Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan has signed a law that bans same-sex marriage and criminalizes same-sex associations, societies and meetings with penalties of up to 14 years in jail, according to the Associated Press. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Jan. 13 the United States is "deeply concerned" by a law that "dangerously restricts freedom of assembly, association, and expression for all Nigerians." In a recent interview, Olumide Makanjuola, executive director of the Initiative For Equality in Nigeria, had said, "If that bill passes, it will be illegal for us to even be holding this conversation."
In a related development, dozens of people have already been arrested in Nigeria since the law was enacted, Advocate.com noted. The Associated Press reported that four men were arrested in the state of Bauchi and possibly tortured in order for them to name additional gay people. Through that arrest, authorities reportedly compiled a list of 168 gay Nigerians, 38 of whom had been arrested recently.
The United Kingdom will be increasing aid to Nigeria this year despite introducing anti-gay law, Gay Star News reported. Previously, Prime Minister David Cameron said the UK would review its aid program if Nigeria passed the bills. Instead, aid to Nigeria will be increased from 200 million British pounds last year to almost 270 million ( $328 million to $443 million ).
A former World Cup player from Germany has become the biggest name in soccer to come out as gay, saying he wants to break down the stigma of homosexuality in sports, The Huffington Post noted. Thomas Hitzlsperger, a former midfielder who played in England's Premier League and in Germany, made the announcement in a German newspaper four months after his retirement from the game. Hitzlsperger, 31, said he felt now was the right time to approach a subject he felt was "simply ignored."
Liam Davis—a midfielder for the U.K. soccer team Gainsborough Trinity—has also come out of the closet, the Lincolnshire Echo reported. The partnered Davis, 23, was talking after news that former German international and Aston Villa star Thomas Hitzlsperger revealed he was gay following his retirement from the game. Davis said, aside from himself, he is unaware of any other footballers currently playing who are gay, but hopes that more feel comfortable to follow in his footsteps before his own career is over.
A gay man is believed to have been thrown in a ditch after he was raped and murdered in Italy, Gay Star News reported. Daniele Fulli, 28, was found dead on the banks of the Tiberdays after the alleged attack. Authorities believe the young hairdresser died Jan. 4 after he had met someone for a date in Magliania, a southwestern town near Rome.
British actor Russell Tovey has praised Olympic diver Tom Daley's coming-out as "brilliant," according to On Top Magazine. Tovey appears in his first gay role in the upcoming HBO drama Looking, which premieres Jan. 19, and has been cast to play a gay athlete in John Tiffany's play The Pass. Tovey, who's openly gay, said, "I messaged [Daley] and said, 'I'm proud of you, it's brilliant what you've done, mate.' He just said, 'Thanks.' He's really sweet."
In England, a coroner slammed a Manchester sauna's "dirty" and unhygienic conditions after a man lay dead in a cubicle for hours—because an attendant thought he was sleeping, Mancunian Matters reported. Coroner Nigel Meadows said conditions—including blood on the walls, and feces and urine in the sauna area—ran the risk of infections such as hepatitis and HIV being contracted. The inquest into the death of 46-year-old Stephen Green heard how he was found in a restroom at the H20 Sauna in Manchester's gay village.
In Hong Kong, people who have undergone a full gender-reassignment surgery will soon be able to wed according to their new gender if proposed amendments to the city's marriage laws go according to plan, according to the South China Morning Post. In its clearest signal yet on what action the government will take following last July's landmark ruling on marriage for a male-to-female transgender person known only as W, Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok extended the Court of Final Appeal ruling by widening the order to include post-operative female-to-male individuals.
Lee Ryan, a singer with the group Blue, has admitted to having a sex with a man on UK Celebrity Big Brother, according to International Business Times. "Yeah, I've been with a man. Everyone's done experimentational s***," he said. The admission was the first time Ryan had ever revealed intimate details about his sexuality. The show has also been in the spotlight lately because of U.S. boxer Evander Holyfield's anti-gay comments.
In its first session of 2014, Chile's Congress took a significant step for gay rights when the Senate approved legislation on same-sex civil union, The Santiago Times reported. Senators voted in favor of the Life Partner Agreement ( AVP ) with 28 votes in favor, six against and two abstentions. The country's leading LGBTQ organization, Homosexual Integration and Liberation ( Movilh ), praised the outcome as significant step toward passing a law which "the majority of the country" wants.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon died at age 85 after spending eight years in a coma following a stroke, according to BBC News. Reflective of the controversy Sharon caused, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was a great warrior; however, a senior Palestinian said Sharon's path was war and aggression. Sharon's interactions with the LGBT community seemed limited, although he did meet with the Association of Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders in 2002, according to EBSCO.
A British LGBT- and human-rights activist was detained for hours and told he is banned from returning to Israel for 10 years, according to PinkNews. PinkNews contributor Gary Spedding, 23, tweeted and updated his Facebook status to say that Israeli Security & Immigration officials had detained him. Spedding—who was president of the Palestine Solidarity Society while studying at Queen's University—described the time he spent detained as a "nightmare," detailing how he was "intimidated, threatened," and that he was subjected to several searches including a "body search."
Users of the Internet inside the Vatican have used illegal torrent sites to download illegal films, music and porn titles with amusing names, according to a PinkNews item that cites TorrentFreak. Titles downloaded using torrent sites from within the Vatican included the film Billy Elliot, music by the German heavy-metal band Scorpions and the now-cancelled U.S. television series Camp. Other more and adult content downloaded from within the Vatican included porn titles called FlexyTeens.com's Naked Gymnast, and Lesbian Hair Salon. TorrentFreak founder Ernesto Van der Sar said the number of downloads is small, which "could be the work of as few as three or four individuals."
The State Department released a travel alert ahead of the Sochi Olympics, which begin Feb. 7, cautioning travelers on a number of topics ranging from the untested medical infrastructure in Sochi to heightened concerns of terrorism in Russia, according to Politico.com . Among other things, the department cautioned LGBT travelers to remain mindful of Russia's anti-gay propaganda law, explaining that the measure also applies to U.S. citizens. The alert stated, "Russian authorities have indicated a broad interpretation of what constitutes 'LGBT propaganda,' and provided vague guidance as to which actions will be interpreted by authorities as 'LGBT propaganda.'"
In Israel, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai joined members of the LGBT community in Tel Aviv Park to unveil a new memorial dedicated specifically to the LGBT victims of the Holocaust, Queerty.com noted. The concrete triangle-shaped plaque is said to resemble pink triangles gay people were forced to wear in concentration camps during World War II, and reads "In Memory of those persecuted by the Nazi regime for their sexual orientation and gender identity." The memorial, which sits beneath a rainbow flag and a flag of Israel, is the first in the country dedicated to non-Jewish victims of the Holocaust and joins similar monuments in Amsterdam, Berlin, San Francisco and Sydney.
U.S. group Truth Wins Out praised Britain's Association of Christian Counsellors ( ACC ) to ban so-called "ex-gay" or "reparative" therapy in its members' practices, according to a press statement. Executive Director Wayne Besen said, "The fact that a large, mainstream Christian counseling association has banned 'ex-gay' therapy exposes the lie perpetuated by anti-gay factions that this is somehow an issue of religious freedom." The Guardian reported that therapist Lesley Pilkington and the group the Core Issues Trust, among others, plan to lobby against the ACC's new position.
