International Safe Zone

Learning more about intersectionality and complexity of international LGBTQ+ in the United States and providing a safe place to learn and explore about their sexual and affectional identity.

By Kyoung Mi Choi

Shelby
A 15-year-old gay bullying victim died by suicide. Now the community is rallying.
lgbtqnation.com - Gwendolyn Smith
Nigel Shelby was a 15-year-old a high school student in Huntsville, Alabama. A freshman at Huntsville High School, Shelby had faced homophobic …
LGBTQI
A safe space
sfchronicle.com - By Kevin Fagan
Kat Blackburn was a decade into the beatings, rejections and hate that rain down upon transgender youths like herself when she walked into a San …
LGBTI
'Dangerous and discredited': Labor pledges to ban gay conversion therapy
smh.com.au - Farrah Tomazin
Gay conversion therapy is an umbrella term given to any attempt to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity, and takes many forms, …
Trans woman targeted and shot to death at family gathering in Mexico
gaystarnews.com - Shannon Power
A trans woman who owned a LGBTI bar in Mexico is one of 14 dead. Armed assailants stormed a family gathering, believed 52nd birthday celebrations of …
Long-form Journalism
One Man Is Allegedly Targeting Gay German Teenagers In A Sweeping Harassment Campaign
buzzfeednews.com - Juliane Loeffler
Max is one of the young gay men in Germany who's been stalked and harassed for months on end. He's still waiting to see justice. On April 18, 2016, …
Mississippi
Mississippi man brutally beaten because attackers ‘thought he was gay’
pinknews.co.uk - Nick Duffy
A Mississippi man’s jaw was broken in two places during a brutal beating because his attackers thought he was gay, according to his family. Trevor …
LGBTQI
These Portraits Show The Queer, Binary-Defying Future of Fashion
them.us - them.
Those captured in Ethan James Green's Young New York dismantle gender norms and stylistic conventions to striking, beautiful effect. "They come to New …
LGBTQI
London court gives gay man parental rights over surrogate child after split in landmark verdict
pinknews.co.uk - Amy West
A gay man from London has won parental rights over the child he had with his former partner via a surrogate following their split. The High Court’s …
South Korean Military’s Gay Hunt Going Strong Instinct Magazine
instinctmagazine.com - Devin Randall
South Koreans are opening up about the ongoing mistreatment of gay men in the military. In 2017, we shared with you that leaders within the South …
Converse
Converse introduces trans-themed shoes for Pride and Twitter is happy for once
Mashable - Heather Dockray
Brands sometimes go too hard during Pride season. Every once in a while, however, they get it right. The year 2019 has already brought us one *actually good* example. Converse recently introduced its Pride
LGBTQI
United Methodists edge toward schism over LGBT policies
Los Angeles Times - By Associated Press
There's at least one area of agreement among conservative, centrist and liberal leaders in the United Methodist Church: America's largest mainline Protestant denomination is on a path toward likely breakup
Kenya
Kenya’s only lesbian pastor defends LGBTQ community in first television interview
gaytimes.co.uk - Matt Moore
Jacinta Nzilani came out as a lesbian earlier this year, and has defended her sexuality and the LGBTQ community. In her first television interview …
Arlington
It’s important to make gender-nonconforming students feel welcome, too
The Washington Post - By Letters to the Editor
As a member of Arlington Gender Identity Allies, I was dismayed to see Maria Keffler describe in her April 7 Local Opinions essay, “Parents should lead on teaching children about gender,” Arlington Public
Transgender
Trans weddings in Japan: forced surgery before 'I do'
trust.org - Thomson Reuters Foundation
Japan requires transgender people to be sterilised before they can get married By Michael Taylor KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - …
LGBTQI
All Blacks players show support for LGBTQ community after Israel Folou’s homophobic comments
gaytimes.co.uk - Matt Moore
Rugby players Angus Ta’avao and TJ Perenara showed their support for the LGBTQ community. In the wake of Israel Folau’s latest homophobic post – for …
Riyadh
Riyadh Khalaf is here to inspire a generation of LGBTQ people to love themselves
gaytimes.co.uk - Simon Button
Contemplating coming out as a teenager, Riyadh Khalaf would have been an avid reader of Yay! You’re Gay! Now What? had such a book existed. So the …
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu's first transgender woman candidate in election 2019
Quartz - Annalisa Merelli
On April 16, the last day of campaigning before Tamil Nadu voted on April 18, one of the candidates spent the morning in capital city Chennai’s famous Kapaleeshwarar temple, greeting devotees and distributing
Curating Flipboard Magazine International Safe Zone to Support International LGBT Students
Educators Blog - Christel van der Boom
Gays and lesbians in the United States are closer to legal equality than ever before. While there is still work to be done to reach full equality in all 50 states, America has come a long way since the
Pride organizers in South Korea press charges against violent protestors
gaystarnews.com - Rik Glauert
Organizers of an LGBTI pride event in Incheon, South Korea have filed charges against Christian pastors who they claim violently disrupted an event in …
Gay Rights
Colombians stage kiss-a-thon in support of LGBT rights
Associated Press - By MANUEL RUEDA
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Dozens of same sex couples kissed simultaneously outside an upscale shopping mall in Colombia’s capital Wednesday, in the latest demonstration calling for LGBT rights in the South
LGBTQI
15 States Where It's Legal To Fire Someone For Being Gay
BuzzFeed - Ajani Bazile
It should be zero.
Opinion
Flying While Trans
The New York Times - By ALEX MARZANO-LESNEVICH
Flying while transgender — a term that increasingly includes not just those who are male or female but also those who identify as both or neither, like me — is undeniably improving. Last month, United
Beyoncé
These Two Women Are Getting Married After Touring With Beyoncé
pride.com - Taylor Henderson
Beyoncé might be trending worldwide for the release of her new Netflix documentary and live album Homecoming, but for Divinity Roxx and Yani Marin, …
Homosexuality
Kenya’s ‘Rafiki’ Is A Joyful Coming Out Story — From A Country Where Homosexuality Is Outlawed
Bustle - Trish Bendix
While being openly queer in some parts of the world might be illegal or difficult, it is not impossible.That's what Wanuri Kahiu's film Rafiki …
Brunei
Transgender teenager from Brunei seeks asylum in Canada
pinknews.co.uk - Patrick Kelleher
A transgender teenager from Brunei has fled the country and is seeking asylum in Canada. Zoella Zayce—who is 19-years-old—is currently living in a …
Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg Is Already Facing Anti-Gay Harassment on the Campaign Trail
New York Magazine - Sarah Jones
Buttigieg at a campaign event in Des Moines on April 17, 2019. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state bans on same-sex marriage in 2015, …
Jair Bolsonaro
Cipriani Hall will not host homophobic president Jair Bolsonaro
pinknews.co.uk - Eve Hartley
A second New York venue is refusing to host homophobic Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, days after the American Museum of Natural History declined. …
Canada
Canada’s new ‘gay coin’ is cause for celebration
The Globe and Mail - RM Vaughan
RM Vaughan is a Canadian writer and video artist based in Montreal. I was five years old when I was decriminalized. In 1969, the Canadian government struck down the laws that made homosexuality illegal.