News from the community

France: Blood donation ban for homosexual and bisexual men lifted France has taken a significant step towards destigmatizing homosexual men. As of March 16, 2022, everyone in this country will be allowed to donate blood, regardless of their sexual orientation. Because: the ban on blood donation for homosexual and bisexual men will be lifted. Since 2013, Health Minister Olivier Véran has been fighting to ensure that a person's sexual orientation should not be the deciding factor in whether or not he (or she) is allowed to donate blood. The recent decision on this issue sparked joy in the community - even outside France. Blood donation questionnaire to be changed In a Twitter post, politician Olivier Véran wrote that an injustice that had long been unjustifiable has finally been ended. With the lifting of said blood donation ban for homosexuals and bisexuals, it is now possible for anyone to give you...

Taiwan takes important step toward queer equality If you take a closer look at the history of Taiwan, you will quickly notice that the country has often played a pioneering role, especially with regard to gay rights. For example, same-sex couples are allowed to marry here. Many other Asian countries (still?) have a different opinion in this regard. However, one "construction site" that also prevailed in Taiwan over a long period of time was the regulations surrounding the adoption rights of queer couples. Exactly at this, now some things could change. With a very special court decision, an example has now been set that could encourage many rainbow families (and those who want to become one). Then and now - what could change? Even though same-sex couples have been allowed to marry in Taiwan for a little more than two years, there are still...

Vienna's Strobachplatz is renamed "Helga Pankratz Platz Vienna is sending a clear message to the LGBTQI+ community by renaming the old Strobachplatz, located at Strobachgasse/ Schönbrunner Straße, as Helga Pankratz Platz. 40 years ago, Helga Pankratz did true pioneering work in the lesbian movement. Among other things, she was also a co-founder of the first Viennese lesbian group. Now this honorable work has been duly honored with the change of name. The likelihood that this icon of the scene will now be even more present in people's minds - even outside the community - is accordingly high. What has Pankratz achieved for the homosexual movement? Helga Pankratz was not only a co-founder of the first lesbian movement in Vienna, but has also worked for the rights and promotion of the LGBTQI+ community in other ways. Most recently, she was a board member of the Minorities Initiative at Resis danse women's dance club. At the same time...

The reports about graffiti and vandalized memorials in Cologne do not stop. Now the memorial in Cologne is also affected. This was erected in memory of queer victims of the Nazi era. The perpetrators disfigured it with scribbles and showed once again that homophobia is still a big problem today, even in Germany. This is not an exception. Only recently, the stele in Mainz was also scribbled on. The acts shock again and again - not only the people who belong to the community, but also those who feel connected to it. What does the Cologne memorial say? As already mentioned, the Cologne memorial is primarily intended to commemorate the people who lost their lives during the Nazi era. At that time, quite a few queers were persecuted, deported to camps and finally killed. The science is still busy today to reappraise the corresponding cases, because among other things ...

The AfD chalks it all up to "gender madness." Sven Lehmann (Greens) becomes the new Queer Commissioner of the Federal Government and is supposed to take care of the acceptance of sexual and gender diversity. Many people associate the traffic light coalition with a kind of "upswing" - also with regard to the queer community. One item that is comparatively high on the "wish list" is acceptance or more tolerance in connection with sexual and gender diversity in Germany. The government is currently showing increased openness to this issue and in this context recently appointed the first commissioner for acceptance of sexual and gender diversity. The choice fell on Sven Lehmann from the Green Party. However, there is also headwind and criticism regarding this post, especially from the AfD. Praise and congratulations from the federal government Sven Lehmann feels very honored due to his appointment and now wants to promote the rights of LGBTQI+ Commun...

In Israel, rainbow couples should now also be able to become surrogate parents This is an important break in the direction of "more equal rights for rainbow couples". Because: In Israel it is permitted in the future same-sex couples (and by the way also singles) to have children with the support of a surrogate mother. A statement to this effect has already been issued by the current Minister of Health. The new law is to come into force as early as January 11, 2022. A historic moment for the country and especially for its community! A look into the past and into the future In general, it is of course interesting that the new possibilities did not come "all at once", but are in some ways the result of a longer development. Until now, for example, only heterosexual couples were allowed to work with a surrogate mother in Israel to fulfill their desire to have children. And even h...

The results of the poll, which looks at whether trans people should get more rights, are in... And may startle some. Because: more than 52 percent of respondents said they think trans people have enough rights. Some even go a step further. In their view, queers even have too many freedoms. The study of trans rights in detail The study, which shows how many people think about the issue of "more rights for trans people," was conducted by YouGov. A total of exactly 1,009 people took part in the survey. The answers could be given - quite conveniently - online. All participants were 18 years and older. Overall, it was noticeable that male respondents were significantly more skeptical about the field of transsexuality than women. They were far more likely to think that transsexuals had too many rights. However, it is also worth looking a little deeper into the ...

Many people have high hopes for the newly elected traffic light coalition. Among others, there are also numerous members of the community who now hope that a somewhat more liberal wind will blow in some areas. All the more shocking is a statement that FDP politician Gerhard Papke recently posted on the social networks. But who is Gerhard Papke actually? And what office does he hold in the FDP? Gerhard Papke and his position in the FDP. In 2019, Papke became the head of the German-Hungarian Society of the Federal Republic of Germany. The aim of the association is to foster German-Hungarian relations on many levels. No matter whether it is about economic or cultural areas, the goal is to let both countries grow together a little bit more again and to find common ground on which the common future can be built in a harmonious way. Those who think of Hungary in terms of, among other things, restrictions on the LGBTQI+ community, might first...

For the 27th time, Zurich Pride is taking place in the Swiss capital. As part of the peaceful movement, the community fights, among other things, for more visibility and for more equal rights. Just a few weeks ago, the country voted by referendum that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. However, there are still some Swiss laws, for example around blood donation by homosexual men, which show that there is still a long way to go until equal rights are achieved. (By the way, Switzerland is not the only country where gay men are not allowed to donate blood, or only under certain circumstances. In Germany, too, there is a generalized assumption of a higher risk that those affected could suffer from an undetected infection). This year, those responsible for Zurich Pride have once again adapted their focus to current events. For example, many statistics show that...