09 Aug 2018 - NPWJ News Digest on on LGBTI rights

Articles

Pro-LGBT priest to remain on speaker line-up for Pope’s visit
The Irish Times, 09 Aug 2018

The pro-LGBT priest Fr James Martin will remain on the World Meeting of Families congress line-up despite calls for him to be removed. Fr Martin will speak on the need for the church to show respect for LGBTQI+ people and their families. His 2017 book, Building a Bridge (between the Catholic Church and members of the LGBTQI+ community), attracted widespread praise at senior levels in the church.

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Following mob attack, LGBTQ activists in Armenia 'want justice'
NBC News, 08 Aug 2018

Nine LGBTQ individuals were attacked by a mob of more than 30 people in the Armenian village of Shurnukh last week, according to police and one of the victims. Two of the victims were seriously injured and required hospitalization, while seven suffered minor injuries.

The attackers, who allegedly yelled anti-gay slurs while beating and throwing rocks at the nine friends, were released by police after a brief investigation. Now, the victims and an international human rights group are calling for the assailants to be brought to justice.

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‘I still have flashbacks’: the ‘global epidemic’ of LGBT conversion therapy
The Guardian, 08 Aug 2018

Mathew Shurka was 16 when he sat down with his father and told him he was gay. Brought up in a conservative New York suburb, the youngest child in a secular Jewish family and the only son, he was “terrified”. But, in that highly charged moment, the reaction was good. “He said: ‘I love you. I’m going to be on your side, no matter what,’” Shurka says. “He created security, which is what my father does ... He said: ‘Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.’”

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Record high number of LGBTI people running for public office in US
Gay Star News, 08 Aug 2018

The number of LGBTI people who are standing in elections for public office in the US has reached a record high. So far 2018 has seen over 400 LGBTI political candidates standing for office in America, according to a study by The Victory Institute. Though the LGBTI community remains highly underrepresented in US politics, the numbers show a positive development, the Victory Institute’s political director Sean Meloy said.

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Malaysia: Minister’s removal of LGBTI activists’ portraits a deeply discriminatory act
Amnesty International , 08 Aug 2018

Following the news that two portraits of LGBTI activists were removed from public display at the George Town Festival in Penang on the orders of the country’s Religious Minister, Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International’s Malaysia Researcher, said:

“The removal of these portraits is a deeply discriminatory act grossly at odds with the Pakatan Harapan government’s stated commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusiveness across Malaysian society."

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