In Canada, LGBTQ+ groups in northwestern Ontario are calling for an urgent meeting with Conservative MP Eric Melillo over what they're calling transphobic policy resolutions passed by the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), CBC reported. Rainbow Alliance Dryden Chair Caitlin Hartlen said they're concerned about two key policy resolutions passed during the CPC's national convention. They involve banning ban children experiencing gender dysphoria from receiving gender-related "life-altering medicinal or surgical interventions"; and making single-gender spaces open only to women, defined as "female persons," which would prevent transgender people and other gender-diverse people from using them. The groups say that Melillo has been unresponsive to their attempts to connect with him.
Canadian Premier Scott Moe said he will use a constitutional clause to move forward on a pronoun policy requiring young students to obtain parental consent to change names or pronouns, the BBC noted. A Saskatchewan judge had ruled to pause the parental consent policy. Moe said the government was "extremely dismayed" by the court blocking the "Parental Inclusion and Consent Policy." Moe added that he would recall the legislative assembly on Oct. 10 to use the notwithstanding clause—which allows provincial legislatures and parliament to override certain parts of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms for five years through the passage of a law.
The World Health Organization said China is leading a global surge in mpox cases, accounting for the majority of new cases reported in September, The Guardian reported. The majority of mpox cases since 2022 have been in men who have sex with men, and 92.5% of cases in August 2023 were among that demographic. But in recent years the pressure on LGBTQ+ activists in China has increased, limiting their ability to advocate and increasing the social stigmatization of LGBTQ+ people.
Out Magazine profiled Stefanos Kasselakis, an entrepreneur and politician from Marousi, Greece. Kasselakis recently made headlines by being elected the president of Syriza, a left-wing political party in Greece—and could be in line to be the country's prime minister down the road. Kasselakis, 35, has been in a relationship with Tyler McBeth, who is American, since 2019. In 2008, Kasselakis was a volunteer for Joe Biden as a presidential candidate in the Democratic Party primary elections.
A study revealed that, in Scotland, older LGBTQ+ people are concerned about having to hide their sexuality when they start receiving care, the BBC noted. The report by the LGBT Health and Wellbeing charity calls for care homes and assisted living facilities specifically for LGBTQ+ people. There is currently no LGBTQ+-specific care facility in Scotland.
Former Foreign Minister and EU Climate Chief nominee Wopke Hoekstra is facing criticism after it was revealed that the foreign ministry silenced any criticism of Qatar before and during the FIFA World Cup in the country last year, according to Euractiv, citing Trouw. Hoekstra's veto on mentioning the dangers of visiting Qatar for LGBTQ+ individuals in a letter about the human-rights situation in the country—mainly due to fears of severing business ties—irritated the Education Ministry, as did Hoekstra refraining from asking Qatar not to prosecute Dutch LGBTQ+ individuals during the World Cup.
In Australia, a Sydney home was graffitied with anti-semitic and homophobic symbols on the eve of the holiest day for the Jewish community, The Star Observer reported. The Kensington home was spray-painted with Nazi swastikas, the word "gay," the Star of David, and the Chinese symbol for "sky" or "day"; a message in German was on the garage door, and translated to "after the rain comes the sun." Located in Sydney's eastern suburbs, Kensington has a large Jewish community. The attack happened on the eve of Yom Kippur—one of the biggest days in the Jewish calendar.
A popular Iraqi TikTok personality was shot dead as the government cracks down on those who are (or who are perceived) as LGBTQ+, The Advocate reported. Known on social media as "Noor BM," Noor Alsaffar, 23, had more than 370,000 followers collectively on Instagram and TikTok. Before the shooting, Alsaffar faced online harassment as well as questions about sexuality and gender. In a 2020 interview on Iraq's Al Walaa channel, Alsaffar said: "I'm not transgender and I'm not gay. I don't have other tendencies, I'm only a cross-dresser and a model." The Iraqi security source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told CNN that "an investigation has been opened."
For about 15 minutes during a French soccer match between bitter rivals Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Marseille, groups of fans chanted lines such as "Marseille are fa—-ts" and "we will hang them by the balls, but sadly they don't have any," France24 reported. "It is impossible to be deaf to such hateful and homophobic chants in our stands," said Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera on X, formerly Twitter. "I have made sure that a firm response will follow," the minister said, adding she had urged PSG to bring legal action against the chanting fans with a plan of excluding them from future matches.
Lesbian tennis legend Martina Navratilova told Harry Potter star and trans ally Daniel Radcliffe to "be quiet" on trans+ issues after an old statement from the actor, in which he defended trans women, resurfaced online, PinkNews noted. Radcliffe doubled down on his comments two years after his initial 2020 statement, telling Indiewire he had "met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter." In 2019, Navratilova claimed that trans women competing in women's sport was a form of "cheating," prompting soccer star Megan Rapinoe to respond that it is "frustrating when women's sport is weaponized" by anti-trans views.
Slovakia's leftist former Prime Minister Robert Fico beat his progressive rival in a parliamentary election after campaigning to end military aid to Ukraine; however, he will need to win over allies to form the next government, Reuters reported. Fico's party (SMER-SSD, or Smer) is more nationalist and socially conservative, criticizing social liberalism. Progressive Slovakia is liberal on green policies, LGBTQ+ rights, deeper European integration and human rights. Fico's campaign has raised alarm across the continent that he will shift Slovakia to the anti-Ukraine camp alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries and his British partner, Matthew Smith, face allegations of exploitation from men recruited for sex events they hosted around the world, the BBC reported. A BBC investigation discovered a highly organized network that used a middleman to find young men for the events with Jeffries and Smith; however, the couple's middleman (James Jacobson) denied any wrongdoing and said men went into these events "with their eyes wide open." Two former U.S. prosecutors who independently reviewed documents and testimony uncovered by the BBC want there to be an investigation to determine whether charges for sex trafficking could be brought.
In gymnastics, Simone Biles and her colleagues on Team USA won the world championships in Antwerp, Belgium as the U.S. women earned a record seventh consecutive team title, according to ESPN. It was in Antwerp where Biles—who earned her 33rd major championship medal, making her the most decorated female gymnast ever—came to international prominence a decade ago by winning her first world title in 2013.
When the new cast of queens for RuPaul's Drag Race UK was revealed in September, fans were surprised to see just 10 queens in the lineup as opposed to the usual 12—but it turns out an 11th contestant was edited out, Decider noted. During the premiere episode, the most viewers see of this mysterious 11th queen happens during the judging. So far, there's been no confirmation of that queen's identity, nor has the reason for the editing been publicized.
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama—a prestigious UK drama school that Anthony Hopkins once attended—apologized to two former students after they successfully sued over its handling of their sexual-misconduct complaints, Deadline reported. In a landmark judgment handed on Oct. 5, the Central London County Court ruled that Royal Welsh failed to uphold its duty of care to Sydney Feder and Alyse McCamish after they informed the school that the same male student sexually assaulted them.
Controversial gay two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey was rushed to a hospital in Uzbekistan after experiencing numbness in one of his arms and fearing a heart attack, per Page Six, citing The Sun. Spacey underwent an MRI scan after the health scare, which occurred during the 15th Tashkent International Film Festival, but doctors said he was okay. "It made me really take a moment and think about how fragile life is—for all of us," Spacey told the audience. Earlier during the festival, the House of Cards star had announced his "comeback" after being cleared on sexual-assault charges and promised attendees his "best roles were ahead" of him.
Sometime British actor/conservative activist Laurence Fox was fired by GB News after sparking controversy after asking what "self-respecting man" would "climb into bed" with journalist Ava Evans, the BBC noted. Fellow host Calvin Robinson, who was suspended after voicing support for Fox, was also let go. In a video, Fox apologized for the language he used and predicted his firing, which he said would open GB News up to "complete destruction." Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Police investigated a video by Fox (best known for portraying Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in the series Lewis) that showed him burning an LGBTQ+ Pride flag on Father's Day, PinkNews noted.
