Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will not demote pro-gay Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, despite calls from Abbott's own party to do so, Gay Star News noted. Liberal Party Senator Cory Bernardi said Turnbull—who backs marriage equality—should not be allowed to get away with stating a view contrary to the party's platform. However, Abbott told The Guardian there were several views on the issue within the Liberal Party and that it was not inappropriate for members of cabinet to express theirs.
President Barack Obama and wife Michelle will not attend the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, the White House indicated Dec. 17 in announcing the official U.S. presidential delegation to the Games, according to Gay City News. Vice President Joe Biden will not attend, either. Former Cabinet secretary Janet Napolitano will lead the delegation for the opening ceremonies, which will include out lesbian tennis star Billie Jean King. Openly lesbian ice hockey medalist Caitlin Cahow will be a part of the closing-ceremony delegation. Former Olympians Bonnie Blair, Eric Heiden and figure skater Brian Boitano will also join the delegations.
Straight male celebs have kissed each other in order to fight anti-gay sentiment in Russia, Germany and around the world, Gay Star News reported. In the brand new German campaign, titled #Mundpropaganda ( a pun on "word of mouth" and "kissing propaganda" ), the hunks aim to stamp out intolerance and discrimination. Lifestyle monthly GQ Deutschland launched the Gentlemen Against Homophobia campaign.
Australia's High Court has overturned legislation allowing same-sex marriage in the Australian Capital Territory ( ACT ), the BBC reported. The ACT parliament passed a bill in October making the territory the first part of Australia to legalize same-sex weddings. But the national government challenged the decision, saying it was inconsistent with federal laws; now, almost 30 couples who married since the law came into effect will have their unions declared invalid.
The company Mother London is sending a set of five Russian nesting dolls painted as gay British icons—Elton John, Stephen Fry, George Michael, Graham Norton and diver Tom Daley—to the Kremlin and the Russian embassy in London in lieu of a Christmas card this year, according to Ad Age. The agency created the seven limited-edition, hand-painted sets of Russian nesting dolls featuring artist renderings of the five gay Brits as a gesture of solidarity with the gay community in Russia, which passed a law banning gay "propaganda" this year. More of the dolls will be auctioned online to raise money for pro-LGBT charity The Kaleidoscope Trust and its work with the Russian gay community; bidding is at www.torussiawithlove.co.uk.
Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin has caused outrage by saying he wants to "burn gay people alive," according to Gay Star News. Okhlobystin, who stars in the Russian version of the U.S. medical sitcom Scrubs, has said he would have all of the LGBTI community in the country killed if it was up to him. Speaking with fans in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, the father of six—whose show, Interns, was rated as Russia's most popular TV show in 2012—went on an extended rant about "gay fascism."
Ana Lopez has sued the United States and Immigration and Customer Enforcement ( ICE ) "Officer Garcia" for the death of her gay son, Nelson Javier Avila-Lopez, claiming the United States illegally deported him to months of torture and death in a Honduran prison, according to LGBTQ Nation. Lopez claims her son had a stay of deportation, through counsel, but ICE deported him anyway to Honduras, where he was "thrown, without formal charges, into the notorious Comayagua prison … where he suffered unspeakable torture for nearly four months alongside the sadistic criminals that he sought to escape."
In Ireland, a study shows that almost 80 percent of transgender people here have considered suicide and 44 percent of these have attempted suicide at least once, the Irish Times reported. The study, Speaking From The Margins, is the first on mental health in the Irish 'trans' community and was conducted by Transgender Equality Network Ireland. It is based on a survey of 164 participants carried out with the support of the HSE and Denis O'Brien's social charity, the Iris O'Brien Foundation.
In response to the development, LGBT-rights activists staged a "Global Day of Rage" Dec. 15. On Facebook, activists urged people to send words, images and videos. Events were planned in Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Pune as well as other global sites ranging from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Sydney, Australia.
The Dean Blundell Show, the shock-jock morning mainstay for Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge CFNY-FM, is off the air after the program aired anti-gay remarks, The Huffington Post reported. The Sept. 30 broadcast of the show contained anti-gay and biased comments that could have jeopardized the fairness of Joshua Dowholis' trial that concerned four men Dowholis—who is HIV-positive—sexually assaulted after meeting at a Toronto bathhouse in 2011. "If anyone wants to get into the backdoor business, I can give you some tips," said program producer Derek Welsman—who was also the jury foreman in the trial. "All I know is that you have damned a man to five of the greatest years of his life," Blundell said Sept. 30.
Openly gay Vancouver councillor Tim Stevenson will represent the city at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, CBC.ca reported. The decision to send Stevenson instead of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson came after much debate about how the city would respond to Russia's anti-gay law, and whether the city should boycott the Games this coming February. Activists in Russia applaud Vancouver's proposed move, saying that having an openly gay delegate will draw attention to their cause.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela was laid to rest in Qunu, South Africa, on Dec. 15. CNN reported that a military escort accompanied Mandela's coffin to the burial site and took off the national flag that draped his casket. The funeral and burial were the culmination of 10 days of national mourning for him. Mandela's widow, Graca Machel; his ex-wife, Winnie Mandela; and luminaries such as Oprah Winfrey, Prince Charles and mogul Richard Branson attended the event. Mandela died Dec. 5 after a period of declining health.
A Mexican lesbian couple that was denied a marriage license in March was the first same-sex couple to marry in the state of Jalisco, Advocate.com noted. Zaira de la O and Martha Sandoval sought legal recognition of their relationship through the courts after being denied a marriage license. Jalisco's government approved civil unions for same-sex couples Oct. 30, but the couple was granted a civil marriage through a court injunction.
A coalition of celebrities launch Uprising of Love, a social movement dedicated to supporting the Russia Freedom Fund, which works for long-term, systemic change in the status and treatment of Russia's LGBT community, according to a press release. More than 50 celebrities are part of the coalition, including Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, James Franco, Edward Norton, Jim Parsons, Julianne Moore, Chris Colfer, Zachary Quinto and more. At a private fundraiser for the Russia Freedom Fund, Uprising of Love co-founder Melissa Etheridge previewed her new song, "Uprising of Love," which honors and supports Russia's LGBT community.
In Moscow, a group of approximately 100 people attacked the city's largest gay nightclub, Central Station, dismantling its roof as well as stealing or damaging some equipment, Advocate.com noted. The group took over the attic of the club, which had been the site of at least two attacks in November—one involving gunfire, the other including the release of a harmful gas. The actions may be related to a dispute between the club management and the owners of the building it occupies.
A male prostitute was jailed for more than 18 years for killing a British gay man and leaving his body to rot, according to Gay Star News. Ricardo Pisano, 36, killed 62-year-old Michael Polding in Brighton last year; he was convicted of manslaughter and causing actual bodily harm. Pisano was arrested in May after a global manhunt for him.
