11 of the most uplifting moments for LGBTQ+ people in 2023

As the year comes to a close, GAY TIMES revisits 11 of 2023’s most positive moments for LGBTQIA+ people across the world.

WORDS BY CONOR CLARK
HEADER IMAGE BY YOSEF PHELAN

21st December 2023

Good news can often feel hard to come by, especially during a year that has been plagued by anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and discourse surrounding our community. That’s not to say there aren’t things worth celebrating, though, as queer people have seen a number of wins in 2023. Pride events have seen increasing amounts of meaningful support and representation, with drag artist Lucky Roy Singh curating Manchester’s first Queer Asian Takeover and Trans Pride Brighton seeing a record number of attendees. In the world of health, there has been further progress in the fight against HIV, with a potential vaccine reaching trial stages and tests that show a result in just 15 minutes being made freely available in England. Elsewhere, countries such as India, Nepal and Mauritius made significant advances towards equality that have been hailed by activists all over the world. Here, GAY TIMES revisits 11 of the most uplifting moments that took place during the last 12 months.

New trial for a potential HIV vaccine gets underway

In the decades since the HIV epidemic began, attitudes surrounding the virus have changed significantly and modern day treatments mean that a diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. There is now a renewed focus on developing a vaccine to stop HIV-negative people from ever contracting the virus, one of which reached the trial stage in 2023. Dan Harry, PR executive and star of I Kissed a Boy, who is one of five volunteers on the trial, told GAY TIMES that it has the potential to be “groundbreaking” if successful. “I personally felt like I wanted to do this because I want to return the favour to the community and generations before me for what they’ve done for me,” he explained. The results of the trial will be known in 2025.

Activists celebrate one of India’s most extreme anti-trans laws being struck down

This summer, a five-year legal battle came to an end when the Telangana High Court in India struck down the Telangana Eunuchs Act of 1919 on the grounds that it was “unconstitutional” and intruded on the private lives of transgender people. The draconian legislation forced all trans people to register information such as their place of residence with the authorities because, according to the Act, they were “reasonably suspected of kidnapping or emasculating boys, or of committing unnatural offences or abetting…said offences.” Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, a prominent Indian trans activist who was one of the petitioners in the case, told GAY TIMES she hopes the law being struck down will “allow transgender persons to access education and thereby access employment, both private in open competition and public employment through some form of affirmative action.”

Manchester Pride hosts its first Queer Asian Takeover

This year’s Manchester Pride saw the celebration’s most diverse line-up to date which, for the first time, included a Queer Asian Takeover. The event gave LGBTQIA+ people of Asian heritage the opportunity to showcase their talent and artistry, which included a headline set from DJ Gok Wan, as well as performances from house collectives and individuals including the House of Spice, Val the Brown Queen, Gracie T and Club Zindagi. Lucky Roy Singh, an Indian Sikh drag queen who is both the host and curator of the Queer Asian Takeover, as well as the Mother of the House of Spice, a group of queer performers, shared that it was “really important” that this event take place. “People want it, there’s a space for it, there’s a market for it, we just need to be given the platform – and that’s what we achieved yesterday,” they told GAY TIMES in August. “We did history proud yesterday and I’m so thankful for the opportunity, honestly.”

Brighton sees biggest turnout ever for Trans Pride 2023

This summer, more than 30,000 people took to the streets of Brighton for the 10th anniversary of the city’s annual Trans Pride. It marked the event’s largest ever turnout, with organisers originally anticipating between 5,000 and 10,000 attendees. Fox Fisher, a trans activist who is one of Trans Pride Brighton’s co-founders, told The Independent: “The year we set it up we had no idea who was going to come, we knew we needed to form a community, a community didn’t exist.” Some of those who celebrated had travelled from all over the country to be at Trans Pride Brighton, which is believed to be the biggest event of its kind in Europe.

Hong Kong’s top court rules in favour of legally recognising same-sex couples

Hong Kong’s top court ruled in favour of giving same-sex couples legal recognition, which the government now has two years to comply with. Although it stopped short of demanding full marriage equality as many activists had hoped, the Court of Final Appeal’s ruling has been hailed as another step towards equality in the region. In September, it was declared that the government was violating the city’s Bill of Rights by not providing an “alternative framework” for the legal recognition of same-sex partnerships. Five judges handed down the decision after years of legal battles challenging the government’s refusal to allow same-sex marriage or civil unions. Their ruling said the legal recognition of same-sex couples will “provide them with a sense of legitimacy, dispelling any sense that they belong to an inferior class of persons whose relationship is undeserving of recognition.”

Galop launches the UK’s first LGBTQIA+ rape and sexual abuse helpline

Galop, the UK’s leading anti-LGBTQ+ abuse charity, launched the country’s first helpline dedicated to supporting members of the community affected by sexual violence and abuse earlier this year. More than half (53 per cent) of LGBTQIA+ people in the UK have been subjected to sexual violence, research conducted by the charity found. Survivors who sought support from services not tailored to the LGBTQIA+ community often had bad experiences, with 22 per cent of those who reported what happened to them dissatisfied by their experience. As such, Galop launched its Rape and Sexual Abuse Helpline to provide essential support tailored to LGBTQIA+ victims.

Nepal becomes first South Asian country to register same-sex marriage

At the end of November, Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey made history when they had their marriage registered in the western Lumjung district of Nepal. As well as being the first same-sex union legally recognised in the country, the registration was also the first to take place in South Asia. “The fight for rights is not easy. We have done it. And it will be easier for future generations,” Gurung told BBC News. “The registration has opened doors to a lot of things for us.” Despite full marriage equality still being a long way off, LGBTQIA+ rights activists are hopeful the registration could pave the way for more rights in the region.

Mauritius’ Supreme Court decriminalises same-sex sexual relations

In October, Mauritius’ Supreme Court decriminalised same-sex sexual activity on the grounds that a ban reflected the colonial-era and not indigenous values. “Sodomy” was first criminalised by British colonialists in 1898, but the law was not enforced in recent years. The gay man who brought the case forward praised the outcome as he is “now free to love whoever I want to without fear” at a time when anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric is on the rise across the world. The ruling means no one will be arrested for having sex with someone of the same sex as them, but the region’s Parliament will still have to repeal the law entirely to make it legal.

HIV test that shows result in 15 minutes made freely available in England

HIV tests that show a result in 15 minutes and can be done at home were made freely available for the first time in England this year. It works in a similar way to a COVID-19 lateral flow test as it just takes a few drops of blood from a small prick on the finger, with the result appearing soon after. People across the country can also order a test where a small blood sample is sent to a lab and screened for both HIV and syphilis at the same time, while face-to-face services also remain available.

Prime Minister of Andorra comes out as gay

Xavier Espot Zamora, the Prime Minister of Andorra, came out as gay during an interview with the country’s public broadcaster this September. He made history as the country’s first openly LGBTQIA+ head of government, providing the community living there with much-needed representation in politics. “Now, if I’m not asked I don’t have to say it, in the sense that it doesn’t define the entirety of who I am and even less my personal politics, but at the same time I think it shouldn’t be a problem to express it,” he said at the time. “And if this helps many children, young people or teenagers who are going through a difficult time see that in the end, regardless of their condition or sexual orientation, you can prosper in this country and reach the highest magistracy, then I am happy to express it.”

Japan court rules that ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

This year, Japan’s government faced renewed pressure to legalise same-sex marriage after a court deemed its ban unconstitutional. Nagoya District Court’s decision marks the second time that a Japanese court has ruled against the country’s stance on same-sex marriage in the last two years. Japan is currently the only G7 nation with no legal protection for same-sex unions and the ruling has added pressure to change this. It was met with cheers from supporters waving rainbow flags outside the court, who are now hopeful that LGBTQIA+ people in the region have a brighter future ahead of them. “It’s a major step toward achieving marriage equality,” said Asato Yamada, a lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case.