Maggie Baska

PinkNews • 13th November 2023

‘I woke up as me’: Trans and non-binary people on joy of having top surgery

Gender-affirming healthcare saves lives. Having top surgery, a procedure to remove or augment breast tissue, helps trans people “enjoy life”, “feel happy” and affirm their identity.

The Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page said the procedure “transformed [his] life”, and Yellowjackets’ Liv Hewson has “never been happier” since undergoing surgery.

While anti-trans pundits raise their voices against the treatment, studies show there’s scant evidence to show that trans people regret their gender-aff

PinkNews • 11th November 2023

'What am I leaving behind?': Queer Ugandans on the run from anti-homosexuality law speak out

When he made the tough choice to flee Uganda, in the wake of the country’s draconian anti-LGBTQ+ law being passed, activist Henry Mukiibi thought: “What have I left behind?”

Mukiibi, the executive director of LGBTQ+ group Uganda’s Children of the Sun Foundation (COSF), has been on the run and living in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, since earlier this year, after receiving information that the authorities at home wanted to arrest him under the new anti-homosexuality legislation.

The Anti-Homosex

PinkNews • 13th October 2023

'You left Russia, but Russia never left you', say queer couple forced to flee

Max and Sasha are just two of the many LGBTQ+ people who have joined the mass exodus fleeing Russia to avoid violence, discrimination and war.

Now, the queer Russian-Ukrainian couple are left with the scars of living under Vladimir Putin’s repressive regime.

Putin’s obsession with rejecting what he sees as Western “degradation” has led to Russia toughening anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in recent months. At the same time, the Kremlin has clamped down on free speech, human rights and dissent as the wa

PinkNews • 29th September 2023

Trans woman forced to 'castrate a pig' in Russian conversion camp

As Russia continues to crack down on LGBTQ+ lives, one transgender woman has told PinkNews how she was forced to undergo conversion therapy, which involved “masculinity training”, and being ordered to castrate a pig.

Before coming out, Ada Blakewell was inspired by stories of trans people who had shared their truth with their parents and found acceptance.

Her own “deeply religious” parents are members of the Russian Orthodox Church, however, and coming out to them did not go as planned.

“I wa

PinkNews • 27th August 2023

Russia university student flees country after 'dangerous' hunt over makeup blog

Earlier this year, Max was studying architecture at a Russian university. Now, he has been expelled from his studies and fled the country after being accused of promoting so-called ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’.

His crime? Sharing his love of makeup online.

Max is part of a steady stream of people escaping Russia, following the invasion of Ukraine and president Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.

In 2013, Russia passed a law banning “LGBTQ+ propaganda”, restricting the distribution of informat

PinkNews • 27th July 2023

Big Brother's Nadia Almada: 20 years after winning, I'm despondent

In 2004, Nadia Almada, a proud trans woman, won the biggest reality show in the UK, Big Brother. Almost two decades on, she discusses how the nation has slid backwards on trans rights, and why the prime minister has “blood on his hands”.

Nadia captured viewers’ hearts as one of Big Brother’s most radiant, glamorous contestants ever when she competed in – and won – the fifth series.

For queer people coming of age, it was a watershed moment. Nadia was, for many, their first glimpse at trans repr

PinkNews • 13th July 2023

Civil servants feel 'degraded' by gender critical staff group and bathrooms threat

A trans person working in the civil service is concerned he could be outed at work following the leak of ‘horrifying’ draft guidelines.

The 39-page draft proposes “changes on access to toilets” that would mean only trans people with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) could use certain single-sex facilities, such as toilets.

As few as one per cent of trans people in the UK are estimated to have a GRC.

The proposed guidance, first reported by VICE News, would impact the approximately half a

PinkNews • 21st June 2023

Trans woman pushed to the brink in Russia amid fresh Putin crackdown

A trans woman living in Moscow is scared for her safety as Russia moves to ban gender recognition and trans healthcare.

Mihelina moved to Moscow from Georgia to study performative arts and music. It used to be “one of the most liberal cities and queer friendly,” she tells PinkNews, via translation by Queer Svit co-founder Anna-Maria Tesfaye.

“Now, every day, I hear slurs and threats towards me,” she goes on.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, president Vladimir Putin has clamped down even fu

PinkNews • 2nd June 2023

Bob's Burgers star and voice of Linda Belcher on show's 'beautiful' queerness

Amid a turbulent pushback on LGBTQ+ rights, the gay man behind Bob’s Burgers much-loved matriarch, Linda Belcher, is glad the show is a pick-me-up for the queer community.

John Roberts has been the distinctive voice of Linda – the musical, raunchy and doting female leader of the burger-flipping family – since the show began in 2011. The happy-go-lucky mum was, maybe unsurprisingly, inspired by Roberts’ mother.

Fans worldwide have grown to appreciate Bob’s Burgers for its acceptance of loveable

PinkNews • 21st May 2023

Guyana: Crushing colonial law 'first step' to protect LGBTQ+ people

Overturning a British colonial-era law criminalising homosexuality is just the “first step in a series of legal challenges” needed to protect LGBTQ+ people in Guyana.

Joel Simpson, managing director of SASOD Guyana, tells PinkNews that anti-LGBTQ+ laws come from a “relatively recent colonial past” because the country gained independence in 1966.

Like many other places in the former British empire, Guyana inherited a law criminalising consensual same-sex sexual intimacy – prohibiting so-called

PinkNews • 17th May 2023

Legendary activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy on her decades-long fight for equality

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy has fought for the queer community for more than 50 years – from participating at Stonewall to battling the modern pushback on trans rights – and it’s given her a lot of perspective on the movement and trans joy.

The Black trans activist grew up in the 1950s and 60s when LGBTQ+ people face immense discrimination for living their truth. Police frequently raided queer spaces, which served as places of refuge for LGBTQ+ folks where they could express themselves openly, ami

PinkNews • 30th April 2023

Trans woman who fled home after being stabbed by own brother is saving trans lives

Iman Le Caire helps trans people facing abuse and even death in their home countries find safety abroad. It’s something she knows all too well. Content warning: rape and violence.

Le Caire grew up in Egypt, with a family whose journey towards conservatism put her in danger as she began to figure out her gender identity.

As well as receiving abuse from family members, at age eight she was raped by someone who threatened to tell her family and kill her.

“When that happened, they sort of blamed

PinkNews • 31st March 2023

Trans people have always been here – and these photos prove it

Writer, activist and academic Eli Erlick is fighting against the erasure of trans history, curating and sharing beautiful full-colour photos showing trans people throughout the ages.

Eli Erlick’s journey “starts with my story being a trans girl who came out in 2003 – before we were supposed to have existed, according to the mainstream media right now,” she tells PinkNews.

About a year ago, frustrated with the “erasure of trans history” and continued anti-trans narratives, she began writing a h

PinkNews • 28th March 2023

Madonna was right – 'inhumane' drag bans are making people 'unsafe'

Tennessee recently became the first state in the US to ban drag – and drag queens, LGBTQ+ advocates and Madonna aren’t happy about it.

After Tennessee introduced a law categorising drag as “adult-oriented” entertainment – effectively banning public drag performances – as well as legislation banning gender-affirming healthcare for young trans people, Madonna issued a statement labelling them “unfounded and pathetic”.

“The oppression of the LGBTQ+ [community] is not only unacceptable and inhuman

PinkNews • 13th March 2023

Tennessee drag ban ‘like being dragged 54 years back in time’, says queen

Tennessee drag queens are “fearful” and “angry” after the state passed a ban on their art form – but they won’t stop fighting.

Tennessee became the first state in the US to pass a ban on public drag performances that could potentially be seen by minors on 2 March. It comes as a number of red states push similar efforts to criminalise drag performers, coinciding with bigoted, baseless rhetoric slandering LGBTQ+ people as unsafe to children.

Memphis-based drag queen Bella DuBalle says the messag

PinkNews • 17th February 2023

Trans man who won historic legal case still can't 'live a normal life'

Henry Edward Tse won a landmark trans rights case in Hong Kong, but archaic laws still make his existence “impossible”.

Tse fought a legal challenge which lasted five years and made it to Hong Kong’s highest court, to have the gender marker on his identity card changed.

All persons in Hong Kong aged 15 and above are required to carry government-issued photo ID on their person at all times – whether it’s a Hong Kong ID card or a passport – and police can demand to see it at any time.

Existing

PinkNews • 23rd April 2022

Trixie Mattel explains why she turned down 'generous' invite to all-winners season

Drag royalty, social media star and musician Trixie Mattel may not be strutting down RuPaul’s Drag Race runway for the new all-winner’s season – but she definitely could’ve been.

When fans think of truly legendary queens that appeared on Drag Race, Mattel is undoubtedly on the top of the list. The drag icon is best known for her original stint on Drag Race season seven and then absolute dominance on All Stars season three.

In her time since appearing on Drag Race, Mattel has amassed a huge fol

PinkNews • 18th February 2022

Trans girl 'broke her arm' so she could go to the toilet due to cruel bathroom policy

A young trans girl in South Dakota pretended to have a “broken arm and hand” because of an anti-trans bathroom policy, according to her dad.

Mike Phelan described his family to PinkNews as a “completely average middle of the road American family”. He’s spent much of his career as a teacher and his wife is an audiologist. They moved with their two kids to South Dakota in summer 2020, where he opened a small bookstore.

While they weren’t particularly politically active at first, Phelan said his

People Management • 7th February 2022

One in seven workers say employer monitoring has increased during Covid

Research also reveals a quarter of staff have had their work communications screened as experts warn surveillance has ‘taken off’ since the pandemic began

More than one in seven (15 per cent) employees have reported that monitoring by their employer has increased since the pandemic began in March, according to new research.

In the poll of more than 3,000 workers across the UK – part of a survey commissioned by the TUC – more than a quarter (27 per cent) reported having their work communication

People Management • 7th February 2022

How to switch off completely from work

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People Management • 7th February 2022

How can HR support bereaved workers?

Losing a loved one has sadly become a more common occurrence in recent months, and it can have a significant impact on employees’ wellbeing

Bereavement is a distressing but sadly common experience. Most of us, at some time in our life, will experience the death of someone we love.

For many, these losses usually happen later in life. But unfortunately, the Covid pandemic has meant it’s become a far more common occurrence, and employees experiencing the death of a loved one often don’t receive t

PinkNews • 14th October 2021

Proud parents of trans kids on the emotional costs of fighting transphobia

Texas lawmakers are mounting relentless legislative attacks on young trans people, but parents and activists aren’t backing down from the fight.

Last week, lawmakers heard public testimony about House Bill 25, a draconian measure that targets trans athletes. The bill passed through a House select committee on Wednesday (6 October) by an 8-4 vote and is being debated on the House floor Thursday (14 October).

If passed into law, the bill would ban trans students from competing on sports teams th

Third Sector • 10th March 2020

How the Vegan Society moved from fad, to fashion, to mainstream

Walking into the Vegan Society’s headquarters is like walking into any ordinary office building. The walls are a calm blue colour, people discuss their weekend plans and a delivery of milk has just arrived. But then small things start to stand out. There are cartons of soya milk in the staff fridge – no cows’ milk. The break room has a “vegan bookshelf” filled with cookbooks and guides that can be checked out by anyone in the office. One wall is covered in photos of dogs, cats and a horse, which

Third Sector • 25th November 2019

Authentic, purpose-driven, fulfilling: How you can bring young people into your workforce - and keep them

Turn to any sector and you’ll find an obsession with the latest generation of workers. Are they more civic-minded than other generations, people ask, or selfish and entitled? Do they care about social good?

Whether you are worn out by the constant discussions about "millennials", or puzzled by the preoccupation with Generation Z and their habits, charities can’t ignore the need to recruit young people to the third sector and retain them.

Charities have long bemoaned the struggle involved in br