A recent study developed by MouseNotifier, a Disney dining alert software system, has ranked 203 countries based on their safety for LGBTQ+ travelers, according to Out. The study looked at five key factors—the criminalization of LGBTQ+ relations; the criminalization of anti-LGBTQ+ violence; Gallup World Poll data measuring public attitudes; LGBTQ+ worker protections; and marriage equality. Some of the countries included Luxembourg, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark, the UK, Malta, Canada and—the safest of all—Sweden.
Eleven Korean same-sex couples are set to file a lawsuit against Seoul district offices following the rejections of their marriage registrations, according to The Korea Times. “Excluding same-sex marriage from the definition of marriage under the Civil Code is unconstitutional and violates the plaintiffs’ fundamental rights,” Baek So-youn, an attorney from the legal counsel for the marriage equality lawsuit, said during a press conference. Among the plaintiffs were Kim Kyu-jin and Kim Sae-yeon, Korea’s first lesbian couple who gave birth to a child last year through a sperm donor; and Kim Yong-min and So Sung-uk, whose case led to the Constitutional Court’s landmark ruling extending state health insurance benefits to a same-sex partner last year.
The website for Axel Hotels—which calls itself “the world’s first hotel chain for the LGBTQIA community”—has gone live, iGLTA noted. Reservations are 10% off until Oct. 20, and hotels are in Barcelona, Ibiza, Madrid, Miami (which has the tagline “I’m here, beach”) and Berlin, among other cities. In 2003, Juan Julià founded Axel Hotel Barcelona and the website adds, “We did not design a hotel to then add inclusive values. We were born that way, as a meeting place designed by and for LGBTQIA people, where there are rooms and one can sleep—or do whatever one fancies.” And for the budget-minded, there’s even a webpage devoted to discounts at the hotels.
Moscow police raided two gay clubs in the Russian capital, detaining more than 50 people, per Novaya Gazeta Europe. According to MSK1, one of the raids was conducted at the Central Station club in downtown Moscow, with the supposed aim “to fight drug trafficking.” Central Station was holding an event marking National Coming Out Day when the police arrived. Moscow residents allegedly reported the other nightclub, Three Monkeys, to the police after allegedly witnessing “all sorts of naughty things.” Central Station and Three Monkeys—which have the same owners—are two of the most popular queer venues in Moscow.
Clare Byarugaba—a Ugandan LGBTQ+-rights activist whose recent photo with Pope Francis went viral online—was named by Human Rights First as the winner of this year’s prestigious William D. Zabel Human Rights Award, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. In a press release, Human Rights First President/CEO Sue Hendrickson said that Byarugaba’s “longstanding commitment to pursuing justice and equality for the Ugandan LGBTQI+ community—often at great personal risk—is inspiring.” Byarugaba (the equality and non-discrimination program officer at Chapter Four Uganda) founded the first Uganda chapter of Parents and Families of LGBTI Children (PFLAG-Uganda), a social intervention project that aims to foster dialogue and reconciliation between LGBTQI+ individuals and their families. She is also co-convener of Convening For Equality (CFE), a social movement that is leading the fight against the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 and similar legislation. The award is named after Zabel, a longtime human rights champion and emeritus chair of the Human Rights First board of directors.
In the UK, a man accused of murder denied having a problem with older gay men who have sex with younger men, the BBC reported. Jack Crawley, 20, of Carlisle, admitted to the manslaughter of army veteran Paul Taylor, 56, but denied murder. In addition, Crawley—who said he’s bisexual—had told Carlisle Crown Court he had targeted the older man, with whom he previously had sex, to steal his car as he was under pressure from drug debts. Taylor was married to a woman and had two children, but also had a sexual interest in men, meeting them via dating apps like Grindr. Crawley has also denied attempting to murder a second man with a claw hammer during a sexual encounter near York.
David Simon, who created the U.S. TV show The Wire, called out a pair of Russian streaming services for removing references to one of the show’s gay characters, according to TheWrap. Simon took to X to criticize the act of taking out scenes and dialogue that acknowledge Omar Little’s homosexuality, stating, “Be advised, you backward f–ks, that Omar Little of Baltimore, Maryland, is unapologetically gay and, though fictional, infinitely more badass and tactically effective than all of the conscripts and paroled thugs you’ve sent into the meat-grinder in Ukraine. Not that they’d do much better invading West Baltimore. But thanks for watching, I guess.” Little, played by the late Michael K. Williams, was one of the most popular characters on the show that ran on HBO during 2002-08.
Russian officials arrested a doctor for “Satanism” and “promoting same-sex relationships” as Moscow intensifies a legal crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights, in defense of what it calls “traditional family values,” the South China Morning Post reported. The powerful FSB security service said it had arrested the head of a medical institution in the central Ulyanovsk area, accusing him of “devil worshipping.” The FSB said a criminal case has been opened over coercion to engage in sexual acts and participation in an extremist organization.
In Germany, an opera performance of Sancta Susanna—which features explicit lesbian sex and nude roller-skating—has angered members of the Church, PinkNews noted. The adaptation of the opera, by performance artist Florentina Holzinger, reportedly left 18 audience members requiring medical treatment after sitting through the explicit queer sex scenes as well as witnessing real and fake blood and injuries on stage. The production aims to present a “radical vision of the Holy Mass,” pushing the boundaries of traditional opera, the Stuttgart State Opera website claims, per The New York Post. Holzinger’s depiction of Sancta Susanna is slated to run through Nov. 3 at Staatsoper Stuttgart.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland claimed that some students were called bullies for saying that homosexuality was wrong, the BBC noted. Dr Andrew Brown—who sits on the Transferor Representatives’ Council (TRC) representing the Presbyterian Church—told Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) on Stormont’s Education Committee that students are “scared to be able to voice their own opinions in case they’re perhaps politically incorrect. In considering how to help students and indeed teachers to be critical thinkers then they have to look at the different stances and viewpoints around this.” Brown added that relationships and sexuality education (RSE) should be taught in “a sensitive, inclusive manner” but also stressed that “no aspect of RSE can be taught in a morally neutral environment.”
The death of gay Finnish former hockey player Janne Puhakka, 29, is being treated as a murder, according to PinkNews. According to TMZ, Puhakka was found in his Henttaa Espoo home, where he lived with his partner, 66-year-old veterinarian Rolf Nordmo. Authorities said the death was a homicide and suspected Nordmo was the shooter; he was arrested at the scene without incident. Puhakka, who came out as gay in 2019, was the first Finnish hockey player to speak about his sexuality.
German soccer player Kevin Behrens landed in hot water after refusing to sign a rainbow jersey promoting diversity, PinkNews noted. National newspaper Bild reported that the forward—who plays for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, Germany’s top league—made a homophobic remark and refused to sign the jersey in September. An internal club meeting was called and Behrens was asked to explain his actions to sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz, during which he said he “had no aversion to homosexuals.” Behrens publicly apologized, telling Bild: “My spontaneous comments were absolutely not OK. I would like to apologize for that. The topic was clearly discussed internally and I ask for your understanding that I do not wish to comment further.” Schindzielorz told Sky Germany, “Kevin is now home alone,” after details of the alleged incident were made public, per The Telegraph. VFL Wolfsburg has an active diversity program, saying on its website, “The Green-and-Whites are looking to take a particularly strong stance against racism and right-wing extremism.”
Out Québécois actor/director Xavier Dolan confirmed he is working on a new feature project that he hopes to shoot next year, Variety reported. He was speaking at a master class at the Lumiere Film Festival, a fest organized by Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux that runs through Oct. 20, in Lyon, France; Dolan will host a special 10th-anniversary screening of his Cannes Jury Prize winner Mommy at Lyon’s 2,000-seat auditorium. The last movie he directed was the 2019 drama Matthias & Maxime, although he made the Canadian drama series The Night Logan Woke Up, which aired in 2022. Last year, he said on Instagram that his “current state of mind and the state of the world don’t inspire me to pursue what was once an inevitable vocation.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Veronica Green revealed that she’s been diagnosed with autoimmune disorder multiple sclerosis (MS), PinkNews noted. “Over the summer I got very sick,” she said on YouTube and Instagram. “My body went numb and I lost the use of my hands. After several blood tests, numerous MRI brain and spine scans and a lumbar puncture I finally got my diagnosis.” There is currently no cure for MS—a chronic disease that affects nerves in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord)—although treatments are available to help those with the disorder to manage symptoms and slow its progression.
Legendary British band Bronski Beat and London Records released Why? (40th Anniversary Doc Short)—a new documentary film directed by Matt Lambert, a press release noted. The documentary tells a story of resilience, power, community and solidarity using Bronski Beat’s anthem “Why?” as its spark. “Why?,” the follow-up to the band’s groundbreaking debut, “Smalltown Boy,” railed against homophobic violence. The original 1984 music video commissioned for the song, however, never truly aligned with the song’s (and the band’s) intentions; however, 40 years later, singer Jimmy Somerville wanted to change this. The 40th-anniversary video can be seen here.
UK-based LGBTQ+ media brand Gay Times ran a list of 21 LGBTQ+ horror films to watch this Halloween. The 1985 queer classic A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (with out actor Marc Patton) is on the list as well as the 2019 Nicole Maines vampiric vehicle Bit; the 2022 movie Bodies Bodies Bodies, with Amanda Stenberg; the 1996 teen-witch film The Craft and its 2020 sequel The Craft: Legacy; the 2004 movie Hellbent, which has been called the first gay slasher film; the 2003 French film High Tension; the 1983 Catherine Deneuve/David Bowie/Susan Sarandon film The Hunger; the 2022 Kevin Bacon/Theo Germaine film They/Them and many others.
Universal Pictures, in collaboration with the stars of Wicked—Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jeff Goldblum—announced The Journey Through Oz, a five-city global premiere tour celebrating the release of Universal Pictures’ generation-defining cinematic event, Wicked (in theaters Nov. 22), according to a press release. The events will be “Munchkinland” (in Sydney, Australia on Nov. 3), “Shiz University” (in L.A. on Nov. 9), “The Enchanted Forest” (in Mexico City on Nov. 11), “Ozdust Ballroom” (in NYC on Nov. 14) and “Emerald City” (in London on Nov. 18). Erivo and Grande will be joined at various stops on the premiere tour by their fellow cast members, including Michelle Yeoh, Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James.
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo—a Japanese organization of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki—for its stance against nuclear weapons, the AP reported. Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes said the award was made as the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.” Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the peace prize should be awarded for “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
The UK’s Glastonbury festival announced ticket sale details for 2025, per NME. Regarding this year’s edition, coach and ticket packages sold out in 25 minutes, and then the general ticket sale sold out in just under an hour; coach and ticket packages for Glastonbury 2025 will go on sale at 6 p.m. GMT on Nov. 14, followed by standard tickets at 6 p.m. GMT on Nov. 17. This year’s festival featured Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm, with Shania Twain taking the legends slot; other artists to perform over the weekend included Little Simz, Justice, Avril Lavigne, The National, LCD Soundsystem, Fontaines D.C. and Idles.
British singer Liam Payne—who shot to global fame with boy band One Direction—was found dead (at age 31) after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, Reuters reported. Police said in a statement they had been called to the CasaSur hotel after being notified of an “aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol.” While details about the circumstances of Payne’s death were not immediately clear, Payne had spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and using alcohol to cope with the pressures of fame. Celebrities such as Paris Hilton, former British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful and Charlie Ruth reacted to Payne’s death on social media.
A Jonas Brothers concert in Prague was briefly halted after Nick Jonas was targeted by a laser pointer, resulting in him running off stage, Variety noted. A representative for the O2 Arena in Prague, where the concert was held, confirmed to Variety that the show was stopped for several minutes. Artists’ fears for their safety were recently heightened when Taylor Swift’s August shows in Vienna, Austria were canceled when government officials discovered the threat of an ISIS-related terror attack.
The Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as the businessman and former U.S. president, is skipping its planned release in cinemas in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait—possibly for political reasons, per Variety. Ali Abbasi’s film—which follows Trump’s rise to fame and his time learning from influential (closeted) right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong)—was scheduled to debut in United Arab Emirates cinemas on Oct. 16. However, Front Row chief Gianluca Chakra said the movie has passed censorship and will be released in Saudi Arabia—where censors have cut the scene in which Trump violently throws his then-wife Ivana, played by Maria Bakalova, to the ground and proceeds to have non-consensual sex with her—and will also be released in Oman, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.