In Britain, Jamie Penny allegedly threatened to "do" Eddie Izzard's house after Izzard refused to give Penny and his friend a lift in his Beetle in Apriland when Penny encountered Izzard again on a London street in May, he allegedly called him an idiot and a gay slur, TV3.ie reported. Penny recently appeared in Westminster Magistrates Court, charged with two counts of using threatening and abusive words or behavior. He has yet to indicate a plea and asked for the case to be adjourned while he found legal representation that understood his struggle with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
An op-ed about life as a gay Qatari has stirred debate about the limits of tolerance in the conservative Gulf Arab country that is slated to host the 2022 soccer World Cup, Reuters noted. The unprecedented public insight into homosexuality in a country where gay sex is punishable by jail was published on the website of English-language Doha News, written by a man identified only as Majid. Doha News' editor defended the piece. "It seemed the time was right to open a discussion on the matter. It is a testament to media freedom in Qatar that we can have this debate at all," Shabina Khatri said.
Annie Lennox recently said that ending some of the world's deadliest diseases is within reach but only if donor governments dig deeper into their pockets to fund the fight against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, Reuters reported. Lennox was among activists calling on Britain to pledge 1.2 billion pounds ( $1.58 billion ) to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ahead of its summit in September to urge governments to commit more money to fighting the diseases. Lennox, who shot to fame in the 1980s with the Eurythmics pop band, said her work as an AIDS campaigner had shown her first-hand the extent of the "human catastrophe" unleashed by the disease.
Twitter exploded when an article written by a journalist from The Daily Beast included details that could possibly out closeted gay athletes at the Rio Olympics, Gay Star News noted. Nico Hines, who was sent by The Daily Beast to the Games, went on gay dating apps such as Grindr to convince athletes to hit on him in the Olympic village. In the original article which has since been edited, Hines detailed the nationality and sport of the athletes whom he had "tricked" into conversing. Gus Kenworthy, a six-time world champion skier who's also an Olympic silver medalist, condemned the article and called it "shitty." ( Activist Dan Savage and internet personality Tyler Oakley were among others who condemned the article, The Huffington Post noted; Tongan swimmer Amini Fonua also criticized it, Advocate.com stated. ) John Avlon, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, has since apologized.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to apologize on behalf of all Canadians to those who were imprisoned, fired from their jobs or otherwise persecuted in the past because of their sexuality, The Globe and Mail reported. That apology is a key element in a broad range of reforms that will collectively represent one of the greatest advances for sexual minorities in Canada's history. Helen Kennedyexecutive director of Egale, a national organization that advocates for the rights of sexual minoritiessaid, "For the government to recognize the damage that it caused, the harm that it caused, to thousands and thousands of Canadians is a historic moment for our communities."
Speaking of Canada, Canadian Blood Services says the placement of a blood donation ad on gay dating app Grindr is the fault of its mobile advertising vendor, CBC.ca reported. In an ad that ran on Grindr across Canada, the organization encouraged men to download its GiveBlood mobile app and "put the power to give life in the palm of your hand." But under new rules, any gay men who have been sexually active within the last year are banned from donating blood.
The body of a gay Syrian man has been found beheaded and mutilated after a suspected kidnapping and rape in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, Newsweek reported. Friends of Muhammad Wisam Sankari, who discovered his body, told Turkish LGBT-rights group kaosgl.org that gangs had previously threantened both Sankari and themselves. Sankari was a refugee who arrived in the city a year ago and had been looking to leave Turkey because his life was in danger. He was found dead in the central Istanbul district of Yenikapi on July 25.
National Health Service ( NHS ) England said it "strongly denies" accusations of homophobia made against the government body in the wake of a High Court ruling that found it was responsible for providing PrEP to at risk groups, according to an Attitude item that cited BuzzFeed. The organization, which will appeal the court ruling, issued a response to the verdict, in which it described PrEP as "a measure to prevent HIV transmission, particularly for men who have high-risk condomless sex with multiple male partners." The statement also implied that the provision of PrEP would put other treatments at risk of being denied funding, including medication for children with cystic fibrosis.
A Russian gay campsite was attacked by a gang in the middle of the night, with people being left beaten and robbed, Gay Star News noted. The Russian LGBT Sport Federation held a sporting weekend on the bank of the river Linda at the weekend, near the city of Nizhny Novgorod. Five to eight unknown people came with bats, crashing into cars and shouting anti-LGBT slurs. The same group has faced numerous attacks in the past year, and not a single one has seen arrests or the perpetrators being charged.
More than 50 local community members and activists showed up for the first-ever LGBTQ Pride march in Odessa, Ukraine, NBC News noted. The day before the event, local authorities in Odessa banned the event on the grounds there was a high probability of a conflict, as anti-gay activists were also scheduled to gather at the same time and place. However, organizers eventually managed to convince authorities to allow the Pride march, and the police agreed to protect the safety of those who participated.
The United States summoned the Philippines' envoy after its president, Rodrigo Roa Duterte attacked the States' ambassador with expletives in the latest spat of a feud that began between the two before Duterte was even elected, RT.com reported. The Philippine president said, "I am okay with him" when referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had visited the country in late July. However, he then lashed out at the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, Philip Goldberg, saying "I had an argument with their ambassador, that 'bakla' [gay]. Son of bitch, he really annoys me." U.S. Press Office director Elizabeth Trudeau said that the remarks made by the Philippines' president concerning Goldberg were "inappropriate," while refusing to quote them.
Amelie Mauresmo of France, Marat Safin of Russia and Justine Henin of Belgium were among those recently enshrined in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, The Providence Journal noted. Mauresmo, an out lesbian, accepted her 2015 honor after skipping last year's event due to the birth of her first child. ( Mauresmo came out as openly gay following her 1999 Australian Open semifinal win over Lindsay Davenport, and displayed both a social consciousness and genuine compassion throughout her career. ) All three were ranked number one at some point in their careers.
Tel Aviv has seen its last gay bar close, Newsweek noted. Evita, which sat just minutes from the beach, closed after 12 years of business on the Shabbat. While other, mixed bars are LGBT-friendly, Evita served as Tel Aviv's sole gay bar. According to newspaper Haaretz, it served as a linchpin for the LGBT community, both locals and tourists, in the city.
At the Rio Olympics, NBC's Chris Marlowe called the same-sex spouse of Larissa Franca, a Brazilian women's beach volleyball player, her husbandsparking a protest on social media, Newsmax reported. Franca and her volleyball teammate Talita Antunes had just beaten Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Sweat from the United States when Franca went to the audience to hug Liliane Maestrini, who she has been married to since 2013. Marlowe innocently commented: "She gives a hug to Lili. That is her husband. She married Lili in 2013 and Larissa is celebrating with her pals." Marlowe later tweeted, "I'm sorry for the mistake today. Clearly, Liliane is Larissa's wife," The New York Daily News noted.
Also at the Rio Olympics, Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers were robbed Aug. 14 by individuals posing as armed police officers, The L.A. Times reported. The swimmers including Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigenwere in a taxi from France's hospitality venue to the Olympic Village when the incident occurred, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee ( USOC ). The USOC added in its brief statement on the matter that the four athletes are safe and cooperating with authorities.