A coalition of lesbian, gay and bisexual organizations across 18 countries has split from the broader LGBTQIA+ movement, declaring independence and forming a new umbrella group called LGB International.The group, launched on Saturday, says traditional gay rights organizations have abandoned LGB issues in favour of transgender activism. Leaders argue that same-sex rights are being undermined by gender identity ideology, including the push for heterosexual men who identify as lesbians and heterosexual women who identify as gay men to enter same-sex spaces.LGB International says its focus will be on defending LGB rights in countries where homosexuality remains illegal, in jurisdictions where same-sex partnerships lack legal recognition, and in societies where the redefinition of sex-based categories is eroding the rights of same-sex attracted people.The initiative was inspired by the UK’s LGB Alliance, created in 2019, and now has affiliates spanning Taiwan, Australia, Bulgaria and the United States. .LGB Alliance Canada announced its relaunch alongside the international organization, saying Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ groups such as EGALE have prioritized transgender politics at the expense of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.“Canadian organizations have pushed unproven gender-affirming care that disproportionately affects same-sex attracted youth,” LGB Alliance Canada said in a statement.“They’ve also eroded sex-based rights and stoked hostility toward lesbians and gays who want to maintain same-sex spaces.”Frederick Schminke, Chair of LGB International, said the movement was necessary because “all the organisations that once represented gay people are now entirely devoted to gender identity ideology.”.He accused legacy groups of abandoning reason and shutting down dissenting voices.Bev Jackson, co-founder of the UK’s LGB Alliance, said the launch represents a growing global movement:“Many young LGB people are being encouraged to think they must be ‘trans’ and need drugs and surgeries, instead of accepting that they are simply same-sex attracted.”Support also came from Renato Sabbadini, former head of ILGA, and Kurt Krickler, former co-chair of ILGA-Europe, who both said the creation of LGB International restores space for LGB people to organize independently.
