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Civil unions
The Civil Unions Act amended Maltese law, allowing same-sex couples to enter partnerships with rights and duties similar to marriage. Partners will be able to adopt children.
Claudette Abela […]

I am very grateful for the chance to visit the Republic of Moldova last week. During my mission, I paid particular attention to the issues raised by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay during her […]

‘Self Control’ continues the momentum of a triumphant year for the duo.
Their single ‘Cause This’ received airplay on over 70 dance music stations with appearances on various compilations & their risqué music […]

My Transgender Journey
Irish Lives: My Transgender Journey tells the story of three people, as they search for a sense of their own identity, strive for acceptance and continue to battle against their own government to be recognised in their true gender.  Ireland is currently the only EU member state that does not provide a mechanism for the legal recognition of transgender persons.
In the documentary Sam, Louise and Kay give an up-close and personal account of their transgender journeys and what it is like to live in a country that does not fully accept them.
Representations Matter
TENI today strongly welcomed this documentary.
“Positive visibility is incredibly important,” said TENI Chief Executive Broden Giambrone. “Recent representations of trans characters, such as the depiction of Nuala on RTE’s The Centre, have been dehumanising, insensitive, and transphobic. This documentary is a positive representation of the lives of  trans people in Ireland, and representations matter.”
Research shows that trans people have some of the highest rates of attempted suicide in this country with 30% having tried to take their own life at least once. In the same survey, 40% of participants reported that media representation of trans people negatively affected their emotional wellbeing or mental health.
In this context positive visibility of trans people and of trans lives is extremely important.
Featured in the documentary are UCD student Sam, who made the transition from female to male with the full support of his family but he still has further barriers to cross; Louise also shares her story as the first transgender worker in Ireland to successfully use the Employment Equality Act in a case of discrimination on the grounds of gender; and Kay gives an open and honest account of her pending surgery, as well as her struggle to change her name and gender on her American passport.
The documentary airs next Wednesday 16th April at 9pm on TV3. The promo for the documentary can be seen here.
Photo : Sam from TV3’s Irish Lives: My Transgender Journey

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After years as a secret songwriter Kaz left her Mama Kaz Band to pursue her solo song writing career. Better Days is the first official release as a solo artist and is of a different style usually associated with […]

The amendment allegedly purports to avoid “misinterpretation” of an anti-discrimination bill which was introduced at the same time. This bill would address remaining legal gaps in anti-discrimination legislation, […]

The summit brings together the heads of state and government from the European Union and the African continent, as well as EU and African Union leaders. They will discuss political and economic ties, as well as […]

In its report on the mid-term review of the Stockholm Programme, the European Parliament criticised the European Commission for its failure to fulfil a previous pledge that it’d facilitate free movement for all […]

May 4th sees the release of Return of the Fever, the sparkling new remix package from Scarlette Fever, featuring re-works by K-Warren who takes the underground into the overground, Rudedog’s main room peak time […]

The draft is one of the most sweeping ‘anti-propaganda’ bills ever published. It would amend the Criminal Code, the Code of Administrative Responsibility, the Law on Peaceful Assembly and the Law on Mass […]

According to news reports, couples are vying to be first to be married by holding ceremonies shortly after midnight.
“Today, the people of England and Wales should be proud to be part of a great new international commonwealth—the 16 nations of the world that extend all citizens the right to marriage equality,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Countless British couples have waited decades for this day to arrive, and today the American LGBT community celebrates with them as we continue to fight for progress here at home.”
“What’s certain is that this day would not have been possible without the leadership of Prime Minister David Cameron, who famously declared that his support for marriage equality is linked deeply to his values as a conservative. Ever since I first had the chance to discuss this issue with Prime Minister Cameron two years ago during a White House state dinner, it has been clear to me that his commitment to LGBT equality is deeply ingrained and that he truly deserves his reputation as an international leader in this struggle.”
“The first same-sex marriages are a landmark moment for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain, said Ruth Hunt, acting CEO of Stonewall UK.  “For the first time ever, same-sex couples can have their love and commitment recognised in exactly the same way as their heterosexual friends and family. Images of the first weddings will clearly show that Britain is now a beacon of equality around the world.”
The British Parliament passed the marriage equality law last year, with the support of Prime Minister David Cameron and Queen Elizabeth II’s stamp of approval.  Under the new marriage equality law, gay and lesbian couples can marry in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales, although the Church of England will not conduct wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples. Also, under the law, couples who had previously entered into civil partnerships can convert those partnerships to marriage.  Scotland passed a marriage equality bill in February.  Once marriages begin later this year, marriage equality will be the law in the United Kingdom, except for Northern Ireland.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
Photo By Kurt Löwenstein Educational Center International Team from Germany (qe07 (9)) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
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Today the ‘See me, hear me, know me’ guidelines are being launched with the aim of supporting the needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in nursing, residential, and day care settings and […]

Users in the UK were polled using an in-app survey, which revealed that younger gay men tend to be more optimistic about getting married at some point in their life, compared to older gay men. Of those polled, 62 […]

An inspirational dance-floor anthem for libidinal addicts everywhere, ‘Sexaholic‘ recalls the orchestral synth-funk and electro boogie of the early 1980s.
Multiple Tony-nominated Broadway and recording star […]

Constantly evolving, Japan Soul is a wandering vacuum of ideas influenced by styles as diverse as art rock, sophisti-pop, electronic dance music and funk. Japan Soul is the music collective of Jason Paul—vocals, guitars, bass, programming, David Rozner—percussion, arrangements and guitars, and DaVe Lipp—saxophones, bass, guitar and eclectic instruments. Japan Soul seeks to create transcendental music that synthesizes art, dissent and euphoria.
Japan Soul’s Plastic Utopia LP, is an artful protest of the times. “The album is mostly a compendium of my thoughts on these troubled times,” says Jason Paul. “The conceptual premise of Plastic Utopia is that we have slipped into an apocalyptic alternate universe caused by a rift in time that began around the year 2000. 911, Iraq, the great recession, accelerated climate catastrophe…it feels like in the 90s we were on course to avoid all these terrible calamities. Things are no longer as they should be. On Plastic Utopia, Japan Soul gives voice to the artistic resistance of this dystopian world. The songs are like landscape vignettes of this moment in history. Time seems to move backwards and forwards and I think our eclectic pop reflects that. The songs are designed to be sticky, cloaked in irresistible hooks, so a listener can simply enjoy, dance and sing along to this album. Maybe it’s a bit of a trojan horse, where a deceptively a catchy hook reveals a hard truth. Even for those who don’t pay attention to lyrics there’s an emotionality, a euphoria, that will make these songs memorable for anyone.”
Plastic Utopia represents two years of meticulously crafted songwriting and wild music exploration. Japan Soul was aided by Craig Levy for mixing on 6 tracks, Mike Ryan for on a track and David Rozner who took on the role of lead producer/arranger of the album. New York/Detroit synth-pop legend Kent Odessa provides guest backup vocals on two tracks – “War” and “Fight With Love”.

Jason Paul, an artist, designer and songwriter, has been writing and recording music since he was a teenager. He co-founded the New York Dolls influenced Music For Girls in the mid-00s. Afterwards, he started an art-rock/soul music project where he began collaborating with David Rozner and met DaVe Lipp who joined that band (a previous incarnation of Japan Soul spelled Japan Seoul). Jason took a long hiatus in which he traveled the globe for a year with his soon-to-be wife and artistic collaborator, Eva Orzech (who created and provided the cover painting for Plastic Utopia).
David Rozner is a drummer with a degree in music theory and crafts a-typical arrangements out of the songs. He was a founding member of the band The Vitamen. He also played drums in Peephole/Kent Odessa (joined by Jason on bass). David has become a music producer working with artists as well as for film and television.
DaVe Lipp, a writer, bassist, poet/lyricist and multi-instrumentalist, contributes unconventional ideas utilizing his growing stash of musical instruments. DaVe played saxophone in The Vitamen’s horn section. He is also the founder of the experimental/surf/8-bit project, Himalayan Gold.
Pre-order Now on BandCamp – Available at all digital stores April 29
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This year’s programme includes ten UK premieres and three exclusive previews organised around five themes: Armed Conflict and the Arab Spring; Human Rights Defenders, Icons and Villains; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual […]

Margaret Berger grew up on a Norwegian island called Hitra, on the Trøndelags-coast in the middle of Norway. And she is now ready to conquer the world.
It’s not difficult to understand why. Margaret embodies all […]

The night marked Stonewall’s 25th anniversary, with speeches from presenter, broadcaster and writer Sue Perkins and journalist and Stonewall founder, Matthew Parris. Both emphasised that while there was much to […]

A hospital employee in the United Kingdom and a teacher in Ireland were unable to bear children. They both had children using surrogate mothers, in line with British and Irish law. Both surrogacies were declared […]

The research shows that, 74%* of gay men and women take out Life Insurance to protect their home or mortgage, with the remaining 26%* taking out Life Insurance to provide protection for either a child or a […]