More than 300 Turkish police officers used tear gas to disperse demonstrators who gathered for a gay pride rally in Istanbul despite a government ban, Fox News noted, citing the Associated Press. Dozens of LGBT demonstrators gathered June 19 off Istiklal Street, a major commercial artery, some brandishing the community's rainbow flag. Police called on them to disperse and prevented activists from marching or making statements. Istanbul's governor had banned LGBT individuals from holding two annual parades this year, citing security concerns.
Health officials in Pakistan have been found guilty of committing criminal negligence after a transgender activist died, PinkNews reported. Alesha, a transgender activist in Pakistan was shot multiple times by a gang member. When admitted to The Lady Reading Hospital, doctors failed to treat her injuries immediately. The inquiry discovered that the medical director, hospital director and professors of the surgery and orthopedic wards were guilty of committing criminal negligence.
The 28 European Union ( EU ) member states have reached a consensus on LGBT rights for the first time in European history, according to PinkNews. The Council of the European Union reached consensus on a Netherlands-backed agreement concerning women's rights, gender equality and the protection of LGBTI people across the EU. For the first time ever, the 28 member states agreed at the Council to work against "any discrimination" against LGBT people, and to increase pan-European efforts on equality.
A gay Russian couple was arrested when they tried to leave a memorial outside the U.S. embassy in Moscow to the 49 victims of the Orlando mass shooting, USA Today reported. Islam Abdullabeckov and boyfriend Felix Glyukman were about to leave flowers and a sign that read "Love wins—Stay with Orlando" outside the embassy when they were detained, the AFP noted. Police accused the couple of holding an unauthorized demonstration, a charge that can lead to fines or imprisonment in the country, the Washington Post reported.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised a referendum on legalizing same-sex marriage will be held this year if his government is re-elected, PinkNews reported. Australia holds its elections on July 2, with the latest opinion poll showing the ruling Liberal-led coalition and Labour neck-and-neck. As the hotly contested vote approaches, Turnbull has insisted the he is in favor of a referendum on the issue of same-sex marriage, rather than a parliamentary vote.
A gay Muslim man in Toronto who garnered criticism from other purported followers of Islam after tweeting the Orlando shooter "doesn't reflect my faith as a Muslim" is speaking out against the online backlash, GlobalNews.ca reported. The criticism left Shawn Ahmed asking why he was being condemned—and not the Orlando shooter. "If all the Muslims in my mentions right now condemning me for being a gay Muslim could condemn the Muslim shooter instead, that'd be great," he said in a follow-up tweet.
Health Canada will soon decide whether to ease the restriction on gay men to donate blood—but it likely won't go as far as the Liberals' campaign promise to end the ban completely, The Huffington Post Canada reported. The Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec submitted proposals earlier this spring to reduce the number of years men have abstained from having sex with other men in order to give blood. The agencies recommended dropping the blood donation deferral period from five years to one year.
An Islamic preacher who has said gay people should be put to death has left Australia, BBC News reported. British-born Shia cleric Sheikh Farrokh Sekaleshfar lectured near Orlando, Florida, in April and was being widely quoted in the wake of the June 12 mass shooting. He was visiting Australia as a guest of Sydney's Imam Husain Islamic Centre. There is no evidence that the Orlando shooter attended the lecture.
A former British National Party member who is running for the seat of murdered Parliament member Jo Cox has claimed that gay people have themselves to blame for Orlando, PinkNews reported. Just days before declaring his candidacy for the seat, Jack Buckby uploaded a video claiming LGBT people have "blood on their hands" over the Orlando massacre, which saw 49 people die in a nightclub. Buckby appears to have removed previous YouTube videos he recorded opposing same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.
For London Pride, pedestrian lights in the city are getting a makeover, with LGBT symbols being added to the traditional "green man" design, PinkNews noted. Around 50 lights at pedestrian signals at crossings around the iconic Trafalgar Square will be installed temporarily. New London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, "I am very proud of our LGBT+ community here and I am looking forward to working closely with them as their mayor. Our thoughts and prayers are of course still with the families and friends of the victims of the hideous recent attack in Orlando."
Special U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry spoke at a reception that officially kicked off Pride celebrations in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, The Washington Blade reported. "Ukraine needs you," said Berry in prepared remarks the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine posted to its website. "It needs your persistence, it needs your dedication and, most of all, Ukraine needs your talents, your contributions and your abilities." The speech took place before Kiev's first-ever Pride parade.
In a humorous development, openly gay actor Sir Ian McKellen was spotted in Shanghai's People's Square marriage market advertising for a husband, LGBTQ Nation reported. Chinese parents regularly set up shop in the market, advertising for arranged marriages for their children. Kevin Shen, a Chinese citizen who lives in Shanghai, sent in the photos with a lament that he missed the award-winning actor. The photos were posted on the Chinese social network Weibo by the British Council.
A Kenyan High Court has dismissed a case challenging the legality of anal tests as proof of homosexuality, BBC News reported. Two men who say Kenyan police forced them to undergo the procedure to prove they had had gay sex, launched the case, calling for the tests to be declared unconstitutional. "There was no other way evidence could have been obtained," ruled Mombasa judge Mathew Emukule. Same-sex acts are illegal in Kenya, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher took to Twitter during the Euro 2016 soccer championship games to denigrate Russian fans by using an anti-gay slur ( "batty boys"—a Jamaican slur for gay men ), LGBTQ Nation reported. He later tweeted an apology some have called half-hearted: "If I've upset anybody with my tweets I apologise that includes you RKID [Gallagher's record label] as you were LG x." One person responded, "@liamgallagher don't apologise. Just get it. Batty boy is an insult as old as your last successful single."
