Egypt arrests trans woman for YouTube videos
Egyptian police have arrested Malooka Aldlouah, a trans woman, for YouTube videos that show her dancing in lingerie. Police told Egyptian media the videos were “harcore” and meant to advertise sexual services, and newspapers heralded the arrest of the “most dangerous shemale in Egypt.” Aldlouah’s arrest is the latest in an anti-gay crackdown in Egypt detaining or imprisoning at least 100 people.
Ohio trans teen commits suicide, leaves note blaming Christian parents
A 17-year-old trans teenager from Ohio killed herself by stepping in front of a tractor-trailer truck Sunday. Leelah Alcorn left behind a note on her Tumblr page blaming her parents and a society that she said didn’t care about her. She wrote about how her parents refused to let her transition and how she was terrified of being trapped looking like a man for her whole life. “The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights,” she wrote. “Fix society. Please.”
German court recognizes male partners of surrogate fathers
A German court has recognized, for the first time, that the male partner of a father with a surrogate child is also that child’s parent. Surrogacy is illegal in Germany, but many parents have surrogate children overseas. Until now, only the biological father could be recognized as a parent.
Slovakia’s anti-gay conservatives dig in their heels
At The New York Times, policy analyst Dalibor Rohac chronicles the surge in anti-gay activism in Slovakia following the first Pride parade in 2010. Slovakians will inevitably one day accept gay relationships, he writes, but conservatives hope to drag out the fight as long as possible.
Read more at The New York Times.
The year in gay culture
At Gawker, Rich Juzwiak rounds up a year of gay culture — good, bad and ugly — from The Imitation Game to Nick Jonas. At the National Post, Sarah Boesveld looks back on the year country music went gay.
Why you can trust Xtra
