In Australia, the government voted down workplace protections for transgender, non-binary and intersex people, OutInPerth.com reported. The senate was considering the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill that aims to bring in some of the recommendations included within the Respect@Work Report delivered by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins earlier this year. The Greens senator Janet Rice had put forward amendments that would have given trans, gender-diverse and intersex people the same workplace protections other Australians have. Labor supported the Greens' amendment but the Morrison government voted it down.
When someone commented about the new Ford Ranger Raptor truck in Germany with an anti-gay slur, Ford provided a rainbow-themed response, out.com noted. According to Ford, "the #VeryGayRaptor was initially created digitally" after someone on social media described a blue-colored version of the popular truck "very gay." However, a virtual model of the popular truck wasn't enough for Ford; the company decided to "take it one step further" and "created a very real, #VeryGayRaptor foiled in gold and rainbow colors." Ford Europe tweeted, "Our-real life version made its debut at Cologne Pride … in all its rainbow-adorned glory."
The presidential hopeful favored by investors in what's shaping up to be a divisive and brutal election campaign in Brazil is the 36-year-old governor of a conservative state who just came out as LGBTQ, Bloomberg noted. Eduardo Leite rode President Jair Bolsonaro's right-wing wave into office in 2018, winning over financial markets with a program of fiscal austerity and privatizations in his southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, which shares borders with Argentina and Uruguay. His challenge now is to make himself known to the broader population—including Brazilians who reject both the incumbent and his leftist adversary, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. And Leite walks a tightrope: He criticizes Bolsonaro but voted for him—and he says that although he supports equality, he won't be an activist for LGBTQ rights.
More than half of trans and non-binary people in Scotland have experienced bullying or harassment at work, according to the first major Scottish research of its type, The National reported. LGBT Health and Wellbeing said 60% had experienced harassment, with most not reporting it because of a lack of faith that managers were able to deal with transphobic bullying. The group said 40% of those surveyed said their trans identity had a negative impact on their job prospects, and 41% felt their workplace was trans-inclusive, although three-quarters of them would like to see more LGBTQ+-inclusive strategies in place.
QQ, owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent, allows its more than half a billion users to connect and find group chats by searching for them with key words—but has apparently banned words such as "gay," "lesbian" and "LGBTQ," according to a Yahoo! Sport item that cites Protocol. The company failed to give an explanation as to why the LGBT+ words had been banned, but after the news went public, the message was swiftly changed. It now claims there are "no results found." Being gay was decriminalized in China in 1997, but it was not declassified as a psychiatric disorder until 2001.
Police arrested four teenagers after a series of homophobic attacks at a meeting spot for gay people in Reek, Netherlands, according to NLTimes.nl. The first three suspects—a 19-year-old man from Berghem and two 18-year-old men from Herpen—were arrested after reports of an attack against a man on the street known as Rustvenseweg; a fourth suspect, a 19-year-old man from Oss, was arrested days later.
A track-and-field athlete became the first out non-binary person to receive a medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where LGBTQ athletes had already won more than a dozen medals as of Sept. 2, Gay City News noted, citing Outsports. Some of the medalists include track-and-field competitor Robyn Lambird of Australia, who has cerebral palsy and received a bronze medal in track and field; equestrian Lee Pearson of Great Britain, who has a disability related to his joints and secured multiple gold medals, including his 12th Paralympic gold medal; and cyclist Crystal Lane-Wright of Great Britain, who has an underdeveloped arm and earned two silver medals. The Paralympic Games ended Sept. 5.
A sailor who was bullied in his early career due to his sexuality has been awarded a medal for promoting LGBT+ rights in the maritime community, the BBC reported. Second Officer Paul Owen is the first recipient of the Merchant Navy Medal for LGBT+ work across the maritime sector. Owen, from Blackpool, said his difficult experiences had inspired him to support other LGBT+ seafarers.
A video of an open-air church service in Bonavista—located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador—garnered attention on social media after the church's minister criticized abortion, the LGBTQ+ community and the use of alcohol, CBC.ca reported. "Abortion is promoted in the majority of our society today. Young children, babies — yes they're human beings — are being murdered and murdered by the millions. That's how sinful our society is," the minister yelled into the microphone at the Grace Pentecostal Church service, adding, "All of a sudden we're at the same place where same-sex marriage is promoted and endorsed, and it's all good to be married to someone who's of the same gender." Bonavista Mayor John Norman told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show the comments made by the minister don't necessarily line up with what he sees in his community and what he lives with.
Teens in a Russian military club shocked theatergoers when they held a mock execution of a gay person on stage, out.com noted. The incident took place at the Dobrynin Palace of Culture in Yaroslavl during a celebration honoring the 20th anniversary of the local club named Paratroopers, according to a report in 76RU. The skit was not well-received. "We are outraged," palace director Igor Derbin said afterward. "Initially, the event was planned to be pleasant and joyful. Their trick was unexpected for us. It wasn't pre-planned or agreed upon because they knew we wouldn't allow it." Interviewed after the performance, cadet group leader Andrei Palachev was seemingly unconcerned with the controversy.
Ecuadorian performer/model Roberto Manrique has come out as gay, according to Instinct Magazine. Manrique is a popular soap opera and telenovela star who has worked on titles such as Wild Flower, The Clone, Husbands for Rent and more. "I want to tell you something very important and very personal," the actor began in an eight-minute clip on Instagram. "Something which I have never confessed before, but now I feel the urge to do so. And, it has to do with my sexuality. It had never seemed important to me to say that I am homosexual, because I never considered that to be relevant. I felt that other aspects of myself were the priority, and I still think that is the case."
Actors Jane Fonda, Connie Britton (TV's The White Lotus and American Horror Story) and Rosario Dawson (Rent, and Clerks II and III; TV's Daredevil and Dopesick) are adding their names to a push for nations around the world to "refuse to recognize a Taliban government" in Afghanistan because of its treatment of girls and women, according to The Hill. The performers were among those participating in an online day of action held by the One Billion Rising campaign, which calls on supporters to "rise for and with the women of Afghanistan" via social-media posts.
To celebrate the birthday of BTS member Jungkook, some fans of the popular boy band in Pakistan decided to commission a giant billboard telling him happy birthday—but the billboard was quickly taken down because religious officials felt it was "promoting homosexuality," out.com noted. The Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami said the billboard was inappropriate and took it down. Earlier this summer in Russia, a printing shop refused to print pictures of the band for a K-pop themed cafe because they didn't want "children to become perverts."
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, through tears, revealed she would take an indefinite hiatus from the sport after a 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4 loss to Leylah Annie Fernandez in the third round of the US Open, tennis.com reported. The defending champion revealed tennis no longer makes her happy in post-match press, and wasn't sure when she planned to come back. Osaka revealed a public struggle with mental health and depression, one that dated back to when she won the 2018 US Open, after withdrawing from Roland Garros in May.
Wales soccer captain Gareth Bale proposed to ban fans or international teams from competing if there is repeated racial abuse at games, The Hill noted. His comments come after Hungary fans at a recent game used "monkey chants" and threw plastic cups at Black players from England after celebrating goals.
In Canada, an unmasked man was so angry about a Dairy Queen's face covering mandate that he relieved himself on the counter of the fast-food restaurant, The New York Post noted. The incident happened in Vancouver Island's Port Alberni, according to CTV News. "This is the first incident of this nature," RCMP Sgt. Chris Manseau told the outlet. "I think people should just wear their masks and be safe and be polite."
