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Yucatan adventures--with an LGBTQ+ twist--await in Mexico
The Yucatan region lies between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea in southeastern Mexico. It is home to the states of Campeche and Quintana Roo, and features a variety of destinations appealing to LGBTQ+ ...
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WORLD Global survey, Turkey, Russians in Argentina, trans-rights activist
A new survey showed that nearly one in 10 adults across 30 countries identify as LGBTQ, according to NBC News. Age and geographic location played primary roles in the findings, with younger respondents and those in ...
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Second Japanese court finds marriage equality ban unconstitutional
On May 30 in Japan, the Nagoya District Court ruled that prohibiting same-sex marriage was unconstitutional—a decision activists welcomed as a step toward marriage equality, Reuters reported. Japan is the only Group of Seven (G-7) nation ...
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Strict Ugandan anti-LGBTQ+ bills signed into law
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has signed some of the harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the world, according to CNN. The bill includes the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality," which includes sex with a minor, having sex while ...
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British Cycling to ban trans competitors from female category
After a nine-month investigation and review, British Cycling will ban transgender women from the female category in a change that will be implemented by the end of the year, the BBC reported. Under a new policy ...
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WORLD Japanese bill, 'HRC Equidad CL,' center closes, UN expert, amFAR gala
LGBTQ+-rights activists criticized a new bill submitted to the Diet (Japan's national legislature) aimed at "promoting understanding" of equality issues as a "meaningless gesture," Japan Today noted. Japan's coalition government ...
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WORLD Spain, South Korea festival, Eurovision, marriage items, Sri Lanka
Spain became the latest country to join a U.S. initiative that seeks to promote LGBTQI+ rights around the world, The Washington Blade reported. "Promoting and protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and ...
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WORLD Turkish president, former congressman dies, Polish case, Uganda, sports
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again attacked the country's LGBTQ+ community in a bid to rally his conservative voters before the May 14 election, france24.com noted. Polls showed Erdogan—whose campaign is dealing with an economic crisis ...
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WORLD Student freed, Dutch rally, Kenyan bill, Kumbia Queers, 'Thrones' actor
After being detained for two weeks over accusations of violating President Vladimir Putin's so-called "LGBT propaganda" law, queer Chinese student/social-media figure Haoyang Xu was freed from Russian prison, GCN reported. ...
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Uganda's parliament passes slightly revised anti-LGBTQ+ measure
On May 2, Uganda's parliament passed one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ+ bills for a second time—and it's largely unchanged. The African country's new bill retains most of the harshest measures of the legislation that passed ...
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VIEWPOINT The Panama Papers: Rogue capitalism robs your wallet
On April 03, 2016, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists [ICIJ] started publishing almost 12 million files of leaked documents revealing the details of tax havens sheltering more than a ...
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WORLD Pride parades, Japanese activists, UN expert, anti-LGBTQ+ attack
In France, this year's Gay Pride parade will take place in Paris on June 24 without motorized floats for the very first time, after organizers voted to scrap heavy vehicles along the route for environmental and ...
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GALECA to also honor achievements in theater
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced it is expanding its mission to honor Broadway and off-Broadway productions, across various inaugural categories, beginning with the current 2022-23 theater season. ...
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Uganda president refuses to sign current anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has refused to sign into law a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill that prescribes the death penalty in some cases, media reports indicated. Museveni's decision was announced late on April 20 after a ...
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WORLD Hungarian bill, Biden's visit, HIV study, trans athlete ousted, Prince Harry
Video below
Hungarian legislators passed a bill that enables citizens to report anonymously on same-sex couples who raise children to authorities, Bloomberg reported. Hungary's constitution protects the institution of marriage as a formation "between one man and ...
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WORLD Hungarian law, French official, anti-Uganda protest, Rahm Emanuel
Germany and France are joining the EU Commission's infringement proceedings against Hungary over its anti-LGBTQ+ law, according to NBC News. The European Commission referred Hungary to the Court of Justice of the EU in mid-2022 over ...
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WORLD Queer soldier, anti-trans interview, Eurovision, couple arrested, soccer match
A queer Ukrainian solider has called for same-sex marriage to be legalized in the country, according to PinkNews. Anna "Kajhan" Zyablikova, who is serving in the 47th Brigade of Ukraine's armed forces, told the i paper ...
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VIEWPOINT German bishops endorse blessings of same-sex couples: Ancient rituals retturn
This March, at a national meeting of leaders of the German Catholic Church (referred to as a synod), a document titled Blessing Ceremonies for Couples who Love Each Other" received overwhelming support: 176 votes in favor, ...
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WORLD Grindr in Egypt, police report, queer tango, Human Rights Watch, Gay Games
Dating app Grindr is warning its users in Egypt that police are allegedly using fake accounts to entrap those seeking dates on the platform, after a spike in recent arrests of LGBTQ+ people, MSN noted via ...
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WORLD Venezuela code, Oxfam, Bosnia items, 'Brokeback,' Pope Francis
Venezuela's Supreme Court annulled a controversial part of the military justice code that had criminalized same-sex relations within the armed forces, the outlet Punch noted. The court annulled the provision, which had provided for a penalty ...
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World Athletics Council: Trans women banned from track-and-field competition
The World Athletics Council has barred transgender women from competing in elite female competitions if they have gone through male puberty, ESPN reported. Organization president Sebastian Coe said at a press conference that the decision was ...
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Uganda bans people from identifying as LGBTQ+
On March 21, Uganda's parliament passed a law making it illegal to identify as LGBTQ+, Reuters reported. The development hands authorities broad powers to target LGBTQ+ Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence. In ...
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Navratilova says she is cancer-free
Legendary tennis figure Martina Navratilova said she is now cancer-free—four months after announcing she had been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer, ESPN reported. "As far as they know I'm cancer-free," Navratilova told Piers Morgan for ...
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WORLD German bishops, trans woman's death, Hungary, human-rights event
Germany's Catholic bishops voted (38 to nine, with 11 abstentions) to adopt formal ceremonies for the blessing of same-sex relationships, defying the Vatican and testing church unity on what has become one of the most contentious ...
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WORLD Zero Discrimination Day, African countries, facility damaged, travel items
On Zero Discrimination Day this year (March 1), under the theme "Save lives: Decriminalize," UNAIDS showed how the decriminalization of key populations and people living with HIV saves lives and helps advance the end of the ...
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Mexican Women's National Team to kick off inaugural MexTour W this April in Chicago and Houston
--From a press release
NEW YORK CITY & MEXICO CITY (Wed., March 8, 2023) — In celebration of International Women's Day, the Federación Mexicana de FÀtbol (FMF) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM) announced the ...
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World's first transgender MP passes away at 65
On March 6, Georgina Beyer—a pioneering New Zealand politician who, in 1999, became the world's first openly transgender member of Parliament—passed away at the age of 65. Beyer's friends said she died peacefully in hospice care, ...
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WORLD Kenyan group, Alan Emtage, trans anchor, Hershey campaign
The Kenyan Supreme Court allowed an LGBTQI+-rights group to register as a non-governmental organization, The Washington Blade reported. Ten years ago, Eric Gitari, the former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission ...
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WORLD Prison HIV study, trans soldier injured, Bollywood, British LGBT Awards
In Zambia, a high uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is possible in prison populations that have adequate resources and support from the criminal-justice health system, according to an AJMC (The American Journal of Managed Care) ...
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ILGA-Europe report: 2022 was the deadliest year for anti-LGBTI violence
ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association)-Europe's "Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People in Europe and Central Asia"— announced Feb. 20 in Brussels, Belgium—reveals ...
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WORLD Japanese poll, Sydney Mardi Gras, mpox, rugby study, soccer player
Sixty-four percent of respondents to a Kyodo News poll believe same-sex marriage should be recognized in Japan, the media outlet noted. In the telephone survey, 88.4% also said recent remarks hostile to LGBTQ+ people by a ...
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Nothing to cure: putting an end to so-called "conversion therapies" for LGBTI people
--From a Council of Europe press release
Strasbourg, 16 Feb. 2023 — "So-called "conversion therapies" continue to take place across Europe despite the profound and long-lasting harmful effects that these practices have on LGBTI people", says Dunja ...
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WORLD Church of England, Japanese officials, Hong Kong ruling, drag kings
The Church of England has voted to bless same-sex marriages for the first time in its history; however, its ban on conducting ceremonies will stay in place, PinkNews reported. It was approved after a six-year consultation ...
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Pope criticizes anti-gay laws after Africa trip
On Feb. 5, Pope Francis—along with the head of the Anglican Communion and top Presbyterian minister—denounced the criminalization of homosexuality and said churches should welcome gay people, Time reported. The ...
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WORLD Czech president, ex-athlete's legal dispute, Congo rebels, killing
Former army chief and high NATO official Petr Pavel won the Czech Republic's presidential election, CNN reported. Pavel, a retired general running for office for the first time, won 58.3% of the vote, defeating controversial billionaire ...
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WORLD Pope Francis, non-binary minor, athlete dies at 35, Taiwan
Pope Francis made headlines when he told the Associated Press on Jan. 24 that "being homosexual is not a crime," although he also described being gay as sinful, Gay City News noted. The pontiff called on ...
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Pope says being gay no crime, cites anti-LGBTQ laws in 70 countries. LGBTQ leaders respond
--From press releases
(January 25, 2023) — Pope Francis called laws that criminalize same-sex relationships "unjust," stating that "being homosexual is not a crime" in an interview with the Associated Press today. The Pope also called for the Roman ...
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Lesbian tennis player ends 23-year career
Australian tennis player Sam Stosur has called it a career after back-to-back losses at the Australian Open, Yahoo! Sport noted. Stosur—an out lesbian who played for 23 years—lost in the first round of the women's doubles ...
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WORLD Dutch vote, landmark ruling, French teen, UK items
Dutch senators voted 56-15 in favor of including an explicit ban on discrimination on the grounds of disability or sexual orientation in the constitution, DutchNews.nl reported. This development clears the way for the constitution to be ...
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WORLD Indian marches, delegation in Cuba, anti-LGBTQ+ investigation
Hundreds of people took part in the first Delhi Queer Pride march in three years as pressure grows for legal recognition of same-sex marriage in India, The Manila Times noted. In March, the South Asian's top ...
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WORLD Murder suspect arrested, Israeli official, conversion therapy, couple's win
Kenyan authorities arrested a suspect in the death of fashion designer/LGBTQ+-rights activist Edwin Chiloba after his body was found dumped in a metal box by the roadside near the town of Eldoret, according to CNN. Last ...
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Letter to the Editor: Pope Benedict XVI passes away
The Rainbow Sash Movement mourns the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Dec. 31 in the Vatican. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, known most recently as the pontiff who renounced the papacy—but who was situated squarely ...
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WORLD Conversion therapy, Indian school, trans boxers, anti-LGBTQ+ move
South Florida Gay News noted that efforts to ban so-called conversion therapy gained a lot of traction around the world in 2022. For example, Canada and France introduced LGBTQ+-inclusive bills to ban conversion therapy for minors ...
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WORLD Scottish pro-trans law, Ukrainian bill, trans activist, Olympics
On Dec. 22, Scotland's parliament approved disputed reforms that make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender, including removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and lowering the minimum age ...
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WORLD Ghana funding, Latvia measure, Russia items, trans princess
Some Western governments who pledged to support LGBTQI+ rights have also funded supporters of a controversial bill in Ghana that could introduce harsh sentences for advocating for sexual and gender minorities' rights, CNN reported. In the ...
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WORLD Mexican report, Kristen Stewart, Elton John, Netanyahu
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) launched the sixth annual HRC Equidad MX: Programa Global de Equidad Laboral—a survey evaluating LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion within major Mexican businesses and multinationals, a press ...
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Sydney WorldPride plans a celebration like no other
Special to Windy City Times
WorldPride is heading Down Under in 2023. Sydney has been named the official location for WorldPride next year, and the cosmopolitan city is planning to go all-out to welcome LGBTQ+ guests from all over the world. ...
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WORLD Japan ruling, Kenya groups, World Cup, Almodovar
Video below
A district court in the Tokyo Prefecture ruled that Japan's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage is legal, according to The Washington Blade. In a statement to Reuters, plaintiffs' attorney Nobuhito Sawasaki said, "This is actually a ...
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WORLD Church of England, World Cup news, court rulings, Justin Trudeau
The Church of England is defending the scrutinized guidance for its 4,700 primary schools on LGBTQ+ issues, claiming that it doesn't allow students as young as 5 to self-identify as the opposite sex, The Christian Post ...
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WORLD Brazilian musician, top LGBTQ+ cruises, Elon Musk, anti-trans attack
Brazilian musician Pedro Sampaio revealed that he dates men and women, Out noted. Sampaio has 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, more than 5 million followers on Instagram and several music videos with more than 50 ...
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WORLD Indian judge, marriage items, LGBTQ+-friendly countries
A judge who could pave the way to legalizing marriage equality in India took charge as chief justice, Bloomberg reported. As a judge on the top court, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud was a member of the five-member ...
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U.S. women's soccer makes history after loss to Germany
The United States women's soccer team lost again, falling 2-1 to Germany on Nov. 10 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to The Guardian, it's the U.S. team's first three-game skid since 1993 ...
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Brittney Griner sent to Russian penal colony
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been moved from a detention center outside of Moscow to a Russian penal colony to begin serving out her nine-year sentence on drug smuggling charges, NPR reported. A statement from ...
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Sydney WorldPride plans a celebration like no other
Special to Windy City Times
WorldPride is heading Down Under in 2023. Sydney has been named the official location for WorldPride next year, and the cosmopolitan city is planning to go all-out to welcome LGBTQ+ guests from all over the world. ...
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WORLD Gay governor, Tokyo partnership policy, Daniel Radcliffe, Korean first
On Oct. 30, the first openly gay governor of Brazil was re-elected in a runoff election, The Washington Blade noted. Rio Grande do Sul Gov. Eduardo Leite, a member of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party, ...
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Officials visit Brittney Griner for first time in months
Officials from the U.S. embassy in Moscow met with Brittney Griner on Nov. 3, according to Reuters. It was the first visit in months for the out lesbian WNBA star who is jailed in Russia and could soon be transferred to ...
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Actress Rebel Wilson gets engaged, announces birth of first child [UPDATE]
Actress Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) is engaged to girlfriend Ramona Agruma after dating for seven months, according to Page Six. ...
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Washington DC to host WorldPride in 2025
-- From a press release
Washington DC, November 4, 2022… InterPride, an international association of over 400 Pride organizations from over 70 countries, announced that the Capital Pride Alliance (CPA) has been selected to host WorldPride in 2025. "CPA is thrilled ...
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Brazil's far-right president Bolsonaro defeated in election
Brazil's former leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has completed an astonishing political comeback, beating the far-right, staunchly anti-LGBTQ+ incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in one of the most significant elections ...
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WORLD World Cup, Ukraine president, purge survivors, Eddie Izzard
Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Qatar's ambassador to the UK, said LGBTQ+ couples visiting the country for the World Cup can "hold hands" but should be mindful of "public displays of affection," according to PinkNews. He told ...
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Last Mexican state approves marriage equality
On Oct. 27, Mexico's northeastern border state of Tamaulipas voted to recognize same-sex marriage, making it legal in every district in the country, Reuters reported. In its official Twitter account, the congress of Tamaulipas approved the ...
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Griner's appeal of prison sentence is denied by Russian court
A Russian court has denied an appeal from WNBA player Brittney Griner's appeal of a nine-year prison sentence on drug charges, according to NBC News. Griner had been hoping for a reduction to the sentence after ...
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Conservative MP Sunak to become new UK prime minister
Rishi Sunak is set to become the next British prime minister following a meeting with King Charles III, media outlets have reported. Sunak is the Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorks) and has been an MP continuously ...
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WORLD Anti-LGBTQ+ countries, UK monkeypox/MPV, vigil, intersex activist
Video below
Thirty-four Commonwealth nations still have anti-LGBTQ+ laws—roughly three-fifths of the group's total of 53 nations, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. Worldwide, 69 countries still cling to such anti-homosexuality laws. Just ...
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Singapore moves to legalize male same-sex relations, protect definition of marriage
On Oct. 20, Singapore's government filed bills in parliament seeking to decriminalize sex between men, and to amend the constitution to prevent court challenges to laws and policies concerning marriage, Reuters reported. The proposed legislation in ...
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Griner sends message to fans
From a Russian prison, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner released a message to fans and supporters on her 32nd birthday, which was Oct. 18, Out Magazine noted. "Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me ...
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Truss resigns as UK prime minister
After a term of only six weeks, Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Among other things, her economic agenda sent markets into panic and led to a fall in the value of the pound, CNN reported. ...
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WORLD Brittney Griner, Montenegro Pride, Nobel Prize winners, Brazilian film
Video below
(NOTE: This week's news contains some graphic details. Please be advised.) Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said that lesbian WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who are being ...
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Two die in connection to shooting at Slovak LGBTQ+ bar
Two people are dead in connection to an Oct. 12 shooting in front of a popular LGBTQ+ bar in the old town neighborhood of the Slovak capital of Bratislava, The Washington Blade reported. The Polícia Slovenskej ...
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WORLD Trans women elected, Zambia protest, Spice Girl, public figures come out
Video below
On Oct. 2, two transgender women won seats in the Brazilian Congress, The Washington Blade reported. Voters in Sao Paulo elected Municipal Councilwoman Erika Hilton, a Black former sex worker who is a member of the ...
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Slovenia legalizes marriage equality, adoption
Slovenia has become the first Eastern European country to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption. The historic moment has come about after a six-to-three Constitutional Court decision in July said that same-sex marriage and adoption are constitutional ...
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Russian court sets Brittney Griner's appeal date
Brittney Griner's date in front of an appeals court has been set. ...
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Iceland releases extensive LGBTQ+ action plan
Iceland has published its extensive action plan on LGBTQ+ issues for the years 2022 to 2025, PinkNews reported. The strategy includes an end to discrimination for queer blood donors, training in LGBTQ+ issues for police, "appropriate ...
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SHOWBIZ Hallmark film, Oprah, Janelle Monae, 'Dahmer,' Met Gala
As a part of its "Countdown to Christmas" event, Hallmark Channel announced its first holiday movie that focuses on a gay romance, according to Out. The Holiday Sitter will be released on Sunday, Dec. 11, on ...
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WORLD Fertility strategy, trans youth charity, French PM, Mexican spots
The British government committed to a 10-year strategy to end discrimination against "female same-sex couples" seeking fertility services, according to Human Rights Watch. The first-ever Women's Health Strategy for England ...
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