Latest news with #LGBTIQ
SBS Australia
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Kitty Obsidian talks NAIDOC, Young Blak Performers and Mentoring
Ahead of NAIDOC 2025 this year NITV Radio yarns up with Kitty Obsidian a proud Wiradjuri/Gamilaroi trans performer and previous VIC NAIDOC LGBTIQ+ person of the year 2022. Kitty talks activism, mentorship and representation in Blak and queer spaces where there is a hub of intersection of people and Kitty them-self saying " i look at it as the whole of who I am, I can't stop being mob, I can't stop being queer, I can't stop being trans or disable or any of the other things. Kitty shares excitedly about VIC NAIDOC Pride and the names of upcoming Blak Talent audiences should keep an eye out for as incredible entertainers.
Daily Express
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
Activists slam censorship of LGBTIQ materials
Published on: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 16, 2025 By: Yee Suet Mun, FMT Text Size: Amnesty International Malaysia and Justice for Sisters said censorship under the PPPA fosters discrimination, silences voices, and undermines public understanding. PETALING JAYA: Human rights groups have raised concerns over the censorship of LGBTIQ-related content in Malaysia, warning that it fuels marginalisation, social division, discrimination, and identity suppression. According to a joint report by Amnesty International Malaysia and Justice for Sisters, 13 LGBTIQ-themed items were banned under the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984 between 2020 and May 2025. These accounted for 42% of the 31 publications banned during that period. Advertisement The bans were distributed across the years as follows: two in 2022, four in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and two in the first five months of 2025. 'We see how morality, public order and national security are used to target LGBTIQ publications, but these are not legitimate justifications,' Justice for Sisters co-founder Thilaga Sulathireh told a press conference on the report's release. She added that the censorship had little to do with morality or safety, saying it was instead aimed at silencing and erasing the community. The report, titled 'Censorship of LGBTIQ Expressions under the PPPA', said the law had become a tool for state-sanctioned discrimination, in violation of international standards on freedom of expression and non-discrimination. It urged the home ministry to halt proposed amendments to the PPPA and instead develop a roadmap toward its repeal, among other recommendations. Amnesty International Malaysia's freedom of expression campaigner Kiran Kaur claimed that the PPPA was being misused to control public narratives and silence legitimate voices. 'Laws like the PPPA cannot be weaponised by authorities to silence LGBTIQ voices and promote harmful narratives rooted in discrimination,' she said, adding that such actions only deepened mistrust and stifled public discourse. Nalini Elumalai, senior programme officer at Article 19 Malaysia, said censorship in Malaysia was not new, but that its current scale was deeply worrying. She added that such censorship made young LGBTIQ people feel invisible and unsafe. 'Young LGBTIQ Malaysians grow up thinking they're alone, that there's something wrong with them. The erasure of their stories creates an unsafe environment. 'Children in Malaysia don't need protection from diversity, they need protection from violence and discrimination,' she said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
SBS Australia
14-07-2025
- SBS Australia
Questions on sexuality and gender to be part of Census trial
The first Census questions on sexual orientation and gender will be sent out to thousands of households as part of a practice version of the 2026 nationwide survey. More than 60,000 homes have been chosen by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to take part in a trial run in August in order to make sure the real event runs without incident. The test will include questions set to be in the 2026 Census, including the first set of questions in a national Census about sexual orientation and gender for people over 16. Questions about sexuality were set to be scrapped from the questionnaire, but the federal government backtracked on the decision in 2024 following criticism from LGBTIQ+ groups. Homes in Melbourne and Perth, as well as locations in regional Queensland, NSW and Western Australia, have been chosen for the voluntary test run. Census general manager Jenny Telford said the trial run would be critical to ensuring the nationwide questionnaire would be successful. "We are testing our collection processes and IT systems to ensure our processes work well and that the form captures the right information, in the right way," she said. "By taking part, you're helping us to improve the next Census for everyone and ensure it produces high-quality statistics." Testing will also be carried out to allow people to carry out the Census through myGov. The 2016 Census was beset by technical issues after the website hosting the questionnaire crashed on the night of the survey. The Census test is to be carried out on 5 August.
SBS Australia
14-07-2025
- Health
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Easy English 14 July 2025
Around 625,000 more Australians will now be able to donate plasma from today. Previous donor rules prevented many people from the LGBTIQ+ and sex worker communities from donating plasma if they had sex within the past three months. Lifeblood says the changes make Australia the first country in the world to remove all sexual activity-based restrictions on plasma donation. German backpacker Carolina Wilga is in a stable condition in hospital, after surviving eleven nights stranded in the Western Australian outback. The 26-year-old survived on minimal food and water and was exposed to freezing temperatures, before she flagged down a passing motorist on Friday afternoon. Premier Roger Cook says she is recovering at Fiona Stanley Hospital, and is in good spirits. "Extraordinary, extraordinary feat of surviving in the wilds. For 11 nights, she has to get over a very difficult physical ordeal. They threw every resource had it, and because of that, they were able to locate her van as quickly as possible." The EU and Indonesia have sealed a landmark free trade deal in Belgium. Indonesia and the EU have concluded a decade of negotiations for the agreement which is set to be formalised later this year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says it marks a long-term commitment. "The European Commission has adopted a decision on a visa cascade. It means from now on Indonesian nationals visiting the European Union for a second time will be eligible for multi entry Schengen visa, this will make it easier to visit but also to invest, to study and to connect. In short, we are building a bridge between our societies." A national campaign has been launched to raise awareness of meningococcal disease, as the peak season for the illness gets underway. Meningococcal disease a bacterial infection which can progress rapidly, with some people becoming critically ill within 24 hours. There have been 56 cases reported nationally so far with this year. 18 of them were in New South Wales. Sotheby's is selling what it calls the largest piece of Mars ever found on earth. The 25 kilogram red, brown and grey chunk was found in Niger in November 2023. The auction house's vice chairman for science and natural history, Cassandra Hatton, says it is a very large piece. "It's more than double the size of what we previously thought was the largest piece of Mars. And we've only taken a small piece of it to study, to confirm that it was Martian, but there's all sorts of interesting data that can be found inside of this rock."In golf, Grace Kim has produced one of the most astonishing golfing fightbacks in history to join Australia's group of major champions." Kim recovered from four shots behind in a dramatic final round to clinch victory over world No.2 Jeeno Thitikul on the second playoff hole at the Evian Championship in France. She says she is feeling such a rollercoaster of emotions as it all sinks in.
The Citizen
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
LGBTQ+ residents march in Mamelodi
NGO, Walk With Heart (WWH), recently held its fifth annual No Fear Pride March at Solomon Mahlangu Freedom Square. The annual celebration is dedicated to honouring the lives, visibility, and rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ) community in Mamelodi. Each year has a different theme during their panel discussion. This year's theme was 'Resisting the Resistance: Repositioning Ourselves as the LGBTQ+ community in Response to New Challenges from Global Superpowers'. The marchers gathered on June 28 at 08:00 at Solomon Mahlangu Square in Mamelodi West for the march, which started at 09:00. After arriving at the Denlyn shopping centre, the festivities included a panel discussion, DJs, and artist performances. The event was founded in 2019 by Andrew Lethole, Kgothatso Sethole, and Sifiso Sithole, also known as 'The Tholes'. They are based in and operate in Mamelodi, and say their mission includes raising awareness about HIV and Aids, facilitating testing and treatment, and addressing the broader challenges faced by the LGBTIQ community. 'The LGBTQ+ community continues to face discrimination and violence, as well as a lack of access to health services. The demise of agencies – like the Usaid – has resulted in many NGOs that used to provide health services to the LGBTQ+ community closing their doors due to lack of funding, which has resulted in the queer community going back to public health facilities, where they often face persecution,' Sethole said. WWH has collaborated with several other NGOs in the past, including the Aurum Institute, Access Chapter 2, and Not In My Name International. This year, they partnered with designers Agrippa Dumisani of House of Agrie Couture and Sello Gene of Gene Hunter Original, who provided the dresses for the drag performances. Thibo Café 2.0 is another collaborator that hosts WWH for their annual fundraising event. 'During our panel discussion on Saturday, there was an overwhelming message for all LGBTQ+ people in Mamelodi and beyond to truly unite and organise ourselves. Our community globally is under attack, and if we are to make it, it has to be together. Not all of us can storm the streets in protest; however, if we can make a difference where we are, wherever we are, it'll go a very, very long way,' Sethole said. The NGO looks forward to working on a smaller event during the South African Pride Month, in October, as well as the Mams Winter Pride event on July 26. 'Our message is clear, we are here, we are queer, we are part of the greater community, and we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We want other parents who have children who are queer to know that there is nothing wrong with their children, and they ought to love and protect them and encourage them to be themselves, and hopefully seeing us marching and making a raucous in the street will help them in that,' Sethole said. ALSO READ: Spike in vehicle theft at north shopping centres Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
