LGBT

A report drafted by a civil rights organization has drawn a picture of the plight of transgender individuals in Turkey, finding that half of all transgender women sex workers in the country have been subjected to physical violence from police. It also states that the murder of transgender individuals in Turkey amounts to 40 percent of the total number of such killings in all of Europe.

The European Union’s top court has ruled that tests to prove claims of homosexuality by asylum seekers were unlawful.

Authorities must refuse all offers by applicants to “demonstrate their homosexuality” either through sexual acts or videos, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said.

Montenegro pride parade is a step toward human rights

Fostering human rights is one of the key requirements for candidate countries to join the EU.

EU officials and experts praised the recent gay pride parade in Montenegro as a positive step toward boosting human rights in the country.

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A Turkish referee who was dropped by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) after coming out as gay has received the Respect Award, given Nov. 24 annually by the Berlin-based LGBT rights nongovernmental organization Alliance Against Homophobia.

The LGBT community is set to hold Turkey's first transgender fashion show in Istanbul on Nov. 20, marking the annual day established to commemorate victims of hate crimes against transgender people.

The income collected by the sale of clothes exhibited on the catwalk will be donated to transgender people in need, the organizers said.

The Sabancı Foundation Turkey’s Changemakers Program is continuing in its sixth season to share the unique stories of extraordinary people who contribute to social development. The second Changemaker of the sixth season is the families of LGBTI individuals in Istanbul (LISTAG), a trailblazing group working against discrimination.   

Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook publicly came out as gay in an article penned for Bloomberg Businessweek.
  
Cook has never previously publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation.

"Let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," he wrote in the article.

Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook publicly came out as gay in an article he wrote in Bloomberg Businessweek.
  
 Cook has never previously acknowledged his sexual orientation.
    "
So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook said in the article.

A Turkish LGBT association has launched a new campaign against self-help books describing homosexuality and transsexuality as a 'disease'

Pride Parade in Serbia a step towards human rights

Officials say the successful march shows the nation is promoting respect for diversity.

Respect for human rights is one of the first and most important requirements in the negotiations between Serbia and the EU, and the recent peaceful gay pride parade was lauded by officials as a breakthrough.