Media Sustainability Reporting LGBT+ Rights

Today, 70 countries around the world criminalise consensual same-sex activity or use laws to marginalise and persecute members of the LGBT+ community. Discrimination against LGBT+ people is often reinforced by laws, policies and practices that either fail to take LGBT+ needs into account or deliberately exclude them.

Globally, the list of discriminatory laws and policies includes: making same-sex relations illegal; forbidding LGBT+ groups to form non-governmental organisations and publicly campaign for their rights; excluding same-sex couples from accessing social services; requiring trans people to undergo forced sterilisation before they can change their legal gender; and failing to provide opportunities for trans people to change their legal gender.

It is the job of the journalist to report on issues that matter. But when those issues are controversial or sensitive how easy is it to report without inflaming tensions further – or even compromising your own safety?