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WORLD Czech president, ex-athlete's legal dispute, Congo rebels, killing
Former army chief and high NATO official Petr Pavel won the Czech Republic's presidential election, CNN reported. Pavel, a retired general running for office for the first time, won 58.3% of the vote, defeating controversial billionaire ...
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WORLD Pope Francis, non-binary minor, athlete dies at 35, Taiwan
Pope Francis made headlines when he told the Associated Press on Jan. 24 that "being homosexual is not a crime," although he also described being gay as sinful, Gay City News noted. The pontiff called on ...
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Pope says being gay no crime, cites anti-LGBTQ laws in 70 countries. LGBTQ leaders respond
--From press releases
(January 25, 2023) — Pope Francis called laws that criminalize same-sex relationships "unjust," stating that "being homosexual is not a crime" in an interview with the Associated Press today. The Pope also called for the Roman ...
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Lesbian tennis player ends 23-year career
Australian tennis player Sam Stosur has called it a career after back-to-back losses at the Australian Open, Yahoo! Sport noted. Stosur—an out lesbian who played for 23 years—lost in the first round of the women's doubles ...
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WORLD Dutch vote, landmark ruling, French teen, UK items
Dutch senators voted 56-15 in favor of including an explicit ban on discrimination on the grounds of disability or sexual orientation in the constitution, DutchNews.nl reported. This development clears the way for the constitution to be ...
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WORLD Indian marches, delegation in Cuba, anti-LGBTQ+ investigation
Hundreds of people took part in the first Delhi Queer Pride march in three years as pressure grows for legal recognition of same-sex marriage in India, The Manila Times noted. In March, the South Asian's top ...
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WORLD Murder suspect arrested, Israeli official, conversion therapy, couple's win
Kenyan authorities arrested a suspect in the death of fashion designer/LGBTQ+-rights activist Edwin Chiloba after his body was found dumped in a metal box by the roadside near the town of Eldoret, according to CNN. Last ...
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Letter to the Editor: Pope Benedict XVI passes away
The Rainbow Sash Movement mourns the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Dec. 31 in the Vatican. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, known most recently as the pontiff who renounced the papacy—but who was situated squarely ...
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WORLD Conversion therapy, Indian school, trans boxers, anti-LGBTQ+ move
South Florida Gay News noted that efforts to ban so-called conversion therapy gained a lot of traction around the world in 2022. For example, Canada and France introduced LGBTQ+-inclusive bills to ban conversion therapy for minors ...
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WORLD Scottish pro-trans law, Ukrainian bill, trans activist, Olympics
On Dec. 22, Scotland's parliament approved disputed reforms that make it easier for trans people to change their legal gender, including removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and lowering the minimum age ...
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WORLD Ghana funding, Latvia measure, Russia items, trans princess
Some Western governments who pledged to support LGBTQI+ rights have also funded supporters of a controversial bill in Ghana that could introduce harsh sentences for advocating for sexual and gender minorities' rights, CNN reported. In the ...
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WORLD Mexican report, Kristen Stewart, Elton John, Netanyahu
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) launched the sixth annual HRC Equidad MX: Programa Global de Equidad Laboral—a survey evaluating LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion within major Mexican businesses and multinationals, a press ...
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Sydney WorldPride plans a celebration like no other
Special to Windy City Times
WorldPride is heading Down Under in 2023. Sydney has been named the official location for WorldPride next year, and the cosmopolitan city is planning to go all-out to welcome LGBTQ+ guests from all over the world. ...
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WORLD Japan ruling, Kenya groups, World Cup, Almodovar
Video below
A district court in the Tokyo Prefecture ruled that Japan's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage is legal, according to The Washington Blade. In a statement to Reuters, plaintiffs' attorney Nobuhito Sawasaki said, "This is actually a ...
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WORLD Church of England, World Cup news, court rulings, Justin Trudeau
The Church of England is defending the scrutinized guidance for its 4,700 primary schools on LGBTQ+ issues, claiming that it doesn't allow students as young as 5 to self-identify as the opposite sex, The Christian Post ...
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WORLD Brazilian musician, top LGBTQ+ cruises, Elon Musk, anti-trans attack
Brazilian musician Pedro Sampaio revealed that he dates men and women, Out noted. Sampaio has 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, more than 5 million followers on Instagram and several music videos with more than 50 ...
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WORLD Indian judge, marriage items, LGBTQ+-friendly countries
A judge who could pave the way to legalizing marriage equality in India took charge as chief justice, Bloomberg reported. As a judge on the top court, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud was a member of the five-member ...
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U.S. women's soccer makes history after loss to Germany
The United States women's soccer team lost again, falling 2-1 to Germany on Nov. 10 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to The Guardian, it's the U.S. team's first three-game skid since 1993 ...
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Brittney Griner sent to Russian penal colony
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner has been moved from a detention center outside of Moscow to a Russian penal colony to begin serving out her nine-year sentence on drug smuggling charges, NPR reported. A statement from ...
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Sydney WorldPride plans a celebration like no other
Special to Windy City Times
WorldPride is heading Down Under in 2023. Sydney has been named the official location for WorldPride next year, and the cosmopolitan city is planning to go all-out to welcome LGBTQ+ guests from all over the world. ...
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WORLD Gay governor, Tokyo partnership policy, Daniel Radcliffe, Korean first
On Oct. 30, the first openly gay governor of Brazil was re-elected in a runoff election, The Washington Blade noted. Rio Grande do Sul Gov. Eduardo Leite, a member of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party, ...
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Officials visit Brittney Griner for first time in months
Officials from the U.S. embassy in Moscow met with Brittney Griner on Nov. 3, according to Reuters. It was the first visit in months for the out lesbian WNBA star who is jailed in Russia and could soon be transferred to ...
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Actress Rebel Wilson gets engaged, announces birth of first child [UPDATE]
Actress Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect) is engaged to girlfriend Ramona Agruma after dating for seven months, according to Page Six. ...
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Washington DC to host WorldPride in 2025
-- From a press release
Washington DC, November 4, 2022… InterPride, an international association of over 400 Pride organizations from over 70 countries, announced that the Capital Pride Alliance (CPA) has been selected to host WorldPride in 2025. "CPA is thrilled ...
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Brazil's far-right president Bolsonaro defeated in election
Brazil's former leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has completed an astonishing political comeback, beating the far-right, staunchly anti-LGBTQ+ incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in one of the most significant elections ...
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WORLD World Cup, Ukraine president, purge survivors, Eddie Izzard
Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Qatar's ambassador to the UK, said LGBTQ+ couples visiting the country for the World Cup can "hold hands" but should be mindful of "public displays of affection," according to PinkNews. He told ...
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Last Mexican state approves marriage equality
On Oct. 27, Mexico's northeastern border state of Tamaulipas voted to recognize same-sex marriage, making it legal in every district in the country, Reuters reported. In its official Twitter account, the congress of Tamaulipas approved the ...
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Griner's appeal of prison sentence is denied by Russian court
A Russian court has denied an appeal from WNBA player Brittney Griner's appeal of a nine-year prison sentence on drug charges, according to NBC News. Griner had been hoping for a reduction to the sentence after ...
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Conservative MP Sunak to become new UK prime minister
Rishi Sunak is set to become the next British prime minister following a meeting with King Charles III, media outlets have reported. Sunak is the Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorks) and has been an MP continuously ...
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WORLD Anti-LGBTQ+ countries, UK monkeypox/MPV, vigil, intersex activist
Video below
Thirty-four Commonwealth nations still have anti-LGBTQ+ laws—roughly three-fifths of the group's total of 53 nations, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. Worldwide, 69 countries still cling to such anti-homosexuality laws. Just ...
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Singapore moves to legalize male same-sex relations, protect definition of marriage
On Oct. 20, Singapore's government filed bills in parliament seeking to decriminalize sex between men, and to amend the constitution to prevent court challenges to laws and policies concerning marriage, Reuters reported. The proposed legislation in ...
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Griner sends message to fans
From a Russian prison, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner released a message to fans and supporters on her 32nd birthday, which was Oct. 18, Out Magazine noted. "Thank you everyone for fighting so hard to get me ...
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Truss resigns as UK prime minister
After a term of only six weeks, Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Among other things, her economic agenda sent markets into panic and led to a fall in the value of the pound, CNN reported. ...
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WORLD Brittney Griner, Montenegro Pride, Nobel Prize winners, Brazilian film
Video below
(NOTE: This week's news contains some graphic details. Please be advised.) Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said that lesbian WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who are being ...
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Two die in connection to shooting at Slovak LGBTQ+ bar
Two people are dead in connection to an Oct. 12 shooting in front of a popular LGBTQ+ bar in the old town neighborhood of the Slovak capital of Bratislava, The Washington Blade reported. The Polícia Slovenskej ...
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WORLD Trans women elected, Zambia protest, Spice Girl, public figures come out
Video below
On Oct. 2, two transgender women won seats in the Brazilian Congress, The Washington Blade reported. Voters in Sao Paulo elected Municipal Councilwoman Erika Hilton, a Black former sex worker who is a member of the ...
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Slovenia legalizes marriage equality, adoption
Slovenia has become the first Eastern European country to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption. The historic moment has come about after a six-to-three Constitutional Court decision in July said that same-sex marriage and adoption are constitutional ...
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Russian court sets Brittney Griner's appeal date
Brittney Griner's date in front of an appeals court has been set. ...
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Iceland releases extensive LGBTQ+ action plan
Iceland has published its extensive action plan on LGBTQ+ issues for the years 2022 to 2025, PinkNews reported. The strategy includes an end to discrimination for queer blood donors, training in LGBTQ+ issues for police, "appropriate ...
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SHOWBIZ Hallmark film, Oprah, Janelle Monae, 'Dahmer,' Met Gala
As a part of its "Countdown to Christmas" event, Hallmark Channel announced its first holiday movie that focuses on a gay romance, according to Out. The Holiday Sitter will be released on Sunday, Dec. 11, on ...
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WORLD Fertility strategy, trans youth charity, French PM, Mexican spots
The British government committed to a 10-year strategy to end discrimination against "female same-sex couples" seeking fertility services, according to Human Rights Watch. The first-ever Women's Health Strategy for England ...
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New Italian prime minister has anti-LGBTQ+ record
Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni—who has rallied against "[LGBTQ+] lobbies" and so-called "gender ideology"—is set to become Italy's first female prime minister, PinkNews reported. Meloni is expected to form Italy's farthest-right ...
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Cuba legalizes same-sex marriage
Cuba has legalized marriage equality after Cubans voted in favor of a family code that increased protections for minorities on the island, CNN reported. With 94% of the votes counted as of 8 a.m. CT on ...
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WORLD Bias claims, Qatar policy, AHF pledge, drag queen dies at 28
People of color have accused several LGBTQ+ venues in the heart of the Gay Village in Manchester, England, of racism and racial prejudice, VICE noted. Ten Black, Asian and Latinx people who identify as lesbian, gay, ...
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Dozens arrested at EuroPride march in Serbia
Serbian police arrested more than 60 people as thousands of LGBTQI+ activists turned out for Belgrade's EuroPride march on Sept. 17—despite a governmental ban, The Guardian reported. The event had been intended as the culmination of ...
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WORLD Malta PM, Kenya official, Kharkiv Pride, sex-education campaign
Malta Prime Minister Robert Abela has promised reforms for the country's LGBTQ+ community, including free gender-affirming surgery for trans people, according to PinkNews. In an interview with ONE Radio, he said, "I believe that social reform ...
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Elton John's 'last' U.S. show to air Nov. 20 on Disney+
The show being promoted as Sir Elton John's "last" U.S. concert—a Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour gig at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium—will livestream on Disney+ on Nov. 20, Rolling Stone reported. The streaming service officially announce ...
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WORLD Death in Bali, Chile constitution, Wales items, Israel petition
Video below
Bowing to pressure from activists, prosecutors in Peru launched an investigation into the suspicious death of a transgender man from Peru who died in custody in Bali after he was arrested for alleged cannabis possession, Gay ...
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Queen Elizabeth II dies in Scotland at age 96
The Queen died peacefully on the afternoon of Sept. 8, the Royal Family announced on its social media accounts. Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, on the death of her father, King George VI. She ...
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Ban on same-sex relations overturned in Saint Kitts and Nevis
In a major advance for LGBTQ+ rights in the Caribbean, a court for Saint Kitts and Nevis struck down a colonial-era law that banned the "abominable" crime of "buggery," LGBTQ Nation reported. The same court overturned ...
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Report: LGBTQ+-rights activists sentenced to death in Iran
Human-rights groups have said that two LGBTQ+-rights activists have been sentenced to death in Iran, the BBC reported. A court in Urmia found Zahra Seddiqi Hamedani, 31, and Elham Choubdar, 24, guilty of "corruption on Earth." ...
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Liz Truss is the new UK prime minister and has a poor LGBTQ+ record
Britain will get its third prime minister in just over three years as the ruling Conservative Party announced Sept. 5 it had chosen Liz Truss to be its new leader. Truss—who had appointed as secretary of ...
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WORLD India ruling, Hong Kong dismissal, fatal attack, Mr. Gay Europe
In India, a Supreme Court ruling affirmed that same-sex couples and other non-traditional families are entitled to social benefits—a decision that stands in stark contrast to recent moves by Singapore to exclude LGBTQ+ people from the ...
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launches Canada's first 2SLGBTQI+ action plan
The federal government unveiled what it described as a historic first as it announced a five-year, $100-million plan to support 2SLGBTQI+ communities across the country, CBC reported. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled the strategy, called "Canada' ...
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Vietnam ends LGBTQ+ conversion therapy
Vietnam has said that being LGBTQ+ is "not an illness" and ordered medical providers to end controversial practices like "conversion therapy," UPI reported. The government's health ministry said that being a member of the LGBTQ+ community ...
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WORLD Trans activist killed, abduction, BlueCity, OutRight, trans golfer
Video below
The murder of a prominent transgender activist in Argentina has sparked outrage across the country, The Washington Blade reported. Clarín, an Argentine newspaper, reported Alejandra Ironici, 45, was found dead in her home in Santa Fe. ...
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Singapore to decriminalize same-sex relations, but will ban marriage equality
Singapore will decriminalize sex between men by repealing a colonial-era statute but will amend the constitution to ensure same-sex marriage is not allowed, ABC News reported. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believed repealing the ...
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Dennis Rodman planning to visit Russia for Brittney Griner
Former NBA player Dennis Rodman is reportedly planning to visit Russia to help imprisoned WNBA player Brittney Griner, NBC News reported. "I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl," Rodman told NBC News ...
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WORLD Trans activist, COVID surveys, Michael Sam, Saudi Arabian sisters
Some people in London, Ontario, Canada's LGBTQ+ community reacted strongly to how a popular trans activist was treated by London Police Services earlier this month, CBC reported. Clara Sorrenti, 28, known as Keffals on the online ...
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Suspect arrested in rape/murder of Kenyan non-binary lesbian
The family of Sheila Lumumba—who was raped and murdered in Nyeri County, Kenya, in April—stated that a suspect has been charged in connection with their death, according to openDemocracy. A man was arraigned in court in ...
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In a first, gold-medal Olympian comes out as transgender
During the Aug. 16 opening address of the international LGBTQ+ rugby competition The Bingham Cup, taking place in the Canadian capital of Ottawa through Aug. 21, Ellia Green came out as trans—and is the first Olympian ...
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Brittney Griner appealing conviction
Russian news agencies have reported that attorneys for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner have filed an appeal of her nine-year Russian prison sentence for drug possession, according to PBS Newshour. Griner, an eight-time all-star center with ...
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10th biennial Bingham Cup taking place through Aug. 21
The LGBTQ+ rugby tournament known as the Mark Kendall Bingham Memorial Tournament—or the Bingham Cup—is taking place in Ottawa, Canada, through Sunday, Aug. 21. According to a press release, "The Bingham Cup is the largest amateur ...
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WORLD Vietnam's pro-LGBTQ+ move, Grindr kidnappings, Taiwan event
Video below
Vietnam took a major step forward in the recognition of LGBTQ+ rights with the country's Ministry of Health stating that being gay, bisexual or transgender is not a disease and urging medical practitioners to end discrimination ...
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PASSAGES Singer/actress Olivia Newton-John dead at 73
Olivia Newton-John—the Australian singer who charmed generations of viewers in the 1978 blockbuster movie Grease and had such music hits as "Physical," with both garnering many LGBTQ+ fans—died Aug. 8 at age 73, according to media ...
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Montreal Pride Parade is canceled
Citing security concerns, the organizers of the Fierte Montreal Pride Parade abruptly canceled the Aug. 7 event at the last minute, The Washington Blade reported. The other events scheduled at the Esplanade of the Olympic Park—T-Dance ...
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WORLD Zelensky, French position, UK drag-queen shows, triathlons
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he will ask Ukraine's government to look into legalizing same-sex marriage after the war with Russia ends, PinkNews reported. Ukraine's constitution defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Last ...
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Uganda government forces LGBTQ+ group to shut down
An LGBTQI+-rights group in Uganda said the country's government forced it to shut down, according to The Washington Blade. Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), in a press release, said Uganda's National ...
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Brittney Griner found guilty, sentenced to nine years
On Aug. 4, a Russian court found out WNBA star Brittney Griner guilty of drug smuggling and possession charges—and sentenced her to nine years in prison. The widely expected verdict came after a monthlong trial ...
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WORLD Cuban referendum, Gay Games, Berlin attacks, Indian trans men
Cuba's parliament announced that the country will hold a referendum on the legalization of same-sex marriage and surrogate parenthood, Deutsche Welle reported. The referendum on the new family law is scheduled to be held Sunday, Sept. ...
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Biden reportedly offers arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan
After months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year prison sentence in Illinois, as part of a potential deal ...
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Greece bans 'normalizing' surgeries for intersex babies
Greece's parliament has banned "sex-normalizing" surgeries on intersex babies, Reuters reported. Intersex individuals have atypical chromosomes that affect their bodies in a way that does not fit with the normative definitions of male or female. Under ...
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WORLD Women's rugby, EU vs. Hungary, S. Korea festival, Berlin Pride
Trans women could be barred from playing women's rugby in England under new recommendations from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) that will be voted on soon, PinkNews reported. The move is a U-turn from the governing ...
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Andorra passes civil marriage for same-sex couples
On July 21, lawmakers in the tiny European country of Andorra voted unanimously to extend civil marriage rights to same-sex couples, The Los Angeles Blade reported. Andorra is a small country known for its ski areas ...
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Pro Russian woman tennis player says she's in same-sex relationship
Russia's highest-ranked women's tennis player, Daria Kasatkina, said in a video interview released July 18 that she is dating a woman, according to ESPN. The 25-year-old French Open semifinalist's comments come as the Russian parliament discus ...
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