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Boris Johnson’s LGBTQ rights advisor visits D.C.

Nick Herbert praises efforts to evacuate LGBTQ Afghans

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Nick Herbert, a member of the British House of Lords who advises Prime Minister Boris Johnson on LGBTQ issues, speaks at the Victory Institute's 2021 International LGBTQ Leaders Conference in D.C. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s advisor on LGBTQ issues last week applauded his government’s efforts to help facilitate the successful evacuation of LGBTQ Afghans from the country.

“I’m very proud of the tremendous work that’s been done by the U.K. government,” Nick Herbert, a member of the British House of Lords, told the Washington Blade on Dec. 1 during an interview in D.C. “The U.K. has shown global leadership here.”

A group of 29 LGBTQ Afghans who Stonewall, Rainbow Railroad and Micro Rainbow evacuated from Afghanistan with the help of the British government arrived in the U.K. on Oct. 29. Herbert on Nov. 6 announced a second group of LGBTQ Afghans had reached the country.

“It took … a strong effort with different parts of government working together and the determination that this was really important and that people’s safety was at risk and also that we have a moral obligation to the communities affected,” said Herbert.

The Taliban entered Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Aug. 15 and regained control of the country.

A Taliban judge has said the group would once again execute people if it were to return to power in Afghanistan. Rainbow Railroad and Taylor Hirschberg, a researcher at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health who is also a Hearst Foundation scholar, and others have been working to help evacuate LGBTQ Afghans from the country.

Advocacy groups continue to urge the Biden administration to do more to help LGBTQ Afghans who remain in Afghanistan.

Herbert noted the British government has committed to grant asylum to 10,000 Afghans under the country’s “Operation Warm Welcome” that seeks “to ensure the Afghans who stood side by side with us in conflict, their families and those at highest risk who have been evacuated, are supported as they now rebuild their lives in the U.K.” Herbert stressed this program will “prioritize” LGBTQ people and other at-risk groups in Afghanistan.

“This shows the power of working together and governments working in partnership with NGOs to achieve something,” he told the Blade. “I fully recognize there were lots of citizens who remained in Afghanistan, and so nevertheless, I think it was very heartening to see that those Afghan citizens who are most at risk were brought to the center.”

Herbert said he expects more LGBTQ Afghans will be “brought to safety,” but he declined to provide a specific number.

Johnson raised LGBTQ rights crackdown with Hungarian prime minister

Herbert spoke with the Blade before he participated in the Victory Institute’s International LGBTQ Leaders Conference that took place in-person at the JW Marriott in D.C. from Dec. 2-4.

Johnson in May appointed Herbert as his LGBTQ rights advisor.

Herbert is the first person who officially advises a British prime minister on LGBTQ issues. The former House of Commons member also co-founded the Global Equality Caucus, a group of LGBTQ elected officials around the world who work to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Herbert throughout the interview noted his government continues to champion LGBTQ rights.

The British government on World AIDS Day pledged more than £23 million ($30.5 million) in additional funding to efforts that seek to “achieve zero new HIV infections, AIDS and HIV related deaths in England” by 2030. The British government also announced it would move to allow people with HIV/AIDS to serve in the country’s armed forces.

“It’s a legacy discriminatory policy that has no basis in sound science any longer,” said Herbert, referring to the policy against people with HIV/AIDS in the British military. “It’s entirely safe for people to serve, and we think they should be free to do so.”

A public comment period on a bill that would ban so-called conversion therapy in England and Wales is underway.  Herbert also expressed concern over the increasing backlash over efforts to expand rights to transgender people in the U.K.

“I’m troubled by the debate,” he said. “I recognize that … this is a that a complicated issue where you have an assertion of conflicting rights. But I don’t think it’s acceptable to see some of the sort of angry exchanges of language that has been seen over the course of the last few months.”

“It’s very damaging,” added Herbert.

Herbert noted to the Blade that Johnson rose Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ crackdown with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán when the two men met in May in London. Herbert also highlighted the British government in June will host a global LGBTQ rights conference that will coincide with London Pride’s 50th anniversary.

“The prime minister, by the way, has always been very ready to raise these issues, both when foreign secretary and now as prime minister, which is why I think he wants to hold this conference on the agenda,” said Herbert.

“We have to stand together with other countries to express our concern about what is happening,” he added. “We also must take a strong stance against culture wars, and I think governments joining in culture wars results in harm to citizens.”

U.K. has ‘historic responsibility’ for anti-LGBTQ laws in former colonies

Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in dozens of countries around the world, and many of them are former British colonies.

Then-Prime Minister Theresa May in 2018 said she “deeply” regrets colonial-era criminalization laws the U.K. introduced. Herbert spoke with the Blade two days after the Botswana Court of Appeals upheld a 2019 ruling that decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations in the country.

“We want to work with our partners in encouraging countries to try to change those laws,” Herbert told the Blade.

He stressed the British government has “to guard against any idea that we’re being so neocolonial,” while adding the U.K. has a “historic responsibility for these laws and their legacy.”

“The position we approach (with) this is one of respect where we, along with other countries, are encouraging decriminalization,” said Herbert. “We want to work with countries that will work with us to support them in that journey. We have to recognize that all countries have been on a journey.”

Herbert noted to the Blade that homosexuality was criminalized in the U.K. when he was born.

“We need to remember that other countries are different points of the journey, but it doesn’t all happen at once. And they have to make their own decisions on this and we have to encourage them to support them to do so,” he said. “I don’t think that this is a case of Britain lecturing, certainly not a case of dictating. It’s a question of encouraging.”

Herbert also questioned the use of sanctions against countries that enact anti-LGBTQ laws.

The British government late last year sanctioned three Chechen officials who are responsible for the anti-LGBTQ crackdown in the semi-autonomous Russian republic that continues. Herbert described these sanctions as “justified,” but said the British government has “to be careful of blunt instruments that may backfire.”

“There can be different ways to make our feelings known and to encourage countries to do the right thing,” he said.

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Australia

Australia to end ban on LGBTQ blood donors

New rules to take effect July 14

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(Bigstock photo)

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service (Lifeblood) has announced it will lift its ban on sexually active LGBTQ people from donating blood.

The Star Observer, an Australian LGBTQ newspaper, on Wednesday reported “gay and bisexual men and transgender women” were previously not “able to donate plasma if they had been sexually active with men in the last three months.” The ban will end on July 14.

“Lifeblood has been working to make blood and plasma donation more inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible, whilst maintaining the safety of the blood supply,” said Lifeblood on Wednesday in a press release that announced the new policy.

“In the first of the rule changes, from Monday, July 14, 2025, Lifeblood will remove most sexual activity wait times for plasma donations,” it added. “Under this world-leading ‘plasma pathway,’ most people, including gay and bisexual men, and anyone who takes PrEP will be able to donate plasma without a wait period, providing they meet all other eligibility criteria. Extensive research and modeling show that there will be no impact to the safety of the plasma supply with this change.”

“Once implemented, all donors will be asked the same questions about their sexual activity, regardless of their gender or sexuality, and most people in a sexual relationship of six months or more with a single partner will be eligible to donate blood,” notes Lifeblood’s press release. “In addition, most people with new or multiple partners will also be able to donate blood if they have not had anal sex in the last three months. The change will bring an end to men being asked if they’ve had sex with another man.”

Lifeblood Chief Medical Officer Jo Pink said the new policy will allow 24,000 additional people to donate blood each year.

“We’re excited to be able to welcome more people from across the community into our donor centers from next month,” said Pink.

Let Us Give and other advocacy groups for years had urged Lifeblood to allow LGBTQ people to donate blood without restrictions.

“We thank the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) and Lifeblood for removing a ban that limited the supply of safe whole blood and stigmatized gay men, and bisexual men and trans women who have sex with men, as a threat to public health,” said Let Us Give spokesperson Rodney Croome.

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Kenya

Queer Kenyans, Ugandans celebrate Pride month

Pan-African Conference on Family Values took place in Nairobi in May

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(Washington Blade photo by Ernesto Valle)

As queer people around the world celebrate Pride month, their Kenyan and Ugandan counterparts are also marking it with a strong message of defiance and resistance.

Their agitation for “dignity, safety, and liberation” in homophobic environments follows last month’s second Pan-African Conference on Family Values in Nairobi, whose delegates were concerned about the push to normalize so-called LGBTQ practices on the continent and resolved to resist.      

The Initiative for Equality and Non Discrimination, a Kenyan LGBTQ rights organization, for instance cites Pride’s founding spirit of protest to resist the attempt to “erase, silence and oppress” queer people.  

“In a world that tries to diminish our existence, choosing joy becomes a radical act. Queer joy is not just a celebration, it is resistance. It is healing. It is a bold declaration; we are here, we are whole, and we deserve to thrive,” INEND states

It affirms that queer people have space for rage, resistance, softness, and joy as they honor the roots of Pride packed with a variety of activities for the group throughout the month.    

“We demand inclusion, we bask for visibility and we dance through the fire. This, too, is revolution,” INEND says. 

During the Pan-African Conference on Family Values meeting, which delegates from national governments, anti-LGBTQ lobby groups, academic and religious institutions, and international partners attended, Kenyan National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula affirmed the country’s position on marriage between a man and a woman as the constitution states. Wetang’ula advocates for laws that protect the “traditional family” and cultural values against what he described as Western imports.

“I urge our legislators that they should shield the good provisions of our constitution on family from ideological redefinitions of marriage seeking to recognize outlawed same-sex relationships,” Wetang’ula said. 

He also asked lawmakers to enact laws to prohibit comprehensive sexuality education in schools and only permit a science-based curriculum that is appropriate to the age, development level, and cultural background of school children without normalizing same-sex sexual acts and relationships.

“In modern times, across all nations, there have emerged two forces: one fighting for, and the other pursuing ideologies, positions, and acts that are against the traditional family,” Wetang’ula said. 

The delegates during the conference, which sparked criticism from Kenyan queer groups committed to resist the imposition of LGBTQ rights and other so-called external values under the pretense of development aid, international agreements, or donor partnerships that conflict with national laws and cultural integrity. They also committed to establishing, strengthening, and coordinating “pro-family” advocacy platforms and multi-sector coalitions at national, regional, and continental levels to engage with policymakers, legislators, and public education players.  

This pledge was in response to the delegates’ concerns over external manipulation of national legislative processes through covert or overt efforts to influence or bypass national parliaments in adopting judicial decisions that redefine family, life, and gender. They were also concerned over the global push to normalize gender fluidity and “non-biological” sexual identities in law, education, and healthcare, contrary to established biological, African culture, and religious norms.  

The delegates asked the African governments, parliaments, the African Union, and regional economic blocs to urgently undertake legislative reviews and reforms to ensure all national laws align with constitutional protections for the family, life, and parental rights. The Initiative for Equality and Non Discrimination, however, argue that describing queerness as un-African is a lie and a tool of imperialism used as a weapon to justify violence, exclusion and erasure, which should be rejected as it was enacted by colonial powers. 

Kenya’s queer community has nevertheless lined up a month’s worth of Pride events in Nairobi, the country, and across the country. Some of the locations are not publicly disclosed because of security reasons.

The events calendar that Galck, a group of 16 LGBTQ rights organizations, released includes entertainment and socializing every Friday evening in various places for queer party lovers. The celebrations also include queer community networking events to empower each other, meet-ups in safe places for soft, acoustic jam sessions and reflection, queer community days where the group gather to connect and celebrate queer lives. 

The calendar also invites queer people to participate in an open conversation with Galck, a trivia and karaoke event with the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, a supportive healing circle termed ‘Healing out Loud’ for distressed queer people, and a queer community potluck for the group to enjoy food, fun and connection. 

Other Pride events include queer love edition for singles, an art exhibition that includes rainbow- themed painting, a healing-centred therapy workshop termed “Chosen Family, Chosen Self,” a literary forum for bookworms to celebrate queer African literature, and movie night for film lovers.

The Cosmopolitan Affirming Community, a Nairobi-based church for queer people, has organized Gospel Sunday. Trek Tribe Kenya, an outdoor activity organizer, is also organizing activities that include climbing Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-highest mountain, hiking the gorges of Hell’s Gate National Park, and enjoying a “Pastel in the Park” wellness treat. 

“Respect the spaces you attend as they are safe, affirming environments, and take care of oneself and each other during Pride fun fare celebration,” Galck urges.  

‘Pride is not just parades or celebrations’

Their queer counterparts in Uganda are also having an eventful Pride month, despite persistent challenges.

“Pride is not just parades or celebrations. It is solidarity for many who cannot celebrate or march. It means refusing to be erased and choosing to simply be who you are,” said Sexual Minorities Uganda, which LGBTQ activist Frank Mugisha leads.

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These eight autistic LGBTQ people are making a difference

June 18 is Autistic Pride Day

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(Image by Soodowoodo/Bigstock)

June 18 is Autistic Pride Day — a day for us, autistic people, to celebrate our existence despite a world that often tries to erase or change us. Most of us don’t see autism as a disorder to fight; it’s part of who we are — autism determines how we think, communicate, and see the world. That’s why rhetoric like RFK Jr.’s “War on Autism” feels so deeply offensive.

But today, in the face of growing attacks on both autistic and LGBTQI+ rights, it’s important to focus on something hopeful. There’s a strong overlap between the autistic and LGBTQI+ communities — and since Autistic Pride Day falls in the middle of Pride month, I want to celebrate that connection.

Here are eight incredible autistic LGBTQI+ people who have helped change how the world sees both communities, and who can inspire the next generation.

Jim Sinclair (activist)

Jim Sinclair is a founder of the modern neurodiversity movement; a movement based on the idea that the diversity of how the human brain works is a natural part of human variation, like skin color or sexual orientation. Jim Sinclair is a co-founder of the first autistic organization created by autistic people for autistic people: Autistic Network International. His essay “Don’t Mourn For Us” helped millions of parents worldwide to accept their autistic kids. Jim is also an asexual and intersex activist who was raised as a girl. Jim hadn’t spoken orally before the age of 12 but felt from early on that he was not a girl. He was almost institutionalized in a psychiatric facility for refusing to accept a female gender identity and role but was instead subjected to “conversion therapy.”

As an adult, Jim speaks for intersex rights in front of the Intersex Society of North America and refuses to accept the gender binary for himself.

Bella Ramsey (actress)

Bella is a world-famous British actress, best known for their roles as Lyanna Mormont in “Game of Thrones” and Ellie in “The Last of Us” TV series. They are also an openly nonbinary autistic person, and one of the most visible autistic queer people in the world.

Despite the hate Bella receives because of their political views and non-conventional appearance, they continue to openly support trans rights and refuse to accept the femininity assigned at birth.

Andrew Joseph White (writer)

Andrew is an American young adult author whose books “Hell Followed With Us,” “The Spirit Bares Its Teeth,” and “Compound Fracture” became bestsellers and received numerous awards. Born and raised in West Virginia, Andrew is openly bi, autistic, and trans. He writes stories about autistic trans kids — stories he needed when he was younger — often with speculative horror elements that deal with transphobia, ableism, family alienation, and religious bigotry.

Andrew’s first adult horror novel, “You Weren’t Meant To Be Human” about an autistic trans man, will be published in September 2025 and is inspired by trans people’s struggle for abortion rights.

Matt Cain (writer, broadcaster)

Matthew Cain is an openly gay British writer and broadcaster, mostly famous for his novels “The Madonna of Bolton,” “The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle,” “Becoming Ted,” and “One Love.” He was also Channel 4’s first culture editor and editor-in-chief of Attitude magazine and has judged the Costa Prize. In 2025, Matt was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to LGBTQI+ culture — a well-deserved recognition for someone who’s helped bring queer stories into the light.

In 2025, Matt announced that he had been diagnosed with autism, which was “eye-opening” for him and helped him to rethink his past. It also provided a new role model for autistic gay people around the globe.

Lý Xīnzhèn Zhāngsūn (activist, attorney)

Lý Xīnzhèn Zhāngsūn, formally and mostly known as Lydia X. Z. Brown, is a queer, nonbinary, East Asian American advocate, attorney, writer, educator, and community organizer whose work centers on disability justice — particularly for autistic and multiply marginalized people. Over the past 15 years, they’ve trained hundreds across academia, nonprofits, companies, and government on issues at the intersection of disability, race, gender, queerness, and migration. They are one of the most outspoken advocates for disabled people of color in the world, and their work has inspired autistic activists worldwide.

They co-founded the Autistic People of Color Fund and co-edited “All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism.” As an educator, they teach in the Disability Studies Program and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Georgetown University, as well as in the American Studies Program at American University’s Department of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies.

Jarry (social media influencer)

Jarry is an autistic transgender activist and social media influencer from Russia, who created the first Russian-language YouTube channel about the specific presentation of autism among the majority of women, girls, and other individuals assigned female at birth — a topic still unknown not just to general public, but to many psychiatrists and experts in the post-Soviet region. Because of the Soviet colonial legacy, Russian remains a dominant language in Eastern Europe, so Jarry has influence beyond Russia.

Jarry also led online support groups for autistic folks — an important step in a region where there are no such groups in most of the cities. After Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, Jarry became an outspoken supporter of Ukraine, and had to ask for political asylum in Europe.

Hannah Gadsby (comedian)

Hannah is an Australian comedian, actor, and writer who won the final of the Raw Comedy competition for new comedians in 2006. In 2018, their show “Nanette” on Netflix won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and a Peabody Award.

Hannah was assigned female at birth but identifies as genderqueer. Their wife is also their producer, and their queerness is an integral part of their professional life.

They found out they are autistic later in life, which helped them better understand their experiences. Hannah also made millions of people rethink the stereotype that autistic people don’t understand humor.

Akwaeke Emezi (writer)

Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian author, best known for their critically acclaimed novels “Freshwater,” “Pet,” and the New York Times bestselling “The Death of Vivek Oji. In their novels, Akwaeke explores topics such as immigration and displacement, trauma (queerness, Blackness, and alienation. For example, while writing “Pet,” Akwaeke focused on creating the book they needed while growing up as a trans Black disabled person.

Born in Umuahia, Nigeria, like many Nigerian people, Akwaeke faced a lot of stigma in the West. They have struggled with mental health like many non-white, neurodivergent queer people living at the intersection of multiple identities.

They are a powerful role model for non-white autistic people seeking recognition and acceptance despite widespread stigma.

There are many more amazing autistic LGBTQI+ people around the world who are changing both communities every day. This list is extremely subjective and based on my own experience with autistic community in different countries and the way I saw the influence of specific people worldwide. Despite that in making this list, I tried to include as many different autistic people from various backgrounds as possible, unfortunately, many incredible autistic LGBTQI+ folks remain unseen due to regional and linguistic barriers that prevent their stories from reaching a wider audience.

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