Thousands attend the 15th annual Bristol Pride Day, legal gender changes are now permitted without surgery in Japan, and Malawi’s Constitutional Court refuses to legalize same-sex relations.

Thousands Attend 15th Annual Bristol Pride Day

The 15th Annual Bristol Pride Day celebration took place with thousands of people in attendance in England.

According to the BBC, there was a parade and music by The Human League and Steps’ Claire Richards.

Daryn Carter said it was “incredible to see how much the festival had grown.”

“The atmosphere is incredible, we've been very lucky with the weather," he added.

At the festival, researchers collected urine samples as part of a project to see if it can be turned into fertilizer.

The BBC reported that approximately 2,000 liters of urine was collected.

Other organizations were involved in philanthropy efforts like Bristol South Swimming Pool who hosted a Pride Swim to raise money for Switchboard, the national LGBTQIA+ Support Line.

Legal Gender Changes Permitted Without Surgery in Japan

Photo via Adobe.

A high court in Japan approved legal gender changes for transgender women without requiring compulsory gender-affirming surgery.

According to NBC News, the law states that transgender people who want to have their gender assigned at birth changed on official documents must be diagnosed as having gender dysphoria and must undergo an operation to remove their sex organs.

The court ruled that the requirement is probably unconstitutional.

The Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation said the ruling will “open the door for transgender females to be able to legally change their gender without undergoing surgery.” However, the group said the ruling fell short of including those who cannot take hormones, so the fight continues.

Court Refuses To Legalize Same-sex Relations

Malawi's flag. Photo public domain.

Malawi’s Constitutional Court is facing criticism from human rights organizations following its ruling to decline the legalization of marriage equality.

According to the Washington Blade, Wim Akster and Jana Gonani, a local transgender woman, through their lawyers last year, approached the Constitutional Court over the legalization of consensual same-sex relations under the penal code, which criminalizes so-called acts of “carnal knowledge against the order of nature and gross indecency” with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison with corporal punishment for both men and women.

Supporters for marriage equality are calling the ruling a setback for human rights in the country.

“The court’s decision to keep these discriminatory laws on the books is a bitter setback for human rights in Malawi. The ruling manifestly flies in the face of Malawi’s constitution, the African Charter and international human rights law, which all clearly prohibit discrimination,” said Khanyo Farise, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa. “It also makes Malawi an outlier in Southern Africa, where most countries have decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual conduct.”

The ruling is rumored to be appealed.