The Human Rights Campaign urged Bermuda Gov. John Rankin to veto legislation passed by the Bermuda Parliament repealing marriage equality, per a press release. If the measure becomes law, the British overseas territory will become the first territory in the world to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry. The Bermuda Tourism Authority has warned of severe consequences if the measure becomes law.
An openly gay man has never competed for the U.S. in a Winter Games, and it's been 14 years since one did in a Summer Games—but three are competing to be in the 2018 Winter Olympics, NBC News noted. John Fennell is one of three publicly out male athletes competing to qualify for the Pyeongchang Games. He is joined by figure skater Adam Rippon and freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, who came out publicly after winning the silver medal in Sochi in 2014. Since 2004, gay men from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and Tonga have competed.
Venice-based Polite Society announced that their limited-edition "The Future is Female" card series has become a best seller on Amazon.com, per a press release. The series is a response to the current travel ban targeting primarily Muslim countries. The colorful cards feature women from Chad, Libya, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Yemen and Venezuela, in traditional dress.
Former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera defeated his center-left challenger, Alejandro Guillier, in the second round of Chile's presidential election, The Washington Blade reported. Pinera ( who was president 2010-14 ) is the first Chilean president to meet with LGBT-rights advocates. His government also introduced the country's civil unions bill that took effect in 2015.
U.S. boxer Floyd Mayweather apparently has bonded with anti-LGBT Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, TMZ.com noted. Mayweather met up with Kadyrov during a recent trip to Chechnya—buddying with Kadyrov and urging his fans to follow Ramzan on Instagram. But the problem is that Kadyrov has a very controversial past that's littered with accusations of human-rights violations from kidnapping to torture and murder. Kadyrov has said he doesn't want gay people in his country and has said on the record he'd ship them all to Canada if he could.
Two Irishmen have declared their intention to get married in spite of the fact that neither of them is gay, BBC.com reported. Elderly Dubliner Matt ( no last name given ) and neighbor/carer Michael O'Sullivan have planned a pre-Christmas wedding. Having been close friends for 29 years, theirs is a marriage of convenience but one with love at its heart. With Matt in his twilight years, he wants Michael to have his house after his death and they plan to marry so he can avoid a tax on the inheritance.
A new magazine and website focused on the Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, LGBT community and its visitors has launched, Press Pass Q noted. Out & About Puerto Vallarta ( O&APV ) will publish its first issue in January 2018. The website, www.outandaboutpv.com, is live now. With a monthly distribution of 5,000 copies, the upscale glossy magazine will feature lifestyle and travel articles focused on the growing LGBT population in Puerto Vallarta, as well as the millions of tourists that visit annually.
Uganda's only gay and lesbian film festival was forced to shut down after police stormed the venue and film-goers fled, fearing arrest, Reuters reported. On the second day of the Queer Kampala International Film Festival, three policemen—including one armed with an AK-47 rifle—burst into the festival venue in the capital of Kampala. Homosexuality is illegal in the socially conservative East African country, and violence against LGBT people is common.
Shortly after expressing support for same-sex marriage for the first time, the president of the Philippines has said he thought he might have been trans or bisexual in his adolescence, PinkNews reported. President Rodrigo Duterte's new stance on same-sex marriage pits him against the teachings of the country's powerful Catholic Church. He also said he was strongly against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. However, earlier this year, Duterte claimed prisoners are "beyond reform" because they have turned gay.
Designer Stefano Gabbana no longer wants to be known as a gay man, PinkNews reported. Speaking to Italian publication Corriere della Sera, he said, "I don't want to be called gay, because I'm simply a man—full stop. ... I don't want to be identified by my sexual choices. We are human beings before being gay, heterosexual or bisexual." The designer, who co-founded the Dolce & Gabbana fashion house, has sparked outrage in the past with his views on same-sex parents.
At Paris Comic Con, an annual fan convention, a woman dressed as Wonder Woman proposed to another woman dressed as Supergirl, Gay Star News noted. People have liked it more than 35,000 times, and retweeted it more than 13,000 times. The video is in French—but the website said it's clear from reactions that Supergirl was taken by surprise. ( BTW, Supergirl accepted the proposal. )
Perth Pythons, an Australian LGBTQ-friendly hockey club, has produced a calendar featuring players in the nude, Queerty noted. Shot at Swanbourne, a nudist beach located in Perth, Pride in Hockey 2018 features both pro and amateur hockey players alike. The proceeds from the calendar will go towards Perth Pythons' ongoing attempt to make sports more diverse and accepting. See https://www.perthpythons.com/pridecalendar.
The BBC is lining up a full-length documentary on Harvey Weinstein, Deadline noted. Simon and Jonathan Chinn's Lightbox is making the 90-minute film, which will be directed by Ursula MacFarlane, who has directed docs including Charlie Hebdo: Three Days That Shook Paris and worked on the Netflix series Captive. More than 80 women accused him of various inappropriate behavior ranging from rape to sexual assault through to intimidation, bullying and unorthodox showering habits.
Mariah Carey's jaunt to Australia and New Zealand was supposed to kick off in February 2018—but has been pushed back to October due to scheduling conflicts, according to Page Six. "An update for my lambs in Australia and New Zealand! I have exciting news for you. We are now planning a much bigger tour in 2018! Because of this we are moving the Australia/NZ dates a few months to October," she wrote on Facebook.
Fans of K-pop superstar Kim Jong-hyun are expressing their grief at the loss of the 27-year-old singer who died after committing suicide at a studio apartment in the Gangnam district of Seoul, CNN reported. Better known as Jonghyun, Kim's death was confirmed by his management company, SM Entertainment, which said: "We are sorry to share such heartbreaking and tragic news... SHINee's Jonghyun left us suddenly." Gangnam police said his death wasn't being investigated as suspicious and Jonghyun's family had not requested an autopsy.
