Sports journalist Grace Robertson explains what a powerful conversation, a game of footy and trans acceptance all have in common.  

WORDS BY GRACE ROBERTSON
IN COLLABORATION WITH VERSUS
HEADER DESIGN BY JACK ROWE

TW – Mentions of suicide and depression

Why do I write about football? On one hand, the answer is pretty simple: it’s fun, and I like doing it. I feel incredibly privileged that this is what I do for a living. But there are times when I ask myself, with everything that’s going on in the world, why do I write about football? Shouldn’t I be talking about things that truly matter like the injustices I and others experience as trans women? Wouldn’t that be a better use of my precious time on Earth, rather than writing about kicking a ball around? But that’s precisely why I write about it.

I wasn’t always a football fan. I was an awkward child, who shunned a lot of things I was supposed to do or like. But come the 2002 World Cup, at age 10, watching football seemed like a shortcut to fitting in. If I could talk to people about football, I had a way to seem normal. And so that’s what I did. From there, it really did hook me, but it also served its purpose. Football was a way of cutting through the awkwardness I felt as a closeted (even to myself) trans woman trying to work her way through male spaces. I didn’t feel like I understood most men or how I was supposed to relate to them. But as soon as I started talking about football, none of that mattered. It could fill any uncomfortable silence. It was a cheat code. I didn’t really know how to be a man, but through football, I could fake it until I realised I never wanted to make it.

The most popular sport in the world can drive new conversations. That’s why powerful individuals are so interested in it. Brands invest a fortune in associating themselves with clubs and players because it helps them cut through. Qatar wanted to host the 2022 World Cup precisely because it was a way to shape global perceptions about the country and access soft power. Some people in Newcastle suddenly held positive opinions about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because the country’s Public Investment Fund bought their beloved football club. Little gets people talking the way football does.

But it’s also something I’ve been able to use to positive ends. If you want to reach people, you have to speak their language. And for an awful lot of us, that language is football. I’ve been able to build up an audience of people reading me because they want to know if Joshua Zirkzee is going to be the striker Manchester United are looking for, or if Arne Slot’s ideas will work at Liverpool. Trans issues aren’t really on their radar. For the most part, I don’t think people who start reading my work are particularly for or against trans rights; they just haven’t thought about it.

For all that direct advocacy has its values, I sometimes think the way for a minority group to be heard is to show ourselves existing as complete people. Activism is hard, important and necessary work to change the world. At the same time, trans people cannot only be seen as activists. If you can see us talking about shared interests, like football, that’s a totally different level to connect with someone on. I talk about trans issues now and again to an audience that isn’t here to seek them out, but is nonetheless one I’ve built a rapport and level of trust with. If I wrote exclusively about trans activism, I would never get their attention.

That might not be the most important reason to do it, though. When I first started questioning my gender over a decade ago, I asked myself if I could even continue to like football. It just felt like such a masculine culture, such a male trait that I could never embrace if I were to transition. Obviously, I can now see that this wasn’t true. But what I needed to see back then was a trans woman openly talking about football, being herself with the sport was absolutely a part of that. If I can show someone else that they can still be a trans girl and like football, that it can still be a part of their gender identity, I’ll feel like I’m doing good in the world. You can want to be a girl and talk about Spain’s aggressive use of wingers stretching the play. It’s fine to do both.

There’s a tweet that stays with me a lot. If you are transgender, the tweet claims, then, first and foremost, you have to live. An awful lot of trans people, myself included, have thought at times about ending it all (I’m doing a lot better these days, to be clear). The pain of gender dysphoria alone is enough to drive someone to desperation before even considering what the world thinks of our minority. The most important thing I can do for myself is to wake up every day, still here. After that, it’s important to show other trans people that you can thrive and live as an actual human being. I do that by talking about football.

For all that football is a game of kicking a ball around, it’s also a gateway to talking about everything else that matters. People can say “stick to sports” all they want, but they’re only closing off the avenues of meaning that it can create. What happens on the pitch is the start of the conversation, but it doesn’t have to be the end of it. Sport is a lens through which we can talk about pretty much anything and everything. It’s given me access to express my true self and talk about issues I care about in a public forum – that’s why we need more trans visibility in football.

You can read Grace’s article on trans visibility in football at Versus here. 

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Whether it’s a popped-up collar, a clean V-neck cut or a boxy boyfriend fit, there’s gender euphoria to be found in football shirts. 

WORDS BY ZOYA RAZA-SHEIKH
IN COLLABORATION WITH VERSUS
HEADER DESIGN BY JACK ROWE

Growing up, men’s football was all over the telly. My older brother was a massive Manchester United fan and would watch every game he could, sometimes I’d even watch with him. I loved seeing the players beeline across the pitch, socks pulled up over their calves, sweat-soaked shirts hugging their chests. I would examine their bodies and think: “Why don’t football shirts look like that on me?”

Gender isn’t easy to figure out. The world we live in primarily operates in a binary manner. Men, women. Straight, gay. They’re still very much considered the default – even more so in football, a sport that’s deeply rooted in old-school views of masculinity. So, it might seem odd that football shirts have provided me with an avenue to experiment with my own gender. Or is it? 

Back then, watching those games with my brother, I didn’t quite know how to describe the feelings I felt as I sat captivated by the slick movements of Louis Saha, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes. But now, I’d call it gender envy. There’s no right way when it comes to figuring out your identity and where you fit in a world obsessed with labelling people as simply one thing or another. But for some reason, football shirts have always helped me on my gender journey. 

Shirts have become a core part of my gender expression – I feel more at ease with who I am when I wear them. They provide me with a level of comfort and breathability, both literally and metaphorically. It might seem somewhat trivial, distilling something so big as gender into a brightly-coloured 80s-inspired football shirt. But often it’s the small, everyday things that help us to make sense of the emotions we’ve struggled for so long to engage with – let alone make sense of. 

There’s an unquestionable euphoria in football fashion. Whether you want to call it ‘blokecore’ or ‘ladcore’, the revival of retro kits undoubtedly pulls on iconic British fashion that flooded the streets and terraces throughout the 80s and 90s. Today, both football die-hards and casual matchgoers are experimenting with kits – something we’ve also seen bleed onto the catwalk in recent years (will there ever be a better collaboration than Wales Bonner x Jamaica?). And while the blokecore trend might feel gendered, the style isn’t. It’s a lens of fashion that has been an escape, a place where I can find synergy between my outward presentation and internal feelings. 

Finding sanctity in football shirts was an unexpected port of call, one that caught me by surprise, even as a long-time football fan. Yet I can’t shake the gender-affirming sense of self I find wearing my beige Barcelona 2004-05 shirt. As your identity shifts – whether it’s labels, pronouns, or something bigger – there’s a want to create cohesiveness in how you feel and fashion is the easiest way to signify who you are. From pairing oversized baggy blue-wash denim jeans with a bright yellow 2010-13 Arsenal away number, to matching chunky silver rings with my crisp white Real Madrid top. In football shirts, for me at least, there’s no immediate call to dress femme, instead, you can play around with presentation. This level of openness has given me the freedom to pick and choose what feels best. A feeling I’ve not always experienced in either my surroundings or myself. 

How the Women’s Super League became the pinnacle of UK sapphic culture

As a South Asian baby masc, I’m used to comments of all kinds: ones to do with race, gender, sexuality, you name it. You learn to acclimatise (not always quickly) to the soft racism or how your eyebrow slit, thin silver chain or vocal joy for Chappell Roan can make people feel a bit uncomfortable. “It’s a bit much”, I’ve been told. The level of prejudice – and sometimes even abuse – I’ve experienced over the years for trying to feel at home in my own skin, is perhaps why I’ve never watched a men’s football match in person. 

We’ve all seen and heard stories about how homophobic and racist the men’s game is. Watching Manchester United’s first team with my brother might have been my football entry point but it’s the women’s game that’s welcomed me for who I am. I’ve found women’s football to be a space that’s more inclusive of diverse identities than most – I’d even go so far as to say that I’ve found a community. Being queer in women’s football, both for the players and the fans, isn’t the exception; if anything it’s celebrated. The camaraderie of the women’s game feels more like home for me because I don’t experience the same level of interrogation for wearing my oversized “men’s” shirts and gender-fluid fits.

Many of us spend years following our favourite players from club to club as they evolve with their teams. And while I can’t pull off striking Ballon d’Or-worthy shots like Aitana Bonmatí, I can empathise with growing through motions of change. In a way, through shirts, I do the same. 

Each one brings a different feeling – a sense of home and comfort for a different reason. Sometimes it’s an affirming colour choice or even a modest boxy cut that brings an unexplained feeling of ease for me. Football traditionally hasn’t been a space welcoming of people like me – those who don’t conform to gender norms. So, perhaps there’s some irony in me gaining as much comfort in shirts as I do. But if they help me get to grips with this beast called gender, then it looks like I’ll need to make more space in my wardrobe. 

You can read Zoya’s article on gender and football fashion at Versus here. 

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Singer-songwriter Kehlani talks finding gender euphoria on and off the stage, defiantly speaking her mind and her full-throttle new album, CRASH.

WORDS BY ZOYA RAZA-SHEIKH

There’s a collision on the cover art of CRASH: a shattering of expectations, as Kehlani – donning black and gold six-inch thin strap heels and a glittering spiky silver two-piece – poses atop a totalled blood red car. Her return is striking, two years after her third studio album, Blue Water. Gone are moments of moss-covered beach rocks, the pools of salty seawater and the murky, earthy gradients of the ocean view. The tranquillity of the past has ebbed away and, instead, an explosion of emotion has come careening in. Her thighs are wrapped in aluminium-coloured car-like shrapnel which fans out at her feet in flame-shaped cutouts. Yet, her jet-black hair, now shorter and with blonde highlights, is perfectly fixed. CRASH is a metaphor and real-life visual of Kehlani’s private world: a transformative intimate space of glamour, deconstruction and self-reckoning. 

On the surface, the musician’s fourth studio album hits like a sideswipe. It’s flashy and immense as you find yourself flailing through bouts of experimentation, steering between syrupy notes on ‘GrooveTheory’ to revelling in the sultry excess of ‘Sucia’ (which features Jill Scott & Young Miko). It’s forceful and uncompromising, in no small part thanks to the atmosphere of freedom garnered from days surfing and reconnecting with close family. It was the puzzle pieces of her life she, selectively, wanted to share. More often than not, the singer-songwriter shies away from the public – quipping that she “hates being famous” and the celebrity shtick of LA over Zoom – but CRASH is the opposite. It’s red hot, freewheeling and souped-up on queer desire. She reaffirms how we see her: sometimes an aspirational sharp suit-wearing Gladys Bentley, sometimes a gender-fluid internet meme of “Fominic Dyke”. 

The arrival of a new record is a reintroduction, and Kehlani’s was intentional. She ditches the easily affixed R&B label and seeks out the thrumming hum of Las Vegas, the folksy twang of country and even steps into psych-rock just for the feel of it. She shelves the idea of a self-titled release and, instead, wades deep into a time when her life flipped upside down after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “The switch was realising that CRASH was this internal tale of my experience. I’m bipolar and only found that out recently and started my journey with my psychiatrist,” she says. “There were so many moments where it was clearly like ‘this is a high, this is a low’ and it was my mental journey and the album playing tag with each other, revealing things.”

As for now, the musician has dropped tour dates and she’s ready to share her outwardly queerest album with the masses. She’s standing for what feels right, rather than what people expect from her – and that’s the spirit of CRASH. It’s about feeling the full-throttle rush and walking away, hair strewn with broken glass, knowing you’ve come out the other side. Here, for her GAY TIMES’ cover story, Kehlani opens up about her Saturn Return-influenced album, becoming an outspoken voice for the LGBTQIA+ community and why she loves messing around with gender norms. 

Kehlani, congrats on the album release. How are you doing?

I’m good. I just announced my tour so I’m excited. I have this funny habit of not making myself too aware of the actual details of things so that I can be shocked when they happen. I saw the capacity for some of the venues today which was really cool because I can’t believe I’m playing these shows. 

You started working on CRASH last July in what you’ve described as the “perfect surfy summer”. How did the atmosphere and freedom of that time set you up, creatively, for this album?

That time allowed me to just have more fun. Life had gotten a little serious. When I first started the album, I had moved back to my hometown. I had decided to be a domestic family person and I was really just locked in that kind of life – I had lost all kinds of being whimsically creative. Being able to go from surfing to making music really popped the cherry of taking life less seriously, and everybody was having a lot of fun. I think you can hear the fun in the album.

What made you want to trade the serenity of surfing waves for the motif of a smashed-up car?

Things started shifting in this really fast-paced emotional space, it very quickly went from sweet and surfy to charged-up and energetic. That’s where my mental health was at the time, and we were making this album in a bunch of different places.

You’ve regularly had a closeness with the R&B genre label. On this record, you deviate from that and experiment across sounds. You also worked with different producers and moved around while making the album (San Diego, LA, New York). How did these environments sonically leave an imprint on the album?

I was really blessed to have so many incredible collaborators. Everybody came together to push all of their own buttons and it didn’t feel like I had to force anyone to be excited and try things.

We really were hanging out every day and breaking down this very Los Angeles studio version of making music. We just really cracked that code and were making songs in houses. We would wake up together, make music all day, hang out, go to a bar, come back and make more music, then sleep and do it again. It became this melting pot and everybody was just down to try whatever with each other.

Did you have a specific music eureka moment in a location that really resonated with you?  

We went to Vegas and I realised I hadn’t captured that desert part of Vegas, I hadn’t captured that sultry, sexy feeling and that’s how ‘Sucia’ came about. We were just sitting in the living room and I wanted to hear a snake rattle, and desert wind and needed a western guitar that sounded like I was stepping out and putting my boot in the saloon. We made the beat and the song that day. That was a good moment because we realised Vegas encapsulated all the worlds that we were talking about. 

As a musician, you’ve experienced a lot of change in recent years. You’re also someone who embraces astrology and has spoken about the impact of going through a Saturn Return. What experiences have been the most formative in helping shape your art? 

Saturn Return flips your life upside down. It really changes everything and it gives you the tools to continue afterwards. Making an album in the middle of it, I feel like there are no obvious themes [of Saturn Return] lyrically on there but, energetically and sonically, [the album] felt like the flip that my life has made. It felt like the mess, the chaos and the redemption I’ve been processing for the last two years.

What led you to name the album CRASH rather than rolling out a self-titled project like many fans were expecting?

To be honest, it felt too chaotic to be my self-titled album. I feel like subtitled albums are a little more traditional. This wasn’t my moment to explain what makes me or to sonically do that. I was just trying some shit and I really wanted to pivot and not make the same album over and over again.

CRASH is your fourth album and it’s been almost four years since you came out as lesbian. Do you feel like there’s been an alignment there, between yourself, your life experiences and your music? 

I learned more and there was a more obvious throughline with how the album came out and with engaging with people about it afterwards. I felt like I was really trapped in my own little world when I was making this album. Then, I started to put out music during a genocide – I took the stances I take in the world, which started overtaking everything. 

Your album rollout was intertwined with fundraising efforts to provide humanitarian aid in Palestine, Sudan, and Congo, with merch for your single ‘Next 2 U’ raising $555,000. Were you concerned about how your political stance would be received while putting out an album? 

I wasn’t, I was more concerned with people thinking it was performative because that was not my intention. It was very clear for me to understand people know I’m dropping an album and I can’t stop it. I can’t [stop] putting it out right now. People are watching me for music videos and music.

I knew what I was going to do. I want to have an initiative which is raising money with a Palestinian company and a Palestinian designer. I was going to have to draw massive attention to it and cause a fucking shit storm to get the initiative in order to raise the funds

I knew what I was going to do. I want to have an initiative which is raising money with a Palestinian company and a Palestinian designer. I was going to have to draw massive attention to it and cause a fucking shit storm to get the initiative in order to raise the funds. I knew people would be like, what the fuck does this song have to do with Palestine? Saying ‘you’re just putting on a kufiya and waving around flags – what the fuck does have to do anything?’ I knew I was gonna have to just take that hit to the chin, but as long as we raised the money that we raised, that was all my concern.

Speaking of breaking the status quo, we’re also seeing a lot of LGBTQIA+ musicians speak out about political matters. We’re also seeing the same names – Chappell Roan, Reneé Rapp, Arlo Parks, Billie Eilish – become part of a new sapphic renaissance, a culture shift you’re also a part of. Why do you think queer women are having a moment right now? 

I think we’re honestly coming into this anti-patriarchal [moment] where a lot more people are prevailing who don’t necessarily appeal to the male gaze. That’s really fucking cool because there has always been queerness in music. It’s really special to see so many people who ride the gender lines or disrupt gender binaries, especially those who are masculine-presenting, be representative of queer music. When I’m dolled up, I don’t look like this [more masculine presenting]. This is my day-to-day. Typically, I look a little different than I look when I do my job. 

Do you enjoy being able to flit between the gender fluidity of your presentation, on and off the stage? 

Oh yeah, it fucks people up, that’s why I enjoy it – it’s hysterical! When I first got my hair dyed the other day, I happened to have a wife beater on and I posted a video of my hair dyed and everybody was ‘who the fuck are you, Paul Walker?’ They were like, who is this handsome person? So many people were saying ‘you’re so handsome’ and it was kind of doing it for me!

I enjoy being in my own energy and what that looks like is just knowing that it’s what is most true for me.

I enjoy being in my own energy and what that looks like is just knowing that it’s what is most true for me. It does confuse people all the time and it’s like whatever part of me they’re attached to, they freak out when it leans to the other [gendered] side. Just knowing that I find a home in that helps them to know there’s no pressure to align in any kind of way. You can fluidly have any journey that you want. I love how much it pisses people off, personally.

Does your gender expression really bother people?

I think [people] just want you to be palatable in whatever way is appropriate to consume you. I don’t get shocked at their reactions anymore because I know what I’m up against. I know my audience has had to follow me through a lot of changes in this life. So, there are some people who are simply stuck at another level of me from five years ago. If I were to get my short hair one day, have a fake moustache the next day or have a floor-length wig and my titties mostly out, you’re just gonna have to deal with it.

You’ve spoken about setting and achieving personal goals, including retiring your mum, getting a good school for your daughter, and not having to worry about housing. How have your personal ambitions steered you when it comes to speaking out about your background, queerness or identity?

It might be toxic positivity but I really try to count my blessings and praise God as much as possible. Life is short, I’m not participating in anybody’s rat race. I’m not playing by anybody’s rules or anybody’s delusions in any way, shape or form. I’m honestly here to do the things that make me really happy and, hopefully, it makes other people happy along the way – that’s what’s grounding and what I keep coming back to. It’s taking care of the people that you love and influencing people that are paying attention to you in a correct and positive way.

When you tour you get to bring that ethos along with you too… 

It’s the only time as an artist that you get poured into. You’re pouring out the rest of the time. The entire time you’re putting out music, you’re telling your story, you’re doing interviews and telling your business, and you’re putting your life on display. Touring is one of the only times you get to see that love you put out in the world come back to you.

As for what’s next, you’ve regularly been asked about reaching the “next level”, whether that’s fame, success or becoming a bigger name in this industry. What’s your next priority? 

I’m dropping an R&B mixtape. I started working on it a week and a half ago: I wanted to make some songs, put them out and perform them. I’m gonna love it and fans are gonna love it and it’s gonna be a good time.

I’m gonna be real. I don’t wanna get to another level. I don’t like being famous. I don’t like talking about my business. I don’t like having to grow up in front of everyone. I don’t like having to take my lessons in front of everyone. I don’t like doing anything except the music part, really, that’s why nobody sees me anywhere. I don’t go to stuff. I get invited to a lot of stuff and I don’t go to it. A long time ago, I came to terms with separating other people’s projections of what they thought my career should look like from what I actually wanted.

I’m gonna be real. I don’t wanna get to another level. I don’t like being famous. I don’t like talking about my business. I don’t like having to grow up in front of everyone. I don’t like having to take my lessons in front of everyone

A lot of people use the word ‘flop’ or say ‘you’re this kind of artist, you could be here’ but has anyone ever stopped to consider that I’ve carefully designed my life around prioritising how I want this shit to feel? I’m with those people [major celebrities] sometimes and it really doesn’t seem like that feels good. I want to have fun with this shit for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be a superstar.

CRASH is out now via Atlantic.

The post “I don’t want to be a superstar”: Kehlani hates being famous – but loves fucking with gender norms appeared first on GAY TIMES.

A year on from the passing of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, Kuchu Times’ Ruth Muganzi reflects on the origins of the queerphobia which led to its creation.

WORDS BY RUTH MUGANZI
HEADER DESIGN BY YOSEF PHELAN

After lobbying from the US evangelical Christian movement, the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) was enacted in Uganda in May 2023. Although same-sex activity was already illegal, from then on LGBTQIA+ life in Uganda has been subject to even harsher restrictions. These include punitive prison sentences – twenty years for the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality and life imprisonment for homosexual acts – as well as the death penalty for instances of so-called ‘aggravated homosexuality’.

The new law has led to several arrests, with some individuals facing capital charges. Additionally, the committee of the Convening for Equality (CFE) released a report in September arguing that the bill, and the political rhetoric surrounding it, has radicalised the public against LGBTQIA+ individuals. In early January, the prominent activist Steven Kabuye was stabbed after receiving death threats.  Despite these troubling developments, in April Uganda’s Constitutional Court rejected a petition by activists to overturn the law. 

From its inception, the bill has proved controversial with the international community and was denounced by the UN and European parliament. The response from President Yoweri Museveni has, however, been defiant – suggesting that calls to repeal the law as a western imposition. “Western countries should stop wasting the time of humanity by trying to impose their practices on other people,” he said in parliament. But is it really true to say that queer tolerance is a western practice, while homophobia is a Ugandan one? 

Where does queerphobia in Uganda come from?

Over the past year, communities in Uganda have discussed the concept of sex between people of the same gender far more than they have even questioned why it matters to them what two or more consenting adults get up to in private. 

If we took some time to interrogate the roots of these prejudices, we would come to understand how what many now defend as our Ugandan culture – punishing and criminalising same-sex love and diverse gender expression – is actually a remnant of the British culture of oppression and the legacy of colonialism.

See, same-sex love wasn’t invented in the west. In pre-colonial Uganda, our culture as a people was one of acceptance and tolerance. In Buganda, same-sex relations were treated with indifference while the Lango people had a third gender, mudoko dako individuals, who were free to marry men. Teso, Bahima, Banyoro, and Karamojong peoples are also said to have tolerated homosexuality in their societies. 

History of homosexuality in Uganda

Like everywhere else, African people have historically expressed a diversity of sexualities. In the 16th Century, homosexuality in Africa was witnessed by European missionaries and colonial agents whose reports were used to reinforce the notion of so-called ‘primitive’ African societies in need of Christian ‘cleansing’. 

Rather than importing homosexuality to their colonial conquests, Christian and Islamic forces fought to eradicate it. By challenging our indigenous social and spiritual systems, they demonised homosexuality in Africa, paving the way for the criminalisation that prevails today.

One of the best-known examples of this in pre-colonial Uganda occurred in the kingdom of Buganda. In the late 19th century, the area was ruled by Kabaka Mwanga II, who was considered to be a bisexual or gay man. Viewing Christianity as a potential threat to his rule, and disgruntled by the religion’s anti-homosexual stance, he ordered the deaths of 45 of his male pages. 

However, by 1897, he had been forced to accept Buganda becoming a Protectorate of the British and was exiled to the Seychelles. While in exile, he was coerced into the Anglican Church by way of a forced baptism and given the name Daniel. He is noted to have died in the Seychelles on 8 May 1903 at 35 years of age as a result of torture by British soldiers.

While people in pre-colonial Uganda had varied attitudes towards gender and sexual diversity, Britain traditionally had a more negative stance. In England, laws criminalising homosexuality dated back to 1533 – when King Henry VIII passed the Buggery Act 1533 making all male homosexual activity punishable by death. 

There were other, earlier, cases of queerness being harshly chastised in the UK, such as the 1337 torture of Hugh Despenser the Younger. Despite being executed for the crimes of high treason, an account of his execution by 14th Century historian Froissart states that his penis was severed and burned as an additional punishment for sodomy and heresy. 

Christianity as cultural imperialism

Christianity acts as a neo-imperial force in different African countries as, structurally, the religion is woven into the fabric of many social amenities. 

When missionaries establish a church, they establish a school and a hospital – all of which receive taxpayer support but are run on the values of the church. Over time, these values have been weaponised to replace African values and culture, as sought by the architects of colonisation.

Church or faith foundations own a large portion of public schools, hospitals and, now, media organisations such as television and radio stations. Over the last twenty years, these institutions have provided avenues to spread homophobia, influence policymakers and deny LGBTQIA+ individuals access to education and lifesaving healthcare services. 

Religion is a gift from the colonial era that keeps giving. In 2024, it remains the foundational pillar of homophobia upon which anti-gay legislations like the AHA are built. 

The Ugandan LGBTQIA+ Movement

It is a closely held belief of mine that LGBTQIA+ individuals and the corresponding social movement will change the landscape of human rights in Uganda and the African content.

In the last 21 years, within the Ugandan movement, activists have pushed back against growing political and religious-backed homophobia. This has ensured that LGBTQIA+ people have safe access to treatment and care services and that legislation like the AHA does not go unchallenged in the courts of law.

Our persistent spirit is summarised well by the words of Frank Mugisha, the Ugandan LGBTQIA+ advocate and Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda: “We are driven by a strong conviction [that] we are part of a larger story of global human rights and we will not give up until we have built a future we deserve.”

The post It’s not queerness that is alien to Ugandan culture – it’s queerphobia appeared first on GAY TIMES.

LGBTQIA+ employees are often paid less than their straight counterparts, data shows. What can we do to close the gap?

WORDS BY NICOLE GARCÍA MÉRIDA
HEADER BY YOSEF PHELAN

Minorities never really need to look at data to confirm they’re being discriminated against. We see it, we feel it, we experience it in the flesh — yet several studies have demonstrated the existence of an LGBTQIA+ wage gap. 

A survey carried out by YouGov in 2019, commissioned by LinkedIn and UK Black Pride, found that LGBTQIA+ people in the UK earn around £7,000 less than their straight counterparts. In his 2022 paper, Professor Nick Drydakis from Anglia Ruskin University found that gay men’s earnings were 6.8% lower than those of comparable straight men, while bisexual men’s earnings were 10.3% lower than those of heterosexual men. 

Separately in the US, an HRC Foundation analysis conducted in 2022 of nearly 7,000 full-time LGBTQ+ found LGBTQIA+ workers earn around 90 cents to the dollar that every straight person earns. The gap widens for LGBTQIA+ people of colour, trans people and non-binary people. 

Data also shows that workplaces are not well equipped to close the gap. A poll of around 1,000 HR managers from the Trades Unions Congress (TUC) revealed one in five workplaces don’t have any policies in place to support their LGBTQ+ staff. And concerningly, data collected by UK charity Just Like Us showed that a quarter of young LGBTQIA+ adults went back in the closet when they started work. 

How can we report on the wage gap?

Despite the number of studies that have been conducted on earnings discrepancies, there’s a long way to go when it comes to data reporting. While gender wage gap reporting is mandatory in the UK for companies with 250 or more employees, employers are not required to collect or report information on ethnicity wage gaps or LGBTQIA+ wage gaps. 

“One of our big asks is that the government include us in the big statistical surveys so we understand what is happening to the community at a national level on a statistical level,” said Quinn Roache, policy officer at Trades Union Congress.

“But I worry a lot that when we start getting the data at a national level or employers are getting the data, that it won’t be right… If we get pay gap reporting for LGBTQ+ issues, and we have employers saying they have no pay gap, I would say let’s look at your data. Are you only surveying employees in the top roles? I would say what you have is a monitoring issue in terms of the quality of groupings.” 

While gender wage gap reporting is mandatory in the UK for companies with 250 or more employees, employers are not required to collect or report information on ethnicity wage gaps or LGBTQ+ wage gaps. 

TUC has found only one in eight employees monitor the LGBTQIA+ pay gap. Ken Janssens, co-founder of Windō, a platform that compares organisations diversity, equity and inclusion progress, notes that when companies report on the sexual orientation pay gap, they report on the L, G and the B in LGBTQ+ – not the Q and not the T. Currently, only 15 companies voluntarily share their sexual orientation pay gap data, and the average gap is 8.8%. 

Even when companies are reporting this data, it’s important to keep certain factors in mind such as visibility and data inclusion. “It’s important that companies share how many employees have participated in [self-identification],” says Janssens. The data won’t really start feeling representative until reporting is at around 80% or 90% participation.”

The data may also show certain discrepancies. In his study, Professor Drydakis found that lesbian women’s earnings were 7.1% higher than those of comparable heterosexual women. This “presents a puzzling issue,” he says, but there could be many reasons for this. 

“A peripheral explanation for the lesbian earnings premium may revolve around women with children earning less than those without children,” Professor Drydakis says. “Additionally, lesbian women might demonstrate greater dedication to the labour market as they are less likely to rely on a higher-earning (male) partner for financial support, potentially leading them to invest more in their careers.”

What is driving the gender pay gap? 

“The labour market penalties faced by gay men are likely linked to firms’ negative attitudes towards minority populations,” says Professor Drydakis. “Biases may also arise if organisations use sexual orientation to infer job-related characteristics, productivity, and commitment.

“If gay men do not conform to traditional gender roles associated with masculinity and leadership, this could lead to unfavourable evaluations and earnings penalties. To mitigate these biases, organisations should invest more resources in verifying employees’ qualifications.” 

“If someone is working in an environment where they’re not necessarily able to be themselves completely, maybe even hiding that part about their identity, they’re driving energy into that,” says Janssens.  “I worked at JPMorgan for 25 years… and I wasn’t out to work for the first three. I know what that was like.” 

“When people ask you, how was your weekend? That would be the question I would dread because I would have to lie, and people can detect that,” he continues. “So they kind of go, there’s something funny about you. And when people think there’s something funny, then, you might not be given the promotion, the opportunity, the project.” 

Ultimately, the pay gap is reflective of poor treatment, says Roache, and intersectionality plays a huge role. “If you’re LGBTQ+ and disabled, you already know there’s a disability pay gap, there’s also a race pay gap, you could be experiencing a double pay gap. And let’s not forget there’s a gender pay gap,” he says. 

A survey carried out by myGwork, a business community for LGBTQIA+ professionals, found eight out of 10 LGBTQIA+ women and non-binary professionals across all age groups find it tougher to shatter the glass ceiling than heterosexual cisgender women. “This challenge is even greater for those with intersectional identities, especially those from Latinx, South Asian, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Black/African communities, who reported finding it particularly challenging compared to their white colleagues,” says Adrien and Pierre Gaubert, Co-founders of myGwork.

What can we do about the pay gap? 

It’s important the government starts mandating this data be reported because this will give a more complete picture of the difficulties LGBTQIA+ people are facing in achieving equal pay. While data may be up for scrutiny, all the studies agree on one thing – LGBTQIA+ people are being paid less. 

The government also needs to change its anti-”woke” anti-DEI positioning, Janssens points out. “That is doing real damage. It’s making LBTQ+ people fearful, and it has an impact on the workplace as well… all the anti-trans rhetoric is probably the worst in that,” he says. 

Additionally, a lot of the responsibility also falls on employers. “They need to put a lot of time and energy into how they’re going to collect monitoring data from their employees because [employees] need to know there isn’t going to be a negative consequence to ticking that box,” says Roache. 

[Employers] need to put a lot of time and energy into how they’re going to collect monitoring data from their employees because [employees] need to know there isn’t going to be a negative consequence to ticking that box

“And if they have a gap they need to look at where their lgbt workers are in the organisation, and […] look at where they are to make sure LGBTQ+ people who come into the workforce are able to bring their authentic selves and have access to training and promotions and that there aren’t any intentional or unintentional boundaries that are stopping the LGBTQIA+ community from accessing these things,” he adds. 

Roache stresses the importance of joining a union. Research from TUC shows that LGBTQIA+ people who join their union are more likely to speak up when they have been discriminated against. “Get involved in collective bargaining and ensure your union is asking for LGBTQ+ workers to get access to training and development and to make sure there are no barriers preventing them from progressing,” Roache says. “As an individual you’re limited but as a collective, you have more strength and power.” 

Read more of GAY TIMES’ finance coverage and deep dives here.

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The Texas Supreme Court allowed a new state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth to take effect on 1 September.

An array of medically-accepted treatments, such as hormones and puberty blockers, will now be prohibited.

“Transgender youth and their families are forced to confront the start of the school year fearful of what awaits them,” a joint statement from legal advocates who sued on behalf of families and doctors, including the American Civil Liberties Union, said. “But let us be clear: The fight is far from over.”

The ruling comes after a state district judge previously declared that the law violated the rights of trans children and their families when it comes to seeking necessary medical care, as well as those of doctors to follow “well-established, evidence-based” medical guidelines.

READ MORE: Texas governor Greg Abbott signs bill banning trans athletes from college-level sports

This prompted the judge to issue a temporary injunction, blocking the law from taking effect until now.

The all-Republican Supreme Court did not explain its decision to lift the injunction, nor did the order address the lower court’s ruling, with a full hearing expected in the near future.

Gender-affirming care for minors has been banned to varying effects in more than 20 US states, though some of these have been put on hold by courts.

The ban in Texas was signed into law in June by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who also ordered that families of trans minors who receive gender-affirming care be investigated.

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Nope star Keke Palmer has reflected on her sexuality and gender identity in a powerful speech.

On 22 April, LGBTQ+ activists, celebrities and allies flocked to the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel to attend the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s The Center Gala event.

During the ceremony, which was hosted by Drag Race judge Ts Madison, Palmer was honoured with a Vanguard Award for her incredible contributions to the LGBTQ+ community.

While accepting the prestigious award, the Hustlers star opened up about her challenging journey navigating her gender and sexuality.

“I’ve always been my own person. Sexuality and identity for me has always been confusion,” she told the crowd, (per Variety.)

“You know, it’s, ‘I never felt straight enough. I never felt gay enough. And I never felt woman enough. I never felt man enough.’ You know, I always felt like I was a little bit of everything.”

Palmer then reflected on the “disdain” and pushback she faced for often leading her life with “masculinity” as a woman – which she later described as “a source of pain and resentment.”

“I’ve always wanted to be like my father… to want to be taken seriously and not diminish because I was a woman… Why did my gender have to define the power I have in the world? And why does my gender get to decide my sexuality,” she continued in between tears.

“You know, since I was younger, I always questioned the boxes I was forced to be in, and it starts with who you’re supposed to be as a child…”

 

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“Then those walls try to cave you in from every damn angle, who you are as a creative, who you are as a friend.”

Towards the end of her speech, Palmer expressed her gratitude towards the event’s attendees and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole for understanding her struggles.

A day after making her powerful speech, the Alice star took to Instagram to share a series of photos from the event alongside a heartfelt caption.

“It was such a gift to be in a room, being celebrated for being exactly who I am. I am so grateful you guys to be living in this time, where yes there is still so much work to do, but dammit, we doing it,” she wrote.

“I am truly filled with so much gratitude, I tried so hard not to ruin my makeup but the tear ducts were giving out. Huge thanks again to the @lalgbtcenter, not just for this award but for EVERYTHING YOU DO TO KEEP OUR PEOPLE SAFE!”

Palmer’s recent appearance isn’t the first time she’s opened up about her sexuality.

Back in November, the 29-year-old revealed on the WHOREible Decisions podcast opened up about fluidity and where she fell on the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

“Yeah, I’m definitely in the middle of the scale. I’m definitely even across the board. I feel like love is love, life is life. Do your thing, live your life. I feel that way,” she explained.

 

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Hundreds of transgender people and their allies took to Downing Street on 18 January to protest the government’s decision to block Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

Speakers at the demonstration universally condemned Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for the move, though anger at both Labour and the Conservatives was clear.

“Trans rights are under attack, stand up, fight back” and “Keir Starmer eat shit” were among the slogans chanted by campaigners.

Some Labour MPs attended the rally, including Angela Eagle and Nadia Whittome, the latter of which gave a speech to the packed out crowd.

“It’s not legal concerns that are behind this order, it’s bigotry,” Whittome declared, adding: “The trans community is not collateral damage, trans rights are not a side issue, and trans people deserve a government that stands on their side.”

Whittome was one of just 11 Labour MPs who sided with the SNP in a symbolic vote about Scotland’s gender bill on 17 January.

 

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What is the Gender Recognition Reform Bill?

The legislation would have made it easier for trans people to change their legally recognised gender.

They would no longer need to be medically diagnosed with gender dysphoria before obtaining a gender recognition certificate as they would in the rest of the UK.

In addition, trans people would no longer have needed to prove that they’ve lived in their gender identity for two years before gaining recognition, while also dropping the minimum age of applying for the certificate from 18 to 16.

It was passed by SMPs in a vote of 86 to 39 in December.

UK-wide proposals for gender recognition reform were initially proposed by Theresa May, though these plans were scrapped during Boris Johnson’s premiership.

What have LGBTQ+ activists and organisations said?

Jayne Ozanne, who chairs the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition and resigned from the government’s LGBT advisory panel in 2021 after accusing it of creating a hostile environment for the community, told GAY TIMES: “This is a very dark day. I cannot believe that the Prime Minister has chosen to invoke Section 35 – for the first time in history – to undermine trans people’s rights.

“The international community will be appalled, the LGBT+ community alongside our friends and allies will be furious and the British people will look on amazed.

“All will rightly wonder why he has chosen to focus on one of the most marginalised and misunderstood groups in our society at a time of crisis in our NHS and public services.

“I believe it is the beginning of the end for the United Kingdom, and few will forgive him for it.”

This is a very dark day. I cannot believe that @RishiSunak has chosen this battle amongst all the other priorities he is facing!

It's yet another vicious attack on the #trans community – one of the most marginalised, hated & misunderstood in our society.https://t.co/4xn8mSqbEf

— Jayne Ozanne (@JayneOzanne) January 16, 2023

Scottish Trans, the trans equality project of LGBTQ+ equality and human rights charity the Equality Network, also condemned the UK government’s announcement.

Vic Valentine, Manager of Scottish Trans, said: “The bill covers matters that are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, and its consequences were considered by MSPs in great detail.

“For the UK Government to seek to block the Scottish democratic process in this way, simply because they disagree with the welcome decision the Scottish Parliament has made to improve trans people’s lives, is unacceptable. We fully expect the Scottish Government to challenge this in the courts.”

LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall shared that it was “saddened” by the news.

We are saddened the PM has taken unprecedented steps to block implementation of the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

These are not the actions of a government that can stand on the international stage as a defender of LGBTQ+ rights.

Our statement https://t.co/wOk2mTZ0lA

— Stonewall (@stonewalluk) January 16, 2023

“Trans people make up only 0.5% of our population, and trans men and women who can benefit from the Gender Recognition Reform Bill are only 0.2%,” it said in a statement.

“Trans people are at high risk of experiencing hate crime. They wait years and years to get a first appointment with healthcare specialists that can support their transition. Trans children are bullied in our schools. Trans adults are bullied in their workplaces.

“The UK Government should be focused on developing and implementing a strategy that improves the lives of all LGBTQ+ people, including trans people, not causing them more harm.”

Maggie Chapman, equalities spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, tweeted that she was “so angry” at the move.

“To attack a minority group like this shows just how low the Tory Govt is prepared to sink,” she continued. “They are creating a constitutional crisis by weaponising the lives of trans people. They don’t care about trans people. They don’t care about devolution. And they don’t care about Scotland.”

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Transgender people in Scotland will have to apply for a UK gender recognition certificate in order to be recognised outside of the country under changes expected to be made by ministers.

In a written statement shared on 9 January, Kemi Badenoch, the Minister for Women and Equalities, announced a review into “the list of approved overseas countries and territories” in relation to which international gender certificates the UK recognises.

“There are now some countries and territories on the list who have made changes to their systems since then and would not now be considered to have equivalently rigorous systems,” she continued. “It should not be possible for a person who would not satisfy the criteria to obtain UK legal gender recognition to use the overseas recognition route to obtain a UK Gender Recognition Certificate. This would damage the integrity and credibility of the process of the Gender Recognition Act.”

The list was last updated in 2011, when Montenegro and Latvia were removed.

Badenoch shared that her department is “finalising details of overseas countries and territories to be removed from the list” through “a thorough checking system to verify our understanding of each overseas system in question.”

It comes after SMPs voted by 86 votes to 39 last month in favour of self-identification, meaning trans people will no longer need to be medically diagnosed with gender dysphoria before obtaining a gender recognition certificate as they would in the rest of the UK.

In addition, trans people no longer need to prove that they’ve lived in their gender identity for two years before gaining recognition, while also dropping the minimum age of applying for the certificate from 18 to 16.

UK government sources have since said that unless a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria was required in Scotland, the UK would no longer recognise it as having a “rigorous” process for changing gender, according to The Times.

“This is just a procedural change and it was envisaged in the 2004 act. It is not a new measure, it was done in 2011 and we are updating it for 2023,” the source told the outlet.

“We are not discriminating against people from foreign countries with GRCs. If they arrive in this country with one from a country that has a less rigorous system than the UK, we’re saying you should apply for a UK GRC, which is readily available.”

Badenoch’s announcement has been met with condemnation from a number of LGBTQ+ activists and organisations alike, with Stonewall describing it as “a disgraceful low”.

Today, the UK Government put into motion plans to impose unprecedented restrictions on trans people's rights.

This is a spiteful attack on trans people who want to make their lives in Britain.

Act now. Call on the UK Gov to show trans people respect ⬇️https://t.co/kWlpCaiMXe

— Stonewall (@stonewalluk) January 9, 2023

“Trans people from countries like Canada, Australia and New Zealand have had their gender recognition certificates respected by the UK for years. Seeking to end this system is an extraordinary move, not based on evidence or experience, that will effectively serve as a ‘trans travel ban’,” it said in a statement.

“Ending recognition of GRCs from as many as fourteen countries who are our close allies and seeking to block implementation of the Scottish GRR Bill have significant consequences for trans people who are directly affected. But this also sends a message that the UK Government sees trans people as a threat to be contained, not citizens to be respected.”

Jayne Ozanne, who chairs the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition and resigned from the government’s LGBT advisory panel in 2021 after accusing it of creating a hostile environment for the community, described the potential change as “exceptionally concerning”.

This is exceptionally concerning.

It's s as if the UK government are wanting to ignore the needs – indeed the very existence- of #trans people in a vicious ideological culture war that pits them against the majority of the British public! https://t.co/dGZpC1V8DX

— Jayne Ozanne (@JayneOzanne) January 9, 2023

Writing on Twitter, she added: “It’s as if the UK government are wanting to ignore the needs – indeed the very existence- of #trans people in a vicious ideological culture war that pits them against the majority of the British public!”

Exactly when the government will share its updated list is unclear.

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Male pilots and cabin crew at British Airways will finally be allowed to wear makeup and piercings for the first time.

It comes after the company updated its uniform policy which now encourages staff to “be bold, be proud, be yourself” at work.

A memo to staff also stated that it hopes the changes will be “embraced by everyone regardless of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, background, culture, sexual identity, or otherwise”.

The new rules mean that all cabin crew members will be able to wear mascara, false eyelashes and earrings from Monday 14 November, regardless of how they identify.

“Subtle shades” are encouraged by British Airways as a “natural look” remains preferred, with “man buns” also permitted.

Nail polish will also be allowed, though black and neon colours are still forbidden.

“We are proud of all of our colleagues at British Airways and we are committed to an inclusive working environment,” the airline said in a statement.

“We have worked with our people to create updated guidelines for grooming, beauty and accessories, allowing our colleagues to bring the best, most authentic version of themselves to work every day.”

Its policy on gender-specific uniforms has not changed, meaning it remains behind its rival Virgin Atlantic which recently gave staff the choice of wearing whichever uniform they prefer.

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