In Scotland, drag queens have been banned from performing at a Pride event—with the reason being that they might offend transgender people, The London Evening Standard reported. Organizers of Free Pride Glasgow, which bills itself as an "anti-commercialist" alternative to the Scottish city's main Pride event, have announced the controversial ban. They said, in part, "The decision was taken by transgender individuals who were uncomfortable with having drag performances at the event. It was felt that it would make some of those who were transgender or questioning their gender uncomfortable."
A transgender woman was gunned down recently in Guyana, according to Gay Star News. Nephi Luthers, reported to be a sex worker, was shot in the chest in the capital of Georgetown. The Guyana Trans United group said it was saddened and in shock to hear "another member has been gunned down." Two nights before the shooting, the group held a candlelight vigil in remembrance of two other transgender sex workers who were murdered in July 2014.
In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, new regulations aim to curb abuse of the transgender population within the state's 52 penitentiaries, the Associated Press noted. Advocates have hailed the rules that ban discrimination against Rio state's approximately 600 transgender prisoners and protect their gender identities while behind bars. The rules adopted in late May allow trans inmates to be known by their common, rather than only their legal, names. Rio's new rules also guarantee access to hormone therapy, which are available to inmates in some U.S. states, and allow trans prisoners living as women to wear lingerie and makeup and keep their hair long. In addition, strip searches in front of other prisoners have been banned.
In a decision being hailed as landmark, the European Court of Human Rights—which hears human-rights cases of its 47 member countries—ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights provides a right to the legal recognition of same-sex relationships, Slate reported. The three-member court unanimously ruled in favor of of three same-sex couples ( in the case of Oliari and Others v. Italy ), saying that failing to have "a specific legal framework providing for the recognition and protection of same-sex unions" violated Article 8 of the convention.
Two men ( Zoryan Kis and Tymur Levchuk ) conducting a social experiment to gauge the general public's reaction to same-sex relationships in Kiev, Ukraine, were attacked by a large group of young men recently, heckled and pepper-sprayed for showing affection in a public space, according to a NewNowNext item. The men conducting the experiment for Bird in Flight magazine were inspired by ChebuRussia TV, the YouTube pranksters who launched the same experiment in Moscow earlier this month. The Kiev reaction, according to Kis and Levchuk, is indicative of a type of "far-right" mentality that dominates a minority of young men in the country.
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ), in a statement, praised President Obama for his comments about the need to respect human rights for all people. At a press conference in Nairobi, Kenya, Obama said countries should not discriminate based on sexual orientation, while Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta referred to gay rights as a "non-issue" for Kenyans. Obama said, in part, "When you start treating people differently, not because of any harm they are doing to anybody but because they are different, that's the path whereby freedoms begin to erode." "President Obama continues to show tremendous leadership on this issue and we commend him for speaking out on the importance of treating all people with dignity and respect, no matter who they are or whom they love, or what country they live in," said Ty Cobb, director of HRC Global.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams believes it is only a matter of time before there is marriage equality across the whole of Ireland, PinkNews reported. However, Adams stated that he did not think a national referendum—similar to the one recently held in the Republic of Ireland—would work in Northern Ireland. A July poll found that the people of Northern Ireland are now overwhelmingly in favor of same-sex marriage.
Pakistani police have released what they say are the words of the alleged mastermind of the Safoora bus attack in which they say he reveals his motives for the attack, according to Gay Star News. On May 13, eight gunmen attacked a bus traveling in the city of Karachi, killing 46 people. The statements attributed to suspect Saad Aziz say the killers intended, in part, to murder public figures they suspected of being gay, such as artists and fashion designers.
In Canada, the Ontario Superior Court has upheld the denial of accreditation to a Christian law school, holding the private school's prohibition of same-sex behavior is sufficiently discriminatory that its degrees can be invalidated for that reason alone, DailyCaller.com reported. Trinity Western University is a 4,000-student, evangelical Protestant college in the Vancouver suburb of Langley. It has been seeking to open a law school, but has struggled to obtain accreditation in several provinces.
A person claiming to be a closeted man living in Saudi Arabia says his life is in danger because he used Ashley Madison, and hackers are about to expose site members' names and details, according to NewNowNext.com . "I am from a country where homosexuality carries the death penalty," writes ICouldBeStoned2Death. While Ashley Madison is known for facilitating hookups for married straight people, the company does have a site called Ashley Madison Down Low that caters to closeted gay men.
In Canada, a popular mural of Marilyn Monroe has been stolen from outside of a popular Victoria diner—again, according to CTV Vancouver Island. Staff at Floyd's Diner on Quadra at Yates streets said thieves ripped down a portion of the mural displaying the iconic actress' head. A manager at the eatery said some people have previously spoken out against the mural, which depicts a famous image of Monroe wearing nothing but a white sheet, calling it provocative and sexist.
