In Hungary, tens of thousands of people marched through Budapest as a banned LGBTQ+-rights rally swelled into a mass anti-government demonstration, per Reuters. It was one of the biggest shows of opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Orban’s government has gradually taken away the rights of the queer community in the past decade, and lawmakers passed a law in March that barred Pride marches, citing the need to protect children. Marchers included students, families and people from the countryside who said they had never attended a rally before; the Erzsebet bridge, built to carry six lanes of traffic, was deluged with people.
In Australia, regulations that effectively banned all sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating blood and plasma are being lifted in Australia, per the BBC. However, the blood-donation service Lifeblood said that Australia will also become the first country in the world to remove all sexual activity-based restrictions on plasma donation. The country’s health products regulator okayed the changes, which are estimated to expand the donation pool by 625,000 people. Under the new rules, Lifeblood will no longer ask men if they had sex with men in the previous three months. Instead, all donors will be asked if they have had anal sex with new or multiple partners; if the answer is yes, they will need to wait three months to donate blood, but are still eligible to donate plasma.
In Japan, a same-sex partnership system first introduced by Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward in 2015 is now available to 92.5% of the population, Kyodo News noted. As of May 31, 530 local governments have implemented the system and 9,836 couples have registered. Japan is the only Group of Seven country that has not legalized same-sex marriage. While the current partnership certification system gives queer couples access to a limited number of public services, such certificates are not legally valid. Lawsuits have been filed across the country arguing that the state’s lack of legal recognition for marriage equality violates the right to equality under the Constitution.
A London court upheld a Cayman Islands law legalizing same-sex civil partnerships—a move that could turn the tide for other British overseas territories battling for LGBTQ+ rights, The Guardian reported. The privy council, the final court of appeal for the British overseas territory, rejected an appeal that had argued the Caribbean island’s governor had no right to enact the bill because lawmakers had rejected similar legislation. The statutory change came in 2020 following a landmark court case brought by a lesbian couple—Caymanian lawyer Chantelle Day and her partner Vickie Bodden Bush, a nurse—after they were denied permission to marry.
The Hong Kong government proposed to establish a registration system for same-sex couples who are married or registered overseas in order to receive legal recognition, Reuters reported. Two years ago, Hong Kong’s top court partially approved a landmark appeal by queer-rights activist Jimmy Sham for the recognition of same-sex marriages. The judges dismissed Sham’s appeal that he had a constitutional right to a same-sex marriage in Hong Kong; however, it gave the government two years to ensure that rights such as access to hospitals and inheritance could be protected for same-sex couples.
At least 30 writers, nearly all of them women in their 20s, have been arrested across China since February for writing gay erotic fiction, the BBC reported. Many are out on bail or awaiting trial, but some are still in custody. These writers are being accused of breaking China’s pornography law for “producing and distributing obscene material”—and authors who earn a profit could be jailed for more than 10 years. Although authors of heterosexual erotica have been jailed in China, some have said the genre is subjected to far less censorship. Online, the crackdown has unleashed a debate—and a rare pushback against the law.
In India, the Madras High Court ruled that same-sex couples can form families, per Erasing 76 Crimes. The decision was in response to a habeas corpus petition from a 25-year-old woman who protested the detention of her partner by the partner’s parents. The partner, an adult, confirmed before the court that her parents had confined her against her will at their home; the court then ruled that the detained partner could leave the parents and stay with the petitioner. Even though the Indian Supreme Court has not legalized same-sex marriage, the court said that marriage is not the only basis for forming a family.
The LGBTQ+-advocacy group Outright International is filling the void created by President Trump’s cancellation of reporting on the status of queer people’s human rights by releasing its own set of country overview reports, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. “Anticipating this lacuna that sets U.S. human rights reporting more than 30 years back, Outright is pleased to launch our new Country Overviews on the human rights and inclusion of people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics,” Outright International said in a press release. The new reports are typically much more succinct than what the State Department previously produced but still provide crucial insight. For example, regarding Brazil, it’s stated, “In Brazil, the human rights of LGBTIQ people have seen significant advances, but the situation remains complex and, in some cases, troubling. Marriage equality has been legal since 2013, when the right was recognized by the Supreme Court. However, there are efforts in Congress to repeal it, driven by lawmakers linked to anti-gender and anti-democratic groups.”
A South African queer couple’s social-media campaign to highlight the challenges faced by Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community has sparked controversy, including threats of arrest and criticism, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. The duo, Lue and Rue, shared photos on Instagram and Facebook showing themselves in Ghana, expressing affection in front of iconic landmarks such as Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square, in that country’s capital of Accra; they said, in part, “Through the #ShowGhanaLove campaign, we’re confronting the erasure and criminalisation of queer people by love-bombing Ghana’s iconic landmarks of freedom, showing that until queer people are free, no one truly is.” However, among others, the campaign enraged queerphobic Ghana MP and anti-LGBTQ+ bill sponsor Sam George, who criticized the couple in a Facebook post. George urged authorities to “identify the two miscreants in the viral photos and apply the full rigors of existing laws on them.”
In the world of soccer ahead of the 2025 Euros, former England Lioness Fran Kirby defended LGBTQ+ players’ right to privacy, PinkNews noted. In an exclusive interview with the outlet at the iagogo Tournament Goals event in London, Kirby said, “If someone is willing to be open about who they are, what they represent and who they are dating, then I think that’s absolutely fair. And I think if someone decides to not share that information, I think it should be respected.” Kirby added that the players in the women’s game are perceived to be “much more accessible” compared to male players, who possibly aren’t expected to divulge their private lives to the public. Also, Kirby, who is lesbian, reiterated to let players “express who they are to you, and don’t attack them if they don’t.”
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova responded after Pedro Pascal called JK Rowling’s antics “heinous loser behavior,” PinkNews noted. The Fantastic Four star Pasca—whose sister Lux is trans—criticized the Harry Potter author for her gleeful reaction to the UK Supreme Court’s decision regarding the definitions of the words “sex” and “woman” in the 2010 Equality Act. Navratilova, who has campaigned against trans inclusion in sports, has also weighed in, saying Pascal was a “another Johnny-come-lately telling women to STFU.”
New Zealand “Royals” singer Lorde is stirring controversy on social media because of the artwork from her latest album, Virgin, per USA Today. The vinyl edition of the album features an eight-page photo booklet, according to Lorde’s official website. The product description includes the advisory warning, “Adult images.” One of the images reportedly includes a nude shot of Lorde, with the photo showing the crotch of an individual wearing see-through pants. The 11-track LP, co-produced and -written by Lorde (real name: Ella Yelich-O’Connor), marks the alternative pop singer’s return to the music scene after 2021’s Solar Power. In support of Virgin, Lorde will be embarking on her biggest tour yet, UltraSound, which has already sold out multiple nights at venues including Chicago’s United Center, NYC’s Madison Square Garden, London’s O2 Arena, Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena and California’s Kia Forum, per a press release.
In the UK, the BBC tried to skirt controversial Irish band Kneecap by not showing the group’s set as part of its live wall-to-wall Glastonbury coverage—but ran into trouble with its substitute act as well, per Deadline. British duo Bob Vylan led thousands of crowd-members in chants of “Death, Death To The IDF” [Israel Defense Force] and “Free, Free Palestine” during its set, and the packed crowd was studded with Palestinian flags. Kneecap performed its set to a capacity crowd shortly after Bob Vylan and led the crowd in chants of “Fuck Keir Starmer” and “Free Palestine.” Kneecap band member Mo Chara is facing terror charges in the UK for allegedly showing support for Hamas and Hezbollah—both considered terror organizations by the UK government. The BBC later said that it should not have aired Bob Vylan’s set, adding, “the antisemitic sentiments were utterly unacceptable,” per Variety; the band was later dropped by its agency, UTA; and the U.S. revoked the members’ visas.
Also in the UK, soccer champion Millwall was fined £15,000 ($20,500) after fans directed anti-gay chants at Crystal Palace player Ben Chilwell, PinkNews noted. An independent regulatory commission also imposed an extended anti-discrimination action plan on the club until the end of the 2025-26 season and issued a warning for misconduct, in relation to crowd control during a fifth-round FA Cup tie against Premier League Crystal Palace in March. Millwall admitted the charges brought in relation to the “Chelsea rent boy” chant aimed at Chilwell, who was on loan from the West London club. “The club reaffirms its zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of discrimination,” a club spokesperson said. “Such behavior has no place in society and is entirely at odds with the values Millwall stands for.”
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation recently ran a piece on Canberra’s Pink Tennis Club—the oldest queer tennis organization in the country/continent. The club launched in 1978—only two years after homosexuality was decriminalized in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory, where Canberra is located). The club prides itself on creating an inclusive space for Canberra’s LGBTQIA+ community, both on and off the court.
Global K-pop act BTS officially confirmed its comeback, revealing on a Weverse livestream that the group will return in spring 2026 with new music and a world tour, Variety noted. The group has been on hiatus for two years due to solo ventures and military obligations. The half-hour stream marked the first time all seven members—Jung Kook, V, Jimin, Suga, Jin, J-Hope and RM—broadcast live together since September 2022. BTS’ last album as a group was 2022’s Proof; since then, all of its members have released solo music.
French drummer/composer Cerrone and French queer artist Christine and the Queens have released their Catching Feelings EP via Because Music, according to a press release. The four tracks include the title tune, “Give It to Me,” “Last One” and “Supernature MMXXV (Purple Disco Machine remix).” The release described the track “Catching Feelings” as “a song of freedom in the flesh, a call to a lover. A vow for boldness. Something the younger generation of today, tired of boxes and endless etiquettes about who they could be, could certainly connect to.”
Host/model Tyra Banks has opened an ice-cream shop in Australia in honor of her mother, Carolyn London, per The Chicago Defender. “She had no idea. I kept it a secret from my mom,” Banks captioned a video. “Then I surprised her with her first look at the @SMiZEandDREAM flagship in Sydney. She had no idea what to expect. Her reaction? I’ll never forget it. Ever. This is all for you, Mama Carolyn.”