NOTE: This week’s column mentions details of a sexual assault.
In Bangladesh, authorities arrested Dhaka University chemistry professor Ershad Halim for allegedly sexually assaulting male students over an extended period, Erasing 76 Crimes reported. Halim said he was not guilty while in a court hearing; however, he was denied bail and was sent to prison. The queer-rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in Paris said he was the victim of an anti-gay conspiracy by pro-Islamist students who made false allegations against him because he is LGBTQ+.
Ghana President John Dramani Mahama promised to sign an anti-LGBTQ+ bill that could send queer and trans people as well as their allies to prison, should the bill be approved by the nation’s parliament, according to Them. The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill—also called the “Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill”—was introduced in response to an LGBTQ+ community center opening in the capital city of Accra in January 2021; the center closed a month later because of opposition from anti-queer groups.
A new version of the bill would implement prison terms of up to three years for people who identify as LGBTQ+, people who seek gender-affirming care and people who have same-sex relations; it would also enact prison terms of up to 10 years for people who “promote or support” LGBTQ+ inclusion.
In the UK, openly gay member of Parliament Josh Newbury spoke in the House of Commons during the International Men’s Day debate about being raped in order to highlight and challenge the stigma victims of sexual assault face, LGBTQ Nation noted. Newbury said that he unexpectedly blacked out in a strange city a decade ago and had no memory of the night; subsequent messages from the man he shared a room with made it clear that sexual activities had taken place that he could not have been in a position to consent to. Newbury added that he never reported it because of a lack of physical evidence and that he still feels guilt about that.
Udo Kier—an LGBTQ+ German actor and cult icon who collaborated with Andy Warhol, Madonna and many others—has died at age 81, according to Variety. Kier’s partner, artist Delbert McBride, broke the news. Kier starred in the titular roles in 1973’s Flesh for Frankenstein and 1974’s Blood for Dracula; Warhol produced both films. In 1991, gay director Gus Van Sant widely introduced Kier to U.S. audiences with his coming-of-age drama My Own Private Idaho, alongside stars River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. Kier credited Van Sant with securing him a U.S. work permit and a SAG card.
On Oct. 31, in recognition of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Month, Outright launched a new interactive map and set of country profiles to answer where—and how—LGBTQ+ people are included in National Action Plans on Women, Peace, and Security, according to a newsletter. The new map brings together 22 country profiles that show where LGBTQ+ people are named, protected and engaged inside WPS plans and where gaps remain. The WPS agenda is a United Nations framework created by the Security Council to make sure gender is at the center of conflict prevention, response and recovery.
Project Not Alone 2025—a legal-aid initiative that the Erasing 76 Crimes news site runs to help innocent imprisoned queer people in Africa—helped free imprisoned gay man Sully (an alias) in Nigeria, the outlet noted. Sully was among 12 LGBTQ+ prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria who Project Not Alone 2025 aimed to set free this year by paying their fines and, when needed, finding lawyers to represent them; none of them had been charged with anything other than homosexuality. Sully said that officers asked for 900,000 naira (about US $620) if he wanted to avoid charges, adding, “They said if I didn’t pay, I would rot in prison.”
A new exhibition opening at the National Museum (Nasjonalmuseet) of Norway, in Oslo, explores queer desires and practices in the visual cultures of the Islamic world, The Art Newspaper noted. Deviant Ornaments (running through March 15, 2026)—curated by Noor Bhangu, a South Asian curator and scholar based in Norway—brings together more than 40 works from the past 1,000 years, connecting historical traditions and items with the works of 12 contemporary artists such as London-born Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Toronto-based Alize Zorlutuna. Queer depictions in Islamic art are considered sensitive because homosexuality is considered taboo and, in many cases, illegal in most Muslim communities.
RoMagic: Proudly Queer. Unapologetically Roma is a photographic exhibition that has been on display in the cities of Brussels, Belgrade and Bucharest in recent months, Balkan Insight noted. Organized by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), RoMagic includes intimate portraits and audio stories of queer Roma people from Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Serbia. “LGBTIQ+ Roma are so marginalized, so invisible, that the first step must simply be to affirm that we exist,” said ERRC President Djordje Jovanovic. “I hope this project gives our families words of courage and strengthens younger generations to choose life even when the struggle feels unbearable.”
In the Canadian province of Manitoba, a majority of Progressive Conservative (PC) members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) refused to stand in the chamber following a statement recognizing the Transgender Day of Remembrance—and was met with backlash, CBC noted. Government MLAs repeatedly heckled the Tories and the premier called the PC leader a “bigot.”
PC leader Obby Khan claimed that he remained seated because the speech was politically charged and touched on other matters, rather than commemorating and honoring the trans community. The initial speech was read by Kirkfield Park MLA Logan Oxenham, the first openly transgender person elected to Manitoba’s legislature.
Queer British singer Yungblud has collaborated with the iconic band Aerosmith on the EP One More Time, out now via Capitol Records, per a press release. Marking Aerosmith’s first new music in more than 12 years, the five-track collection features four original songs co-written by the acts and a remix of “Back in the Saddle.” They introduced the EP with the lead single, “My Only Angel,” released in September alongside an accompanying visual.
An adaptation of Rachel Reid’s gay hockey romance novel, Heated Rivalry, has sold to HBO Max in the U.S. and Australia, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The six-episode series centers around two rival professional hockey players—Canadian-born Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) of the fictitious Montreal Metros and Russian-born Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) of the fictitious Boston Raiders—as they navigate a years-long secret fling. HBO Max acquired the series to air parallel to its Crave release in Canada following the Nov. 28 premiere on Nov. 28. The show will also air on Sky in New Zealand and Moviestar Plus+ in Spain.
The Eurovision Song Contest is changing rules regarding voting and promotion following the controversy caused by Israel’s second-place result at this year’s competition, NME noted. Fans will now only be able to cast 10 votes each—down from 20—and juries will return for the semifinals for the first time since 2022, meaning there will be a 50-50 split vote between jury and audience votes at the final. “We’ve listened and we’ve acted,” said Eurovision director Martin Green, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The neutrality and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest is of paramount importance to the EBU, its members, and all our audiences.”
The U.S. ended its ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating season, wrapping the six-event series with four medals at the 2025 Finlandia Trophy, bringing the overall 2025 series medal count to 15 and tying for the most U.S. medals since 2022, U.S. Figure Skating noted. Queer skater Amber Glenn’s silver-medal performance in Helsinki was the fifth consecutive Grand Prix medal for her; she also clinched gold last season at the Grand Prix Final. The U.S. has now officially qualified five entries for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2025 in Nagoya, Japan, on Dec. 4-7.
Gay Australian singer Darren Hayes (formerly of Savage Garden) detailed to People about a horrific fall he suffered earlier this year. “In March, I went to get out of bed one day, and I collapsed three times in a period of seven minutes,” he said. “I was in so much pain. What I didn’t realize was that I’d snapped my jaw in half. I had broken 17 teeth.” The last few years have been difficult for Hayes. Less than a year after the release of his album Homosexual in October 2022, the singer-songwriter filed for divorce from his husband of 17 years, Richard Cullen. Hayes’ mother, Judy, then died in January 2025—during the same week that his abusive and estranged father, Robert, also died.
The UK’s only museum dedicated to the vagina paused sales of its products to the United States amid Donald Trump’s global trade tariffs, per Yahoo! The Vagina Museum sells items including postcards, magnets, stickers and tea towels featuring the female anatomy; however, the products were subject to Trump’s 10% baseline tariff that came into effect in August.
Embattled gay actor Kevin Spacey said that he is biding time in hopes of overcoming a sex scandal that’s sidelined him from Hollywood for nearly a decade, NBC News noted. In a lengthy interview with the British outlet The Telegraph, Spacey—who’s working as a singer in Cyprus—stopped just short of calling himself homeless (as he’s living in hotels and Airbnb units), but said his financial situation is “not great.” The Oscar winner has been persona non grata in Tinseltown since actor Anthony Rapp told Buzzfeed in 2017 that Spacey made a sexual advance on him at a party in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. In 2023, a London criminal court found Spacey not guilty of allegedly sexually assaulting four men.
Married at First Sight UK same-sex couple Keye Luke and Davide Anica split after Luke created a Grindr profile while Anica was away working, claiming he “was not looking to cheat,” Attitude noted. Luke, a marketing manager from London, and Anica, a cabin crew member, were fan favorites of the 2025 season. Luke said he downloaded the gay dating app during a “dark and fragile” moment and used it as an unhealthy coping mechanism.