Following a travel warning issued for LGBTQ+ tourists in Greece, euronews published a list of the European spots that are most welcoming to queer people. Even though same-sex marriage was recently legalized in Greece, the British Foreign Office stated that "attitudes are generally much more welcoming in Athens and on many Greek islands, particularly on Lesvos, Mykonos and Skiathos," there are concerns that queer visitors could face prejudice elsewhere. According to euronews, Lisbon, Copenhagen and Amsterdam are among the most welcoming LGBTQ+ destinations in Europe. Overall, Portugal has the highest Global Trans Index rating out of all countries in a recent study, with a score of 248 out of 250; the score encompasses gender recognition, pro-LGBTQ+ laws and low hate-crime rates.
In Botswana, a coalition of churches voiced its opposition to parliament's latest effort to amend the constitution to include LGBTQ+ rights, per Voice of America. Botswana's minister for state president, Kabo Morwaeng, introduced a constitutional amendment bill for the first reading; among the proposed amendments is the inclusion of a clause that would "protect and prohibit the discrimination of intersex persons and persons with a disability." Botswana's High Court decriminalized same-sex relations in 2019, after a legal challenge; in July 2023, the government proposed a bill to incorporate LGBTQ+ rights into the constitution, but hundreds of opponents protested the development.
German Catholic theologian Ursula Wollasch, a former diocesan pastoral contact person for the trans community, critiqued the Vatican's recent repudiation of gender identity as depriving trans people "of the medical, social and pastoral infrastructure that they need to live and survive," according to a New Ways Ministry entry that cites Katholisch.de. Wollasch added, in part, "It is not gender reassignment measures that contradict human dignity, but rather the compulsion to live in a body in which a person simply cannot live. In other words, it is contrary to human dignity to deny a person the right to behave in accordance with their biological sex, regardless of whether they agree or disagree."
Also in Germany, Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier participated last week in an ecumenical service of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community, which as organized partially by the "Queer in the Diocese of Trier" working group (AK Queer) and held in the diocesan cathedral, New Ways also noted, citing the diocesan website. Ackermann described the service as a "public confession." Protestant leaders the Rev. Sabine Schwenk and the Rev. Matthias Holzapfel co-led the service with Ackermann.
Protests broke out across Argentina in recent weeks after the dismissal of transgender people from their government jobs, The Washington Blade noted. LGBTQ+ news agency Presentes reported the government dismissed more than 85 trans employees in less than two weeks. President Javier Milei's action is in stark contrast with the progress seen in 2023, when the government's hiring of trans people increased by 900 percent thanks to the Trans Labor Quota Law that had been in place since 2021.
Iraqi lawmakers postponed voting on a bill that includes the death penalty or life in prison for same-sex relations—a measure that diplomats from Western countries said could have serious consequences for Iraq's political and economic ties if it goes through, Reuters reported. It also bans promotion of homosexuality; violations are punishable by at least seven years in prison. Two lawmakers in the session said the vote was postponed over time constraints and disagreements over proposed amendments. Currently, mainly Muslim Iraq does not explicitly criminalize gay sex but loosely defined morality clauses in its penal code have been used to target LGBTQ+ people.
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) will hold its 2024 Global Convention Oct. 23-26 and is now accepting applications for speakers for this historic event in Osaka, Japan, a press release noted. This marks the first time IGLTA will hold its premier educational and networking event in Asia, and it is planned to coincide with Osaka Pride (tentatively scheduled for Oct. 26-27). The deadline to apply is May 31; visit IGLTA's website or this link for more information.
Activists gathered in D.C. recently to demand European Union sanctions on Uganda over the African country's Anti-Homosexuality Act, LGBTQ Nation noted. The law "is driving already marginalized people away from needed services and codifies state-sponsored discrimination and violence against real or perceived LBGTQ people in all areas of life," the Convening for Equality coalition wrote in a letter to EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen before the demonstration. The law made what is described in the law as "aggravated homosexuality" punishable by the death penalty, imposed a life sentence for "recruitment, promotion and funding" of same-sex "activities," and even banned identifying as LGBTQ+.
Chile's Parole Commission rejected a request to allow one of the four men convicted of murdering Daniel Zamudio in 2012 to serve the remainder of his sentence outside of prison, The Los Angeles Blade noted. Raul Lopez Fuentes had asked the commission to release him on parole; Zamudio's family and members of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation had gone to court to block the request. Lopez Fuentes and three other young men with alleged ties to a neo-Nazi group beat Zamudio for several hours in Santiago's San Borja Park on March 2, 2012; the victim died of his injuries a few weeks later.
Ncuti Gatwa—an LGBTQ+ Rwandan immigrant to the UK who was the first Black Doctor Who—definitely made his thoughts known in an interview with the magazine Attitude for its May/June issue, Deadline noted. Among other things, Asked about backlash on his assuming the role of Doctor Who, he said that it's all part of a shift: "You see people kind of malfunctioning because things are changing." When asked about the UK's struggle with gender diversity and trans+ issues, Gatwa responded, "Everything trickles down from the top, and when you see politicians openly attacking marginalized communities, when you see our politicians openly attacking trans people, it makes it OK for everyone else. And it is scary to see that we've got to a point where it is fine to attack vulnerable people because that's essentially what's happening."
The BBC apologized after suggesting that Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling's remarks about transgender women could put her on the wrong side of a new hate-crime law in Scotland, Deadline noted. On April 2, BBC Scotland reported that the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 means that "derogatory comments" about transgender identity will become a criminal offense. In a correction on the BBC website, the corporation said: "This was inaccurate and we should have referred to the Act creating a new crime where it is an offense if someone communicates material or behaves in a threatening or abusive manner with the intention of 'stirring up hatred' based on these protected characteristics." It was the third time the BBC apologized for coverage of Rowling and her views on trans rights.
Out actor Andrew Scott fell short of a win in the Best Actor category at the 21st Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) Awards, although his All of Us Strangers co-star Paul Mescal prevailed as supporting actor, according to Deadline. Oscar winner Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) won for Lead Actor—also beating Saltburn's Barry Keoghan—while Agnes O' Casey (Lies We Tell) won for Best Actress, Alison Oliver (Saltburn) won for Best Supporting Actress, and Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Emma Stone (Poor Things) won for Best International Actor and Actress, respectively. Also, Filmmaker Neil Jordan presented Irish actor Stephen Rea with the Irish Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award; among other projects, they worked together on the 1992 film The Crying Game.
BAFTA confirmed that the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards will be held two weeks before the Oscars, on Sunday Feb. 16, 2025, per Deadline. The 2024 BAFTA Film Awards were watched by three million people nationally on BBC One on average, and 3.8 million people at its height—the highest viewing figures since 2020. The big winners this year were Oppenheimer, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest.
World of Wonder announced the 10 glamazons competing for the crown on the third season of Drag Race France, per a press release. The contestants include Afrodite Amour, Edeha Noire, Le Filip, Leona Winter, Lula Strega, Magnetica, Misty Phoenix, Norma Bell, Perseo and Ruby On The Nail. Nicky Doll returns as host alongside mainstay judges Daphne Burkiand and Kiddy Smile. The show will exclusively air on WOW Presents Plus in the US and select territories worldwide, day-and-date with its local airing in France.
Picnik Entertainment and Mad as Birds Films announced that their Rebel Wilson led drama The Almond and the Seahorse will be coming to UK Cinemas on May 10, per a press release. The film also stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Trine Dyrholm and Celyn Jones, among others. According to the release, "The film explores the complex and very human relationships of two couples as they try to navigate a new life together or attempt to explore a life apart after a TBI [traumatic brain injury] changes everything. It refreshingly focuses on the characters without brain damage, but have to carry the heart damage."
Non-binary actor Bella Ramsey (HBO's The Last of Us) will co-star with Louis Partridge and Ruby Stokes in the film Sunny Dancer, the sophomore feature from George Jaques, Variety noted. The movie follows Ivy (Ramsey), a teenager in remission from cancer, whose gloriously outspoken mum and well-intentioned dad insist she attend Children Run Free Camp, a summer retreat for young adults affected by cancer. Embankment Films is handling global pre-sales of the film, which it says showcases the "best of new British talent."
The Spice Girls gave an impromptu performance at member Victoria Beckham's 50th birthday party, Yahoo! noted. Beckham rejoined her former bandmates Geri Halliwell-Turner, Emma Bunton, Melanie "Mel C" Chisholm, Melanie "Mel B" Brown to perform the dance routine to their 1997 single "Stop" in front of party guests. "Best night ever! Happy Birthday to me! I love you all so much! #SpiceUpYourLife," Beckham wrote in her social-media caption.
David Beckham (speaking of the Beckhams) filed a lawsuit against F45 Training—which actor Mark Wahlberg is a part owner of—claiming the company failed to pay him as the brand's global ambassador, Today noted. Beckham's company DB Ventures (DBVL) actually filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Central California in April 2023. Beckham entered into a five-year agreement with F45 Training, an Australian-based fitness company, in 2020 to help the brand grow ahead of its initial public offering, according to an amended complaint.
