The EU criticized Hungary after the country passed a measure banning Pride celebrations and allowing law enforcement to use facial recognition technology to find people who attend such events, LGBTQ Nation noted. “We stand with the LGBTQI community—in Hungary & in all Member States,” EU Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib posted on social media. “The right to gather peacefully is a fundamental right to be championed across the European Union.” According to the AFP, the European Commission—the EU’s executive branch—said that it has not yet considered taking action against Hungary for the bill since it has not yet officially become law.
The president of Spain’s Catholic bishops conference, Archbishop Luis Argüello Garcia, publicly rejected so-called “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ people, saying the church does not support it and that such therapies are “not within the scope of its pastoral action,” according to New Ways Ministry. Government minister Ana Redondo met with Argüello Garcia to discuss claims that several Catholic dioceses in Spain offered workshops or courses on “sexual conversion for LGBTQI+ people.” Argüello and Redondo also covered the admission of LGBTQ+ people to communion since a local parish in the diocese of Segovia had denied communion to the town’s openly gay mayor. However, Argüello Garcia denied that this decision was discriminatory, “since the basic norm for receiving communion, which is to be in the grace of God, affects all Catholics equally, regardless of any other condition, including sexual orientation.”
The IGLTA Foundation—the philanthropic arm of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA)—released its Comprehensive Guide for LGBTQ+ Inclusive Communication in Tourism, a media release announced. This resource, created through a partnership with Miles Partnership in collaboration with HospitableMe, is designed to help travel professionals use language as a tool to better support LGBTQ+ travelers. “Inclusivity starts with communication, and the words we use matter. They play a powerful role in making people feel seen and valued,” said IGLTA President/CEO John Tanzella. “While language is complex and constantly evolving, we hope this guide serves as a starting point for companies to build a deeper understanding, ensuring that LGBTQ+ travelers experience respect and belonging at every touchpoint.” The guide covers everything from welcoming spaces to staff training/customer service.
Also, the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) is accepting speaker proposals for its 2025 Global Convention, taking place Oct. 21-25 in Palm Springs, California, per a separate press release. Key areas of interest include AI in travel; intersectionality in LGBTQ+ tourism; strategies to navigate DEI challenges; innovative LGBTQ+ marketing; and support for travel advisors. The deadline for submissions is May 12. The IGLTA Convention Committee will review all proposals and announce selected speakers in June. Apply here.
Britain’s Prince Harry, the duke of Sussex, said he was “in shock” after quitting as a patron of Sentebale, a British organization he set up to help young people with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana, according to CNN. Co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, as well as the board of trustees, joined Harry in leaving Sentebale following a dispute with chair Sophie Chandauka, who has taken legal action to try to keep her position. Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006 in honor of his mother, Princess Diana, almost a decade after she was killed in a Paris car crash.
Australia’s first out gay male professional soccer player, Josh Cavallo, said he receives death threats every day and would find it difficult to encourage other athletes to come out due to the sport’s “toxic” environment, The Guardian noted. The Adelaide United midfielder—who came out in 2021—said that despite his club’s and coaches’ support of his openness about his sexuality, the revelation brought him a lot of pressure and negativity. On Fifpro’s Footballers Unfiltered podcast, Cavallo said, “We’re a very, very long way off acceptance in this space. So, these are factors that people will consider in their coming out and they might not be out now, but coming out brings all this attention, it brings all this pressure, brings all this negativity that will affect their game in the long run.”
The sports governing body World Athletics stated that competitors entering female competitions must undertake mandatory sex testing, according to PinkNews. The international athletics organization said that the tests—which come as part of its campaign to “protect women’s sports”—would seek to verify if a competitor has undergone male puberty or has a difference in sex development that provides so-called “testosterone advantages.” The decision comes following concerns over the future of trans participation in the 2028 LA Olympics following U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that there are only “two sexes—male and female.” While the International Olympics Committee (IOC) has exercised a policy of inclusion, incoming President Kirsty Coventry has previously said she aims to “protect the female category and athletes” from trans competitors.
In Guadeloupe, with Secret’s Out, Queer Gang and Lovo Nova are partnering to offer social activities for the island’s queer community, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. Among other things, there’s an after-work event called Kaz Queer. Secret’s Out President Leïla said, “It is regular events like these that help to unite social groups and communities, and during these times of distance, we encourage confidences, storytelling, advice, leadership, as well as times for games and fun.” Leila is also invited to speak in prisons or schools, adding, “Each time, the issue of religion is extremely pressing, but nevertheless, I find that the audience is eager for discussion while respecting everyone’s beliefs.” Guadeloupe, a French region, consists of an island group in the southern Caribbean Sea.
The gay Italian parents of a child who was recently born in San Diego, California, via surrogacy say they are too afraid to return home since Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government enacted a restrictive law against what she described as “procreative tourism,” The Guardian reported. The couple could be among the first Italians to be prosecuted under the law, enacted in early December, which extended a ban on domestic surrogacy by making it a universal crime that transcends borders—putting them in the same league with terrorists, pedophiles and war criminals. The measure can lead to prison terms of up to two years and huge fines. Until the international ban was enacted, an estimated 250 Italian couples sought surrogacy overseas—the vast majority of them straight people who wanted surrogates for health reasons.
In a recent cover story interview for Rolling Stone UK, Sir Elton John stated that live performances are the best way to discover early on who you are as an artist, per American Songwriter. “It doesn’t matter if you’re playing to 40 people,” he said. “The more experience you get playing to nobody, the better. Because when I played in Musicology, we played to hardly anybody sometimes. That experience stood me in great stead for when I became Elton John because I had backbone. And backbone is so important.” He added a warning about reality shows like American Idol, saying that overnight fame can be harmful for someone who has no experience performing live: “Take risks—go and play in a pub.”
Queer British actor/director Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding) talked about his past with UK singer Paloma Faith on her podcast, Mad, Sad and Bad, according to Queerty. Among other things, he said he missed the early ‘80s, when he was enjoying the sexual freedom London afforded him while he lived near Earls Court in West London, then a popular gay hot spot. Everett said, “I’ve become more conservative as I’ve [gotten] older. [He’s 65.] I look back on the time, for example, this town [London], when I first came to it in the 1970s, when it was very rough and tumble, and sexuality … no one really thought of it in the same way. Being gay, for example, in the ’70s, was quite a magical thing, considering it had only just been legalized.”
In Tokyo, Netflix revealed that it has ordered a second season of the gay series The Boyfriend, which is famously Japan’s very first same-sex reality show, according to IMDb, citing The Hollywood Reporter. The first season, which premiered July 9, won over viewers both globally and in Japan, landing on Netflix’s weekly top-10 list of most-watched series for six consecutive weeks. The show’s format features a cast of nine Japanese and East Asian men, who identify as gay or bisexual, living together for a month in a luxury house known as the “Green Room.”
Singer Kim Wilde (“Kids in America”) has been announced as one of the main acts for Bristol Pride—one of the UK’s largest Pride events, the BBC revealed. The Afternoon Legend slot has previously featured acts such as The Human league and Natalie Imbruglia. Pride has a wide ranging program of events running between June 28 and July 13, with the main Pride celebration happening July 12. Bristol Pride’s main headliner has not yet been announced but other acts already named include dance-floor act Cascada and U.S. club-music icon Ultra Naté, among others.
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), a players’ association and two teams (the Orlando Pride and Gotham FC) condemned fans’ transphobic and racist abuse of Orlando Pride striker Barbra Banda during a recent match at the Sports Illustrated Stadium, in Harrison, New Jersey, PinkNews noted. The league will work with Gotham FC to investigate the incident and take action, the NWSL added: “Barbra Banda is an exceptional player and person, and the NWSL is immensely proud to support her as a member of our league.” Banda, a cisgender woman, faced similar abuse last year after being named the BBC women’s soccer player of the year. She was left out of Zambia’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations team in 2022 after she was allegedly found to have high testosterone levels.
Baby Reindeer—the brainchild of LGBTQ+ writer/actor Richard Gadd—led all productions for the BAFTA TV and Craft Awards with eight nominations, including Limited Drama, Leading Actor for creator Gadd, and two Supporting Actresses in Jessica Gunning and Nava Mau, according to Deadline. Mau is the first openly transgender nominee at the BAFTA TV Awards, several weeks after Karla Sofía Gascón achieved the same in film. Apple TV+’s Slow Horses and Disney+’s Rivals have six nods apiece, with Gary Oldman for the former and David Tennant for the latter doing battle in the Leading Actor category. The BBC received 75 nominations, catapulting the corporation comfortably to number one ahead of Channel 4 (27) and Netflix (26). The BAFTAs take place Sunday, May 11, at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
The BBC comedy Smoggie Queens, inspired by the success of RuPaul’s Drag Race, is coming back for a second season, per Deadline. The show—starring comedian Phil Dunning—follows a group of queer people as they navigate love, life and their pride for the UK town of Middlesborough. Season one starred Dunning alongside Mark Benton, Alexandra Mardell, Patsy Lowe and Elijah Young, with guests including Peaky Blinders star Charlotte Riley and RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage.
Anti-LGBTQ+ activist and former actor Laurence Fox has been charged with a sexual offense after allegedly sharing an “upskirt” image of broadcaster Narinder Kaur on social media, according to PinkNews. Later, Fox apologized to Kaur online—then added that it wasn’t his “fault” the compromising photo of Kaur had been taken more than 15 years ago. “Upskirting” refers to when a person takes a photo or video under a person’s clothing without his/her/their consent; it became a specific offense under the 2019 Voyeurism (Offenses) Act, which amended the 2003 Sexual Offenses Act.
Tom Cruise is to receive a BFI Fellowship—the highest honor bestowed by the UK’s lead organization for film, Deadline noted. The award will be presented to Cruise at the BFI Chair’s dinner in London on May 12 at an event hosted by BFI Chair Jay Hunt. The day before, Cruise will take part in an onstage In Conversation session at the BFI Southbank to discuss his decades-long career. Also, a season of 27 films featuring Cruise will screen at the BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX throughout May.