Lily Wakefield

/ /

Kevin Spacey charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men

,

Actor Kevin Spacey has been charged with four counts of sexual assault against three men, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said. In addition, the Oscar-winning American actor faces one charge of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. On Thursday (26 May), Rosemary Ainslie, head of the CPS Special Crime Division, which “deals with the most complex and sensitive cases in England and Wales”, said: “The CPS has authorised criminal charges against Kevin Spacey, 62, for four counts of sexual assault against three men. “He has also been charged with causing a person to engage […]

/ /

Gay couple to tie the knot in first-ever same-sex wedding in British Antarctic Territory

,

Two polar research ship crew members are set to become the first ever same-sex couple to get married in British Antarctic Territory. Eric Bourne and Stephen Carpenter have been together for 20 years, having first met on the RFA Sir Percivale before being deployed in the Gulf war. Since then, they have travelled the world’s oceans, and currently work together on the polar research ship RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is on its maiden voyage in Antarctica. The couple plan to tie the knot either on Sunday (24 April) or Monday (25 April) depending on the weather, with temperatures predicted to be […]

/ /

Majority of Americans oppose using vile ‘groomer’ slur for LGBT-inclusive teachers and parents

,

The majority of US voters oppose using the slur “groomer” to describe LGBT-inclusive teachers and parents, a new poll has revealed. The Data for Progress poll surveyed 1,155 likely voters and asked them about the spread of anti-LGBT+ legislation across the US. While the dangerous and ignorant conflation of homosexuality and LGBT+ identities with paedophilia goes back decades, there has been a recent surge in Republicans and religious conservatives using “grooming” language to describe LGBT-inclusive education, or just queer folk in general. The Data for Progress poll noted: “Some groups have been describing teachers and parents who oppose banning discussion about sexual orientation or […]

/ / /

Florida’s health department moves to block social transition; healthcare for trans kids

,

Florida’s health department has issued chilling guidance to block medical care and even social transition for trans kids in the state. The guidance, issued by Florida’s department of health on Wednesday (20 April), contradicts federal guidance and guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and states that “anyone under 18 should not be prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy”. It also appears to promote conversion therapy, stating that trans “children and adolescents should… seek counselling from a licensed provider”. The guidance has echoes of a directive released by Texas governor Greg Abbott in March, which urges Texans to report families providing their trans kids with gender-affirming medical care, […]

/ /

Shameless anti-LGBT+ social media influencer Libs of TikTok attended Capitol insurrection

,

Anti-LGBT+ social media influencer Libs of TikTok attended the 6 January Capitol insurrection, according to deleted tweets. Libs of TikTok, which began on TikTok but later moved to Twitter, posts content from liberal social media users, inviting ridicule and outrage from right-wing conservatives, often directed at LGBT+ folk and teachers. The account has soared in popularity, garnering almost 700,000 Twitter followers since 2020, and although known to be a woman, Libs of TikTok has managed to remain anonymous, until now. On Saturday, 16 April, software developer Travis Brown revealed the account’s previous Twitter handles, information he said was “OSINT [open […]

/ /

UK Police homophobia may have played role in failure to catch murderer

,

The Metropolitan Police made assumptions about “the lifestyles of gay men” in investigating the crimes of Stephen Port, according to a leaked report from the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC). The unpublished report, seen by Channel 4 News, states that “the public cannot be satisfied that police are making decisions based on evidence and fact” because of the assumptions made in the investigation into Port, who murdered four gay men. Port, known as a the “Grindr killer”, murdered Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor over a 15-month period in 2014 and 2015. He approached his victims via dating apps before giving […]

/ /

Body of trans rights activist Elise Malary found on shore of Lake Michigan

,

A body found on the shore of Lake Michigan in a suburb of Chicago has been identified as trans rights activist Elise Malary. Malary was last heard from on 9 March, and on 11 March she was reported as a missing person. Although she was missing and her apartment had been left unlocked, police initially said there was no indication of foul play. On Thursday, 17 March, a body was discovered by 19-year-old Tristan Lambach on the lakefront in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois. Policy later confirmed that it was Malary. She was just 31 years old. Malary was a passionate […]

/ /

Kosovo MPs reject bid to legalise same-sex unions: ‘Homophobes have no place in parliament’

,

Lawmakers have rejected legislation that would have made Kosovo the first Muslim-majority country in the world to legalise same-sex civil unions. Kosovo wants to join the European Union, and the bid to introduce same-sex marriage was part of modernising efforts by prime minister Albin Kurti’s government, which also tried to introduce other rights for minorities and business reforms But after hours of debate, just 28 out of MPs out of 120 voted in favour of the motion with some members of Kurti’s Vetevendosje party voting against it, according to Euractiv. Many against the draft code cited religious beliefs and “family values”. Vetevendosje representative Labinote Demi-Murtezi said […]

/ /

Conversion therapy app ‘suitable for all ages’ available on Google Play Store

,

Malaysia’s government has launched a conversion therapy app to help LGBT+ people “return to nature” – and it’s being platformed by Google. The app, Hijrah Diri Homoseksualiti, was released by Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM), and is currently available from the GooglePlay Store. According to its description on Google’s app store, it includes “suggestions, ideas, explanations and interpretations” to help users “overcome the problem of homosexuality”. The app also contains an e-book by an “ex-gay” Muslim man, in which he describes how he “is confronted with some of the things that provoke him to commit this sin, and how to […]

/ /

Ukrainian trans women ‘trapped in Kyiv’ as Russian forces advance on capital

,

Many trans women are not being permitted to flee Ukraine, it has been reported, with one woman describing Russia’s invasion as a “war within a war” for trans folk. Kyiv’s mayor said Wednesday (2 March) that Russian forces are gathering “closer and closer” to the capital – but that “Kyiv stands and will stand”. One citizen who remains in the capital is Zi Faámelu, a musician best-known in Ukraine for competing in the competition show Star Factory. She has been hiding in her Kyiv apartment as gunfire and missiles get closer.blob:https://www.gaysonoma.com/8970d02c-4d1b-4aed-adc7-f9c106da0c82 She is starting to run out of food, she told CBS News, but is scared […]

‹ 1 2 3 4›»