Countries all over the world have gay pride events every year. The annual festivities are usually safe places for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people to celebrate their communities. That’s even been true in recent years in Uganda, a country where it’s a crime to be gay. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case in Uganda last week. In the capital Kampala, police raided a …
Read MoreIn the state of Rajasthan, in rural India, custom dictates that girls marry at a young age and begin raising children while boys assume much of the power and authority in a household and society. Usha Choudhary, an activist who grew up in Rajasthan and decided she wanted to pursue education over marriage, is trying …
Read MoreIn the political annals of New York, the 1990s boasted a strong presence of women not only in government but also at the United Nations. One such woman, Ruth Messinger, served as Manhattan borough president from 1990 to 1998, with time out in 1997 to run for mayor of New York City on the Democratic …
Read MoreIt was nearly 100 degrees on a February afternoon in the heart of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and we were walking down a busy street with actor Mandy Patinkin. In khakis and a bandana and without his trademark beard, Mandy was nearly unrecognizable as his Homeland character, Saul Berenson. He blended seamlessly with his fellow travelers, …
Read MoreThe Anti-Defamation League and 27 other Jewish social justice organizations penned a forceful open letter imploring political candidates to put an end to the racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia they say has emerged in this year’s campaign. Although the letter released Thursday does not mention a candidate by name, it comes during a week in which Donald Trump …
Read MoreIt will be a new era for the American Jewish World Service when Robert Bank, a gay man, takes over at the global Jewish organization starting July 1. Bank, 56, succeeds Ruth Messinger as president and CEO of the progressive organization and he plans to continue Messinger’s legacy as well as make his own imprint …
Read MoreOne of the giants of faith-based relief and development, Ruth Messinger, is retiring at the end of June. As the President of American Jewish World Service, it is hard to overstate Ruth’s contribution to the fight for lives of dignity and prosperity around the world. Her powerful voice will be sorely missed. Her witness and …
Read MoreIn the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, Americans from many religious traditions responded with strong condemnations of the violence that claimed 49 innocent lives. They donated money, donated blood, and prayed at vigils across the country. But some people of faith pointed out that professing support for the LGBT community while …
Read MoreHuman rights advocates from major Western nations and organizations are protesting against a United Nations decision to bar 22 LGBT-affiliated groups from taking part in a high-level U.N. AIDS conference next month. Because the 193-member U.N. General Assembly operates by consensus, the countries calling for the ban – Russia, Tanzania and 52 countries in the …
Read MoreThailand is among the world’s most dangerous countries in which to oppose powerful interests that profit from coal plants, toxic waste dumping, land grabs or illegal logging. Some 60 people who spoke out on these issues have been killed over the past 20 years, although few perpetrators have been prosecuted in a culture in which …
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