In Bangladesh, students at the forefront of protests that last year ousted Sheikh Hasina as prime minister launched a political party last month—and then excluded an LGBTQ+-rights advocate who had protested side by side with them, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. Muntasir Mamun—a gay man, civil engineer and human-rights activist—was removed from the new Jatiya Nagorik Party (the National Citizen Party or NCP) because of internal disagreements over his views; he has been a vocal advocate for gender equality and sexual minority rights through his writings on social media and involvement in local activist groups. Opponents questioned how an openly LGBTQ individual could lead in a country where more than 90% of citizens are Muslim.
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association’s (IGLTA’s) Gender Diverse Travel Advisory Group is urging the travel industry to support inclusion and safety for all travelers as attempts to erase anti-trans/gender diverse people escalate globally, per a press release. The volunteer-led group, in collaboration with IGLTA and the IGLTA Foundation, released a statement calling for meaningful action. The release stated, in part, “Many global entities still fail to recognize gender diversity, while others are rolling back protections, reinforcing outdated assumptions that restrict movement for TGD [trans and gender-diverse] travelers. … These challenges extend beyond travel and reflect broader societal issues. However, we believe that travel can be a powerful catalyst for a more inclusive world, and are committed to enabling travel that enriches lives and connects all members of our LGBTQ+ community.” There will be a March 27 webinar on steps to promote trans+ travelers; register here.
UN Women’s most recent report—Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing, published ahead of the UN 50th International Women’s Day on March 8—revealed that in 2024, nearly a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights, according to UN News. Economic instability, the climate crisis, rising conflicts and political pushback are factors in the backlash, despite decades of advocacy. One of the most disturbing statistics from the 32-page report was that a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a family member or intimate partner. “When women and girls can rise, we all thrive,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. Yet, “instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we are seeing the mainstreaming of misogyny. Together, we must stand firm in making human rights, equality and empowerment a reality for all women and girls, for everyone, everywhere.”
The rapid growth in HIV cases in Fiji recently pushed the government into declaring an outbreak, per ABC.net.au. Fiji health authorities recorded more than 1,000 cases last year—three times as many as in 2023. Among other things, health authorities have warned that the practice of “bluetoothing” is exacerbating the problem; that involves drug users sharing their high after injecting meth by drawing their own blood back up the syringe for someone else to inject. Dr. Alipate Vakamocea, president of the Fijian Medical Association, said that the new cases from Fiji’s growing IV drug use had confused a health bureaucracy that had been focused mainly on controlling the spread of HIV through sex.
Trans activist Mark Kislitsyn is being held in “inhuman and degrading conditions” in Russia on a more than decade-long treason sentence after donating money to a bank account in Ukraine, according to PinkNews. Kislitsyn, an LGBTQ+ activist from Moscow, was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony by the Moscow City Court in 2023 for sending the equivalent of $10 U.S. to a Ukrainian bank account that authorities say was collecting “donations for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.” Amnesty International, which is calling for Kislitsyn’s release, said he has been placed in the women’s penal colony IK-9 in Novosibirsk, in western Siberia.
In New Zealand, dozens of protesters wearing Man Up T-shirts disrupted the Wellington Pride parade, performing a haka, The New Zealand Herald reported. The crowd yelled “you are not welcome” and police formed a line, trying to move the disrupters away. Mayor Tory Whanau was at the start of the parade, joined by Wellington Paranormal actor Karen O’Leary; Whanau said the police reacted quickly and many people did not even know the protest had happened. O’Leary said of the disruption, “I didn’t pay any attention, because it doesn’t deserve any of my attention. It means nothing to me.” The Man Up group is linked to Destiny Church.
In Cameroon, a homophobic family allegedly forced a lesbian couple to break up—and, now, one of the women has gone into hiding for her own protection, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. Adele had lived in the town of Nsimalen, where she was a trader; she was in a relationship with Diane, age 32, who was living with her family in the Odza section of Yaoundé and pursuing an academic education. (Both names are pseudonyms.) On Valentine’s Day, Diane’s younger brother discovered a love card intended for Diane; he saw that it was signed by Adele and figured out that they were a couple.
Although the new Ghana president, John Mahama, has said he wants his regime to come up with its own anti-LGBTQ+ bill, a group of parliament members has resurrected last year’s bill, which never was signed into law, Erasing 76 Crimes noted.This bill would expand on Ghana’s current law that provides a three-year prison sentence for same-sex intimacy, and it would enact the same penalty for those who entered into a same-sex marriage or even attended a same-sex wedding, for example. It would also impose prison sentences of up to 10 years on people who “promote” LGBTQ+-related activity.
In Indonesia, trans TikTok influencer Ratu Thalisa has been jailed for telling “Jesus” to get his hair cut, per PinkNews. During a livestream, Thalisa was told by a viewer to cut her hair to avoid looking like a woman. In response, Thalisa, who is Muslim, held up a photo of Jesus and spoke to it saying: “You should not look like a woman. You should cut your hair so that you will look like his father,” referring to the father of the viewer. Five Christian groups filed a complaint of blasphemy last October, and Thalisa was subsequently arrested. Thalisa has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison, and fined 100,000,000 rupiah ($6,000); human-rights groups have condemned the court’s decision, with Amnesty International calling for Thalisa to be freed immediately.
Sir Elton John reacted to the news that the Trump administration is slashing funds to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), per Queerty. On Instagram, he expressed concern “about the decision by the U.S. Administration to cut more than 90% of contracts held by USAID, many of which they had already deemed ‘lifesaving’. This abrupt action could have devastating effects on the HIV response and put years of progress in jeopardy. Millions of people are alive today thanks to the generosity of the American people and because of effective programs like PEPFAR [the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which President George W. Bush started in 2003]. Today they are unsure of when, or even if they will get the medicine they need to stay alive.”
Talking with The Times, British actor Sir Ian McKellen has advised young gay actors in Hollywood to come out, stating that it is “silly” to remain closeted, per The Independent. The Lord of the Rings actor, who came out as gay in 1988, compared the situation of some young gay actors to that facing closeted Premier League soccer players: “In women’s sport it’s not an issue. I would imagine young [soccer players] are probably, like actors, getting very bad advice from agents who are worried about their own incomes. But the first Premier League [athlete] to come out will become the most famous [soccer player] in the world, with all the agencies begging for his name on their products.” While there has yet to be an openly gay actor to win Best Actor at the Oscars, there have been Oscar-winning actors who came out after winning, such as Marlon Brando and Kevin Spacey.
Out choreographer Jerry Mitchell has joined the producing team for new musical King of Pangea, set to make its world premiere at London’s King’s Head Theatre beginning June 7, per Playbill. The work—which features a book, music, and lyrics by Martin Storrow—will continue performances through July 6, with Richard Israel directing. The opening night will be June 11. The new work, about a man who escapes to an imaginary island from his childhood following the loss of his mother, will mark the first time Tony-winning Kinky Boots director-choreographer Mitchell has been a producer of a musical; he is the creator and currently executive producer of Broadway Cares’ annual fundraiser Broadway Bares.
Rachel Zegler—star of Steven Spielberg’s screen version of West Side Story and the soon-to-be-released Disney live-action movie Snow White (with Gal Gadot)—will make her London theater debut as Eva Perón in a revival of the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita, per Deadline. The show will play at the London Palladium on June 14 through Sept. 6. In a statement, Zegler told Deadline: “Evita has been such an important musical to me since I was a little girl, when my dad and I would sing ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’ together on my back patio.”
World of Wonder announced a new series entering the Drag Race universe—Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale—per a press release. A twist on the “Vs. The World” format popularized by RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs The World and Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs the World, Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale will see fan-favorite queens from previous seasons of Drag Race Philippines take on Asian queens from across the global franchise in a battle for the crown. Most recently, reigning season three winner Maxie won the title of the Philippines’ Drag Superstar, joining the Winner’s Circle alongside previously crowned queens Precious Paula Nicole and Captivating Katkat.
Holly-Anne Hull—who previously played Christine in The Phantom of the Opera in London’s West End—will represent the U.K. in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, according to Playbill. Hull will perform alongside Charlotte Steele and Lauren Byrne in a trio called Remember Monday. Their song, “What the Hell Just Happened?,” is a country-pop comedy anthem to the morning after a one-night-stand.
The Eiffel Tower has a new reason for people to visit it: a suspended foot bridge, the AP noted. The bridge is 40 meters (about 131 feet) long and 60 meters (about 197 feet) above ground and the fully secured structure is accessible from the first floor of Paris’ most famous landmark. The tower welcomed 6.3 million visitors in 2024, and now tourists have the option to walk between pillars.