NOTE: This week’s column contains graphic details of crimes.
The report From Offline to Cyberspaces: Digital Threats Faced by Sexual and Gender Diverse Individuals in Uganda Post-Anti Homosexuality Act 2023 has been released, per Erasing 76 Crimes.
The research—conducted by Freedom and Roam Uganda, Icebreakers Uganda and Tranz Network Uganda, with funding from Voice Global—analyzed the threats faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Uganda, with a particular focus on the period from May 2023 (when the Anti-Homosexuality Act was enacted) to August 2024, when the research was commissioned. Online, people create anonymous accounts while pretending to be queer, thereby luring unsuspecting victims to meet them and end up being harassed, beaten or tortured; victims are also reportedly coerced to pay certain amounts of money or else be outed or exposed to the public. The full 32-page report is here.
In Colombia, authorities arrested a suspect in the killing of Sara Millerey González—a transgender woman who was raped, beaten, and had her legs, hands and arms broken before being thrown into a ravine, The Advocate reported. (Instead of helping, some witnesses recorded her on video trying in vain to escape the ravine and later posted the item on social media. Millerey González was eventually rescued by first responders and taken to a local hospital.) Juan Camilo Muñoz Gaviria—alias Teta, and a reputed member of the El Mesa drug-trafficking gang—was arrested, the Spanish-language Vanguardia noted. Authorities are still offering a reward of approximately $11,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killers of Millerey González.
The killing of Thai transgender woman Woranun Pannacha—murdered and mutilated by a Chinese tourist—has put a spotlight on the safety of sex workers and the screening of visitors arriving in Thailand, The South China Morning Post reported. The body of Pannacha, 25, was discovered in a rented room in Pattaya, the popular coastal resort city. The suspect—who police identified as 42-year-old Chinese welder Fu Tongyuen—allegedly removed her heart, silicone implants and other body parts. Fu was arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport while attempting to flee the country and later confessed, per The Straits Times. Woranun contacted Fu after initially meeting and they agreed to meet at his apartment where he paid her 8,000 baht ($314.66) for sex; however, Woranun later refused to have sex with him, so Fu demanded a 50% refund, leading to a fight and Fu strangling Pannacha.
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) Foundation announced the launch of the TUI Futureshapers Global LGBTQIA+ Travel Innovators Program via a press release. This initiative is designed to empower LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs in emerging travel markets, and is made possible through the support of the TUI Care Foundation. Participants will benefit from a comprehensive package that includes business training, mentorships, networking opportunities, and pitching competitions and grants. “The aim of the global TUI Futureshapers program is to empower people to turn social and environmental challenges into entrepreneurial opportunities,” said TUI Care Foundation Managing Director Alexander Panczuk (he/him). “Members of the LGBTQ+ community face especially challenging barriers when trying to set up their own enterprises. This program is a unique opportunity to offer tools, resources, expertise and most of all, a support network to help them succeed.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that trans women have been banned from competing in all levels of female cricket with immediate effect, PinkNews noted. In an update to its transgender guidelines, the ECB said “only those whose biological sex is female will be eligible to play in women’s cricket and girls’ cricket matches,” although the board added that trans women and girls can still take part in open and mixed cricket. The decision came after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the definition of the legal definition of a woman solely refers to biological women and excludes trans women. Trans cricketer Danielle McGahey Ribeiro—the first trans woman to play international cricket—said the ECB’s ban is “devastating” for the trans community and that she feels the “pain and injustice of this so deeply.”
In addition, the soccer organization known as the English Football Association (FA) announced that trans women will be barred from playing in women’s soccer in England from June 1, CNN noted. “We understand that this will be difficult for people who simply want to play the game they love in the gender by which they identify, and we are contacting the registered transgender women currently playing to explain the changes and how they can continue to stay involved in the game,” the FA stated. Approximately 20 transgender women could be affected by this ruling, all playing in the amateur levels of the game. The announcement came days after its Scottish counterpart also barred transgender women from playing soccer from the start of next season.
The news outlet Erasing 76 Crimes noted that two teenage girls in a same-sex relationship were turned over to the Faridganj Police Station in Chandpur, Bangladesh—reportedly under pressure from local Islamic fundamentalist groups. The girls were accused of engaging in homosexuality—which actually isn’t against Bangladeshi law, per se; the country’s Penal Code only bans sexual acts between men or “unnatural” acts between men and women. “We did not act on impulse,” the girls reportedly told authorities. “This relationship is based on deep mutual affection and commitment.”
EU Advocate General Jean Richard de la Tour wrote that Poland should honor the rights of same-sex couples who get married in other EU countries, per Courthouse News Service. de la Tour wrote in an advisory opinion for the European Court of Justice that the country should register the marriage certificate of two Polish citizens who wed in 2018 in Germany, where same-sex marriage is legal. In Poland, it is not. The couple planned to move to Poland; however, a clerk refused to transcribe their certificate into the civil register. Officials claim that same-sex marriage runs contrary to the fundamental principles of the Polish legal order.
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Labor Party won the country’s federal election against the right-wing Coalition camp in a race dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump and his trade war, Politico reported. Opposition leader Peter Dutton, Albanese’s main opponent, was projected to not only lose the election, but also his own parliamentary seat—a first for an Australian federal opposition leader. In a reference to Trump and the U.S.-style political campaigning adopted by Dutton, Albanese said, “We do not need to beg, or borrow or copy from anywhere else. We do not seek our inspiration overseas. We find it right here, in our values and in our people.”
Oscar-nominated actors Colman Domingo and Jeremy Strong are in talks about making their debuts at London’s National Theatre, per Deadline. “They’re the real deal, and I want them here at the National,” artistic director/co-chief executive Indhu Rubasingham said. “I’m talking to them about what they might want to do here.” Rubasingham already announced her inaugural season of plays and musicals, featuring actors such as Paul Mescal (Gladiator II), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Monica Barbaro and Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton). Rubasingham and Domingo have a history; in 2013, she invited the openly gay actor to bring his one-man show A Boy and His Soul to the Tricycle Theatre (now known as The Kiln Theatre) when she was artistic director of the arts venue in Kilburn, London.
The U.S. and international film sectors reacted after Donald Trump announced that he is “authorizing” the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to impose a 100% tariff on “any and all” movies produced in “foreign lands,” Deadline noted. (This reportedly happened one day after Trump met with actor Jon Voight to discuss his proposals to bring film production back to the States, per The Guardian.) In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump described foreign productions as a “national security threat” to the U.S. industry, adding that they draw filmmakers overseas but also bring “messaging and propaganda” into the country. “It’s insane,” a veteran UK producer told Deadline. “So U.S. companies can only make U.S. films? James Cameron can’t make Avatar overseas? Who pays the tariffs? Leading independent distributors would all be out of business if it’s them.” “We believe he has no authority to impose tariffs under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, since tariffs are not listed as a remedy under that law,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s senior advisor for communications, Bob Salladay, told Deadline. Trump later indicated that he planned to meet with entertainment industry reps.
Queer Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa will be the UK’s spokesperson for Eurovision 2025, according to PinkNews. Gatwa will join various British personalities who have previously held the staple Eurovision role, including TV figure Rylan Clark, former Doctor Who companion Catherine Tate, Blue singer Duncan James, Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills and Celebrity Big Brother host AJ Odudu; Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley carried out the role last year. Interestingly, the Eurovision Song Contest will take place on May 17—the same day the BBC will air a brand new episode of Doctor Who entitled “Intergalactic Song Contest,” which will see a version of the Eurovision Song Contest take place in space.
English soccer player Sam Finley received a 13-game suspension for allegedly yelling a gay slur at an opponent during a match, Outsports noted. “Sam Finley subsequently admitted the charge against him,” English Football Association (FA) wrote. “The Regulatory Commission imposed his sanctions following a hearing.” According to the BBC, Finley—a midfielder with the Tranmere Rovers FC—was previously sanctioned in 2016 for reportedly using derogatory language, and then again in 2020. Chants that are deemed derogatory against gay people are continually used across the sport; for example, in the United States, the “puto” slur continues to be heard in Major League Soccer stadiums and any time the Mexico National Team competes.
British Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling reacted to an article speculating about whether she will “sack” actor Paapa Essiedu, who has been cast in the upcoming series as Potions Professor Severus Snape, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Recently, Essiedu—along with Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne and Harry Potter film series actor Katie Leung, and more than 400 others—signed an open letter that called upon the United Kingdom’s entertainment industry to commit to protecting the trans community. Rowling (known for her anti-trans stance) later stated on social media, “I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.”
Anti-LGBTQ+ Jamaican murder-music artist Sizzla is scheduled to return to Canada in Toronto in September, following his appearance in Montreal in July 2024, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Performer of the 2001 song “Pump Up”—which contains explicit calls for violence against queer people—his arrival on Canadian soil has yet to cause a stir. Sizzla performs such songs even after signing the Compassionate Act in 2007; that was a pledge made by certain dancehall artists to renounce lyrics inciting violence, particularly against LGBTQ+ people. That same year, protests by the Stop Murder Music Canada coalition led to Sizzla’s concerts in Montreal and Toronto being canceled.
Francesca Gregorini’s Anna Nicole Smith biopic, Hurricanna, will be on sale at the upcoming Cannes Market with Millennium Media and UTA, per Deadline. The film—which follows the chaotic final 24 hours of Smith’s life—stars Holly Hunter, Mark Duplass and Sylvia Hoeks, and it is told from the fragmented and colliding perspectives of Smith, her psychiatrist and her former lover. Cannes Market runs May 13- 21.
In the world of rugby, New Zealand’s women and South Africa’s men were crowned HSBC SVNS 2025 champions after prevailing at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, per a press release. South Africa claimed its fifth men’s Series title, and first since 2021, by beating Spain 19-5; The women’s final featured Olympic gold medallists New Zealand and reigning SVNS champions Australia—with New Zealand thumping the opposition 31-7.
Italian fashion designer Riccardo Tisci has been accused of sexual misconduct, according to a new lawsuit that claims he drugged and assaulted a man in 2024, per USA Today. The complaint—filed on behalf of a man named Patrick Cooper in New York Supreme Court on April 29—alleges that Tisci, 50, spiked Cooper’s drink before taking him back to his residence and sexually assaulting him. The assault is alleged to have taken place in June at 2 Sisters 4 Brothers Restaurant and Lounge in NYC. Tisci, through a spokesperson, vehemently denied the claims.