Latest news with #LGBTQI+
The Citizen
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
I AM ME Summit calls South Africa to embrace true inclusion
The Marriot Hotel in Melrose Arch became a sanctuary of transformation as the I AM ME Summit unfolded on July 29 and 30. Organised by Modern Centric, the two-day gathering wasn't just an event; it was a deliberate, soul-stirring call for South Africa to reimagine what real inclusion looks and feels like. With a theme rooted in disruption and dignity, the summit brought together young voices, thought leaders, and changemakers, all committed to building a society where authenticity is not only welcomed, but sacred. It was a space that asked hard questions, honoured vulnerability, and created room for every identity, especially those long pushed to the margins. Also read: Reinstatement coming for corner of Louis Botha Avenue and Corlett Drive From mental health to global LGBTQI+ rights, intersectional justice to community healing, the summit tackled the layered realities of inequality. It didn't shy away from pain or past failures, but instead, used them as fuel to imagine a better, braver future. In a world often quick to judge or silence, I AM ME was a reminder that real change begins when we choose to listen, to care, and to show up, not just as allies, but as co-conspirators in the fight for justice. Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates and inspiration!
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
'Butchers': GP ban upheld after abortion, race rants
A doctor who posted dozens of anti-abortion rants online and described medics who carry out the procedures as butchers will remain banned from practice. Jereth Kok was suspended in 2019 for professional misconduct in relation to the online posts that also described abortion doctors as "contract killers", equated abortion to murder and described being transgender as a mental health issue. He is also accused of posting racist comments online about Chinese people and Islam. The Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal found Dr Kok engaged in professional misconduct, between May 20, 2010 and October 15, 2021, when he posted and published on social media and internet forums. He maintains that many posts were satirical or taken out of context. The tribunal last week upheld his ban. It found that Dr Kok's posts were "disrespectful" and "not sufficiently balanced", despite acknowledging that many were political or religious in nature and unrelated to his clinical practice. In one of his many posts, the general practitioner said "the Royal Women's Hospital happens to be Melbourne's premier publicly funded baby-killing facility". The Medical Board of Australia said the comment denigrated, demeaned and slurred medical practitioners at the hospital who provided abortion treatment to patients. While Dr Kok accepted that his commentary was "discourteous" to people who worked at the hospital, he submitted he was expressing his views and beliefs about abortion in a discussion on a Christian website. In another comment to an online story about doctors performing abortions, Dr Kok suggested the author should replace the word doctor with "butcher". He later told the tribunal that he would avoid this type of language in future, but said he had strong views about abortion being immoral as a Christian and believed he was required to speak out about the issue. He also referred to treatment of gender dysphoria as "medical butchery". Other posts were found to have denigrated, demeaned and slurred medical practitioners who recognise and treat gender dysphoria, perform abortion treatment and those who followed COVID-19 public health orders. He was also found to have expressed sentiments of violence and made derogatory statements towards racial and religious groups, LGBTQI+ people and legitimised anti-vaccination during the COVID pandemic. Political party Family First on Monday slammed the decision - calling it a "gross injustice and chilling attack on freedom of speech". Family First's national director Lyle Shelton said the party will fight to repeal similar anti-free speech laws in all states starting with fielding candidates at upcoming elections in South Australia, Victoria and NSW. "Dr Kok has harmed no patient. His only 'crime' was to express his views online — many of them satirical or Christian in nature — and for that, he has been punished with the loss of his medical career," Mr Shelton said. "We will not sit by while the state tramples conscience, truth and freedom. "Dr Kok's case must be the turning point." The matter is expected to return to the tribunal for an administrative mention in September. Lifeline 13 11 14 Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Irish Independent
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kilkenny Pride Festival 2025: All you need to know about the inaugural four day event
Staring on Thursday, July 24, the Kilkenny Pride Festival will host a variety of events including a festival highlight, Kilkenny's first ever Pride parade, which will light up the streets of Kilkenny city on Saturday July 26. Whether you are a Kilkenny local or just passing through for the day, everyone is invited to the celebrations. With so many events to choose from during the Kilkenny Pride Festival, here are some of our top picks: Kilkenny's first Pride Parade When: Saturday July 26 Kilkenny will host its first Pride parade on Saturday, July 26, from 1 pm. The parade route sets off from the city's iconic Kilkenny Castle at 1.30pm, proceeding from Parade Plaza towards High Street and the Market Yard, before concluding at the Butler Gallery at Evan's Home on John's Quay. An Garda Síochána will accompany the procession to manage traffic. "We want to show the world what a welcoming city Kilkenny is,' said co-chair of Kilkenny Pride, Alan Slattery. 'For a destination renowned for its festivals, it's high time there was a Kilkenny Pride festival here too. "We're looking forward to celebrating a lively, positive event in the city, and we hope to see lots of people lining the streets, whether they're walking in the parade or cheering from the side lines." As the last county in Ireland to host a Pride march, this parade in particular is a momentous occasion for Ireland as it means that every county, in every corner of the country now has a parade dedicated to celebrating LGBTQI+ citizens. ADVERTISEMENT 'I heard that Roscommon and Kilkenny were the only counties in Ireland not to have a Pride festival,' Alan told the Irish Independent. 'A week after I found that out, I heard that Roscommon were now organising a Pride festival and parade. "As Kilkenny was now the only county without a Pride festival and parade, we knew we had to act. We couldn't let Kilkenny be the only county in Ireland without a Pride festival or Pride parade.' Kilkenny Pride family fun day When: Saturday July 26 Following the parade, everyone is welcome to the free family fun day, in association with Butler Gallery, Ossory Youth, and Kilkenny County Council. Organisers advise those attending "bring a blanket and settle into the gardens at Butler Gallery" to enjoy an afternoon of family-friendly fun, sponsored by State Street with performances from Seafall, MARYANN, local poet Samantha Joyce, Antanna, as well as bubbles, face painting, a silks performer and more. "We hope that this festival and parade will grow into an annual celebration, one that belongs to the whole community, where everyone has the opportunity to get involved and feel part of it,' added Alan. 'We are excited to unveil our plans for the upcoming Pride celebration." Nerd Pub Quiz: Pride Edition When: Thursday July 24 Opening night of the Kilkenny Pride Festival will see Kyteler's Inn in Kilkenny City host the Pride edition of the Nerd Pub Quiz. Doors open at 7pm with the quiz starting at 7.30pm. Tables are free to enter and Kilkenny Pride will be collecting donations to help fund the pride weekend. Karaoke night at Biddy Early's When: Thursday July 24 Also taking place on opening night is a karaoke night at Biddy Early's. Doors open at 9pm and entry is free. Kilkenny's Comedy Pride When: Thursday July 24 The spotlight turns to comedy as the Kilkenny Home Rule Club hosts Kilkenny's Comedy Pride, supported by Cartoon Saloon. The evening features headliner Gearóid Farrelly, recently seen on RTÉ's Dancing with the Stars, joined by popular returning performers Sinéad Walsh and Kate Feeney. Drag & Draw When: Friday July 25 On Friday, the Butler Gallery presents Drag & Draw, an 18+ life drawing class that blends art and performance, with drag artists as models. The session is suitable for beginners and experienced artists. Pride After Dark When: Friday July 25 and Saturday July 26 Walsh's Toyota brings Pride After Dark to Cleere's Theatre on both Friday and Saturday night from 8pm. Friday night will feature Mis White and DJ Eddie B, while Roo Honeychild, and Pól Pogba will all take to the stage on Saturday night. Tickets are €20. Queer Céilí When: Saturday July 26 Fennelly's of Callan invites all to enjoy an evening of ceol, craic agus damhsa at Queer Céilí, featuring live music from Cré and guests. The event starts at 7pm and runs until 10pm with tickets €10. Barbecue and open mic session When: Sunday July 27 The festival concludes on a relaxed note with a barbecue on Sunday, sponsored by Lighthouse Studios, followed by an open mic session held in collaboration with Cult Collective at the Kilkenny Home Rule Club. Kilkenny Youth Pride When: Various dates during the festival The Kilkenny Youth Pride Committee (Ossory Youth) has planned youth-focused events as part of Kilkenny's Pride festival, including an improv show by Dreamstuff Youth Theatre in Ossory Youth on July 24 for all ages. A film screening of But I'm a Cheerleader will be held in Young Irish Film Makers for ages 15 to 21 on July 25. While a pre-parade brunch will be held in Ossory Youth on July 26 for ages 14 to 21 with lots of food, arts and crafts, face painting, photo ops and music.
News18
11-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Women, LGBTQI+ Deprived Of Basic Rights': ICC's Arrest Warrants Against 2 Taliban Leaders Explained
Taliban's oppression of women, LGBTQI+: ICC arrest warrants recognise rights of Afghan women and those Taliban sees as not conforming with gender identity such as LGBTQI+ The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders, accusing them of persecuting girls and women in Afghanistan. The duo is suspected of 'ordering, inducing or soliciting" the persecution of girls, women and others who don't conform with the Taliban's policy on gender, the ICC said in a statement. Haibatullah Akhundzada, supreme leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, chief justice of the hardline Islamist group, are 'criminally responsible" for carrying out persecution on gender-based grounds since 'at least" August 15, 2021, the ICC's chief prosecutor said back in January. The Taliban called the arrest warrants 'nonsense", writing in a statement that it does not recognise the ICC. Arrest warrants against the Taliban for gender crimes against Afghan women, girls and LGBTQI+ persons are confirmed. This is the first time in history an international tribunal has confirmed LGBTQI+ victims of crimes against humanity, namely gender persecution.…— Lisa Davis (@lisadavisnyc) July 8, 2025 What is the ICC? The International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent international tribunal based in The Hague, Netherlands, established to investigate and prosecute individuals for the most serious crimes under international law. The ICC prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crime of aggression. What did the ICC say on Taliban's gender oppression? 'While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms," the ICC said on Tuesday. 'Specifically, the Taliban severely deprived, through decrees and edicts, girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion," it continued. Other people, including 'allies of girls and women" and those with sexualities or gender identities viewed as 'inconsistent with the Taliban's policy on gender", were also targeted by the Taliban, the ICC said. The Taliban said in its Tuesday statement that the court demonstrated 'enmity and hatred for the pure religion of Islam" by labelling its interpretation of Sharia law a crime against humanity. Arrest warrants matter because…: What ICC says The ICC, in its statement, said issuance of the first arrest warrants in the Situation in Afghanistan is an important vindication and acknowledgement of the rights of Afghan women and girls. It also recognises the rights and lived experiences of persons whom the Taliban perceived as not conforming with their ideological expectations of gender identity or expression, such as members of the LGBTQI+ community, and persons whom the Taliban perceived as allies of girls and women. 'Through the Taliban's deprivation of fundamental rights to education, privacy and family life, among others, Afghan women and girls were increasingly erased from public life. The decision of the judges of the ICC affirms that their rights are valuable, and that their plight and voices matter." 'Pathway To Justice': How did human rights groups react? The issuing of the arrest warrants came a day after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the situation in Afghanistan, in which it expressed 'serious concern about the grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan," and called for the Taliban to 'swiftly reverse these policies". Lisa Davis, the ICC's Special Adviser on Gender and Other Discriminatory Crimes, said in a post on social media that this is 'the first time in history" that an international tribunal has confirmed LGBTQ people to be 'victims of crimes against humanity, namely gender persecution." Rights groups commended the move. Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard called it 'a crucial step to hold accountable all those allegedly responsible for the gender-based deprivation of fundamental rights to education, to free movement and free expression, to private and family life, to free assembly, and to physical integrity and autonomy". Liz Evenson, the international justice director of Human Rights Watch, said that the arrest warrants could 'provide victims and their families with an essential pathway to justice". Are ICC's decisions binding on Afghanistan? Afghanistan is a State Party to the Rome Statute, so the ICC jurisdiction applies to crimes committed on Afghan territory, or by Afghan nationals, even if the crime occurs elsewhere In 2020–21, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber authorized a full investigation into Afghanistan-related war crimes. As a state party, Afghanistan is legally obligated to cooperate with the ICC, enforce arrest warrants and hand over suspects named in ICC indictments Will Taliban accept ICC warrants? The Taliban-led regime is not recognized by most of the world as Afghanistan's legitimate government. It is highly unlikely to cooperate with ICC processes. While ICC warrants remain binding under international law, they are unlikely to be enforced on the ground, just like the Taliban said in the statement. About the Author Manjiri Joshi At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ...Read More Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Afghan Taliban news18 specials taliban afghanistan taliban womens education view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 11, 2025, 13:21 IST News explainers 'Women, LGBTQI+ Deprived Of Basic Rights': ICC's Arrest Warrants Against 2 Taliban Leaders Explained Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICC issues warrants for Taliban leaders over alleged persecution of women
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders in Afghanistan on charges of abuses against women and girls. ICC judges on Tuesday said there were 'reasonable grounds' to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhunzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based persecution. 'While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,' the court said in a statement. The Taliban has 'severely deprived' girls and women of the rights to education, privacy, family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion, ICC judges said. 'In addition, other persons were targeted because certain expressions of sexuality and/or gender identity were regarded as inconsistent with the Taliban's policy on gender,' the court added. The Taliban was quick to reject the warrants as 'baseless rhetoric', saying that it does not recognise the ICC's authority and invoking the court's failure to protect the 'hundreds of women and children being killed daily' in Gaza. 'The leadership and officials of the Islamic Emirate have established unparalleled justice in Afghanistan based on the sacred laws of Islamic Sharia,' Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban government, said in a statement. Late in 2022, several Muslim-majority countries – including Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – condemned the Taliban's decision to restrict education for ICC said on Tuesday that the alleged crimes were committed from August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power after the withdrawal of United States forces, and continued until at least January 20 of this year. The court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, sought the warrants in January, saying that 'Afghan women and girls as well as the LGBTQI+ community are facing an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution by the Taliban'. Last year, the United Nations accused the Taliban government of barring at least 1.4 million girls from their right to an education during its time in power. Taking into account the number of girls not going to school before the group came to power, the UN said 80 percent of Afghan school-age girls – a total of 2.5 million – were being denied their right to an education. Authorities also imposed restrictions on women working for nongovernmental groups and other jobs. Beauty salons have been closed and women blocked from visiting public parks and gyms as well as travelling long distances without a male chaperone. A 'vice and virtue' law announced a year ago ordered women not to sing or recite poetry in public and for their voices and bodies to be 'concealed' outside the home. The rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) welcomed the ICC warrants on Tuesday. 'The announcement is an important development that gives hope, inside and outside the country, to Afghan women, girls, as well as those persecuted on the basis of gender identity or expression,' Amnesty International chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement. 'This is a crucial step to hold accountable all those allegedly responsible for the gender-based deprivation of fundamental rights to education, to free movement and free expression, to private and family life, to free assembly, and to physical integrity and autonomy.'For its part, HRW called on the international community to 'fully back the ICC in its critical work in Afghanistan and globally, including through concerted efforts to enforce the court's warrants'. Last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crime charges in Gaza, including using starvation as a weapon of war. But several Western members of the court have refused to commit to enforcing the warrants. Earlier this year, Poland said it would allow Netanyahu to visit the country, and Hungary hosted the Israeli prime minister and withdrew from the Rome Statute that established the ICC. For its part, the US – which is not a member of the court – imposed sanctions on ICC officials over the prosecution of Netanyahu. The ICC, based in The Hague, was set up to rule on the world's worst crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has no police force of its own, and relies on member states to carry out its arrest warrants.
