supporters' agenda. 'Homophobic insults and behaviour are no longer acceptable. Society has evolved, and the language in football must change with it. There's a full range of sanctions available, and they must be applied.' He was subsequently charged by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), which governs French football. Their disciplinary committee have now confirmed the punishment, with Matic handing a two-match ban, with a further two matches suspended. He has also agreed to participate in an awareness-raising campaign on the fight against homophobia within six months. An LFP statement read: 'After hearing the player, the Commission sanctioned him with a two-match suspension and a two-match suspended sentence. 'Furthermore, the Commission offered the player—who immediately agreed during the hearing—to participate, within six months, in an awareness-raising campaign on the fight against homophobia in football, in collaboration with an expert association working alongside the LFP throughout the season with clubs and supporters.' Le Havre's Ahmed Hassan has been handed the same punishment after also covering up the rainbow logo on his shirt. Homophobia remains a huge problem in football, with Josh Cavallo, the first-ever top-flight star to come out, urging players to stand with LGBT+ people. 'The thing I would say to them is this could be your brother, it could be your mum or dad or sister who is experiencing this or going through this. To see them taking it away is bascially saying they're not included or accepted,' he told Mirror Football in an exclusive interview last year. 'So it is quite hurtful. They don't realise how impactful that could be to the LGBT+ community. It breaks my heart every time I see something like that. It's not on. If you're a football player, you have certain responsibilities. 'There's certain things you can or can't say on the pitch because you'll get sent off. There's things you can and can't do in the public right as a professional athlete. So doing that for me, is disgusting. 'It's just saying you don't like associating yourself with a certain group or people, which for me is my life. So, I find it quite disgusting. Everyone wants to be your friend, everyone wants to be an ally, but when it comes to the times we to speak up together, or need support, that's when we count on our allies.'
![[Vitit Muntarbhorn] Sex and gender rights in a plural world](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F05%2F26%2Fnews-p.v1.20250526.b4b6e98a0748467d9bd6b98abb45a183_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Vitit Muntarbhorn] Sex and gender rights in a plural world](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
[Vitit Muntarbhorn] Sex and gender rights in a plural world
On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (May 17), UN human rights experts recently called for countries to work with LGBTI communities and not to police them. This was an apt message which has to resonate at the national and local levels, especially when the world is witnessing regression in regard to policies on diversity, equity and inclusion. Thailand can be proud of the fact that the country is generally liberal on these issues, although there is no room for complacency. The most obvious progress is the implementation of the right of all persons (from 18 years of age), irrespective of sex or gender, to marry consensually and to shift away from the binary approach of 'man/woman equals husband/wife.' This is work in progress, as there are some 50 other laws awaiting reform to underline equality and non-discrimination for all. One of the urgent next steps to pluralize actions is to pass a law to recognize a person's gender identity which can be different from the sex assigned at birth. A key difficulty is the language itself. The word 'sex' in this context means the biological sex attributed to a person at the time of birth. However, 'gender' is different, as it reflects how a person feels and how society interlinks with the person which can differ from the biological sex. The correct translation of 'sex' is 'phet' in Thai, while the word 'gender' should be translated as 'phet sapap' or 'phet pawa.' There is still much confusion between these terms in official documents, including in the medical sector. This is especially important for transgender people who wish to affirm their gender and change identification, passport and other documents to reflect their self-determination. At present, regrettably transgender men (individually born a woman but self-identifying as a man) and transgender women (individually born a man but self-identifying as a woman) are unable to change their identity on such documents and are disadvantaged accordingly. This is even where they have had surgery to alter their physique to reflect that self-identification. On another front, there is the issue of intersex persons, namely persons born with particular sex characteristics, such as with both male and female organs. This group is particularly victimized by coerced surgery from a young age, superimposed by others choosing the (imputed) sex for the intersex child. This causes immense harm physically and psychologically, as the child may grow up to self-identify as having a different sex or gender from that resulting from the coerced surgery. Later in 2025, the UN Human Right Council will host a special session to discuss the intersex issue directly for the first time. Currently, there are various draft laws to address both the issue of transgender persons and intersex persons in Thailand's Parliament. There are some constructive elements emanating from them. First, on the transgender issue, under the draft, a person has the right to affirm the person's gender without coerced surgery. Second, there is no need for a psychological test for the person to affirm the preferred gender. Third, the health-and-rights oriented approach should enable transgender persons to access medical care, such as hormone treatment, and data protection. LGBTI persons should be able to offer blood donations. Fourth, gender markers will no longer be binary (namely: male, female), but there will be a third category of 'other' gender. With regard to intersex persons, the draft stipulates that coerced surgery should not take place at a young age. Families should wait till the person grows up to decide whether or not to have the surgery and let the person decide on the sex or gender accordingly. On the birth certificate, the sex of the person should be stated as 'intersex.' Not everything is settled in the draft, however. A difficult issue is the age of the person for affirming the gender and the age of the person for deciding when and if to have the surgery voluntarily. There is still disagreement internationally on the issue. The draft in Thailand uses 15 as the minimum age for affirming a person's identity. Thus, a person would be able to ask for a change of the gender on identification documents from the age of 15, while those under 15 need parental consent to do so. On the intersex issue, a person should be able to decide whether to affirm that person's sex or gender from the age of 15, and surgery is subject to the person's consent. All this will depend very much on political leadership to press for passage of the law. What about the vagaries of international trends? Should the recent judgement of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that 'woman' means a biological woman and not a transgender woman, affect Thailand's approach to sex and gender? That judgement should be viewed in context. First, that Court was interpreting British law on the issue, namely the Equality Act (2010). That law offers protection from discrimination relating to a variety of features, including 'sex,' 'gender reassignment' and 'sexual orientation.' The court was interlinking the word 'woman' with the term 'sex'; in other words, woman as a biological feature. Transgender people will still be protected as a group under the notion of 'gender reassignment.' However, internationally, the term 'gender affirmation' is now preferred to uphold the self-identification or self-determination of persons in this group. Moreover, the United Kingdom has a separate law — the Gender Recognition Act (2004) — on the issue of transgender people who wish to change their identity on the basis of gender dysphoria. However, there is a pathological and ambivalent tone behind that classification. The international trend now is to avoid classifying transgender people as having gender dysphoria and to advocate that the issue should be dealt with as part of access to health care and 'sexual health.' Whatever the state of the law here, there or anywhere, there can be no substitute for education and socialization involving the community, educational institutions, families, politicians and general public to treat others with empathy, irrespective of sex or gender. There can be no room for hate crimes. The heart and soul of the world is the plurality of its peoples sharing peacefully and respectfully a caring and concerted destiny. Vitit Muntarbhorn is a professor emeritus at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. He was formerly the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The views expressed here are the writer's own. — Ed.
Metro
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Metro
The ban ex-Chelsea and Man Utd star Matic faces for anti-homophobia protest
Former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic could face a substantial ban after he covered an anti-homophobia message on his kit with tape. Clubs in France sported rainbow-coloured logos on their right sleeve on Saturday to commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. But two-time Premier League winner Matic, 36, opted not to participate, instead taping over the message with a strip of white tape. Matic, currently playing for Ligue 1 side Lyon, came on as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 win over Angers. Fans quickly spotted Matic had covered up the anti-homophobia message on his kit. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. The Serbia international had no reservations highlighting his protest either as he posted several pictures on social media from the game which showed the message covered up. Matic is not the first player to cover up an anti-homophobia message, with Monaco's Mohamed Camara receiving a four-match ban for his decision to do so last season. The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) hit Camara with a suspension as they said the Mali footballer refused to 'carry out one or more actions to raise awareness of the fight against homophobia'. At the time, France's sports minister called for the 'strongest sanctions' to be taken against Camara and Monaco. 'It is unacceptable behaviour,' sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera told French radio station RTL. 'I had the chance to tell the LFP what I thought about it and I think such behaviour must be subject to the strongest sanctions against the player and the club which allowed it to happen.' Mostafa Mohamed, who plays for Nantes, has repeatedly refused to engage in the anti-homophobia initiative. The Egyptian, who cited his personal beliefs as the reason he would not participate, has not featured in any of Nantes' matchday squads that coincide with the league's anti-homophobia initiatives. As a result he was left out of Nantes' 3-0 win over Montpellier on Saturday. 'Everyone carries their own story, culture and sensitivity,' Mohamed previously said. 'Living together also means recognising that diversity can be expressed differently depending on the person. 'I believe in mutual respect. The respect we owe others, but also the respect we owe to ourselves and our beliefs. 'For me, there are deep-rooted values linked to my background and my beliefs that make my participation in this initiative difficult.' More Trending Earlier this season, England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi wrote 'Jesus loves you' on a rainbow armband that was worn as part of the Premier League's LGBTQ+ inclusion initiative in association with the charity Stonewall. 'The message was just a message of truth and love and inclusivity to be honest,' Guehi said. 'I don't think the message was harmful in any way – that's all I can really say about that to be honest. 'I believe 100% in the words that I wrote – it's a message of truth and love, and I hope people can understand that my faith is my faith, and I'll stand by it for the rest of my life.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Queer travellers are boycotting Florida — but there are other ways to fight back MORE: Gary Neville makes final Premier League top-five prediction with Chelsea missing out MORE: Jamie Vardy next club odds after playing final game for Leicester City
Irish Examiner
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Cork activist dies after over three decades of service to the community
Flags are flying at half-mast above Cork's City Hall today following the death of an inspirational campaigner and community worker. Siobhán O'Dowd, who played a key role in several gay rights, equality, and community development campaigns for more than three decades, died peacefully at home in the city last night following a short illness. She was 61. She died on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia — a movement she helped pioneer in Cork — and just weeks after she was presented with one of the Lord Mayor's civic awards for 2025. She was honoured by Lord Mayor councillor Dan Boyle for her long-term contributions to community development, inclusion, lifelong learning, and LGBT+ activism in Cork. In posts on social media today, former lord mayor councillor John Sheehan described her as 'a real inspiration' while former lord mayor and former councillor Mick Finn described her as 'an inspirational warrior'. The Lantern Project at Nano Nagle Place described her as 'a champion of the city'. 'Siobhán was a champion in our city in so many ways,' it said. She encouraged us in our work at the Lantern Nano Nagle Place and was both, a friend and a mentor to us. 'Ballyphehane Togher CDP has been a leader in highlighting the importance of community education and helped to put it firmly on political agendas and with her colleagues Siobhán brought many issues to the attention of other change makers. 'Siobhán lived her work, loved her work, and had a deep understanding of the value of accepting and meeting people exactly where they are at. 'Siobhán's leadership, brilliant mind and global vision will be missed. 'As friends and colleagues carry on her important work, they will honour her.' Born in Kerry in 1964, Ms O'Dowd moved to Cork in the mid 1980s. She was one of the founding members of Cork Aids Alliance, a group that included lesbian, gay, and straight people who worked together to address the enormous stigma around Aids and HIV. She co-chaired the alliance for two years and was later appointed the first full-time co-ordinator of the alliance in 1990. She worked as a community worker across the city for over 30 years and was the long-time co-ordinator of Ballyphehane Togher Community Development Project. She was a member of the original steering group which established the Cairde Corcaí/LINC lesbian and bisexual community centre in 1999. Together with Tina O'Toole, she helped obtain EU Equality for Women funding for LINC which helped further its development. She was also a member of the Cork City LGBT+ InterAgency Group since its inception in 2002 and was appointed chairperson in 2017. Since 2010 the group has organised an annual Cork LGBT+ Awareness Week, and at the opening of the 2014 week, Cork city became the first place to fly the rainbow flag formally from a civic or public building in Ireland, when organisers and Cork City Council agreed to fly a rainbow flag over City Hall. In 2018 Cork City signed a 'Rainbow Memorandum' with one one its largest twin cities, San Francisco, and later that year won LGBT Ally of the year award in the national Gala Awards. In 2020 Cork City became the first city on the island of Ireland to become part of the international Rainbow Cities Network.
Canada Standard
18-05-2025
- Health
- Canada Standard
Statement on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Canada News Centre 18 May 2025, 02:30 GMT+10 May 17, 2025 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada Today Global Affairs Canada issued the following statement: "On the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, Canada stands in solidarity with Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and other sexually- and gender-diverse individuals worldwide. We support those facing discrimination or violence solely for being themselves. No one should be denied their dignity or human rights because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. "This year's theme, The Power of Communities, highlights the strength, resilience and unity of 2SLGBTQI+ communities in the ongoing struggle for equality. Across the globe, courageous NGOs, human rights defenders and advocates continue to lead efforts to protect fundamental human rights and freedoms, often at great personal risk. Canada supports and stands with these individuals and organizations, amplifying and adding to their voices and efforts for justice. "May 17 marks the day in 1990 when the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder-a step forward in the long journey to equality. Today, we reflect on the hard-earned progress we have made. At the same time, we acknowledge the challenges that remain, at home and worldwide. We reaffirm our commitment to advancing human rights and inclusion for 2SLGBTQI+ people through international engagement."
