LGBTQ Afghans face violence from Taliban
Advocacy groups Human Rights Watch and OutRight Action International have compiled a report that shows the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan has targeted LGBTQ people in the country. The report says that LGBTQ people have been threatened, beaten, and raped since the Taliban took over. One of the report co-authors, J. Lester Feder, said that people they interviewed in Afghanistan are afraid to leave their homes and fear they will be targeted if they go out to buy food. The researchers interviewed 60 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Afghans, most in their 20s from October to December last year.
Netflix cut from corporate equality report over Dave Chappelle show
American queer advocacy group Human Rights Campaign (HRC), has removed Netflix from its annual Corporate Equality Index – a tool that scores companies on their policies for lesbian gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees. The HRC suspended the streaming giant in connection with the company’s handling of Dave Chappelle’s 2021 special “The Closer.” A spokesperson for the HRC said Chappelle’s jokes about trans people and the rest of the LGBQ community pitted marginalised groups against each other and were harmful to the company’s trans employees. Since 2017 Netflix has scored a perfect 100 score annually on the Equality Index, but this year will not be scored at all.
Mayor in US town withholds funds for a library over LGBTQ books
The Mayor of Ridgeland in Mississippi is accused of withholding $110,00 USD from a public library because they carry LGBTQ+ books, according to the Executive Director for the Madison County Library System. Mayor Gene McGee reportedly said that he had received complaints from citizens about three children’s books and one adult book at the Ridgeland Public Library. The library meanwhile issued a statement about the controversy which included these words: “The library’s collection of books is for people of all ages, races, gender identities/expressions, and orientations.”
UK police investigate threats of violence against LGBT friends in a shop
A gay man and trans woman were told to leave a takeaway shop in the London suburb of Wembley by a man who threatened them with being stabbed. Footage of the incident shows Valentino Kyriakou and Naya Martinez (pictured), being subject to homophobic slurs by a group of men. The TikTok video shows the friends being told they would be “shanked” (stabbed), if they return to the area. Police say they are trying to identify those seen in the video but have made no arrests.