London's Vauxhall district—which holds on to the commercial gay-club scene—is facing a new challenge, Irish Times reported. The problem is the increase in the number of men indulging in days-long orgies organized on social media, fueled by drugs, such as liquid ecstasy, or "G," in a practice known to doctors as "chemsex." For example, "slamming"—where drugs are injected during orgies—is increasingly common, leading to overdoses, panic attacks, convulsions and sexual assaults, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Pope Francis met with an LGBT activist in Paraguay, Gay Star News reported. It's said this was the first such meeting in history. He met with Simon Cazal, executive director of Somosgay ( "We are gay" ), a prominent LGBTI rights group in Paraguay. The longtime activist admitted to some doubts about whether this was simply a PR move from the papacy. He decided to go, saying to CNN, "We have to take this step because otherwise we are the ones who are closing the doors." Cazal joined 1,600 other civil organizations in a meeting with the pontiff in the capital, Asuncion.
A French senator became the first out gay Parliamentarian in his country to get married, PinkNews reported. Luc Carvounas married partner Stephane Exposito, the chief of staff to the secretary of state for Women's Rights Pascale Boistard, in Val-de-Marne on July 11. Among those attending the ceremony was Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who said it represented a "breath of liberty and tolerance."
In Russia, a gay couple cannot walk down the street in the nation's capital without being heckled and even facing physical abuse—according to a new social-experiment video by ChebuRussiaTV, The Guardian reported. ChebuRussianTV placed a hidden camera in the backpack of someone walking a few steps in front of two men holding hands as they walked through Moscow. The video shows the couple experiencing a range of unpleasant reactions from the Moscow public. Many stare, while others laugh and point; however, two other men ( on separate occasions ) deliberately barge into the couple.
In England, a DJ has been found dead in a Birmingham gay bar, PinkNews reported. Mykee Mackenzie, 34, was found dead in Missing Bar in the city's gay village, where he lived and worked. In a statement posted to Facebook, the club owners said, "We have received the devastating news that one of our family, Mykee Mackenzie passed away during the hours of last night. We are absolutely shocked at the news as I'm sure a lot of you will be, too."
Wan Qing—who was graduating from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China—took the opportunity to come out as a lesbian, draping herself in a rainbow flag, The Mirror reported. Pictures show 22-year-old Wan hugging the university president, with both of them holding up fists in solidarity with the LGBT community. Wan said on her Weibo account: "I'm a lesbian and I hope the legalisation of gay marriage will not be the end but a starting point for equal rights."
Despite calls in Kenya for President Obama to avoid the issue of LGBT rights, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Obama has no intention of backing away from talking about the issue during an upcoming trip to the country, The Washington Blade reported. Earnest said he "had not been made aware" of Deputy Kenyan President William Ruto's call for LGBT activists to leave the country and the National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi issuing a gag order on Obama discussing gay rights while in the country. Homosexual acts are illegal in Kenya; they can be punished with 14 years in prison and, in some cases with aggravating circumstances, 21 years.
Dunedin city officials have backed adding an intersex option to the next New Zealand census, which only currently offers "male" and "female" choices, PinkNews reported. Councillor Aaron Hawkins made the suggestion after Statistics New Zealand called for local governments to make suggestions for new additions to the upcoming 2018 census. The majority of his colleagues supported his proposal.
Stockholm has been chosen by Sweden's national broadcaster, SVT, and the European Broadcasting Union as the host city for Eurovision 2016, according to PinkNews. The Tele 2 Arena, Ericsson Globe, Hovet and Annexet will all be used to host elements of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016, after Mans Zelmerlow won the competition in May. Speaking of Zelmerlow, he has thanked his gay fans for accepting his apology after he made reportedly homophobic comments; in 2014, he claimed gay sex is unnatural while he appeared on a celebrity cooking show.
Indonesia has dismissed the suggestion that relations with Australia would suffer if the Oceanian country legalized gay marriage, Gay Star News noted. Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce said Asian countries would see Australia as "decadent" and would hurt cattle exports—but foreign ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said that Joyce's contention is not true. Nasir said Indonesia's strict marriage laws, however, would remain the same; the country bans same-sex and interfaith marriages.
However, in Australia, The Archbishop of Sydney has told Catholics not to be "bullied" into supporting equal marriage, Gay Star News noted. Archbishop Anthony Fisher said the faithful are often labelled as "bigoted" over their same-sex marriage stance, with political and cultural forces trying to "bully us all" into redefining marriage. He said they should love and respect all, without accepting same-sex marriage.
As the demand for same-sex marriage to be legalized in Australia gains momentum, Alex Blackwell, the national cricket team's vice-captain, has revealed she will marry her partner Lynsey Askew—an English cricketer— in England after the upcoming women's Ashes series, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. She and Askew, who have been in a relationship for seven years, will marry in front of their families and friends on September 3, three days after the last game of the Ashes series.
Four youths were arrested in India for robbing and killing a gay man, Gay Star News reported. The gang robbed four others in the same way: by luring men at a bus station toilet to a nearby lake, where they were beaten and robbed. Most of the victims never filed a complaint. The accused have been remanded in judicial custody.
A popular Italian sports magazine generated social-media buzz from readers after featuring a gay rugby couple on its most recent cover, according to PinkNews. The July 11 edition of SportWeek features Giacomo and Stefano—a gay couple who also play together on gay-friendly amateur Rome squad Libera Rugby. The cover features the headline, "Who's afraid of a kiss?" Although some fans posted items like "That's absolutely disgusting," others voiced their support.
Sir Bernard Ingham, a former press secretary for the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has lashed out at "petty" proposals to replace a Spanish plaza dedicated to her with a memorial to a gay-rights activist, PinkNews reported. Madrid unveiled Margaret Thatcher Plaza just last year; however, following the recent death of Spanish gay-rights activist Pedro Zerolo, there are thought to be proposals to, instead, dedicate a monument on the site to him. Ingham has said, "It is the latest in a long list of petty acts by socialist mayors."
A new social network that bans swearing, erotica and gay material has been launched in Brazil, attracting more than 100,000 members in the month since its launch, International Business Times UK noted. Facegloria, which is currently only available in Portuguese, aims itself at the 42 million evangelical Christians in Brazil. Members of Facegloria are forbidden from using any word on a 600-strong list containing profanities, while an "Amen" button acts in the same way as the "Like" button on Facebook.
