THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

—From Russia with hate: Russia enacted its anti-gay propaganda law—which made for a lot of criticism at the Sochi Olympics held in February. Russian President Vladimir Putin poured fuel on the controversy before the event, saying gays visiting Russia for the Olympics could feel at ease as long as they "leave children in peace, please."

—Heroic: Tori Johnson, the gay café manager of the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney, Australia, was killed as he fought off an armed terrorist who took the cafe and its patrons hostage, according to Towleroad. Johnson, who managed the café for two years, was trying to disarm the terrorist to provide cover for the other hostages as they fled during a moment in which the terrorist fell asleep. Johnson, 34, is survived by his partner of 14 years, Thomas Zinn.

—No review: India's Supreme Court refused to review its controversial decision to reinstate a 153-year-old law that criminalizes homosexuality. Judges dismissed petitions from the government and rights activists who say the order was wrong. The recent Supreme Court judgement overturned a landmark 2009 Delhi High Court ruling decriminalizing gay sex.

—Bennett passes: Mark Bennett, the openly gay mayor of the London district of Lambeth, has died at age 44 of a suspected heart attack, according to the London Evening Standard. Bennett was an assistant to Alastair Campbell for the first four years of Tony Blair's Labour government from 1997 to 2001, and was first elected as mayor in 2005.

—Change is good: Uganda President Yoweri Museveni signed his country's Anti-Homosexuality Bill in February. The measure would mandate life-prison sentences for people convicted of homosexuality. However, in August, the Constitutional Court of Uganda ruled the law invalid.

—French press: More than 100,000 conservative French people marched through Paris and Lyon, accusing the government of "family-phobia" for legalizing same-sex marriage and other planned policies they say will harm traditional families. The marchers—expressing growing frustration with the unpopular left-wing government—denounced new sex-equality lessons in schools and urged the government not to legalize medical procedures to help same-sex couples have children.

—Don't want therapy: For the first time in its history, the United Nations Committee Against Torture ( CAT ) expressed concern over the practice of conversion therapy being used on LGBT youth in the United States. The historic development came a day after leaders from the National Center for Lesbian Rights' ( NCLR ) #BornPerfect campaign, Samantha Ames and Samuel Brinton, testified before the Committee and the U.S. State Department and asked them to address the practice with the U.S. government.

—With this ring: After legalizing same-sex marriages in July 2013, the first official marriage ceremonies in England and Wales took place right after midnight on March 29, 2014. At Islington Town Hall in London, at 12:03 a.m., Peter McGrath and his partner of 17 years, David Cabreza, were married in front of dozens of family and friends.

—Daley news: British Olympic diver Tom Daley said he's a gay man, months after he told fans that he was bisexual. "Of course I still fancy girls," Daley said on a YouTube video posted in December 2013. Later that month, it was revealed that the Olympic diver, 20, is dating Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, 40.

—Marching on: In November, nearly a thousand gay-rights activists marched through central New Delhi to demand an end to discrimination against gays in India's deeply conservative society. Indian gays are demanding that the government remove a colonial-era law banning same-sex relations. India's Supreme Court last year reversed a lower-court order that decriminalized gay sex.

—Some progress: However, India's top court recognized the country's transgender community as a third gender in a landmark judgment and human-rights groups, praising the development, have called on the government to ensure their equal treatment. There are hundreds of thousands of transgenders in India, say activists, but because they are not legally recognized, they are ostracized, discriminated against, abused and often forced into prostitution.

—Delay in Brunei: Brunei has said it has delayed a law punishing gay sex by stoning, but said it will happen "in the very near future." The predominantly Muslim nation in southeast Asia has faced international criticism after adopting a new penal code calling for death by stoning for several crimes that include adultery and rape in addition to homosexuality. No confirmed new date was given for the start of the punishments, which will also eventually include flogging and the severing of limbs.

—Bolly, gee whiz: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights launched the first-ever Bollywood-style UN music video at a press conference in Mumbai, India, to promote its Free & Equal campaign for LGBT equality. The two-and-a-half minute video, called "The Welcome," stars actress and former Miss India Celina Jaitly.

—Outstanding in its field: "Out on the Fields"—the first international study on homophobia in sport—aims shine a light on how often gay, lesbian and bisexual people face discrimination on and off the playing field. The research team working on the study included experts on homophobia from six universities. Results were released prior to the Bingham Cup.

—They're still standing: Sir Elton John officially married David Furnish—exactly nine years after they tied the knot in a civil-partnership ceremony. The "Sad Songs ( Say So Much )" singer married his partner at their Windsor estate in England Dec. 21. John posted a photo of himself, pen in hand, sitting next to Furnish at a desk, with a piece of paper in front of them, and wrote: "That's the legal bit done. Now on to the ceremony! ShareTheLove DavidFurnish." The couple has two sons, Zachary and Elijah.

—Society climber: Incoming International AIDS Society President Chris Beyrer received a standing ovation at AIDS 2014 in Melbourne when he announced that he was the first openly gay leader of the organization. Of the estimated 35 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, men who have sex with men ( MSM ) "are 19 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS than the general population,"he said.

—Wurst is the best: Conchita Wurst—the bearded drag-queen alter ego of 25-year-old Austrian Thomas Neuwirth—won this year's Eurovision Song Contest, held in Copenhagen. Performing in a skintight dress with long hair and a full beard, Wurst scored 290 points to become Austria's first Eurovision winner since 1966. She has since done everything from being a runway model to releasing a song and video.

—Ban banned: South African National Blood Service dropped a ban that prohibited gay men from donating blood. However, a ban of six months will still be applied on anyone who had sex with a new partner, and there's a blanket ban on anyone with multiple sexual partners.

—Showing pride: Approximately 2 million people attended Toronto's WorldPride. More than 350 groups signed up to take part in the parade, along with 12,500 marchers.

—Making priorities: U.S. Sen. Ed Markey introduced the International Human Rights Defense Act to direct the Department of State to consider preventing and responding to discrimination and violence against the LGBT community a foreign-policy priority. In addition to setting LGBT rights as an international policy priority, the bill would also require the State Department to devise a global strategy to achieve the goal of encouraging other nations top enact legislative protections and establish a position in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor responsible for coordinating the effort.

—Turnaround: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announced his support for the gay-rights movement, reversing his previous stance. The move came after the politician's current girlfriend Francesca Pascale and Vittorio Feltri—who runs a newspaper Berlusconi owns—both joined the gay-rights group Arcigay.

—Church action: Thousands gathered in Kingston, Jamaica, to show support for the country's strict sodomy law, which prohibits same-sex intercourse. The protest was organized by a local church group called Jamaica Churches Action Uniting Society, gathering approximately 25,000 people to take a stand against what religious leaders have termed a "homosexual agenda."

—Stay with him: British singer Sam Smith officially came out of the closet. He has said, "My aim is to tell people how good it's been for me so that, hopefully, gay men or parents with gay children can look at my story and think, 'Wow, that's how it should be. That's what we can work towards.'" Smith was nominated for six Grammys, tying him with Beyonce and Pharrell Williams.

—Choice comments: British lesbian writer and advocate Julie Bindel defended her assertion that being gay is a choice. Bindel believes she made a "conscious and happy choice to be a lesbian" more than 30 years ago because she had "better taste than other young women." However, even though she asserts being gay is a choice, she states she did not choose to be gay herself.

—Dearly departed: Six passengers aboard Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, which crashed in Ukraine July 17, were confirmed as researchers headed for the 20th International AIDS Conference, which began July 20 in Melbourne, Australia. Two hundred ninety-eight individuals lost their lives in the crash, which has triggered political turmoil between Russia several nations, including the United States.

—This is Ian: After years of denial, Australian swimming champion Ian Thorpe, 31, revealed he is gay in an exclusive interview with Sir Michael Parkinson. In his own autobiography This Is Me, published in 2012, the swimmer said that he found questions about his sexuality hurtful, writing: "For the record, I am not gay and all my sexual experiences have been straight."

—Goodbye, Berlin: Berlin's openly gay mayor, Klaus Wowereit, announced plans to step down amid an ongoing situation over the city's new airport. As mayor of the German capital since 2001, he was credited with giving it a "poor, but sexy" brand internationally. Wowereit, 60, was widely popular; however, his reputation was tarnished by the debacle over the opening of Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, which was to be inaugurated in late 2011 but is still not open.

—The reign in Spain: Patricia Yurena Rodriguez, the winner of Miss Spain in both 2008 and 2013, came out as a lesbian through an Instagram post. The picture, captioned "Romeo and Juliet," shows Rodriguez in an intimate moment with girlfriend Vanesa Klein, a Spanish DJ and singer. An actress and model, Rodriguez represented Spain in the Miss Universe competition.

—Lux life: Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel could be among the first to benefit from new marriage-equality laws after he announced he and his long-term partner will tie the knot. Bettel, 41, told the L.A. Times of partner Gauthier Destenay, "He asked me and I said 'yes.'" Bettel, who has lived with his Belgian architect partner since 2010 in a civil partnership, did not reveal the wedding date.

—Before, Turing and after: The Queen of England granted a royal pardon for internationally acclaimed British codebreaker and computer scientist Alan Turing. Turing ( the subject of the new film The Imitation Game ) took his own life in 1954 after being convicted two years prior of having consensual sex with a 19-year-old male. The pardon comes a decade after gay activists and straight allies lobbied the British government for a posthumous pardon for Turing saying his conviction of "gross indecency" was an injustice.

—Disruption: Fierce anti-gay sentiment and violent threats shut down Bahama's first Pride event just as it was starting. Early in the event, organizer Victor Rollins posted a photo on Facebook of himself with a Pride flag. His life was threatened soon after, leading him to cancel the festival's remaining events. Also, leading up to Pride, local newspapers and talk shows stirred up opposition to the festival.

—Killer executed: A Chinese serial killer who hanged six men during sexually abusive choking games was executed three years after his sentencing. Singer Zhou Youping, 42, was arrested in November 2009 on suspicion of robbery, and confessed to the killings. He found his victims through a gay website, and men replied to his advert seeking "slaves."

—All-inclusive: The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission applauded the United Nations' top human-rights body for approving a resolution condemning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, calling it an important step forward toward progress for equality and human rights for LGBT individuals. The Human Rights Council resolution—led by Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Japan and Uruguay—followed a resolution in 2011 on the same topic led by South Africa.

—Happy anniversary: Denmark celebrated 25 years since it became the first country in the world to provide legal recognition of same-sex relationships. On Oct. 1, 1989, the first 11 Danish same-sex couples were wed through civil ceremonies at the Copenhagen Town Hall by then-deputy mayor Tom Ahlberg.

—Taking a turn: American LGBT Catholics expressed disappointment in the decision by the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops to eliminate language that was inclusive and supportive of LGBT Catholics from the conference's final report. Preliminary statements indicated that LGBT men and women had "gifts and talents to offer the Christian community" and noted that gay unions had intrinsic value in that they reflect person engaged in acts of "mutual aid to the point of sacrifice."

—A death in the Philippines: Philippine government prosecutors have charged U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton with murder in the killing of a Filipino. The prosecutors said Pemberton acknowledged attacking the victim, jennifer Laude, after he found out she was transgender. In October, Laude's body was found in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila. She had apparently been strangled and drowned in a toilet bowl.

—Dangdang into the room: The CEO of a Chinese e-commerce company posted a banned gay advert on social media that went viral. The poster did not pass censors; however, Li Guoqing uploaded the advert to his Weibo account—the Chinese version of Twitter—anyway, making Dangdang the first mainland company to openly support LGBTI people. The poster was for the "Dare to Do, Dare to Be" campaign, which celebrates the company's 15th anniversary.

—A taxing time: Designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce were ruled not guilty of tax evasion by Italy's highest court. The ruling overturned two sentences by lower courts that found them guilty of tax evasion, imposing 18-month jail sentences. Prosecutors had wanted the pair locked up for heftier three-year prison terms, but now the pair have been vindicated in the face of accusations they hid hundreds of millions of Euros.

—Trial closed: A scientific trial of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, based in France had its randomized phase shut down due to high effectiveness, according to researchers. Investigators in the IPERGAY trial, which is currently underway in six locations in France and one location in Canada, will no longer issue placebos to participants in the trial. All participants will take PrEP, mainly available as the pill Truvada, for the duration of the trial. A similar trial in the United Kingdom, the PROUD Study, had planned to defer many of its participants' PrEP use for a year, but had them begin using it once favorable results about the intervention came back.

—Vlad to the bone: The LGBT publication The Advocate named Russia President Vladimir Putin its 2014 "Person of the Year." The magazine stated in a press release that Putin's "crusade against LGBT Russians, and the outrage and protests his actions sparked" earned him the title. The publication also stated, ""The prospect of another decade under Putin is devastating. Despite encouraging development such as the International Olympic Committee's new mandate requiring prospective host cities to sign an antidiscrimination clause, Russia's LGBT activists report few breakthroughs. What hope they have is precarious and underground."

—Talking Turkey: A new organization—the first in Turkey to ensure LGBTI websites, groups and organizations—was established to fight homophobia and transphobia in the Islamic country. Burcin Bordanaci of the Turkey LGBTI Union said, "Because Turkey is a Islamic country although not in the same league as Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iraq in its vehemently anti-LGBTI stance, there is still need for togetherness and solidarity among LGBTI groups to counter homophobia and transphobia that exists in Turkey."

—An important addition: After backlash over the Sochi, Russia, games—overshadowed by the host country Russia's anti-gay laws—the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) made another attempt at formally declaring its inclusiveness of the LGBT community. Members of the IOC unanimously approved a measure to rewrite the Olympic Charter's non-discrimination policy, adding sexual orientation to the list. Although LGBT activists lauded the move, many feel that more needs to be done, including adding gender identity.

—Detained: NLS Queer Alliance reported that 167 members of the transgender community were detained at least two days in Karnataka state in southwest India. The community quickly responded and organized a protest in response at the Town Hall against the illegality of police action against transgender persons.