Dr. Toprak and her colleagues in parliament are great allies of the LGBT movement in Turkey. Their political fight for equal treatment of all citizens is a source of inspiration for human rights activists in Turkey who have been advocating for equal rights and protection of LGBT individuals.

As we commemorate IDAHO this year, we should reflect on how homophobic and transphobic discrimination affects Guyanese children, robbing them of their innocence and dignity and damaging the next generation. But we can, and we must, change that.

IDAHO is a day to remember that there are countries throughout the world where well-meaning people are being told that LGBT people should be rejected by their families, given shock treatment, converted to fundamentalism, imprisoned or even executed. There is work to do!

On May 17, commemorating the day that the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder, millions of people from over 100 countries will come together to celebrate the ninth annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO).

Wherever we are, privacy means privacy, and dignity means dignity, and neither can be interfered with without reasonable cause. Religious beliefs are to be respected, but the full coercive power of the state should not target a vulnerable community whose identity causes no harm to others.

Before the media declare the gay Zulu wedding as progress for the LGBTI African movement, they must ask themselves, "What does progress for LGBTI people in other African countries (or even for different groups of Africans within South Africa) look like?"

LOS ANGELES — NBC's sitcom "The New Normal," FX's thriller "American Horror Story: Asylum" and NBC's daytime drama "Days of Our Lives" took home...

USAID is developing and refining a training package for workers around the world, to help them understand the various languages and cultures that surround local LGBT communities. In many nations the issues that the training brings up have never been discussed openly.

For decades the word "gay" was almost never heard in formal meetings at the UN. Today, after a series of recent diplomatic breakthroughs, awareness of the gravity and extent of homophobic violence and discrimination -- and the need to tackle it -- is widespread and growing.

Honestly, I hardly know what homophobia is anymore. Even my parents have worked through it. Everyone around me knows, and I live in a bubble of kindly indifference to homosexuality where it is no more an issue than the color of my hair. But I do remember.

We lack a true LGBT leader in Italy. Our civil rights ship is missing its Han Solo. All we've got is B-level personalities. They're old and bald and preach like pastors. They have no relevant ideas, they are not brave, and they don't think forward. In other words, they're a lot like our politicians.

I go to sleep every night with a siren alarm, a fire extinguisher and a rope ladder beside my bed, in case of another attack. During my 46 years of LGBT and human rights campaigning, I've upset a lot of dictators, fascists, homophobes and racists. Hate mail and death threats are a regular part of my life.

WARSAW, Poland — The before and after photos of Anna Grodzka show how much she – and her country – have transformed. As a man, she ...

Since the late 2000s all of the Americas, not just the United States and Canada, have begun to set trends in LGBT rights. As we look to 2013, here are some of the trends to follow in the hemisphere's struggle for LGBT rights.

My trip to Cuba was a chance to hear what Cubans have to say about all the changes and victories for their LGBT community. After talking to many of Mariela Castro's activists and volunteers, I can't help but think that what's potentially around the corner could be monumental for Cuba.

The coexistence of same-sex marriage and brutality against LGBTI communities in Latin America should make it clear that we must attack the larger fallacy at stake: the notion that only those who look, speak, talk, think and live like the majority deserve equal rights and protection.

What happens depends on how the Kosovo government and public respond to the recent attacks. So far, in that respect, there is some room for optimism -- but there is also room for profound concern.

The decision to support the inclusion of "sexual orientation" and introduce "gender identity" into the resolution is one in a series of positive developments at the United Nations and in regional human rights systems.

Flanked by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, pop star Ricky Martin and LGBT rights defenders from around the world, South African hit maker Yvonne Chaka Chaka didn't mince words on Tuesday during a major LGBT rights panel at the UN in honor of Human Rights Day.

The belligerent rhetoric directed at anyone who does not seem straight is neither innovative nor specific to Uganda. For years politicians and pundits from the U.S. to Malawi have spread the notion that gay people "recruit" children and that pedophilia and homosexuality are linked.

I have had the honor and the privilege of speaking to and participating with LGBT Pride organizers on six continents, often in cities and nations facing immense societal barriers to human rights, yet I cannot remember a place with a more deliberate silence, or more indifference, than Hungary.

Nigeria's deceptively named "Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill" declares that the "public show of same sex amorous relationship [sic] directly or indirectly is hereby prohibited." It would punish same-sex affection -- yes, even a simple hug or kiss -- with 10 years in prison.

It is incredibly important that news outlets and advocates fighting for the human rights of gays and lesbians see Uganda's so-called "kill the gays" bill before reporting or believing that the bill no longer includes the death penalty. Until we see the bill, we must assume the worst.

The bill has been scheduled for an "order of business to follow" and could be voted on this week. It is expected to easily pass, and then it will be up to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to veto the bill. Join All Out and Ugandans by calling for a presidential veto of the bill immediately.

PARIS — France's former first lady Carla Bruni says she disagrees with her conservative husband Nicolas Sarkozy and supports a plan to allow gay...