Three months after the West African nation of Burkina Faso enacted a law against same-sex relations, its government sentenced the first man for violating that law and sentenced him to two years in prison, per Erasing 76 Crimes. According to publicly available information from the Burkina Faso Ministry of Justice, an individual identified as K.M. was sentenced to two years in prison, a fine of 2,000,000 CFA francs (about U.S. $3,572), and ordered expelled from Burkina Faso following completion of the sentence. The ministry only said that the individual was charged with “homosexuality and related practices” under Article 210-3 of Law No. 012-2025/ALT, a new legal provision passed in September 2025 that criminalizes consensual same-sex conduct with up to five years in prison and substantial fines.
Fifteen men were arrested on suspicion of committing “unnatural acts” in Senegal after an investigation that began with a complaint from a marabout, a Muslim holy man, about the theft of a cellphone, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. In Senegal, committing “unnatural acts”—meaning same-sex relations—is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to CFA 1,500,000 (approximately $2,700 U.S.). A court sentenced six out of a total of 18 men to two years in prison for criminal conspiracy, indecent acts and dissemination of images contrary to public decency, while four others are still awaiting sentencing, according to Senenews.
In Australia, a Curtin University-led project will investigate how vaccinations may help reduce the risk of anal cancer after being awarded more than $1 million in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding, Out in Perth noted. Rates of anal cancer are growing in Australia, particularly among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. In 90% of cases, human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of anal cancer.
Rosa von Praunheim—a key figure of the New German Cinema movement who made films about queer life and scandalized the country when he outed German celebrities on live TV—has died at age 83, The Guardian reported. He died just days after marrying his long-term partner at a ceremony in Berlin. Born Holger Radtke in Riga in 1942, the filmmaker adopted the female stage name Rosa von Praunheim in reference to the pink triangles (rosa winkel) that “sexual offenders” (such as gay and bisexual men) were made to wear as badges of shame in Nazi concentration camps.
Rahmad Khan Mohammadi, 23, and Mohammed Bilal Hotak, 21—two men who were part of what police have called “London’s most prolific Grindr gang”—have been jailed for a combined eight-and-a-half years after using the gay dating app to target victims, the BBC noted. The men stole phones, passports and wallets in 35 burglaries and 20 related frauds, authorities said. Sentencing the pair at Isleworth Crown Court, Judge Adenike Bologun said the men relied on victims “being too embarrassed to report the crime.” However, Bologun added that she wasn’t persuaded that the crimes showed hostility to the victims based on their sexual orientation, adding that “this was an opportunistic offense.”
And in another Grindr-related development, Reuters noted that the privacy advocacy group None of Your Business (or noyb) filed complaints to Austria’s data protection authority against TikTok, Grindr and AppsFlyer, alleging these companies breached regional privacy laws, risking exposure of sensitive data. The Vienna-based organization alleged the companies violated European Union privacy laws by tracking user activities across apps without consent. noyb told the outlet that a user discovered that TikTok had accessed sensitive details from other apps, including the person’s “use of Grindr, LinkedIn” and a product they had added to a shopping cart.
The Kazakhstan Senate approved a bill to ban so-called LGBTQ+ propaganda, per Erasing 76 Crimes. The measure has been sent to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for his signature, which he is expected to give. The action aligns the Central Asian nation more closely to Russia, which has banned positive depictions of the queer community since 2013.
The Philippines’ Department of Transportation unveiled a festive promotion called “12 Days of Christmas,” offering free rides on select dates until Christmas Day, per Instinct. Among the groups included: students, senior citizens, solo parents, teachers, government employees, healthcare workers, families—and members of the LGBTQ+ community. However, some residents asked how one proves he/she/they is a member of the queer demographic—and Acting Secretary Giovanni Z. Lopez responded that commuters are not required to prove their sexual orientation in any way.
It turns out that NHS England seemingly has no idea how many trans people currently reside in the country, PinkNews noted. A section from the NHS’ service specification on non-surgical trans healthcare suggests the public health body has “no official data” on how many people in England exhibit signs of “gender variance.” Inconsistent data collection, according to the Levy Report, poses “difficulties” in accurately reporting the size of the trans population in the region, which is only exacerbated by a “limited evidence base.”
A UK-based greeting card producer apologized and destroyed all copies of a transphobic Christmas card featuring the Grinch, LGBTQ Nation noted. The card—created by greeting-card illustrator Paper Salad in collaboration with the humorous greeting-card publisher Emotional Rescue—showed an image of the green-furred monster in a Christmas sweater and Santa hat holding a tree ornament with the words, “This Christmas, I’m identifying as a Grinch.” Trans journalist Sophie Molly found a copy of the card, took a photograph of it and posted it on Bluesky, writing, “Please do better[,] Sainsbury’s.”
Alan Cumming will host the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards for the first time at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Feb. 22, per Variety. Cumming—who has won Emmy, Golden Globe, Olivier and Tony awards (plus a BAFTA Scotland honor for outstanding contribution)—takes over from fellow Scot David Tennant, who hosted the past two years. Earlier this year, Cumming hosted the BAFTA TV Awards and he has overseen numerous awards shows in the United States.
Grammy-winning superstar Mariah Carey will perform at the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina Olympics, USA Today noted. The opening ceremony will be Feb. 6 at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy. Carey is the first performer at the opening ceremony to be announced.
LGBTQ+ British musician Yungblud released an acoustic version of his Best Rock Song Grammy®-nominated hit “Zombie,” a press release noted. The ballad is widely regarded as one of his most profound releases to date, written for his late grandmother who died from alcoholism. The musician said, “The song was written initially about my grandmother going through serious injury and trauma, leading her to become a different person to who she was before. It’s about the feeling of deterioration and ugliness; shutting out the world and the people we love out of the fear of becoming a burden or an embarrassment.” Watch the official music video here.
An outdoor adventurer who is one of Ireland‘s most popular travel content creators has come out as gay to his many followers, according to Outsports. On his Instagram and TikTok accounts, Tadhg O’Brien, 29, also explained how he gave up on playing Gaelic football as he struggled with his sexuality as a teenager; however, he has returned to the sport and is enjoying it more than ever. He told Outsports, “I hoped to give a little bit of hope to somebody in the same situation as I was when I was a teenager, of figuring out their sexuality and where they belong in the world, and maybe inspiration to them to just keep going.”
The L.A.-based and LGBTQ+-inclusive girl group Katseye was named TikTok’s Global Artist of the Year, winning more than 30 billion views and 12 million creations using their music on the social video platform, per USA Today. Made up of six members—three from the United States and others from Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland—Katseye also recently earned two Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. Also, TikTok named the late Connie Francis’ “Pretty Little Baby” its Global Song of the Year and its top U.S. song.
Out British actor Ben Whishaw—best known for being in productions like Skyfall, The Lobster, Black Doves and 2023’s Passages—recently talked with The Guardian about the tricky business of gay actors succeeding in Hollywood, Out noted. “It’s complicated and probably different for every individual, but I think it’s still something to do with the fact that if you want to be really successful, you have to conform to what is deemed to be heterosexual taste,” Whishaw said. “Or be sexy in a heterosexual way. I’m always amazed by how much sex is underneath everything, actually. Or desire. There’s still a lot of homophobia and hatred.”Embattled gay actor Kevin Spacey is returning to the small screen for the first time since he was fired from Netflix’s House of Cards in 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, per Variety. The actor is set to star in Italian comedy series Minimarket for Italy‘s state broadcaster RAI. In the show, the two-time Oscar winner plays himself as the imaginary mentor of a young man who works in a Rome convenience store and dreams of becoming a TV star. The 10-episode series will launch on RAI’s RaiPlay streaming service starting Dec. 26.