NOTE: This week’s column contains graphic details of a crime.
In Argentina, Justice Minister Mariano Cúneo Libarona announced the closure of 13 programs launched by the former Women, Gender & Diversity Ministry, per the Buenos Aires Times. The programs include the MenstruAR scheme distributing menstrual hygiene products; a support initiative for families of victims of extreme gender-based violence; and a program to improve access to human-rights policies for trans+ people. “None of the 13 [programs], created between 2020 and 2023, had verifiable evidence of real impact, evaluation criteria or outcome monitoring,” Cúneo Libarona claimed on X. Additional programs that have been shut down by Javier Milei’s government include plans focused on gender training, gender equality in the workplace and rural areas, and citizen and social participation in gender and diversity matters.
Fleur and Wanda (both pseudonyms) are a Cameroonian lesbian couple who have been jailed for homosexuality in the notorious Bertoua Prison, per Erasing 76 Crimes. Upon their conviction, they were sentenced to six months in prison; however, they are now forced to pay their fines to regain their freedom. This site’s Project Not Alone is seeking donations to set them free. In Cameroon, being gay or lesbian is not a crime—but those committing same-sex acts can be sentenced for up to five years in prison under the penal code, while a separate law on cybersecurity penalizes online same-sex sexual propositions.
A gay Guatemalan man deported by the Trump administration despite legal protections is urging a federal court to intervene, describing in a sworn declaration how he now lives in fear for his life, The Advocate noted. “My mother and cousins and other relatives have been helping me out so that I don’t have to go outside very much,” the man, identified as O.C.G., wrote. “I live in fear because of the past hateful [incidents] I experienced.” The administration insists his removal was proper, stating in court documents that “he received notice.” However, “instead of contrition for their misrepresentations, Defendants attempt to confuse the Court,” O.C.G.’s attorneys wrote, stating in a complaint that ICE loaded their client onto a bus and sent him to Mexico—without a hearing. Mexican authorities then deported him to Guatemala, where he’s now in hiding.
More than $17 million were raised for amfAR’s AIDS research programs at the 31st edition of amfAR Gala Cannes, according to a press release. The black-tie gala, which took place at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, was hosted by Oscar-nominated actor, producer and advocate Taraji P. Henson and featured performances by Grammy-winning rock band Duran Duran; Grammy-winning singer/songwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist Ciara; and Grammy-nominated entertainer and current Queen frontman Adam Lambert. Among those attending were Spike Lee, Leonardo DiCaprio, Colman Domingo, Adrien Brody, Michelle Rodriguez, Heidi Klum, Mariska Hargitay, Odell Beckham Jr., Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, James Franco, Georgina Chapman, Coco Rocha and many others. A feature of the evening was the “From Cannes With Love” Collection fashion show, curated by longtime amfAR supporter Carine Roitfeld; Longtime amfAR supporter Klum, a chair of the event, joined fellow event chair Domingo on stage to help Simon de Pury sell the collection in its entirety.
Also at Cannes, the jury awarded the Prix Un Certain Regard to Chilean director Diego Céspedes for his first feature, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo—an offbeat study of a transgender commune living in the Chilean desert around the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, Deadline noted. Even though the film had received mixed reviews, the jury called it “raw and powerful and yet funny and wild” before handing the prize to an astonished Céspedes, who tearfully said his film “began with all the angry lovers who just wanted to love like everybody else.” Also first-timer Harry Lighton won the Best Screenplay award for his queer drama Pillion, about a dom-sub relationship between bikers played by Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling.
The last “LGBTQ-free zone” in Poland is gone, according to The Advocate. The governing council of Łańcut County voted to repeal the resolution that created the zone, formally called a Charter of Family Rights, per Notes From Poland. However, council members made it clear that their motives were financial, as the European Union is withholding funds from cities and counties that had such zones. Nearly 100 municipalities adopted the Charters of Family Rights after the far-right Law and Justice Party won control of Parliament in 2019, and Łańcut County had been the first.
In Haiti, HIV-positive protesters marched toward the office of the country’s prime minister to warn that Haiti is running out of HIV medication just months after the Trump administration cut more than 90% of USAID’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall aid across the globe, Yahoo! News noted. More than 150,000 people in Haiti have HIV or AIDS, according to official estimates—although nonprofits believe the number is much higher. Patrick Jean Noël, who represents Haiti’s Federation of Associations of HIV, said that at least five clinics, including one that served 2,500 patients, had to close after the USAID funding cuts.
Recently, Austrian investigators said they had arrested 15 people in connection with a wave of hate-crime attacks against queer people, DW reported. The 12 men and three women are accused of creating fake dating platform accounts to lure at least 17 LGBTQ+ people to locations where they were attacked. The suspects are between the ages of 14 and 26, and included 11 Austrians, a German citizen, a Croatian, a Romanian and a Slovakian citizen.
A press release noted that Valencia, Spain, is making significant strides in its preparations to host the Gay Games 2026 on June 27 to July 4, 2026. Gay Games Valencia 2026 will feature 37 competitive sports plus two demonstration events; also, several disciplines will welcome athletes with disabilities, embodying the event’s spirit of inclusivity. In addition, 15 parallel cultural events will take place around the city. For more information and to register, visit this link.
ILGA-Europe released its annual Rainbow Map for 2025, providing an analysis of LGBTQ+ rights in 49 European states, The Advocate noted. Seventy-six criteria were used that were broken down into several categories, including equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; asylum; and civil society space. (Key figures included that conversion practices are only barred in 10 countries, with only 22 allowing marriage equality.) Malta (88.83%), Belgium (85.31%) and Iceland (84.06%) were the top three countries, while Russia (2.00%), Azerbaijan (2.25%) and Turkey (4.75%) were the worst.
In France, Joël Le Scouarnec—a 74-year-old pedophile and former surgeon who raped hundreds of victims over a period spanning more than two decades—was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison, the AP reported. Le Scouarnec is already serving a 15-year prison sentence for a conviction in 2020 for the rape and sexual assault of four children, including two nieces. The new trial in Brittany began in February and revealed a pattern of abuse between 1989 and 2014. Most of the victims were unconscious or sedated hospital patients at the time of the assaults—and among the victims were 158 boys and 141 girls.
Out Apple CEO Tim Cook has spent years trying to shield the company from tariffs by reducing its reliance on China, shifting production to countries like India and Vietnam in a strategy that dates back to President Trump’s first-term tariffs on Beijing—but Trump has become an obstacle once again, per Yahoo! Finance. Apple stock erased more than $100 billion from its market cap recently after Trump said the iPhone maker must pay at least a 25% tariff unless its iPhones are made in the United States. Although China still accounts for about 85% of iPhone production, Apple has significantly expanded its manufacturing footprint in recent years, investing heavily in countries like India and Vietnam.
Olympians Gabriella Papadakis and Madison Hubbell are rewriting how skaters approach ice skating, specifically ice dance, by performing together, per the Irish Star. Traditionally, ice dance has been performed by a man and a woman, as the discipline has often been used to portray traditional stories of (presumably straight) love. However, once the two athletes got on the ice and performed during the “Art on Ice,” commentators were blown away by the spectacle as the pair left the audience in awe of what they accomplished. “We made people see other realities,” Papadakis, who is French, said, according to the Washington Post. She added that having both her and Hubbell performing at the same time is indicative of how the world has changed in recent years. “The new generation just doesn’t relate to it anymore.”
British rock band Skunk Anansie—led by queer singer Skin—have released its new album, The Painful Truth, per a press release. To celebrate, the band has also released the focus track “Shame.” The release stated, “Produced by David Sitek of TV On The Radio fame, The Painful Truth is a fresh, frank, uplifting, and richly textured album that proves Skunk Anansie’s knack for writing big pop songs remains defiantly undiminished. If anything, their hooks are sharper than ever, sinking in quicker and hitting harder.” Some of the other tracks include “Animal,” “Fell in Love with a Girl” and “Meltdown.”
Legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve (Belle de Jour; Indochine; The Hunger) has been set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily, per Deadline. The Oscar nominee will be honored during a gala evening at the Teatro Antico, where she will present her most recent film, Spirit World, from director Erik Khoo. Other figures from the world of cinema who will be honored during Taormina’s 71st edition include Martin Scorsese and Michael Douglas. The international jury will be led by Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, with panel support from out British actor Rupert Everett, three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell and more.
British singer Yungblud spoke about being accused of queerbaiting while appearing on an episode of the podcast We Need to Talk, according to Them. “My vibe is like, I don’t know what people want me to say about that,” Yungblud said. “I’ve f**ked everyone under the sun and that’s the vibe. And I love love and if it’s a vibe, it’s a vibe.” He added, “If a person’s a vibe, a person’s a vibe. Rock and roll, man. I’ve been wearing a skirt since I was six. I was into that vibe.” The interview was part of the promotional tour for his upcoming album Idols, the first of a two-part album, that will debut June 20. In a November 2020 cover profile for British queer magazine Attitude, the singer said he identified as polyamorous and pansexual.
Following their performance at the Champions Parade following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Cerrone and genderqueer artist Christine and the Queens have reunited on “Catching Feelings”—the first taste of an upcoming four-track EP filled with fresh new material, per a press release. Their duet took place on the stage surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, as French disco master Cerrone invited Christine and the Queens to join him for a reimagining of “Supernature.” The video for “Catching Feelings” is here.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has created an organization dedicated to offering legal funding for cases concerning what she calls “women’s sex-based rights,” but what many have called anti-trans advocacy, according to Them. The J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund (JKRWF) will be entirely funded by the author turned anti-trans activist, whose net worth was estimated in 2024 to be $1.2 billion. News of the fund comes just a month after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the legal definitions of “man” and “woman” under the country’s Equality Act are based on a person’s “biological sex” as assigned at birth, in a case brought by the anti-trans advocacy group For Women Scotland.