A new survey showed that nearly one in 10 adults across 30 countries identify as LGBTQ, according to NBC News. Age and geographic location played primary roles in the findings, with younger respondents and those in more progressive countries more likely to identify as LGBTQ. Market-research company Ipsos surveyed 22,514 participants in 30 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia in February and March, and found that 3% identified as lesbian or gay, 4% as bisexual, 0.9% as pansexual or omnisexual, and 0.9% as asexual.
Turkey's LGBTQ+ community fears being exposed to more hate after conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected, according to France24. The Islamic-rooted leader constantly railed against LGBTQ+ people while campaigning, accusing them of threatening traditional family values and calling them "perverse." After extending his two-decade rule until 2028 in a recent historic runoff election, Erdogan used the opportunity to target them again when he greeted supporters in Istanbul.
An increasing number of LGBTQ+ Russians are leaving their homeland and settling in Argentina to escape discrimination and the war with Ukraine, according to El Pais. Over the past decade, living openly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Russia has grown increasingly difficult. In December 2022, Russia President Vladimir Putin signed a law that expanded restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ+ rights in the country, building on another statute.
Police removed a trans-rights protester who glued themself to the floor during a talk by gender-critical feminist Professor Kathleen Stock, per The Independent. Stock had only been talking for around five minutes before three protesters jumped out of the audience chanting "No more dead trans kids." She began talking again after the near-30-minute interruption during the event, which the Oxford Union, the University of Oxford's 200-year-old debating society, hosted. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak supported Stock's appearance, saying people should "understand those we disagree with," PinkNews reported.
In Kenya, the push for intersex people to enjoy equal rights has resulted in significant gains since a landmark law took effect last July, The Washington Blade reported. Intersex people arrested for illegal acts can now be presented in court as intersex since prosecutors have adopted the special 'I' sex marker for the group in charging documents. Also, intersex awareness in schools is part of the curriculum at the junior secondary level, where they are educated on the reproductive system.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is considering using current visa-restriction tools against Ugandan officials and other individuals over the African country's Anti-homosexuality Act, per The Citizen. Blinken said Washington "is deeply troubled by Uganda's passage of the law that undermines the human rights, prosperity and welfare of all Ugandans." While same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, the new law imposes capital punishment for some behaviors, including "aggravated homosexuality," and 20 years in prison for "promoting" homosexuality, per AlJazeera. Museveni had previously urged lawmakers to delete the provision on "aggravated homosexuality."
African pro-LGBTQ+ activist organizations have also criticized the signing of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act, The Washington Blade noted. Bruce Walker, of the South African group Pretoria Pride, said he was not surprised by the government's stance. And Mpho Buntse—a spokesperson for Access Chapter 2, another South African LGBTQI advocacy organization—said it was very worrisome the South African government did not condemn the law, even though the country is the only one on the continent that fully upholds rights for LGBTQI people. East Africa Trans Health and Advocacy Network; Gays And Lesbians of Zimbabwe; and Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana also slammed the law.
In Britain (similar to the United States), businesses with Pride items are facing backlash from the right wing. According to PinkNews, conservatives have targeted Lego's LGBTQ+ A-Z of Awesome campaign for Pride after British internet troll Oli London—known for his multiple plastic-surgery procedures intended to make him look like BTS member Jimin—tweeted, "Lego turns trans," PinkNews reported. Lego's A-Z of Awesome, launched for Pride Month last year, is a community-centered social media project aiming to highlight LGBTQ+ voices. London's post has garnered more than 900 retweets, with many joining him in calling for the brand to be boycotted.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), in partnership with Instituto Mais Diversidade and the Forum de Empresas e Direitos LGBTI+, released its second annual "HRC Equidade BR: Global Workplace Equality Program" report, a press release noted. This year, 57 organizations earned the maximum score in Equidade BR and were recognized with the 2023 HRC Foundation designation of "Best Places to Work for LGBTQIA+ People." Nine companies achieved top scores in four HRC Workplace Equality Programs: CEI, Equidad MX, Equidad CL and Equidade BR—BASF, Bayer, Boston Consulting Group, Cummins, Ernst & Young, General Electric, JP Morgan, SAP and Uber.
Latvia Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics was elected as the country's new president—and became the first openly gay person to hold the office, France24 reported. Latvia's top diplomat since 2011, Rinkevics (who came out as gay in 2014) will be the head of state of the EU and NATO member for the next four years after incumbent Egils Levits decided not to run for a second term. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Rinkevics, calling him "a true friend of Ukraine."
Swatch CEO Nick Hayek disagreed with Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's remarks about the company's rainbow-colored watches that were recently seized. "We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colors and having a message of peace and love could be harmful for whomever," Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek Jr. said in a statement, according to NBC News. Malaysia, which has a Muslim majority, criminalizes same-sex relationships, with punishments ranging from caning under Islamic laws to 20 years in prison for sodomy under colonial-era civil laws.
In Israel, a trans teenager was wrestled to the ground and dragged from the launch of an anti-trans book, with people shouting at them that they are "diseased," per PinkNews. On May 28, hundreds of LGBTQ+ demonstrators gathered outside the Sela Meir publishing office in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan to protest the publishing of the Hebrew translation of Abigail Shrier's Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. The book was initially published in 2020, and discusses the idea that gender dysphoria is influenced by a youngster's peers and social contagion—an idea no major medical institution supports. Inside the venue, 17-year-old Ayelet approached Shrier and made pro-trans statements before being tackled and dragged from the spot.
In a wide-open discussion at Cannes, Jane Fonda stated uncensored opinions on Robert Redford, director Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Douglas and Katharine Hepburn, among other people/topics, according to Deadline. For example, the two-time Oscar winner said she "was in love with" Redford, adding, "He did not like to kiss. I never said anything [to him about it]. And he's always in a bad mood, and I always thought it was my fault. He's a very good person; he just has an issue with women." Fonda also said Lily Tomlin as her favorite co-star.
A year after collecting his second Palme d'Or for Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Ostlund bestowed the same honor to Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall, a legal drama that purports to investigate the guilt or innocence of a popular novelist (Sandra Huller) accused of murdering her husband, Variety noted. Triet—who received the award from Jane Fonda—is only the third woman to win the Palme d'Or (after Jane Campion for The Piano and Titane director Julia Ducournau, who joined Ostlund on the jury this year). Sakamoto Yuji won the screenplay prize for Kore-eda Hirokazu's Monster, which also received the Queer Palm. Monster (which Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American rights to) stars Sakura Ando as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing changes in her son's behavior.
The third edition of Southern Sweden Design Days—Malmo's international design festival—took place May 25-28, per a press release. With a packed program at more than 60 different locations in Malmo, the city was filled with exhibitions, seminars, workshops and festivities. Form/Design Center organized the event.
Cher's classic album It's A Man's World is being reimagined as a special deluxe limited-edition vinyl box set that features a remastered version of the original 14-track UK album on two LPs, as well as a newly compiled double LP containing 11 rare remixes, per a press release. The 4 LPs in the limited-edition box are each pressed on a different colored vinyl (red, blue, green and yellow). The box includes an exclusive, numbered lithograph of an iconic photograph of Cher. First released in 1995, It's a Man's World featured the singles "Walking In Memphis," "One By One," "Not Enough Love In the World," "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" and "Paradise Is Here."
Amazon Music unveiled the first batch of performances to be livestreamed from Primavera Sound Barcelona, a festival that will be held at Parc del Forum on June 1-3—and the artists to be featured include Depeche Mode, Turnstile and Maneskin, PollStar noted. Other artists include The War on Drugs, My Morning Jacket, Blur, St. Vincent, New Order and many more. Primavera Sound is one the biggest music events in Spain, with multi-day events in Barcelona, Madrid and Porto. (Fans can access the livestream, sponsored by Google Pixel, for free on Prime Video and Amazon Music Channels on Twitch.) The headliners for the festival in Barcelona include Pet Shop Boys, Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Rosalía, Calvin Harris, Blur and Halsey. Most of the top acts from that event will also perform in Madrid at Arganda Del Rey and Porto's Parque Da Cidade the following week, June 8-10.
The Little Mermaid was criticized by media-diversity advocate Marcus Ryder for failing to acknowledge the horrors of slavery in the Caribbean, per Deadline. Ryder, an influential British campaigner who also chairs the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, lauded the casting of Halle Bailey but took issue with the film's glossy depiction of racial harmony. "I do not think we do our children any favors by pretending that slavery didn't exist," he wrote in a blog titled "Disney's The Little Mermaid, Caribbean Slavery, and Telling the Truth to Children."
Air New Zealand is asking passengers to step on a scale before they board some flights out of Auckland International Airport, per CBS News. The carrier said it's implementing the new boarding procedure in order to better balance weight across an aircraft on international flights. Neither passengers themselves nor airline personnel can see a traveler's weight; instead, the number is sent directly into a computer and recorded anonymously.
