Venezuela's Supreme Court annulled a controversial part of the military justice code that had criminalized same-sex relations within the armed forces, the outlet Punch noted. The court annulled the provision, which had provided for a penalty of up to three years in prison, "for lacking sufficient clarity and legal precision with regard to the conduct it intended to punish," according to the court's website. A military officer who was expelled after the armed forces learned he was gay told AFP (under the guise of anonymity) that the annulment opens the possibility for him to request his reinstatement.
A guide from Oxfam for its staff volunteers on how to use inclusive language when dealing with different communities has been "misrepresented," the British-based organization told PinkNews. The guide became the center of controversy for allegedly "erasing mothers and fathers" by encouraging the use of gender-neutral terms in certain situations. However, a spokesperson said, "We are disappointed that some people have decided to misrepresent the advice offered in the guide, which clearly states that authors should respect the desires of those who want to be described as a mother or father."
Police in Banja Luka, a city in northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina, banned an LGBTQ+ event, citing what authorities said were security concerns., RFE/RL reported A movie screening and a panel discussion about human rights organized by the activist groups Bh. Pride March and Geto had been scheduled for March 18.
Participants in the 12th annual women's right protest on March 8 in the Bosnian city of Banja Luka—the administrative center of Bosnia's Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity—were verbally and then physically attacked because of one of the participants was carrying a Pride flag, Balkan Insight reported. Gordana Katana, one of the march's organizers, said four young men first verbally called out the participants before the march officially began. "After some 50 meters, they came up close and took the [rainbow] flag away, and then hit the other activist who was there," Katana told BIRN. Women's Day rallies were held in four cities in Bosnia: the capital Sarajevo, Tuzla, Bihac and Banja Luka.
BAFTA-nominated Mike Faist (West Side Story) and Oscar-nominated actor Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) will star in a London stage adaptation of Annie Proulx's best-selling novel Brokeback Mountain, Deadline reported. The story of two lonesome cowboys who fall in love in the big, wide open spaces of Wyoming touched a chord with those who read the story and caught the movie (which starred Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal). The production is described as a play with music and will run at the Sohoplace Theatre in the West End for a 12-week season starting May 10.
Pope Francis told the Argentinian publication La Nacion earlier this month that gender ideology is "one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations" in the world today, per The Washington Blade. The pontiff continued, "Why is it dangerous? Because it blurs differences and the value of men and women." The Vatican's tone toward LGBTQI+ issues has softened since Francis became pope in 2013.
England's Prince William surprised unsuspecting patrons at the Butero Bistro—a casual "queer-friendly" spot in Warsaw, Poland, according to The Independent. The Prince of Wales dined there alongside Kensington Palace staff during his trip to Poland, where he met with British and Polish troops stationed near the Ukrainian border. According to the Daily Mail, the royal ordered a Kanapka w chaÅ‚ce—a Polish sandwich with pulled pork, served with fries and garlic mayo.
LGBTQ+ French actor Arnaud Valois (BPM) has been cast as queer fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in the upcoming Disney+ series Kaiser Karl, GCN reported. The six-part production chronicles the rise of another notorious queer name in fashion, Karl Lagerfeld—who was both a friend and rival of Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Berge. Lagerfeld, played by All Quiet on the Western Front's Daniel Bruhl, is expected to be the central character.
In Italy, hundreds protested in the streets of Milan against moves by the new right-wing government to restrict the rights of same-sex parents, CNN reported. The demonstration—which LGBTQ+ groups organized and which was called "Hands Off Our Sons and Daughters"—took place in the historical Piazza della Scala pedestrian square. Among those attending was Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, who had earlier tweeted his support of same-sex families.
In Australia, neo-Nazi anti-trans far-right extremists gathered outside Victoria's Parliament House to support Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull (aka Posie Parker) a British "gender-critical" anti-trans activist, the Los Angeles Blade reported. Last year, the Victorian government banned the Nazi swastika, with those who defied the ban facing jail terms and hefty fines; however, the salute is not covered under the law. The group also shouted homophobic and transphobic epithets as well as other terms denigrating the pro-trans activists.
Gay Scottish soccer player Zander Murray is the subject of a new BBC Scotland Disclosure documentary, Outsports noted. In it, Murray speaks with LGBTQ+ fans, amateur players and out referee Lloyd Wilson about how anti-gay language hurts them. Murray, 30, is believed to be the first senior Scottish male soccer player to publicly come out when he did so last year; since then, Jakub Jankto and Jake Daniels have also come out.
Police were called in to deal with angry parents after they disrupted a Catholic school board meeting near Toronto over the issue of safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students, CBC.ca reported. The parents attended the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) meeting in Aurora to oppose "safe space" stickers, which are used by some teachers to signal acceptance to LGBTQ+ children and teens. Some like Kristyn Wong-Tam, the Ontario NDP's critic for 2SLGBTQ+ issues, say a higher level of intervention may be needed to ensure LGBTQ+ students in Catholic schools are protected.
Erik Feld was found guilty of using a hammer to murder an unarmed gay man in a London cemetery, PinkNews reported. Following a two-week trial at the Old Bailey, in London, Feld was convicted of murdering Ranjith Kankanamalage in 2021. At the trial, Feld admitted the killing but claimed it was in self-defense.
David Bowie fans will get an unprecedented look into his life, work and legacy after the V&A museum acquired the star's extensive archive that includes more than 80,000 letters, lyrics, photos, stage designs, music awards and costumes, the BBC noted. It also features several instruments owned by the musician, including the Stylophone he played on his 1969 single "Space Oddity." The archive—which will include items such as Bowie's Ziggy Stardust costumes, designed by Freddie Burretti in 1972; and handwritten lyrics for songs such as "Fame"—will go on display in 2025 in a newly created east London venue.
In the UK, the BBC's This is Going to Hurt and The Responder dominated the BAFTA Television Awards and the BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2023 with six nominations each, Variety revealed. Apple TV+'s Bad Sisters and Slow Horses, Netflix's The Crown and the BBC's The English received five nominations each. Acting nods went to openly gay actor Ben Whishaw (This Is Going to Hurt) as well as Taron Egerton (Black Bird), Kate Winslet (I Am Ruth), Imelda Staunton (The Crown), Daniel Radcliffe (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) and Gary Oldman (Slow Horses), among others. Comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan will host the BAFTA Television Awards on May 14.
Andrew Lloyd Webber—the British composer who created the scores for blockbuster musicals such as Cats, The Phantom of the Opera and Evita—has written the anthem for King Charles III's coronation, an NPR item noted. Webber's work is one of a dozen new pieces Charles commissioned for the grand occasion taking place May 6 at Westminster Abbey. It includes words adapted from Psalm 98 and is scored specifically for the abbey's choir and organ.
In other Webber-related news, he missed the Broadway opening of his work Bad Cinderella because his eldest son, Nicholas, is critically ill with gastric cancer, Deadline noted. Nicholas, 43, is a Grammy-nominated composer and record producer, known for scoring the BBC 1 drama Love, Lies and Records and the 2021 film The Last Bus, among other projects. He co-produced and mixed the 2021 original London cast album Cinderella (the previous name of Bad Cinderella).
Legendary British singer Rod Stewart said he canceled his concert with Cyndi Lauper and Jon Stevens in Australia due to a "viral infection," Page Six noted. On Instagram, he added, "I'm only human and sometimes get sick just like you do. My greatest joy is performing for you, so I'm doing everything I can to get on the mend and back on stage!"
Public screenings of the British horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey have been abruptly canceled in Hong Kong, adding to worries about growing censorship in the Chinese territory, NBC News noted. Winnie the Pooh has been a sensitive topic in China since 2013, when a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-U.S. President Barack Obama inspired Chinese internet users to compare them to Winnie and his irrepressible friend Tigger. The Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Administration (OFNAA), which enforces Hong Kong's film-classification and censorship rules, said it had okayed the film to be screened.
