The National AIDS Commission (NAC) recently honored Caleb Orozco—a leading figure in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in Belize—for his instrumental contributions to the national HIV response, BNN reported. According to the article, Orozco "co-founded the United Belize Advocacy Movement (UNIBAM) and has been a beacon of hope and change since 2006." In a landmark development in 2016, Orozco successfully challenged Section 53 of the Belize Criminal Code in the Supreme Court, leading to the decriminalization of same-sex relations between consenting adults.
Same-sex couples in Estonia were able to marry starting New Year's Day, in a milestone move people say brings the Baltic nation closer to its Nordic neighbors, per The Guardian. Estonia became the first former Soviet-ruled country to legalize same-sex marriage when the Riigikogu, Estonia's parliament, voted in favor of marriage equality last June. A majority of 55 MPs voted for amending the Family Act, while 34 MPs voted against the bill in the 101-seat parliament.
Madrid's regional assembly passed a proposal by the Spanish capital's ruling conservative People's Party (PP) to roll back protections for transgender people, Reuters noted. The bill was approved 80-53, thanks to the absolute majority the PP holds in the chamber; it was also supported by the far-right Vox party, which governs in coalition with the PP in some Spanish cities and regions but not in Madrid. The development sparked outcry from the opposition and LGBTQ+-rights activists. Carla Antonelli—a trans assemblymember for the left-wing Mas Madrid party—wore red gloves symbolizing bloodied hands during the debate preceding the vote.
Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics and former chair of the British Olympic Association, defended trans participation in local sports events, PinkNews noted. Last March, he confirmed that trans women who transitioned after puberty would not be allowed to participate in women's elite competitions. However, he draws the line at local events, saying that trans athletes should not be "denied the mental and physical" benefits of running at sports events in their communities.
A prominent Ugandan activist was stabbed, The Washington Blade reported. A video posted to Coloured Voice Truth to LGBTQ Uganda Co-Executive Director Steven Kabuye's account on X (formerly Twitter) shows him on the ground with a deep laceration on his right forearm and a knife embedded in his stomach. Coloured Voice Truth to LGBTQ Uganda Advocacy Officer Hans Senfuma wrote on X that two "unknown individuals who were on a motorcycle" stabbed Kabuye. Reuters reported that Kabuye was in critical condition.
Drag Race Italia has crowned its newest winner, per a press release. Lina Galore was crowned the official winner of the series' third season. Galore said, "I hope from the bottom of my heart that this power is not only helpful to me, but to all the people who look to me from home who may have felt, for a second, represented, protected but, above all, seen." In other European news, World of Wonder (WOW) also announced a second season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK Versus The World, on WOW Presents Plus. For the first time in Drag Race UK herstory, the winning queen will also receive a cash prize of 50,000 pounds. RuPaul will be joined by resident judges Michelle Visage, Graham Norton and Alan Carr as well as superstar guest judges and celebrity cameos.
Scotland's government announced a new commission is to be set up to boost mental-health support among LGBTQ+ children and young people, Yahoo! News noted. The government is providing charity LGBT Youth Scotland with 50,000 pounds to help establish a Mental Health LGBT Youth Commission. Research from LGBT Youth Scotland found that almost half (45%) of LGBTQ+ young people in Scotland do not feel that mental-health services support them, and 25% do not know where to go to get information and help with mental health.
The BBC hit back against complaints from Doctor Who viewers who argued that including Yasmin Finney's trans character in the 60th-anniversary special was "inappropriate," PinkNews noted. "As regular viewers of Doctor Who will be aware, the show has and will always continue to proudly celebrate diversity and reflect the world we live in," the BBC said. "We are always mindful of the content within our episodes." The special was watched by more than 7.6 million people but received only 144 complaints.
Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye, a Catholic, launched a virulent anti-gay tirade, saying same-sex couples should be publicly stoned, a South China Morning Post item stated, citing Agency France-Presse. Homosexuality in Burundi—a conservative Christian country in East Africa—has been criminalized since 2009, with prison terms of up to two years for consensual same-sex acts. He also criticized Western countries that urge smaller nations to allow marriage equality or risk losing aid, saying: "Let them keep their help; let them keep it." On his website, Ndayishimiye describes himself, among other things, as a "fighter for peace."
Gay British director Andrew Haigh's film All of Us Strangers may be loosely based on Taichi Yamada's Japanese novel Strangers—but the Paul Mescal/Andrew Scott-led film has a much more personal touch, according to Out. "All of the people in the film are longing for something— to be understood, to be known," Haigh told The Guardian. "The coming-out scenes are about the importance of being known. It's very hard to move through life if you feel you're not understood. And if you're not understood, you feel you're alone." And once he decided to make the film, Haigh contacted the current owners of his childhood home, who agreed to let him film there.
A controversial study published in Science Advances involved the analysis of 450,000 people in the United Kingdom, with researchers concluding that the genes underlying bisexual behavior are distinct from those driving exclusive same-sex behavior—and may be intertwined with risk-taking, Science reported. Authors suggest that this connection to risk-taking may also explain why men with a history of bisexual behavior still have a reasonably high number of offspring, albeit fewer than heterosexual men. However, study co-author Jianzhi Zhang—a geneticist at the University of Michigan—stated that the association between bisexual behavior and risk-taking "is an empirical observation. … We hold no moral judgement on risk-taking and believe [it] has pros and cons (depending on the situation), as almost any trait."
French pansexual, genderqueer musician Christine and the Queens has released an interpretation of the Bee Gees classic "Staying Alive!," per a press release. There is now a studio version of "Staying Alive! (Chris' Version)" as well as a video shot in Venice directed by the musician himself. The song's release marked an end to a year that saw the artist release his second album in less than 12 months; curate and perform at London's Meltdown Festival; headline stages at Coachella, BBC 6 Music Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Wilderness Festival; and tour the globe. The video is at Website Link Here .
British singer Dua Lipa shelved a music video—despite spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on production—after deciding it was too "insensitive" to release amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, per Deadline, citing The Sun. The "Be the One" singer filmed the video, including scenes of fighting crowds, to support the release of her third album next year. The video was filmed before the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion.
Canadian Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Lauren Chan—who came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community last year—shared an Instagram reel recapping candid and intimate moments of her relationship with film director Hayley Kosan, Yahoo! Life noted. Fans flooded the comments with congratulatory messages and praised Chan's authenticity, with many saying they were "thrilled" for the model for finding love. Chan officially revealed her relationship with Kosan on Dec. 21; she shared a makeup-free, topless photo of them sharing a hug, captioning it "Hard launch."
Irish actor Jamie Dornan revealed that he had an unsettling experience with a stalker, per Deadline. He told The Independent that a Fifty Shades of Grey fan turned up at his front door in an incident that took place before the pandemic. Dornan—who is starring in the second season of BBC drama The Tourist—previously attempted to get into the mind of a stalker in preparation for playing serial killer Paul Spector in The Fall.
Denmark's Queen Margrethe II (Margrethe Alexandrine Porhildur Ingrid) plans to abdicate the throne in January after more than 50 years of reigning, per E! News. "On 14 January 2024—52 years after I succeeded my beloved father—I will step down as queen of Denmark," the 83-year-old said in her annual New Year's Eve speech, according to multiple outlets. "I leave the throne to my son Crown Prince Frederik." The queen cited a back surgery she underwent this past February as factoring in her decision to step down.
Former Doctor Who actor David Tennant will host the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, which will take place Feb. 18 at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall in London, per Deadline. Tennant succeeds Saltburn actor Richard E. Grant, who hosted last year's edition—the first held at Royal Festival Hall.
Dominic West revealed to Times Radio that Prince Harry stopped talking to him after The Crown actor shared stories about the royal's "two-day bender"—during which he drank booze from a prosthetic leg—at a 2013 press conference, per Page Six. "Two of the Aussie guys stripped naked and ran round the pole but most of us, Harry included, just went on a two-day bender with the Icelandic truck drivers who had brought some lethal home brew with them," West told the press at the time, according to the Daily Mail. However, West also described Harry as a "really cool guy" and "very much part of the team." West portrays King Charles III, Harry's father, on The Crown.
