The top court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed a challenge to colonial-era anti-gay laws, Reuters reported. Javin Johnson and Sean Macleish—two gay men who had pushed to decriminalize same-sex relations—had brought the challenge, saying they were forced to leave the socially conservative country because of their sexual orientation. The Caribbean country is still among a handful that still recommends harsh criminal penalties for same-sex relations. Local laws call for up to 10 years incarceration for anyone who has same-sex relations, under a 1988 criminal code that upheld laws from the colonial era.
In the wake of the death of Russian prisoner/Putin critic Alexei Navalny, Pussy Riot held a protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Berlin, per a press release. The collective brought banners reading "MURDERERS" in Russian and English. They clashed with German police, who forced them to remove their masks, threatening them with arrest if they did not comply. The action was led by Pussy Riot creator Nadya Tolokonnikova, who was joined by local activists as well as Pussy Riot member Lucy Shtein, Navalny team member Lyubov Sobol and Russian journalist Marina Ovsyannikova. Many who took part in the action were in town for the World Forum/Cinema for Peace, which held panels on Alexei Navalny, the future of Russia and the role of dissidents.
Russian police raided a party they accused of spreading LGBTQ+ propaganda and beat its attendees in the snow as part of a crackdown sweeping the country, per a Yahoo! News item. The Typography club in the city of Tula, 100 miles south of Moscow, was holding a night it described as promoting "love, openness and sexuality." In a video posted by Russian media, a man wearing a mask and plain clothes kicks and punches a partygoer lying in the snow outside the club. "The security forces forced the party participants to lie on the floor. Those present were photographed, beaten, and threatened with being forced into the war in Ukraine," stated Russian rights group OVD-Info.
The Canadian Security and Intelligence Service is warning that anti-gender and -LGBTQ+ activists pose a risk of "extreme violence" against the LGBTQ+ community in Canada, following a year of organized protests, anti-transgender rhetoric and an attack on a gender studies university class, per The Washington Blade. In a report obtained by the public broadcaster CBC, the CSIS Integrated Terrorism Assessment Center (ITAC) said it is monitoring the potential for a violent attack on Pride festivals and nightclubs across the country. The ITAC is charged with forecasting the possibility of terrorism in Canada, based on analysis of actor intent, capability and opportunity.
A lesbian bar that only allows entry for cisgender women and excludes trans women is set to open in London later this year, PinkNews noted. The bar, named L Community, is set to open as a private members club so it can "legally restrict" access to cisgender women only, The Telegraph reported. Watson told The Telegraph that events she puts on that exclude trans women are often cancelled or refused by venues, and that her new "members club" could legally exclude trans women.
Two couples in South Korea were blessed last month in what is considered to be the country's first public instance of such blessings, New Ways Ministry noted, citing the media outlet Hankyoreh. Quoting the outlet, the article stated, "Arcus, an organization of LGBTQ+ Catholics and their allies in Korea, revealed … that Rev. Lee Seung-bok Raphael of the Claretian Missionaries blessed the organization's co-founder Chris and her partner Ari, as well as another same-sex couple, identified as Yoo-yeon and Yoon-hae, on Jan. 20."
The BBC was criticized for asking out actor Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) inappropriate questions at the BAFTA Awards in London, Out noted. The clip circulating the Internet had the BBC's Colin Paterson asking Scott if he knows fellow actor Barry Keoghan, who was nominated for best supporting actor for his role in Saltburn. When Scott admitted he knows Keoghan, Paterson asks him what his reaction was to seeing Keoghan naked in the dance scene at the end of the movie—and followed that by discussing the rumors of prosthetics used for Keoghan, which led him to ask "how well" Scott actually knew him. Scott waved off the question and walked away from Paterson. One person said on X/Twitter, "This was so disgusting and disrespectful. I was really disappointed when I realized it was BBC."
In the UK, a bisexual veteran who was ousted from the navy for his sexuality says he fears he will die before he gets compensation from the government, the BBC reported. Joe Ousalice was one of thousands who were affected by a ban on LGBTQ+ people serving in the British military. Last year, tPrime Minister Rishi Sunak said the ban, which lasted until 2000, was an "appalling failure" and that those affected have been promised compensation. Ousalice, 73, said he now has cancer and has yet to receive any money. In addition, Ousalice, who lives in Southampton, said his home was repossessed, his debts have mounted and, on several occasions, he stole food to survive.
A new biography says that UK Labour leader Keir Starmer was beaten up as a teenager while trying to defend a gay friend, according to PinkNews. In 1980, Starmer's friend Graham, who "didn't do much to conceal that he was gay," was attacked by local youths who "decided the way to prove they weren't gay too was by punching and kicking him." Starmer and another friend, Mark, "got involved, so all three of us ended up getting beaten up," Starmer recalls in the book.
Greek politicians are upset over a new Netflix series that depicts Alexander the Great's relationship with a man, referring to the long-verified information as "historical inaccuracies," The Advocate noted. After Alexander was shown sharing a kiss with one of his generals, Hephaestion, in the first episode of Alexander: The Making of a God, right-wing members of the Greek parliament opposed it. Dimitris Natsiou, leader of the far-right Christian Orthodox party Niki, said while addressing the chamber that the show is "deplorable, unacceptable, and unhistorical." While Alexander was married three times and fathered at least one child, there is a lot of evidence that suggests his love for Hephaestion.
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon made a hasty exit from Auckland's Big Gay Out as protesters forced him to flee the festival, per Yahoo! News. Luxon left on the advice of his security team when a bunch of vocal attendees trailed the prime minister during a walkaround. The group heckled Luxon on his government's pledges to review hot-button issues that affect LGBTQ+ people, but also called for him to support an unconditional ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. The right-leaning government has been criticized for its plans to remove and replace New Zealand's school-based relationship and sexuality education, and to review public sport funding based on schools' gender policies.
At the recent BAFTAs, Prince William made a pretty major blunder when talking about the harrowing new film How to Have Sex, per PinkNews. Talking with actress Mia McKenna-Bruce—who plays a virgin named Talia who is raped by a fellow tourist—the prince said, "I haven't yet watched your film. I think it looked like you had a lot of fun all the way through." However, it was queer actress Ayo Edebiri's reaction that went viral, thanks to her shocked expression that may have been timed to coincide with William's mistake.
Trans actress Hunter Schafer recently talked with Variety about her film Cuckoo, which recently debuted at the Berlin Film Festival. "Any and all acting experience I had, I attributed to being on the set of 'Euphoria' and being around those people who I had gotten really comfortable with — particularly [creator] Sam Levinson, who was sort of my acting teacher," Schafer said. "And this is like, 'OK, the training wheels are off, babe, and you gotta bring it.' That was so scary." The movie has Schafer face off against a mysterious bird-like monster that seeks to impregnate women with her evil spawn.
Australian Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor/producer Toni Collette (Knives Out) was announced as a Master at the 10th edition of the Doha Film Institute's Qumra talent incubator, running March 1-6, Deadline noted. She joins Leos Carax, Claire Denis, Atom Egoyan, Martín Hernandez and Jim Sheridan, who were previously announced as masters for the 2024 edition of the meeting dedicated to supporting new voices from Arab and world cinema. Gael Garcia Bernal and Tilda Swinton are among those who have participated in Qumra since its 2014 launch.
Robin Windsor, a popular former professional on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, has died at age 44, Deadline noted. Over the years, the LGBTQ+ entertainer had been in relationships with X Factor runner-up Marcus Collins and Davide Cini, other sources confirmed. After competing on the show during 2010-13, he eventually made a special return for what would become the show's first ever same-sex dance, which he performed alongside Aljaz Skorjanec in 2014, per The Independent.
