The reform follows a ruling by the Corte Constitucional de Colombia, which demanded that the registry adapt its systems to allow gender markers beyond the traditional “male/female” binary. Implementation involved extensive technical adjustments, updating databases, printing systems and digital ID frameworks, to ensure that both physical and digital documents reflect the new options: “NB” for non-binary and “T” for trans.

For many in the LGBTQ+ community, this legal recognition goes beyond paperwork. It represents official validation of identities historically invisibilised by the state. According to advocates, having identity documents that reflect one’s self-perception is fundamental to accessing other civil rights , from employment and healthcare to political participation.

This reform also places Colombia among a growing list of countries seeking to modernise the concept of gender in state administration. By decoupling legal identity from rigid binary norms, the country signals a shift towards more inclusive policies a change that could set a precedent for other nations navigating the complexities of gender, identity and rights in a globalised world .

Según un comunicado oficial de la Alcaldía de Bello, las evidencias obtenidas de las cámaras de seguridad han permitido reconocer a los responsables del asesinato. Sin embargo, por razones de seguridad en la investigación, no se han divulgado los nombres de los implicados. La Alcaldía aseguró que se está trabajando en la confirmación de sus identidades con el fin de avanzar en el proceso judicial.

El crimen ha sido descrito como un acto de odio; Sara fue brutalmente golpeada, sufriendo múltiples fracturas antes de ser arrojada a una quebrada por sus agresores, quienes incluso bloquearon la ayuda de terceros. A pesar de las difíciles circunstancias, fueron dos hombres locales quienes se aventuraron a rescatarla, en lugar de los bomberos.

Para ayudar en la captura de los responsables, las autoridades han ofrecido una recompensa de hasta 100 millones de pesos a quienes brinden información relevante. Se exhorta a la ciudadanía a comunicarse con la Policía Nacional para reportar cualquier dato que ayude en este caso.

"It really does feel as though the state wants to kill us," said Helen Belcher, a prominent trans rights campaigner and chair of the advocacy group TransActual.

Speaking to the AFP following the court’s decision, Belcher said the ruling represents a fundamental denial of trans people's identities and lived realities.

Belcher, 61, who is also a Liberal Democrat politician, said the implications of the ruling are already being felt within the trans community.

"I fear for people's mental health. I fear for people's physical health. I fear for people's ability to earn money. They've issued a ruling that sex is biological, but they haven't defined what biological means,” said Belcher

Belcher warned and reasoned that the judgment leans on a rigid and outdated framework, dismissing scientific literature that recognises sex and gender as complex spectrums.

“They're relying very much on a Trumpian, evangelical Christian simplistic world model,” Belcher said, “ignoring all huge amounts of scientific literature, which says that sex is not binary, it's not simple, it's really complex. In their judgment, they have decided basically that intersex people and non-binary people don't exist. And it's awful."

Belcher, who transitioned more than 20 years ago, described the ruling as a deeply personal blow.

“To go through that process - sometimes painful process - of getting to understand myself, having invasive medical questioning, some painful surgeries, to then be told, ‘Yeah, but you're still a man,’ is deliberately and intentionally cruel.”

The ruling has brought back the already polarised national debate over trans rights. However, the Supreme Court justices emphasised that trans people remain protected under the Equality Act against discrimination and harassment.

She knew she was different "when I was six or seven... without being able to put a word on it. But if I had told my mother that I didn't feel right in my body, I would have got a good slap," she told AFP. Her family were afraid of "what people would say".

So, growing up, "I did what was expected of me," she said. She became a builder, married at 22 and had two children . As a man, she was "gruff, pretty macho -- the opposite of what I really was," Montchalin admitted. But she was "suffering" inside, the discomfort particularly acute in men's clothes shops or when she looked into a mirror at the barbers.

Finally, at age 48, she came out to her wife and children. Since then, Montchalin has moved to the nearest city, Saint-Etienne, where she is receiving hormone therapy. She has let her hair grow and regularly goes to the beautician.

The High Court of Guyana has delivered a landmark ruling, ordering the State to compensate $24 million for the unlawful killing of Quindon Bacchus, a father of one who was shot dead by police in 2022. Investigations revealed serious inconsistencies in the police’s account of events that led to Bacchus being shot six times during an alleged undercover operation involving an unlicensed firearm. This ruling by Justice Nigel Niles not only provides recognition of the breach of Bacchus’s right to life but also aims to advance police accountability in Guyana.

Guyana president says new project to half electricity costs 

Guyana President  Irfaan Ali has announced a transformative Gas-to-Energy project expected to reduce electricity costs by half within the next year. This 300 MW natural gas-fired plant at Wales, in the disputed Essequibo region will tap into resources from the Stabroek Block, Offshore Guyana and aims for integration into the national grid by 2025. However, the project is encountering delays due to ongoing arbitration, which could see the contractor facing significant financial penalties for these setbacks. In addition to this project, the government is exploring further energy capacity enhancements through additional natural gas plants and renewable energy projects.

Indian PM Modi expected in Guyana

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised for a historic visit to Guyana, marking a notable event as it is the first visit by an Indian PM since 1968. During his three-day visit, agreements on energy and defence are anticipated, alongside meetings with President Ali and speeches to the Guyanese parliament. He will also engage in a Caricom-India Summit focusing on improved collaboration in energy, agriculture, health, and technology.

Guyana the first developing nation to submit climate transparency report

Guyana has become the first developing nation to submit a Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This report details Guyana’s greenhouse gas emissions and national climate strategies in adherence to the Enhanced Transparency Framework of the Paris Agreement. 

Migrant horrors and violence against transgender women in Guyana

The Inter-American Human Rights Commission has highlighted the challenges faced by migrants, sex workers, and transgender women in Guyana related to gender-based violence. The testimony of activists and government representatives revealed systemic issues that exacerbate vulnerability, including fear of legal repercussions for seeking help among migrant women. The government, led by Minister Gail Teixeira, is reportedly advancing legislative measures to support these vulnerable populations, reaffirming its commitment to uphold the rights of all women in Guyana and to address the scourge of violence against them.

As a transgender, Sanjana is the first person from her community to secure a government job in the state and was posted in the Social Justice and Disabled Welfare Department in 2018. Additionally, she also serves as a para-legal volunteer in the Civil Legal Services Authority and is a member of the division bench in Lok Adalat or People’s Courts where she participates in the arbitration of cases.

The State Election Commission has designated her as the state icon for the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh so that she may encourage people to participate in the democratic process by casting votes.

On the occasion of Transgender Awareness Week celebrated from November 13 to November 19, she told Global South World, “I reach out among the people and my aim is to inspire them to vote.”

LOW NUMBER OF REGISTERED TRANSGENDER VOTERS

According to Sanjana, there are merely 1,373 voters from the transgender community in the state although their population here is about 30,000

While the highest numbers of transgender voters are in Bhopal Central seat, there are 16 such assembly seats in the state where there is not even a single registered voter from the community.

Explaining the low numbers of registered voters in her community, Sanjana said, “Establishing oneself as transgender is challenging and the lengthy procedure discourages many from obtaining a transgender identity card.”

Belonging to a community that earns its livelihood by dancing, singing and begging, Sanjana has carved out a distinct identity for herself and serves as a role model for other members of her society as she is not only holding a government job but also participating in social service. 

Although she believes that the status of transgender is changing in society, still there is a lack of awareness among the people. She says, “The attitude of the people, who are initially helpful and caring, changes once they discover that she is a transgender.”

Sanjana believes that the life of transgender is not very easy; they have to face bias throughout their life.

FAMILIES DISCARD TRANSGENDER PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR WILL

Sanjana explains families have to throw out transgender individuals due to societal pressure often against their will.

Sanjana rues that political parties do not prioritize her community but she wants more and more people of her class to come forward and make their mark as she has done.

She says, “If the government wants to bring about equality then we should be provided education and job opportunities to help us move ahead.”

FIRST TRANSGENDER MLA ELECTED IN 2000

Madhya Pradesh elected the first transgender MLA Shabnam Mausi in 2000. She won the election from Sohagpur assembly seat by 18,000 votes. Her victory was perceived as a new beginning and an extraordinary event in Indian politics. Later, another transgender Kamla Jaan was also elected Mayor from Katni in Madhya Pradesh, but soon people became disillusioned with this community in politics.

In April this year, the Madhya Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, included transgenders in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category to grant them reservation and other benefits. But not only the OBC members but also the transgender community protested against this.

Transgender people themselves were also unhappy with this decision, arguing that their community encompasses people from all sections, making it unrealistic to put them in a single category.