ATHLETE FORCED TO PAINT OVER RAINBOW NAILS
The Swedish high jumper who painted her nails in rainbow colours at the Moscow World Athletics Championships in support of Russia’s LGBT community has had to repaint her nails. Emma Green-Tregaro caused a stir last week when she competed at the event sporting the colours in protest against Russia’s new gay propaganda law. It’s come […]
MISS UNIVERSE HOST PULLS OUT DUE TO ANTI-GAY RUSSIAN LAW
Openly gay American TV presenter Andy Cohen has refused to co-host the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which is being held in Russia, due to the country’s anti-gay policies. Cohen, who has co-hosted the event for the past two years with E! News’ Giuliana Rancic, told her that “their discriminatory policies make it unsafe for the […]
US COURT: UGANDA ACTIVISTS CAN SUE ANTI-GAY EVANGELIST
A US federal judge has ruled that the persecution of gay people is a crime against humanity and a valid basis on which to sue anti-gay evangelist Scott Lively. The groundbreaking case has seen Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG), a Uganda-based coalition of LGBTI rights and advocacy groups, suing Lively over his role in fuelling […]
ATHLETES RISK ARREST IN RAINBOW NAILS PROTEST
At least two Swedish athletes have risked arrest by painting their nails in rainbow colours at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow in support of Russia’s LGBT community. According to AP, pole-vaulter Emma Green Tregaro and sprinter Moa Hjelmer both sported rainbow coloured nails at Luzhniki Stadium in the Russian capital on Thursday. Tregaro posted […]
WWE WRESTLER COMES OUT AS GAY
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar Darren Young has come out as one of the first openly gay WWE wrestlers during an impromptu interview. The 33-year-old American had just arrived at the airport in Los Angeles on Wednesday and was collecting his luggage when he was approached by a TMZ videographer. Young (real name Fredrick Douglas […]
WORLD’S 1ST GAY PRO BOXER PROPOSES TO BOYFRIEND
Puerto Rico’s Orlando Cruz, the first openly gay professional boxer in the world, has proposed to his boyfriend via Facebook. NBC Latino reported that the 32-year-old fighter made the proposal to his long-time boyfriend José Manuel in a video, two months ahead of a WBO Featherweight Title fight. “I wanted to tell you how much […]
LGBT ETHIOPIAN GROUP TARGETED AS ‘FOREIGN AGENT’
Anti-gay groups have accused an LGBT Ethiopian HIV/Aids organisation of being a “foreign agent” and have called for legal action to be taken against gay people. A media affiliate of Rainbow-Ethiopia HIV and Social Support Services has reported that it is being targeted by homophobic civil society and religious groups and local government officials. It […]
NEW AFRICAN GAY FICTION BOOK TO BE LAUNCHED
Queer Africa, a new collection of eighteen ‘queer’ stories, is set to be launched by Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action (GALA) on Saturday. According to GALA, Queer Africa “brings together historical and contemporary stories, affirming and disquieting stories, urban and rural stories. It features characters who are rooted firmly in their countries and cultures, […]
HAND-HOLDING CAMPAIGN FOR RUSSIAN OLYMPICS
Pride House International – a coalition of LGBT sport and human rights groups – has called on everyone attending the Sochi Winter Games to hold hands with someone of the same sex in protest against Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ law. The ‘Same-Sex Hand-Holding Initiative’ is part of the the group’s response to the International Olympic Committee’s […]
US LAWYERS VOTE AGAINST ‘GAY PANIC’ DEFENCE
The American Bar Association (ABA) has voted to reject arguments justifying attacks on gay people because the victims allegedly came on to the offenders. The “gay panic” or “trans panic” defence is a legal defence, usually against charges of assault or murder, in which the accused claims that the victim’s gay romantic or sexual advances […]