Lgbt

International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025: Four National Award-winning indie filmmaker Lipika Singh Darai on the making of her latest epistolary film ‘B and S’, Hubert Bals Fund for her first feature ‘Birdwoman’ & choosing Odia over her mother-tongue Ho.

How this India-US womxn collective uses fiscal sponsorship to save the documentary film

Born out of the pandemic in 2021, Bitchitra Collective fosters Indian women and nonbinary non-fiction filmmakers in the US and India, those left stranded by Films Division’s closure, and is calling filmmakers to apply for its grants till December 30.

Rainbow Lit Fest 2023: Winners of the inaugural Rainbow Awards for Literature and Journalism announced

Hyderabad-based poet Hoshang Merchant was recognised for his immense contribution to queer literature as he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement award.

Five years on, what has changed in India since Section 377 was read down? Three professionals speak out

In 2018, India witnessed a landmark judgment in favour of the LGBTQIA+ community. Half a decade down the line, the queer community on life before and after the judgment, when the Supreme Court read down parts of Section 377 of the IPC.

Heartstopper 2 review: Crackling queer romance comes into full bloom with a coming-out saga

In its second season, the Netflix series Heartstopper is still the dreamy, mushy queer romance it was in the first one. There are cutesy animations of birds and butterflies when characters share a moment of intimacy; firecrackers explode when Charlie and Nick share a passion-fuelled moment. But much has changed, too.

Made in Heaven actor Arjun Mathur: ‘Bollywood has caught the wrong note in depicting gay characters’

Emmy-nominated actor Arjun Mathur, of the web-series whose much-awaited second season will release on August 10, talks about the show, playing gay characters before, not running after fame or money, and his film premiering at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.

Chief of Russia's Yandex faces court case for 'LGBT propaganda'

The move to prosecute Artem Savinovsky, for which no hearing date was listed, comes a day after a different court levied a 1 million rubles ($11,048) fine against an online film database owned by Yandex under the same law.

Life and health insurance policies welcome LGBTQ community, but not all is rosy, just yet

Same-sex couples, live-in partners, and LGBTQ+ community gain access to floater insurance plans, as insurance companies wake up to same-sex union reality. Although, nothing comes close to a Will if you wish to pass on benefits to your loved ones

Pride Month | Ruth Vanita: ‘It is a gift to be born in India, I’d like to be reborn in India’

The writer of same-sex love much before it became the talk of the town, Ruth Vanita speaks about her works and highlights the importance of the right for queer people to get married.

Pride Month: 3 Indian queer couples on Netflix’s ‘The Ultimatum: Queer Love’

To marry or move? The show stirs up the gay marriage argument that members of the LGBTQIA+ community have petitioned for in the Supreme Court.

The face behind the fight for same-sex marriage | Pride 2023

This Pride Month, meet Utkarsh Saxena, a lawyer and a petitioner for the right to same-sex marriage in India. Growing up, Utkarsh knew that while the world was made in one way, he was made the another. Watch him share his side of the story, coming out twice and his fight for love as he takes the giant leap to be recognised, accepted and embraced. This Pride Month, we bring you a series of episodes where we bring you unique stories of people of the LGBTQ+ community. Stay tuned for more.

Pride Month: Businesses by queer people you can support through the year

From jewellery to pottery and wellness, here's a round up of some excellent LGBTQ-owned businesses to shop from throughout the year.

The religious right’s hidden sway as Japan trails allies on gay rights

Polls show overwhelming support for same-sex marriage in Japan; one of the country’s most influential business leaders recently called it “embarrassing” that Japan has not sanctioned the unions.

VIP Industries’ Radhika Piramal: ‘The most fundamental discrimination I face is that my marriage is not legally recognised in India’

VIP Industries' Ltd executive director and vice-chairperson Radhika Piramal on coming out, LGBTQIA+ community's right to marry and how homosexuality is not a Western import.

LGBT rights: Is there a right age for people to decide their gender?

The American Medical Association is recommending that the US stop the practice of including a “male” or “female” designation on public portions of birth certificates, saying the marker can cause more harm than good for transgender, nonbinary and intersex Americans.

Dutee Chand shares pic with partner Monalisa: ‘Love is love’

Sprinter Dutee Chand shared an Instagram picture with partner Monalisa this afternoon. "Love is love," she captioned the picture.

Gay people living under radar in Qatar prepare warily for World Cup

Other members of Qatar's LGBT community have reported being detained, some as recently as September, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

Russian court fines TikTok $50,000 over refusal to delete LGBT content

A Russian court on Tuesday fined ByteDance-owned TikTok 3 million roubles ($51,000) over the social media platform's refusal to delete content Russian authorities say violate laws against spreading "LGBT propaganda," The TASS news agency reported.

Uganda suspends operations of charity championing LGBT rights

Uganda is a deeply conservative and religious society where LGBT people face general hostility.

This country has world's first openly gay head of state

Paolo Rondelli, 58, is one of two Captains Regent elected by the legislature who will lead the microstate of 34,000 people

Russia investigates Netflix after complaint over LGBT content

Netflix could face a fine of up to 1 million roubles ($13,400) or a temporary suspension of its service if found to have violated Russian law on "gay propaganda".

Can a third gender open a bank account, buy an insurance policy, invest? Not easy, even 3 years after SC’s order

While some financial services record the third gender, benefits don't come by easily. Insurance policies count third gender as 'male' and calculate premiums. Absence of marital status also mean that add-on credit cards cannot be given to partners.

Three years since Section 377 abolishment. Can LGBTQIA persons buy insurance, nominate each other, invest in MFs, take a home loan?

Transgender couples suffer due to fewer tax benefits and lack of financial products. While some institutions are sensitive and want to offer help, a grey area would exist until Courts in India permit same-sex marriages.

What do trans people think of trans representation in Indian ads?

Do recent ads with trans people promote older stereotypes and create new ones? Or are they a step in the right direction? We asked the people who should have the last word on this.

Standard Chartered Bank extends medical coverage, benefits to employees’ LGBT+ partners

This means that employees can now declare LGBT+ partner as an eligible beneficiary under the Bank’s medical reimbursement policy