In Ottawa, Canada, 15-year-old Jamie Hubley killed himself Oct. 14 as a result of sexual orientation-based bullying, the Ottawa Citizen reported. His last online post was on that fateful day: "Im tired of life really. Its so hard, Im sorry, I cant take it anymore." Referencing the "It Gets Better" project, Hubley also posted, "I dont want to wait 3 more years, this hurts too much. How do you even know It will get better? Its not." He added in a previous post that he hated being the only openly gay student in his school.
In Turkey, Fevzi Çetin killed his transgender sister, Ramazan Çetin, Oct. 7, Advocate.com reported. Ramazan was already being treated for injuries connected with having fallen "from a high place" when Fevzi shot her. Fevzi, who shot his sister twice in the body and once in the head, said, "My brother was engaged in travestism. I killed him. I cleansed my honor."
In South Africa, four of the nine men accused of brutally murdering lesbian Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, have been found guilty, according to Advocate.com . Five of the men were acquitted, with the magistrate saying there was no evidence that linked them to the murder, although they were present when the crime occurred. The case had been delayed approximately 30 times over five years.
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, has apologized for having said openly gay German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle needs "to lead a normal life," according to Advocate.com . "My words offended him," Lukashenko told journalists in Minsk. "I am still repenting my words. I wonder what made me speak up." During a meeting with Westerwelle and the Polish foreign minister a few months ago, Lukashenko also reportedly said he had nothing against lesbians but would send gay men to collective farms with "great pleasure."
In Spain, plans to have the first official gay village in the country may be on hold, Passport Magazine reported. The project, located in Pueblo Blanco of Moclinejo, was gay entrepreneur Javier Checa's idea. Checa wanted to paint the whole village pink; name streets after gay artists; and even have a park for outdoor sex. However, while the town hall OK'd the building of 50 homes designated for LGBT individuals, it did not approve painting anything pink. Even some gay people have criticized the project, saying, "You can't paint all the gays with the same pink brush."
Poland has elected its first transgender member of parliament, according to a press release from Transgender Europe ( TGEU ) . Anna Grodzka, president of TGEU member organization Trans-Fuzja, was a candidate of the Palikot Movement, a new progressive political party. Wiktor Dynarski, TGEU CEE working group coordinator, said that Grodzka's election "is an incredible step forward for Poland."
Tom Kenyon, the South Australian minister for recreation and sport, has apologized for insulting out lesbian Federal Minister Penny Wong, Advocate.com reported. Kenyon recently said that Wong should not be allowed to marry her pregnant partner because the baby is not biologically hers. Kenyon later said he meant no disrespect, adding, "I apologize if those comments offended them in any way."
In England, Christian Tory Councillor James Malliff has been suspended for comparing same-sex marriage to bestiality, according to Pink News. After Prime Minister David Cameron publicly backed marriage equality, Malliff tweeted, "There is no doubt the PM is wrong on this issue. We may as well legalise marriage with animals, crude I concede but no apology." Malliff, who was responding to a message from former Tory MP Paul Goodman, later deleted his own post and apologized.