LGBT Ireland is urging the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to include LGBTQ+ questions about sexual orientation and gender identity on the 2027 Census, Yahoo! News noted. A national census of Ireland’s population is conducted every five years, and it includes questions about age, sex, education, employment, residence and family. LGBT Ireland Policy and Research Manager Padraig Rice said, “We need to capture and highlight issues and make the LGBT population visible within the census data because, currently, we’re essentially invisible—and that needs to change.”
Newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer has named gay Ilford North MP Wes Streeting as the UK’s health secretary, PinkNews reported. News of Streeting’s appointment is worrisome to LGBTQ+-rights activists, considering he has made it clear that he wants to ban trans women from single-sex hospital wards. Also, in the weeks leading up to the general election, Streeting faced criticism from the LGBTQ+ community for suggesting that he regretted once saying that “trans women are women, trans men are men—get over it.” Starmer is currently putting together his Cabinet after the party’s landslide win in the general election; with two seats still to declare, they will have 412 MPs in the new parliament.
Also related to the recent UK elections, bisexual Conservative MP Michael Fabricant lost his seat in the House of Commons—meaning he won’t be an MP for the first time since 1992, per PinkNews. The Labour Party’s Dave Robertson received 17,232 votes while Fabricant picked up 16,422 to represent Lichfield (formerly Mid Staffordshire); in 2019, Fabricant gained 34,844 votes. According to Lichfield Live, Fabricant said: “I like to think it’s not a personal referendum on my performance as an MP but rather the failure of the [past] few years of the Conservative government.”
It turns out that in early May, four lesbians were set on fire in Buenos Aires, Argentina—and only one survived, CNN reported. Local LGBTQ rights advocates condemned the attack as a hate crime and lesbicide, saying the women were targeted because of their sexual identity. Authorities arrested a 62-year-old man who lived in the building and allegedly threw an incendiary device; however, according to Gabriela Conder (the attorney of the sole survivor, Sofia), police aren’t currently treating the incident as a hate crime, as they say the motive is still unclear. “Things changed with the new government of [new President] Javier Milei,” said Maria Rachid, head of the Institute Against Discrimination of the Ombudsman’s Office in Buenos Aires and an LGBTQ+-rights activist. When Milei ran for president in 2023, Milei said he does not oppose same-sex marriage; however, in that same interview, he compared homosexuality to bestiality.
As Thailand prepares to legalize same-sex marriages, businesses are looking forward to cashing in on the “pink baht,” Al Jazeera reported. After years of failed attempts, Thailand’s marriage equality bill recently cleared its final parliamentary hurdle, even though the bill must still receive the consent of royalty. Activists hope that the first same-sex weddings will take place as soon as October. Aside from opening new income streams for event-planning businesses, the law will grant LGBTQ+ couples legal recognition of joint ownership of property, mortgages and insurance plans for the first time, bringing a new stream of consumers into the area of financial services. Trans entrepreneur Nikki Phinyapincha said, “I believe Thailand can become the first pink tiger nation … a global equality destination.”
In Uganda, a group of LGBTQ+-rights activists once again appealed a ruling that upheld the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, per The Washington Blade. In 2023, President Yoweri Museveni signed the law, which contains a death-penalty provision for “aggravated homosexuality.” In early April, the Ugandan Constitutional Court refused to “nullify the Anti-Homosexuality Act in its totality”; about two weeks later, Sexual Minorities Uganda Executive Director Frank Mugisha and Jacqueline Kasha Nabagesara were among the activists who initially appealed the ruling to the country’s Court of Appeal. The latest appeal has been filed with the Supreme Court—the country’s highest judicial body.
In a recent survey, Freddie Mercury took the top spot as the UK’s greatest gay icon, per Smooth Radio. According to new research by Durex, Mercury’s story has helped the nation learn more about LGBTQ+ relationships and history than sex education in school. Sir Elton John, George Michael, David Bowie, Madonna, Cher, Dolly Parton and Lady Gaga also made the list. Durex defined a gay icon as someone who has empowered the community to embrace their sexuality and identity, or a figure who makes them feel more visible and proud to be LGBTQ+.
On July 4, Pussy Riot staged the performance of RAGE at Berlin’s Neue Nationalgalerie, a press release noted. Directed by leader Nadya Tolokonnikova, 60 Pussy Riot members participated in the performance, involving a large-scale installation, smoke sculpture and their signature balaclavas. The performance took place during a rainstorm that resulted in a rainbow—which the release said Russia views as an extremist symbol because of its connection to the LGBTQ+ community. Pussy Riot Siberia is the name of the music core of this performance, including Nadya Tolokonnikova, Max Lawton, Riley Bray and John Caldwell. “Rage” is also the name of Tolokonnikova’s debut solo museum exhibition at the OK Linz contemporary art museum, and is slated to run there through Oct. 20. Tolokonnikova is slated to perform at the Chicago venue Outset on July 13.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s HRC Equidade BR: Global Workplace Equality Program involved a record number of companies (124) in the Brazilian LGBTQIA+ Workplace Equality Index, per a press release. Created in partnership with Instituto Mais Diversidade and the Forum de Empresas e Direitos LGBTI+, the third annual report names 79 organizations that earned the maximum score and were recognized with the 2024 HRC Foundation designation of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQIA+ People,” or in Brazil. The HRC Foundation’s work in Brazil impacts more than 850,000 employees working for inclusive organizations across the country.
British-Mexican man Manuel Guerrero Avina—who was convicted of drug charges in Qatar—has appealed against the verdict, saying the trial was unfair and that he was targeted because of his sexuality, the BBC reported. The airline manager—who was given a six-month suspended sentence last month—was arrested in February in a police sting involving Grindr. His family claimed that a small quantity of drugs was planted on him at the time. A Qatari official has insisted that his arrest was based on the possession of illegal substances and that “no other factors were taken into account.”
Korean actor Yoo Seung-ho will make his theater debut in the Tony Kushner work Angels in America, portraying the lead role of gay character Prior Walter, The Korea Times noted. Set in the United States in the 1980s, Angels in America delves into the lives of marginalized individuals affected by race, politics, religion and sexual orientation. Walter is a terminally ill gay man who struggles with his illness and the end of his relationship, navigating a life filled with visions and reality as he fights to maintain love. The production will be performed from Aug. 6 to Sept. 28 at LG Arts Center Seoul, in South Korea.
British musician Sam Smith shared with fans that they recorded a new version of “Stay With Me” in honor of its 10th anniversary—and changed one of the song’s lyrics in the process, Billboard noted. In part, they stated, “Including the updated lyric ‘but I still need love, baby understand’ which felt really important to me. It’s beautiful to know that sometimes, we can change the past.” The song’s original lyric saw Smith saying that they “still need love, because I’m just a man,” and the new lyrics reflect their nonbinary identity.
Queer German DJ Felix Jaehn and pop icon Sophie Ellis-Bextor have joined forces to release the dance single “Ready For Your Love,” per a press release. The movie Saltburn featured the return of Ellis-Bextor’s 2002 hit “Murder On The Dancefloor,” leading to a huge comeback for the single. Accumulating more than 10 billion streams across platforms and a loyal fan base of over 23.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, Jaehn is behind global hits such as “Cheerleader,” which topped the charts in 55 countries and reached number one on the United States’ Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2015.
Thai actors Both and Newyear announced their engagement in a post on social media, PinkNews noted. They became engaged after Thailand made history by becoming the first Southeast Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Announcing their engagement on June 27, a TikTok video showed Both Nattapong Chinsoponsap leading partner Newyear Kitiwhut Sawutdimilin into a hotel room decorated with hundreds of red roses.
In England, racer and outspoken LGBTQ+ ally Lewis Hamilton won a dramatic British Grand Prix, ending a victory drought that stretched back to the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, ESPN noted. Hamilton—who has worn rainbow-colored helmets to show his ally ship—beat his old foe Max Verstappen to the win by 1.4 seconds. It was Hamilton’s ninth win on home soil at Silverstone—the most for any driver at a single circuit in Formula One history. After 12 years with Mercedes, Hamilton is due to leave it for Ferrari at the end of the year.
Former Bachelorette contestant and Chicago resident J Seiter spoke with the UK outlet The Daily Mail—which deadnamed and misgendered her—about backlash concerning her gender transition. Since telling the world of her transition, Seiter says she has endured a storm of bigotry with some questioning whether she is truly transitioning at all while others lambast her for choosing to keep her facial hair. Moreover, she said that most of the unpleasantness has come from other members of the LGBTQ+ community and from people on the left. (Note: Windy City Times originally reported on Seiter’s transition.)
Queer actress/comedian Rebel Wilson dropped a video post—mentioning by name some of the backers of her directorial debut, Deb, who she claims prevented the film from making its world premiere as the closing night film at the Toronto International Film Festival, according to Deadline. In part, she said, “To have the joy of the movie being selected, is one thing. But then to have the business partners that are involved in that movie, turn around and say that no, the movie can’t premiere is just beyond devastating.” She went to say, “Why are they saying this? Why are they stopping it from premiering at Toronto? Well, this dates back to October. of last year, where I discovered bad behavior by these business partners. … Their names are Amanda Ghost and Gregory Cameron, and an executive producer who works with them called Vince Holden. So these are the people involved.”
Eleven drag artists from all over the world are set to compete on the third season of Drag Race Philippines when it starts Aug. 7, a press release noted. Actor/model/drag artist Paolo Ballesteros will return as host, and Drag Race alum Jiggly Caliente and Filipina writer/TV personality/activist KaladKaren will return as judges. The after-show Drag Race Philippines: Untucked will return the same day.
Out Scottish-American actor John Barrowman (Torchwood; Doctor Who) recently spoke about cancel culture—saying “sick” people tried to ruin his career over behavior on set he apologized for in 2008 when a video resurfaced in 2021 of co-stars talking about Barrowman exposing himself on set, according to NZHerald.co.nz. Barrowman said some of what he was accused of was incorrect, but he took ownership of his mistakes: “When I was doing nude scenes and if I was doing something silly to make myself feel more comfortable and having a little bit of silly behavior, it was amongst peers and it was amongst colleagues, and none of them complained. I would never do anything like that now, I’d never do silly things like that again.” He added, “The people who throw the stones, your life is not perfect either and you’ve made mistakes, and how dare you try to destroy my life because of some stupid thing that I did a long time ago,” also saying that he believes some of the attacks happened because he’s gay. After stories of his behavior resurfaced, Barrowman said he was starting to see his face removed from DVD box sets and books that fans were getting him to sign.