April brought milestones, momentum, and a reminder of just how much is at stake. From a landmark ruling in Peru's Supreme Court and a look back at the historic intersex visibility at the United Nations, to Outright and LesbianGlobal’s new economic empowerment program for LBQ women and a freshly updated map tracing the colonial roots of criminalization laws against same-sex conduct, this month has made clear that the fight for LGBTIQ human rights is moving on every front, at every level. The work is urgent, the opposition is real, and the movement is undeterred. Here is what we have been up to.
Where can a trans person update their ID without surgery? Where are LGBTIQ organizations being legally dissolved? Where is the anti-gender movement gaining ground, and where is it being beaten back? Outright's 2026 Country Overviews answer those questions for all 193 UN member states and more.
Each overview tracks the laws on the books, the legal and political shifts of the past year, documented human rights violations, social attitudes, movement priorities, and the growing footprint of anti-gender forces. Together, they form the most comprehensive open-access picture of the global LGBTIQ landscape available anywhere.
Browse by region: Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Central Asia, SWANA, the Pacific, and the United Nations.
For the first time in history, intersex voices were heard at UN headquarters in New York during the UN's 70th Commission on the Status of Women. In a standing-room-only side event co-hosted by Outright International and ILGA World, six intersex activists from five global regions spoke about human rights violations and urged feminist movements and member states to embed intersex rights into gender equality frameworks. The event coincided with a failed US-backed resolution that would have imposed a strictly biological definition of "women," excluding many intersex and transgender women. Activists also highlighted a landmark 2025 OHCHR report on harmful practices against intersex persons, and called for greater resource mobilization, noting that less than two percent of all LGBTIQ funding currently reaches the intersex movement.
Peru's Supreme Court Ruled That Pathologizing Trans Identities Is Unconstitutional — and Invoked Happiness to Explain Why
Peru's Supreme Court recently struck down a government decree with a unanimous vote that had classified transgender identities as mental disorders, ruling it unconstitutional and void from the date of its publication. The decree had incorporated outdated diagnostic codes from the ICD-10 into Peru's basic health insurance plan, effectively requiring trans people to accept a pathological label to access care — despite the World Health Organization having replaced that framework in 2022 with the ICD-11, which removed trans-related conditions from the mental disorders chapter entirely. The Court affirmed that the dignity and happiness of trans people are constitutionally relevant facts that cannot be traded away for social comfort or political convenience. Outright International had submitted an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs. The ruling is a landmark victory, though advocates note that transforming institutional culture and ensuring future policy reflects trans people's dignity remains the harder work ahead.
From Vulnerability to Visibility: Advancing Economic Empowerment for LBQ Women Worldwide
Lesbian Visibility Week just wrapped up last week, but at Outright, the work of ensuring lesbians are visible - and economically empowered - is an ongoing effort. LesbianGlobal and Outright responded by welcoming 13 partner organizations into the LesbianGlobal and Outright LBQ Women's Economic Empowerment Program, a joint initiative built to strengthen livelihoods, expand economic inclusion, and dismantle the structural barriers that keep LBQ women on the margins.
The program grew out of a December 2025 call for proposals that drew 70 applications from 39 countries, evidence of how much community-led organizing was already underway and waiting for resources. For LBQ women facing family rejection, workplace discrimination, and hostile legal environments, financial dependence directly raises exposure to coercion and violence. Economic autonomy is a pathway to safety as much as opportunity.
Exploring the Colonial Roots of the Criminalization of Same-Sex Conduct
Outright's newly updated World Map: Criminalization of Same-Sex Conduct and Its Colonial Roots is now live, and it tells a story that numbers alone cannot capture. As of January 2026, 65 UN member states criminalize consensual same-sex sexual acts, and 48 of those laws have direct colonial origins or influences, imposed by European empires as instruments of control and largely left intact after independence. At the same time, 72 countries have repealed or struck down colonial criminal laws — a testament to the power of sustained legal advocacy and community-led organizing. The map allows users to explore each country's laws, trace their colonial roots, and understand the long arc of a fight that is far from over.
NEW POLICY BRIEF: What the Evidence Actually Says About Sex Ed
When governments cut comprehensive sexuality education from schools, or restrict it to abstinence-only programs, they aren't protecting children. They're putting them at greater risk. That's the through-line of Outright's newest policy brief, which lays out the global evidence base for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and the human rights case for protecting it.
The data is consistent. CSE delays sexual activity, reduces unintended pregnancies and STIs, decreases bullying and violence in schools, strengthens children's ability to recognize and report sexual abuse, and builds the communication skills young people carry into the rest of their lives. Abstinence-only approaches, the brief notes, are documented as ineffective or harmful.
For LGBTIQ young people, the stakes are sharper. CSE that affirms diverse sex characteristics, gender identities, expressions, sexual orientations, and family structures is not an optional add-on. It is the difference between an education that recognizes a child's existence and one that erases it.
TICKETS GOING FAST! Don’t miss Celebration of Courage awards and gala!
Join us on June 1 at Pier Sixty in New York City for this year’s Celebration of Courage awards and gala! Laverne Cox will host as we honor VoteLGBT, Levi Strauss & Co., and Cyndi Lauper. The evening will close with a ballroom-inspired after-party celebrating art, creativity and innovation as sources of resilience in a time of disruption.
Celebration of Courage isn’t just a gala this year. It’s an important visibility and fundraising moment for our beloved global movement. Every ticket purchased directly supports Outright’s work and the organizations we partner with around the world.
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