Five French LGBTQ+-rights associations—STOP Homophobie, Mousse, Adheos, Familles LGBT and Adefho—filed a complaint last month in a Paris court seeking to block distribution of the homophobic murder music song, “Les nerfs des boys” (“Boys’ Nerves”), by Snoopy la Mélodie, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. The song includes graphically violent lyrics that mention stabbing and that conflate homosexuality with pedophilia. The groups filed their complaint against Snoopy la Mélodie and his producer, Gouvernement Prod., for incitement to hatred and homophobic insults.
French Minister of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune said he was dissuaded by Polish authorities from visiting what he called an “LGBT-free zone” in Poland—although Warsaw’s government has denied it blocked access, Euractiv noted. “Polish authorities recently told me they were not able to schedule this visit, and that’s profoundly regrettable,” Beaune told L’Obs magazine. In response, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk posted on X, “No one in the Polish government forbade or made it impossible for the French deputy minister to visit Krasnik.” Since 2019, at least 100 municipalities across Poland have signed declarations saying they are free of “LGBT ideology.”
Also, France-based human-rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) wants an investigation into the death of Mau Hijra in Jessore, which appears to be a premeditated act of murder disguised as a natural death on Dec. 1, 2024, according to a statement posted by Erasing 76 Crimes. The statement says, in part, “The organization asserts that the allegations that Mau Hijra’s house owner, Fateh Begum, and her associates are accused of orchestrating her death and looting her possessions demand an immediate and uncompromising investigation.”
Russian resident Andrei Kotov—detained for organizing travel tours for LGBTQ+ people—reportedly died in pre-trial detention, per The South China Morning Post. Kotov, the director of travel agency Men Travel, was charged with taking part and organizing “extremist” activities, as the Kremlin cracks down on anyone deemed not to have a lifestyle that aligns with its “traditional values.” The OVD-Info rights group cited Kotov’s attorney as saying investigators told her that Kotov died by suicide; Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency also said Kotov had died by suicide.
Polish ski jumper Andrzej Stękała came out publicly in a New Year’s Day post announcing the death of his partner of eight years, according to PinkNews. In part, he posted on social media, “I want you to get to know me for real. I am gay. For years I hid it from the world. From you, from the media, and sometimes even from myself.” The athlete added, “He was my rock, my support, my biggest fan. Together we shared life, passions, joys and difficult moments. He was everything to me: my home, my heart. We loved each other in silence, hiding our love from the world to protect what was most important to us. Last November, I lost him. I can’t describe the pain that took over me.” Fellow Polish ski jumper Paweł Wąsek responded with a red emoji heart covered by a bandage.
James Lee Williams, better known as drag queen The Vivienne, has died at age 32, the BBC reported. The Vivienne starred in musical theater and TV productions, and won the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019. On social media, show judge Michelle Visage called the news “heartbreaking”, adding, “My darling The Vivienne, we go back to when I started coming over here to the UK.” Rydal Penrhos school, where Williams was a former pupil, said it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the star’s death. According to A.V. Club, after winning Drag Race, Vivienne starred in a six-part BBC documentary series, The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood, about the making of her music video in Los Angeles; also, Vivienne hosted the web series I Like To Watch and was a contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee, The Weakest Link and Celebrity Mastermind.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will resign once a new party leader is determined, ABC News reported. Trudeau will serve as prime minister until March 24; he will then be replaced by a new Liberal Party leader. “Parliament needs a reset, I think; [it] needs to calm down a bit and needs to get to work for Canadians,” Trudeau said to reporters following his announcement. Pierre Poilievre, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, said that Trudeau’s announcement was a “political maneuver” and a “trick.” Trudeau—who supposedly is resigning due to increasing pressure within his own party—has a positive track record when it comes to promoting LGBTQ+ rights; in March 2023, he issued a statement stressing that trans women are women, according to PinkNews.
The British Academy unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 25 categories for the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards—with the trans-centered movie Emilia Pérez (15 categories) and the production Conclave (14 categories) leading the pack, per Variety. The Substance, The Brutalist and A Complete Unknown are each on 11 lists. One of the snubs was Maria (about the late singer Maria Callas), which was shut out completely (and just days before star Angelina Jolie attended the Golden Globes as a leading actress nominee); Pedro Almodovar’s Venice-winner The Room Next Door was also left out in the cold.
South African dancer/choreographer Dada Masilo has died at age 39 after a brief illness, VOA News reported. “Deeply respectful of European and contemporary music traditions, but unafraid to go bare on stage and voice her own opinions, she effectively changed the shape and appearance of contemporary dance in South Africa,” family spokesperson Bridget van Oerle said in a statement. Masilo was probably best known for her take on Swan Lake in which Odette, the white swan (Masilo) and Odile, the black swan (Craig Arnolds) compete for Prince Siegfried—who is gay but is unable to be with Odile.
Genderfluid performance artist Sushant Divgikr—who provided the Hindi voice of Squid Game season two’s trans character Cho Hyun-ju—reportedly used their Netflix check to financially support Dr. Ruth John Paul, the first transgender woman in India to be admitted to a postgraduate medical program, according to Out, citing Them. Divgikr, also known as her drag persona Rani KoHEnur, announced the donation on social media on Dec. 30. She added that she “worked with [Paul] in the past at the first transgender clinic in Hyderabad, where she was working tirelessly to help transgender people with healthcare and sustain basic health requirements.” Squid Game came under fire last year after it was announced that Hyung-ju would be played by cisgender male actor Park Sung-soon.
Emma Thompson (Love Actually; Nanny McPhee) and Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston are set to appear in a drama portraying a landmark UK court case involving a trans woman’s marriage, PinkNews noted. Hear Me Roar, co-written by Lisa McMullin and attorney Ashley Bayston, re-creates the Bellinger vs. Bellinger High Court case in which Bayston took on the UK government. The Bellinger case, which first came to court in 2000, focused on Elizabeth Bellinger campaigning to have her union legally recognized, having married Michael Bellinger—the only person to know she was transgender—at Southwark Register Office in 1981. Eventually, the case received Royal Assent in 2004, allowing trans people to legally change their gender and have it recognized for all purposes, including marriage, through the Gender Recognition Act.
Nigeria’s Prina Boo is gaining attention as the African country’s first androgynous model, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. Boo’s popularity is noticeable in a nation where traditional gender roles are deeply ingrained and where many residents mistakenly associate androgyny with questions about sexuality. The article added, “By blending masculine and feminine traits, Prina is navigating the modeling industry on their own terms, sparking conversations about gender expression and individuality.”
The New Year’s Day episode of the series EastEnders featured characters Suki Panesar (played by Balvinder Sopal) and Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) becoming the first-ever lesbian couple to tie the knot on the BBC series, according to PinkNews. The characters met several years ago when they both moved to Albert Square. The characters endured a storyline in which their romance almost ended permanently when Suki’s abusive husband, Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), left prison.
UK TV personality Dr. Ranj Singh used Instagram to introduce his new boyfriend—actor/presenter/personal trainer James Colebrook—to the world, Queerty noted. Singh is known to millions for his appearances as a medical expert on various breakfast and daytime chat shows, and has also made stage appearances (such as taking on the role of Lance Du Bois in a UK theater tour of the jukebox musical & Juliet). Colebrook also hosts the Bunny & Beast podcast with drag queen Bunny Galore.