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, published by the UK's Department of Health and Social Care, includes language supporting reproductive rights for lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ+) women. The strategy is at assets.publishing.service.gov .uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1100721/Womens-Health-Strategy-England-web-accessible.pdf.
Trans children's charity Mermaids responded to an "investigation" by the publication The Telegraph that suggested the organization was putting children at risk, according to PinkNews. On Sept. 25, The Telegraph ran a story with the headline "Trans charity Mermaids giving breast binders to children behind parents' backs." Although Mermaids refused to comment for The Telegraph's investigation, the charity said in its own statement, in part, "Mermaids takes a harm reduction position with the understanding that providing a young person with a binder and comprehensive safety guidelines from an experienced member of staff is preferable to the likely alternative of unsafe practices and/or continued or increasing dysphoria." According to its website, "Mermaids has been supporting transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse children, young people and their families since 1995."
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the European Union would closely follow the respect of certain human rights and values such as women's access to abortion as she responded to Italy's apparent election of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Reuters reported. During the election campaign, Meloni has repeatedly denied suggestions she might roll back legislation on abortion or gay rights, while reaffirming her opposition to adoptions and surrogacy for LGBTQ+ couples. However, according to PinkNews, Meloni has long displayed an intolerance toward the queer community as she's rallied against what she's described as the "LGBT lobby" and denounced so-called "gender ideology."
TravelPulse published an item on Mexico's top LGBTQ+ destinations. The top five are Puerto Vallarta (considered the "Mexican San Francisco," according to the media outlet), Riviera Maya, Mexico City (especially the Zone Rosa neighborhood), Guadalajara (the "Gay Capital of Mexico") and Acapulco. Mexico's government works with the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) and the company Queer Destinations.
AID FOR AIDS Colombia and Peru have been working with ICAP at Columbia University and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 2021 to provide care and services to Venezuelan migrants and refugees with or at risk of HIV, per a press release. This month, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services Joyce Pace visited Colombia, along with a delegation from the CDC and the U.S. embassy in Colombia. This meeting, in the Bogota locality of Santa Fe, gathered allied beneficiaries and community-based organizations with the project "Support for the Ministries of Health of Colombia and Peru" intended to assist the migrant population with HIV.
P&O Cruises, historically the cruise line of choice for middle Australia, is making a major play for LGBTQ+ dollars, the Sydney Morning Herald noted. The company is making its first foray into the LGBTQ+ travel market and is promising passengers drag queens, cabaret stars and comedians, as well as what it claims will be the largest ship-board weddings ever staged. Five Pride Cruises will set sail throughout the rest of 2022 and all of 2023, and they will feature people such as ex-rugby league star Ian Roberts, cabaret act Hans the German and bobsledder Simon Dunn, among others.
Speaking of Australia, the GLAAD Media Institute recently finished its 2022 training tour of the continent, per a press release. The Equality Project—a national charity dedicated to affirming and supporting LGBTQ+ Australians—worked with GLAAD Media Institute Vice President Ross Murray to lead a tour across cities Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Wangaratta.
Also, pop icon Kylie Minogue has been confirmed as the headline act for next year's WorldPride Opening Concert, to be held at The Domain in Sydney next February, the Australian outlet ABC noted. WorldPride is one of the largest LGBTQ Pride events on the planet, with organizers anticipating "500,000 attendees and tens of thousands of international visitors" next year.
French games, technology and blockchain product developer Crypto Blockchain Industries, together with Crypto Meta LLC, announced the initial launch of NFT Land pre-sales for Qtopia, the first LGBTQ+ metaverse, per a press release. This NFT pre-sale will allow for a select amount of Land to be offered to the public. The Qtopia virtual world consists of four islands: Qtopia City, Sapphire Island, Isla De Fuego and Celebration Island; within these four Islands, Qtopia has 44 districts with names significant to the LGBTQ+ community. The NFT collections are available at opensea.io/collection/qtopia-real-restate; to learn more about Qtopia, visit www.AlphaVerse.com/Qtopia.
The streaming of LGBTQ+ movies on Netflix in Kenya is about to be restricted, The Washington Blade noted. The Kenya Film Classification Board is in final talks with Netflix to restrict same-sex content that violates the country's laws. Acting Kenya Film Classification Board CEO Christopher Wambua confirmed that official discussions with Netflix Africa began in October 2021, while noting that access to LGBTQ+ movies will be restricted before the end of this year. Consensual same-sex sexual relations are criminalized under Section 165 of Kenya's Penal Code; the Films and Stage Plays Act gives the board the power to regulate the exhibition, distribution, possession or broadcasting of content to the public, except for news and live programming.
The family of Avicii—the late, multi-platinum-selling Swedish DJ—sold 75% of his master recordings and publishing to Pophouse Entertainment, the Stockholm-based company co-founded by ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus, Variety noted. The family and estate will maintain ownership of the remaining 25%. Terms of the deal, estimated to be for nine figures, were not disclosed.
Russia will not be sending an official Oscar candidate for the upcoming international feature film race, Variety noted. The news, which was reported by the news outlet AFP, was announced by the Russian film academy on Sept. 27. Several members of Russia's Oscar committee—including its president, Pavel Tchoukhrai—have resigned to protest the decision of the Russian film academy.
The BBC has confirmed the relocation of some of its World Service journalists away from the United Kingdom as it gets set to introduce a digital-first model that will see a net loss of almost 400 jobs, Deadline noted. The proposals, which come as part of a $32.7-million World Service savings drive, will see seven more language services moving to digital; the closure of BBC Arabic radio and BBC Persian radio; and the ending of some TV and radio programs.
Prince Andrew's life and controversies will be explored in a documentary from Peacock titled Prince Andrew: Banished, per Deadline. After cavorting with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew embarrassed himself in a BBC interview that has lived long in the memory. Banished features new interviews with palace insiders, journalists, members of the prince's social circle and the legal team that brought the allegations to light.
