Openly gay MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow after Bravo exec Andy Cohen stepped down—and made his thoughts known on Russia's anti-gay law, according to Mediaite.com . On the show's red carpet, Roberts said, "I know the law is very vague and still hard to interpret for many people, but it is discrimination and that's definitive." Donald Trump, a co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, added, "Perhaps we should have known and we didn't, and after we signed it became quite clear." Incidentally, Miss Venezuela Gabriela Isler won the event, beating out 85 other competitors from around the world, US Magazine noted.
Starting HIV patients on antiretrovirals ( ARV ) earlier may save South Africa money in the short term, but doctors caution such a move may risk patients, according to AllAfrica.com . In 2011, the nine-country HPTN 052 study found that starting HIV-positive people on ARVs earlier and at higher CD4 counts reduced their risks of transmitting the virus by about 96 percent. However, some physicians say that moving to earlier treatment might risk putting patients at an unnecessary increased risk of developing drug resistance and increased side effects as consequences of spending longer on treatment.
Thor: The Dark World's release in China has undergone some comic controversy after Shanghai's Bona Insun International Theater Complex displayed a poster of Thor and Loki in an embrace that was more homoerotic than brotherly, according to the Latin Times. The poster was a photoshopped image based on a poster of Thor ( Chris Hemsworth ) embracing Natalie Portman's character Dr. Jane Foster; a weibo ( Chinese social media ) user known only as bbqfish2012 created the image that was mistakenly used in the cinema.
In Russia, the northern region of Arkhangelsk has become the first to repeal its local ban on "homosexual propaganda" to minors following two years of enforcement—only because there's a national law, according to Pink News. The region, known as "Archangel," was originally the second after Ryazan to enforce a local anti-gay law banning "propaganda" in 2011. However, lawmakers in Arkhangelsk believe there is no longer a need for a local law, given the recent federal ban.
The National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender ( LGBT ) Bar Association will present Dan Fitz, group general counsel and company secretary of BT Group plc, with the Out & Proud Corporate Counsel Award Nov. 14 in London, according to a press release. Among other things, Fitz has spoken at a networking event hosted by Scottish Workplace Networking ( SWAN ) for LGBT People, and has taken part in a Diversity and Inclusion Week that CMS Cameron McKenna LLP launched.
Pride House International ( PHI ), on Oct. 29, launched its efforts to partner with national houses at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to create a network of venues "allowing for the promotion of the Olympic principle of sport for all," according to a statement. As such, PHI is calling on supporters to contact their National Olympic Committees asking them to host Pride House events. Russian authorities have rejected attempts to create a Pride House at Sochi.
Retired openly gay rugby player Gareth Thomas has joined current England international player James Haskell in claiming many professionals in the sport hide their homosexuality, according to a SportLobster press release. Thomas also confirmed that pre-production has now begun on the movie about his life and that Oscar-nominated Mickey Rourke, who owns the rights to the film, will definitely play his part. The majority of filming is set to take place in Wales ( where Thomas was born and where he played ), South Africa and France, with rugby scenes being filmed separately to ensure they look convincing.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, groups of skinheads attacked a same-sex couple as they left a gay bar, according to the Huffington Post UK. The couple suffered head injuries and managed to identify two of their attackers after local police detained some of the suspects. However, the victims declined to press charges, leading to the release of the attackers. Brazilian LGBT advocates say the incident, happening in what is considered a safe gay area in a city that holds the world's largest gay pride event, highlights the need for a nationwide legislation against hate crimes.
Lawmakers in Mexico's western state of Jalisco have approved a change in the state's constitution that legalizes same-sex civil unions, according to NECN.com . The law approved Thursday provides gay couples with numerous social benefits similar to those of married couples. Jalisco is a conservative and staunchly Roman Catholic state that is home to Mexico's second-largest city, Guadalajara.
In a landmark case, a Turkish man is suing his former employer after being fired for his sexual orientation, according to Queerty.com . Halil Ibrahim Dincdag, 36, was a soccer referee up until a few years ago. In 2009, he refused to perform a mandatory 15 months of military service, which is where his troubles began. After telling military officers he's gay, Dincbag eventually received an official medical report saying he had a "psychosexual disorder." According to the Turkish Football Federation, anyone who is barred from military service for health reasons cannot work as a referee.
Zambia's first lady, Dr. Christine Kaseba-Sata, called for an end to discrimination against sexual minorities, AllAfrica.com reported. Speaking at a UNAIDS-hosted reception, she said that the "silence around issues of men who have sex with men should be stopped and no one should be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation. Rather, we should address reproductive health issues around this issue." Kaseba-Sata's remarks came a few days after another renowned doctor and HIV activist, Manase Phiri, championed gay rights at Evelyn Hone College.
The European Court of Justice ruled that three gay men must be granted refugee status in the Netherlands, paving the way for other gay and lesbian people to seek asylum in nations within the European Union, according to Advocate.com . The case before the court involved three gay men—from Sierra Leone, Uganda and Senegal—who each sought refugee status in Holland, citing persecution in their homelands for being openly gay. The ruling could also have implications for LGBT people from other nations with laws criminalizing an LGBT identity who want to seek asylum in the EU, including Russia.
A man who shot an LGBT-rights activist in the face with a rubber-bullet gun has been spared prison after a Russian court handed him a one-year suspended sentence, Pink News reported. Gleb Likhotkin— a self-described orthodox activist and vice president of an anti-abortion group called "Warriors of Life"—carried out the shooting in St. Petersburg May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
In the Ukraine, the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation and the PinchukArtCentre will present a special exhibition project, "Where There's a Will, There's a Way," that opens Nov. 16, according to a press release. The project focuses on the theme of HIV/AIDS in contemporary art and is held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation. The exhibit will run through Jan. 5, 2014.
A British court heard that a private investigator hacked a married politician's phone to find out details of a gay affair, according to Gay Star News. Prosecutor Andrew Edis has told the jury how News of the World employee Glenn Mulcaire behaved in an attempt to expose former Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten. The politician—a candidate to lead the Liberal Democrat party in 2006, and who was married at the time—had to resign when the tabloid revealed he had hired a 23-year-old male prostitute between the summer of 2004 and February 2005. Several individuals, including former News International Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks, are on trial for allegedly conspiring to phone-hack between October 2000 and August 2006.
