Understand the LGBTQIA+ news: The forming battleground of the UK's membership to the European Court of Human Rights

Investigative journalism is a revered art - one that has been documented in books, films, TV shows and more. Why? Because it sets global news agendas, holds power accountable and champions unheard voices. Even if not always seen in real time - it is regarded in history as a pivotal part of social change.

And that is how we fight back right now, with information at our fingertips, to hold power to account and march forward.

The stories QueerAF has broken weren't getting the attention they deserved, and we knew that we needed to spread the word so our community could take action. In the last year alone, we've covered:

• How hundreds of transgender patients are being denied care, on the basis of discrimination alone, by GPs;
• Cover-ups of the numbers of young trans suicides in order to better suit anti-trans government narratives (an ongoing story).
• Plans that are tantamount to forcing some young trans people to detransition or for parents to face safeguarding referrals.
• The health secretary Wes Streetings' sympathy for a group of parents who abuse Trans+ children and is pro-conversion therapy

And you stepped up. We hear all the time about the letters you've written to MPs, how our stories are being shared by powerful leaders, in government and industry, as sparks for change to take place.

But this kind of coverage has stretched our humble resources, and let's face it, we haven't had a slow LGBTQIA+ news cycle since even well before the Supreme Court.

That's why we're running our Pride Month membership drive - to ensure we can continue delivering our investigations. The good news is, it's match funded, and we're over halfway towards our target. But with Pride month drawing to an end in ten days, we need to push hard to ensure we hit our target. 

You could join new members like Rae Clark-Raee, Devon Rockafellor, David, Rachael, Lumin, Anni, Nina and Rebecca Price, who signed up in the last week alone. Can you help us get over the line?

🙏 10% off 'Supporter': Monthly / Annual
🏳️‍🌈 15% off '100% QueerAF': Monthly / Annual
✨ 20% off 'Editor': Monthly / Annual

And don’t just take our word for it. This week we announced the Good Law Project is partnering with us.

Their support will give us more freedom to invest in new, original stories, investigations and in-depth, accessible explainers of what's happening in the courts. We'll hire a part-time investigative journalist to do this, as well as a fund for emerging news journalists to pitch stories to.

Every membership bought this month will put QueerAF in a stronger position to do this work - on your behalf - and give you the information that activists all over the country are already using, to fight back.

So this Pride month, take an action that will have a year-round impact and help fuel our investigations, because if information is a tool for liberation:

LGBTQIA+ investigative journalism is the lifeblood of queer activism.

We are Queer As Fuck. And so are you.

Understand the LGBTQIA+ headlines and keep track of the latest queer content and perspectives. The QueerAF newsletter is written by Jamie Wareham and a different queer creative each week.

💬 This week:

• Strasbourg: In a story that might not immediately seem relevant to the queer community, we unpack why the UK's membership of the Human Rights convention is increasingly becoming a battleground.
• Kate Nash: Calling out the cracks in the foundations of patriarchy - why the star's focus on transphobia is powerful and should be celebrated.
• Power of Pride: Beyond protest and celebration, a value often overlooked in community spaces is how they recharge our batteries. Sparkle Weekend volunteer Owen Bardini writes about this power in the Queer Gaze.

Skip the doomscrolling and support queer creatives instead. We are QueerAF – and so are you.

What does the UK seeking to reform the Human Rights Convention mean for LGBTQIA+ rights?

TL;DR: The Justice Secretary has said the European Convention on Human Rights needs to be reformed, as growing right-wing rhetoric builds around calling for the UK to exit the agreement it helped write after World War II. We explore the rammifications of what this means for queer rights.