Enrique Anarte Lazo

A self-determination bill that would make it easier for transgender Germans to change legal gender is moving closer to a parliamentary vote after years of delays, but trans rights advocates fear the legislation poses data privacy risks.

The long-awaited self-ID bill, which seeks to replace the 43-year-old Transsexuals Act and follows similar laws in other countries, is on track for a vote in the coming weeks in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, where the governing coalition holds a majority. 

Russia appears to be ramping up a crackdown on LGBTQ+ content online, rights activists say, citing an investigation into language learning app Duolingo and an e-bookstore's decision to stop selling more than 250 titles.

President Vladimir Putin signed a law widening Russia's ban on "LGBT propaganda" in late 2022, effectively outlawing public discussion of LGBTQ+ issues, and in November, the country's Supreme Court banned "the international LGBT social movement" as "extremist".

Polish teacher Maria Kistowska felt a burst of pride when her school came top in a new LGBTQ+ inclusion ranking that seeks to challenge the nationalist ruling party's curbs on gay and transgender rights.

"This sends out the message that we're LGBTQ+ allies, and it tells kids (that) there's a place where you can feel safe," Kistowska, 37, who teaches English at a school in the western city of Poznan, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.