Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

WORLD Global survey, Turkey, Russians in Argentina, trans-rights activist
by Andrew Davis
2023-06-02

This article shared 3414 times since Fri Jun 2, 2023
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


A new survey showed that nearly one in 10 adults across 30 countries identify as LGBTQ, according to NBC News. Age and geographic location played primary roles in the findings, with younger respondents and those in more progressive countries more likely to identify as LGBTQ. Market-research company Ipsos surveyed 22,514 participants in 30 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia in February and March, and found that 3% identified as lesbian or gay, 4% as bisexual, 0.9% as pansexual or omnisexual, and 0.9% as asexual.

Turkey's LGBTQ+ community fears being exposed to more hate after conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected, according to France24. The Islamic-rooted leader constantly railed against LGBTQ+ people while campaigning, accusing them of threatening traditional family values and calling them "perverse." After extending his two-decade rule until 2028 in a recent historic runoff election, Erdogan used the opportunity to target them again when he greeted supporters in Istanbul.

An increasing number of LGBTQ+ Russians are leaving their homeland and settling in Argentina to escape discrimination and the war with Ukraine, according to El Pais. Over the past decade, living openly as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in Russia has grown increasingly difficult. In December 2022, Russia President Vladimir Putin signed a law that expanded restrictions on activities seen as promoting LGBTQ+ rights in the country, building on another statute.

Police removed a trans-rights protester who glued themself to the floor during a talk by gender-critical feminist Professor Kathleen Stock, per The Independent. Stock had only been talking for around five minutes before three protesters jumped out of the audience chanting "No more dead trans kids." She began talking again after the near-30-minute interruption during the event, which the Oxford Union, the University of Oxford's 200-year-old debating society, hosted. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak supported Stock's appearance, saying people should "understand those we disagree with," PinkNews reported.

In Kenya, the push for intersex people to enjoy equal rights has resulted in significant gains since a landmark law took effect last July, The Washington Blade reported. Intersex people arrested for illegal acts can now be presented in court as intersex since prosecutors have adopted the special 'I' sex marker for the group in charging documents. Also, intersex awareness in schools is part of the curriculum at the junior secondary level, where they are educated on the reproductive system.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is considering using current visa-restriction tools against Ugandan officials and other individuals over the African country's Anti-homosexuality Act, per The Citizen. Blinken said Washington "is deeply troubled by Uganda's passage of the law that undermines the human rights, prosperity and welfare of all Ugandans." While same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, the new law imposes capital punishment for some behaviors, including "aggravated homosexuality," and 20 years in prison for "promoting" homosexuality, per AlJazeera. Museveni had previously urged lawmakers to delete the provision on "aggravated homosexuality."

African pro-LGBTQ+ activist organizations have also criticized the signing of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act, The Washington Blade noted. Bruce Walker, of the South African group Pretoria Pride, said he was not surprised by the government's stance. And Mpho Buntse—a spokesperson for Access Chapter 2, another South African LGBTQI advocacy organization—said it was very worrisome the South African government did not condemn the law, even though the country is the only one on the continent that fully upholds rights for LGBTQI people. East Africa Trans Health and Advocacy Network; Gays And Lesbians of Zimbabwe; and Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana also slammed the law.

In Britain (similar to the United States), businesses with Pride items are facing backlash from the right wing. According to PinkNews, conservatives have targeted Lego's LGBTQ+ A-Z of Awesome campaign for Pride after British internet troll Oli London—known for his multiple plastic-surgery procedures intended to make him look like BTS member Jimin—tweeted, "Lego turns trans," PinkNews reported. Lego's A-Z of Awesome, launched for Pride Month last year, is a community-centered social media project aiming to highlight LGBTQ+ voices. London's post has garnered more than 900 retweets, with many joining him in calling for the brand to be boycotted.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), in partnership with Instituto Mais Diversidade and the Forum de Empresas e Direitos LGBTI+, released its second annual "HRC Equidade BR: Global Workplace Equality Program" report, a press release noted. This year, 57 organizations earned the maximum score in Equidade BR and were recognized with the 2023 HRC Foundation designation of "Best Places to Work for LGBTQIA+ People." Nine companies achieved top scores in four HRC Workplace Equality Programs: CEI, Equidad MX, Equidad CL and Equidade BR—BASF, Bayer, Boston Consulting Group, Cummins, Ernst & Young, General Electric, JP Morgan, SAP and Uber.

Latvia Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics was elected as the country's new president—and became the first openly gay person to hold the office, France24 reported. Latvia's top diplomat since 2011, Rinkevics (who came out as gay in 2014) will be the head of state of the EU and NATO member for the next four years after incumbent Egils Levits decided not to run for a second term. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Rinkevics, calling him "a true friend of Ukraine."

Swatch CEO Nick Hayek disagreed with Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's remarks about the company's rainbow-colored watches that were recently seized. "We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colors and having a message of peace and love could be harmful for whomever," Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek Jr. said in a statement, according to NBC News. Malaysia, which has a Muslim majority, criminalizes same-sex relationships, with punishments ranging from caning under Islamic laws to 20 years in prison for sodomy under colonial-era civil laws.

In Israel, a trans teenager was wrestled to the ground and dragged from the launch of an anti-trans book, with people shouting at them that they are "diseased," per PinkNews. On May 28, hundreds of LGBTQ+ demonstrators gathered outside the Sela Meir publishing office in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan to protest the publishing of the Hebrew translation of Abigail Shrier's Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. The book was initially published in 2020, and discusses the idea that gender dysphoria is influenced by a youngster's peers and social contagion—an idea no major medical institution supports. Inside the venue, 17-year-old Ayelet approached Shrier and made pro-trans statements before being tackled and dragged from the spot.

In a wide-open discussion at Cannes, Jane Fonda stated uncensored opinions on Robert Redford, director Jean-Luc Godard, Michael Douglas and Katharine Hepburn, among other people/topics, according to Deadline. For example, the two-time Oscar winner said she "was in love with" Redford, adding, "He did not like to kiss. I never said anything [to him about it]. And he's always in a bad mood, and I always thought it was my fault. He's a very good person; he just has an issue with women." Fonda also said Lily Tomlin as her favorite co-star.

A year after collecting his second Palme d'Or for Triangle of Sadness, Ruben Ostlund bestowed the same honor to Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall, a legal drama that purports to investigate the guilt or innocence of a popular novelist (Sandra Huller) accused of murdering her husband, Variety noted. Triet—who received the award from Jane Fonda—is only the third woman to win the Palme d'Or (after Jane Campion for The Piano and Titane director Julia Ducournau, who joined Ostlund on the jury this year). Sakamoto Yuji won the screenplay prize for Kore-eda Hirokazu's Monster, which also received the Queer Palm. Monster (which Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American rights to) stars Sakura Ando as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing changes in her son's behavior.

The third edition of Southern Sweden Design Days—Malmo's international design festival—took place May 25-28, per a press release. With a packed program at more than 60 different locations in Malmo, the city was filled with exhibitions, seminars, workshops and festivities. Form/Design Center organized the event.

Cher's classic album It's A Man's World is being reimagined as a special deluxe limited-edition vinyl box set that features a remastered version of the original 14-track UK album on two LPs, as well as a newly compiled double LP containing 11 rare remixes, per a press release. The 4 LPs in the limited-edition box are each pressed on a different colored vinyl (red, blue, green and yellow). The box includes an exclusive, numbered lithograph of an iconic photograph of Cher. First released in 1995, It's a Man's World featured the singles "Walking In Memphis," "One By One," "Not Enough Love In the World," "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" and "Paradise Is Here."

Amazon Music unveiled the first batch of performances to be livestreamed from Primavera Sound Barcelona, a festival that will be held at Parc del Forum on June 1-3—and the artists to be featured include Depeche Mode, Turnstile and Maneskin, PollStar noted. Other artists include The War on Drugs, My Morning Jacket, Blur, St. Vincent, New Order and many more. Primavera Sound is one the biggest music events in Spain, with multi-day events in Barcelona, Madrid and Porto. (Fans can access the livestream, sponsored by Google Pixel, for free on Prime Video and Amazon Music Channels on Twitch.) The headliners for the festival in Barcelona include Pet Shop Boys, Kendrick Lamar, Depeche Mode, Rosalía, Calvin Harris, Blur and Halsey. Most of the top acts from that event will also perform in Madrid at Arganda Del Rey and Porto's Parque Da Cidade the following week, June 8-10.

The Little Mermaid was criticized by media-diversity advocate Marcus Ryder for failing to acknowledge the horrors of slavery in the Caribbean, per Deadline. Ryder, an influential British campaigner who also chairs the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, lauded the casting of Halle Bailey but took issue with the film's glossy depiction of racial harmony. "I do not think we do our children any favors by pretending that slavery didn't exist," he wrote in a blog titled "Disney's The Little Mermaid, Caribbean Slavery, and Telling the Truth to Children."

Air New Zealand is asking passengers to step on a scale before they board some flights out of Auckland International Airport, per CBS News. The carrier said it's implementing the new boarding procedure in order to better balance weight across an aircraft on international flights. Neither passengers themselves nor airline personnel can see a traveler's weight; instead, the number is sent directly into a computer and recorded anonymously.


This article shared 3414 times since Fri Jun 2, 2023
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices
2024-03-28
--From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...


Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released
2024-03-27
The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill
2024-03-27
On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

An interstate trans healthcare crisis: Illinois prepares for influx of people seeking gender-affirming care
2024-03-26
With hard-won rights, such as access to hormone replacement therapy or permission to use one's chosen pronouns in school, breaking down in states across the country, trans residents of all ages are left with a choice: ...


Gay News

Wyoming is latest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors
2024-03-24
On March 22, Wyoming became the latest state to prohibit gender-affirming care for minors, The Hill noted. In doing so, it joined 23 other states that passed laws restricting or banning the treatment. Legislators in both ...


Gay News

Family of 2004 murder victim holds event in Lake View; reward announced
2024-03-24
The year 2004, for the family and friends of Lake View resident Kevin Clewer, will forever be marked by tragedy. On March 24 of that year, Clewer, 31, was found in his apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.; he was the ...


Gay News

No charges filed in Nex Benedict fight; campaigns call for Walters' removal
2024-03-22
In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler announced that no charges will be filed in connection with the fight that happened the day before transgender, nonbinary high school student Nex Benedict died by suicide, NBC ...


Gay News

JP Karliak morphs into non-binary character for Disney+'s X-Men '97
2024-03-22
series X-Men '97, a revival of the popular X-men: The Animated Series that's both continuing the ongoing mutant storyline and breaking new ground along the way. The character of Morph now looks more like the comic ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

Almost 8% of U.S. residents identify as LGBTQ+
2024-03-16
The proportion of U.S. adults identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to increase. LGBTQ+ identification in the U.S. continues to grow, with 7.6% of U.S. adults now identifying as LGBTQ+, according to the newest Gallup poll results that ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Missouri measure, HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, judge, Texas schools
2024-03-15
In Missouri, a newly proposed law could charge teachers and counselors with a felony and require them to register as sex offenders if they're found guilty of supporting transgender students who are socially transitioning, CNN noted. ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies
2024-03-15
Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals
2024-03-15
It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.