India's National Medical Commission has ordered publishers and medical schools to edit their textbooks and curricula to exclude discriminatory and unscientific portrayals of LGBTI people, according to Human Rights Watch. The order from the country's highest medical regulator follows a June 2021 Madras High Court ruling instructing institutions across the country to roll back prejudicial and inaccurate portrayals of sexual and gender minorities. In the judgment, Judge N. Anand Venkatesh said, "Ignorance is no justification for normalizing any form of discrimination."
In light of the Dutch monarchy's recent announcement about same-sex marriage and in honor of LGBTQ History Month, NBC News unveiled a list of 13 queer royals. Among others, individuals on the list included Emperor Ai, of Han (27-1 B.C.), who was widely known to have been romantically involved with one of his ministers, Dong Xian, although both men were married to women; the gender-nonconforming ruler Queen Ana Nzinga, of Ndongo (1583-1663); Queen Christina, of Sweden (1626-1689); Archduke Ludwig Viktor, of Austria (1842-1919), who was banished from Vienna after making an unwelcome pass at another man; and King Umberto II, of Italy (1904-1983), who was married to Queen Marie-Jose, of Belgium—although Benito Mussolini's secret police had dossiers on Umberto's male lovers.
MTV's Europe Music Awards (EMA) will go ahead in Hungary this year in a bid to counter the country's new stringent anti-gay laws, with President & CEO Chris McCarthy saying the outfit will "use the opportunity to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary and around the world," Deadline noted. The awards will take place in the Papp Laszlo Budapest Sportarena in Hungary on Nov. 14 and air globally in prime time. The Hungarian government has passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that bans TV content featuring gay people during the day and in primetime airing to people under 18.
Russia President Vladimir Putin described transgender rights as "a crime against humanity," The Washington Blade noted, citing The Washington Post. Putin made the comment in a speech in Sochi, a resort city on the Black Sea where the 2014 Winter Olympics took place. Putin specifically said the idea that children are "taught that a boy can become a girl and vice versa" is "on the verge of a crime against humanity." Putin, according to the Post, also said trans activists are demanding an end to "basic things such as mother, father, family or gender differences."
In Jamaica, an 18-year-old man remains hospitalized in critical condition after he was targeted on a gay dating app and attacked in Montego Bay, according to The Washington Blade, citing The Jamaica Gleaner. The would-be date and two other men abducted the victim, robbed him and partially severed his penis before setting him on fire. Officials said the three men took his cellphone and used his bank card to withdraw money from his account. Violence against LGBTQ Jamaicans remains commonplace, and consensual same-sex sexual relations remain illegal in the country.
Netflix is dealing with another anti-LGBTQ situation, according to Yahoo! News. Leaked documents show that Netflix investigated one of its top executives for "aggressive and intimidating" anti-LGBTQ behavior. The internal investigation was triggered by claims made against vice president for original content in Spain and Portugal, Diego Avalos, via an anonymous tip line. However, Netflix decided to allow Avalos to remain in his position. The same letter said Netflix would give Avalos a chance to "change his communication and leadership style," and provide "tough feedback" and coaching to support this. The news came amid a storm of criticism over Netflix's recent work with comedian Dave Chappelle, who used anti-trans jokes in his special The Closer.
The 2023 Census will be the first to ask everyone in New Zealand about gender, sexual identity and variations of sex characteristics (also known as intersex status), Express reported. Collecting information on gender and sexual identity in the census will allow more detailed geographic breakdowns of the data produced than may be possible for data collected in household surveys. The 2023 Census also marks the first time in any Stats NZ survey that information will be collected on variations of sex characteristics (also known as intersex status).
The film Make Me a King will premiere at the UK Film Festival on Nov. 7, according to a press release. The short film follows Ari, a Jewish drag king ostracized by their family who clings to their hero: Pepi Littman, the first Jewish proto-drag king, who performed in the early 20th century. Make Me a King won for best script at the 2021 UK Jewish Film Festival.
A historic Iranian car has been reimagined as a symbol for LGBTQ+ rights in the Middle Eastern nation, according to out.com . PaykanArtCar is a new art project unveiled earlier this month at the Human Rights Foundation's Oslo Freedom Forum in Miami; it means to raise awareness of the persecution faced by LGBTQ+ people in Iran. The car features a beautifully painted portrait of a naked reclining man with a jeweled band on his arm. The figure holds a flower over his crotch on one side and an ornately-dressed man holding a flower on the other side. The two figures are shown embracing on the car's hood.
Transgender cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat, who has been on the run from the Malaysian government, has been granted political asylum in Australia, according to says.com . Sajat took to her Instagram Live to share that she is now living in Sydney and that she was never coming back to Malaysia, reported Malay Mail. Sajat was charged in January under Section 10(a) of the Syariah Criminal Offenses Enactment (Selangor) 1995, with authorities alleging her transgenderism brought contempt to Islam.
In the United Kingdom, Birmingham leaders announced proposals to tackle the increase of homophobic attacks in and around the Gay Village, PinkNews reported. New measures include increased police patrols and a funding injection to support victims of hate crime. The possibility of a 24-hour public transport service is also being examined. West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, Birmingham Council Leader Ian Ward and West Midlands crime commissioner Simon Foster announced the plans following the most recent attack, on Oct. 10.
A court in Russia declared an anti-feminist, anti-LGBT, racist group known as Male State an extremist organization, RFERL.org noted. The Nizhny Novgorod regional court in the Volga Federal District recently banned the online group's activities in Russia. Vladislav Pozdnyakov created the group online in 2016; its members were openly racist and misogynist, advocating extreme right-wing views and even calling for morality police.
LUST Magazine published a list of the world's 25 most sexually liberal cities, per a press release. New York City, with 176 LGBTQ+ bars, topped the list. Others in the top 10 included Cologne, Germany; Berlin; Madrid; Los Angeles; San Francisco; London; Amsterdam; Montreal; and Atlanta. With the exceptions of the Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney as well as the South American city Santiago, Chile, all cities in the top 25 were either in North America or Europe.
Nils "Einar" Gronberg, an award-winning Swedish rapper with millions of music platform streams, was gunned down in Stockholm, The New York Post noted. He died at 19 in what is believed to be a gang-related incident, authorities confirmed. The rapper's murder occurred a year after he was reportedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a rival gang. No one was charged with sexual assault in the case although several people, including rappers Yasin Byn and Haval Khalil, were given prison terms for their role in the abduction, The Sun noted.
In Tehran, Iranians flocked to a contemporary art museum to marvel at U.S. pop artist Andy Warhol's iconic soup cans, PBS reported. The circular floors of the Iranian capital's Museum of Contemporary Art display a sprawling line-up of 18 classic Warhol works, recognizable at first glance: silk-screen portraits of Communist China's founding leader Mao Zedong and Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe, paintings of Campbell Soup cans and a vintage print of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. The exhibit, "A Review of Andy Warhol's Works," first opened in June and closed Oct. 24.
Hong Kong is getting its first gay dating show, out.com noted. Boyscation is the creation of out gay actor, host and executive Vinci Wong, who is also host and producer of the new show. The series is scheduled to debut on TVB's J2 channel in early November. Production is underway for the program, which will feature 10 single gay contestants vying to find love through dating.
Legendary Swedish group ABBA has released the "ridiculously happy" single "Just a Notion," a press release noted. The song is the third single from ABBA's new studio album, Voyage, which is out Friday, Nov. 5, on Capitol Records. The ABBA Voyage tour opens May 27, 2022; it will have the digital versions of ABBA perform a set jam-packed with some of their greatest hits, along with the new tracks "I Still Have Faith in You" and "Don't Shut Me Down"—alongside a 10-piece live band put together by musician and former Klaxons keyboardist James Righton. Also, the band will feature BRIT-nominated singer Little Boots.
