Europe
Andorra lawmakers extend civil marriage equality to same-sex couples
Small European country’s family code revised Lawmakers in Andorra on Thursday voted unanimously to extend civil marriage rights to same-sex couples. Andorra is a small country known for its ski areas that is nestled between Spain and France in the Pyrenees. Media reports indicate the new Andorran family code that lawmakers approved eliminates the legal… Read more »
Almost 400 People Released After Arrests at Istanbul Pride March
Istanbul LGBTQ+ groups say that over 350 people were arrested in the city over the weekend after participating in Istanbul Pride, which had been banned by the Turkish government. The Ankara-based LGBTQ+ rights group Kaos GL said those detained at Sunday’s demonstration were released Monday. “Police attacked İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride March this year as well.… Read more »
Shooting Outside Gay Club in Oslo Leaves 2 Dead Hours Before Pride
Almost 20 people were also injured in the shooting that happened hours before the Norwegian capital’s Pride march was to take place. A mass shooting outside a gay club in Oslo, Norway, early Saturday has left two people dead and around 19 wounded. It came a little more than 12 hours before the city’s Pride,… Read more »
Pete Buttigieg & Rachel Levine Among LGBTQ+ Figures Banned From Russia
The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed the bans “are aimed at forcing the ruling American regime to change its behavior.” As the U.S.’s support for Ukraine continues to strengthen, Russia has permanently banned 963 well-known American citizens from entering the country. On Saturday, the “Russian black list” was released as a response to “the hostile actions… Read more »
World’s first LGBT+ head of state elected in San Marino, one of the oldest nations on earth
The microstate of San Marino has just elected an openly gay head of state, becoming the first country in the world to do so. Paolo Rondelli, 58, was elected one of two “captains regent” of San Marino, one of the world’s oldest and smallest republics which has just 34,000 inhabitants. He was elected on 1… Read more »
The World’s First Out Gay Head Of State Appointed in San Marino
San Marino, the world’s oldest republic, has taken another historic step this week in appointing the world’s first openly gay head of state: 58-year-old Paolo Rondelli. Rondelli will join Oscar Mina as one of the two captains regent, San Marino’s heads of state, according to The Guardian. The captains regent are the country’s highest elected… Read more »
French parliament bans LGBT+ conversion therapy
Countries including Brazil and Malta have already moved to ban practices that seek to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity Dec 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – France’s parliament voted on Tuesday to ban so-called conversion therapy, joining a handful of countries that have taken steps to outlaw practices that seek to change a… Read more »
Poland’s Troubling Anti-LGBTQIA+ Stance Continues As Parliament Considers Further Bans
Poland has been thrust into the spotlight lately because of its continuing stance against LGBTQIA+ people. The latest developments have seen parliament debate the Stop LGBT legislative initiative, reports Pink News. The Stop LGBT initiative has been proposed to the Sejm (lower house) by conservative campaigners. With the majority of voters in Poland being against… Read more »
Bulgarian LGBTQ community center attacked, vandalized
Ultranationalist presidential candidate accused of leading attack Sofia, Bulgaria — A Bulgarian LGBTQ rights group says the leader of an ultranationalist political party who is running for president led an attack against their offices and community center on Saturday. The Bilitis Foundation in a series of tweets said “a group of about 10 men and… Read more »
Stonewall leaders on beating the bullies and the LGBT+ movement’s inevitable reckoning
Those who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it, so the saying goes. Stonewall, Europe’s oldest and biggest LGBT+ charity, has a rich history – one that seems to have been forgotten by certain LGB activists set on targeting the charity because it dares to support trans rights. As Scottish minister Patrick… Read more »
Switzerland says resounding ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage
Swiss backed proposal, which also allows couples to adopt, by a nearly two-thirds majority in a referendum on Sunday. Switzerland has agreed to legalise marriage for same-sex couples by a nearly two-thirds majority in a referendum, making it one of the last countries in Western Europe to do so. According to results provided by the… Read more »
Italy Creates New LGBTQ English-Language Website for Travelers
Italy is a very welcoming and friendly country, and even better, they’ve just launched a new website, QueerVadis, which helps English-speaking travelers and ex-pats learn more about the dynamic and historic nation and its welcoming spaces for queer visitors and locals. QuuerVadis offers feature articles, travel ideas, and even news about current events and notable… Read more »
Switzerland says resounding ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage
Swiss backed proposal, which also allows couples to adopt, by a nearly two-thirds majority in a referendum on Sunday. Switzerland has agreed to legalise marriage for same-sex couples by a nearly two-thirds majority in a referendum, making it one of the last countries in Western Europe to do so. According to results provided by the… Read more »
Tens of thousands protest in Switzerland to legalize same-sex marriage
The protests came ahead of a national referendum on Sept. 26 on the legalization of gay marriage. Berlin — Tens of thousands protested in Switzerland on Saturday for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Alpine country. The protests came ahead of a national referendum on Sept. 26 on the legalization of gay marriage, which… Read more »
You Can’t Pray The Gay Away: Netflix Premieres Documentary About Conversion Therapy
The streaming giant Netflix will host to the 2021 documentary Pray Away. The film, directed by Kristine Stolakis and produced by Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum, looks at the leaders of Exodus International, one of the most controversial ‘ex-gay’ conversion therapy organisations during the 1970s, reports TV Blackbox. The documentary also interviews survivors of the… Read more »
Partners Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud will compete on same Olympic team in Tokyo
Gal and Minderhoud have been together for many years and will compete in dressage together in Tokyo. Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud are gay partners who will compete together in equestrian for the Netherlands at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. Marlies van Balen will round out the Dutch team with the couple. The… Read more »
Police ‘brutally attack’ Istanbul Pride march with tear gas, rubber bullets
Turkish police “brutally attacked” a banned Istanbul Pride parade with tear gas and rubber bullets, arresting at least 20 people. Istanbul Pride has been banned by authorities for seven consecutive years. Each year, apart from in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, protesters have gathered in solidarity anyway, despite the ever-present threat of police violence.… Read more »
German Catholic Priests Defy Rome to Offer Blessings to Gay Couples
More than 100 Roman Catholic parishes in Germany held services to bless gay couples, in defiance of the Vatican’s refusal to recognize same-sex unions. Berlin — More than 100 Roman Catholic parishes in Germany offered blessings to gay couples on Monday in defiance of church teaching and their own bishops. The call for nationwide blessings… Read more »
Openly Gay Paramedic Burned Alive In Alleged Homophobic Attack
Latvian paramedic, Normunds Kindzulis, has died after allegedly being set ablaze by a homophobic neighbour, reports Out. Early on April 22, Kindzulis’ housemate Artis Jaunklavins, woke up to the sound of screams outside their apartment, discovering Kindzulis fully engulfed in flames at their front door. Jaunklavins says he suffered burns himself trying to extinguish the… Read more »
Latvian president condemns homophobe who set two gay men on fire
In Latvia, two men were set alight in a suspected homophobic hate crime – exposing the fault lines in a republic that resists recognising LGBT+ people. According to local newswires, a scuffle allegedly broke out between a homophobic man and two men living in the same apartment block in Tukums, a historic town of red-brick… Read more »
Switzerland announces same-sex marriage referendum after bigots force vote
Voters in Switzerland will get their say on same-sex marriage with a referendum that’s the upshot of nearly eight years of debate. The Federal Chancellery confirmed Tuesday (27 April) that more than 61,000 marriage equality opponents have signed calling for a referendum, all but paving the way for the vote to be held. In Switzerland’s… Read more »
Britain Honors Gay WWII Codebreaker Alan Turing With 50-Pound Note
World War II codebreaker Alan Turing is the face of Britain’s new 50-pound note. The Bank of England unveiled the design on Thursday. It will be formally issued to the public on June 23, Turing’s birthday. England selected Turing as the new face of the 50-pound note in 2019. Turing is best known for the… Read more »
Number of LGB MPs in Britain hits record high thanks to a new wave of young queer politicians
Queer MPs such as Charlotte Nichols, Nadia Whittome and Olivia Blake reflect a Britain where young people feel comfortable with and empowered by expressing their identities. In December 2019, three more MPs in the House of Commons came out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual or queer, bringing the total number of out LGB MPs to… Read more »
Lithuania could legalise same-sex unions next year, says country’s only out lawmaker
Lithuania could be on the path to permitting same-sex couples to enter civil unions, the country’s only out lawmaker has suggested. Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius, a member of the progressive Freedom Party, is one of 11 MPs elected to represent the pro-LGBT+ party in the 141-seat Lithuanian Parliament in October. Speaking to Reuters, the lawmaker confirmed… Read more »
Switzerland lawmakers vote for same-sex marriage and legal gender change with declaration
On Friday, the lawmakers of Switzerland voted for transgender people to be able to easily legalise their gender change with just a declaration. Not just that, they also voted to make same-sex marriage legal in the country. Swiss lawmakers voted on Friday to legalise same-sex marriage and allow transgender people to change their legal gender… Read more »
Switzerland passes revolutionary gender bill introducing self-declaration for trans people – but it comes with a catch
In a stunning move, Switzerland’s parliament passed a sweeping legal gender recognition bill Friday (18 December) enshrining self-declaration for trans people – but it has a major snag. Yes, unlike what anti-trans lobbyists in Britain may believe, Switzerland did not implode nor did it become engulfed in hellfire as a result. The sun continues to… Read more »
Hungary just outlawed same-sex adoption with vile new law: ‘It’s a dark day for human rights’
Lawmakers in Hungary have passed a measure to effectively outlaw adoption for same-sex couples, continuing a wave of concerning anti-LGBT+ actions in the country. On Tuesday (15 December), the Hungarian parliament gave a green light to the bill championed by family affairs minister Katalin Nova, which defines family as “based on marriage and the parent-child… Read more »
Metropolitan Police face legal action after threatening to arrest and fine trans rights protesters
The Metropolitan Police is facing legal action after officers threatened to arrest and fine people at a trans rights protest, causing it to be cancelled. The protest, organised by grassroots activist group Trans Rights Collective UK (TRCUK), was due to take place in Parliament Square on 5 September. It was called off at the last… Read more »
Brussels on course for struggle with Hungary and Poland as first-ever LGBTIQ strategy is unveiled
Brussels released its first-ever strategy for achieving LGBTIQ equality on Thursday, days after Hungary unveiled plans to curb LGBTIQ rights. As part of its strategy, the Commission plans to extend the list of “EU crimes” to include hate crime and hate speech, including when targeted at LGBTIQ people. It also plans to bring forward a… Read more »
Norway bans hate speech against bisexual and transgender people
Norway has banned hate speech against bisexual and trans people in a landmark change to its penal code. Gay men and lesbians have been protected from hate speech under Norway’s laws since 1981, with those found guilty facing up to one year in prison or a fine for private comments or up to three years… Read more »
France pays tribute to six-year-old resistance hero Marcel Pinte
Special Armistice Day ceremony lauds contribution of wartime courier who died in 1944 France has paid tribute to a six-year-old boy regarded as its youngest resistance hero, as part of the nationwide Armistice Day ceremonies in memory of those who died in the first and second world wars. In a special ceremony, the name of… Read more »
Vatican claims Pope’s remarks on LGBT+ rights ‘taken out of context’ and underlines church’s opposition to same-sex unions
Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions was taken out of context, Vatican officials have claimed as they sought to clarify that the church does not support LGBT+ rights. The Pope’s comments featured in the documentary Francesco did not signal a change in church doctrine, neither did they support a wider endorsement of marriage equality,… Read more »
Northern Ireland Converts Civil Partnerships To Marriages
In a win for same-sex couples in Northern Ireland, their civil partnerships will be converted to marriage, Gay Times reports. The Northern Ireland Office made the recent announcement via Twitter. In its announcement, the Northern Ireland Office said the ability to convert civil union to marriage was open to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples and… Read more »
Russian cabinet strikes down abhorrent bill that would have erased trans people and banned same-sex marriage
Russia’s cabinet has rejected amendments to the country’s Family Code which would not only have banned marriage equality and same-sex adoption (which are already outlawed), but would also have legally erased trans people. A bloc of hard-line, high-decibel anti-LGBT+ lawmakers drew up a package of policies masterminded by Vladimir Putin earlier this year to drum… Read more »
Gay fathers are fleeing Russia with their children after authorities threatened to arrest them for ‘baby trafficking’
Gay and single men in Russia are fleeing the country with their children, after they were threatened with arrest for creating families via surrogacy. Under Vladimir Putin’s rule, authorities in Russia declared this month that gay and single men who have had children by surrogacy will face arrest for “baby trafficking”. Although surrogacy is legal… Read more »
Gay men in Russia with surrogate children warned they face arrest
LGBT+ community draws breath as state investigators equate single fathers to baby traffickers Russian authorities have warned of the arrest of gay men who have fathered children to surrogate mothers, firing what appears to be another salvo across the bow of LGBT+ rights. Commenting on a long-running criminal case to state media, a source in… Read more »
Rimbaud and Verlaine: France agonises over digging up gay poets
President Emmanuel Macron is under pressure to strike a blow for sexual diversity by ordering the “Pantheonisation” – interment at the national mausoleum in Paris – of two of France’s best-loved poets, Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine. A petition signed by 10 former culture ministers, as well as a long list of artists and intellectuals,… Read more »
UK’s first-ever Pride train staffed by all-LGBT+ crew makes its kaleidoscopic maiden journey
A Pride train has been launched by Avanti West Coast that will be staffed by an all-LGBT+ crew. The company, which operates on routes from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Wales and Scotland, unveiled the train on Tuesday, two months after the end of Pride Month – which is actually comparatively timely for a British… Read more »
Sweden’s Top Pop Star, Darin, Comes Out
Darin, who is one of Sweden’s biggest pop stars, came out as gay via his Instagram account saying everyone should, “be able to be proud and accepted for who they are”. “I know how difficult it can be,” he wrote. “Took me a while, but I am proud to be gay. Happy pride!” 33-year old… Read more »
Hector MacDonald
Major-General Sir Hector Archibald MacDonald, KCB, DSO (Scottish Gaelic: Eachann Gilleasbaig MacDhòmhnaill; 4 March 1853 – 25 March 1903), also known as Fighting Mac, was a Victorian soldier. The son of a crofter, MacDonald left school before he was 15, enlisted in the Gordon Highlanders as a private at 17, and finished his career as… Read more »
ADS
