The Global Rise of Anti-LGBTQ Laws (Part Two)

In part two of her series on the global rise of anti-LGBTQ laws, This Way Out’s Ebony Joseph explores how criminalization and political hostility are creating a growing public health crisis for queer communities worldwide. Advocates say laws targeting LGBTQ people not only fuel stigma and violence, but also discourage people from seeking HIV prevention, mental health care, and other essential services. The report highlights countries where fear of arrest or public exposure keeps people from accessing clinics, while anti-LGBTQ rhetoric increasingly spreads from government policy into everyday life. The story also examines the impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid programs, including the dismantling of USAID and restrictions on funding tied to “gender ideology.” Former USAID officials and global health advocates warn that the loss of support for LGBTQ-focused HIV outreach programs could have devastating consequences, especially in countries where queer people already face criminalization. Despite growing hostility, organizers and activists continue building local networks of care and resistance, insisting that queer and trans lives deserve dignity, safety, and access to healthcare. NewsWrap: Botswana amends penal code removing anti-LGBTQ+ provisions which previously criminalized same-sex relationships, United States Trump Administration release 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy defining major terror groups including “violent secular political groups” with ideologies that are “anti-American, radically pro-transgender,” Zambian RightsCon is abruptly cancelled with officials claiming the event does not align with the country’s “national values,” Pennsylvania legislators amend Pennsylvania Human Relations Act prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, Isaac Ranson, a transgender man, joins Minnesota Aurora FC soccer team as the first openly trans player, but must play with women’s team because of his gender assigned at birth— and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by John Dyer the 5th and RET (News Writers Ebony Joseph and Jeb Backe, News Producer Brian DeShazor). Author Armistead Maupin reads from Tales of the City from September 10, 1990 on This Way Out in the Rainbow Rewind.