The LGBTIQ+ advocacy group LooM SWANA has published an online safety guide for LGBTQ+ community members and activists in Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA), Erasing 76 Crimes noted.
The guide, “Safety and Security Scenarios and Recommendations for LGBTQ+ Communities in the SWANA Region,” explores scenarios as well as offers solutions and risk mitigations involving cyberbullying and hate speech; data protection on public wi-fi; arrest and digital surveillance; phishing and scams; and entrapment and arrest.
Thanks to a partnership between Rainbow Railroad and the Canadian government, LGBTQ2S+ refugees previously approved for the United States now have the chance to resettle in Canada. Since June 2023, Rainbow Railroad has been working with the federal government to identify and refer up to 250 LGBTQ2S+ refugees to Canada’s Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) program each year. Since the program’s launch, Rainbow Railroad has referred 277 refugees—57 of whom have resettled in Canada so far. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration implemented a resettlement ban in January, leaving refugees intending to move to the States with nowhere to go.
The British Library will symbolically reinstate the reader pass that belonged to Oscar Wilde—130 years after the renowned writer was officially excluded from what was then the British Museum’s Reading Room, per the Museums + Heritage Advisor. Wilde was convicted of “gross indecency” and sentenced to two years of hard labor in 1895 because of his same-sex relationships. The physical pass will be officially presented to Wilde’s grandson, Merlin Holland, at a special event in October. Holland said, “Oscar had been in Pentonville prison for three weeks when his ticket to the British Museum Reading Room was cancelled, so he wouldn’t have known about it, which was probably as well.” The decision to revoke Wilde’s pass is documented in the British Museum’s Standing Committee Papers, located in the museum’s archives.
The South Pacific island nation of Niue repealed its anti-homosexuality law, which it inherited from New Zealand when Niue became independent in 1974, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. The repeal of that old statute lowered the number of nations in this site’s tally of nations with anti-LGBTQ+ laws down to 65. The tiny South Pacific country Niue actually decriminalized homosexuality last June, although it’s taken this long for anyone to notice. There are now only six South Pacific countries with laws against homosexuality: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Samoa.
The guest stars of Yahoo UK’s Queer Voices have shared insight into the LGBTQ+ films and shows they would recommend. Actors such as Layton Williams and Mason Alexander Park as well as comedians like Suzi Ruffell and Jordan Gray picked their preferences. They liked films such as National Anthem (2023), the series Heartstopper (2022-25), the revenge drama Femme (2023), Pride (2014), the UK series Queer as Folk (1999-2000), Hacks (2021-present), I Kissed a Girl (2024-present) and Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019).
In Indonesia, authorities in the city of Bogor (about 40 miles south of Jakarta, the country’s capital) arrested 75 people after they raided a “gay party,” per The Washington Blade. A local police chief reportedly said officers raided the event “following reports from the public regarding ‘gay activities.’” “The Indonesian authorities must end these hate-based and humiliating raids,” said Amnesty International. “No one should be subjected to arrest, intimidation, or public shaming because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.” In 2017, authorities arrested 51 people who were attending a “gay party” at a sauna.
On July 4, Vermont state Rep. Mari Cordes is leaving her state for Nova Scotia in a move that also marks her resignation as a representative, VT Digger noted. As a queer person, a senior and a nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center, Cordes had several personal and political reasons that spurred her decision to resign and relocate, she said. Cordes has feared for her safety as a member of the LGBTQ+ community since President Donald Trump’s first presidential term, and in her past six years as a representative she’s received two death threats, she said. Besides homophobic attitudes, Cordes is also concerned that Trump will slash Social Security.
In the UK, a Derbyshire council removed a Pride flag following a complaint from a Christian bookshop, according to the BBC. Matlock Town Council said it received word that the rainbow flag could be “forcibly removed” from outside Cornerstone Christian Bookshop, so the banner was relocated to another central location. The council claimed the decision was “purely from a health and safety standpoint” and it stood in “full support of the LGBTQIA+ community.” The bookshop’s trustees said they were happy to fly flags but declined to fly the Pride banner as a “matter of conscience and in keeping with our faith and scriptures.”
Cult of Venus released her new single “Sinner” ahead of her European tour as main support with LGBTQ+ artist St. Vincent, per a press release. Cult of Venus stated, “A word used to invoke guilt, ‘Sinner’ is for all women who have been made to feel shame for any part of themselves. It is about radical self acceptance as a road to redemption.” Cult of Venus is a multi-disciplinary performance artist who has played at MOMA PS1, Fotografiska’s Chapel Bar for David LaChappelle’s “FAITH,” and The Women’s March NYC, and has played her music as an artist-in-residence at Riker’s Island women’s jail in New York.
British Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling responded to out actor and countryman Stephen Fry’s recent condemnation of her recent anti-trans crusade by suggesting that, contrary to Fry’s own comments, the two are not (and may never have been) particularly friendly, per LGBTQ Nation. Fry claims TERFs (transgender-exclusionary radical feminists) have radicalized Rowling and he said on The Show People podcast he disagrees with her anti-trans statements. “It is unhelpful and only hardens her and will only continue to harden her I am afraid,” Fry said. “She seems to be a lost cause for us.” Good Law Project director and frequent Rowling critic Jo Maugham shared part of Fry’s quote on X, praising the actor. Rowling shared a screenshot of Maugham’s post, commenting that “It is a great mistake to assume that everyone who claims to have been a friend of mine was ever considered a friend by me.”
A group of activists from Barcelona went to D.C. recently to promote their city’s bid to host WorldPride in 2030, The Washington Blade noted. Pride Barcelona Pride! BCN Social Area Director Maria Giralt, WorldPride Barcelona 2030 Project Manager Andoni Ibáñez and Pride Barcelona’s Roger Presseguer presented the city’s bid at a José Andrés-catered event at the Spanish Cultural Center. Giralt said that 39 LGBTQ+ groups in Barcelona and throughout Catalonia support the bid; the Catalonian government and Spain’s Tourism Institute, known as Turespaña, are also behind it. Madrid, the Spanish capital, hosted WorldPride in 2017. Next year’s WorldPride will take place in Amsterdam, while Cape Town will host WorldPride 2028; Montreal, London and Bangkok are the three other cities in the running to host WorldPride 2030.
All Things Go Festival unveiled the lineup of the inaugural 2025 Toronto edition that will take place Oct. 4-5, per a press release. Headliners include Reneé Rapp, Kacey Musgraves, Remi Wolf, Role Model. The festival features a total of 16 artists, including special guest Charlotte Cardin, Noah Cyrus, Ravyn Lenae, Chelsea Cutler, Blondshell, Valley and Joy Oladokun, among others. The weekend before ATG Toronto, All Things Go returns to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, and Forest Hills Stadium in New York with another lineup highlighting female and LGBTQ+ artists.
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) recently hosted a Global Partner Summit in Tampa that brought together industry leaders from across IGLTA’s global partnership network, a media release noted. The Strategic Forum was led by moderator Zoe Moore, strategic EDI consultant at Moore Consulting Agency. “When Tampa hosted IGLTA’s recent partner summit, it was clear that all attendees remain strongly committed to core values and collaboration towards ensuring an inclusive travel experience is available to everyone,” said Visit Tampa Bay Chief Marketing Officer Patrick Harrison. “Visit Tampa Bay is proud to partner with IGLTA and we look forward to working with them on such an important issue for our industry.” Key takeaways included that ongoing self-assessment is key in DEI work; that clear, actionable metrics for success in DEI initiatives need to be established; and that U.S. and non-U.S. brands require different strategies for success, shaped by their unique cultural and legal frameworks
Even before it’s landed on screens, Bookish—the U&Original series from out gay British actor/creator Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who; Sherlock)—has already been renewed for its second season, per Radio Times. In the series that’s slated to debut next month, Gatiss also helms the show as the “whip-smart and debonair” Gabriel Book. Gatiss said: “I’m thrilled that [I’m being allowed] to dive back into the world of Bookish and create more fiendish crimes for Gabriel Book and the team to solve. I can’t wait for viewers to immerse themselves in the world we’ve created when the first series airs in a few months’ time.”
British director Danny Boyle believes that he couldn’t make his Oscar-winning 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire in present times, per Yahoo! Talking with The Guardian, the 28 Years Later director said, “We wouldn’t be able to make that now—and that’s how it should be. It’s time to reflect on all that. We have to look at the cultural baggage we carry and the mark that we’ve left on the world.” He added, “ At the time, it felt radical. We made the decision that only a handful of us would go to Mumbai. We’d work with a big Indian crew and try to make a film within the culture. But you’re still an outsider. It’s still a flawed method. That kind of cultural appropriation might be sanctioned at certain times. But at other times it cannot be.”
Out gay actor Kevin Spacey received a Maximo Excellent award at the inaugural Italian Global Series Festival as he continued his comeback, Deadline noted. During an acceptance speech, Spacey praised Italian actor/director Franco Nero, who cast him in the 2021 film L’uomo Che Disegno Dio (The Man Who Drew God), stating that Nero had “stepped up to cast me a few years ago when very few had the guts, and I thank him for that.” Spacey has faced various legal issues over the years: He was acquitted of the sexual assault of four men in the UK two years ago, and was found not liable in a U.S. civil case involving actor Anthony Rapp; he is now facing a new suit from another actor, Ruari Cannon, in the UK, who also contributed to a 2024 documentary about Spacey on Channel 4 and Investigation Discovery.
Royal Caribbean announced that iconic singer/actress Diana Ross has accepted the role of godmother to the new Icon-class ship, per Cruise Critic. As godmother, Ross will uphold the time-honored maritime tradition of bestowing safekeeping onto the ship, its crew and passengers during Star of the Seas’ naming ceremony. The event will take place in the new ship’s AquaTheater in August and will include an exclusive performance by Ross. Star of the Seas is scheduled to embark on a three-day showcase voyage on Aug. 20, sailing roundtrip from Port Canaveral to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas; starting Aug. 31, the ship will offer seven-night itineraries to the eastern and western Caribbean.
A documentary in production about the late British-Australian singer/actress Olivia Newton-John will be coming to Netflix, per Deadline. The streamer announced that the untitled project is being directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nicole Newnham and that the work will explore “the music, life, and magic of beloved pop star and cultural phenom Olivia Newton-John.” Newton-John won four Grammys, six American Music Awards, a Daytime Emmy and a Golden Globe nomination (the latter for her work in Grease). She faced several recurrences of breast cancer and died in 2022 at the age of 73.
Netflix’s new Spanish-language soap Olympo has debuted—and there’s a compelling storyline involving out hunky rugby player Roque, played by Agustín Della Corte, Queerty noted. Although Roque has hooked up with guys on the DL—like his supply closet romp with Diego (Gleb Abrosimovv)—he really has his eye on Sebas (Juan Perales). And Roque’s sexuality isn’t just pushed to the sidelines in the series—it becomes an important part of the story in Olympo‘s first season. His openness causes some tension among his team (sexual and otherwise), but it also further thrusts him into the public eye.
Long-running Australian soap Neighbours (which premiered in 1985) is set to end later this year—but it’s going out with a bang, according to Queerty. Recently, the series has begun to explore its first-ever gay love triangle. At the center of it is fan-favorite character Aaron Brennan (played by Matt Wilson), a former exotic dancer. Aaron met and fell in love with David Tanaka (Takaya Honda)—but David died in 2024. Now, David has two love interests: Rhett (Liam Maguire) and Colton Keys (Jakob Ambrose).